#They did seal the deal w a clock this time too..

[dem-obscure-imagines]

The Happily Ever After

Steve Harrington x Reader x Eddie Munson

Just the Three of Us | Relocated | What We Were Waiting For

Fandom: Stranger Things

Prompt: “Here’s my proposition; What you receive: all of my love and affection + a cake of your choosing. What I receive: part four of just the three of us. Pretty solid deal I think.”

Note: I do indeed think that’s a pretty solid deal. I’ll take a red velvet cake if that’s cool with you. Here is the long-anticipated Part 4! Sorry it took so long, but uh…Volume 2 put a little wrench in my motivation…Love you guys lots. Take care of yourselves during these trying times.

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, swearing, poly fluff.

Word Count: 5.2k

Reader is: female, from the future

It was too early in the morning that your alarm clock rang, blaring from the nightstand somewhere behind you.

You groaned and shook your head. “What time is it?”

“It’s Ren Faire day, princess.” You felt a kiss on your nose and a warn hand on your face, opening your eyes to find Eddie’s face right in front of your own, his curly hair a messy bed head, as it usually was in the mornings.

You gasped, remembering suddenly.

“You nerds get up really early for these things, huh?” Steve chuckled, his face pressed against the back of your neck. You loved the way his voice sounded in the morning, all deep and gravely. His arm tightened a bit around your waist as he pulled you back against his chest.

“We’re dedicated to our craft, Harrington.” Eddie smirked, scooching forward and effectively trapping you in a boyfriend sandwich, his arm arcing over you to touch Steve. “And I, for one, can’t wait to see our preppy little boyfriend all dressed up today.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Steve shook his head. “I can’t believe you two talked me into this.”

“I can.” You and Eddie both said at the same time.

“Jinx.” You whispered, Eddie’s eyes gentle while they lingered on your features.

“They still do ‘jinx’ in the future?”

“They still do ‘jinx’ in the future.” You confirmed.

“Cool. Well, you jinxed me, so I think that means I owe you a kiss.”

“Those aren’t the rules I’m familiar with, Munson.” You tilted your head, an amused grin tugging at your lips.

“You know, if you wanna kiss our girlfriend, you can just say that.” Steve pushed the hair off of your neck and kissed your cheek before trailing kisses down your jaw. “Because I know I do.”

“Yeah, let’s go with that.” Eddie smirked, kissing Steve’s cheek, and then his lips before moving on to yours.

It was complex, how these little make-out sessions worked between the three of you, but you loved every minute of them. Eddie’s lips explored yours, his hand between your head and the pillow, fingers in your hair, gently scratching your scalp. Meanwhile, Steve was, no doubt, leaving a loving little bruise on your neck, his lips careful, but firm.

“I love you.” You murmured to both of them.

“I love you too.” Steve whispered behind you, sealing his words with one last kiss on your cheek.

“As do I.” Eddie kissed your nose, looking into your eyes for a long moment before finally sitting up. “Ugh, I’m so excited.”

***

“Baby, will you do my eyeliner?” Eddie asked once the three of you were relatively ready to go pick up the others for the Faire. The king of Hellfire was dressed as a warlock-leaning pirate captain. He looked very Jack Sparrow, despite the fact that Jack Sparrow did not exist yet. His costume consisted of a billowy black shirt with a deep v-neck, held loosely together at the top by thin, crisscrossed strings. As usual, his fingers were adorned with his signature rings. He had a few accessories attached to a brown leather belt that hugged his hips, and on his head, there was a wide-brimmed pirate hat to match, a few beads and gemstones attached to it that you’d helped him sew on.

“Yeah, one second.” You called over your shoulder as you adjusted Steve’s costume. You and Eddie had talked him into a ranger-esque costume, complete with a cape and a quiver full of arrows. It was notably less intricate than Eddie’s, but you were lucky to have gotten him to wear it at all. He was, however, wearing some leather archery gloves, along with a small brown satchel to put his wallet and keys in.

Meanwhile, you were dressed as an elven princess, your costume fairly simple due to the short notice and your lack of supplies from the future, but you were wearing a layered purple skirt, a peasant top, a corset, a jeweled circlet around your head, a pair of pointed ears, and, of course, one of Eddie’s rings around your finger.

Steve grinned down at you, amused, as you fiddled with the strap of his quiver, adjusting it so it sat comfortably against his back.

“How does that feel?”

“A lot better. Thank you.” Steve leaned forward and kissed your cheek. “You know, I had my doubts, but this might be fun.”

“Will be fun.” You corrected.

“You look great, Harrington.” Eddie smirked. “But I still miss that dorky little sailor costume you used to wear.”

Steve chuckled, his cheeks reddening ever so slightly. “Oh god not the sailor costume.”

You raised an eyebrow. “When did you wear a sailor costume? And follow-up question: where might I find pictures of you wearing such a costume?”

“Ugh, Munson, see what you’ve done?”

Eddie laughed maniacally. “Ah yes, all according to my evil plan.” He leaned closer to your ear and whispered, “I’ll show you later. I’ve got them tucked away somewhere safe.”

“I look forward to it.” You said, putting the finishing touches on Steve’s costume before turning your attention to Eddie, who was sitting on the couch, manspreading shamelessly, an eyeliner pencil in his outstretched hand. He gave his thigh a pat, inviting you over.

You walked over and sat in his lap, his arm wrapping around your waist to support you. You admired him for a moment, that handsome face of his.

“What?” He asked, amused, his voice little more than a whisper as his arm tightened around you slightly.

“You, Eddie Munson…are so hot.”

As soon as you said it, Eddie’s cheeks began to redden. He laughed, embarrassed. “Pfft. I don’t know about that.”

“No, no, no, she’s right.” Steve said, sitting next to Eddie on the couch. “She always is.”

“Well I can’t argue with that logic.” Eddie accepted, relaxing against the cushions, his free hand taking Steve’s.

You adjusted your position on his leg and gently took the hat off of his head, handing it to Steve. Eddie stared up at you with stars in his eyes, waiting in anticipation for you to finally put eyeliner on him.

“Close your eyes.” You murmured, and he did so. Then, carefully, you drew eyeliner onto the edge of his eyelid. “Do you want them kinda smoky, or a more solid line?”

“Smoky.” He answered, his voice quiet.

“Cool.” You nodded and gently smudged the line with your pinkie finger, giving him a smokier look. Then, you repeated on the other eye. “Now look up.”

He tilted his head back.

You giggled. “No, like, open your eyes and look up with them.”

“Oh.” Eddie opened his eyes and then looked up at the ceiling.

Even more carefully this time, you traced his lower lash line with the eyeliner and then smudged it expertly. His eye twitched a little bit, but for the most part, he managed to keep them steady.

“All done.” You told him, sliding the cap back onto the pencil and leaning in to kiss him.

“Lemme see.” Eddie set you in Steve’s lap and got up to look at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. “Holy shit!” He emerged wearing a brilliant smile. “Princess, this looks awesome. Thanks.”

“Any time.” You smiled, an arm draped around Steve’s shoulders.

Steve guided your face to his, kissing you softly. You reached up and cupped his cheek with your hand, keeping him close as his lips explored yours.

“I love you,” he whispered it like he was telling you a little secret, his brown eyes incredibly warm, sparkling as he admired you in your costume.

“I love you too.” You replied, going in for another quick kiss before getting up off of his lap and getting the rest of your things together.

Sometimes, you looked at your boyfriends, really looked at them and remembered where you were, when you were. Today, you were in 1986, all dressed up for a Renaissance Faire. A few months ago, this would have been little more than a distant daydream, a passing thought, and now it was your daily reality.

“You okay?” Eddie waved a hand in front of your face when he noticed you zone out.

“I’m fine.” You nodded, taking a step closer and wrapping an arm around his torso while Steve draped an arm over the both of you. “Great, actually. I’ve got my boys, we’ve got some great costumes, and we’re going to have an awesome time.”

Steve grinned and kissed your forehead. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

***

The three of you picked up Robin, Dustin, and Nancy, planning to meet the rest of the group at the faire grounds.

“Cool costume, (Y/N).” Dustin complimented. He was wearing some Paladin gear that looked like he had made it himself.

“Thank you!” You smiled. “I usually go as a tiefling rogue, but all my ren gear is in the future, so…starting from scratch, I suppose.”

“Babe, what’s a tiefling?” Eddie asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

You paused for a long moment. “Are…are tieflings not in DnD yet?” You asked, dumbfounded.

“They’re from DnD?” Dustin asked. “Oh my god, I love when you talk about future stuff. What are they like?”

“They’re like…demon people, kind of. Cool demon features, red skin, horns, that sort of stuff. They’re insanely popular in every DnD group I’ve ever played in.”

“That sounds fucking awesome.” Eddie grinned, taking your hand. “Do you know when they pop up?”

“No clue. But I guess it has to be sometime between now and fifth edition.”

“FIFTH EDITION?!” Dustin asked, his eyes just about bulging out of his head. “Holy shit!”

You chuckled, shrugging. “Yeah.”

Nancy watched you, her big blue eyes curious. She was also wearing a princess costume, but hers leaned more fairy-inspired than yours did, complete with a flower crown and brighter pastel colors. Robin, who was dressed in a Robin Hood-inspired outfit, had helped Nancy with hers, too.

“What’s it like?” She asked quietly.

“What’s what like?” You asked, sitting on the bench seat in the front of the car, crammed quite comfortably between Steve, who was driving, and Eddie, whose fingers were drumming a steady rhythm against your thigh.

“You don’t have to answer this, but…isn’t it weird being here?”

“Oh.” You thought for a long moment. “Well yeah, sometimes. Every time I almost get used to things, I find out something else I’m used to having won’t be invented until like the nineties or something. And that’s…tricky, I guess. But I love it here. And you guys are all great and super nice. I’ve got a great support system here.” You squeezed Steve’s hand and he squeezed it right back. “And besides, pretty much everyone from my generation idolizes the 1980s.”

“This is news.” Steve raised an eyebrow, looking at you briefly while he was stopped at a red light. “Really?”

“Yeah, definitely. A lot of people my age are obsessed with ‘80s music and the aesthetic. Some of the fashion is coming back, too. Lots of the movies are still really popular, some of them getting remakes. And also, they’re making a lot of new movies that take place in the ‘80s, too.”

“Remakes?” Robin asked.

“They made an all-girls Ghostbusters a few years back. It got a lot of hate, but I liked it. The Ninja Turtles come back around every five years or so with a new something.” You chuckled. “There’s a lot of others, too, I just can’t remember them all off the top of my head.”

“An all-girls Ghostbusters…” Robin whispered, smiling. “Awesome.”

“Hey Steve, are we almost there?” Dustin asked from the backseat.

“Almost there.” Steve nodded, putting his blinker on before taking a turn.

“I can’t wait.” Robin grinned, fixing up her makeup with a little mirror in the back seat.

“I can’t believe we’ve never been to a Renaissance Faire before.” Dustin chuckled, shaking his head. “It took your awesome girlfriend from the future to open our eyes to it.”

“You’re welcome, Henderson. Glad I could introduce you to the nerdy wonderland hiding right under your noses.” You chuckled, leaning your head against Eddie’s shoulder.

He turned his head and pressed a kiss to your hairline, and you could feel his lips curl into a smile. “Our costumes are gonna be even better and cooler next year.”

“Definitely.”

***

It didn’t take long to get the rest of the way there. The people standing at the entrance of the parking lot, which was really just a big grassy field, directed you where to park amongst the rows and rows of cars that were already there. Dustin used his walkie talkie to figure out where the others were parked, and then you all started walking towards their vehicle.

When you found them, the other half of the group were sitting in the back of a large yellow pizza van, putting on their garb as quickly as they could. You recognized pretty much everyone who was there. You’d been introduced to each of them at your birthday party do-over and they all seemed nice, as far as you could tell. The only exception was the addition of Argyle, Jonathan’s friend from California. Already you could tell he had good vibes.

“Is this the girl from the future I keep hearing about?” He asked as soon as he laid eyes on you, one of your hands in Steve’s and the other in Eddie’s.

“I’m (Y/N). You must be Argyle.”

“Nice to meet you. I think it’s super dope you have two boyfriends, by the way. I wish everyone got two soulmates. More to love, you know?”

This caused you, Eddie, and Steve to all laugh a little. You nodded. “Yeah, I think so, too. Totally lucked out with these two.”

“(Y/N), did you bring any safety pins? My zipper broke.” Will said, motioning to the back of his wizard costume, which was hanging open haphazardly.

“You seem pretty crafty; I told Will you might have some on you.” Jonathan admitted, shrugging.

“Well you were correct.” You said, opening the bag hanging at your hip and quickly producing a safety pin, carefully using it to join the ends of Will’s robe. “I can help sew a new one on later. Or I could help make you a new one. Totally up to you.”

“A new costume might be nice.” Will contemplated.

Once that was handled, Steve wrapped an arm around you, pulling you to his side and Eddie’s hand found its way into yours again, his ringed fingers lacing between your own. He pulled your hand to his lips, littering a few kisses there on the back of it.

The large hoard of nerds you’d acquired started walking towards the front gates together. Nancy handed out the tickets and made sure you each had one, and then you walked through the domed archway into what felt like another world.

Right at the entrance, there was a tall Maypole with dancers wrapping ribbons around it while music played in the background. Almost everyone you encountered was dressed up as though they were straight out of a fantasy novel. Vendors were selling food and drinks, costume pieces and ornate jewelry, homemade candles, artisan soaps, and so on and so forth.

“Holy shit…” Eddie murmured, looking around at everything.

“Hey you three.” Robin said, grabbing your attention, her Polaroid in hand. “Smile!”

She snapped a photo of the three of you, handing it to Steve once it printed out the front of her camera. He shook it idly while it developed before showing you and Eddie.

“Oh my god that’s so cute.” You smiled. “Thank you, Robin.”

“Any time.” She grinned.

Everyone kind of split off, agreeing to meet at twelve to grab something to eat together before going their separate ways. You, Steve, and Eddie stuck with the other older members of the group: Nancy, Jonathan, Argyle, and Robin.

For a while, you browsed the racks of costumes. Eddie looked at a very ornate pirate jacket while Steve tried on a few flamboyant leather hats.

“What do you think of this one?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow playfully.

“I think you look hot in all of them, babe.” You said, walking up to him.

“Oh you think so, do you?” He grinned, hugging you to his side and pressing a kiss to your lips.

“If you want one, we’ve still got about four and a half months on my fancy card.” You reminded him.

“I don’t know what I’d do with a hat like this, princess.” He chuckled, taking it off of his head and putting it back on the rack where he’d found it. “But, uh, I think our boyfriend found something he likes.” He glanced over at Eddie, who had tried on the pirate captain coat and was admiring his reflection in the mirror.

You snuck up behind him, a mischievous look on your face, and wrapped your arms around him from behind.

“Oh! Hey.” He grinned and made eye contact with you in your reflections. “What do you think?”

“I think it suits you, Captain Munson.” You kissed his cheek. “If you want it, I’ve got my Gold Card on me.”

Eddie thought for a long time, quiet. He had that same look on his face he got every time you tried to buy him something. “You’re serious.”

“Of course I am.” You assured him.

“It’s pretty expensive.”

“I know.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’ve got unlimited funds for the next four-ish months. We may as well use them.”

Eddie slowly smiled, laughing a bit before meeting your eyes. “Well I can’t argue with that logic, now can I?”

You walked to the counter with him and bought the jacket before reuniting with Steve outside the stall, where he was chatting with Argyle, whose long hair was now braided with several flowers woven into it.

“Woah, cool coat!” Argyle complimented.

Eddie beamed, showing it off proudly. “It was a gift bestowed upon me by Princess (Y/N) of Hawk’s End.”

You laughed. You loved when Eddie’s DM voice came out.

“What do you think, Harrington?” Eddie did a little spin.

“I think you make one hell of a pirate captain, Ed.” Steve smirked before adding playfully, “Might even get me back in that old sailor costume.”

Eddie gasped and put his hand over his heart. “Promise?”

“We’ll see.” Steve shook his head, chuckling.

Eddie walked up to Steve, his fingers playfully hovering near his face before pulling him in for a kiss that Steve gladly reciprocated. It was adorable, how affectionate they were with each other. For both of them, touch was one of their main love languages, so physical affection was a big part of your relationship with them. Not that you minded at all. It was nice. It was nice being cared for by your two favorite people in the world.

“Now we’ve gotta find a cool new costume piece for you, big boy.” Eddie kissed Steve’s nose and Steve blushed, grinning.

“Better get looking, then.” Steve replied.

“It says on this map there’s a mead tent.” Robin read from the map she’d picked up at the gate. “And a mermaid? And a fairy garden!”

“What’s mead?” Argyle asked.

“It’s like honey-based wine. It’s pretty sweet, but they make it in a bunch of flavors and it’s pretty good.” You answered. “My favorite is blueberry mead.”

“You know a lot of things, future girl.” Argyle noted, nodding. Yeah, he was probably baked, you figured. After spending a little over a month dating Eddie, you’d recognize that smell anywhere. “Thanks for sharing your knowledge.”

You laughed. “Any time.”

“I think we should check that out.” Steve noted. “It’d give me some time to sober up before I’ve gotta drive us back.”

“You like wine?” You asked, amused.

He shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “On occasion.”

“No wonder Dustin calls you Mom.” Eddie joked, giving Steve an affectionate nudge.

“Well I wanna go see the mermaid.” Robin said. “Looks like the mead tent is on the way.”

“Perfect.” Steve took your hand in one and Eddie’s in the other, starting to lead the rest of the group over to the mead tent.

***

By the time lunch rolled around and you joined up with the kids again, you were still a little buzzed from the mead tent.

“Woah, Eddie, cool coat!” Dustin complimented.

“Doesn’t he look great? A total pirate captain.” Steve grinned, his arms wrapping around Eddie’s waist from behind and kissing him on the cheek.

“Are you…drunk?” Dustin asked, his eyes narrowing at you and Steve slightly.

You giggled. “A little. We found a mead tent.”

“They’re both lightweights.” Eddie whispered very loudly, earning an elbow to the chest. “They’ll sober up once we get some food in ‘em, though.”

“What’s mead?” Mike asked, holding hands with Eleven.

“The nectar of the gods, brochacho.” Argyle declared. “I have been changed at this Renaissance Festival.”

Once you all caught up with each other and shared the things you had found, the rest of you started browsing the food stalls. Steve made a beeline for the giant turkey legs while you located something more palatable at one of the other storefronts.

There weren’t many places to sit and eat, so your whole group sat on the back benches at one of the live shows.

Steve held up his turkey leg proudly and took a bite, nodding immediately. “Oh yeah, that’s the stuff.”

“Can I have a bite?” Eddie asked, curious more than anything.

Steve nodded and held the leg closer to Eddie, who took a bite from it.

Eddie chuckled, shaking his head a bit as he chewed. “Yeah, I wouldn’t have finished that whole thing. That’s…a lot.”

“Yeah.” You nodded, taking a bite of your veggie burger. “I usually share one with my friends back home because it’s too much for any one of us to finish on our own. They’re good with barbeque sauce, though.”

“That’s a good idea, princess.” Steve grinned, dabbing some barbeque sauce onto it before digging in again. “You’re right. You’re always right.”

“That seems to be the pattern lately, yeah.” You chuckled.

“You want a bite?” He offered, his eyes earnest.

“Don’t mind if I do.” You took a little bite before turning your attention back to your own meal. Once you were finished eating, you looked at Steve, who still had a little barbeque sauce clinging to the corner of his lip. “Babe.”

“Hmm?” He hummed, looking over at you, oblivious.

“Come here.” You beckoned him closer and he leaned in, those gorgeous big brown eyes gazing into yours. You led his lips to yours and kissed him softly, pulling away after a few moments before telling him, “You had some BBQ on your lip.”

Steve laughed sheepishly and looked at you. “Well did you get it?”

“Yep.” You pecked his lips one more time before getting up to walk your trash to the garbage can. When you made your way back to the group, Eddie was reaching out for you, his fingers wiggling needily. You grinned and sat in his lap, his arm wrapping around you.

“Can I get a kiss even if I don’t have BBQ on my face, princess?” Eddie asked, his features mischievous.

“You can have a kiss any time you want, Captain Munson.” You tilted his chin up towards you and pressed a long kiss to his lips.

Once everyone else was finished, you all started walking around the faire once more, browsing the various stalls, shopping for odds and ends. In one of the other costume stalls, Eddie stuck a very kingly crown on Steve’s head, mostly as a joke, but the look Steve gave himself in the mirror while he was wearing it was enough to make you bust out your Gold  Card.

And then, when you all were about finished exploring, you stumbled upon a psychic’s shop. Immediately, you felt a pull you couldn’t explain.

“A psychic?” Eddie asked, reading the sign. “That’s cool.”

“I…I think I’m gonna get a reading.” You decided, walking inside, Steve and Eddie not far behind you.

Steve browsed the little crystals for sale out front while you walked to the counter and booked a reading. And as soon as the psychic was ready, she beckoned you beyond the beaded curtains to her table while Steve and Eddie waited out in the storefront for you to be done.

The psychic was an older woman, probably around fifty or sixty. She had reddish hair pulled back into a bun. Her fingers were adorned with rings and bracelets, her nails painted gold. She had a kind twinkle in her eye, like she knew things she wasn’t supposed to. Although, you supposed, that was kind of the whole point.

“So you want a stone reading today, eh?” She asked, collecting said rocks from the table’s surface. Some of them were crystals, others were bones or pieces of bones, there were a few runes, and some rocks that looked as though she’d found them outside somewhere.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“There’s some nervous energy about you, dear. Is this your first reading?”

“The first in a while.” You nodded. “I had a friend who used to do them for me before I…uh, moved.”

“Mmhmm.” She hummed, setting the pile of stones in your hands. “Breathe with me.”

You both took a deep breath together.

“And now, you can release them.” She said, motioning you for to drop the stones on the table. She looked them over for a long moment, taking in the information they gave her based on the way they fell. “You’re not from around here, are you? From quite far away. Somewhere you can’t get back to.”

“Right, yeah.” You nodded, a chill running down your spine.

“But you don’t feel lost, do you? I see a little uncertainty here, but…” She smiled softly. “Your soulmates are here.”

You smiled. “Yeah, they are.”

“They love you a lot. I can tell that much.”

“I love them a lot, too.”

She laughed. “Well that’s good.” She paused, looking over the stones. “You’re pretty financially stable now, yes?”

“Yes.” You nodded.

“I’m still seeing a new job for you on the horizon, but not for a while. Maybe…a few months from now.”

You were in awe. That was when you were planning on getting a job, about a month before your Gold Card would expire.

“Let’s talk about those soulmates, shall we?”

“I’d love to.”

“Well, there’s two, for starters.” She laughed. “You’re one of the lucky ones, it seems. One of them is giving me very…paternal, protective energy. He’s…athletic. Maybe not currently, but he played sports at one point in time. He’s…he’s been hurt in the past. Someone who he really cared about betrayed him, but he doesn’t feel that way with you. It’s a different kind of fear. You got here pretty abruptly. Part of him fears you’ll…well, that you’ll disappear as quickly as you came.”

“Woah…”

“You won’t.” She reassured you quickly. “We’ll…we’ll get there, though. Now the other one, he’s something else, isn’t he? I’m getting some strong musical abilities here. He’s a bit of a rebel, an outsider. He has tattoos, yes?”

“Yeah.” You chuckled. “Plenty of them.”

“Thought so. He’s very creative, though. An impressive storyteller. He treats you well. They both do. There is, however, something they’ve been keeping from you. It will come up in due time, but just know that they’ve been waiting to tell you for a reason.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t push them. It’s nothing that directly affects you, rather, something in their past.” She paused, taking a breath and looking into your eyes. “Speaking of pasts…I didn’t think you’d recognize me, and it’s alright that you don’t, (Y/N), but there’s a reason you came into my stall today.”

Your heart raced and you stared at her, waiting for the recognition to kick in. And then, all at once, it hit you. “Oh my god, Iris?”

“In the flesh.” She smiled, reaching for your hand, which you gladly gave her, tears welling in your eyes.

“What are you—how are you—?”

“A few months after you vanished on your twenty-first birthday, I vanished on mine. Went back to the 1950s to live with my soulmate, Lydia. She’s running the register out front.” She told you, chuckling softly and shaking her head. “I always knew you’d gone off to 1986 but it snuck up on me after all these years.”

“How did you know? What did they tell you?”

“The Commission told all of us, your friends, where you’d gone and why, told us not to make too much of a fuss about it, but it was hard to just move on like nothing had happened.” She teared up a little. “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too.” You both stood up and walked into each other’s arms, crying.

“I know you’re still afraid you’ll wake up back home, that all of this will be a dream, but it’s not. You and your soulmates are going to live happily ever after. You’re going to put down roots together, start your new life here. I know you’re going to be so happy with them for years and years and years. And every once in a while, you better come visit me.”

“Oh I will. I promise.”

“Good. Now, how would you feel about introducing me to these boys of yours?”

***

Iris, unsurprisingly, got on with Steve and Eddie very well. She trusted them with you. And now, she knew you were in good hands.

It had been a weird and wonderful day, and now, you and the rest of the group were heading towards the car to go back home. On the way there, though, you pulled Steve and Eddie aside for a second.

“Steve, Iris…told me you’re…she said you’re scared that I’m gonna…disappear.” You told him, causing him to stop in his tracks. You and Eddie stopped walking too, standing under the canopy of trees arching above you as people in Renaissance garb passed you.

“Well, w-well yeah, it’s always kinda…in the back of my mind.” Steve admitted, taking your hand and fiddling with your fingers. “I don’t know, I just…everything is so perfect and I’m just afraid that one morning I’ll wake up and…”

“Hey, look at me.” You said softly, reaching up to touch his cheek, tilting his face towards yours. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” You felt tears brimming in your eyes and reached for Eddie’s hand with your free one. “I…honestly, I was kind of afraid of that, too. But…Iris said that’s nothing to worry about. When I came here, it was a one-way trip.” You looked at Eddie, who was in tears, too. “You’re both stuck with me, alright? Forever.”

“P-promise?” Eddie asked, a lump in his throat.

“Promise.” You whispered, a tear slipping down your cheek, only to be wiped away by Steve’s thumb, his warm hand cupping your face. He pulled you against him, tugging Eddie closer with his other arm, the three of you huddling there together on the dirt path in your Ren gear, holding each other close.

And little did you know Robin was a little ways up the path, snapping yet another picture of the three of you with her Polaroid.

Part 5?

#steve harrington x reader x eddie munson #steve harrington x reader #eddie munson x reader #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #stranger thing

[wednesday-if-it-was-tuesday]

•🔔🔔🔔•

Now we ring in the annual bat chess tournament.

Round 1 goes as such:

[Alfred v Damian] Three draws until Alfred took the W. Wisdom really does wonders.

[Bruce v Tim] Nerd on nerd defensive play until Tim gets ahead in material and narrowly closes the deal.

[Dick v Steph] Stephanie cramming four hours of chess theory a day off competitive adrenaline for the last week paid off and check mate.

[Harper v Comish Gordon] Gordon was not aware chess was this complicated. Harper leads.

[Luke v Harley] Luke loses on time because he’s not used to having to click the clock and forgets during Harley’s mid game rambling.

[Duke v Talia] Duke also did not prepare and he traded too much material without knowing how to checkmate on low stock. Talia slides the win.

[Cass v Selina] Quiet and slow game running the time low for both of them. Comes down to who can walk their pawns to promote faster and Cass stays one square ahead.

[Jason v Barbara] Tension is rising and Babs knows Jason’s nerdage has collected him too much chess knowledge for her to beat him on pure skill. However, emotional manipulation is a viable strategy. He throws the board and is disqualified. He then leaves to take Damian and Duke for ice cream.

Round two 🔔🔔🔔

[Alfred v Tim] Strong opening by Tim suggesting either the Catalan or Queen’s Gambit. Alfred keeps his dark square bishop safe and ready to counter. It’s a close match, but Tim misses the line and blunders a queen. Cut to a few moves later with a mate in three and Tim resigns.

[Steph v Harper] They mutually agree they’d rather do bullet instead. A nasty knight placement gives Steph the change to clear a helluva lot of material right before the clock clicks.

[Harley v Talia] While entertaining a nice conversation about their lovely sons, a rook/queen mate seals the deal and Talia continues. Harley then steals a quarter of all the boys ice cream.

[Cass v Barbara] Cass pulls a slick queen trap into a bait and switch. W Cass.

Final round 🔔🔔🔔!!!

You may be thinking, there’s 4 people left, how is this the final round. When the bats are good at chess so it’s time things take a turn. This year the final round is four way chess. Harley takes the mic to announce the game and the rest negotiate bughouse teams after the game is over.

Alfred pushes his pawns for a more aggressive approach with Steph taking him up on the quick trades. Talia slips into a bishop/queen/pawn line breaking into Steph castle while she was busy. Cass is going defensive on the knights with a nice fianchetto to prepare for action; she’s going material over mates to start. Alfred and Steph are weak from trading making them desperate and easy to beat out in the long run. Alfred and Cass take a combined attack on Talia and Steph jumps in. As the clock runs out Steph is mated and Talia in a rough check. Tick. Tick. Tick. And right before time Cass makes a sweep on the remainder of material to secure the win.

She smiles as if it was all natural talent knowing full well she’s been reviewing chess theory and their personalities and strategies to create the best plan of attack and secure this years trophy after last years out in the first round fiasco.

Good games all around and chess pieces on the floor.

#batfam #batman #batfamily #jason todd #batboys #robin #red hood #tim drake #dick grayson #damian wayne #nightwing #bruce wayne #red robin #alfred pennyworth #batgirl #cassandra cain #barbara gordon #stephanie brown #spoiler #talia al ghul #harley quinn #luke fox #duke thomas #selina kyle #catwoman #chess #chesstournament

[citadelredlightdistrict]

Stranded on Monster Island.

(Writing Prompt, inspiration: Made in Abyss)(AU: Juniorverse)(Characters: Tifa and Aerith and Brown haired soldier 'Jake')

(Kinks and Tags: Nonconsensual, Age Differences, Size differences, Species Transformation (Jake), Taller characters, Stomach bulge, Barbed cocks, Exotic Cocks, Threesome, Unconscious, Creampie, Breeding, Internal Cumshot, Pregnancy(Tifa), Corruption (Jake), Bad Ends(Tifa and Aerith), Cock Vore (Aerith), Monsters (Jake), Soft Vore (Aerith), Vore-Prey (Aerith), Underage characters (Tifa and Aerith))

Blinding light and a flash of intense pain, it’s all that they knew for one agonizing moment. The Mako energy, refined from the Lofe Stream of Gaia flowed over them, tearing at the edges of reality itself. For two of them it wound back their clocks, sealing their bodies in the past, for the third who had cornered them in the reactor though his body was subsumed within the energy. His body glowed with the power and potential, fueled him as the Life Stream’s power was imprinted on every cell. Their fates were twisted, wrent asunder, and while one would revel in their new life, the other two would forever mourn what should have been.

Tifa slowly groaned as she started to wake up, her body felt weak, frail. She slowly gets, blinking into the daylight, trying to remember what had happened. She felt lighter, smaller, especially her chest didn’t feel nearly as heavy as it usually did. She looked around at the open fields, seeing a naked girl several feet away, a few smoldering shreds of clothes still clinging to her body. Tifa stood up on shaking legs, nearly falling over again as her expected Wright was far different from what she found.

“W-what is, ah, wait, is that… my voice?”

She finally looked down at herself and upon seeing what was wrong, screamed. She looked the same as she did back when she was only ten, her clothes had been fully burnt and torn off, leaving her as a child standing in the middle of an empty field, her prepuvescent body on full display.

“W-what the hell?! What’s going on? This, this has to be a nightmare!”

The other girl slowly sat up too, blushing brightly as she looked up, seeing Tifa standing there panicking as she stood there naked. It wasn’t until the girl spoke that Tifa realized just who the other girl with her was.

Aerith: “T-Tifa? Is that you? B-wait, is that my voice?! What is, oh gods! What happened to us, where are our clothes, our bodies!?”

Tifa ran over to Aerith, wrapping her arms around the other girl to try and comfort and help to cover them both. All that Tifa could think of, was the attack on the Mako Reactor, the explosion that had caught them. She gently rubs Aerith’s back as she begins to understand what must have happened. But as she was getting ready to turn her mind to the more present issue of how to deal with this strange new land they found themselves in a new issue presented itself. The sound of a roar filled the air, reverberating inside of them both. As they turned to see what horror now befell them they witnessed a massive wolf creature, standing at seven feet tall, with corded muscles, a snout filled with teeth that looked as thought they could tear open a chocobo, claws long and sharp as daggers, they faced down against a werewolf. To make matters worse, as the creature charged them, it was clear that food wasn’t the main thing on its mind, the beast’s massive cock swaying between its legs as it charged them.

