#also i’m not saying whipping horses is Great or whatever but like. we should not throw objectivity out the window

[bidilfs]

it’s so so so hard to restrain myself from being some “well actually” dickhead on like 90% of animal posts on the internet. nobody knows the animal in that viral post died a few days later. the thing that everyone was cooing over was probably what killed it.

positing animals as objectively “better” than others or gleefully poking fun at “useless” ones shows a fundamental misunderstanding of evolution and harms your ability to understand ecosystems and conservation. so does getting offended on the behalf of an animal being called “primitive” and protesting it by taking a human-level “everyone is equal” approach to evolution.

there’s a variety of different flavors of people approaching science from an emotionally skewed perspective, usually with at least a dash of anthropomorphism and they all suck

#animal death mention ///// #sorry i saw a post that wasn’t worded perfectly and got mad lol #like yes evolution is not a refined arms race an animal isn’t somehow doing a bad job of evolving #but also primitive (while possibly misused) is not an insult #getting offended on the animal’s behalf is just as bad yknow it’s the same shit in a different direction #anthropomorphism & a skewed perspective aren’t better just bc ur approaching it from a more sympathetic background #anyway out of all the people that do this the ‘well i do/don’t like that so i assume that animal would feel the same’ are the absolute worst #still thinking about thay guy who hit himself with a jockey’s whip #and since it was really painful for him it must!!! also be really painful for the horse #that animal weighs 10x as much as you #deciding now all massages are torture because the amount of force used on a human could seriously injure a cat #i see no reason why these things would he any different #also i’m not saying whipping horses is Great or whatever but like. we should not throw objectivity out the window #just bc this time it benefits ‘our side’ to do so. yknow.

[grandmaster-anne]

Gyles Brandreth's Exclusive Extract Last Part

The Mail Plus | Published 27 November 2022

Just one example of the Queen’s pithily dry sense of humour, as revealed in GYLES BRANDRETH’s sparkling new biography. Here, in a final extract, he describes why — from pitch-perfect George Formby impressions to laughing at President Trump — she was ‘the best company in the world’

AT a polo match at Windsor, the actor Ian Ogilvy was in the refreshment tent when the Queen wandered in – ‘tweeds, headscarf, muddy wellington boots’.

When he was presented to her, to make conversation, the actor suddenly remembered the name of one of the horses she used to ride on ceremonial occasions.

‘I was wondering, ma’am – whatever happened to Burmese?’

‘Oh, my goodness,’ said the Queen, her face lighting up.  ‘Well, it’s funny you should ask, because I’ve just been to see her. She’s very old, of course, but she lives here at Windsor, in her own field just half a mile away.  

‘So I went into her field, you see, and she came trotting over, as always, because we know each other terribly well, of course – great old friends, in fact and I always take her a carrot or an apple or something – and I was just giving it to her, you see, when I heard this awful snorting and thumping noise and I looked up and there was this huge stallion charging at me! At full gallop!  

‘I had no idea what he was doing in Burmese’s field, but here he was, pounding towards me, and his eyes were all red and his ears were laid back and his enormous teeth were bared – just like this!’  

And here Ian Ogilvy claims to be one of the few of the late Queen’s subject to have seen Her Majesty ‘performing her homicidal horse routine’.  

‘And I knew without a shadow of doubt,’ the Queen continued, ‘that he was going to kill me so I ran, quite literally ran, as fast as I could to the gate and got out just seconds before he attacked me and – well, the fact is – you very nearly lost your sovereign’.

The fun of spending time with the Queen was finding out how much fun she was and discovering unexpected things about her. She really could sing ‘when I’m cleaning winders’ and the other songs George Formby sang to his banjolele when she was growing up during the war – and with Formby’s authentic Lancashire accent, too. (She was the Duke of Lancaster, after all.)   

Her fondness for practical jokes is well known, as when she wore a false ginger beard to greet Prince Philip on his return from a world tour – during which he’d been photographed sporting a full set of whiskers.

Those close to the Queen also speak of the many spot-on impressions she did (including an alarmingly accurate vocal recreation of Concorde coming in to land over Windsor Castle).

But it was her wry, dry, humorous way of looking at things that particularly struck me, and her appreciation of jokes.

Back when I was a Conservative MP, I know she was amused by the hand-written message sent to her daily from the Vice-Chamberlain – a member of the government whips’ office – whenever parliament was sitting.  

This ‘message’, as it’s known, was designed to give the Queen a flavour of the mood of the House of Commons – who was doing well, who wasn’t and how the wind was blowing. And in my day, the Vice-Chamberlain would also send Her Majesty some of my jokes.

It certainly amused her, for instance, when I told her that political correctness required that the Tory MP Sydney Chapman should properly be known these days as Sydney Personperson.

I once made the Queen laugh by telling her a story she claimed she had never heard before – but that both Tony Snowdon and the Lady Olivier (actress Joan Plowright) assured me is true.  

In the story, the Snowdons visit the Oliviers at their house in Brighton, and Lady Olivier and Princess Margaret are comparing notes on the progress of their baby boys. David Linley was born on November 3, 1961; Richard Olivier was born a month later, on December 3, 1961.  

Lady Olivier boasts that Richard has spoken his first word and she says she is ‘so pleased – and so is her husband – because Richard’s first word was “Dada”.’

Princess Margaret responds with the news that by happy coincidence, her little David had just spoken his first word.  

‘And what was it?’ asks Lady Olivier.

‘It was “chandelier”,’ says Princess Margaret proudly.

The Queen thought that very funny and reckoned it was possibly true, given the chandeliers that hang from the ceilings at Kensington Palace.  The nanny could have pointed it out to baby David in his cot, she said, and kept repeating, ‘chandelier!’

Thanks to my friendship with Prince Philip, I was often given privileged access to the Queen, to walk and talk with her as she went about her official duties. I also chatted with her at assorted private events and parties.

Her voice was softer, less artificial and less strangulated in conversation, than the voice we heard when she was opening Parliament or giving her Christmas Day broadcast.  

My conversations and small talk with her would all be recorded, on the day, in the diary I have been keeping since 1959. Over the years, I also talked to some of her friends and many of the people who worked with her. They, too, spoke fondly of her well-developed sense of humour.

Major-General Sir Sebastian Roberts, formerly Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion of the Irish Guards and Major-General commanding the Household Division, told me his happiest memory of Her Majesty.  

Rehearsing for Trooping the Colour, the Queen’s Birthday Parade, and riding a new horse, a powerful charger of nineteen-and-a-half hands, he said the animal ran away with him, careering down the Mall at 40 miles per hour.  

Eventually, with a cry of ‘pull the effing reins ’til the bridle comes out of his arse’ from a sergeant-major ringing in his ears, the Major-General managed to bring the horse under control.  

Later in the day, Roberts recounted the tale to the Queen. ‘She laughed and laughed and laughed.   I’ve never seen her laugh so much,’ he said.

And while we’re on horsey stories, cast your mind back to the wedding in 1973 of Princess Anne to Mark Phillips, a key member of the British three-day-eventing team that had triumphed in the Olympics the previous year.

‘I shouldn’t wonder if their children are four-legged,’ the Queen is supposed to have remarked.

Like other members of her family, the Queen also enjoyed comic glitches when nothing quite went to plan.

The King’s goddaughter India Hicks recalled one of these as we sheltered under an umbrella on September 14 this year, watching the royal hearse bring the Queen’s body back to Buckingham Palace for the last time.

We were talking about how the Queen was on constant show – even in death – when she told me a hilarious story about the time her mother, Pamela Mountbatten, had been accompanying the Queen on her post-Coronation Commonwealth tour.  

They were in Tonga, in the South Pacific, and it was late at night. Pamela bumped into the Queen when they were both stumbling around the Governor’s house, or whatever it was, looking for the bathroom.  

When they found it, they turned on the light – only to discover that on the other side of the bathroom a second door was wide open and looking out on to the garden, where 400 men were sitting by their campfires staring at them.  

The following morning was a Sunday, and the royal party had been hoping for a lie-in. Instead, the Queen and Prince Philip were woken at dawn by four men at their bedroom door blowing nose flutes in their honour.

Given the weirdness of her life (imprisoned by her fate: destined to be monarch from the age of ten), the Queen seemed to me to be quite remarkably well-balanced, rounded, grounded and at ease with herself, the world and her place in it.

From the moment of her coronation onwards, for more than 70 years, Elizabeth II was the object of adulation. People bowed and curtseyed before her on a daily basis.  When she went on international tours, hundreds and thousands – on occasion, millions – turned out to cheer.  

‘It didn’t affect her at all,’ the Duke of Edinburgh said to me. ‘She never for a moment thought the cheering was for her personally.  It’s for the position she holds – it’s for the role she fulfils, it’s because she’s Queen.   

‘That’s all.  She knows that.  Her head hasn’t been turned by being Queen – not at all.  She’s quite normal.’

Throughout her reign, she took the possibility of being in the firing line in her stride. At Christmas 2021, when the Queen was 95, a masked and hooded intruder wielding a crossbow – a 20-year-old from Southampton, Jaswant Singh Chail – approached a police officer in the grounds of Windsor Castle and announced he had come ‘to kill the Queen’.  

He was arrested and charged under the 1842 Treason Act. When the Queen was told about the incident, she said to one of her team in the Windsor Covid ‘bubble’: ‘Yes, well, that would have put a dampner on Christmas, wouldn’t it?’

This year, just a few days before the Queen died, I went to see her old friend Prue Penn at her home in Scotland. She showed me, because I asked, photographs of Her Majesty and her family at Lady Penn’s ninetieth birthday party.  