Tifa looked from the monster to Aerith, the other girl clung to her, tears welling in her eyes as she looked upon their impending doom. Tifa knew there was nothing they could do, this had to be the end, but she couldn’t go out like this. She had to make a stand, had to at least try to protect Aerith, even if she knew she could only fail. So standing up, she raised her hands into the fighting stance she’d practiced so many times. “Alright dog breath, come on. I’m not scared! We’re Avalanche! And that means we don’t back down!”

If she were her regular self, she might have stood a chance, her and Tifa could have easily taken on this foe. She could have taken it on up close while Aerith provided aid from a distance with her magic. Now though, with each of them in bodies that couldn’t be more than ten, they didn’t stand a chance.

The beast was almost upon them, her legs shaking with fear, Aerith stood beside her ready to put up what little fight she could too when from behind them another roar rang out. A beast like the werewolf before them leapt over the two terrified tykes, slamming into the werewolf, a pitched battle ensuing soon thereafter.

Tifa stood in shock as she watched the two beasts fighting one another. As she watched she noticed something strange about the newcomer that had possibly saved them. For starters it was more feline, almost tiger like in its appearance, but more than that it still had what looked like the remains of clothes clinging to it. What really caught her attention was the symbol on those clothes though, Shinra Security. A part of her wanted to wait, see what happened next, but Aerith wasn’t having any of it. She grabbed Tifa’s hand and pulled on her, hissing at her friend to run with her.

Aerith: “Tifa! Stop watching them, this is our chance to run, come on! Before they turn their attention back to us!”

Tifa shook her head and looked to Aerith, realizing she was right she gave a firm nod and squeezed her hand, running away from the fighting beasts.

Tifa: “This is insane! We have to find shelter of some kind, a cave, or a a hollow tree, anything that we can try to hide from those things in!”

Aerith: “I know Tifa, but I don’t see anything!”

The two ran as hard as they could, gasping for breath as they made their way across the field, two shining moons glaring down upon them from overhead with a field of stars as their audience. As they go they eventually start to make out lights on the horizon, first only one or two, but soon as they run they begin to make out buildings in the distance.

Tifa: “Aerith, there!”

The two girls laugh at their luck when something from behind sprints past them, a blur of color and fur stops directly in front of them, blocking their path. It’s glowing eyes shining in the moonlight, for a second it would seem to be the end for the two girls. Until the unexpected happened, it spoke.

Jake: “A-are you two ok? It didn’t hurt you did it?”

The two girls didn’t know what to say, all they could do was stand in absolute shock and shake their heads.

The monster seemed to sigh with relief, slowly standing up on its hind legs as it shrunk down, changing from a giant tiger person, down to a man in a dark blue uniform with shattered and singed armor on his chest and shoulders.

Jake: “Oh thank the gods, ha, good. You umm, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you, but I don’t really know what’s happening here, how I got here or how I am… well thi-“

He gestures down to himself, frowning as he realizes that he’s reverted back to his human form, his uniform only barely held together on his body by the tattered armor while his pants have stretched obscenely, almost to the point of just falling off.

“Oh, umm, well I suppose I don’t know how I became normal again either, but well…”

He clears his throat awkwardly as Aerith and Tifa continue to look fearfully at him, backing away slowly. The man frowns as he watches them back away, slowly starting to recognize the two girls in front of him.

“Actually, you two look pretty familiar, what are you girls doing out here, naked? You wouldn’t happen to have any idea how I got here, or why I’m able to turn into a monster now, do you?”

He slowly approaches the two girls, Tifa and Aerith both stumbling over their words as they try to think of something to say to him, some justification or lie to throw him off the truth. But unable to think of anything they both turn to run away, but neither gets far before they feel a massive clawed hand on the back of their necks pinning them down.

Tifa/Aerith: “Ahhh!”

Aerith: “W-we’re just lost, we don’t know how we got here!”

Tifa: “Please! W-we don’t know anything, you have to believe us!”

Jake growls angrily behind them, his massive hands squeezing around their necks.

Jake: “I’m sure, but you know, you two remind me of a couple whores I’d been fighting before I showed up here. They were members of a group of terrorists, criminals, called Avalanche. Ring any bells?”

Tifa and Aerith both struggle under the weight of him, clawing at his hands to try and pull his fingers away, to loosen his grips. All to no avail though, after he tightens again to force an answer from them Aerith finally yells out.

Aerith: “Yes! I’m sorry, we didn’t know the reactor explosion would do this! Please!”

Jake growls in fury lifting Aerith and letting go of Tifa, placing a massive foot on her back as he lifts Aerith up, turning her to face him, bringing her close, her face mere inches from his massive snout and razor sharp teeth.

Tifa: “Leave her alone!”

Jake let’s out his tongue and licks Aerith’s face, his cock starting to grow and peak out through his fur, straining against his pants.

Jake: “Tell me girl, what is your name? I want to know the names of my new pets~.”

Aerith’s eyes went wide as she struggled to speak, shivering with fear.

Aerith: “A-Aerith, sir, m-my friend’s name is Tifa… please, you don’t have to DooOOOHHH!”

Rather than let her finish her plea he shoves his thumb into her pussy and begins fucking her with it, letting her know with his actions just how futile pleading was going to be.

He holds Aerith up with one hand, his other he fucks her tiny pussy, a massive wicked grin on his face as he watches her. Her face turning from confusion and pleading to horrified pleasure. Tifa’s eyes well up with tears as she is left powerless, forced to listen as her friend is played with, the former Shinra guard’s fingers fucking her cunt against her will.

Aerith: “Ahhh~! Ah, ah, p-please! Ohh~!”

To Aerith’s confusion and terror she felt herself tightening around his thumb, moaning loudly in pleasure as she cums, spraying her arousal on his hand and down to Tifa’s face, causing the other girl to wince. He slows down his finger fucking her, letting Aerith pant with pleasure as she slumps on his thumb.

He leans forward and licks up her neck, his rough feline tongue going from neck up her chin and over her cheek, causing Aerith to shiver in pleasure and disgust once more. With tears streaming from her eyes she tries once more to plead with him.

Aerith: “Mmm, p-please, hic I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to turn you into this…”

Jake’s eyes twinkle as he slips his thumb out of her pussy and tears off his pants, letting his massive feline cock flop out, precum dripping down onto Tifa.

“You really should have just considered the consequences before you sluts became criminals in the first place~. Now, you’re mine, you’ve made me into a monster, and you’re going to make it up to me now~.”

With that he shoves his tongue into her mouth, the length of it reaching into her throat as he thrusts her down onto his cock. His massive girth spreads her prepubescant pussy wider than she can comfortably take, bulging out her belly as the spines on his cock scrape and rub over every nerve inside of her tight cunt.

Jake: “grunt ah, fuck! So tight, come on bitch, a bit further, I’m not even half in you!”

Aerith screamed in pain and pleasure, her eyes wide as she shook her head, clutching at his hands and trying to push herself away.

Aerith: “AHHHH! AH, N-NO! AH~! I-I CAN’T FIT YOU!”

Jake growled angrily as he continued to force his cock into her, Aerith’s back arching as he forced her further, his tip forcing its way into her womb before finally he had her resting on top of his balls. Her eyes were wide with horror, her body spasming with pain and pleasure, crashing from one climax to the next as her mind struggled to hold together.

Tifa’s fists tightened on the ground, digging small rivets into the dirt as she kept getting sprayed by her friend’s cum. She closed her eyes to try and give Aerith as much respect and privacy as she could. Her attempts were for naught as he heard the monster growling into Aerith’s ears, her eyes shooting wide as she heard him.

Jake: “Stop fucking crying, stop fighting me bitch! If you don’t, then you’ll get your fucking wish, and this’ll be the last time I use you~!”

As he said this he curled a hand around her throat, squeezing as he fucked her, slamming the tip of his cock in and out of her womb. Aerith couldn’t think though, barely understood what he’d said, what the threat could mean. All she could focus on was resisting, pleading, desperately trying to make him stop.

Aerith: “N-No! Ahh~! Aah~!”

He laughs loudly as he continues to use her tiny body like a massive fleshlight, thrusting into her, moving her up and down on his cock until finally he could feel his balls start to tighten. His hair stood on end, he bared his fangs and growled loudly before pulling out and pushing his cock down, aiming at Tifa, forcing a yelp of protest from the formerly proud fighter. Aerith just sobbed in his hands as she thought the torment was finally over, though in truth it had just begun. Jake’s new body could do strange things, things that he’d have never considered before, but having Aerith in his hands, his cock twitching as it finishes pumping out cum onto Tifa, he knew exactly how to grant her wish.

“Alright, you win blondie, I’m done fucking you~. Hey, you what was your name? Tifa? Yeah pay attention, if you don’t act more enthusiastic then this will be what happens to you too~.”

Aerith looks at him in confusion, her tormented mind just barely registering that something bad was about to happen. Tifa wipes the cum from her eyes as she feels his weight shifting off of her, stepping in front of Tifa to give her a clear view.

Tifa: “ptoo bleh! W-what do you mean? What will happen?”

She then pales in shock as she watches him lower Aerith’s feet down towards his cock, both of them smoothly slipping inside the expanding member. Aerith whines pathetically as she feels his urethra engulfing her, looking to Tifa pleadingly, before closing her eyes as she finally gave up.

Tifa: “N-no, no you can’t, how are you…”

Jake moaned loudly, not paying attention to the prone girl before him anymore, too absorbed with the pleasure of his new cock snack to care about her.

“Ohh fuck! Ahh~! Ha, shit girl you’re gonna have to work real hard to not end up in here too, mmm~, because this is amazing!”

Aerith gave a quiet whimper as her hands slipped into the obscenely large cock, her feet already inside his now bloated balls. It was strange, it felt like a warm gooey blanket covering her lower body. Her feet were already starting to feel oddly soft, but she didn’t feel like she was in any pain. In fact she felt a strangely pleasant warmth instead.

Tifa: “S-stop! Please, w-we’ll both serve you, we’ll do anything you want, we’ll be your slaves just stop doing, t-that!”

Jake laughs as she shoves down on Aerith’s shoulders, pushing her entire upper body inside, her tiny tits slipping in easily. Up to her neck in his cock now Aerith started to pant, the warmth and pleasure coming over her turning her on as she started to masturbate in his cock.

Aerith: “Mmm, ah~! T-Tifa, don’t be sad, t-this feels r-really good actually! Mmm, ah, m-more, please~!”

Tifa looked on in horror as she could see the bulge of Aerith’s hands masturbating within his cock. Watched as she masturbated, and begged him to shove her into his cock, to a fate unknown. Jake though just laughed and placed a hand on her head and shoved her the rest of the way in. His cock easily slurping her up like she was little more than food for it.

Jake: “Mmh, oh yeah~, that’s it~. Ha, fuck I can feel that stupid whore getting off in there, look at her! Ha! You can see her sliding down into my balls! Mmm, alright bitch, now you get over here, time for you to convince me why you shouldn’t be joining her.”

He looks to Tifa and licks his lips, imagining what she’d taste like, or what she’d feel like sliding into his cock like her friend. She had an uphill battle now, she’d have to work hard not to share her friend’s fate. So reluctantly she slowly got on all fours as Jake sat down, his legs spread wide to compensate his now enlarged balls, the organ actively shuddering and jiggling around the shape of the little girl inside of them.

Tifa: “W-what should I do? J-just suck or…”

Jake smirked and grabbed her by the hair and pulled her face against his furry balls, the musk filling her nose and clouding her thoughts instantly. She vaguely was aware of her terror, her despair at feeling Aerith inside of his balls, just barely able to hear her moans of pleasure from the outside as her friend masturbates from within her fleshy prison.

Jake: “You can start by worshipping my cock and balls bitch, start with your tongue and hands, I’ll let you know when it’s time to give me that pussy~!”

He couldn’t believe the strange luck he was having today. From a day starting with these terrorist whores blowing up the Mako Reactor, to now him being a monster In some strange land and those same whores now being little girls. He couldn't decide if he was the luckiest man in the world or not. Well not yet at least, by the end of the night he was sure he’d have come to a decision.

Tifa did the only thing she could, she started licking at his balls, massaging them. Her body slowly starting to heat up as his musk and monstrous pheromones began to seep into her mind. Her little mosquito tits started to tingle, her pussy tightened around nothing, starting to drip arousal. She vaguely knew it was happening, she knew with a dreadful certainty that his new form was purpose built to claim women and girls like her. It was pointless to resist, Aerith was proving that now, so the question that refused to go away for Tifa now was, why not give in?

Jake just sat back and watched as Tifa slowly went from nervously and reluctantly licking at his balls, to watching her start to lather and kiss at them. She was soon making out with his massive sack, as though trying to make out with her little friend inside while she rubbed her whole body over them. It felt amazing, even better than feeling that other girl, whatever her name was, squirming inside.

“Ohhh~! F-fuck, yeah just like that cunt! Mmm, o-oh fuck, yes! H-haaa~ oh fuck h-here she goes, oh shit, haa~!”

He had to squeeze his eyes tightly to focus on not cumming, gritting his teeth as he felt Aerith’s body finally break. One moment she was still solid, Tifa making out with her through his balls, and the next he felt Tifa finally fall Into his balls like a massive bean bag chair.

“G-get on my cock now! Get your cunt up there, I- I’m going to let your friend out!”

Tifa blinked in heated confusion as she suddenly felt her friend’s body disappear, falling into a now perfectly smooth pair of cat balls. She panted with desire, feeling herself so close to cumming, those scents from Jake having fully sunk in, she couldn’t even think of refusing him. Her eyes having gone dull, a drunken smile on her face as she nodded excitedly and climbed up his cock before quickly impaling herself upon it.

“Ahh, h-huh? Oh! Hee hee, yes master~! Ohh, ha, i-it feels so big, and s-so good~. Mmmn, i-it might not, ahhh~! I did it, ohh I can feel you in my womb~!”

The trauma along with the mind altering pheromones of Jake’s new form had finally taken their toll on her. Tifa had given in, she didn’t fully realize what had happened with Aerith the flower girl, she didn’t remember her in that moment. All she knew, all she’d let herself know, was how good it felt to obey her new master, and to take his cock into her developing body.

Jake: “growl Hrr~ fuck you’re even tighter than that first cunt! Ahh, y-yeah I’m keeping you, just bounce like that, mmm, fuck keep riding me!”

He knew he wouldn't last long, and from the looks of it, neither would Tifa. And sure enough, it only took a couple of minutes for him to grunt loudly, for her to scream in pleasure and him to pump her full of the largest load he’d ever had. Tifa’s womb swelled to an obscene size before she was forced off his cock, falling onto the ground as her eyes slowly closed, falling unconscious with a smile on her face. But even as she was done, he wasn’t. Jake kept cumming, his cum shooting into the air before falling back down, splashing onto his chest, balls, or onto Tifa. It took nearly two minutes of cumming before his balls were finally back to normal, his cock finally softening, he looked down exhaustedly at his chest, and chuckled as he saw a small skull soaked in his cum. He reached up and grabbed the skull off his chest and set it down beside him, a broad smile on his face as he slowly drifted to sleep.

It would make a good trophy he thought, the first of many he was sure. He was already thinking about how he’d use his new pet to get more little cock snacks. It was as he closed his eyes, content after having the best sex of his life that he knew, he was the luckiest man alive.

[animatedarchives]

ALMOST IS NEVER ENOUGH

— 𝐎𝐈𝐊𝐀𝐖𝐀 𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐑𝐔

author’s note: hi guys!! this is my angstvember piece for the @babythotshq brokenhearts club playlist collab ^^ i hope yall like it!! <3

genre: a lot of angst

warnings: death, hospitals, mentions of a coma and an accident, illness

word count: 2.9k words

The sun hung low in the vast amber sky as Oikawa clutched the bouquet of velvet red roses in his hand.

Today’s the day. Today’s the day I tell her I love her.

The sound of his footsteps echoed throughout the pristine white corridors, the smell of rubbing alcohol and disinfectant piercing mercilessly through his lungs. He’d visited you every day since you were admitted, and even then he still never got used to the smell. He couldn’t wait for you to leave this place.

It was your last day here after all.

You were finally going to be discharged.

He stopped right outside your door, bringing his hand up to knock a familiar rhythm. The same one you both had used when you were playing house during your childhood.

“Hey, it’s me,” he said, poking his head into the room.

“I was wondering what took you so long,” you smirked as you watched him close the door behind him. “What’s with all the flowers?” you asked, nodding at the bouquet in his hands.

“What, I can’t surprise my best friend with something nice every once in a while?”

You scoffed. “You’re only nice when you need something from me.”

Oikawa gasped dramatically. “Y/N! How could you be so cruel?” he whined. You let out a small laugh at his theatrics, and he smiled at the way the sound fell so smoothly from your lips. He’d always thought you were so effortlessly beautiful. Your laughter died down and you spared a glance at the clock hanging on the wall opposite your bed.

“Can’t wait to leave?” Oikawa asked. You smiled and shook your head. He was always so attentive to everything you did.

“This place isn’t as bad as you think it is, you know. I think you’re more eager for me to leave than I am,” you teased. Oikawa pouted and you gently poked the side of his cheek. You didn’t press very hard but he absentmindedly leaned against your finger, craving your physical touch.

“What’s the first thing you want to do when we get out of here?” he asked. A strange silence fell as you contemplated your best friend’s question. He watched as you cast your eyes down to your lap where you were picking at your fingers, a habit you had when you were nervous about something. Oikawa’s brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what could possibly be wrong.

“The park,” you spoke softly. Oikawa snapped out of his thoughts as a pang of nostalgia hit him square in the chest.

“I’d want to go to the park,” you said more confidently, lifting your head to meet his gaze. His heart skipped a beat hearing you say it again, the memories from your childhood coming back to him in an unrestrained flood.

“Close your eyes, Y/N!” Oikawa said, watching as you eagerly cupped your hands over your eyes.

“No peeking!” he called behind him before running off to the nearest rose bush. He scrutinised every flower before plucking the one he thought looked the most perfect. You deserved only the best from him, after all. Oikawa quickly returned to the middle of the gazebo where you stood, a new gift in hand.

“Okay, you can open your eyes now,” he said and watched as your orbs lit up with pure delight at the sight of your favourite flower.

“My sister says I’m too young to have a girlfriend but if I told her that if I ever had one… I’d…” Oikawa trailed off but he steeled himself to say it.

“I’d only want it to be you.”

For reasons you had yet to understand, your blood began to pump faster and your stomach started to flutter. Oikawa cheeks turned pink as he slowly extended the flower to you.

“P-promise me that when we grow up, you’ll be my girlfriend and that we’ll be together forever!” he exclaimed, leaving you too stunned to react. “Promise me!” he repeated more earnestly, shaking the rose with growing desperation.

The thought of spending the rest of your life with your best friend was everything you could have dreamed of. You didn’t need to wait for your Prince Charming like the princesses in all the fairytales you’d read.

You had already found him.

“I promise!” you squealed as you grabbed the rose from him to officially seal the deal. “Let’s live happily ever after, okay?” you grinned.

Oikawa’s grip on the bouquet tightened, the crinkling of the plastic wrap sucking him back into reality. He didn’t expect you to remember, let alone want to revisit the place where the pact had been made. His heart leapt into his throat. Wait… Could it be?

“Tooru, I need to tell you something—”

“Y/N, wait,” he cut you off. He wanted to be the first one to say it. He had to be. “Let me say something first. Please.”

Oikawa sucked in a breath, trying to summon the same courage he had mustered all those years ago. He thanked fate for giving him the perfect opportunity to bring it up; it was his intention to tell you by the end of the day anyway. The golden rays of the setting sun streamed softly through the window, bathing the room in a warm orange glow. How romantic.

It was now or never.

“I remember the total despair I felt after being told that you’d been in an accident. You were in a coma for weeks and I came to visit you every day, wondering if you were ever going to wake up. I never brought up the promise we made during our childhood because I didn’t know if you still felt the same way. But after I thought I lost you, the regret I felt far outweighed any other emotion I had. I hated myself for being a coward, because even the slightest possibility of having everything I ever wanted was stripped away from me.”

Oikawa brought the bouquet up, taking in a shaky breath to calm his racing heart. “I don’t want to live with regrets anymore, and I’m not going to leave here today without telling you how I truly feel,” he said, bringing his gaze up to look you in the eyes.

“I love you, Y/N. I’ve always loved you and I don’t want to take you for granted ever again. We’ve spent our entire lives together and I don’t want it to stop. You’re still the only one I want to be with and…” he trailed off, bracing himself as he finally said his thoughts out loud.

“I still want to spend forever with you.”

The following silence was agonising. Oikawa could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he waited for your answer. All his senses were on edge as he watched your every move. Until finally, a small smile crept onto your lips, causing Oikawa to visibly sigh with relief. You reached out to accept the roses, as well as his confession. Your fingers brushed against his and even that small touch was enough to send his heart into overdrive. He was so completely and utterly in love with you.

“I love you too, Tooru,” you smiled at him, and he felt about a thousand fireworks going off in his chest.

“But…”

Oikawa’s face fell and the fireworks fizzled out as quickly as they were lit.

‘But’? No no no, no ‘but’. Why ‘but’? Everything was going so well, w-why ‘but’?

“There’s something I need to tell you…” you admitted quietly. Your eyes flicked back up at the clock, the setting sun casting a shadow over the room. Oikawa followed your gaze across the room and suddenly, the clock seemed so much more menacing, slowly ticking away like a timebomb counting down to an impending doom.

“You’re right Tooru, I am leaving the hospital today. But I’m not just leaving the hospital… I’m leaving for good.” You finally turned to face him and for the first time that day, he saw you completely unmasked, the despair in your eyes strong and apparent.

“I’m dying, Tooru.”

Oikawa’s chest tightened, and it felt like the air had been forced out of his lungs. Suddenly, it was hard for him to breathe.

“D-dying? What do you mean you’re dying? How much time do you have left?!”

As if to give a cruel answer to his question, your monitor started beeping erratically, forcing your chest to rise and fall until you were practically gasping for air.

None.

“Y/N! Y/N, are you okay?!” Oikawa rushed to your bedside, grabbing your frail arms with his large hands. When did you become so thin? Although the sunlight was slowly fading, it was only now that he could see everything with such clarity. It was like he had been given a pair of brand new eyes.

Your face had sunken in, your skin was so much paler and you looked terribly ill. As if on cue, you began to cough, reaching beneath your blanket to reveal a red-stained cloth, the same sickly shade as the roses Oikawa had brought. Had you been hiding this from him? His eyes widened in horror as you coughed heavily into the fabric, pulling it away to fresh splotches of thick, red blood. Oikawa didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t even react. He just stood there, rooted to the ground as he watched the love of his life slipping away in front of his very eyes.

“T-Tooru…”

Hearing you say his name in your now hoarse voice clicked something in his brain and he shook himself out of his daze. Oikawa rushed to the doorway to call for help, screaming for someone to rescue his dying friend, but no one was there to listen.

Oikawa panicked and quickly descended into a frenzy. He desperately tried to pour you a glass of water, even though his hands were shaking. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. He frantically tried to get you to drink the water, but all you did was cough it back up. That was when reality finally settled in.

And he completely lost it.

“Please Y/N, please don’t leave me like this! You have to stay so I can finally love you! So we can finally be together and I can finally call you mine! I still have to kiss you, we still have to go on our first date. I… I still want to marry you, to grow old together with you. I still want to journey through the rest of life together with you, all the way from the beginning to the end. We’re supposed to write our love story together, remember?” he cried.

“What’s going to happen to our happily ever after?”

You smiled sadly at him, trying to suppress the coughs that threatened to rip through your throat. You raised your hand weakly and brought it up to cup the side of his face, using your thumb to tenderly stroke his cheek. Oikawa’s eyes began to well up at your sudden affection, the type that he’d always wanted with you. The type that he’d never be able to receive again. He leaned into your touch as tears began to blur his vision.

“Tooru, listen to me,” you spoke quietly. You were always so gentle, so tender and loving.

“I have loved you for as long as I can remember. I remember when you carried me when I scraped my knee at the playground, how you used your favourite alien-patterned plaster to cover it, and then bought me ice cream to cheer me up.”

“I remember when my date ditched me at prom and you found me sulking at the corner of the hall.” You let your hand fall to where he was tightly gripping the rails of your hospital bed and laid your hand gently over his. You felt him relax against your touch, turning his hand upwards and interlacing your fingers with his.

“I remember you asking me to dance, holding my hand in yours as we slow-danced the night away,” you squeezed his hand, smiling as the feeling reminded you of how his hands had felt on you that very night.

“I remember every single moment with you, Tooru. How you held me up when I was crumbling, and promised me that you’d always be there for me. And you were. Because I remember when I woke up from my coma to find you asleep on the side of my bed, tired from staying up and waiting for me to come to. I remember how you hugged me and cried because you almost lost me. I remember how you made me promise to never do that to you again.” Your resolve began to crumble together with your depleting strength as you choked out the next few words.

“I’m sorry that I have to break that promise. Because this time, you’re going to lose me for good.”

Oikawa’s lips trembled as he shook his head in denial, his breathing ragged as hot tears poured from his eyes. Without another word, he leaned down towards you and closed his eyes, gently pressing his lips against yours. It was wet and sloppy, but still as sweet as he’d always imagined it to be. You broke the kiss and held his face in both of your hands.

“I’m sorry I have to say goodbye, Tooru,” you apologised, tasting the saltiness of your tears as they slipped between your lips.

“Don’t. Please,” Oikawa whispered in anguish. “Please don’t say goodbye.”

The wetness from his eyes began to fall onto your cheeks, mixing together with your tears in a concoction of pure sorrow. Your monitor began to beep faster, an incessant reminder of your limited time left together. Frustration began to roil within him.

“We were so close, Y/N,” his lips trembled as he cried. “We were so close to being in love.”

Your eyes welled up with more emotion as the truth of his words pierced right through your heart.

“I know Tooru, I know. But I know you’re going to find someone else one day, and they’re going to give you all the happiness you deserve. All the happiness that I couldn’t give to you. And when you find them, love them with all your heart, okay? Love them like you would have loved me.”

The monitor let out another blaring noise as your pulse began to plummet and the colour drained from your already paper-white face. Oikawa heard footsteps sounding in the hallway, indicating that help — albeit futile — was finally going to arrive.

Oikawa cupped your face as he poured out every emotion into one final kiss. The love for you that he’d harboured for years, the joy and nostalgia from reminiscing your childhood, and the grief of having your romance stripped away, all in a single moment.

Oikawa parted from your lips and proceeded to kiss your forehead. Then your cheek. Then your nose. Then back to your lips again. All of the years he’d spent with you he had taken for granted. And since he’d never have the chance to do it again, he might as well do everything he can to write your romance in these last few moments.

“I love you, Y/N. Always have, always will,” Oikawa sobbed.

You smiled and pressed the bouquet he’d bought into his chest, using the rest of your strength to reach up and get one last taste of his sweet lips on yours. You finally reclined back onto the bed, smiling forlornly as the nurses and doctors began to rush in.

“I love you too Tooru, and I’ll always be with you. Until we meet again, my love.”

You smiled and gently squeezed his hand, a tear slipping from your eye right before your monitor flatlined. Oikawa choked on a sob before he stood and gave way to the hospital staff. They hurriedly tended to you, trying to bring you back. But Oikawa knew you were gone. And you were gone for good.

Oikawa clutched the bouquet in his hands as he left the room. His eyes were trained on the ground as he walked out of the cursed hospital, towards the place that had meant so much to him. The place that had first sparked your love.

Pavement slowly gave way to grass and before he knew it, he was standing before the white gazebo, the same one you said you wanted to visit one last time before you left. Oikawa walked up to the centre of the platform, gently laying the bouquet on the ground where you once stood all those years ago.

“I’ll love you forever, Y/N. You’ll always be my one true love.”

Silence was the only response he got, save for the rustling of leaves on that cold, desolate night. The sun had already set, and with it it took away the warmth and any embers of your unfulfilled romance. Inhaling sharply, he turned around and walked away, leaving the roses and all the empty promises they held behind.

Oikawa came to realise that life was no fairytale, and that ‘happily ever after’s with your true love didn’t exist. You could be so close to romance, yet have it ripped out of your grasp in the next second, before you could fully reach it. He cursed fate for mocking him, for giving him a taste of love before taking it all away forever. Oikawa chuckled cynically as he finally accepted how brutal reality truly was.

No matter how close you were to being in love…

Almost was never enough.

© written and published by animatedarchives 2020. please do not steal or repost. thank you.

#oikawa x reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu!! x reader #haikyuu #haikyuu!! #oikawa #oikawa tooru #oikawa angst #haikyuu angst #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu!! imagines #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu!! headcanons #oikawa imagines #oikawa headcanons #oikawa oneshot #oikawa tooru x reader #oikawa haikyuu #haikyuu oikawa #tooru oikawa #oikawa fic #hq oikawa #oikawa x you #haikyuu x you #oikawa x reader imagines #oikawa x y/n #oikawa x you imagines

[writesowhatnext]

elementary, my dear weasley // fred weasley

Summary: Fred receives an anonymous love letter so he enlists his best friend to help him figure it out

Request: Could you write some fluffy Fred W x Reader? The reader gives Fred an anonymous love letter but since they’re friends, he asks her to help him figure out who it is? You can go anywhere from there! Thank you x

A/N: this is such a super cute prompt so I really hope I can do it justice

Reader: unspecified

Warnings: none actually, I think

As Fred walked towards you with a very serious look on his face, you regretted every decision you’d ever made, simultaneously. Why did you tell your mum that your cat had broken the vase? Why did you snog that boy in first year? Why did you dye Ron’s hair pink and let the twins take the fall? Why did you start your last Charms essay the day it was due? Why did you write Fred that stupid letter? Your mind was in overdrive trying to devise a getaway plan, if you avoided Fred now then he’d definitely come and find you at some point but then, at least you could be more emotionally prepared for rejection. How had he even found out it was you? You’d gone to extreme lengths to throw him off the scent.

In your panic, you’d forgotten to actually try to execute any form of escape plan and so there you sat, a sitting duck, with Fred Weasley charging towards you. You winced as he slammed the familiar paper down in front of you, familiar handwritten peeking out from between his spread fingers. You looked up from his hand to his face very, very reluctantly. And for some reason, he was smiling.

“You will never guess what I’ve just found.”

You frowned, watching him with a fairly healthy level of confusion as he dragged a chair to sit at your table. He ignored the annoyed looks from the Gryffindors at the table he’d stolen from and sat down, pushing your letter towards you.

“Read that.”

Your frown deepened as you slowly pulled the letter toward you. What sort of mind game was he playing?

Your heart beat loudly in your ears with every word you read: from the ‘Dear Fred,’ to the ‘With love.’, you’d reread and checked the letter more times then you could count and you could practically recite it by heart at this point. When you left it for him, it had been a good idea, now it just filled you with regret and a horrible sick feeling in your stomach. You raised your head to look at him and hummed, carefully watching his reaction.

“Hmmm?” he asked incredulously, snatching the letter back and staring at it. “I know it’s not surprising because I mean, come on, but surely someone confessing their love to me via the timeless art of letter-writing deserves more than a ‘hmmm’, don’t you think?”

You stared at him for a moment. All the while, he just looked at you expectantly. And then it clicked; Fred had no idea you sent that letter. Your mouth fell open slightly as you tried to figure out how you would behave in this situation – if it was someone else that’d been hopelessly in love with Fred.

“Let me read it again.” You insisted, pulling it from his hands. You didn’t read it; you just stared down at parchment, trying to figure out what you were going to do about it. He didn’t know it was you; that was perfectly clear. It would be fine. He never needed to know it was you, not really.

“Who do you think wrote it?”

Happy that you were finally asking the right questions, Fred smiled and rested his elbows on the table.

“That’s what I need your help to find out.”

“You want to find out who sent it?” you asked loudly. Perhaps a little too loudly, you discovered; a couple of people in the common room looked up at you.

“Do I-“ Fred shook his head. “Blimey, Y/N, what has got into you today? Of course, I want to find out who sent it.”

“Why?”

Fred could not fathom your behaviour right now – his fish impression proved that. Once he’d stopped opening and closing his mouth, he placed a hand on the paper, pointing at it with his finger.