To illustrate the Queen’s humility, Prue told me about a dinner she and her husband had given for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and a few friends in their house in London.   

‘I had made a carefully thought-out table plan which I forgot to take with me into the dining room,’ she explained.

 ‘Consequently, I got into a serious muddle over the placing of our guests.  Seeing my confusion, Her Majesty took over and in no time at all had made a very good job of it, sat down and said, “Lucky you weren’t giving an important dinner party”.’

Cracking up: The Queen and Prince Philip watching a presentation by recruits of Welsh Brigade in 1963

The Queen added, grinning, ‘We don’t mind who sits where – but I know a few ambassadors who might.’   

Prue said to me quickly: ‘You mustn’t put that last bit in your book,’ but I want to risk it because it illustrates the Queen’s impish sense of humour.  

As does another of Lady Penn’s stories…

‘On one occasion when the Queen was staying with us in Suffolk,’ she said, ‘we went for a walk along the banks of the river Alde. Below the 12th Century St. Botolph Iken Church, we met a woman walking her dog which happened to be a corgi.  

‘Her Majesty was a magnet to dogs, and it made straight for her. She bent down to stroke and talk to it. Seeing the affinity between them, the woman asked if she happened to be a corgi fan, too.

'She said that she was, whereupon the owner said, “Well, you and I are in good company because the Queen has them too”.  

'‘‘’Wasn’t that killing?” the Queen said as we walked away.'

Richard Griffin, a former Royal Protection Officer, tells a lovely story in a similar vein of a time when he was out walking with the Queen near Balmoral.

 ‘Whenever we met people on these walks, the Queen would always stop and say hello.  One day we met a couple of American tourists and it was clear from the moment we first stopped they hadn’t recognised her.  

‘After they had been chatting a while, the American said to Her Majesty, “And where do you live?”  

‘She said, “Well, I live in London, but I’ve got a holiday home just the other side of the hills”.’   

‘The tourist then asked the Queen how long she had been visiting the area, and she replied: ‘For over 80 years, since I was a little girl.’   

‘Well,’ said the American, ‘if you’ve been coming up here for 80 years, you must have met the Queen?’   

According to Griffin, ‘As quick as a flash, she said, “Well, I haven’t, but Dickie here meets her regularly”.   

‘So the American guy said to me, “You’ve met the Queen? What’s she like?”   

‘Because I was with her a long time and I knew I could pull her leg, I said, “She can be very cantankerous at times, but she’s got a lovely sense of humour.”’   

‘The American tourist proceeded to put his arm around the protection officer and gave his camera to the Queen, asking if she’d take a picture of them both.’

Labour PM James Callaghan maintained all his conversations with her were enjoyable.  ‘One of the great things about her,’ he said, ‘is that she always seems able to see the funny side of life.’  

On her Silver Jubilee in 1977, James Callaghan’s Cabinet presented the Queen with a silver coffee pot.

‘Oh!’ the Queen said to Callaghan, apparently delighted, ‘I’m so glad you haven’t repeated Mr Disraeli’s gift to Queen Victoria. He gave her a painting of himself.’

The Queen liked to tease Edward Heath, even after he was no longer prime minister. In 1992, at a gathering of foreign heads of government, she told her former Conservative premier, ‘You’re expendable now.’  

Some commentators interpreted the remark as a deliberate put-down.  She was simply being playful.

 On another occasion, as he came aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, the Sovereign greeted Heath, mimicking a conductor, with the words, ‘Are you still waving your stick about?’

Not every prime minister relished the traditional Balmoral weekend, which took place every September.   Margaret Thatcher told me it really wasn’t her ‘cup of tea’.  She said she ‘dreaded’ the charades that she was expected to play after dinner at Balmoral.    

Long afterwards, the Queen, at a gathering of six of her prime ministers – including Mrs Thatcher – joked about ‘the party games which some of you have so nobly endured at Balmoral’ – but she nonetheless maintained the tradition.

According to Boris Johnson, the last prime minister the Queen got to know, the weekend there was fun. ‘There was a lot of laughter,’ he said, ‘a lot of laughter.’

In 2018, the Queen had to put up with Donald Trump striding ahead of her when he visited Windsor and inspected the Guard of Honour. Far from being offended, she was amused.

And that night, when the Queen saw herself on television, bobbing about behind him, she laughed out loud.

‘She really loved a good joke,’ recalled Major-General Sir Sebastian Roberts, who was Commander of the Household Division In April 1989 when Russia’s President Mikhail Gorbachev was coming on a state visit.

The communist leader was due to inspect a Guard of Honour at Windsor, and before the event Roberts received a call from Her Majesty.

‘What coats will the Coldstreamers be wearing, Sebastian?’ asked the Queen.  

‘Summer coats, Your Majesty, it’s almost mid-April,’ said Roberts.  

‘Could they wear their winter coats, Sebastian?’  

The Major-General told me: ‘So we scrambled to get the men out of their summer kit into their winter coats.

‘Gorby duly arrived at Windsor and was invited to inspect the Guard of Honour with the Duke of Edinburgh. Inspection done, Gorby said to the Queen – as every visitor always did after any Guard of Honour – “very impressive, marvellous uniforms”.

‘To which the Queen replied, with a twinkle in her eye, “Thank you, Mr President. They’re the Coldstream Guards. They got their bearskins from Napoleon at Waterloo and their greatcoats from you in the Crimea.”’

Once, I told the Queen I’d been to Dubai as a guest of the ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and that he had shown me around his famous Godolphin stables.

 ‘I envy you,’ she said. She knew the Sheikh well because of their shared love of racing.  

‘I went on my birthday,’ I said.  

‘Did he give you a present?’ she asked.  

‘Yes,’ I said, ‘but it wasn’t the white Rolls-Royce he had lent me for the week’.

‘What was it?’ she asked.   

‘It was something he said my wife would treasure.’  

The Queen looked at me wide-eyed: ‘Pearls?  Diamonds?’   

‘No,’ I said, ‘it was a small book of love poetry – poems written by the Sheikh himself and then translated into truly awful English by the retired British brigadier who worked as his ADC.’  

She laughed at that and told me she had received some ‘quite strange’ presents in her time, including all sorts of animals, from antelopes to zebra, and what she described as an ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of gems when she visited the Gulf states in 1979.  

‘Millions of pounds worth of jewellery and gold and silver,’ she said.  ‘I’m not sure what happened to it.  It’s probably locked up in a basement at the Foreign Office.’

Ask the Duke of Kent – now undeniably old and a bit unsteady on his feet – for his happiest, most vivid recollection of the Queen and he doesn’t hesitate.

‘She was just the best company,’ he said, smiling.  ‘So easy, so relaxed, so much fun.  When you were alone with her, when she was just being herself, she was simply the best company in the world.’

The Queen told me she had a soft spot for Rupert Bear. She remembered reading the Rupert annuals when she was a girl, and said Prince Charles loved Rupert, too.  

I told her that Rupert aficionados claim that Rupert isn’t a bear at all: he is a boy with a bear’s head.   

‘That can’t be right,’ she said, ‘Surely not.’  

‘Well,’ I said, ‘if you look at the pictures, you’ll see he’s got fingers on his hands and very human-looking feet.’  

‘I’m sorry you told me that,’ she said.  ‘Some things are best left unknown, don’t you think?’

Read Extract 1 Extract 2

#Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait by Gyles Brandreth #queen elizabeth ii #biography

[girlmaster132]

(Yan)Childe x Reader: Remember Me?

This is like my first in this app please bare with me lmao.

Rated: Mature Words: 3.1k Warning: Kidnapping, Name Calling, Bullying.

Second-Person POV:

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

You wince as you pick up the burnt food on the ground. You accidentally poured in too much oil and you threw the fish away. This was a simple Grilled-Tiger Fish yet you can't even do it. How clumsy are you? You picked up the failed meal and threw it in the trash. You sigh as you shook your head and went to the table to eat one of the fruits on the table.

    You moved to the window and opened it. The sun shined bright, the sounds of people enticing customers to their stalls can be heard up to your house. Liyue Harbor is such a calm and relaxing place. Well, as long as you don't evade tax that is.

    It's been years since you've lived in Liyue, in contrast to most people here who have a specialty in cooking. You only ever bought food here. You took a bite into the apple and got ready for the day.

    You leave your house and walk down the stairs. Opening the door you're met with the friendly people of Liyue.

    "Goodmorning Y/N off to work?" You turn around and see Ganyu walking towards you.

    "Yes Ms. Ganyu, it's the last day before a week's break. I decided to get there earlier so I can get all my work done. I hate going on the weekends. Also, it's rare to see you out of your workplace, what brings you here?" You say. Ganyu giggles and pats you on the back.

    "Well, I have some important business to do. Don't waste time and off to work you go! Can't miss any seconds, time is gold!"

    You smile at Ganyu and continue your stroll to the outskirts of Liyue. You pass children playing with their kites, tag, and some even roleplayed as the Millelith. The vendors yell as they advertise their product in any way they can. You reached the bridge and continued your way to the statue of the seven.

    You bow down to the statue of Rex Lapis. He was such a different god from the previous one you had. Reaching the building of your office, you fixed your clothing and walked proudly. Opening the door and walking, Something felt off. There would usually be people welcoming you inside. The room should have open lights and a warm temperature. Instead, the building was dark, and it's eerily quiet. You sharply inhale.

    "Guys? Where are you?" You shouted as you searched each room you pass through. Was it a holiday and you accidentally went to work? But Ganyu would've told you earlier.