“Whoever wrote this says that I am the sunshine of their world, Y/N.” he shot you a deadpan look. “The sunshine of their world.”

You made a face, your composure slipping, a horrible cringing sensation coming over you. “And?”

“And…” he stressed, rolling his eyes. “I want to find out who thinks so highly of yours truly.”

“To do what?”

“Bloody hell, Y/N, what’s with all the questions?” Fred huffed, making a face. “I just want to figure out who sent it – I have to talk to them.”

You wanted to know what he meant by that but you couldn’t afford to keep asking questions without raising some sort of suspicion.

“So how are you going to figure out who?”

“Well,” he said, frowning. “That’s why I’m here. George took a look and said that if anyone could help me, it was you. So, dear, dear Y/N, any ideas?”

You paused for a moment, confused. Why would George think you knew who wrote it? Sure, you knew a fair few people but you were hardly Sherlock sodding Holmes. It was probably a coincidence, you thought. Though, the strange nervous feeling in your stomach lingered.

“Well,” you leant your chin on your elbow. “Tell me how you found it.”

The smile that lit up his face at the promise of your help was almost enough to quash your guilt at the fact that this definitely, probably, certainly qualified as lying to him.

You barely listened as he talked you through his morning routine. He’d woken up, late as usual, and thrown on his robes because he thought it was Monday – it was not. When he was rifling through them to find some Helium Toffees that he swore – though you were thoroughly unconvinced - he didn’t plan to use on you, he found a folded-up section of parchment. And, the first thing he did was smell it.

“You what?” you asked, definitely now listening. “What did you do that for?”

“To see where it came from.” He replied as if it were obvious.

You frowned at him, lost for words. Not only had you not disguised any sort of smell when you’d written it, you were also kind of worried about Fred’s mental state that that was his first thought.

“So, what did it smell like then?”

“Nothing, really.”

You stared at him for a moment. You were exasperated, for sure, but you couldn’t help the way your stomach flopped, replacing it with fondness.

“Well given that very promising lead didn’t pan out-“

“Oi!” Fred poked you in this side, earning a hideously loud spout of laughter from you. You grumbled as he smiled proudly.

“What’s next?”

“Well,” he began, leaning forward as if revealing the biggest conspiracy to sweep the wizarding world since, well, Harry Potter. “I figure whoever it is has to be close to me, right? To get it in my robes and all.”

You tried to fault his logic, but you’d forgotten, with how horrible of a student he could be, that Fred was actually a genius when he wanted to be. You just nodded.

“I don’t know where to go from there though: I don’t recognise the handwriting; I don’t know when they put it in there; I can’t write one back-“

“You’d write back?” You tried to hide how breathless the thought made you.

“It’s like you know nothing about letter-writing etiquette.”

If only he knew.

Forgetting that you were trying not to be helpful, lest he discovered that you were his secret admirer, you were accidentally helpful.

“Didn’t you go through your pockets before you changed last night to find that chocolate frog Ron stole?”

“So, Ron stole that frog.” he turned to you, smirking. You remembered in that second that you’d promised Ron that you’d keep that information to yourself.

“What? Who told you that?”

He narrowed his eyes as you painted the most innocent expression you could on your face.

“But yeah, you’re right. So what?”

“So what?” This boy. “So, they must’ve put it in your robes after that.”

His face lit up.

“Okay so, who did you see after that?”

Finding his concentrated frown much cuter than you should’ve, you were almost disappointed when he started talking.

“George, Ron, You-“ you were both sad and happy that he didn’t pause. “Hermione?”

You shook your head, making a face. He nodded in agreement.

“Harry, Lee, Angelina. Do you think it was Angelina?”

You stomach sank at his excitement. “Could be.”

He smiled, leaning back on his chair, pleased with himself.

“So, what are you gonna do?”

He seemed surprised at your question as if he’d forgotten what the point of your detective work was.

“It’s still lunchtime, right?”

You looked at the clock on the wall. “Just about.”

“Come on then, my little detective.”

As you followed him to the Great Hall, you tried to ignore the way your heart jumped at the nickname.

When you reached the Hall, Angelina was sat down, surrounded by her friends. George was also there, probably late from his detention with Snape.

“Alright, George?” Fred said, nudging his shoulder against his brother’s. George looked at you, and then at Fred. Something was strange about his stare.

“Why do you look so happy?” George asked, crossing his arms.

“Y/N and I have cracked the case!”

“Oh, really?” When George looked at you almost pointedly, a lump formed in your throat. He knew.

“And I’m going to go seal the deal – wish me luck, Georgie.”

As Fred walked rather confidently over to Angelina, you and George stood shoulder to shoulder. In silence. It was eating you alive. Your mind swam with things to say: explanations, excuses, ways to make a clean exit.

“I didn’t think you had it in you.” He said, his tone light and a smile on his lips as he watched his brother strike up a conversation. Out of all the things he could’ve said, you hadn’t expected that. You looked up at him and he nodded over to Angelina’s confused face. “Letting him trot over there thinking Angelina wrote that letter? Very wicked.”

You paused before deciding you had nothing left to lose.

“What was I supposed to do? Tell him?”

“Yes.” George said as if it was obvious – his expression a carbon copy of Fred’s.

“He would hate me, George.”

He laughed, throwing his arm around your shoulder, pulling you into him. You wondered what about your misfortune he found so funny. “My sweet, sweet Y/N,” you both watched as Angelina’s friends burst into laughter. You felt even more guilty at Fred’s discouraged expression. “Fred could never hate you.”

As Fred returned to you, tail between his legs and ego wounded slightly, he didn’t even notice George’s arm around you. He just frowned, nodding.

“At least that narrows down our suspect pool.” Then he turned to George. “Up for helping us figure out the mystery?”

George let go of your shoulder, making apologetic gestures as he backed away.

“Sorry mate, still got detention.”

Fred made a face before turning to you. George winked as he left the Hall in the opposite direction of the dungeon.

“So, who’s left?”

You were worried about how short the list of possible authors was getting and George’s words were echoing in your head.

“Fred,” you started, tilting your head to the side. “I have to tell you something.”

“What?” he asked, frowning and crossing his arms.

“Well, I-“

You cursed yourself.

“So, I-“

“What I’m trying to say is that I…”

You closed your eyes and sighed.

“Basically this is really hard to say and I really don’t know what to do if you hate-”

“You wrote the letter?”

Your head shot up to see Fred, smirking with an eyebrow raised.

“I can’t believe you’d send me off to go ask Angelina whether she wrote it. Blimey, love, you’re more ruthless than I thought; should be a bloody Slytherin. It’s a good job I figured it out before I plundered over there like a right git.”

You blinked. What was happening? Why was Fred smiling? How did he know?

“You knew all along?”

He just smiled.

“Why- Why did-“ you stopped, mouth open. “Why did you make me help you?”

“Bit of fun,” he shrugged, pressing his lips together. “Wanted you to tell me.”

You placed your hand to your forehead, groaning. You must look like a right idiot.

“How did you know?”

“Smelt like you, didn’t it.”

You frowned, moving your head.

“You pay attention to what I smell like?”

“I pay attention to everything about you.”

He placed his hands on your hips. You were sure you’d short-circuited.

“The way you smell… the face you make when you lie… how suspicious you look when you’re messing with my robes.”

It was impossible, you thought, to be more embarrassed than you were in that exact moment.

“You saw me put it in there.”

“I saw you put it in there.” He said, pulling you into him. “Was quite pleased when I read it, actually, I’ve fancied you for years.”

“You’re lying.”

You placed your hands very tentatively on his chest, his soft jumper underneath your palms.

“There’s only one liar here.”

You made a face. He looked over your head, pursing his lips before looking down again.

“The sunshine of your world, ay?”

“Shut up.” You groaned, cringing again. He laughed, his whole body shaking. “What does this mean?”

“Well,” he moved his hand to the small of your back. “I was hoping it meant I could kiss you.”

You nodded, again at a loss for words.

“That alright with you?”

You just nodded.

#writing #imagine #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley #fred weasley imagine #Harry Potter imagine #harry potter

[raith-way]

Fandom: DCEU / Suicide Squad

Fic: Memento Vivere

Pairing: Revina Revnic/Rick Flag

Kiss Prompt 10: …desperately

Requested By: @asirensrage

Tagging: @jinxsflame @hughstheforcelou @uno-reverse-reversed @hiddenqveendom @ocfairygodmother @jewelswrites-ish

The Mission Comes First

Rev had learned, what felt like a lifetime ago now, to fear the words routine mission. Any time a mission became routine, she knew to keep on guard because some kind of shit was going to hit life’s proverbial fan. Despite knowing that, she had let herself relax. Because the mission had been a simple one. Her and Harley had been the only ones deployed, into a dark nightclub filled with music that she could feel vibrating in her soul and bodies sliding against each other with wild abandon. It made her crave the quiet, but she got a kick out of watching Harley mingle and enjoy time outside of her cage. As far as the mission went, they were just doing a little recon. (Rev’s first specialty.) Watch, listen, learn, report. It was the kind of mission that she could do with her mind completely disconnected. Instincts picking up the important bits while her thoughts strayed.

Harley danced, Rev observed, and Rick talked into her ear the whole time. Strict orders that kept her eyes sharp and whispered words that made her thighs tense. For a little while, it was the best mission ever. Harley was distracting the crowd with what looked like an impromptu dance battle, giving Rev a clear view of their target and his dealings, and Rick was dripping filth over their private comm about all the things they were going to do as soon as this mission was over. Her body had started to move along with the masses as she imagined a completely different body pressed against hers, and that was when it happened. When the routine mission flipped, ass-up, and she had frozen inside the club as she heard strange voices over the comm.

Focusing on the mission had been torture after that, because the comm had gone silent. The private channel and the public one. She gave Rick five minutes, she trusted him enough to take care of himself, but she could only control herself for five minutes. Once time was up, she started jumping with the crowd just a little out of beat. She caught Harley’s eyes, and she knew the woman could understand her because she clapped her hands in the air and pulled attention to herself. Rev used the window of opportunity to slip out of the club unnoticed, and she could hear the heavy door clang behind her as she strained to see around her. Rick’s command center for the night was nearby, and that was where she went. Started at a leisurely walk and then slowly built into a jog, until she was nearly running. The nightclub had been in one warehouse, and Rick was set up at a different warehouse far enough away to not be noticeable. Too fucking far away, in her opinion.

The first body was a bit of a shock. Neck twisted at an odd angle, sprawled across the ground, but she didn’t slow her run and just jumped over the body instead of stopping to inspect. The second body was less of a shock, face and chest shining wet and red in the darkness, and she jumped over the body and upped her speed. By the time she reached the warehouse she was looking for, she had vaulted over two other very obviously dead bodies and was breathing heavy from the panic rather than the fast pace. The next shock came from the bright light inside the warehouse, and she skidded to a stop in front of the rolled-up door. Just outside of the falling light. The thick leather heels of her boots caused some noise, enough to get some attention, and Rick’s eyes snapped up to hers.

“The fuck’re you doin’ here, Revnic?” Using her surname wasn’t a good sign, but she didn’t care about which of her names that he was using because she could clearly see blood. He was sitting behind a table, just a plain white fold-up table, and leaned back in his chair. The coat he was wearing to ward off the chill was gaping open, showing the dark shirt underneath, and she could clearly see rips in the material. Rips from blades. On the floor under him, she could see grouped drops of blood. (Not puddles of blood. He wasn’t bleeding that much.)

“Strange voices, dark comm, what the fuck?” No one had ever accused her of not getting to the point, and she completely ignored Rick’s I’m-the-team-leader-show-some-respect glare.

“I was doing a perimeter check, and I got stabbed,” he answered as he sat up straighter. He visibly winced as he slumped forwards in his chair, like she wouldn’t worry if he hid the damage behind the table, and she reached up to pull at her hair. Her stupidly dyed hair that had been dyed for this stupid mission, where Rick had been stabbed while not even being involved in the mission part of the mission.

“What? Why’d you get stabbed?” she rushed out. If they’d been found out, someone would have come after her or Harley. Why go after Rick? Better yet, how’d they get the jump on Rick?

“Not like I stopped to interrogate them. I was a little busy with being stabbed,” he mumbled and rubbed absently at his jaw. Had one of them clocked him? He quit rubbing at his face and pressed his fingers against his temple as he looked right at her. “I got a little distracted.”

“Are you telling me that you can’t handle phone sex and not getting stabbed at the same time?” She finally marched forward, out of the darkness and into the harsh light of the warehouse Rick had claimed, and she bit down on her grin as Rick instinctively sat up straight in his chair.

“It wasn’t phone sex,” he complained. As soon as she was close enough, she grabbed at his shoulder and pushed him back in the chair.

“Comm sex sounds stupid.” She was talking while pulling up the dark tee that he was wearing, and she swiped her hand across the blood that had streaked down his torso. She heard him hiss through his teeth, but she could see now that the wounds themselves weren’t so bad. Two lucky strikes, enough to break the skin and make a mess, but he probably wouldn’t even need stitches. Just a big band-aid slapped on for a day or two.

“Mission ain’t over, Revnic,” he told her as she swung her leg over his lap. Her shirt was dark enough that it wouldn’t show bloodstains, and it wasn’t like she’d care if she did walk back into the club with blood all over her shirt.

“Just checking on my team leader.” She kept one hand pressed against his stomach, high up on the left with already drying blood sticking to her skin, as she leaned forward and knocked her chin against his. “Next time you need to take a break to kill some interlopers, you keep me on.”

“That get you off, Rev?” The words were said against her lips, warm breath against her skin and the taste of the mints that he favored slipping down her tongue, and her free hand locked around his neck with enough force to leave bruises in the shapes of her fingertips along his hairline.

“Knowing you’re alive gets me off.” She whispered the words into him, so that he could taste the truth of what she’d said, and she thought of his voice cutting off. Of not being able to hear him. Of not knowing if he was alive or not.

Before she could have another thought, of Rick dying or him killing four men while she danced with strangers, they crashed together. She bit at his lips until he cursed against her teeth and gripped her hips hard enough to ache, and she lost herself in him. They pushed and pulled at each other, desperate to leave marks that belonged to them, and she ducked down to feel the thundering pulse in his throat pushing against her tongue. Sealed her lips around the thin skin and sucked, nipped with her teeth and pulled, to leave a mark over the place that proved he was alive. She could feel fresh blood against her hands as her fingers curled against his skin, like she could pull him apart and bury herself inside his chest cavity right next to his beating heart, and she could feel her hair being pulled as she was ripped away from his skin so that his lips could devour hers. Her mouth felt hot and sensitive, bruises were blooming across her hips and thighs, and it wasn’t enough.

When Rick pulled away, she actually whined. A high-pitched sound slipped from her throat as her hips rocked forwards, and Rick sat up straight to hold her steady against him. One hand curled around the back of her thigh, fingers pressing in, and the tight grip he had on her hair allowed him to hold her back. Even if she did lose a few strands of hair while trying to taste the jumping muscle in his jaw. Her eyes opened to look at him, to see how his usual stern expression hardened into something that echoed the hunger in her, and she tipped her head back to bare her throat as she let out another quiet sound of need.

“We have a guest,” Rick said slowly. He was looking directly at her, looking at the way her tongue swiped across her bottom lip as she chased the taste of him, and she forced herself to focus. Behind her, she could hear heavy leather shifting against concrete.

“Don’t stop on my account, boss. I’m gettin’ quite the show,” Harley told them cheerfully. Mission, right. If Harley was here, that meant that the mission was over. (Could also mean that Harley had gotten worried and decided to check on them, or it could mean that she had gotten impatient and just killed the target. Rev was okay with all the options.)

“Love ya, Harls, but… no,” Rev said and looked over her shoulder. When she bowed her spine to look over her shoulder without dislodging Rick’s hand from her hair, her hips rolled forward and Rick’s fingers slipped to grip at her inner thigh. From her bent angle, she could see Harley pouting and kicking at the ground.

“Always ruinin’ the fun,” Harley sighed. Rick echoed the sigh, so perfectly that Rev almost laughed, but she was saved from getting that lecture as Rick suddenly gripped her hips and lifted her from his lap.

“Harley, report,” he snapped out. Harley straightened, standing at perfect attention, and even her salute was right on point. Once Rick was standing, Rev dropped to sit in his chair and waited for the debrief to be over. In the meantime, she had some plans to make.

#oc: revina revnic #fic: memento vivere #revina revnic x rick flag #otp: need you closer #suicide squad #rick flag x ofc #kiss prompts #look #my original idea for this prompt was so much different #more action and more angst #but apparently #rev's thirst for rick overrides my ideas #so here's this #thanks again for the ask!!

[madllamamomma]

The Visitor~ Part 5 (SMUT TIME!)

[Warning: The following is NSFW, 18+ including, smut, blood/gore, possibly triggering situation. Please read with viewer discretion.]

Part 5~

“... Home Is With You”~

Just before the clock chimes at quarter til, frazzled and sweating, Rhemi unlocks the door to the shop and lifts the protection spell, barreling in like a cyclone.

Expecting her to do as such, Asra comes out of the next room where he was reading a book and greets his friend. Lazily, he leans into the doorframe shaking his head with a delightful chuckle. “Keeping it kinda close are we?” He teases, pointing his chin to the coo-coo clock.

“Yeah yeah yeah—” She replied with a grin, rolling her eyes, pulling up her sleeves, and throwing her hair up into a loose bun on the top of her head.

Hastily, she gets to work on the finishing touches of the potion for Mrs. Edilen, the very sweet elderly woman who helped run the newly built orphanage.

With just a mere minute to spare, the front door opens. Right on time as always. In comes Mrs. Edilen is dressed in a pastel blue and brown , but unexpectedly she isn’t alone. She comes in with her hands looped around a familiar muscular large arm. Seeing who it belonged to make the apprentice’s heart flutter--Of course it was Muriel’s. “... Thank you, my dear boy. You’re always so kind. I don’t know what I did without you and Rhemi around.”

“.... You’re welcome, Mrs. Edilen.” He mumbles with a bright red blush staining his cheeks, unable to tolerate her compliment. He’s gotten so much better at accepting compliments, but he’s still always so bashful when he does. It’s just too cute.

“Well hello there, Mrs. Edilen! I see you pick up another handsome man on your walk here~” Asra greets laying over the counter lazily.

“Oh why, yes! I have!” She plays along with a cute grin. “...‘Fraid he’s not even half my age—But if I was thirty years younger!” With a wink, she playfully nudges Muriel gently in his side.

“M-M-Mrs. Edilen!” Muriel adorably grumbles, embarrassed yet strangely flattered.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Edilen!” Rhemi sings, pouring the potion into the glass vial so she can seal it with a cork.

The old woman pats the top of Muriel's forearm, continuing to shower him with compliments. “You’re quite a catch, dearie! And so is she—” As Rhemi comes closer, she unloops her arm and hugs the apprentice gently. “Hello dear, you are looking radiant and beautiful as always.”

“Awww. So are you! You’re going to make Muriel and I have fat heads with all this flattery, Mrs. Edilen.”

“Zachary, Lilian and little Nathan said they saw you today at the fountain with a man in a fancy cape. They said that it was your father from another country! Is that true??”

An unwanted wave of dread washes over the apprentice with the mention of her father, but she quickly stifles her bad feelings and smiles even more, half faking it. “Y-... Yes! We met yesterday by rather strange circumstances—but we’re now getting to know each other. I showed him around Vesuvia today.”

Touched, the old woman presses her right palm to her chest. “Ohhhh! Well isn’t that just lovely! I am so happy that you have been reunited with your father. It breaks my heart that most of the children at the orphanage will never know their real parents...  But I just hope one day they will have a family of their own.”

“Thank you.” Rhemi mutters before handing her the vial. “—Here ya go! Freshly made ‘Rhemi’s radical rheumatism remedy potion’!”

“Ohhhh. Thank you dear.” She gratefully says handing the few coins.

Rhemi never liked to charge the woman more than what it costs for ingredients. It’s not like the orphanage made very much, yet the woman did everything she could for those kids. It seemed like the least Rhemi could do for her.

Glancing up to the cuckoo-clock Mrs. Edilan makes an adorable little startled sound. “OH! Look at the time! Look at the time! The children will be expecting me for supper soon. Well, I won’t keep you all waiting. Good night, my dearies.”

“W- wait!.... I’ll walk you home…. Getting dark out.” Muriel offers glaring to the outside the near widow with heavy suspicion.

The woman shakes her head slightly giving him a pointed look. “And take you away from this lovely little thing?” She says gesturing to his fiancée. “Oh no!-- No. No. Noooooo! I’ll be just fine, thank you! I’m old but I’m tougher than I look!” She says with a wink flexing her right bicep, bat-winged and slightly shaky from old age.

Muriel can’t help but drop his head a bit and smile at her humorous self, but he seems persistent. “I… I know you are, Mrs. Edilan. But three men were murdered a few blocks away and were much younger and stronger than you, and the culprit has yet to be caught… Could be dangerous walking alone...”

Rhemi, Asra, and Mrs. Edilan all stand there for a little while taking in what Muriel just announced. It is all rather shocking news to them, there hasn’t been a lot of violence since the siege against Lucio and his army last year, let alone murders.

Worry in the poor woman’s brown eyes she half covers her mouth with her hand still quite shocked. “Ohhh… Oh my! Well… I haven't heard about that…”

“People at the market told me about it…” He adds.

Asra takes his hat, vest and bag with faust wrapped warmly under his clothes. “Here Mrs. Edilan, I’m headed that way to meet someone. Why don’t you join me? We’ll protect each other.” He laughs at the last part with his cute mischievous fox-like grin.

A warm smile sprouts on the old woman’s face showing all her wrinkles in her cheeks, but makes her look just as sweet and kind. “Oh you all are such kind souls… Well... I suppose since you’re headed that way, I’d love to.” She then turns and apologetically pats Muriel’s arm. “Sorry, Muri. Looks like I’ve got another hot date.”

Shoulders shaking from holding in his laughter, Muriel attempts to hide his smile and nods his head. “I see that.”

“No hard feelin’s right?”

He laughs through his nose softly. “Not at all.”

“Hey, Asra. Ya headed to the Rowdy Raven tonight?” Rhemi quickly interjects.

“You know it~” Asra says with a ginger toothy smile, obviously happy to have some fun plans tonight as he walks to the front door.

Just before the two leave out the door, Rhemi quickly calls out, “A-Asra??”

They both stop in their tracks and look at her, perplexed at the tone of almost urgency in her voice.

Unable to make eye contact with her friend, her father’s rude words suddenly swimming around her head, she glances to the ground remorsefully. “W-.... When you see Ilya….. please tell him I’m so sorry.”

All three of them look at her oddly, Asra flutters his white eyelashes and tilts his head. “W-Why? Did you two get into another disagreement?”

She sheepishly rubs her arm glancing at the mess on the glass countertop not very sure if she should talk about that. “No… not-.... not exactly… but he’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.” She walks over with a small bag of gold coins from her pocket and places it into Asra’s hand. “Tell ‘em. His drinks are on me tonight.”

Staring at the coin bag in his hand, Asra wants to ask so badly what happened today, but knowing Ilya, I’ll soon find out. Now is not the time anyways with Mrs. Edlian here. “O-oh…. well.. alright then. Goodnight you two.” He finally waves while heading out the door placing his hat on his head.

“Night, see you tomorrow.” Rhemi says with a soft grin.

As soon as they both leave, Rhemi locks it from the inside and places the locking spell on the door. And places her back to the door with a heavy sigh.

“.... Something wrong?” Muriel asks with a concerned look standing a few feet away. “Something happened today?... —Something bad?” His eyes widen while slight panic rings in his voice as his thoughts race. He still didn’t trust Martin, something in his gut told him that something bad was going to happen today, and every possible negative scenario runs through his head.

With his heartfelt moan, Rhemi shuffles over to the messy countertop so she can start to clean it. However the sight of it just makes her tired, so she decides to just push it all over to one side and deal with it later.

“.... I…. Well… let’s just say… it didn’t go the way I thought it would have.” She mumbles melting her upper body on the glass countertop, the long day finally taking its toll on her. Emotionally and physically, she’s exhausted, and the day isn’t even over yet.

So much has happened today. Learning about Phara… About her and her mother being abducted from their own home… About how her father wanted her and Muriel to move to Charlès—About how her father was apparently a homophobic—Oh geez. I almost forgot about that part. She whines to herself.

The last thing she wanted to tell Muriel was about that part—especially knowing his own sexuality… Now that she thought about it, all her friends and even her fiancé are queer. She was the different one out of the bunch. And she wasn’t even sure about that completely, its not like she had much experience, nor did she remember her sex life before she died. Not to mention that her fiancè was close to tossing him out yesterday. No—telling Muriel will only make him dislike the man even more, and that isn’t what she wanted.

Muriel slunks his tall body over to the counter and pushes his fiancée’s long bangs out of her face and she looks up at him with one eye. Tenderly, he leans down and places a few featherlight kisses on her temple and she feels her heart flutter for a peaceful moment. Carefully he then leans over the counter with her on the opposite side. “What happened?” He asks just over a whisper.

With a long inhale, Rhemi picks up her head to look at her lover. Muriel reaches over and holds her hand in his and they interlace their digits together like they always did.

“.... A.. A lot happened today,” she continued. “…. Some good… Some… not…. so good… My father doesn’t like Vesuvia for some reason… But the most important thing—”

“....Yes?”

“.... I….. I learned about Phara today…. The person he was asking about yesterday…. and why we haven’t seen each other in such a long time….”

“...Oh?”

“Apparently… Mum and I were…… were kidnapped.” She somehow gets out, her gaze fixed on the floorboards.

“O-...Oh?.... Hmmm…. That’s…. ah…. ” He awkwardly trails off, unsure what to say. Knowing how he felt when Khamgalai told him about his parents, it’s a lot for a person to process. He could only imagine what it was like being alone when she learned this. He scratches his head and bends his neck towards the other side of the shop. “....Wanna go sit on the couch?...Talk about it there?”

Rhemi silently nods and he takes her hand leading her to the velvet couch. He sits down and she sits next to him then lays her head on his chest. Gently he places his chin on the top of her head and they snuggle up tightly, enjoying their company for a moment.

“I miss you today.” He says softly, giving her a loving squeeze with his arm.

“I missed you too.” She sighs feeling somewhat relieved being in Muriel’s embrace. It always felt better with him there.

Finally, after a few moments of recharging herself, she starts the story about her day.

She goes on how Phara, her ex-magic tutor abducted her and her mother many years ago. How she was an evil witch who practiced dark magics and even taught evil things to poor young and vulnerable Rhemi who didn’t know any better at the time. How the witch nearly killed her father was burned so badly that left a terrible scar all up his right arm.

“Do… Do you know where she went?” Muriel asks rather shocked about all of this. “Is she still a threat to us?”

“... No…I don’t.” She mumbles almost frustratedly. “... I don’t remember this woman at all!... Her name doesn’t feel familiar to me either, let alone if she’d come back one day.”

Stumped at finding words, Muriel looks at his lover’s saddened expression, knowing what she was thinking. With his left hand he holds her chin, turning it towards him to meet her eyes. “Hey ...... Just because she was bad, doesn’t mean you are, Rhemi. You’re the best person I know.” His words were kind and genuine, but they gave little comfort to her.

With an unconconviced huff, she pulls away, averting her eyes. “I… I don’t know about that…” All she could think about was this morning and her work with the blood magic. She never mentioned it to Asra either because she had a feeling like he wouldn’t approve of her experimenting with ‘self mutilating’ spells. Now this all feels so dirty. Is that why she feels like she has to lie all the time? Especially when it came to her feelings?

“What do you mean?” He asks, sounding so sad while furrowing his brow.

“I-.... Just…” She stutters then her words turn into unintelligible mumbles. Fumbling for an explanation, her shoulders dropped already over this topic. This just isn’t the time to process this. She thinks to herself. “Nothing, Love… just forget I said anything.”

Tempted to prying further, he opens his mouth, but seeing this tired expression, she clearly doesn’t want to talk about that anymore. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel probed, make her shut down. For now he closes his mouth, slightly nodding his head to himself.

A silence takes over as they both sit there on the couch hearing the seconds on the clock tick by. Finally, Muriel moves on. “....So…. ah…. What happened at tea?”

A large scoff escapes her lips as she dramatically drops her head thinking about this dreadful afternoon.

“Ugghhhh!—Good god... This afternoooooooonnn!…” She whines, now pulling on her face, making it long and funny looking before letting go. “.... My father was a bit…. abrasive... Especially to Julian… He kinda said something offensive to him.”

“Someone offended Ilya? Our Ilya??.... Well….. that’s new. Usually it’s the other way around. At least with you anyways.” Muriel chuckles a little trying to lighten the mood, making Rhemi crack a small grin. “... So… What’d he say to him?”

A bead of sweat formed on her brow as he asks that. She doesn’t want to lie, but she doesn’t want to tell him the truth either. “I… I dunno if I should say.”

“—It was either racist or homophobic.” He says rather blankly, casually scratching the scruff on his neck.

Surprised, she feels a little hot in her face and she flutters her eyelashes. “How-... how’d you know?”

He snorts with a sharp shrug as he stretches his long arms, cracking in his shoulder and neck a little. “Had a feelin’… He’s oozing with closed mindedness, toxic masculinity, bigotry…” He looks as if he’s going to go on and on, but seeing her distraught expression, he suddenly stops and clears his throat before quietly mumbling under his breath, “... Ya get the idea…”

“Well…” She says with a fake grin, lightly smacking his thigh before standing up and heading back over to the counter. “I’ll let your imagination answer that one for you then....”

As soon as she reaches the counter to start cleaning her mess, he gives her a pointed look. Just staring, waiting for her to crack. Yet, she doesn’t budge, cleaning up the used ingredients, purposely not looking at him.

Shaking his head slightly he snorts, “..... You really aren't gonna tell me, are you?”

Finally, she meets his eyes, pressing her lips together hard and shaking her head too. “.... No…. Sorry. Maybe later.”

The mountain man grumbles, obviously wanting to know, burning a hole through her face.

Realizing that she wasn’t going to get away with ending it like that, Rhemi huffs, and she pauses her cleaning for a moment with a large exhale through her nose. “.... Let’s just say... It wasn’t very nice of him to say. But it wasn’t the worst thing either… I-... I guess—Look! The most important thing is that I took my father aside immediately and I told him not to talk to my friends like that again.”

“.... Okay.” Muriel says with an unsatisfied shrug. “Kinda vague. But okay.”

The unsurprised expression on his face about her father being so rude somehow makes her heart sink and quickly she just goes on the defensive. “Bu-But Charlès is apparently a very conservative country. He…. He’s just a product of his surroundings! It doesn’t make him a bad person or anything!... I-I’m sure my father just needs some time to-…. to get to know everyone. Once he knows how awesome all of you are, and how amazing the wedding will be, he’ll apologize! I really think I can change his mind...”

The hermit’s expression melts into more of a remorseful one as after she utters that. Sometimes she could be so naive, she at least selfware of that about herself, but this takes the cake. But worst of all, he knows that she’s wiser than that.

“N-..... Not everyone is able to change Rem. Sometimes… People don’t want to.” He softly mutters.

“Well, I-….. I know I can change his mind.” She remarks with such a bullheaded tone and flaring her nostrils as she scrubbs the glass with a potion to make the glass sparkle and shine.

Poor Muriel didn’t know how to follow up with that. When Rhemi made up her mind about things like this, there was no coming back from it. At least for the time being. Best to let it go for now. He thinks to himself and shutting his mouth and grumbles to himself.

With the front counter now nice, shiny, and sparkling clean, Rhemi stands there, admiring her work. And the two of them then remain silent for about a minute, Muriel fiddles with a green shirt, while Rhemi plays with a piece of her hair. The softness of the ends always makes her soothe her when her mind is troubling her. She knows all too well that she needs to mention what her father requested before the day is over. This was going to be the hardest thing to discuss. Martin will be expecting an answer by tomorrow.

Clearing her throat to break the silence, Rhemi grabs Muriel’s attention once again and he looks up at her dainty face. “Also…. Before I left to come here…. My father asked me something….”

“What’s that?” Muriel asks, happy that she broke the deafening awkward silence.

“He…. He asked if we’d…. move to Charlès with him…. So we can be closer to him… Be a family again.”

“T-To- ….To Charlès?! ..... To stuck-up city central??” Muriel raises an eyebrow, then slowly sputters into a little laughter, folding his arms and pressing his back to the couch. “Funny…” Surely, she wasn’t being serious. Right?

Rhemi’s glances over to Muriel without the faintest smile, completely serious, conflicted even. His amused smile drops into an almost disgusted sneer as his eyes widen feeling his heart drop.

“You're joking… right?” He mumbles. “..... Please tell me you are.”

“Afraid not….” She mumbles back, tossing the rag that she was using to clean the counter to the back room to wash it later.

This can’t be happening. He thinks to himself. The first answer that comes to his mind is, ‘Hell FUCKIN’ no!’. Part of him really wants to shout that on the top of his lungs. But it’s hard to yell or get mad when she has such a sad pouty look on her face.

With a large exhale, he scratches his neck pondering hard, he finally utters. “Well..... what do you want to do?.... Do you want to go?”

Rhemi sighs heavily, plopping upper body onto the glass counter. This is going to be such a tough conversation, probably the toughest one they’ve had yet. God only knows how much the man hates change. “I…. I dunno. It didn't occur to me what would happen after all of this…. Until yesterday, all I was worried about was the wedding… But now?.....I-…. I just don’t know.”

“.... Do you even remember that place?”

“No… not really.” She huffs.

“Hmpf.....” He quietly grumbles as he scowls, staring at the opposite wall. “... Una and Gilbert didn’t ask us to stay with them in the south—”

“—Una and Gilbert aren’t your parents, Mur.” Rhemi snaps without thinking and her brow furrows. How did I know he wasn’t going to be happy about this…. She ponders to herself feeling so stressed.

Muriel glances back at with a bit of pain in his eyes, making her regret her words. Perhaps she shouldn’t have said it like that. “Sorry...” She mumbles.

“.... Still… I think that’s a lot to ask when you barely know this guy… We just met him yesterday.”

“I…. I know….” Unbeknownst to her, her face grows even sadder looking, and Muriel can’t help but soften his gaze.

Perhaps what she said was a bit harsh, but it is true. Una and Gilbert aren’t his parents. However, Martin is her father, and seems to be the only biological kin she has left. But to ask for them to relocate hundreds of miles away across the sea? It all seems ridiculous. But…. Now that he thinks about it, if Muriel’s family in the south did ask for them to stay, Rhemi would have gone along with it without question. She always strives for his happiness, even if it means moving into a forieign culture and living as a nomad. Muriel wanted to see her happy too. She deserves it…

Obviously this is very sudden for the poor girl too, it’s a lot to process and being inflexible and stubborn really won’t help at all with the stress she’s under. Might even make her resent him if he doesn’t even slightly consider it. The timing couldn't be any worse for all of this to come about. But that’s life apparently, riddled with constant inconveniences and irritations.

Stepping out of his comfort zone is one thing, but a new bustling city filled with homophobes across the Salty Sea is another. He just got back to normal society just a year ago, and this city was small compared to the capital there. At least people here are for the most part respectful to the tall mountain man. Who knows what kind of treatment he’ll get in Charlès… This is all just so frightening…

Muriel glances back up at his bride, seeing her pretty face as she pounders about this conviction herself, looking so torn and unsure. The unknown might be terrifying, and slightly unbearable for Muriel…. But in the end, Rhemi was always worth it. He could imagine his life without her, neither did he care to think about it.

Maybe the asshole wouldn’t be so bad once he’s back home in his normal surroundings. He uncharacteristically thinks to himself (optimism has finally rubbed off on him). That was her home… Perhaps she misses it there more than he’s letting on….. I don’t want to be selfish…

The hermit huffs standing to his feet slowly trundling over to where she’s standing. He takes both her hands in his staring down at them, lovingly stroking them with his thumbs. “B-But…. if you wanted to go... I’ll come with you no matter what… I want to see you happy… EvenifthatmeansmovingtoSnobfuckin’City.” He quickly mutters that last part.

Picking up her slumped body off of the countertop she looks into Muriel’s green eyes and he gazes back. She could tell what he said was genuine and from his heart, and a soft love drunk smile overtook her face.

He shrugs with a gripe looking expression. “.... Might not like it, but… I want you to be happy…. Home is with you…. And I love you.” He adds with a cute, but smugiush grin.

She quickly runs around the counter and leaps into his arms, and wraps her arms around Muriel’s neck peppering him with kisses on his stubbled cheek. After she’s had her fill, she rests her forehead against his with a goofy smile.

“Thank you, Muriel.” Rhemi mutters. As Muriel sets her feet back down to the floor, his hands now resting on her small waist, her hands on his abdominal muscles; her expression so relieved, yet still, she’s still unsure. “It means so much for you to say that. It really does…. But I just don’t know if I want to go. I mean…. Will we even be happy there?... I know nothing about that place anymore! What if we move there and it’s terrible? What if Inanna can’t be with us? What if there isn’t any forest around to get away from everything?...”

Pausing for a moment to ponder on, she takes this time to adjust his shirt, using her hand to flatten the wrinkles she created. “... Vesuvia is all I really know. It’s my home… Our home. We grew up here. Our friends are here. I… I don’t think I want to settle somewhere else.” Muriel takes his right hand on her jawline, stroking it sweetly with his thumb as he continues to listen.

She places her hand on top of his and words start to flow out of her mouth freely like a river, no hesitation or conflict at all. “Muri. I want to start our family here….. I… I want us to raise our children here. I want them to be free to learn whatever interests them and be whoever they want to be. I don’t want to leave the home we made in the woods nor the shop. And worst of all, we’d be even further from your family in the Steppe! Our children wouldn't have any exposure to their heritage! That wouldn't be fair at all!”

Finally, Rhemi pulls away, an endearing determined and confident expression now on her face. The answer is clear as day to her now. Holding both of his hands in hers and glances up to meet his green gaze. “... Ya know what? I’ve made up my mind… I’m happy you’re willing to change things just for my sake. But I don’t want to go either…. My father just has to understand that we just belong in Vesuvia. Perhaps instead, we can just visit Charlès every so often.”

Relieved at her decision, Muriel lets the tension in his body unwind, overjoyed to know that they are on the same page about it. “We can do that.” He says with a cute grin.

“E-.... Even if you don’t like him?” She says a little quieter, guiding his hands to wrap around her waist again, her eyes reminiscent of a puppy’s.

With a snort he slowly leans down matching her volume and squeezes her body affectionately. “..... Even if I don’t like him.”

“Even if you hate Charlès?” She mutters just above a whisper, now standing on her tippy toes inching closer and closer to his lips again, her fingers grazing his bottom lip.

“Even if I hate that place.” He replies sweetly back, starting to melt into her touch.

She smiles cutely and kisses his cheek. “I love you, Muri.”

“I love you too… But I’m never gonna call you Rhemielia. Even if it’s your ‘real’ name.”

“Okay. What are you gonna call me then?” She asks with a flirtatious laugh.

He matches her smiles, showing his teeth sweetly and runs his fingers through her hair. “Well... Was hoping, ‘my wife’ in less than two weeks.” He chuckles, but as soon as he utters that he stiffens and red stains across his cheek and smacks his forehead with his other hand. “—I blame you for this! Your awful corny humor is rubbing off on me…” He says so incredibly embarrassed, but Rhemi smiles wide and stupidly, loving his embarrassed face.

“Alright, that did it—”

Rhemi pushes Muriel to the velvet couch and he plops to a seat. “D-...Did what?”

“... Made me want to give you your dessert before dinner~” She says as she drops to her knees in front of him.

Muriel makes a shaky, yet lustful exhale feeling an erection blossoming as she rubs his large legs. Sluggishly making her way up to undo his belt buckles and her offers no hesitation as she pulls down his trousers. The saliva pools behind her teeth as his large cock sprouts out, eager to taste him.

“And what about your dessert—ahhhh, fuckkk~” He grunts at the end of his sentence just as Rhemi licks the shaft of his large hard member.

“Tee-hee~ You don’t think this is a treat for me? Mmmmm~”

“Rem, R-Rem…” He whispers, running his fingers through her burgundy hair as she teases the tip with her tongue. “Wha—…. what if Asra comes back?”

She smiles and flicks her wrist to the door, laying her head on his thigh, slowly stroking his fat cock with her other hand. “There. I added another spell, and I think he’ll get the message.” She reassures him as she continues to go back to work on kissing, licking and sucking his fat cock. Slowly, he begins to relax more and more and takes off his green long sleeved shirt, feeling a bit warm despite this cool afternoon. The hermit now practically melted into the velvet couch, sluggishly thrusting his hips with each stroke.

Glancing into his mossy green eyes, Rhemi reveles in his vulnerable horny expression. “You’re so cute when you make that face, Muri.” She utters breathily.

She can feel him shutter as the skin on his face turns to a dark red, showing that classic Muriel embarrassed expression that she also loved. “.....S-Stop being so hot!” He grumbles trying to sound grumpy as he stares right into her crimson eyes as she continues to lick his fat cock as if it were a piece of tangy tasting hard candy.

She stops for a moment and giggles with a devilishly mischievous grin and teases his testicles. “Why? Does it make you wanna cum even more?~.”

Cocking his head back and closing his eyes, he almost grits through his teeth as his pelvis thrusts from pleasure. “Fuuuuuck, Rem! Damn… Why do you gotta say that??”

“Tee-hee~ Cause it turns you on. And makes your dick harder.” She mutters before licking the very tip of his cock in small circles making him groan even more.

As Rhemi takes him into her mouth again, enjoying the salty taste of his precum as she sucks him off making cute little moans, enjoying every moment pleasuring him. Muriel’s breathing starts to become shallower and shallower as he becomes infused with the velvet couch, trying his best to stifle the moans and groans seeping out of his mouth.

Suddenly, a very lewd and interesting idea pops into Rhemi’s mind as her mind somehow wanders into the book she was reading recently (The Magic of Kama Sutra and Other Passionate Ways to Love. A book from Nopal). It was apparently rather common practice, and it seemed to have been very enjoyable for the man.

“I think I have an idea…. Can I try it out?” She whispers looking up so adorably with her large crimson eyes.

Muriel bits his lower lip and silently nods his head in agreement and Rhemi smiles, wiggling her hips like she does when she gets excited. Slowly she unbuttons her shirt, keeping her corset belt on, showcasing her plump naked breasts. The way they make them pop out is amazing and Muriel can’t believe his eyes right now. Every time she takes off her top, it’s like looking at her for the first time. His body is shaky, breathless, face hot and heart beating. Blowing hot air out his mouth, unable to control his staring as she caresses his heavy legs and starts to kiss and lightly nibble his inner thighs.

“Th- th- that is not fair!” He whimpers.

A hard but hot groan creeps out of his mouth, contrary to what he says, he always loves it when she kisses him there.

She starts to stroke him with her right hand and lifts her head, raising an eyebrow. “Since when do either of us play fair?” Lubing up his cock by licking his large shaft from bottom up to the very tip, Rhemi sluggishly pulls away, and keeps her tongue sticking out her tongue, letting hermit see the saliva oozing out of her mouth. He can’t help but shiver at the sight, making his dick twitch and his brow beads with sweat.

“God...damn—..... You’re so beautiful.” He says so sweetly as his fingers lace through her soft brownish red hair.

“Tell me if this feels good, ok?” She whispers sensually, tucking her hair behind her ear so it doesn’t get in the way. Nesting his cock in between her large breasts, she presses them together with both of her hands and starts to move her torso as she sucks on the very tip.

“This—This… is….. Really…. different…” He struggles to get out, unable to think straight, face burning hot.

“Do…. you not like it?” She asks while coming up for air, pausing for a moment to ensure he was happy.

A hard snort rolls out of his mouth and he slowly shakes his head. “D-.... Didn’t say that….” He mutters with a cute sexy chuckle, his hips twitching and moving on their own, seemingly enjoying watching as his member moves between her tits.

“Good~” She whispers back with a smirk, going straight back to business, pressing her boobs together around his cock and stuffing the tip in her mouth.

The more she continued, the more difficult it was to keep his mind straight. Only able to keep his thoughts on the marvelous sensation in between his legs. Her little muffled moans make it harder and harder to keep himself from exploding. Then, on the verge of it all, Rhemi gives him a sweet glance upwards and their eyes meet; her expression so lewd, yet so loving and sweet. Suddenly, Muriel throws back his head, shutting his eyes tightly and a loud hot groan emanates from his lungs and his fingers dig into the velvet cushions of the couch and warm liquid erupts like a volcano everywhere.

What. A. Fucking. Mess.

The thick white goop is everywhere. In her hair, all over her chest and hands, on her face and even dripping down her lips. Both of them were a little surprised at the messy result.

A look of horror suddenly strikes poor Muriel’s face, every visible inch of his flesh is red and hot with embarrassment. “Ah shit! I-... I’m sor--”

Rhemi silences his unneeded apology as she takes her finger and licks up the cum off of it giving him a lustful expression. “Well…. Someone really enjoyed his dessert~” She mutters sweetly rather enjoying herself.

Absolutely dumbfounded, the poor man just stares at her lost for words, but now his face is red for a different reason entirely.

Muriel comes back rather quickly with a towel and sheepishly hands it to her, not very sure how he feels about the mess he made. But as Rhemi wipes the cum off her tits, she smiles looking rather pleased with herself, and somehow it makes his desire for her all over again.

“Sooo. Whatcha thinkin’ for dinner?” Rhemi asks, getting the last of the cum off her face, slightly changing her tune.

Silent, Muriel comes from behind and crouches down to her level wrapping his arms tenderly around her waist. Tenderly, he starts to pepper her neck with passionate kisses, slowly caressing her breasts and feeling her warm skin.

“That isn’t an answer!” She teases, but she leans into his touch and giggles cutely.

“... You sound pretty good right now…” He sweetly whispers in her ear, then nibbles on her shoulder and reaches for her folds through her pants.

Before she could think of something to say, a deeply sensual moan escaped her lips and her legs grew weak. The feeling of his teeth lightly her flesh and his fingers rubbing in between her thighs makes her mind go completely blank. All she could think about was how much she loved his gentle touch and the way he groans makes her go crazy with lust. He then starts to unfasten her pants.

“What are you doin’?~” She mumbles, rearing her to look at him, biting her lower lip and running her fingers through his dark hair. Catching that sexy primal look in his eyes when he wants to fuck her.

Without another word, he scoops her up, placing her backwards on the couch, sitting on her knees and hands naturally holding the back of it. He pulls down the back of her pants, he starts to kiss her shoulders, her spine and works his way down all the way to her hips. She feels him pull down his trousers, exposing his erect member yet again.

Not the slightest hint of hesitation, she arches her back feeling herself becoming hot and wet, opening her legs to invite him in. He takes a moment and exhales a hot air as he marvels at her beauty, caressing her body with one hand, stroking his cock with the other. He then licks his right middle and ring figure, lubing her pussy, rubbing her folds and fucking her with his finger. His warm digits send little electric shocks waves from her clit as he pulls in and out of her now soaking entrance. Her body now feeling light and aroused, her breathing more shallow, sexy, and airy, she turns around her upper body with a begging expression on her face. “F-Fuck, Muri…” She mutters.

Unable to withhold himself a moment longer, Muriel lines himself up with Rhemi’s hips and slowly enters her tight pussy with his knee resting on the couch, both hands gripping her ass. The two now start to get into a rhythm, thrusting their hips faster and harder and enjoying pleasurable sensations and wet fleshly sounds.

Feeling him go deeper and harder, their grunt and moans start to increase as well. Rhemi’s hand braces the top of the couch, while the other reaches round to hold his wrist wanting to hold him closer. Muriel then takes his arm and wraps it around her neck holding her to his chest, carefully bracing her so he doesn’t choke her, just restraining her.

A startled grunt and her stiff body pulls him back to his senses and he  Afraid that he might be too aggressive with her. “....This ok?” He whispers.

But to his surprise, she holds her hands on his forearm, putting it back to where it was and she thrusts her hips down onto his cock even more. Loving this new position, she softly says. “D-... Don’t stop!.... I like it when you hold me.”

Allowing himself to get swept up in the moment yet again, he holds her jawline turning towards him and kisses her hard, their tongues dancing behind their lips muffling her moans as he fucks her harder, pressing her against the back of the couch.

Feeling her face becoming warm, her body tingly, the pressure building behind her abdominal muscles like a damn about to burst, spirially into an orgasim. “Muri!~” She moans, holding his forearm even tighter as she pants faster and faster. “....I-.... I wanna cumm~”

“S-... Shit….” He grunts, losing his mind at her words, feeling himself get closer as well. “Feels good?” He asks, matching her volume as he moves his free hands to her left tit to squeeze it.

She nods, closing her eyes, moaning even louder as she reaches her right hand and pulls his hair. “D-..Do-...Don’t st-...stop… Please! Don’t stop!” Her voice is now even higher pitched and breathless, and repeats over and over again. Rhemi’s body starts to slightly convulse, cumming hard and she lets out a loud and sharp moan and shouts Muriel’s name. Her body now feeling so light and relaxed, she starts to struggle keeping herself upright as Muriel fucks her stright through her oragsim.

Feeling his cock growing ever larger and harder inside of her, she can feel her walls clenching around him as he buries his face into her neck. Grunting and panting he keeps going until finally pumps her insides with his thick white paint then his hips come to a slow stop.

The two of them melt into the couch feeling satisfyingly weak and breathless still holding onto one another and catching their breaths.

Finally they both regain their strength. Muriel pulls himself out taking a seat on the couch while Rhemi manages to stand to her feet. Feeling like a newborn calf, with her shaky legs, she first pulls her pants and underwear back on, then threads her arms back through her shirt and buttons it back up. Dressed and appropriate again, she comes back over to her mountain man and wraps her arms around his neck and he buries his face into her hair, his hand falling to the small of her back.

“You still never told me what you want for dinner…” She suddenly says rather seriously.

Muriel pulls away and the two just stare at each other blankly, waiting for the other to crack. But they both are circum with laughter at the same time, placing their foreheads together.

________________________

The two quickly clean themselves off to look presentable, lock up the shop and head to the market before the twilight. Finally coming to the decision of rice, beef, and zucchini for supper. Getting everything they needed, they set home to the forest holding each other's hand. After the two made dinner and started to settle down for the night, they found themselves still hungry for one another. Lighting candles and some soothing incense to set the mood, the two go at it as if the world would end if they’d stop.

Finally, after getting both of their fill, feeling utterly pleasantly exhausted, the two catch their breaths on the bed. As Rhemi continues to straddle Muriel’s hips, she reaches her arms up for a good stretch and yawns, making her tits jiggle and bounce around.

“Ya know…” She says mid yawn, then starts again when she finishes. “...We probably shouldn’t have sex again till our honeymoon. So we don’t spoil the night.” She suggests while stroking his bare chest with both hands, pressing her breast together.

Muriel's nose crinkles as he snorts hard, gawking at her plump tits, she isn’t all that convincing currently. “..... Are you expecting me to take you seriously while you're on top of me naked?”

“Muri! I am serious!” She giggles, leaning down and resting her arms on his pecks, realizing herself just now.

The hermit rolls his eyes and sighs with a smirk and plays with a piece of her hair. “.... Fine… I guess you have a point.”

“... Can you believe we’re about to be married in just a few short days?”

“.... Sometimes I can’t… But in a good way… I didn’t think I’d ever be this happy in my life honestly…. You… you changed my life, Rem.”

The corner of her mouth curls up into a bright and loving smile and she places a few sweet kisses onto his chin. “You changed mine too…. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you…” She whispers, getting lost into his green gaze.

“Neither can I.” He whispers back, looking deep into her eyes and holds her cheek before pulling her head down for another passionate kiss, pressing his tongue to her's.

A familiar scratch at the door pulls them out of the moment, setting them back into reality and Rhemi rolls off grabbing the blankets and rolling up into them for warmth

“... Inanna home.” Muriel grunts as he gets up, quickly donning his underwear as he travels to the door, the wolf still clawing at the door. As he opens the door, the beast scurries in, tongue out happily wagging her tail as she hops onto the bed and drowning Rhemi in her sloppy wet kisses.

“Hey, Nana!” Rhemi giggles, hugging her neck and scratching her fur. “Guess what? We got you some steak tonight!”

With the word, steak, the wolf hops down excitedly and nearly looks as if she dances on the floor as Muriel fetches it. Still wrapped in paper, he delicately unwraps it and places it on a plate along with a few berries and even a little green garnish on it. Her yellow eyes hilariously huge, her tail thumping so hard on the ground completely overjoyed; Yet she's sitting as still as possible, eagerly awaiting for Muriel to place it on the floor. As soon as he puts it down, she makes very quick work of her food, licking the plate clean.

The three eventually crawl into bed to get warm, happily snuggling all together like they always do. One by one they all start to become comfortable and slowly drift off to sleep.

———————————————

Feeling himself leave his body, Muriel soon comes to realize that he’s entering a deep sleep. Equipped with claws, teeth, fur and all. Dreams have never been the same since Rhemi and him read that book about the Aurora. Most of the time he turns into a bear. Tonight he seems to be somewhere in the Steppe again, but no one else is in sight. Just other animals, the sky, and the sun. Going about his peaceful slumber, he just sits there on his hind legs, enjoying the brisk wind on his muzzle.

Soon, he realizes isn’t alone for long, sensing someone's prying eye behind him, a peaceful dream yet again short lived. Turning slowly and cautiously behind him, ready for whatever awaited him, he’ll attack if he must.

“Hello, my little cub.” That familiar deep voice says coming from a large dark bear.

Right before his eyes, Muriel can’t believe who is in front of him. It’s Artturi, his father. Or at least his cast.

"How…. How can this be?" He thinks as he stares confused at the large animal with such kind eyes. "How can he be here?"

The larger bear snorts in amusement, and turns around to walk away.

"Wait!" A large desperate growl escapes Muriel’s jaws and stomps the ground. "Don’t go! Please!"

Muriel’s father pauses for a moment, cranks his head around and nods in the direction, signaling to follow him.

Relieved, Muriel galaps next to him, a million questions filling his head. What’s worse, in the dream realm, in this bear form, he is incapable of speaking and frustrates the poor hermit even more.

Finally, Arrturi stops at a seemingly random area in the plain. Feeling the large bear’s magic bubble up, a strange portal suddenly appears, opening up into somewhere else. It felt so strange. Usually, Muriel just wakes up into other people’s dreams. He had to wake up in order to leap into another one. But this seemed to be leaping mid dream.

His father glances over with his small green eyes. Somehow he smiles at him. Even in this animal form, he manages to give his son a warm and loving smile.

Softly, Arrturi closes his eyes and enters the portal, once on the other side.

Wary, Muriel studies the portal up and down, even sniffing it with his large nose.

“It’s safe, my boy. I assure you.” His father says. He never once moves his lips or jaws, yet his son can hear his words as if they were being spoken out-loud by a human.

Unconvinced, Muriel stares at his father with heavy suspicion. Maybe this is just his own dream. His self-consciousness just wanting to see his father again.

“Oi! Come along, my little cub! Don’t have all night!” His father says, raising his eyebrows and sounding a bit more serious.

Well… What do I have to lose? With a deep and grumpy huff, Muriel cautiously steps into the portal, one limb at a time as if he was just entering a door.

Once inside, the doorway disappears leaving the two Kokhurians alone in the forest.

“How… How did you do that?” Muriel attempts to ask, but all that comes out are brudish grunts and growls. Making that grumpy irritated sulk, he grumbles feeling so frustrated with his lack of understanding.

“There is much you have to learn, my cub.” His father whispers.

“Y-.... You can hear me? Understand…. Me?” He replies.

His father laughs softly, tenderly nuzzles Muriel’s face with his snout. “Of course I can! I’m a bear too!” His laugh sounds so much like Gilbert’s, his voice filled of heart and joy. Out of instinct, Muriel’s ears tuck down and he sheepishly shrinks into his shoulders, as his father continues to nuzzle him. He can feel his face turning red underneath all that fur, some things apparently never change. Even in the realm of dreams. Still, even if he was uncomfortable, his father’s affection was appreciated and welcomed, he wouldn’t dare pull away.

Suddenly, his father’s magic emerges again, another portal opening, his father walks into it, his son follows. “We call travel in our sleep, my cub. Most of the time, people have no control where their dreams can take them. But us leapers can travel into countless place and dreams each time we lay our heads down to rest. No matter where in the world they are. Sometimes, people can call for us. Especially when they need it most…. Other times, we can enter people’s deepest part of their consciousness--”

“—NO!! MUMMY!!!!” Rhemi’s voice suddenly screams, it sounds rather distant, it even echoes. Panic takes over the hermit’s mind, looking around blindly to find where it’s coming from.

She’s in trouble, and he knows it.

Muriel sadly glances over to his father, torn between the two. He doesn’t want to leave his father, who knows when he'll ever see him again. But Rhemi… She sounds like she could be in a lot of trouble…

Without another thought, Arrturi opens another portal. The doorway opened up into a foggy area stinging of smoke and ash, Rhemi’s essence inside.

“I… We… I’m sor—”

“—It’s fine, little cub. We’ll meet again. I promise....” Muriel can’t help but stand there gawking at his father, tears pooling in his eyes. “Go!” His father orders. “She needs you, son.”

--------------———————————————-----------

Slowly Rhemi can feel her body becoming limp and falling into a deep sleep. Soon, her consciousness floats away somewhere to the realm of dreams. Muriel nowhere in sight. In fact, nothing is in sight, just an empty black void. Just very distant voices and dim light up ahead of her just like a spotlight duringJulian’s shows in the theater.

Most of it at first is incoherent bantering, but then two voices start to speak more clearly. One of them sounds so sweet and comforting, her voice silky and soothing. But they speak with such urgency in their voice. Afraid even.

“No!! Don’t take her away from me! Please! She makes my life worth living! PLEASE! I beg of you...”

“.... What are you willing to give for her then?”

The sweet and gentle voice continues on muttering desperately to the ghostly figure, but nearly impossible to make out what she’s saying.

Is… is this spector Phara?... And if that's Phara… then who’s this woman? Why do I feel like I know her?

Soon, Rhemi notices the woman’s beautiful long dirty blonde wavy hair that curls at the ends. She wore a fancy gown decorated with flowers and foliage embroidery with cool colors. Her back was turned to her, but then she immediately had a gut feeling who she was.

“.... M-Mum??” Rhemi quietly whispers, but the words echo around as if she screamed into a vast canyon and the word rang everywhere like a large bell.

The woman slowly turns her body around, but shadows still obscuring her features on her face except for her lips. “R-..... Rhem—”

Flames violently erupted all around Rhemi and a wicked laughter that belonged to that dark figure. Terrified, she spins back around towards her mother reaching out for her. “Take my hand!” She cries out to the woman.

But her mother instead lets out a horrible scream as the dark shadowy figure sneaks from behind her covering her mouth with sharp claws for hands. All Rhemi could see was the figure’s bright green eyes and sharp toothy grin as they continued to chuckle evilly. Then claws rip into her chest and her mother convulses with pain, her awful screams muffled by the creature’s other hand.

“MUM!!!”

The creature finally releases her mother and she drops to the ground on all fours and the dark creature disappears with an evil cackle only banshees would envy. “RHEMI!!” Her terrified voice echoes in her daughter’s ears.

Helpless. Powerless. Rhemi can only watch as her own mother’s eye’s turn cold black like a doll’s. The veins in her face turn dark, her skin gray and pale as she transforms into something else. Something inhuman. Her cries start to morph into something that of an animal, her once beautiful silky calm voice becomes incomprehensible and shril. Then in a flash, her mother is whisked away without a trace.

“NO!! MUMMY!!!!” Rhemi cries out again, she wants to go and find her, but her feet refuse to budge. I’m alone again… Why am I always alone??

The fire continues to take hold of the young magician’s surroundings, lighting up the once dark stage. Now it is unveiling fancy furniture that has been overturned, broken vases and paintings litter the floor of what looks to be a home with green floral wallpaper. Brick by brick the walls form around her starting from the bottom and forming it’s way to the very top, attempting to trap her inside. I—I have to get out! I have to get out of here!!!

“No…. Noooo!” Desperate, Rhemi bursts into colorful flames sprouting her feathers, talons, and beak before the walls enclose all around her. Flapping her wing so hard, it almost hurts she frantically soars to the top. The high vaulted ceiling and crystal chandler nearly get in her way as she struggles to get out of the now nearly assembled roof. Only a narrow gap is left and she squeezes herself into the tight space.

As she looks back down at the building, the roof is enclosed as fire reaches the top to burn it down once again.

This is just a dream! This is just a bad dream!!! Rhemi can feel tears forming in her eyes and she chokes them down. She watches in dismay as the mansion stands there and that muggy dense fog rolling in all around her. Without a second thought she turns around, flapping her wings hard to get away from that place.

I don’t want to see it! I know what happened! I don’t need to relive this! You need to wake up!

Out of the corner of her right eye, Rhemi sees a fast and furious luminescent looking wad of ash and feathers headed straight for her.

Without any hesitation, the dying phoenix crashes into Rhemi mid air, like a falcon catching its prey, making them both tumble into the smog, pinning her to the ground. “WHY. DID. YOU. RUN, RHEMI?!?”

“GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!!” She struggles to get out as she tries to push the rotten smelling bird away.

She wiggles and squirms but it's all for not, as the dark version of herself pins her down, such anger and frustration in her voice. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? You need to remember! You were almost there!!!” The other Rhemi growls with her tired gravelly voice, the smell of soot and decay overwhelming her senses. Their fiery wings burn hot and angry as she pushes Rhemi into the ground even more.

“What the fuck do you want from me?! WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE??” Rhemi shouts as she pushes the ghosts of her former self off of her.

Stumbling backwards, both of them transform back into their mirrored human forms, but the other Rhemi looks even weaker, and sicker than before. Staring at Rhemi with her bloodshot eyes, and bright orange glowing irises, she mutters as she slightly pants, apparently out of breath. “I’ve told you before....You need to see the truth.”

Standing back onto her feet Rhemi stomps with her left foot and puffs out her chest. “Yeah! Well Père already told me about it! I already know what happened! I know the truth…. Or at least part of it!--And ya know what!?? That’s fine with me!”

“Could you stop being an idiot?!... Just because you were told what happened doesn’t mean you dealt with it, Rhemi!”

“—What if I don’t want to deal with it??” The figure just stares at her blankly with her terrible bloody eyes and Rhemi shakes her arms wildly. “I am happy!—Okay?? Finally happy!!!! No bad dreams, no terrible memories for months!!—I have a father now!! I just want it to be what it is!! A family of my own!! I’m getting married in less than two weeks!!!—Don’t you understand?? I want to stay happy!!!... Why can’t you just go away?? Please just leave me be!!! You are supposed to be dead!!”

Her previous self just stands there, blankly staring at her slowly shaking her head, completely exhausted. “.... You’re the one who keeps me here, Rhemi….”

“... What??”

“... If you call all this happiness,” She says laughing sadistically pointing at her then to the mansion. “... Then you really have a warped perception of it. Quit lying to yourself. You still need to know about the monster…. you need to remember who they are...”

“I don’t want to meet any more monsters! Why does this even matter?? Phara is gone!”

The spectrum suddenly shifts and appears right in front of her nearly inches away and Rhemi shutters hard, feeling throat dry up. The other Rhemi just stands there staring her right in the eyes. ".... Because the monster lives, Rhemi.” A bone chilling silence takes its icy grip as her words sink in. “... And that monster is closer than you think it is.”

Muriel lets out a large growl and the other Rhemi glances behind, not very stirred by his presence, but more deeply annoyed. “Damn it, Blanket-boy. You always come at the wrong time…..” She mumbles under her breath then turns her eyes back to her. “You need to know the truth… Before it’s too late.”

“Why??.... What’s gonna happen??”

A sharp scream emanates from the dark smog and the sick Rhemi cranks her neck around towards that direction. Then a viscous growl from the other with a charging bear who it belongs to.

The sickly spirit grabs Rhemi by the shirt and pulls her closer, nose nearly touching and her blood red eyes stare deeply into Rhemi’s. “...Remember for it’s too late.” She roughly whispers then pushes her away, as fire engulfs her body, transforming her into that dying phoenix once again.

“Oh yeah, NOW YOU LEAVE?!?!” Rhemi shouts, stomping her right foot irritatedly and Muriel finally reaches over to her, still in his bear form.

As he approaches her they both watch as the smoldering bird flies away until she disappears into the dark and dense fog.

Muriel looks up at his soon to be wife and just glares at her. Even in this form, she could tell he was upset with her, and rightfully so… She hadn’t been necessarily honest for some time.

———————————

As both Muriel and Rhemi return to their bodies, they simultaneously awake. Muriel however was the first to sit up and he rubs his tired eyes.