    The moment you arrived at the secluded area, you felt a hand with a handkerchief pressed over your mouth. You look back and attempt to punch them. Your heart beats rapidly and you squirm. More men appear and one of them punches you hard in the stomach. You fall to your knees as they hold you down and suffocate you. Black spots forming in your eyes as the world around you is rapidly fading quickly.

    "Is this one of the people on the list?"

    "Yeah, he's the last one." The man says.

    You try to struggle one last time as you close your eyes and drift to sleep. You squirm, punch, do anything. You struggle.

    And struggle, and struggle.

    And for the last time, you—

...

Struggle.

    You were being held down by Alek. He has always done this to you for as long as you can remember. Your face smeared across the snowy floor. It was cold and freezing, why is your life like this?

    "Y/N! I thought you wanted to be in the military!" He laughed, "Is it because your father is so poor he'd sacrifice you anytime to get money!"

    You sob and try to push yourself up, but Alek steps at your back. Leo, your other tormentor kicks you in the face, "How about your mom? Is she selling herself again to earn money? What a whore!"

    "My... Mom's not a whore..." You whimpered as the two boys made fun of you more. Blood trickles down your nose, you have a black eye and a broken self-esteem.

    "Hey!" A familiar voice shouted. He aimed his arrow and shot it right beside you threatening the two other kids. Your eyes light up and you see your best friend Ajax. He slides down the snow hill and directs the bow at the two boys. "Let him go! Or I will shoot."

    The two boys stare at Ajax. "And who might you be? We haven't met you before."

    "Someone that will kick your ass and make you fear my name." The two looked at each other and laughed. They glance back at you and Leo picks you up. Ajax glare would be enough to kill these two. Without warning rushes at them. He raises his fist and punches Alek right in the nose. Leo drops you roughly into the ground and before he could do anything, Ajax swings his bow at him and uppercuts him in the jaw.

    Your eyes light up as you watch Ajax beating them up a bit too hard. He strikes them with his bow without mercy. "Don't you fucking dare, return to this village. You got me!"

    "Ajax..." You call out, he stops and faces you. "I think they had enough." He shoves Leo into a tree and approaches you. The two boys ran away with fear. He crouches and touches your face.

    "Ajax, thanks for saving me again." You breathe out. He hugs you and lifts you. "Hey! This is embarrassing!" You hide your face and he bursts out laughing.

    "You can barely even stand, don't get shy of a friend helping you out." He carries you and runs you back to his place. The wind was a gentle breeze you blush slightly as he passes through the village. He sits you on the porch and opens the door.

    "Wait, is anyone home? I might disturb them,"

    "Nonsense!" He pulls you into a room and opens the lights. "Stay here, I'll get something for that black eye and a broken nose." He rushes into a room. You hum and wait, he returns with an entire medkit.

    "You don't have to, that's a waste of supplies. I thought you were just going to give me a cold compress—"

    "Here have some of this, your nose is bleeding," He ignores your complaints and brings you a cloth. "Now for that eye," He takes out a cold compress and gives it to your other hand. You apply it to your eye as you wipe your face off the blood. He happily sits beside you.

    "I wish I can be like you, strong, powerful, and brave. Do you ever wish to be part of the military?"

    "Nah, I don't think I'll ever join the military soon. I like to fight but you're more fit for that."

    "You're just wasting your time, thanks for being my sparring partner and the person that always saves me but..." You trail off.

    "But what?"

    "I'm someone you can leave behind. I'm the one getting prepared to become a soldier but I can't even fight those two. You don't even get training yet you're better than me. I bet you're just doing this because you don't want to hurt my feelings."

    "Y/N don't think about that!" Ajax smiles, "I enjoy your company! Even if you win or lose as long as you learn with me I am fine with that!" your face heats up and you look down at the floor.

    "That's sweet of you to say..." You whisper.

    Silence.

    His demeanor changes, "Y/N I've always wanted to tell you something, I've—"

    The door opens, "Y/N I knew you'd be here. Your father is calling you, he orders you to go home now," He walks towards you, "Yeesh, what happened to you kid?"

    "Oh just Alek and Leo doing their thing again... Your son saved me again sir! He's such a nice friend," You compliment. "I'm sorry I used some of your medical supplies."

    "It's okay boy, I don't mind. No hurry, your father needs you."

    "See you Ajax and thank you so much for helping me!" You bow down and run outside, waving goodbye.

...

You walk through the snow and trees. You arrive home and see a carriage and a ton of boxes everywhere. "What's this all about?"

    "We're leaving, pack your things before afternoon." You stand there in shock. Leaving? To where?

    "W-what! Father, why do we have to leave again? Where are we even going? Aren't we fine? You say if I trained and got in the military we'd be safe. W-why?" You stuttered. Looking at your father who's hastily fixing the bags. He grabs your shoulders.

    "Liyue, we have the biggest chance of surviving there. We can't pay off our debt anymore, they'd kill us!" He yells at your face, making you shake in fear.