Slowly, Rhemi wipes away the tears that formed when she was asleep before he can see and pick up her trunk off the mattress, listening to the crickets and other night creatures sing their songs before finally parting her lips. “Muriel… I—”

With a sharp exhale, the hermit just draws down the sheet and gets out of bed and starts the fire again before she can try and explain herself. He’s rarely ever angry with her, but when he is, he’s very quiet at first. But this was the first time he actually walked away from her. He’s really upset…

Inanna whimpers as she looks back and forth between the two of them waiting for one of them to budge, yet nothing. Finally, annoyed with all the tension, she nudges Rhemi’s arm three times, each one harder than the next, telling her, or rather, demanding her that she needed to make the first move. She stares at her with her large intelligent yellow eyes, snorting and sneezing, her point obviously being made. With a heavy heartfelt sigh, she slowly gets out of the bed grabbing the top blanket and wrapping around her shoulders, silently approaching her sweetheart. She sits next to him by the fire, a few feet away to give him space; they both sit there for a moment.

“I… I was going to tell you….” She finally says just above a whisper, breaking the terrible silence.

“........You said….. you’d tell me…. When you had a bad nightmare.” Muriel says softly, but very firmly. He’s so upset.

Rhemi adjusts the blanket over her shoulders and flutters her tired eyes, carefully thinking of what to say next. “.... I…. I didn’t know how to bring it up…”

With a sharp rumbly noise, Muriel shakes his right hand dismissively, his twisted face and eyes glaring at her. “Don’t give me that!”

Rhemi shifts awkwardly, eyes averted to the other side of the room, feeling like she's being scolded. He’s actually hard to look at without wanting to cry.

Muriel shakes his head and his eyes drop down to his lap. “...... I-..... I’ve asked, and asked, and you said you were fine….. How long has that- that thing been coming into your dreams??”

She twists her foram with her opposite hand making it sting a little, but she can’t help but inflict a small bit of pain to herself. Perhaps if she did it hard enough it would make all of this go away.

“.... I… It showed up back in the Steppe… But I don’t really remember the first dream…. Then I saw them again the night of the welcoming ceremony.”

“You saw your past self back then… and you didn’t tell me?.....”

… My past self?.... How does he? She thinks to herself squinting her eyes suspiciously. “...Wait. H- H-How do you know about her?… She ran off before you even got there.”

A faint pink spreads across his cheeks and a little bead of sweat drips down his temple as she points that out and he just sits there silently. “... Muri?” She says tilting her head and slightly furrowing her brow now.

With a grumbly sigh, he finally answers.  “...... I saw them around Yule when we were traveling home. I thought it was my own bad dream… I… I didn’t realize I leaped.”

“Soooooooo….. You didn’t tell me about it.” She says a bit sassily.

“Well I—… You…. We…. There wasn’t—” Clearly, he’s now more flustered than angry now and he continues fumbling over his words. “I-... Be- Cause—..... Because… Because didn’t want to upset you about it—”

“.... And why do you think I didn’t tell you?” Rhemi tucks her legs into her chest, hugging her knees tightly like she used to do when she was upset. She hadn’t done it in a long time. She did it a lot when Asra wasn’t around “I… I wasn’t ready to talk about it…. It's like seeing yourself… in a mirror, yet the person looking back is a complete stranger… She… She scares me… Really scares me…”

Quietly, Rhemi’s words sink into Muriel’s mind, remembering that the two of them were really similar when it came to things like this. His eyes glancing over to his soon to be wife, and his heart drops to see her in this tight bundled up position. She looks like she did the night of when he saved her from that creep a few years back before they got to really know one another. It seems like a lifetime ago, but also just like yesterday. She looked so small when she hugged her knees to her chest like that.

Muriel’s shoulders relax, his large neck muscles unclench, as empathy soothes his anger. Scratching his left ear sheepishly, he scoots a little closer to her. “I’m… I’m sorry, Rem…. Shoulda realized you weren’t ready to talk about it.”

She places her chin on the top of one of her forearms as she chokes down the tears. “.... Well...  maybe I should have anyways….” Her voice cracks a bit when she starts, and she tries to clear her throat, but he knows she’s upset.

“... You’ve been nothing but patient with me when it comes to talking… and I guess I’m just not as patient….” He reaches over bringing her into his chest and with the other, he slowly takes her hand in his, lacing his large fingers with hers. “... But I’ll try to do better…” He says sincerely then kisses her temple. “I’m sorry I got angry…”

Unraveling her limbs, she tucks up closer to him, snuggling his chest. “You’re allowed to be angry, Muri…. Your feelings are valid. And you’re not wrong. It isn’t fair when I don’t communicate when you do… Perhaps… We both have things we need to work on. And… maybe it’s going to take us longer than we both anticipated.”

“Ok… We always have done better doing things together… so... I can deal with that….”

“So can I.” She whispers, wiping away a stray tear. “I love you, Muriel.”

“I love you too…” He mumbles holding her close.

A cold and wet nose however pries the two apart, Inanna squeezing into the warm laps of the two lovers next to the fire, somewhat ruining the moment. But it’s fine. Rhemi and Muriel both start to softly laugh and give the large wolf the much needed scratches as she soaks up the warmth from the fireplace.

....Eventually all three of them make their way back to bed and start to get to sleep.

Rhemi starts to dream again, but this time, it’s about Athena. It must have been when she first came to Vesuvia. Her iconic long dreadlocks are replaced with a short hair that was kept underneath a silk scarf on her head, but her facial features were unfortunately still blurred in obscurity. She apparently was in the middle of teaching her a spell, and a lovely bright teal orbe lit the dark room. The joy she felt in her chest was so genuine and full of child-like wonder…. I miss her so much. I wonder if she knows how much I loved her.

_______________________

Contrast to the day before, Rhemi takes her time traveling to the palace. Unsure how her father was going to take her answer, she fears that he might think that she hates him. But that just isn’t true. She may not really remember him from before, but she does have this feeling like she deeply wanted his approval and that she missed him. But she also has a feeling like she’s nervous about what he’s going to do. Running from what she’s going to say to let him down easily, she repeats it over and over again in her mind.

As she approaches the palace gates, she can feel her heart beating faster and faster. Why am I so nervous about this?? Everything will be fine. He’ll understand. He’ll understand.

As the palace doors open up and she proceeds to the common room, she looses herself in thought.

Suddenly, an entourage of strangers meet Rhemi near the door, all in strange clothes with too many ruffles and crinoline and stunk of powerful cologne. One man was especially snooty and uptight looking, with his puffy pants, stockings, and an obviously fake looking wig.

“Ah, you must be Rhemielia. We have been expecting you.” Says the one man in the front, wearing about an inch worth of pale make-up that made him look like a ghost in on of Julian's plays. His voice thick with a strange, yet somewhat familiar accent.

“Yesssss….” Raising an eyebrow and tilting her head, Rhemi confusingly scratches the back of her head. “Ummmmm… And whoooo are you, exactly?”

With an arrogant smile, the man turns up his nose and smiles as he puffs out his chest and presses his hand in his chest. “I am Oliver. You’re Monsieur Alarie’s personal tailor.”

“.... He brought his tailor on board with him from Charlès?”

He laughs as if she said something completely foolish as he walks around inspecting her. “But of course! I am part of his entourage, my naive little child.”

“Oh. Well, nice to meet you, but I am here for my fath-”

“Hmpf!…We must put you in something that draws your attention away from those dreadful eyes.” He interrupts looking as if he smelled something fowl, completely ignoring her.

A twinge of anger strikes her. “... Excuse me?”

“Oh! So sorry, Mademoiselle Alarie. I know that was one of the things you were left with when  that witch spirited you and your mother away.”

“.... W-.. What?? Where did you hear tha—?”

“—Ugh. You should really think about skipping your desserts my plump little darling….” He scoffs as he takes a measuring tape and measures her hips, making her shut her mouth up tight and her face turning red. Getting a measurement, he pulls out a tiny pair of reading glasses and holds them up to his eyes. As he reads the tape measure, he shakes his head, tutting condescending. “... Maybe a few meals as well.” He smirks with a chuckle, his posse chims whispering and laughing amongst themselves as they judge her, like a group of mean kids on the playground.

The color red paints poor Rhemi’s face and she feels herself shrinking into herself. Embarrassed and a bit angry, her hands held her stomach feeling so disgusting. Pierre, Nadia's tailor never made her feel like this when she was having her wedding dress made. She honestly never thought she was a bad size… til now of course with all these thin and ridiculously dressed rude assholes muttering about.

“Come, come, Mademoiselle. We don’t have all day.” Oliver says, sounding annoyed as he walks in the other direction. Then three people from his team suddenly start to grab her and push her along behind him. “...I have just the dress for you. It is the latest fashion of Charlès, many ladies of the court have worn this dress… I designed this one myself. However, I might need to let out the seams a bit to fit your large phasic.” Oliver unnecessarily adds.

The overly pompous seamstress first throws the apprentice into a room with a handful of Nadia’s women servants that she barely knew. Instead of a door, they had a divider so he could instruct them on the other side. Without a single word, or an ounce of emotion in their faces, they all proceed to just take off her clothes she wore here as if she was helpless.

‘Hey…. Back off! Don’t fucking touch me!’ Her inner thoughts scream, as they unbuckle her corset belt and take off her shoes without hesitation. But instead of fighting back like she so desperately wants, she just stands there, quietly taking it. After all, it’s not like these women were doing anything necessarily inappropriate, they were all just doing what they were told to do… But in some way, it made the girl feel rather violated. Unsure if she felt like this because of it happening so suddenly, or the fact that she was rather private about her body. Either way, it hardly mattered why she felt like this, the fact is, she did. Her fist clenches and she presses her lips into her mouth out of frustration as they strip her down to her tight pants. She could so easily make the woman stop in their tracks, freeze them with a spell, confuse them with a flash of bright light with her magic, distract them, scare them—Anything really—But against every fiber in her body, something is holding her back and she just continues to reluctantly stand there, still and as silent as a human doll as they take off her pants and throw on a white linen drawers and slip.

Oliver then throws over an ugly boned piece of tan heavy looking fabric over the divider and instructs the women to strap her into an overly tight and restrictive overbust corset and to make it as he says, “Nice and tight.”. It was terrible. Just terrible. The damn thing was too narrow in the hips. It pressed down her waist and pushed into her ribs and lifted her breasts uncomfortably into her face. Rhemi actually likes corsets, hell, she has a whole drawer full of them. But this one was nothing like the ones she has, it obviously purposely was not even her true size so she’d fit into the garments, so it was much too tight. When she verbally complained, all Oliver and his posse chuckled and said, “If you have enough air to complain, then it isn’t tight enough.” Prompting them to tighten it even more, taking the little bit of air that was left in her lower lungs and she groans and strains in pain.

After that came the strange cage thing for her hips that looked like a monstrous spider’s creation. “What's this for?” She cautiously asks while she lifts her hands over her head and they tight it to her hips.

“To make you look attractive to look at.” He snarily remarks implying as if she wasn’t already. Every question she asks, the answer seems to be another harsh comment, so now, she just fell silent, she might as well be a warm mannequin at this point.

Next, came a dozen or so stiff and unforgiving petticoats that seemed to weigh her down more and more. Even her gown from the masquerade wasn’t this bad.

After that, finally came the actual dress. It was light green, slightly off the shoulder filled with frills and bright pink bows and embellished with flowers, ruffles, and white frilly lace. To add insult to injury, Oliver came with the most uncomfortable shoes she had ever seen. This is where she drew the line. As the servant went to place her shoes on her feet, Rhemi gave her the hardest, scariest stare she could muster and she quietly shook her head, pointing to her beloved boots. Getting the message rather clearly, the servant obediently places her brown boots back on to her feet. At least she was given something. The last thing she needed was the inability to walk.

After about twenty minutes of this abuse from that asshole tailor and his team of fashion monsters, Oliver moves the divider and looks at his creation. Seeming as if she was still lacking luster, the man walked around in circles around the giant frilly dress. “It will do.” He says, pressing his finger into his cheek and sighing. “Better than those garbs, no?”

“... I like my own garbs. Thanks.” Rhemi mutters under her breath.

OIiver then overdramatically waves his hand along, shooing her away. “ If I just had another hour, I’d have you be unrecognizable. But his Excellency is waiting for you in the common room for tea before his meeting.”

“Thanks…” She says through her gritted teeth and a very fake smile, holding back all the urges to hex the literal shit out of him.

Almost running towards the common area, she tries her best to focus on the much more important things she has to deal with today. But if she’d had the chance, she might pull a good ol’ prank on the asshole.

As she finally arrives in the common area. She finds her father sitting there waiting patiently next to the fire in that green chair he sat in the day before, lost in deep thought.

Rhemi clears her throat politely making him realize that she was there. Quickly he jumps to his feet, staring at her in amazement. “Mielia… I see you meet Oliver.”

“Yes… I have… He’s… ahhh…”

“--Genius isn’t he?… He designed some of your mother’s favorite dresses back in the day. I hired him full time a few years ago after I started traveling more.”

“Oh…. he did?”

“Yes…"

For about a minute, Martin just stares at her fondly. "... That dress is wonderful on you…. You… You actually look a lot like my Mair—” He stops in his tracks and shuts his eyes as if he stutters and clears his throat. “Your Mother…. That shade of green was one of Florence’s favorite colors.” Martin says with almost the utmost sincerity, there are even tears in his eyes, warming his cold teal eyes.

“Re-...Really?” Rhemi smiles sympathetically and blushes at the compliment. She doesn’t remember much of her mother’s face, but she did know that she was very beautiful and elegant.

Martin clears his throat and averts his gaze to the couch. “... It also draws the attention away from your eyes…” Now forced to keep her smile on her lips, she feels her heart sink back into that same low spot where she was before. All the happiness of his previous compliment is voided with that remark. “... In Charlès, you’d have even more dresses such as this. This is actually nothing compared to gallas and banquet gowns.”

“Oh…. Yes…. Well, uh, 'bout that—”

“—Come along, my Pigeon. Have a seat, our tea is getting cold.”

“Oh… Okay then.”

Rhemi awkwardly walks over to the couch, unsure how to actually sit in this monstrosity of outfit. Finally, she figures out how to take a seat, but is hardly able to breathe.

Her father offers her a tea cup, willing to fill it for her, but she politely shakes her head. “Don’t want to get this dress dirty.” But really, the truth was there wasn’t a way in hell that she could even think about putting something in her body with this damn corset pressing into her torso. The tea would probably come right back up if she even tried to drink any.

Suddenly Beatrix scurries over to the same couch as Rhemi sniffing warily and tilting her head looking as if she wants something, but is too proud to ask. Catching wind of what she might have wanted, Rhemi reaches out with her hand and Beatrix sniffs her palm, surprisingly allowing her to come closer. Gently, she scratches her chin with her fingernail and the creature leans hard into her touch almost like a cat.

Amazed, Martin snorts and smiles. “Bea usually never lets anyone touch her... Except for your mother, that is… Maybe you remind her of Florence as well.”

The badger then curls up into his daughter’s lap, now practically demanding more pets and scratches, and Rhemi happily obliges. Soon, Beatrix starts to snore away on Rhemi’s lap, and she continues to pet her from head to tail. Despite her abrasive nature, her fur is surprisingly silky under her fingertips, and she enjoys the soothing texture calming her nerves. The creature really has taken a liking to her recently, she isn’t as bad as Asra thinks she is, especially after she eats.

It soon occurs to Rhemi that neither of them had spoken for a while, and things start to become awkward. The silence is almost unbearable, the ticking of the clock doesn’t help.

“So…I, ahhhh—I thought about what you asked the other day…” She finally says, her eyes still glued to the badger, petting slowly spine.

Martin picks up his teacup and saucer, hiding a small but rather pleased smile. “Oh. You have, did you?” He replies before taking a sip of his tea and there’s a rather large pause. “...Well go on, child. Don’t leave your Père in suspense.” A small chuckle rolls out of his chest as he speaks, eager to hear her answer.

The apprentice takes in a large brave breath before she finally speaks. “Yes I have… I thought about it, slept on it, talked out loud about it…. A-and….. I really love being with you…. Charlès sounds really interesting....” Her father nods slightly as speaks, so far everything she's saying is exactly what he wanted to hear. “...B-But I can’t.” She mutters quickly, a hard sting radiates through her chest like she just ripped off a bandaid.

The Archmagister stops mid-sip and his eyes fly open when she utters the word, ‘can’t’. His cold teal eyes piercing Rhemi’s warm burgundy ones, making her discomfort grow the longer he stares.

Apparently rather upset, he places his teacup to the saucer with a distinguished CLANK, pressing his lips tightly together. “...May I ask you why exactly you can not?” He asks, setting the cup and saucer down to the coffee table and leaning forwards in his chair, crossing his right leg on the top of his left.

Feeling the tension slowly building, Rhemi clears her throat, awkwardly adjusting in her seat, careful not to disturb the snoozing badger in her lap. Before she answers him, she starts playing with a lock of her hair to calm her, feeling her cheeks burning under the pressure of his intense glare. “W-Well…. I meaaaaan…. Did you really expect me and Muriel to just… pick up our lives and move to a brand city that is foreign to us?” She asks, immediately holding her breath at the answer. “We’ve been here for most of our lives. We’d be so out of place.”

Martin chuckles a bit and shakes his head. “No……. No. No... Of course not.”

Rhemi relaxes her shoulders, relieved at his answer and she exhales the air she was holding in settling back into the couch.

“... I expect you to come back home with your Father.”

All the relief she felt just a second ago is completely ripped away. Did…. did he just…? She must have misheard him. “Wh-..... What…. was…. that?” She utters, trying not to trip over her words.

He inhales irritably, slicking back his plum and gray hair. “You are better than these people here, Mielia.” He says with his right palm open, gesturing to the palace then towards the window to the entire city. “Surely, you can see that...”

Is… Is he really saying this?? Or am I imagining it? “What are you—??.... Nnnno. No, I don’t see that, because I’m not better. These people are my closest friends—”

“—Rhemielia, my little Pigeon.” He interjects, interlacing his hands tightly together. “...I don’t believe you understand your worth.” Completely blown away from the absurdity spewing from his lips. Completely dumbfounded and speechless, she finds herself with her mouth gaped open idiotically and eyes wide as he just goes on and on. Casually he sits there enjoying his tea, talking as if the topic were about anything else. “...Back in Charlès, you’ll be a highly eligible woman. Why—With my high standing position, you could marry another noble. You can marry a Count, become a respected Countess, ruling a city alongside your husband yourself…. if you play your cards right that is.”

Still stunned silent, Rhemi just stares blankly while Martin pours himself some more tea, watching as he drops three sugar cubes into his cup with a splash of cream and starts to stir it all up with his teaspoon. “... Who knows? Perhaps you could even be a Duchess if you're lucky. You are rather…. well….. Let’s face it. Plain, compared to most women in the court. I’m afraid you get that from my side of the family. But far from being ugly. You’re still rather fair skin, attractive features, and at least have a sharp mind. A lot of nobel men these days find that a desirable in a wife—”

“—Père…” Rhemi finally manages to get out and she clasps her palms together, absolutely flabbergasted at this conversation and she speaks slowly. “... I am already getting married… I found someone I want to spend my life with… And that life is here, in Vesuvia. I was saying that I am not leaving.”

Slowly, her father blinks, running his fingers on his jawline still staring hard at his daughter. A flash of anger behind his gaze sends a shiver down her spine. But then snorted through his nose as if he was amused. “Hmm.... We’ll see about that…” He says coldly with a small bone chilling grin.

Almost scared to ask, Rhemi leans her head in, never breaking her eye contact and mutters. “Wha-?”

Suddenly, the tall older male servant wearing a darker colored uniform emerges from the corridor and he bows entering the room, unmeaningly cutting Rhemi off. “Excusez-moi, Monsieur Martin.”

“Oui, Bartholomew, what is it?”

“The Western Trading Consult will be arriving shortly.”

Martin pops out his pocket watch with a rather surprised look on his face. “Oh, it’s that time already?” He takes one more swig of his tea then stands to his feet, Bartholomew hastily fastening his master’s cape and he dons his gloves and grabs his cane. “Well, apologies, my Pigeon, but duty calls. Let’s continue this conversation later, shall we?”

He walks over to her and pats her head. Her nostrils flare, making her feeling a bit more irritated than she’s ever had been when he does that. “But….” She mutters under her breath.

“Come along, Bea.” He says firmly. His familiar takes a quick stretch before she climbs up his leg to his shoulders from Rhemi’s lap.

Rhemi’s shoulders slump down and she stumbles over her words, watching helplessly as Martin just walks out of the room. “Wai—Bu-but I-I—I…we’re not—” Finally she realizes the conversation is over and her father is gone, leaving only her and his servant in the room. “....Alright then.” She sits there feeling so flustered. This wasn’t how this went in her head.

What does he mean he expects her to come back ALONE with him? Does he not realize that she’s in love? Now that she thinks about it, anytime she talks about Muriel to her father, he’d change the subject, or shut it down as if he didn’t exist. There is no way that she can tell any of her friends about this conversation. Oh no. They’d go apeshit, especially Muriel…. He’ll be worried sick.

A twinge of a headache spawns yet again from her temples radiating down the back of her head. A slight ringing takes over her ears and she rubs her temples a little harder to attempt to soothe the pain, consoling her inner self. This is all just a big misunderstanding—Yeah! Just a misunderstanding, Rhemi. Don’t worry. Everything will work out in the end….. Everything is going to be fine. Just… fine.

“... Not everything works out like they do in fairy tales, Rhemi….” Her own voice whispers in her ear.

Rhemi stifles a shutter as her eyes fly open. She glances up, thinking she might have seen someone else in the room next to Bartholomew. But not a soul is there.

And the ringing in her ears is at its loudest…It’s nearly deafening. But then—

“Eh...Pardonnez-moi, madame?”

“Hmmm??” Finally, the world is back to normal, other than her slight headache. The deafening ringing ceases and she’s just alone with her father’s servant.

“I’m sorry, this might be out of line, but….” The servant bows politely, with a kind smile. “I am your father’s head butler.”

“Oh…. Oh! Y-yes, hello! It’s Bartholomew, right?” She stands to her feet and tilts her head to see his face and sticks out her hand with a giggle and he flutters his eyes slowly straightening back up staring at her open hand. “...No need to bow, I’m just a common magician, not a Lady of the court… not anymore at least.”

Shocked at her informalness, he is taken back a bit, but then smiles and takes her hand and they shake. “So you are the mysterious daughter.”

With a confused smile, Rhemi shakes her head and chuckles awkwardly. “I’m sorry?”

“Ohh, pardon me. You and your mother were slightly famous back in Charlès… The Archmagister who’s wife and daughter were spirited away from this realm.”

“Oh…” She mumbles and swallows hard. “... Well… I don’t really remember any of that.”

“Ah, I’ve heard you had severe memory loss. I’m… I’m sorry if I made you upset.”

“Oh! No no no! You’re fine!…. I’m just…. still absorbing all of this, ya know? It’s just new….”

“Well… I’m glad to see the Archmagister finally happy.”

Rhemi politely smiles despite her emotions currently. “You-…. Do you really think he’s happy?”

“I have worked for the man for a long time now, a few years after you were kidnapped. Please, don’t mention any of this to him, but… He always had such a… eeerrrrr…. how do I say…. melancholy?... to him. But since he has reunited with you… Well…. I haven’t seen him smile nearly as much.”

“Oh….”

Strange. The man had a funny way of showing it. She thinks to herself.

The servant could apparently tell Rhemi’s conflicted feelings behind her now averted gaze. He hesitates for a moment, opening and closing his mouth before finally freely speaking his mind. “Perhaps this isn’t my place, Rhemielia—”

Before she can stop herself, Rhemi interrupts. “It’s ahh—…. It’s Rhemi now…. a-.. actually….” Being called that name was starting to make her cringe for some odd reason and she couldn’t stand for another person to call her by Rhemielia today. But she tries to play it off with a rather convincing grin and a little chuckle.

It seems to have worked, the servants smiles back with an understanding nod. “Pardon, Rhemi….. But I know Monsieur Martin can be…. difficult at times, but… he really is happy to have found you. I think if anyone can get anything through to him, it is you…. And no one deserves to be alone.”

That's what I normally say.

Nodding to herself for a moment as his words set in. “.... Thanks, Bartholomew. I really appreciate it.” She finally replies.

This servant was quite different from what she had initially thought. He might appear rather snooty, but he was actually polite and had a kind wrinkly grin to match.

“Well, I best be on my way before I am missed. It was pleasant to finally have met you, Rhemiel—I mean, Rhemi.” Bartholomew says, and half bows out of habit.

“Likewise…” Rhemi says, holding out her hand again. This time, he immediately took it with both of his and gently shook it, then patted the top of her hand lightly. “I hope you enjoy your stay here.”

“Thank you. I believe I will.” Bartholomew walks backwards still facing Rhemi before he gracefully bows out of the room, then turns around heading towards where she could only conclude where her father is staying.

As soon as he exits the room, Rhemi is left all alone with her thoughts. With a defeated feeling sigh she plops back down to the couch, unable to slouch because of the constrictions of the uncomfortable corset. It felt way too small for her size and she felt her breasts were in her face.

How could her father expect her to come with him when her life is here in Vesuvia? How could he not recognize that she in fact was getting married to Muriel and was in love? He hasn’t even made an attempt to get to know him either! But is it true that he’s happier to have been reunited with her? What does he exactly want from her anyways?

Worst of all, Rhemi thinks about that voice she heard whispering in her ear. It was her own voice. But, they weren’t her own thoughts. It was like they came from another invisible person that was next to her. Like a ghost. But there isn’t anyone else here but herself. But there was that unmistakable smell of ash and dirt...

What was that? Am…. Am I going mad? No one can know about this. If anyone found out about this… well. I didn’t even want to think about it.

Holding her head in her lap and rubbing her face, she sits there pondering hard. Perhaps, having dinner with Muriel and Asra would change things. Maybe then, her father will get to know them and then he’ll approve of her marriage. See how good of a person Muriel is.

“I can fix this.” She mumbles determined to herself, clasping her hands together pressing them to her mouth. “I… I can fix this…. I… I have to.”

✨To be continued...

I am so sorry that this took so long my trash pandas!! But I hope nearly 40 pages will make up for the month hiatus. Sorry, no CG this time, but thanks for all your love and support. As always,

Thanks for reading my hot garbage! <3

#the arcana #the visitor #madllamamomma #the arcana game #muriel #muriel the hermit #Muriel smut #muriel x apprentice #muriel x mc #fan apprentice #my hot trash #my hot garbage #for my hungry trash pandas #thanks for the patients #part 5~ #chapter 5~ #finally #sorry #18+ #smut #the arcana smut #smutty smut #fluff #angst #the real shit about to start #Rhemi the apprentice #Muriel x Rhemi #fanfic #arcana #muriel the mountain man

[theimprobabledreamersworld]

75 with either Royality or Roceit?

This was actually quite fun to write! It's been nice writing a platonic fic again :)

The prompt- “You fainted, straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention, you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

General writing taglist: @psychedelicships @jwillowwolf @lost-in-thought-20 @red-imeanblue (If anyone would like to be added, let me know! :)

Read it on Ao3!

To The Rescue.

Platonic Patton and Roman.

Warnings for frantic behaviour, panicked moments, fainting.

Patton wasn’t exactly a huge fan of exercise. Running in particular was something he would rather avoid doing in any capacity, however, unfortunately for him… he wasn’t going to have a choice today.

It all started when he thought he could impress Roman, his best friend and work colleague by finishing off his section of their quota sheets early, purely so there would be less work for him to do. He always liked being finished early, that way, if he was needed somewhere else in the office, there would be no problems. As his alarm clock went off the next morning, he realised just how much of a mistake that was… Maybe starting his work at 10pm (he could blame watching Disney movies for the late start) then working through to 3am wasn’t such a great idea. Especially when he had to wake up at 6am. He slapped his phone until the offensive noise came to a peaceful silence as he drifted back to sleep, he was rudely interrupted every ten minutes as the snoozed alarm came back with a vengeance; but he could deal with that. By the time it got to the third round of slapping his phone, he woke up with a start and scrambled to check the time. It was now 6:30am, he had to be at work by 7 and he’s already missed the bus. He was screwed, and that was putting it lightly.

He ran around his apartment frantically. If anyone was able to see inside, they would either see a man on a mission, or a man having a mid-life crisis. He desperately running down the stairs before going into the kitchen. He put the kettle on and left his thermal flask on the side, ready to pour coffee into soon, he started throwing papers into a bag while waiting, then he scrambled to pick up all of the ones he failed to put in first time around. The kettle announced it had finished its job, and as he poured the coffee into his flask, Patton looked down at his arm and realised he was still wearing his pajamas. He shrieked and ran back up the stairs to get dressed, he raced around to put on his classic suit with the bright blue shirt under his jacket and his dark blue trousers. He checked himself in the mirror and thankfully, his shirt wasn’t on back to front today which was a relief. He walked briskly out of the door and stopped at the top of the stairs, he looked down at his feet and noticed he’d left his shoes behind. Patton tutted to himself; this wasn’t going to be a good day. He grabbed his shoes and made sure to ties his laces as tight as possible, he was going to have to run across town after all.

He stormed down the stairs, jumping the last three of them before going back into the kitchen. His coffee was still steaming so he sealed his flask, took his bag off the table and slung it onto his back violently. ‘Almost ready to go!’ He told himself with a vague hint of positivity in his voice. The last task was the hardest… where in the name of sanity did he put his keys?

He sighed and he fought every urge to just give up and cry, but he started the search for his keys. He didn’t want to let Roman down, not today of all days. He ran through every room, threw all of the cushions off the chairs, pushed all of the DVDs off of the table from yesterday. They had to be there somewhere! He turned around one more time and he heard a familiar jingle coming from his jacket pocket, he stopped and slowly put his hand into his pocket and pulled out his keys. Patton could have screamed, but instead he glared at his keys like they had stolen the last cookie from his tin. He finally made a sprint for the front door, he was sweating like crazy and he had never felt this dizzy before, but he was ready to go at last. He put the key into the lock and the door clicked open.

He swung the door open and took one step out before stopping in his tracks.

“Roman?? What in the world are you doing here?” He jumped back startled at seeing his best friend standing in front of him with a concerned look on his face. His red shirt complimented Patton’s shirt nicely, they tended to unintentionally co-ordinate their outfits. Patton would have made a comment about it, but at the moment, he was too busy trying to stay upright.

“Well, we both know that you’re never late for work… and when even I managed to get into the office before you, I had to swing by and check what was going on and whether I could come to your rescue!” He held his hands up triumphantly like he was a knight in shining armour. Despite the bravado in his voice, there was still a minute hint of worry. Patton wasn’t sure when he stopped listening to Roman’s speech, all he could see was black spots clouding his vision and then… darkness.

Roman knew he was going to fall, Patton was quite pale and sweating significantly which was unusual for him. If he had to guess, he must have overslept and had been running around manically trying to get everything sorted. Roman shook his head and tutted lightly with a small smile on his face and caught Patton gracefully. He swept Patton up in his arms, carried him back into his apartment and placed him down gently onto the sofa. Roman checked him over quickly before taking out his phone and sending a text to their boss explaining the situation. When the swift reply came back for him to stay and look after Patton, he went into the kitchen and got a glass of water ready for when Patton came around. It was lucky he had been to Patton’s apartment before otherwise he would have no idea where anything was. He softly put the water down on the coffee table before switching on the TV and turned the volume down, he looked at Patton from time to time and he began to stir a little after about half an hour. He shot up in a panic and Roman immediately put his hands on Patton’s shoulders, reassuring him.

“Hey, hey. Look at me. Everything’s okay. We’re in your apartment and we’re taking the day off work.” He spoke softly and Patton relaxed with every word.

“W- what happened? I remember you coming to the door, and that’s all. Logan’s going to be mad if we’re not in. What about the deadline?” His words were rushed and a little slurred, but Roman stayed calm and kept his hands on Patton’s shoulders.

“I’ve talked to Logan, he’s absolutely fine with it. I’ve finished my quota stats, and we’ve just got to send yours when we can. Logan wanted me to pass on the message of… ‘You’re an idiot and please look after yourself today.’” He copied Logan’s voice and made Patton chuckle which was a very reassuring thing.

“Well, luckily, my quota stats are all done as well so we can send those in today. You still haven’t told me what happened.” He looked over in anticipation, almost praying that nothing too embarrassing happened.

“Yooou fainted. Straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention, you didn’t have to go to such extremes.” He nudged Patton’s shoulder playfully as he spoke with a teasing tone. Patton laughed whole-heartedly this time and Roman couldn’t help but join in. When the laughter stopped, Patton drank some of the water before apologising profusely to Roman. He turned and rested his head on Roman’s shoulder and Roman wrapped his arm around him in return.

“So… movie marathon? Then fast-food tonight? You can choose.” Roman knew Patton wouldn’t say no. As Patton nodded, he got off the sofa and put in the first Disney DVD he could find before grabbing a blanket off of the floor and draping it over the two of them. As the opening scene started rolling, he heard Patton say very softly.

“Thanks for coming to my rescue.” Roman smiled and gave Patton a strong side hug.

“Anytime, Patton”

#sanders sides #patton sanders #roman sanders #platonic royality #ts fandom #ts fanfic #sanders sides fic #tw fainting #tw frantic behaviour #tw panicked moments

[darker-soft-starker]

Starker High School AU, Pt. 2 (Pt. 1, Pt. 3, Pt. 4, Pt. 5)

-----

Peter will admit that during he took an extended moment during his journey home to grieve the loss of his free afternoon, and indeed the impending headaches.

And the rest of his future, if he was honest.

Not that Peter was prone to melancholy by any means, but with this assignment his fate was officially sealed, there was no misunderstanding. He was going to fail this assignment. He was going to, for the first time in his academic career, be forced to submit garbage of a caliber worthy of Tony Stark. It will forever be a black mark on his academic record.

No respectable college is going to accept him after this. In fact, he might as well drop out of school now and hit up Mr Delmar for a job. All of his prep for his MIT application is as good as useless after this. Extracurriculars? Goodbye.

Because it’s confirmed.

He’s doomed.

Swaying with the motions of the train, Peter types a text to Ned, the only person who might provide him with some much needed sympathy.

>  I’m doomed >  paired w/stark for an assignment lollllllllll.  >  help

Maybe Peter could trade with Ned. Maybe he could plead with their teacher, for honest fear of his life and scholastic integrity. He wasn’t even exaggerating. In no known iteration of this universe could Peter amicably work with Tony Stark. It would be like Harry Potter sitting down for tea with Voldemort, or Frodo and Sauron chilling with a pint and a pipe in Bag End. 

It was unthinkable. Implausible. Laughable.

And Peter would laugh, were it anyone but him in this situation.

The feeling is unusual. Never had he found reason in his life to truly dislike anybody before, everyone could be redeemed or given the opportunity for penance. Natasha has said more than once that Peter would offer the devil himself a sandwich if he appeared. 

Tony Stark on the other hand? No sandwich for him.

Well, maybe a slice of bread. A stale one.

While he waits for Ned to responds he catches sight of his injured reflection in the train window, which is admittedly pretty gnarly. Even with his hood drawn up, there was a noticeable berth allocated to him in the busy carriage between himself and the other passengers.

< sux. can I have ur lego hogwarts if u die?

> dude :( pity me.

< lol. so, can i?

Peter sighs.

> sure. Look after May for me, bro. delete my internet history.

< deal. godspeed

Pocketing his phone, Peter wonders if it’s too late to take up praying.

---

By the time he’s back in his apartment his mood has managed to swing back up.

Tony Stark is not going to be the arbiter of Peter’s fate. Hell no. He’s smart, he’s creative and hardworking - it isn’t up to anybody but Peter to determine his outcomes. If he has to do the assignment with Stark then he will. And he will work his hardest. 

If he has to do it sharing the credit with Stark, well, Peter knows a concession when he sees one.

No matter how reluctant he is.

But he powers through it, like ripping off a bandaid. It’s fine! He’s a Parker and he’s come this far in life already against ill, Parker-like odds. What was being paired for one assignment with someone who escaped the nearest hellmouth? 

It’ll be fine. 

Probably.

Not letting himself linger on his fears, Peter clears out his previous plans of going on a YouTube spiral and eating sour gummies until his teeth stick, instead utilising the time to get his foot in and and begins prepping for the assignment. Cursory, preliminary research at first, before the inevitable deep dive begins.

Neanderthal, Peter scoffs, mad all over again. Who is Stark to call Peter a neanderthal? He’s second in his class. He’s a straight A student. He likes school.

And as much as he is moderately skilled in, and enjoys JV, it’s not like he received his scholarship to study at Midtown based on his physical prowess.

The graze on his cheek that stings every time he yawns is proof of that.

Stark can eat his entire ass and choke on it, he thinks darkly, as he continues his research. He doesn’t know the first thing about Peter.

The data is sobering as he delves into job listings and statistics of his projected salary in a three year margin. This is really what his teachers earn? Wow. Depressing.

The contrast of expected salary versus the forecast of steep student loans is disheartening further still.

Teaching quietly slips from second to third on his list of ideal occupations.

Turning on a playlist on his phone, Peter continues to compile notes, amassing a truly gargantuan amount of tabs on his browser. His computer, old enough to be on its’ last teeth, whirrs loudly in protest.

It’s not until his room goes dark that he thinks to check the time.

Ah, shit. It’s nearly six.

Peter pauses. Should he tidy up the apartment?

...Nah, no point in breaking a sweat for Stark.

He continues typing. Then he hesitates, fingers suspended in mid-air. 

But what if Stark sees his unfolded laundry out on the dining table and publicly shames him for his old-but-comfortable Bulbasaur themed boxer shorts?

Goddamnit.

---

A quick, cursory clean ensues and leaves a relatively orderly Parker apartment. No freshly laundered underwear is in sight.

Peter wraps up just a few minutes before six. Right on time.

Taking a seat at the now clear dining table Peter drums his fingers on the surface and waits.

And waits.

And waits.

---

He knows when Tony finally arrives when he hears the sound of a car pulling up outside his apartment block. The riffs of a Roxette remix can be heard playing loudly  from the ground to the seventh floor of his apartment, the bass so thunderous it reverberates the windows all the way up to his floor.

Drumming his fingers on the kitchen table, Peter checks the wall clock again. It’s nearly seven.

Tony’s late.

Not that Peter is particularly affected with surprise that Tony is incapable of following basic instructions, but still. Really? Really?

By the time there is a knock on his door, Peter is already before it, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. Every second between Tony pulling up and his ascent to Peter’s floor has him positively fuming. He can’t believe how this day played out. It started with such promise. He had such innocuous, but high hopes.

Clearly, he miscalculated.

Feeling a touch petty, he waits to answer, listening to Stark knock a second and then a third, more insistent time before he rouses enough calm to open the door.

He instantly regrets it when he does. 

Tony’s expression is curious one as he breezes right passed Peter without waiting for further invitation. There’s a smudge of something dark on his brow, his otherwise white undershirt smeared in dark stains.

Peter watches incredulously as the other boy drops his backpack by the door with a thump.

“You’re late.”

He closes the door behind Tony and scowls at the other boys easy posture, hands shoved into his pockets, eyes taking in the apartment.

“I didn’t realise you lived all the way out in fucking Queens. Do you have any idea how bad traffic is at this time of day? Also, your elevator doesn’t work. I just climbed seven flights of stairs, where’s the hospitality?”

“Try earning it.”

The other boy rolls his eyes. “Like it’s worth my time.” He breezes past Peter and slides his leather jacket off his arms, tossing it atop of his backpack in the corner. “Look, I’m here now. Okay? You can unclench now. So, do I get a tour or what?”

“Or what. This wouldn’t have been an issue if we had just started straight after class like I said.”

“Oh I’m sorry,” Tony clutches his hands to his heart before gesturing to the room. “I didn’t realise I was interrupting your busy Friday night, Parker. You got a keg and the rest of the meatheads stashed away somewhere?”

Without waiting for a response, Tony wanders around the living room like a curious child in a new play room. His gaze inspects everything all at once, from peering at up close at the wall mounted photos and hovering his grubby hands over the oddments and knick-knacks speckled throughout the space.

Apprehensive, Peter can’t help but shadow him, afraid he just let loose a hurricane in a china shop.

Without asking, Tony picks up May’s old Magic 8-Ball and gives it a good shake. Peter’s fingers itch to reach over and stop him, but stops himself because then that would require actually making direct skin contact the other boy.

Not worth it.

“Cannot predict now. Huh,” Tony says to himself before placing the ball back in the wrong spot. 

They both watch silently as it rolls precariously close to the edge. 

“Anyways,” Tony helps himself to an armchair, lounging back and spreading his legs wide. “I know your long-term memory is probably as defective as the rest of you, so don’t strain yourself recalling that I had other priorities.”

“Like what?”

“Like literally anything that isn’t being around you,” the other boy grins. “Now, are we doing this thing, or did you invite me over so you could bitch at me?”

“I didn’t invite you,” Peter grumbles, swiping his notebook from the dining table before sitting on the sofa, as far away from Stark as possible. Shifting, he takes his phone from his pocket and opens the notes he’d taken earlier.

“So, I cross referenced some websites and current job listings,” Peter scrolls through his research, adjusting his glasses as they slip down his nose. “Assuming you have no savings, we’re looking at an average of sixty-thousand per annum based on my salary alone. The average rent in --”

“-- Uh, why are we assuming I have no savings?”

"Because... we’re being realistic?”

Tony springs to his feet and paces across the living room.

“Well,” he says, gesturing to Peter, “if we’re being realistic, does having no savings also that mean I have no debt -- or are you paying off two student loans on your salary?”

“I don’t --”

“Do we have car loans? Health insurance?”

“Wait, slow your roll, Stark. I haven’t yet --”

“-- Of course you haven’t. I mean really, Parker, do you ever think ahead? You should try it, we do have a baby on the way, you know.” Tony clicks his fingers and points at Peter. “Oh, names! I want to call it Molly.”

“As in the drug?” 

“No, as in Ringwald. Anyhoo, seeing as only one of us has the intellectual capacity to construct a budget,” Tony gestures to himself, “that would be me, consider maybe that I spent my savings paying off my student loans and bought a car for me and Miss Molly, leaving you with just your own stagnant debt. Happy?”

“Thrilled,” he says through clenched teeth, feeling utterly steamrolled. “But we’re not calling the baby Molly.”

“Yes, we are. Think of all the great nicknames. Hey wait,” Tony pauses in his pacing, “are your parents going to be home soon?”

It was in that moment Peters world narrows down to one, botched cosmic joke.

Turning his gaze heavenwards, Peter prays silently for mercy. What did he do to deserve this. This is all his bad karma come at once. This is the bad place.

“Ah, no,” he replies, eyes widening. “No, my parents are not going to be home soon.”

“Cool. Lucky you.”

Oblivious to Peter’s existential turmoil, Tony resumes his patrol through the living room, picking up a frame on the mantle. It houses an old photo of Ben, May and a young, bespectacled Peter. 

It is one of the more embarrassing immortalisations of his younger self, eleven-years old and grinning widely, bearing his silver braces to the camera as he holds up a science fair trophy, curls wild and untamed.

Oh god. That was exactly what Peter needed on this unholy day - Tony Stark in his living room, witnessing Peter in his prepubescent glory. 

Quick, create a diversion.

“So, as I was saying,” he says loudly, “rent is reasonably affordable with a sixty-thousand budget in --”

“Who’s the babe?” Tony points to a younger Aunt May in the photo.

Peter gets to his feet and removes the frame from Tony’s grasp. He glowers as he places it back on the mantle. 

“No one you would have a chance with. Can you stay focused? Like, are you physically capable of it?”

“Okay, calm down,” Tony holds his hands up in surrender. “You’ve got a lot of anger for someone so vertically challenged, you know that, shortstack?” 

“Focus, dumbass.”

“I’m focused! Let’s see, we’ve established that I am excellent at managing my money. You have a shitty job and a shitty salary, and apparently my imaginary future self has terrible taste in men. So. Have I got that right? Where are we living?”

“Queens. LIC has some one bed, one baths that could be affordable.”

“Uh, rewind. Going to have to eighty-six that - I am not living in Queens.”

Peter stares at him.

Tony rubs his hands over his face and sighs. “Fine, whatever. But I want a Pontiac Firebird in this imaginary life if I have to deal with you.”

“For someone so keen on getting away you’re doing your best to prolong this experience. It’s literally painful.”

“Well, I just like to see you get all riled up, Princess,” Tony grins, leaning back against the mantle and folding his arms over his chest. “You have this vein that bulges on your forehead when you’re mad. Makes you look like a pitbull.”

Peter swallows the particularly acidic retort sitting on his tongue and tries not to let Tony’s words sting. Be the bigger man, Ben used to say. As difficult as it is to channel even a modicum of the mans’ eternal patience, Peter takes a deep breath and reminds himself to stay focused. The less he gets sidetracked by Tony’s fuckery, the sooner it’s over.

He mentions the next part with unease. 

“...Miss Ahn said that we need references and should do field research. Speak to realtors. Ask people who have a similar lifestyle and budget.”

The look that comes over the other boys face is one of unequivocal revulsion. Peter can relate. The thought of having to spend more time with this guy makes his stomach turn.

“Well, Parker, any bright ideas who we can ask?”

The hinges of the front door squeaks before Peter can respond.

Moments after, Aunt May walks into the living room, placing her bag down on the dining table. She looks between the two boys curiously.

“Hey, Pete,” she comes to his side to squeezes his shoulder. “Who do we have here?”

Tony rushes over with his hand outstretched, an eager grin on his face. 

“Tony Stark, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh, ah, okay, well,” May laughs as he enthusiastically shakes her hand. Her eyes are soft as Tony smiles brightly at her. “Nice to meet you too, Tony. I’m May, Peter’s aunt. Are you... friends with Peter?”

Peter snorts. 

“Definitely not. We just have an assignment --”

“-- Great friends, actually,” Tony talks over him, taking a seat beside Peter on the sofa. To Peter’s utter disgust, the other boy puts an arm around his shoulders, squeezing his bicep encouragingly. “Aren’t we, Pete? Hmm? Best buds. We go way back.”

Peter freezes, feeling the line of heat from Tony’s against his side, the weight of his arm on his body. 

Eyes widening, he feels his skin crawl. 

“That’s sweet,” May smiles, putting her hair up in a loose, messy bun. “Well, I don’t know about you boys, but I’m starving. I’m ordering pizza, Friday special. You should stay for dinner, Tony.”

Tony places his free hand on his chest.

“I would be honoured.”

May looks at Tony strangely before retreating to the kitchen to retrieve the menus.

As soon as she’s out of sight Tony takes his arm off Peter and quickly shifts away from him like he’s been burned. 

“Dude,” Peter whispers, bewildered. “What the fuck?”

“Oh my god,” Tony whispers, shuddering as his face scrunches up in disgust. “I’m going to have to pour scalding hot water on all the places your skin just touched me. Ugh, I feel like I just touched toe fungus.”

Peter slaps his arm.

“What is wrong with you?”

Tony backhands Peter’s arm in retaliation and then shudders all over again.

“Your aunt is crazy hot, okay, I couldn’t help myself. It was an instinctual reaction. Is she taken? C’mon. Vindicate me.” 

“I’ll eviscerate you --”

“-- I mean, clearly she married into the family, she doesn’t share your unfortunate phenotype, but I didn’t see a ring on her finger. So? Yes or no?”

“You’re unbelievable,” Peter hisses as his aunt comes back in. “She’s not available to you. Not now, not ever.”

“But she is available?”

“Don’t even, Stark. You’re like, sixteen. Don’t you have any shame?”

Tony smiles, as she nears. “Not a shred.”

“So,” May waves a menu at them. “You boys happy with pepperoni?”

Closing his eyes, Peter wishes for death.

As fate would have it, he gets pepperoni instead.

-----

If you had ever told Peter that he would be sitting down for dinner with his Aunt and a dirt-streaked Tony Stark, he would have laughed.

And if Peter were outside himself he would probably find the sharing of pizza and soda over their plastic, chequered table-cloth comical -- in that uncanny, Dogs Playing Poker kind of way. But in reality there was nothing funny about the discomfort of having Tony in his personal space or the heavy, suffocating tension that has removed the air from the room. 

The entire time Tony has been hamming it up, cracking jokes with his aunt, complimenting her on the decor, asking what she does for work. Peter doesn’t know if he’s being sweet to May for the purpose of buttering her up, or, given the wealth of his family in contrast to the Parkers, if he’s being cruelly facetious. 

Nonetheless, Peter has felt on edge. It’s disconcerting, is what it is. Every single movement Tony makes, every time he opens his mouth -- frequently to sweet-talk his aunt -- has Peter’s anxiety standing at attention, hyperaware of everything the other boy does.

He’s beginning to feel like a meerkat whose den has been invaded by a lion.

Through the course of a single meal Peter’s attention moves from the sky to the floor. There is no grace or higher power that is coming to save him from this profound, unusual torture. 

So he focuses his hopes to the south, seeing through their tiny, cramped, dinner table, past bargaining. He’s willing to trade his soul to end it all. Surely some wayward being from hell would come to his rescue. 

May has Peter’s chin between her fingers. She turns it this way and that, inspecting his injuries.

“What happened this time, bubby?” She frowns, brow furrowing. “You look like you got beat up.”

Peter, very aware of Tony’s amused gaze on them, gently pulls away from her grasp. He smiles placatingly and picks at his pizza slice. God he’s never going to live this down.

“Training accident. It’s okay, I feel fine. ‘Tis but a scratch,” he brings himself to joke.

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

She leans in to kiss his cheek, carefully avoiding the fresh scabs and injured flesh. “God, you bruise like a peach. Be careful, baby, you’re our money maker,” she laughs. “What about you Tony, do you play football?”

Tony, who is mid way through chewing on a mouthful of pizza, momentarily chokes, beating his chest with his fist to swallow down the obstruction.

“Uh, no,” Tony gulps, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Nope. No recreational sports for me. Can’t.” He gestures to his chest and sighs heavily. “Asthma.”

Peter sips his coke and rolls his eyes, knowing full well there’s a half-empty pack of Marlboro Light’s in the pocket of Tony’s jeans. Asthma. What a schmuck.

“That’s a shame. Do you boys have classes together?”

Unfortunately, Peter thinks.

The other boy seems to have the same thought, as he glares at Peter from over the table. When he picks up his can of coke, he gives Peter the finger outside of May’s eye-line.

“That’s why Tony’s here,” Peter twists his napkin in his grip. “We have an econ assignment together on microeconomics. Teach says Tony’s destined to be on welfare.”

Tony leans in, chin rested on his hand. He addresses May but his stare, dark and odious, rests on Peter.

“Not accurate. Stay-at-home parent, actually. One might say that is the most important job of all. Wouldn’t you agree, May?”

She raises her Coke.

“Hear, hear.”

Tony grins roguishly, the same grin he gave the girls at the lockers earlier. “Petey here was just saying that we should ask you about your experience running a household on a single salary. We’d love to have you as a reference.”

“Was I saying that?” Peter narrows his eyes. “I can’t remember.”

Tony kicks him under the table. The hit lands right in his knee cap.

Wincing, Peter kicks back, satisfied when the other boy bites his lip to hold back a pained groan.

“Yeah, well, not surprising,” Tony says airily, waving his hand. “Hit your head today, didn’t you? Maybe you should get all that damage looked into.”

The napkin rips in Peter’s grasp.

“Maybe you should go f--”

“I’d be more than happy to help with your assignment, boys,” May cuts in.

Whatever snide reply he has in his mouth instantly wilts when he looks over to his Aunt. She looks...pleased. Delighted, almost. Her eyes under the dull, yellow kitchen light seem to get warmer, and her smile is small but softens around the edges.

Instantly, Peter feels like the worst person in the world. Of course May would be the best person to ask. She does so much for him, the least he can do is set his pride aside for one moment to make her feel good about how hard she works for their life.

He reaches over to squeeze her hand, smiling as gratitude swells unexpectedly in his chest.

“Thanks, May. That would be great.”

Across the table, a smug Tony looks like the cat who got the cream. 

Without warning, Peter’s chest goes hot with contempt, his fingernails dig into his palm. He’s not sure he’s ever met anyone he couldn’t like, until now.

I hate you, Peter mouths while May busies herself with rounding up the pizza boxes.

Kiss my ass, Tony mouths back. 

In an instant his expression flips from contemptuous to angelic when he stands and offers to help May clean up.

Peter stands too, sparing a disdainful glance to the floor. Turns out not even the devil was willing to give him a hand.

Natasha was right. It’s going to end in murder.

---

Peter walks Tony to the door after dinner to say goodbye to his ‘friend’. Following him into the hall, Peter closes the door behind them.

“What do you want, Parker?” Tony asks wearily, retrieving a cigarette from his pocket. “I’m trying to make a getaway here.”

Peter crosses his arms over his chest. “Don’t do that with my aunt. I’m not joking, asshole. It’s not cool.”

“Relax, princess,” Tony rolls his eyes, fishing for his lighter in his backpack. “I’m not actually interested. Just trying to get under your skin. Worked, see? You’re easy like that. Hey, why do you live with your aunt anyways?”

“None of your business,” he frowns as Tony holds one hand up in surrender and lights his cigarette with the other. “Dude, you can’t smoke in here.”

“Can’t, shouldn’t, gonna. By the way, you’ve got sauce on your chin, it’s very distracting.”

Peter wipes at it without thinking. When he pulls it away there is indeed a smear of red sauce on his hand.

Tony walks backwards down the hall and exhales a cloud of smoke, waving in a sardonic imitation of a farewell.

“See you Monday, bubby.”

Peter doesn’t bother with a response, too tired from the week, exhausted by this whole darn day, and it’s not like the other boy cares what he has to say anyway. He takes a moment to swallow his anger before he heads back inside, sighing. 

Well, at least he has an entire weekend free of Stark to look forward to.

May looks at him curiously when he reemerges, but says nothing. He considers for a moment about heading to his bedroom and playing a video game to disassociate - but then, suddenly, remembers her smile earlier, and how alone she looks now. A surge of affection hits him right beneath his breastbone.

He checks his watch and then catches her eye.  Tilting his head towards the living room, he says, “Hey. You wanna eat some ice cream and watch some Colbert before bed?”

She smiles just like she did earlier and kisses his cheek. “Sounds nice, Pete.”

Maybe the whole day wasn’t lost.

As May heads to the sofa and switches the TV on, Peter catches sight of the Magic 8-Ball from the corner of his eye. He walks over and gives it a shake.

Outlook good.

*

*

----

tagging: @bylerboyfriends @ravens-starker-stuff, @starker-rays, @ironspiderstarker, @notfor-temporaryuse, @tabbycat1220, @sugarfreecult, @rebel13lion39, @muse-of-gods

#starker #ironspider #high school au #enemies to lovers

[tipsylorie]

Dream Project Pt. 2 {title in progress}

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

A/N: Hello guys! Here is the second part of the story I have been working on. My friend @w-h-i-t-e-mochi had read this already and she commented that it might feel a bit dragging. So, Im sorry about that but I just tried to emphasise on how Jayceon Stone acts as her assistant. This is not yet proof read tho so, sorry again. But I came to realisation on how Lee Da Hee would make a great Liviana and to be paired with Lee Jun Ho as Jayceon. Therefore, if you want, they can be your character reference. 

Word Count: 2,300

Before Liviana got to her office, she was greeted by her employees with good mornings, and she greeted them all back with a smile and nod of acknowledgement. Once she arrived at her office, she was welcomed with the young man once again with a smile on his face. “Good morning Liv, I hope you had a goodnight sleep and your first schedule for today is supposedly with the Finance Department of the entertainment, but it seems like you should prioritise the meeting with your potential investor, Mr. Stone.”

Liv can’t help but chuckle with how blunt his assistant was as he immediately stated her schedule for today, so she just replies with, “Woah, what’s the rush Jer? Slowly. I agree on meeting with the investor first so maybe update them that after 45 minutes we are good to see each other at the Casa Royale Hotel. I just need to look through the contract again and see area for negotiation.”

Jayceon is a bit flustered with Liviana’s remark of him seems to be in a rush because this is the first time of him doing such job and he just copied what Dexter usually do as his assistant. So, his response went, “Sorry about that Liv. I just tried to be productive by not stalling any tasks that could’ve already been done. The contract is already sent to your email so just check that and I will call his assistant now. So please excuse me.” After saying the last line, Jayceon exited the office and sat on his desk just outside of it.

~30 minutes later~

“Would you like to come with me Jer?” Liv asked the young man as she exited her office.

“Sure, no problem. I already notified the Financial Department of the meeting being moved an hour later.” Jayceon replied with ease.

“Good job!” She said and high fived him. “Now let’s go.” She continued as she led the way to the parking lot where her driver and car awaits.

~At the Casa Royale Hotel~

“Over here Ms. Voss!” Dexter exclaimed as he waves Liv and Jayce to go to his direction. “Thank you for arranging this meeting Ms. Voss and please do have a seat.” Dexter said as he gestured to the seats vacant for the two and they sat as Dexter continues, “Unfortunately Mr. Stone won’t be able to be here as he is in a 1 week leave due to the transitioning of company rights. I hope that is okay as I am given the Power of Attorney as his proxy for today. He had trusted me that whatever agreements we will be having for today is as good to be his as well. So, no need to be concerned.”  He said the last line with a reassuring voice.

Liviana was taken back a little bit as she was expecting to meet the CEO himself, so she answers, “Oh, alright then. I can say by re-reading the contract before coming here is that it was really detailed and somehow stringent.” Liv’s remarks made the vibe feel tense as Jayceon starts to worry and his secretary noticed the faint change of his facial expression. Fortunately, the young woman who has no idea on what caused the sudden change of vibe smiles and continues to say, “But there is need to worry because I like it that way. It will help us keep things black and white and lessen misunderstandings so, I say we seal the deal right away!” She said the last line with enthusiasm and grabs a pen to sign the document. This made the young CEO relax his tense shoulders and gives a smile of recognition to his assistant that he is satisfied with how the meeting turned out.

The partnership was sealed with the final handshake between Liviana and Dexter. Then all of them bid their goodbyes with a last reminder from the older man that after a week, they will meet again to announce publicly about the merger. Liviana and Jayceon conclusively thanked Dexter and took their leave.

Once they arrived back the LV Entertainment building, Jayceon reminded Liviana of her meeting that will take place in 15 minutes.

“Thanks Jer, I will just grab the needed materials in my office. Oh, you can seat this one out because I don’t think I will need an assistant there. So, you can just grab an early lunch or Brunch if you still haven’t eaten your breakfast.” Liviana informed her assistant.

“But I can totally accompany you since it is my job, and maybe… I can give some inputs if you want.” Jayceon tried to reason because she can feel how Liv is being lenient towards him.

She can sense what her assistant is trying to do, and this made her smile, so she replies, “Do not worry Jer, I am not taking it easy towards you but I really don’t find the need to have you there. I can just message you when I need something or when there is something worth noting. But for now, you can just grab your lunch. Okay?”

Jayceon was satisfied with her reply, so he responded, “Sure Liv. Thanks. I will also just arrange the meetings for later to keep everything smooth sailing.”

This made Liviana say, “That would be amazing. Thank you.” She took her leave to proceed to the conference room.

**Jayceon’s Phone**

Message from Liviana: Check Break Even Analysis

Reply sent: Should I check it Liv, right now?

Liviana forgot to put her phone on mute so everyone in the room heard the chime of notification. This made her say, “Sorry guys, please continue.” Then she sent her assistant another message.

**Jayceon’s Phone**

Message from Liviana: No, I will just spam you of the things I need to do. So there’s no need for you to reply.

Reply sent: Oh, okay. Sorry.

Message from Liviana: I said, do not replyyy 😭

Message from Liviana: TLA each branch financial report last month in conjunction of the Entertainment

Message from Liviana: Bake some Choco Moist Cake for Julie

~After many messages later~

“Thank you so much everyone. We need to find solutions soon to add more income without jeopardising the operating expenses. So, I will be all open with suggestions in my email. Okay guys?” Liv informed her staff and all of them agreed then she ended the meeting.

~Back to her office~

“Why is there food on my table? I didn’t order anything.” Liv thought to herself when her secretary enters her office.

“I bought you some lunch in case you’re hungry. I am not sure what to but so I just bought sandwich and Iced Americano to play it safe. I hope it is fine.” Jayceon told her boss.

“It’s actually great! I totally forgot that I haven’t eaten my lunch yet. Thanks. This is actually my go-to food when I am having hard time to think what to eat. So really, thank you Jer.” Liviana told her secretary with genuinely.

Jayceon replies enthusiastically, “No problem, boss. Just doing my job!” He is about to leave then he suddenly remembers something, “May I ask something Liv?”

“Sure.” Live replied as she took a bite of her sandwich.

“With everything you sent me earlier, from the meeting’s notes to your friend’s cake, why did you still forget your own food?” Jayceon asked curiously.

“Yes, I think so. Are you planning on checking up the Academy’s different branches afterwards?” Jayceon asked his boss to confirm and inform that the schedule in the iPad seems incomplete.

It took a while for Liviana to think of an answer so she manages to say is, “Well, all I could think of once I get home is food, maybe that’s why.” She smiled to her assistant with face shows confusion with the lack of answer she replied so she just says, “It’s easier that way. Anyways, what’s next to our schedule?”

While Liviana is taking a sip of her Iced Americano, Jayceon enumerated the meetings that are lined up and this is followed by a question from Liv, “After all these meetings for today, does that end all of the Entertainment’s agendas for the week?”

“Yeah, why? Is there something wrong?” Liviana asked worriedly.

“It’s just that your ex-assistant seemed to forget to update the calendar since what I have now is relatively blank.” Jayceon stated as he looked through the tablet’s screen.

This made Liv ponder for a few minutes and came to a realisation, so she replies, “I believe it was purposely left that way since that is what I instructed her before she left. Hence, we can just leave it like that and have some sort of business trip tomorrow. I will message you the information once I got home because we need to go to the meeting now.”

Jayceon was relieved to know that there was no missing schedule, so he answered, “Sure, I’ll be right behind you Liv.”

After Liviana and Jayceon finished attending all the meetings for the day, she asked him to her office even though it was already passed his clock.

The young man took a seat adjacent to Liviana’s table and she remarks, “Hey, I think I will need your opinion about making the partnership with Stone Corp. public sooner instead of a week. Because I made some thinking the whole day and concluded that it would create traction for the Entertainment. I am not sure if you’ve already seen our latest financial reports that we are close to be in red – and barely breaking even.” Her face is contoured in full worries and anxiousness, she continues, “So I just want to know your opinion if I were to propose this to Mr. Stone, would it be alright or not?” She asked and nervously waiting for Jayceon’s reply.

“Honestly Liv, I don’t think you should rush this. Because one week is not a long time. The best advice I could give you is focus on the events that will happen, both in TLA and the Entertainment. Do not worry too much.” This response from Mr. Stone might come out quite manipulative but as Liv asked him with sincerity, this is the best answer he has based on his judgement with the overall situation.

The young woman took some time to weigh what her secretary just told her, and her reply goes, “Yes. Yeah, I think you’re right. I agree. Maybe let’s conclude for the day and meet tomorrow at the usual time here in the building to gather last minute things.” She informed her assistant, and both bid their goodbyes.

~At Liviana’s House~

“Let’s make the cake first and then eat dinner afterwards before checking all the reports for tomorrow’s trip.” Liv said as she tries to reason with herself.

Her closest friend Julie is having her 27th birthday tomorrow and she is currently supervising the branch of TLA where the Scholarship Audition Programme is going to be held, which is the Municipality of Paradigmia.  It is like the second main branch after the one in the City of Pneumarê. The main branch is the only one located in a city, however due to the development of the Tree of Life Academy the municipalities and provinces where other branches are located, it is becoming a progressive community which at a very near future can make them a city. If you are wondering on why the Final Audition is not going to take place in the city, well… It is because of how it was agreed upon on where annual inter-branch events will take place – and it is through spinning wheel where the names of the branches are written in random order. Therefore, she must make sure to visit Paradigmia at all costs tomorrow.

Going back to Liv’s closest friend, Julie Andews is also her longest friend who also supported her while she was busy integrating an Entertainment company to her family’s Academy. Ever since it was Anne who was more focused on handling the academics aspects, so it took quite a while for Julie to find a place where she truly suitable. Heck, she even attempted to do the financial aspect, but it took a toll on her. Then, one time strolling through the city’s academy branch, she saw the need to develop the extra-curricular activities not just for students who do it for grades but also those who wants to experience it. Especially when she realised that it would be vital for the integration of a Korean Entertainment Company. So, she drew up a proposal on how she plans to execute such developments and it was immediately approved by Liv. Liviana also doubled check it with her parents if such change would be okay and even though it took a week for them to agree, Julie was able to perform her plan without a hitch.