    "B-but where's mom? And Ajax— I still haven't said my goodbyes to him." He grabs your hand and pulls you roughly.

    "Your mom won't be returning any time soon, we have to hurry. And as for Ajax, I told him about the two of us leaving for Liyue. You're not good enough, look at you. Whenever you get back here you get beaten up by such a useless piece of shit. There's no time so get your goddamn stuff and let's leave this hell hole!" He pushes you and his words echoed through your mind. You wipe a tear threatening to fall down your face.

    You pack all your clothes and whatever you can hoard in a box. You throw it in the carriage and your father commands you to get in. You are sad, at the sudden change.

    "Hey! Wait up!" Ajax shouts. You see him out of breath, his eyes full of worry.

    "It's best if you don't follow us..." You say. Your eyelids get heavy and hide your face. You look back once more to see Ajax chasing you with full speed. Your father grunts and whips the horse to go faster. You watch as he fails to match the speed.

    "Wait, Y/N! Don't leave me please!"

    And that was the last you've heard of your best friend.

...

The room is silent and uncanny. You squirm around and freedom has no avail. Your eyes are covered and your hands are tied. You start to panic and hyperventilate.

    "Looks like the last one woke up," you hear a voice.

    "Are these the hostages?"

    "Yes, we're just waiting for the boss to return," says the other. Footsteps were circling the room. You feel like you're about to vomit. Your insides churn at the fact that you're kidnapped by other people in the room.

    "This one seems to be eager for a beating!" The agent jokes. The blindfold tightly wrapped around your face stops you from absorbing info about the matter. Your hair gets roughly pulled and you gasp. They laugh at your attempt to escape from them. You hear the door creak open.

    "Well hello there, you did a great job you two, now would you mind if you avoid touching the hostages?"

    "Yes sir!" And with that, the two men drop you down. The newcomer arrives and clears his throat.

    "All of you calm down. We're waiting for your greedy scum of a boss to pick you up from here in about an hour. There are 6 people in here, If he arrives early and pays, we'll set you free. If he doesn't," You hear him chuckle. "Every 10 minutes wasted I will pick one of you and make sure none of you get out of here without a broken bone or two. So hopefully he responds and gives the money he owes us. Just hope this boss of yours is kind."

    Time ticks the sounds of your co-workers begging for freedom gets hushed by threats and punches.

    10 minutes had passed.

    "Looks like one of you is lucky," You hear a loud slap and a person groan. You witness your co-worker get beaten up. You flinch every time he begs for mercy. You hid in the corner of the room, hoping to dear god your boss would arrive now. You didn't even know nor want to do anything about this debt they were talking about. With one last punch, you hear a thud, ending one's suffering.

    You try to calm yourself down but you can't stop it. You huff and puff loudly, sweating bullets, stomach-churning, dying from the anticipation. All of these give all the attention to you.

    Another 10 minutes passed, it didn't even feel like it. Time was ticking too fast you've lost all hope of getting out of here.

    "Sheesh, that old geezer really does not care about you folks does he? Now, who should the lucky winner be?" His steps got louder and you know he's going to hurt you. He grabs your hair and pulls your blindfold and throws it. He raises his fist ready to strike. "Now you little-"

    "Ajax? Is that you?" You asked, blinking to clear the light. He's taller and has a Fatui mask on his face. He still looks as handsome as you remember. He halts and stammers.

    "H-how do you know about that? Are you one of Liyue's spies? Or are you an eavesdropper that knows too much?" He studies you before saying, "Keep an eye on the other 5, I have to deal with this one." You gulp as he harshly tugs your arm. He drags you into the room beside and throws you into the wall. Your heart sinks, whatever happened to your best friend? You feel the tears swell up in your eyes as sadness overtakes you.

    "A-ajax don't you remember me?"

    "As far as I can remember, I don't know anyone that's part of an organization that borrowed money from us. I only know your boss, and his subordinates are going to get a good beating if he doesn't arrive with the money."

    You stare at his eyes, it's devoid of the sparkling light of hope and kindness. It's empty and dark, soulless and heartless. You gulp and a tear escapes out of your eye.

    "I'm a coward..."

    "Save the tears and sad story for later. I'll get back to you after your boss returns." He rolls his eyes and scoffs. He stands up and he quickly walks to the door.

    "I'M A COWARD THAT LEFT THE MILITARY AND YOU ALONE!" You shout as you reach your hand up to him. "I was never fit to become a soldier! And I made you suffer!" You sat down and tears streamed down your face.

    Childe stops walking and looks back at you. His eyes widened and his mouth agape.

    "Y/N? How're you— alive? My father told me you were taken away and you... died...."

    "W-what? My father said that he informed you about the two of us leaving Snezhnaya to hide in Liyue. We couldn't pay off our debt, and mom never returned the same day you rescued me from those two asshats."

    His eyes softened like every memory of you two together came crashing to him. A small smile appeared on his face as he approached you slowly. Each step he takes, you take one back.