Okay, going back to the cake. After she baked the 3 layers of the heart-shaped cake for Julie she realised that she mixed a hell a lot of batter. So, she just took some of her leftover cupcake cups and make the rest of the red velvet mix into cupcakes. To Liv’s surprise she was still able to great 2 dozen of cupcakes, so she plans to give half of it to Anne as she also promised her a visit yesterday. Liviana successfully iced and decorated the cake and all the cupcakes after several hours, so she proceeds on putting it on her refrigerator to finally have her dinner.

Liviana freshen up before heading to her bed since it was a tedious work and cleaning earlier in the kitchen that made her sweat a lot. Before having her eyes closed, she remembers the reports she must re-evaluate this made her say, “For fuck’s sake.” After another 2 hours she finally got her sleep.

[End of Part 2]

#liv #jayce #oneshot #kpop #ceo au #ceo #au #imagine #scenario #lee junho #2pm #2pm junho #lee dahee #kdrama #original #imagines #fluff

[daonepiece]

Hey you precious little cute artist chwan! Its me from heaven! You know the cause of this. That Sanji art... how could you make it so freaking amazing? Do you know how people will die seeing it? Have you ever wondered how creative you are? Do you even know how blessed we are to have you in this community? I blushed like an idiot looking at him.

Talking about the Sanji art, why was it so perfect? I need you to explain for making him exceptionally Gorgeous. The concept... how did you get the concept of All Green and now you are making it my obsession. How did you come up with it? Damn that was so creative. I became crazy over that Idea. Im in love... in love... with you and also Sanji. Thanks for making that art. From next time don't forget to keep your signature. I don't want people to steal your art.

Eeeeeeee you keep spoiling me afhjkas hehehe what am I gonna do I’m about to explode >///w///<

So, you wanna talk about thought process? I’d LOVE to! Please prepare to hear me gushing about it. It gonna be veeeryyyy looonggg   ( ◕▿◕ )

Since Sanji was the first one to be designed, I was nervous at everything *wobbling novice sea witch at your service 👍* The first step is to choose what kind of fish. I like marine life but I didn’t like them that much to know more than a few common name. Initially I thought of dolphin, since they are very smart, and also a lil perv... And they blow clouds of water when they surface to breath, like someone’s smoking! So I started doing research to select a fitting species.

But while I was reading through various dolphin descriptions, two words caught my attention: FAST SWIMMER. I was like, wait who’s the fastest in the ocean??? So my research had come to a swift turning point, I abandoned the dolphin list to go through articles of “fastest fish in the world” instead. That’s where I found out about the Black Marlin. Things clicked in place even faster than Sanji’s Diable Jambe 😆

The second step is to choose what he would wear, I just knew it had to be a white poet shirt, because Sanji. 👀 Took a few more look at the royal family attire and I was like, “yup! poet shirt and waist band, flowy flowy in the sea, seal the deal!” (you can see that in the initial sketch) This soon went through more changes, but at later stage.

The third step is to choose the vibe, setting, pose he’d be in. 3 words stuck with me whenever I think of Sanji: sadness (you could say he’s feeling blue, you know?, blue! 🤓), curiosity, and dream. So here we had pre-timeskip Sanji, maybe even a bit younger, the viewpoint going up, Sanji looking up too, like how one kept wondering about the strange world above but couldn’t go there, stuck in the depth of the ocean. Adding a book because he’s definitely a nerd! It’s supposed to be a cookbook or the encyclopedia of devil fruits. The fourth step is lining. Troubles ensued! Lots of! The pose was haaarddd and I just couldn’t get the shirt hem to look right, it didn’t flow like I wanted, the tail design seemed bland, also his hair bang wanted to make me an enemy... I struggled, and the clock was ticking fast! So of course I did what an impatient one like me always do: Change the hard part. I got rid of the flowy hem, decided to tuck it neatly in a leather-like band, eased up the pose, switched to post-timeskip design, enlarged the fins for dramatic effect, in the first place there were a line of diamond shape running along his tail (the part that helps a fish sense water pressure and stuffs, if I remember correctly), I turned that into Sanji’s swirls as well. The chosen book in the end was “Noland the Liar” because I wanted to slip in a mer!Noland and see if anyone would notice hehe.. Strings at collar and waist was added last as an attempt to balance the amount of black and white on character. Background was simply a bunch of water flows and bubbles, I tried to portray a fast current, hushing our boy to swim away, back to safe home. The final silhouette and line of action wasn’t as nice as the sketch’s, but I’m not picky. *laziness will overwrite everything*

Finally, we crawled to the step I dreaded the most: coloring and shading... The tone was dark blue, giving of an even more ominous feeling I suppose? The next was this agonizing process of making the first thing to caught your eyes is his face, or better, his eyes, but definitely not his butt. TT_TT The black area was so strong, at one point I considered giving the (now blue) sea a plain black filling to neutralize the effect.

While taking care of the treacherous background, I pondered what Sanji’s All Blue would be, now that mermaid’s diet doesn’t include fish... 😂 Like, as a vegan cook, Sanji would want to get his hand on all kind of vegetable available in both world, sea and land? Then we must have the myth of a place, home to every plant possible? What’s the name?? All Green??? Yeah, All Green sounds legit. When the piece was finally done, I uploaded it so fast I forgot the extra step of slapping on watermark! XD

Annnnd that’s that! That’s the whole process I went through drawing mer!Sanji. Thank you for hearing me out > 3 < 💖

#my heart 🥺 #we have a chat

[voiceless-terror]

The Breaking Down of Walls (The Magnus Archives)

Whumptober 2020 Day Seven: Carrying

Fandom: The Magnus Archives

Characters: Jonathan Sims, Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood

CW: Sickfic

Summary: For all his grumbling, he doesn’t think Jon actually minded it that much.

He squeaked and protested when Tim threw him over a shoulder, but he went soft and pliant after about a minute of being carted around. He’s almost gotten used to being picked up and bodily moved out of the way by Tim instead of getting a simple ‘excuse me.’ Tim once caught him smiling after he’d been perched on the break room counter while Tim cleaned up a glass he shattered. It quickly morphed into a scowl on eye contact, though.

Jon was small. Portable. Travel-sized for convenience. Jon did not like this pointed out to him.

So Tim made it his job to point it out as often as possible. 

“Hey there lil’ guy!” was his favorite greeting back in research and Jon would always return it with a furious glare and a grumbling, futile protest. See, Tim’s a tall guy. Of course everyone would seem small to him. But Jon was genuinely small. Like, he has to jog to keep up if you have a brisk pace. Watching those little legs work overtime to catch up to him in the hallway was one of Tim’s greatest joys. The man was five foot and change, if the change was pennies on the dollar. Tim particularly liked to rest his elbow on his head; the afternoon silent-treatment it got him was well worth it.

For all his grumbling, he doesn’t think Jon actually minded it that much. 

He squeaked and protested when Tim threw him over a shoulder, but he went soft and pliant after about a minute of being carted around. He’s almost gotten used to being picked up and bodily moved out of the way by Tim instead of getting a simple ‘excuse me.’ Tim once caught him smiling after he’d been perched on the break room counter while Tim cleaned up a glass he shattered. It quickly morphed into a scowl on eye contact, though.

Tim believed he protested too much. Jon liked friends and company despite his prickly exterior. No one leaned into a touch like that if they didn’t want it. So Tim took the complaints with a grain of salt.

The dynamic changed when they moved down to the archives. Jon had distanced himself, locking his office door and trying to seem like a far more serious man than he was. Tim understood- with Elias breathing down their necks, anyone would be worried about professionalism. But it was wearing on Jon both physically and mentally. He was not very pleased with Tim’s moniker of ‘lil boss’ so he cut that out right quick. He looked tired and harried every day and was prone to snapping at the slightest of inconveniences- these days the inconvenience was more often than not Martin.

Poor Martin. He was the odd man out, the only one not to come out of research. Elias assigned him to the archives which put Jon immediately on guard. But Martin was a nice kid, just trying to scrape by like the rest of him. It wasn’t his fault his Latin was terrible and Jon was exacting. Well, maybe he could work on the Latin. But he brought them tea and asked about their day which was more kindness than anyone here had experienced in quite some time. He was working very, very hard at trying to break down Jon walls. He brought him tea on the hour and tried to coax him out for lunch. He took every insult and rejection with a mask of politeness that Tim knows must have taken him some time to perfect. He let Martin do the mothering; Tim doesn’t know how to express his concern in a non-tactile fashion. 

Jon hadn’t been out of his office all morning. This was not unusual, not these days. Martin expressed his concern more than once and Tim decided to check up on him at the end of the day if he hadn’t come out- he’s knee deep in research and on a roll. Sasha’s out investigating a case and it’s only the three of them in the office. The clock neared three and Tim yawned; he really needed this weekend to come quick. 

“Tim!” he heard a strangled voice call. Martin. “Tim, can you come here please?” This couldn’t be anything good. He hurried out of his chair and made his way down the hallway to- you guessed it- Jon’s office.

“H-He won’t wake up!” Martin stuttered, hands hovering uselessly over Jon, who was currently collapsed in his office chair either snoozing or deeply unconscious. Damn. “I-I know he looked bad today but he told me to leave him alone so I did and now look at him!” 

Jon indeed didn’t look or sound well. His hair was out of its bun and in a tangled mess that hid most of his face, but what he could see was flushed a bright red. His breathing was labored, a slow and uneven wheeze. Tim immediately started making his way over. “Does he have a fever?”

“I think so,” Martin replied. “But I didn’t check. Didn’t know if he wanted me...touching him.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “I think this is an exception.” Martin clearly wasn’t comfortable enough with the man to bully him just yet (Jon seemed to do most of the bullying nowadays). He needed a firmer hand when it came to taking care of himself and Tim and Sasha were usually the ones to give it. One hand to Jon’s forehead and he knew the man had worked himself sick, again. It’d been a while since this last occurred- it used to happen with some frequency back in research, at least until Tim and Sasha convinced him to take it easy. But they had been distant and it’s clear that Jon’s fallen back into old habits. Tim sighed, brushing a lock of Jon’s hair behind his ear. “What are we gonna do with you, hm?” he murmured softly, well-aware of Martin’s eyes on his back.

“I-I can set up the cot in the back!” Martin suggested, moving over to the door as if to do it immediately. “I can sleep on the break room couch, it’s surprisingly comfy.” Tim had forgotten that Martin had been living in the archives- Christ, what has this place come to- but it was a Friday night and he didn’t want Jon here all weekend; he would likely just work himself into exhaustion yet again. So Tim made a decision.

“I’ll take him home. He’ll recover better if he’s out of here,” He looked at Martin critically. He wasn’t in the best of shape either. There were dark circles under his eyes and he couldn’t be getting great sleep cooped up in the basement like this. ‘Why don’t you come too?” Martin's eyes widened in surprise. “You could do with a good night’s sleep and my living room couch is legendary.”

“I couldn’t-”

“Nope, I’ve already decided for you,” Tim gave him an easy grin, hoping to seal the deal. “Go get us a cab, will you? I didn’t drive and we aren’t taking the tube.”

“O-Okay! If you’re s-sure.” 

“I’m always sure.” He threw in a wink for good measure and Martin was out the door. Works every time.

Getting Jon out of the chair turned out to be tougher than expected. He was contorted around his desk; he’d clearly been in this position for quite some time. As gently as possible, he wound an arm around his knees and titled Jon back until he fell against his chest and against his other arm. “There we go,” he mumbled even though he knew the man couldn’t hear. “Let’s get you home.” Jon felt incredibly warm in his arms and Tim’s worry increased; he hoped he had medicine back at his flat that hadn't expired. The man was even lighter than expected and Tim almost stumbled backward with how he overcompensated for his weight. Another thing I’ll have to talk to him about.

Martin came back downstairs, his footsteps quick and loud on the tile. “Cab’s here- oh.” He paused, staring down at Jon and blushing for some reason. Tim looked at him quizzically before gazing down to his arms- at some point Jon had nuzzled himself into his shoulder, one hand gripping his shirt in a tight little fist. He had to admit it was an adorable picture, but they didn’t have time for Martin’s crush right now. “I’ll just go and uh, grab my things then.”

They end up in the back of a cab, all three of them. It’s not particularly comfortable but they manage to sprawl Jon across the both of them, head still tucked into Tim’s shoulder and legs stretched out into Martin’s lap. Tim is only a little amused with Martin's awkward placement of his hands in an attempt to avoid touching Jon, though he ends up grabbing onto his legs to keep him in place about two minutes into the ride. They fell into a silence on the way, the only noise was Jon’s breathing which sounded more labored by the second.

“Is he- was he always like this?” Martin asked quietly, allowing himself one more glance at Jon. Martin’s face was still red, much to Tim’s amusement. “Working himself to death?”

“Never this bad,” Tim replied, running a hand through Jon’s hair. He remembered doing this back in research, back when it was okay to touch him. Was he taking advantage? Perhaps a little, but Jon looked like he needed it. “New job’s wearing him down, I think.”

“W-What was he like before?”

Tim paused. Frankly, he’s a bit unsure of what Martin’s looking for here. Jon’s always been Jon, but the promotion seems to have dialed up all of his worst habits past ten. Habits that Tim thought they’d put behind them. It’s not like Jon’s particularly changed- perhaps regressed was a better word. He’s rebuilding the walls that took him years to deconstruct. He’s scared, Tim realized. Don’t know why it took me this long to see it.

“He’s actually quite soft,” Tim stuck to the present tense. Jon’s not lost, after all. Just a little in his head. “Once you get to know him. We were- we are friends. He’ll get used to you,” Martin deserved a little reassurance. “Just gotta invest some time. Like you’re already doing.”

Martin went quiet. He didn’t seem convinced. 

“One time he sprained his ankle on the way into work,” Tim smiled, remembering the day from about a year ago. “Idiot thought it would be fine to walk around the library like nothing happened. You should’ve seen Sasha when she found out. Full of fury, that one. Never get on her bad side.” Sasha’s mother-hen instincts were even worse than Martin’s, though hers were much more intense and full of scolding. “Made a deal that if he was going to work he’d have to sit the fuck down. ‘Course Jon’s not going to do that- he may seem like he sits in his office all day, but I’m sure he’s actually pacing up a storm in there.” A fond smile down at the man in his arms. “So whenever he got up I hauled him on my back. Sasha has a picture somewhere. He was horribly embarrassed, of course, but I think he came around to the idea.” He nudged Martin in the side. “He secretly likes all of that fussing, I promise you.”

“He hides it well, then,” Martin rolled his eyes though he was smiling.

They got to Tim’s flat in a thankfully short period of time. “Make yourself at home,” he said to Martin as he opened the door with just a small adjustment of Jon. “I’m going to get this one settled in my room.”

“Alright,” Martin ducked his head shyly, standing awkwardly in the middle of Tim’s living room. He’ll warm up to it, Tim thought as he made his way to the bedroom. He’s glad he decided to clean the place a couple of nights ago- Jon deserved some freshly-laundered sheets and clean air. Better than that stuffy basement.

Jon blinked his eyes open as Tim gently laid him down on the bed. They were watery and fever-bright, his brow furrowed in confusion.”T-Tim?” he croaked. Yikes, that sounds bad. “S’at you?”

“There you are, lil’ guy,” Tim murmured, wondering if Jon could even hear him. He propped a pillow up beside him and sat on the other side of the bed, tucking Jon against his side. “Took you back to my place. You’ve done a number on yourself, y’know.” Jon groaned and leaned into his shoulder, clearly looking for comfort in his vulnerable state. Tim would give it to him. “When you’re better we're going to have a talk, young man.”

“Hate talks,” Jon whined, rubbing his face into Tim’s shoulder. Ah, so we’ve reached the brat stage of illness. Right on time. “Just gonna sleep. Gotta...got work to do.”

“No you don’t,” Tim replied and squeezed Jon’s shoulders. “You’re going to take some medicine and eat. Have a nap. And maybe if you’re good, I’ll let you watch me play video games. But only if you’re good.” He paused, remembering Martin in his living room. “Also, Martin’s here. Just so you know.”

Jon didn’t seem to have any complaints about that. Huh. Maybe he doesn’t mind him as much as I thought. “S’he gonna make tea? Want tea.” Tim couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in his throat.

“Yeah,” he promised. “He’ll make us some tea. Maybe cook us breakfast in the morning. The whole sha-bang. Gotta earn his keep.”

“I think Martin can make good eggs.” Yeah, Jon’s not going to remember this conversation.

“How can you tell?” He humored him anyway.

“It’s his face,” Jon’s tone left no room for argument. “I can jus’ tell from his face.” Alright then, Jon.

The man was starting to doze off and Tim took this as his cue to grab some medicine while he still had the chance. He carefully maneuvered around Jon, making sure he was properly tucked in the bed and not in danger of falling off. “Be right back, okay?” No answer, but Tim hadn’t really expected one.

He took a second to look down at his friend, soft and familiar in his bed. This weekend will be good, Tim decided. For all of us. It took him years to break down Jon’s walls and he was willing to do it again. Because Jon was his friend.

And Tim couldn’t lose anyone else.

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26876779

#whumptober2020 #no.7 #carrying #fic #the magnus archives #sickfic cw #but nothing graphic #my writing #tma #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #jonmartin #tim stoker

[lovee-infected]

♦♥ Paint them red ♠♣

[Yandere!Riddle Rosehearts x reader] [pr 1] [pr 2]

♦♥♠♣

(y/n) was only 9 when she first found her hidden place through the forest . An area covered by tallest of trees and darkest of shadows .

Quiet

(y/n) found herself gazing upon the large table covered with a dirty white table cloth .Two cracked teapots on two sides of it , several small teacups in front of seven wooden chairs set all around .

" W-wow"

As the cold wind started to Howl , she slowly walked closer to be the uninvited guest to this party , admiring the pace and forest's small surprise for her.

She bowed down as a proper apology to the imaginary guests .

" Sorry for being late !"

Taking a seat , she found a hat with multiple bruises and different colorful fabrics on it , having it's sunlight colors turned black and gray as the result of being left out there for days ; dare to say years .

"Mad hatter..!"

She turned around to catch each and every easter egg , waiting there for her to discover them .

A broken chest clock . (Y/n) carefully picked it up , realizing it's cold and wet body while smelling its ringed copper .

"My my , March heir is late again? "

(y/n) giggled as she tries to sound as legit as possible

"Well he'd better be early , or Queen of hearts would be off with his he-"

(y/n) Froze as she heared bushes shaking . She didn't realize how she dropped the chest clock until she sound of broken glass shook her .

'Who was there?'

"Wh...who is there...?"

no anwser came

(y/n) said , trying her best to hide her fear from exploding and voice from shaking . Hearing the bushes shaking wasn't supposed to be any big deal , but things are different when you're all alone into the woods .

" Hello...?"

"C...come out !"

She dared to step forward trying to get a better sight of whatever was going on behind the bushes . Seeing the! shaking again she let out a silent scream .

Once again , silence poured the atmosphere .

(y/n) slowly lowered herself , picking up a rock

"Last chance ; come out ! Or you'll regret it !!"

This was taking too long...

"Okay ! Take it !!"

She angrily threw it to the bushes , just to make making something or better to say , someone, smirk playfully :

" You're really terrible at targeting , aren't you ?"

Hearing the voice , (y/n) first froze . Then want mad again :

" AND YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE AT MAKING SMALL TALK !" , she shouted angrily , face as red as a tomato now .

"JUST A COWARD WOULD DARE TO STALK ON A YOUNG LADY LIKE THIS !!"

"Me ? stalking ? " , the childish voice continued to tease her : "Then what would you say about entering one's private place uninvitedly . You're lucky it's not with the Queen of hearts ; she would've been off with your head by the time you realized..," the boy giggled sarcastically .

(Y/n) got even redder but now , there was a bit of shame as well . This place ? One's private area ? No way .

She couldn't imagine once in a hundred times that such a mess might actually be owned by someone . At least it could've been kept...cleaner .

" If I were you , I would've considered at least wiping off the dust once in a month ! Also , if you really "own" this messed up tea party , then stop sneaking LIKE A RAT and show yourself !" , it might've been too much to call someone mad at you for stepping into their property 'rat' , but that was no big deal since they were just children .

For the third time , silence granted the atmosphere

"If you don't , then I'll come there myse-"

She was cut off as the red haired kid came out of the shadows , giving her an uninterested look .

" First , I wasn't sneaking ; I was ' watching ' . You've been doing the same for your first 10 minutes here. Also , this isn't a simple tea party , this is a non- birthday party . Tea parties don't have many deserts served and won't usually have more than 6 guests . That's the difference "

(y/n) went speechless , she meant to kick the bastard who's been scaring her and instead , she was given a presentation about differences between tea parties and non-birthday paries . 'Whoever this guy is , he surely has a thing for non-birthday parties' , she thought . Taking her time to analyse the boy more carefully , she realized that he was actually... cute . Short messy red hair with a weird hair cut that shaped a heart upon his head , shiny silver eyes that kinda matched the dirty color of that dirty tablecloth , tidy clothes that proved that he did come from a high class family indeed ...

'Such an ironic attitude is a total contrast to this cute appearance'

"What's your name ? "

"Ah...what?",she was suddenly pulled out of her day dreaming and for a second , didn't get what she was asked.

"Your name , I said," Riddle replied .

"I'm..."

She felt awkward taking for too long to anwser such a childish question so decided to take advantage of it

"Don't you know the appropriate way to ask for a lady's name ? " , she tried to sound as mature as possible

"If it's a "lady" who has stepped into my property , I think this way's appropriate enough, "

He got (y/n) in that point so there was no need to be offended

"It's....(y/n)," she mumbled slowly , giving him a look as an expect of his name .

He smiled at your name and stepped closer to you: " I'm Riddle , pleasure to meet you ,(y/n) "

He patiently brought you his hand to shake it .

" Pleasure to meet you to , Riddle "

The ironic atmosphere now seemed to be gone , even the forest didn't feel as dark and cold as a few seconds ago .

" Well well , (y/n) . I'm not gonna be off with your head but I'm not gonna let you pass like nothing has happened either ," he said holding a smirk .

His was still teasing her , but she were getting used to his cringy attitude . 'Perhaps he isn't that bad after all , ' she thought .

"And now ? What are "you" going to do to me ? Trial me in a court or push me into a rabbit hole ?" you asked with a playful tone , not minding to tease him back a little bit .

Riddle's smile disappeared , making him break eye contact with you . This wasn't the anwser he was expecting .

He took a quick look around before having his eye caught on something .

A small grin appeared upon his lips : " Neither , I've got a better idea,"

"Huh?" she asked , raising an eyebrow

'God , this boy is taking a joke seriously ,maybe I should've explained better...'

"Paint them red , all of them ," he said pointing to rose bushes surrounding them .

"Paint what....?" , she asked , still unsure if it was another joke .

"This area's surrounded by white roses . Queen of hearts would've been really disappointed if she were here , wouldn't she? She probably would've wanted them all...red "

(y/n) Couldn't really get if he was kidding or not but she found not the smallest of sense of humor into his solid tune .

She sighed , asking : " Okay , how should I be coloring them , then ? "

"Use those," Riddle ordered , pointing to back of you .

You returned to see a paint can with a paint brush on it . It took her a few minutes to stop watching since it seemed pretty odd to her. 'They weren't there before...' she thought.

"If I lose my temper , you lose head girl . So be fast." Riddle warned her ; not that (y/n) was taking him seriously though...not yet

(y/n) bowed down to pick the brush and paint can . She trembled a bit when her hand firstly touched thr can's unexpectedly cold fuselage. She pulled it up , trying to open it

" why doesn't it open ?" she mumbled while struggling with the can , trying to open it . 'Just how hard has this thing been sealed ?!' she held it between her thigh dragging it's door with all her power left in her fist .

" Ouch-! "

She managed to catch the can before having all the color spilled , that was close . She sat once again at the dirty , wet ground ; staring at the half empty , opened can . She then realised red color on her finger .

"You had your finger cut by just opening a can? " , Riddle questioned .

'How long has he been standing there ?' she thought , realizing how close he was to her now .

You rose your head to find Riddle staring at you , arms crossed and eyes a little bit widened .

"Here , take my hand," he said offering you his hand . She held his hand , expecting him to pull it and helo her stand up , but he did nothing but to hold her hand , making have to raise using her only one hand . She relied her hand on the earth , feeling the wet soil and small rocks within her fingers. With one push , she stood up , slightly pulling her hand from Riddle's , but he didn't let go . He wasn't looking into her face , yet he was staring at her finger , which was covered in dirt and small sight of blood .

"Can you , let go of my hand?" (y/n) asked uncomfortably , she didn't really enjoy the way he was starting at her finger.

Riddle silently rose his head and locked eyes with her : " Are you gonna waste that ?"

"Waste what...?"

" Your blood ,"

(y/n) stood blank at the anwser , more from how calm and serious it was said . She uncomfortably tried to free her hand from his fist : " What do you mean by wasting my-"

She didn't get to continue as Riddle pulled her hand with him , almost making her fall . He brings himself closer to the rose bushes , pulling (y/n) with him .

"Hey ! what are you-," she protested ; not that Riddle was actually listening.

Riddle pulls her closer to the white bushes , letting go of her hand and holding her finger instead .

"Right there..." he lowly whispered , holding her finger with one hand while putting the other on her waist , slightly making (y/n) bow down , her face too close to touch the thorns.

He gently brings her finger closer to a rose , softly putting it on a petal as if your finger was kissing it . He slowly moves her finger to spread the color , turning the lifeless white to a deep , glossy red . (Y/n) could feel his warm breathes upon her neck , along with the sound of his heart beating at her back :

All so calm and gentle , followed by an organized rhythm coming one after one , never in a hurry....

He continued to paint the roses with your blood ; until your finger gets too dry to be used . He carefully pulls her finger back , makimg sure that it won't be touched by any thorns , then pulling back all her body from the roses .

Riddle suddenly let go of her hand a body , making (y/n) lose balance for a second .

"Fine then , get to your work . They aren't gonna be colored on their own," he mumbled , clearing his throat . (y/n) sighed again . The gentle and calm painter holding her tightly before was now gone . The strict ruler of forest was back . But why did he have to turn away ?As he was turning his head from her , was that , blush she saw upon his pale cheeks ?

"Get to work . We haven't got all day " he ordered .

Well at least , this Riddle made more sense than the one which...which was there a few minutes ago or whatever-

Quickly , (y/n) picked up the brush and can , not wanting Riddle to be mad at her again.

If she were trying to be honest , she must have admitted that it wasn't too bad being ordered around by the redhead . He seemed to have his own childish trends along with his cold, strict personality . Also , she did agree that she found him cute .

It was not only because of his naturally rare hair color together with his chubby cheeks and silver eyes , but she was also attracted to his ,well, dramatical side . She could still feel his slender fingers on her waist ; so soft and gentle , yet strong . (Y/n) wasn't sure why , but she felt attached to those very few seconds . As a child , she might've considered those "moments" as part of her romantic fantasies , until the day she finds her own prince charming holding her close and gentle ; showing her a true happy ending and making her finally believe in fairy tales ; to have a happy ending .

Ah but how wrong she was...

Both about those seductive minutes and fairy tales

♦♦♦♦

"Enough"

(y/n) was unexpectedly stopped . 'What's the matter? There are still half of the bushes left ,' she thoughtv. What was wrong ? Wasn't he satisfied with the color or hadn't she colored them properly ? Could that be her wasting too much color on each rose ? She didn't know-

Hundreds of thoughts scaped her mind in a matter of seconds as she tried to find out what might've dissatisfied Riddle : " Um , anything wrong ?"

"Hm , should it be ?" he replied . A small grin started to appear on his lips as he got closer to rose bushes , checking their each and every detail from petals to leaves. "Well I can't deny it , I'm impressed ," he said , cutting a flower from its bush : " The color's solid and well spreaded , neither too tender nor too thick , it's just like a glacier of ice covering the petals , " He steps toward you , not taking his eyes off the flower for even a second . He brushes his finger upon the petals , careful not to ruin or harm them : " Eventhough it's colored , I can still feel it's softness under my fingers . Most of the flowers turn rough and scaly with color on them..."

He continues to explore each and every detail left on the flower , making (y/n) more and more attached . She could even say that this made her admire Riddle as he was , such a patient and accuracy wasn't something you'd get to see everyday , he did surely have an eye for detail . Each and every reply from him seemed like a million to her , making her want more of it . Before she could've realized , Riddle was now really close to her . With now their breathes meeting , it was just a few inches away . (y/n) moved her eyes from the ground to the rose and then , from the rose to Riddle's eyes . Suddenly she feels butterflies in his stomach , making her gulp and hold her breathe .

"Nice job done , (y/n)"

(y/n) could feel blood rushing to her cheeks again time but it was greater this time , making her face sweat a bit .

Riddle didn't move an eyebrow , he simply kept watching ; again . (y/n) Found his gaze a bit uncomfortable , deciding to bring on a subject to wreck this unsettling silence : " Shall I paint these last ones as well?" she said , pointing to the roses behind your back with your paintbrush ; still wet in red .

"Indeed , " Riddle nodded .

"But not today"

Once again , he turns to بوته ها , slowly moving his hand above the roses as he walked , giving his movement a soft , yet organized , rhythm .

"It's starting to get dark already , it would be such a pitty if you lost your way through the woods , wouldn't it ?"

His words made (y/n) recognize how fast time had passed : She'd got there a while after the sunrise and now it was... What time was it ? 6 ? 7 ? She couldn't tell .

She looked up to the grayish sky ; now all covered in dark clouds . She couldn't quite keep her eyes open as wind started to blew , getting soil and dust into her eyes and making all trees and bushes shake heavily . She could hear crows cawing as they all flew away , filling the sky with portraits of wandering shadows .

Riddle came to you , not being the least affected by the unsettling atmosphere :

"30 days "

You thought that you must have misheard him through that thunder of sounds , but there was no mistake . He was speaking loud and clear

"You'll be returning herr in 30 days , one month . I'd be waiting here . Don't be late , miss (y/n) ,"

(y/n) didn't know how to reply , so wasn't she going to paint the rest till then ? Was he trying to tease her even more by making this game last for another month or... she was being invited to an actual tea party ?

(y/n) didn't get to anwser as a flash of lightning brightened the sky , making her let out a silent scream . She just quickly shook her head as an okay and started to run out of the place. At the moment , (y/n) didn't get why she agreed to such a nonsense. But soon it came clear that it wasn't a request ;

it was an order.

And all she could do was showing her obedience toward the redhead , even if it didn't make any sense.

As she was panting heavily trying to find her way within endless trees and wild winds , her minb was running toward the silver eyed boy . His words , his gaze , his eyes , he surely was much of a riddle after all... a complicated one of course .

But...

There was something about him that busied her mind :

~"You'll be returning to me in 30 days , one month . I'd be waiting here for you to come . Don't be late for the non-birthday party , miss (y/n)"~

His voice echoed through her head , making her smile . She couldn't deny being hyped for the next time they met and getting to know this new friend of her better . There were hundreds of questions popping in her mind already , giving her a sense of curiosity and excitement .

♥♥♥♥

Days flew away and before she could've imagined , (y/n) was standing again within the treeless area , but not quite the same as the last time :

(y/n) Could feel the smell of steamed tea combined with softness of sweet vanilla , then having it even better with a mild scent of fresh flowers through the air .

Table looked... different now . Broken teapots were replaced with classic , florid ones and previously dirty , gray tablecloth was white and tiddy . Empty plates and dishes were filled with colorful shortcakes , sandwiches , marshmallows and other eye-catching desserts .

She couldn't help but to hold tip of her dress bowing down in respect of her host's hospitality , who has been watching her for minutes now .

" 2 minutes late , any excuses ?" , Riddle said coming out of the shadows, holding a clock in his hand .

"Almost lost my way though the woods , that's why ," (y/n) said . Trying to seem as polite as possible ; in contrast to her last time .

Riddle sighed , definitely not even a bit satisfied with the anwser . But he wasn't really fascinated either since it was (y/n) they were talking about .

"Anyways , let's not delay the party anymore . May I ? " , he said , genty holding his hand to her with a soft smile . ' He can really be much of a gentleman sometimes ' , she thought . Riddle patiently leads her to the other side of table , pulling the chair for hair to sit . " What a gentleman ," (y/n) smirked , taking her seat . Riddle sat at the other side of table , locking eyes with her . " And now , let the non-birthday party begin ! Happy non-birthday to you (y/n) ! " Riddle says cheerfully , rising his tea cup . (y/n) giggled softly , taking her own tea cup , this was going to be long day...

" Happy non-birthday to you too , Riddle !"

♪♪♪♪

"Enough for today "

'Again..?', (y/n) thought . She stood up to see the amount of roses done with coloring : a quarter of them were still left... she'd just painted half of what was left from the other time . "Um...I can finish them toda-"

"No," Riddle cut her off : "It's already pretty late . I don't want you getting lost ."

"It's not that la-" she recognized how late it really was by looking at the sky . How did it pass so fast ? Perhaps it was because of how much they talked while having a... non-birthday party. She couldn't feel time passing at all .

" So...when should I be back for...the rest of them ?"

Riddle smiled at your question , more because of seeing you willing for a next time .

"30 days , one month . Don't be late..."

(y/n) smiled slowly taking her way to the woods . Just before getting to far from Riddle to see , she turned back gently bowing down : " Thanks for the tea , Riddle "

Riddle just shook a head as a you're welcome , but that was enough for (y/n) . She'd never expected him to be this hospitable with her , and that was already more than enough for her .

On her way back , something was stock in her mind again : Was she really going to finish the roses next time or would it end up with one eighth of them left ? Or was the redhead afraid of not seeing her again if this little game of him didn't continue ? Come to think of it , they all seemed cute to young , naive (y/n) , cheerful about her new friend.

But there were other consequences as well she didn't notice at the time

The new roses growing after their monthly duration was just one of them...

♦♥♠♣

Tagging : @yandere-romanticaa @roaringyouth @tsuisute @yandere-wishes @yandere-of-your-dreams @ghostiebabey @twst-soul @kanaverni @twistedlymad ♥

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #twst x you #twisted wonderland imagines #yandere x reader #yandere x you #twisted Wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland x you #Riddle Rosehearts #Yandere Riddle Rosehearts #Heartslabyul #Heartslabyul x reader #twst imagines #Riddle Rosehearts x reader #riddle Rosehearts x you

[kaitycole]

Shoulders Heavy with Guilt

This picks up after Broken Wooden Fence Posts, basically what Drake was doing as Riley spoke to Jackson.

Summary: Drake finally calls Liam

Word Count: 2717

Pairing (for this piece): Riley x Drake

Warnings: Mentions of a hangover and premarital sex. Pretty bland this time.

Part 8 of WP. To catch up read here.

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore  @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways  @bobasheebaby  @bascmve01  @burnsoslow  @the-everlasting-dream  @ao719  @sirbeepsalot  @janezillow  @i-bloody-love-drake-walker  @kimmiedoo5  @choices97 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite  @lodberg @edgiestwinter @marshmallowsandfire 

*I don’t own the characters, just borrowing them*

A/N: I do not condone the behavior of these characters. Yes, I am writing it, but that doesn’t mean I support their shitty behavior and poor choices. Just FYI. 

THUMP

A slightly hungover Drake falls off the couch after rolling too far to the right. Sitting up, he rubs his forehead and blinks before fully waking up. He checks the clock: 11:30AM, before heading into the bathroom to shower.

“Riley?” He calls out when as he dries his head with one towel while another is tied around his waist, “Ri?”

Where the hell is she?

He begins to walk around the house; checking in the nursery, office and out on the back porch but he can’t find his wife. It’s not until he gets into the kitchen that he finds a note stuck to the fridge door.

Meeting with Lynn to go shopping for the baby. Might be out late. – Riley

He’s a little confused on why she didn’t just wake him up and tell him. But he puts little to no more thought on the subject. Riley was strong and independent, so he wasn’t too concerned. Plus, he couldn’t blame her if she needed space from how he’d been acting the last few weeks.

Speaking of, there was someone that he needed to call, no matter how late it was there.

**

Rubbing his eyes, Liam notices that it’s close to 10PM and he’s still working on this trade deal. He told himself that he would attempt not to stress himself gray until after he found a wife; didn’t look like he’d keep that promise. Just as he gets ready to turn his attention back to the paperwork, his personal cellphone begins to ring.

“Drake?” He tries to hold back a yawn, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I know it’s late, but it’s been a while.” Drake lies, he knows that he should just tell Liam, but he’s not sure what mood Liam’s in or how to approach the topic.

He looks back at the paperwork, surely it could wait another day. Drake was right, the two haven’t really spoken in a bit.

“How are things? How’s Riley?” Liam asks, he pushes himself from the desk and begins walking through the room.

“Things are well and so is Riley. However, I wish she’d pick a paint color for the nursery.”

Liam laughs, “Her indecisiveness can definitely keep you on your toes. I’ll stick to trade deals.”

“Does that mean no royal babies are in the works?”

“I’d need a wife for that and I barely leave my office as it is. So, no. You and the rest of Cordonia are just going to have to wait a while.”

Drake chuckles, “I said baby, nothing about a wife.”

“Drake!” Liam laughs again, “The court always said you were a bad influence.”

He seems to be in a good mood, maybe now is the time?

“Yeah yeah yeah, but hey,” he pauses, “I need to tell you something.”

Liam immediately notices the dramatic change in Drake’s tone. It’s rare that Drake said or sounded as serious as he did in that moment, “I’m listening.”

Drake still wasn’t sure how to tell him and he knew that he should’ve told Liam as soon as he saw Jackson. That it was Liam he should’ve called for guidance instead of Leo, but he didn’t. At first, he felt ashamed that after all these years, his dad could be alive and maybe wasn’t the hero he grew to think he was. Then it became guilt, that he enjoyed the time with Jackson and that made him feel like he was somehow betraying Liam. There wasn’t anything the two had ever kept from each other and here Drake was with the bombshell of a century.

“I’m not sure how to say this, so I’m just going to say it.” He pauses, hoping for the universe to do something to prevent this, but nothing happens, “My dad is alive.”

It’s a few moments before Liam responds, “Forgive me, I haven’t had much sleep, it sounded like you said your father was alive.”

“That’s exactly what I said, Liam.” He takes a deep breath, “Jackson Walker, my dad, he’s alive, Liam.”

“That’s impossible. I was there when you buried him. I went to the gravesite with you.”

“I know that, but you have to believe me. He’s alive,” Drake feels a weight lift from his chest, “And it even seems that we have a younger brother.”

Liam’s world stops. Flashes of Jackson and his mother’s funerals resurface, “Who? You and Savannah?”

“And you.”

If it wasn’t for the wall he was leaning against, he would’ve fallen to the ground. There was no way. Jackson Walker wasn’t his father, how could he have another brother? He was Constantine Rys’ son whether he liked it not half the time.

Drake’s too relieved to have the guilt off his shoulders that he doesn’t hear the change in Liam’s tone. He doesn’t pick up on the fact that everything Liam’s believed in, has completely been turned upside down, “His name is Luke Rys Walker and man, Liam, he looks just like you.”

“Rys? You’ve seen my mother?” Liam can tell Drake is talking, but the sound of his heart thumping in his ears makes it hard to make anything out. His mother was dead. He buried her. He grieved her. There was no way that she was alive out there, right? She wouldn’t have left him for Jackson Walker, right?

“Not in person, but there’s pictures of her.” He leaves out the part where Jackson had told him that it’d just been him and Luke for a while. Drake never asked for more information and he didn’t want to tell Liam something he wasn’t sure of.

“I…I have to go.” Liam ends the call without letting him respond. He calls for Bastien immediately, fills him in and sends him away to gather everything he can about Eleanor Rys and Jackson Walker.

Drake looks down at his phone to see the call was ended before he heads back inside the house. He felt with all things considered, Liam took it well, but he was still going to give him time. Hell, he’d known for almost two months and he was still trying to wrap his head around everything.

**

He walks into the nursery and shakes his head, he wants to get started on painting and laying down the hardwood, but he refuses to paint it before he has Riley’s seal of approval. He wasn’t painting this room more than once and that’s exactly what would happen if he painted the original light gray they decided on.

**

Drake checks his phone and sees it’s close to 6PM and he’s yet to hear from his wife. It was rare that she’d be out this late, especially when she was adamant about dinner being at 5:30PM.

Within a few minutes, the phone is to his ear, ringing.

“Hey honey.”

“Are you okay? It’s getting late.” Drake asks, walking into the kitchen.

“Yes, I’m okay. Just got hung up with Lynn.”

Opening the fridge, he looks for something to cook, “Did you two find anything for the nursery? I was in there today, it’s a bit bare.”

“No, I didn’t find anything while shopping.”

“Oh, there’s always next time. I’m thinking of making spaghetti, when will you be here?”

“I’ll be home soon. Say thirty minutes?”

“I’ll see you then. I love—” Drake hears the beeping from the call ending before he finishes.

I wonder why she’s acting so weird today. Pregnancy, I guess.

**

“Drake! I’m home.” Riley says, closing the door behind here and hanging up her purse. She can smell the sauce from the doorway and realizes how hungry she is.

“Hey,” he kisses her forehead, “Did you have a good time with Lynn?”

“Oh, uhm, yeah I did.” Grabbing a glass, she fills it with water before taking a sip, “What were you up to?”

“Oh, I was going to paint the nursery,” he playfully cuts his eyes at her, “but I just called Liam instead.”

“How is he?” Riley feels like she’s about to burst. In their relationship, she’s never lied to him. A few small white lies about birthday and Christmas gifts, but never about something this big. She felt like a fraud.

“Good. No sign of our little having a cousin anytime soon though.”

“Drake Thomas, you did not ask him about that!?” She playfully hits him with the oven mitt.

“I surely did.” He stirs the hamburger into the sauce, “I don’t want our kids to be ten years apart!”

Riley rolls her eyes, “I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten at least engaged. It’s been, what, two years since the social season? Almost three?”

Drake shrugs, “He says he doesn’t leave his office enough to even look.”

“I mean, there were other women at the social season that he wouldn’t have to leave his office to meet.”

Drake raises his brow at his wife, “Such as?”

“Olivia.” She smirks.

“He,” Drake starts before Riley finishes.

“Sees her as a friend. Yeah yeah, I’ve heard that before. But something’s gonna happen where he stops seeing her that way. Bet.”

Drake shakes his head, “Come get a plate, Cupid.”

**

Drake flops down on the couch next to Riley after he’s finished cleaning the kitchen. She’s absentmindedly flipping through channels that he didn’t even realize they paid for.

“Earth to Ri? You okay?”

“Huh? Yeah,” She chews her lips, “Well no.”

“What’s wrong?” He springs into worry mode.

“Calm down, it’s not that serious.” She grabs his hands, “I wasn’t with Lynn today.”

“Oh? Then where were you?”

She bites her lip even harder, worried, “I went to see Jackson.”

“Jackson who?”

“Your dad.”

“How? How did you know where he lived?”

She lets go of his hands as she turns away from him. “I went through your wallet.”

“You went throu…Riley, what the fuck?” He shouts as he stands up.

“I wanted to know why you were acting so strange. You wouldn’t talk to me!”

“So, you went through my personal things? You couldn’t just ask me?”

“I tried! You just drank for days on end. When was I supposed to ask? Between Jameson and Jack Daniel?” She throws her hands up, annoyed.

He knew she was right. He could’ve handled the last few days better than he did, but it didn’t excuse her behavior in the slightest. He begins pacing the room, not sure how to continue the conversation, “You thought I was cheating, didn’t you?”

“What?” She snaps her head in his direction.

“You found an address and number in my wallet. Then you drove there, you thought I was cheating, didn’t you?”

It wasn’t until she heard him say it that she realizes she really did think he was. It had crossed her mind briefly when she initially found the paper, but didn’t dwell on it until she was actually driving towards the address.

He stood there, waiting for her to tell him he was wrong, that she knew that wasn’t even a possibility, but she didn’t. She just sat there, looking at him.

“Really, Ri? I moved across the world for you. I’d move the sun and moon for you. You’re having my baby and that’s the best you think of me?”

“No, Drake. I mean, maybe for a moment, but I didn’t know what to think. That’s why I went there.”

“But you still thought it. I’d never think that about you.” He storms into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Getting some more whiskey to deal with your problems rather than talking?”

“Sure am. It’s a new brand called H2O.” He rolls his eyes, “You tell my dad about how his son is a deadbeat that cheats on his pregnant wife?”

Riley glares at Drake, “No. I didn’t tell him I was pregnant. I thought you should do that.”

“Oh, so it’s not your place to tell him you’re pregnant, but it’s your place to go through my things and jump to conclusions?”

“Real nice, Drake.”

“Did you find what you were looking for?” He raises his eyebrows at her.

“What?” She spits at him.

“You went there to get answers, you find them?”

“Obviously since I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t go looking for anything in particular.”

“Then what’d you do? Seeing how you opened the door to an old man instead of some young and hot raven-haired woman.”

Riley twisted her mouth up, she knew he made that jab on purpose; reminding her of the ridiculous assumption during Liam’s social season that Drake and Kiara had a thing.

“We just talked.”

“You talked? All day?”

“Yes.”

“What’d you talk about?”

She thought back on the nature of what Jackson had told her; all of it being things that Drake should hear from Jackson, not her, “How he and your mother met.”

“You talked to my dad about a story I’ve told you several times?”

But you don’t know the real story. “Amongst other things.”

“Such as?”

“I really think that you should hear it from him. It’s not my story to tell.”

Drake lets out a deep breath. He loves her to death, but she could really piss him off. Then he realized why he was so pissed off.

“So, you’re telling me that he met you and within minutes spills his guts out, but when I, his son, confronted him about who he was, got sent away? What bullshit.” He storms out of the room, slamming the backdoor on his way out.

Riley sighs, maybe going without Drake wasn’t the best decision. However, he did make a good point, but maybe it was easier for Jackson to talk to someone who hadn’t spent their life idolizing him, someone who wasn’t related to him, someone who didn’t expect anything from him. But she could still see where her husband was coming from, everything he thought was a lie which caused her to wonder, how Liam would handle the news.

**

“I’m sorry.” Drake says, rolling over to face her.

After he stormed out to the back yard, Riley had taken a shower and got into bed and it wasn’t long after that Drake got in bed. However, it had been an awkward 45 minutes before either had finally spoken.

“No, I’m sorry. I should’ve just asked you.” She turns the lamp on her nightstand on before looking at him, “I should’ve trusted you.”

He caresses her cheek with his thumb, “I should’ve just told you, even though it felt like no one would listen to me.”

“I hate that I was one of those people.” She presses her forehead to his, “I love you.”

“I love you, Ri. So, what’d you think of Jackson?”

“I think he deserves to tell his side of the story and I know he wants to hear yours.”

“Mine?”

She turns red, she told herself that she wouldn’t go into too much detail. She really did want Drake to hear a lot of what they talked about from Jackson himself. Too late.

“Let’s just say that he didn’t know that your mom left you and Savannah in Cordonia and now he does…”

“He didn’t know?” Drake knits his brows together, “I don’t understand.”

“From what I’ve gathered he thought your mom was still in Cordonia.”

He sits up, his head in his hands, and thoughts clouded. How did he not know what happened? “I don’t understand anything, Ri. Did people really think he died? Or was that a ruse?”

She scoots closer to him, holding his head against her chest.

“Did he tell you? Please just tell me that.”

She runs her fingers through his hair, “He didn’t tell me that, sweetie. But he did want you to come and hear his story.”

He doesn’t respond. The weight of the situation is beginning to weigh on him. It was no longer whether or not this Jackson Walker was his father or not, Drake figured that out. But the heavy questions were starting to come front and center: Was his death faked? Did they know it was faked? Why was it faked if it was? He was too caught up in his hero of a dad being alive, that he didn’t think to stop and realize that maybe he wasn’t the hero he made him out to be.

#choices #pixelberry #the royal romance #witness protection #witness protection au fic #choices au fanfiction #trr drake #trr drake walker #drake walker #trr liam #trr Liam rys #Liam rys #choices au fanfic #au fanfiction #au fanfic #tw: alcohol #tw: alchohol mention #tw: premarital sex #tw: changes to canon #tw: hangover

[superfreakerz]

IJR 2

Forgot to post this here, so here it is. 

“It’s Just Research”

Rated M for smut.

Summary: AU. After having her smut-filled story criticized for being amateurish, Lucy decides once and for all it’s time to gain some experience in the world of sex. Her best friend, Natsu, agrees to help her with her research. Together, the two explore each other’s bodies, all the while denying their feelings for each other and insisting that they are just doing research. 

Read earlier chapters on FF.net

Chapter 2

Aftermath

Lucy glanced at the alarm clock by her bed, wincing when she found that it was already two in the afternoon. It was Saturday, a whole week after she and Natsu had taken each other's virginities. Since then, she hadn't seen or heard from him since. Or anyone else in the gang for that matter since she had different classes from everyone.

Since that night, Lucy hadn't been able to bring herself to talk to Natsu. She couldn't even see the color pink without thinking of him and the scandalous touches he left on her skin- which was quite annoying since her room was covered in pink. She didn't want to think of that night, for it made her nervous.

She didn't know what was wrong with her. She wanted it and she loved it. It felt amazing and her body tingled every time she remembered his touch. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to face him.

Did he regret it? Did he only agree because he was drunk too? Was she bad at it? Questions like those plagued her mind. She was worried that despite her promise to him, their actions may have altered their friendship forever, and she didn't feel ready to deal with the aftermath.

Lucy's ears perked as there was a sudden knock at the front door. Dragging herself out of bed, she threw on a fluffy robe over her pajamas and quickly ran to answer the door. Hoping it wasn't Natsu on the other side, the girl took a deep breath before swinging the door open to find Levy instead.

"Levy-chan?" Lucy asked, surprised to see her there. "What's up? Is something wrong?"

"That's what I was going to ask you," Levy replied, her lips curled into a slight frown. "Can I come in?"

Lucy- despite wanting to say no in fear of Levy somehow finding out her secret with Natsu- nodded and stepped aside to let her friend in. The two sat on the couch, Lucy hugging a couch pillow and playing with the material in hopes of distracting herself.

"So… is something wrong?" Levy asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"Cmon Lu-Chan. We haven't seen or heard from you in a week. You keep dodging my calls and you haven't been to Fairy Tail. Did something happen?"

Her night with Natsu replayed in her heard. She could almost feel his fingertips warming her skin as he grazed them along her body.

"Nope. Nothing in particular," Lucy answered, swallowing thickly. She could feel her face warming at the thought of Natsu.

Levy gave a skeptical look but didn't question her about it. "Why don't you come to Fairy Tail with me then? Everyone else is already over there."

"E-Everyone?"

Levy arched a brow. "Yeah, everyone. We all miss you. Now can you please come with me?"

Lucy fiddled with her fingers before sighing softly. "Yeah, I'll come. Just give me a minute to get ready."

As Lucy got ready, her anxiety grew. She was scared to see Natsu, but she promised him that she wouldn't let what happened ruin their friendship, so she was going to try her best to keep that promise.

After getting ready, the two headed for Fairy Tail. Fairy tail was a local pub run by the Strauss siblings. Lucy was particularly close to Mira, the oldest sibling and boss of the place. It was a popular place among all in Magnolia, filled with rowdy people of all ages.

As they approached the grand doors of Fairy Tail, Lucy took a deep breath before following Levy inside. She kept her eyes glued on the floor, her nerves getting the best of her. Reaching the table, she gulped, sweat dripping down the back of her neck.

"Lucy! Where have you been? It's been forever!" she heard Gray exclaim.

"Sorry guys, I've just been caught up with something," Lucy replied, sliding into the booth next to Levy. She kept her eyes glued to the table. She could feel someone's gaze boring into her, and she didn't have to lift her head to know who it was.

"Caught up? With what?" Erza asked.

"Oh you know, the usual. Studying, writing, the usual."

"Oh are you writing a new story? We usually don't see you for a week whenever you start a new one."

"Yep! That's what I was doing!"

"What's this one about?" Jellal asked.

"Uhh… That's a secret." Before anyone could question her any further, Lucy asked, "So what about you guys? Anything new happen while I was gone?"

Gajeel nodded his head toward Natsu. "That's what we've been trying to figure out for the last half hour now. It's obvious something's up with him, but he won't tell us anything. Even Erza couldn't convince him to tell her anything."

Lucy's eyes involuntarily peeked up towards Natsu, whose gaze was now glued to the table, obviously not a fan of where the conversation headed thanks to Gajeel. His cheeks were dusted pink, his lips tugged into a frown. As Lucy stared at him, she couldn't help but wonder what was going on inside his head.

"Now that you're here, you can drag it out of him," Gray said, catching her attention.

She moved her gaze onto the raven-haired boy. "W-What?"

"Well if Erza couldn't get him to 'fess up, then you're our only hope."

Lucy faltered. It was true. Whenever something was on Natsu's mind, she was the group's representative sent to figure out what it was and to cheer him up because she was usually the only one he confided in. It wasn't that he didn't trust the others, it was just that he didn't like opening up about such things and only preferred to do it with her. In truth, it made her feel special.

"Well, uhh, maybe we should stop questioning him about it. I'm sure he'll open up when he's ready," Lucy said. After all, she had a pretty good idea as to what was on his mind, and she did not want the group to know about it. Not now and maybe not ever.

The group shared a glance.

"Uhh, okay," Gray replied, having not expected that answer.

Finally, the group broke up into separate conversations, giving Lucy a moment of relief. It was hard to keep such a big secret from them, especially the girls. She promised them long ago that she would tell them everything once she lost her virginity, but now that it was with Natsu, she had to keep her lips sealed.

Peeking at Natsu in the corner of her eye, she found that he was still staring at the table, not even paying attention to the conversations around him. The air around them was so thick, it felt like she was going to suffocate.

Standing up from the table, Lucy wordlessly headed towards the bar in desperate need of a breath of fresh air- air that wasn't around Natsu. As always, Mira was manning the bar with her signature cheery smile.

"Hi, Lucy," she greeted, grabbing a large cup. "Want your usual?"

"Yes please," the blonde replied with a grateful smile.

The two idly chatted while Mira made her a strawberry milkshake, spraying a mountain's worth of whipped cream on top.

Lucy thanked the other girl for the milkshake, reaching into her pocket to grab her wallet when Mira stopped her.

"This one's on the house," she stated with a wink.

Lucy tilted her head to the side. "Really? Why? Is there some sort of promotional deal going on?"

"Nope. I could tell something was troubling you the moment you stepped in, so I thought I would try to cheer you up a bit."

"Oh, Mira, I'm fine! Here, let me pay!"

"Nope! I already said it's on the house, now shoo!"

Lucy smiled at the older girl. "Thank you, Mira."

"You're welcome, Lucy. I hope whatever it is gets resolved soon."

With a wave, Lucy headed back to the table, where everyone was still wrapped up in their conversations. That is, until they saw her drink.

"Oh great, something's bugging you too?" Gajeel asked, his gaze directed at her.

"What do you mean?" Lucy replied.

"You only get extra whipped cream whenever you're upset or something," Gray elaborated.

Lucy's mouth parted. They all noticed that small detail about her? They weren't just her closest friends for nothing.

"Hurry up and tell us who did it," Gajeel said. Lucy shivered at the threatening glint in his crimson eyes, knowing that if she were to tell him someone had wronged her, he would personally handle it in a way that left someone in a hospital. That was just how their group worked. They would pay someone back tenfold if they were to hurt one of them.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about," the girl insisted. "I just felt like having more whipped cream today!"

"Oh bullshit! First Salamander and now you? What's up with all the secrets!?"

"Lucy, you know you can tell us anything," Erza added.

"I know, but-"

"No but's. If something is on your mind, you should let it out and we'll listen. That's what friends are for."

Lucy ran a hand through her hair. She felt the urge to look over to Natsu, but she resisted. She knew that her friends would definitely pick up on the small action if she did.

She thought about telling them. She did promise the girls to tell them when she lost her virginity. Not only that, but maybe this would give her a chance to let Natsu know how she felt about the whole thing- though in truth, she still wasn't totally sure how she felt yet. All she had to do was alter a few details because she still wasn't comfortable with them knowing about her and Natsu.

"Okay, fine," Lucy said with a sigh. "You got me." She could feel Natsu's gaze whip towards her.

"Spit it out already!" Gajeel barked.

"Alright, alright! Sheesh!" She narrowed her eyes at them. "But you have to promise to keep your voices down when I tell you!"

"We promise!" Levy replied for all of them.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy thought back to that fateful night. She pictured Natsu's hands roaming her body, his hot lips grazing her flesh.

"I, uhh…" Glancing around the room to make sure nobody was listening, she lowered her voice to a whisper and continued, "I lost my virginity."

In an instant, everyone's eyes grew to the size of golf balls and their jaws dropped.

Erza's face in particular matched her hair as she sputtered, "Y-You had sex?"

Lucy buried her face in her hands and nodded. "Yeah, I did."

Gray furrowed his brows as he glanced towards Natsu. His face was scrunched up and his lips were pulled into a straight line.

"Lucy must've already told him," Gray thought, feeling sorry for him. He'd long since known about Natsu's feelings for Lucy. Hell, he probably knew about them before Natsu did. "He must've been devastated when Lucy told him, and that's why he's like this."

"Wait, who the hell did you have sex with?" Gajeel asked, clearly on the same page as Gray.

Lucy made sure to keep her gaze straight as she lied, "It was just some guy."

"Just some guy!?" Levy asked. "What do you mean just some guy!?"

"Just some guy I met."

"Where?"

"Uhh, on one of those apps."

"Lucy! Is that really how you wanted it to happen?" Erza asked.

Lucy furrowed her brows. "People do it all the time, why can't I?"

"Because you always talked about how you wanted it to happen! You said you were waiting to find the love of your life first!"

"Well, I got tired of waiting, okay? And I didn't want my inexperience to affect my writing anymore."

Juvia frowned. "Oh, Lucy, did you do it because of what we said about your story?"

Lucy tore her eyes away. "Maybe. Look, it doesn't matter why I did it. The point is, I did. And that's why I've been a little M.I.A."

"Why? Was it bad?" Levy asked. "Was he not attentive or gentle?"

"No, no! It's not that at all!" Lucy answered, shaking her head. It was embarrassing to talk about it, especially with the boys, but it was also relieving to get off her chest. And it was also nice to be able to tell Natsu what she felt without having to tell him directly. "The sex was great. Amazing."

Levy frowned as she asked, "Then what's bothering you? Do you regret doing it with him?"

Lucy heard a sharp intake of breath and couldn't help but glance towards Natsu. Her eyes met his, and she could tell he was wondering the same question.

Tearing her eyes away, Lucy shook her head.

"I don't regret it at all," she answered, her voice steady and her gaze firm. "It was a little embarrassing at first, but I don't regret a single thing that happened that night. In fact…"

She replayed the night over in her head, her cheeks set ablaze. As she was voicing her thoughts aloud, she finally understood what it was she was feeling. She felt nervous- nervous that Natsu didn't feel the same way about that night.

Because she wanted to do it again.

She wanted to feel his fingers against her skin, his lips on hers. She wanted all of him again and again. Thoughts about their night kept invading her mind and driving her body crazy, and she had a feeling they would continue to do so until she acted on her urges again.

"In fact," Lucy repeated, dragging her finger around the rim of her glass, "if he wanted, I would be more than willing to do it again."

Natsu's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open. His whole body felt like it was on fire, some of it shooting down to his pants. Burying his face in his scarf, he hid the grin that was taking over his face, not wanting the group to see it in fear that they would unravel Lucy's lies.

"So, yeah. That's about it," Lucy said with a shrug. Taking a sip of her milkshake, she hoped the cold drink would help cool off her body.

Juvia squealed, clasping her hands together. "Lucy, you're glowing!"

The blonde cocked her head to the side. "Glowing?"

"Yeah! Lucy is in love!"

The girl choked on her milkshake, spitting it out onto the table. "L-Love!?"

"Yes! Juvia has an eye for these things! It was love at first sight for Lucy, just like it was for Juvia!"

"I-I wouldn't go that far…" Lucy replied, tugging on the hem of her sweater. She hoped Juvia didn't give Natsu the wrong idea. She wasn't in love with Natsu. He was her best friend! She just wouldn't mind having a few benefits on the side if he was willing.

Meanwhile, Natsu couldn't deny the soft blow to his heart upon hearing Lucy's subtle denial. Still, he couldn't help but feel happy with what she said earlier.

"Anyways, it's been fun catching up with you guys, but as you know, midterms are coming up and I've got some more studying to do," Lucy said as she rose up from her seat.

"Wait! Before you go, can we see a picture of this guy!?" Levy asked.

"Nope!"

"Can we at least know his name!?"

Lucy chuckled, shaking her head. "Sorry, Levy-chan! That information is classified. Bye now!"

Before the group could bombard her with more questions, Lucy bolted for the door.

Three hours passed when Lucy felt a gust of wind wash over her back as she sat at her desk. She didn't need to turn around to know that her window had been opened, and that the soft sounds coming from the window were from none other than the boy who invaded her thoughts for the past week.

Warmth traveled through her body, the space between her thighs tingling with excitement as she heard Natsu stop just behind her. His abnormal body heat washed over her, sending a shiver down her spine as she thought of him closing the space between them.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to break into my apartment?" Lucy teased, thanking the heavens she didn't stutter. She still hadn't turned to face him, not wanting him to see the blush on her face.

"How many times do I have to tell you to lock the window if you don't want me breakin' in?" Natsu replied, his voice sending another shiver down her spine. Oh what she would give to have those lips against her again.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy swiveled the chair around to face Natsu, though with her sitting in the chair, her eyes were met with his toned abs instead. Gulping, the girl forced herself to meet his eyes, heat rushing to her cheeks as she pictured what was just below the hem of his pants.

"Hey, Natsu," Lucy squeaked. Clearing her thought, she brought her voice back down to its normal pitch. "W-What are you doing here?"

Natsu's lips straightened as he stared her down.

"Is it true?"

Lucy arched a brow. "Is what true?"

Natsu rubbed the back of his head awkwardly while nudging her carpet with the tip of his shoe. He suddenly whipped his head towards her, his onyx orbs gleaming with fierce resolve.

"Is it true that you don't regret what we did?" he asked. "Or were you just saying that earlier so they would get off your back?"

"Oh. Well I meant it," Lucy replied. "And I hope you don't regret it either."

"I don't!" Natsu exclaimed. Realizing his outburst, he ducked his face behind his scarf to hide his enthusiasm.

Still, he couldn't hide it from Lucy.

The girl blushed, clearing her throat and turning back towards her desk. She pretended to read through her notebook, absentmindedly flipping pages and moving her finger along the lines.

"Did you mean the other thing too?"

Her finger stopped, her eyes growing wide.

Slowly swiveling back around, she played with a lock of hair while swallowing thickly.

"M-Maybe," she replied meekly. "That is, if you want to, I mean."

"Do you want to?" Natsu asked.

"You tell me, I asked first!"

"No you didn't! I did!"

"No, your exact words were 'that is, if you want to.' Not a question, so I win!"

Lucy crosses her arms with a huff. "Well I want to, okay?" Realizing the words that slipped past her, she slapped her hands over her mouth. "I-I mean, we only did it once, so I'm still pretty inexperienced. I need to learn more if I really want to improve my writing."

"Oh, yeah. Your writing, of course," Natsu replied, nodding along. "And you do wanna be a famous author someday, so we can't let your writing be amateurish, right? What kinda best friend would I be if I didn't help you with your dream?"

"Exactly! So it's not weird for us to do this, right?"

"Not at all!"

The two broke eye contact, instead opting to stare at opposite walls as they laughed nervously.

"Well, let's set some ground rules if we're really going to do this," Lucy said, cupping her chin in thought. "First, we have to acknowledge that this is simply for my writing, that's it." After what Juvia said earlier, she couldn't risk Natsu getting the wrong idea. Not that he felt that way about her anyways, but just to be safe.

"Okay," Natsu replied, ignoring the punch to his gut he felt from her words. "I have a rule. If either one of us wants to stop, we have to tell the other person."

"Sounds good to me." Though she hoped he wouldn't want to stop anytime soon. "And most importantly, we can't let this ruin our friendship no matter what. If it seems like it's affecting our friendship, we call it quits. Got it?"

Natsu nodded. "Sounds good."

He held his hand out towards her, to which she accepted. They shook hands, solidifying their set of rules.

"So…" Natsu started, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Wanna go get some food?"

Lucy grinned. "Ooh yes! I'm starving!"

"Good! You're paying!"

"What!? No way! I paid last time!"

"No you didn't! I did!"

As the two bickered their way out of Lucy's apartment, their pact slipped their minds. In the moment, they were just two best friends, same as ever. Little did they know what the future had in store for them.

#fairy tail #nalu #lucy heartfilia #natsu dragneel #nalu fanfiction #ftfanfiction #ijr #its just research #super writes