    "I'm sorry I- just hurt me..." His hand reaches for your face and he looks directly into your eyes. He leans in and you feel his soft lips touch with yours. The moment was bliss, you close your eyes and hold onto him. You breathe in sharply as he pulls out. He wipes away your tears and lets out a laugh.

    "I can't believe you're alive Y/N. I missed you, and you aren't a coward," he says. Your stomach somersaults and you hug him. "Now, let's get to it." You look up to him and then A sudden sharp pain surges and paralyzes you. A knife digs into your abdomen. You widen your eyes and more tears stream down your face.

    "A-Ajax?" You whimper and your body numbs. Your legs weaken and Childe catches you. He chuckles as he runs his hand through your hair. You cough out blood and he whispers into your ear.

     "Shh... it will be okay. Y/N just relax, you'll be fine with me. Just sleep, we'll talk in a bit."

...

You flutter your eyes. Everything was so blurry, your body is ready to fall apart from exhaustion. The pain of your best friend betraying you loomed and haunted your thoughts. You sluggishly move and the pain shoots through your stomach. You wince and attempt to cover it. You realize something is attached to your wrists. You move your hand and hear the clanks of chains. You dart in that direction and see that both of them were chained in the wall. The room is pitch black.

    Your heart races and you panic. You struggle but your efforts are futile. Something heavy was weighing you down. You look down to your feet to see chains shackled on your ankles.

    Your breathing gets erratic, and adrenaline rushes through you. The sounds of footsteps came near and you waited for the danger. The door loudly opens and you see Childe enter.

    "You're finally awake! Took you long enough, I know you don't like to keep friends waiting," He exclaims while crouching down to your level.

    "Where am I? Ajax why the fuck am I chained?"

    "You'll never be able to leave me anymore. We're going to be together just like before! Aren't you excited! We have so much to catch up to, after you left I thought you died! So I chased after you and fell to the abyss—"

    "Abyss?! Is that why you've cracked your head and went mad!" His grin widens and he giggles.

    "You've always been funny Y/N I've loved your jokes. The abyss was such a fun place. I always thought that if you weren't in this world anymore, you'd be there! But foolish little ol' me remembered you are an angel, they don't fall into the abyss. They fly up into the sky," He rambles with a twisted smile on his face. You raise your brow, scared for dear life.

    "This isn't right Ajax! Y-you fell into the abyss?! What happened to you! Why are you doing this to me? Let me go!" You yell. His face drops and he laughs maniacally. He comes closer and rubs your shoulders. His hand runs down to your chest. He licks his lips and stares at your eyes, piercing through your soul.

    "We're going to have some fun."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Author's Note: I swear to God idk what I just wrote ;-;

If you enjoy whatever the hell I wrote you can follow me on WP too! 

https://www.wattpad.com/story/264619512-genshin-impact-oneshots-x-readers-x-characters

#Childe #genshin impact #genshinimpact #genshin_impact #childe x reader #genshin x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #genshin x you #yandere

[achliegh]

Golden

(Sorry if this Chapter is lack luster :/ )

Yeehaw Leo… it's all because this song came on one day (I don’t even really listen to country anymore so it really is fate). Leo is based off that song, each chapter is going to be based off a yeehaw song too.

Characters belong to @lumosinlove

TW/CW: Smut, terrible yeehaw sayings and jokes, injuries, mentions of past death, minor character death, underage drinking, mentions of past arrests, cringe

Chapter Songs (listening in order is recommended):

Ladies Love Country Boys

Bonfire Playlist: Spotify, Youtube

Watching Airplanes

Chapter 2:

Cowboy Sweet Ass sent you a Location

New Message from Cowboy Sweet Ass

See you there ;)

Finn was nervous, he wasn’t gonna lie, Logan and Him are leaving tomorrow for Gryff and this is the last night they can see Leo. Who, neither of them will admit this, has kindly wiggled his way into their brains for every minute of everyday. Sometimes to break a long silence between the two of them they will talk about Leo. How they were going to cope when they can’t see him again is unknown and something he didn’t want to think about.

They hadn’t actually seen Leo in the past five days, with their training schedule and Leo helping set up a charity arena for the thing they were supposed to meet him at tonight, it was just late night calls that were still kinda awkward at times. But always had them smiling as they fell asleep.

Walking up the dirt path, where the uber had dropped them off, Logan and Finn weren’t sure they were in the right place until they saw the huge crowd gathered around a tall metal fence with bleachers and an announcers corner that's up on a hydraulic lift, speakers set up so people can hear the quick talking of the men commenting on whatever was happening.

Horses and people on them were everywhere. This causes Logan a lot of stress, as someone who is terrified of horses… This is not ideal. Especially when one is trotting toward them at a scary fast speed.

Finn recognized Clayton immediately, trotting over at a leisurely pace on a cool looking horse he waves. He notices Logan hiding himself completely behind Finn’s back. Finn held his hand out for Logan to take and squeeze if everything got too much for him. Logan wasn’t good in big crowds.

“Well look who it is!” Clayton hops off his living vehicle and patting her neck. “Let me introduce you to my babe, This” He gestures towards the mare, “Is Leroy, she is a Blanket Appaloosa! Have you guys met Peanut yet? He’s chilling with Eloise, Leo’s mom, you better hope he likes you or else… yeah, or else.” Clay flashes them his slightly crooked but stupidly white smile as he absentmindedly pets Leroy’s neck.

Feeling a squeeze of his hand he looks back to see an absolutely terrified Logan, not knowing about his fear of horses Finn is just confused. So, he goes into a ‘ get Logan alone’ mind set.

“We will find you in a minute, we’re gonna explore!” Finn smiles back and Clayton nods as he swings his leg back over Leroy and clicks his tongue so she struts back towards the group of other yeehaws on their own horses, they all had numbers pinned to their backs which was weird but Finn guessed Leo would explain later. Claytons was CR243, and it looked like it was about to fall off. He notices how someone would go in real fast and then come out after a minute or two. The announcer talked too fast for him to catch.

Leading Logan to a more open area he turns to face him and raises an eyebrow.

“Okay, what's wrong?”

“Ummmm, J'ai peur des chevaux….” Logan isn’t looking him in the eyes and has an embarrassed flush to his face. Finn, having no clue what he said, gently grabs his chin to make him look at him, Lo hasn’t run his finger through his hair yet so that means he isn’t nervous around Finn at least. Fixing Logan with a slightly irritated but still worried look, Logan sighs and tries to say something but instead what comes out is a terrified yelp as something takes his hat off his head and pulls some of his hair at the same time, then drops it at his feet.

Whipping around and jumping into Finn’s arms bridal style Logan shrieks as he is met with a blonde horse that almost looks smug. The little splotchy white stripes on its snoot may make it look kinda cute but Logan knows what can happen if you get on a horse's bad side. It happened to Sydney, he didn’t need it to happen to him too.

“Peanut!” A very tall and beautiful older woman walks over to them laughing a little, she has a hearing aid in her left ear and soft blue eyes bright with amusement stare them down. “Sorry Y’all, he likes to find new people to mess with.” She smiles and there is just something so familiar about those deep dimples and sharp cheekbones. She is wearing tight jeans with knee high army green cowboy boots, a white button up with a black cowboy hat contrasting the golden curls falling out from under it. She is wearing a sash with the words ‘Miss Louisiana 1971’ the wrinkles on her face didn’t make her look old and crinkly like people like to think, but more like a gracefully aging woman. She holds her hand out to Finn for him to shake, Logan is still in his arms so it is as much of an invitation to him as Finn. “I’m Eloise, this is my son’s horse.” She looks them up and down after shaking both their hands. “He would like you two.” She smiles one last time, giving them a giant wink and leads Peanut away from them back to the bullpens where they spot Leo sitting on the top of a fence talking to a couple of people.

Finn looks at Logan and sets him down.

“So.. horses?”

“Shut up”

“You go for a cowboy and are afraid of horses!” Finn is bent over laughing and clutching his stomach while Logan crosses his arms and looks around annoyed after he dusted off his hat and put it back on his head.

“What’s so funny?” they look over to see Leo in full get up. Smiling bright, showing off his chipped tooth. His hair was flattened by a black sturdy cowboy hat, his blue button up vibrant under his black vest. The vest had a couple of logos stitched into it for Absolut Vodka, Mt. Dew, and Ariat…. Leo was sponsored? He was also wearing some jeans that fit him just right around his booty that they could see through his assless black chaps that had iridescent tassels on them, with his black boots and belt to match. His silver buckle stood out with the light reflecting off it.

“Wow… you look great.” Logan just melts into Leo’s side when Leo wraps an arm around his shoulders. “But tell Finn to stop being a jerk.” Logan put on his best pout when looking up at the taller man, who looked at him with a look that made his heart feel like it was about to jump out of his chest. It didn’t alarm him though, it was nice to feel like this. But it can’t last forever.

“What's he doing that's so mean.” Leo turns his attention to Finn who is smiling at them like he's watching two kittens cuddle into each other. His eyes bright with happiness, his smiles wide.

“He’s making fun of me because I’m scared of horses.” Logan wraps his arms around Leo’s waist and squishes his cheek into his chest to look as cute as possible, so Leo will be on his side. Which… fails.

“You’re afraid of horses!” Leo hugs Logan as he starts laughing, smacking a kiss on the top of Logan’s annoyed forehead and squeezes him. “You’re so cute.” Suddenly they hear numbers coming over other speakers and Leo perks up. “Oh I’m up soon! I hope y’all are gonna stay and watch because I would love to take you to the bonfire tonight.” He pulls Finn into the embrace and gives them both a quick peck on the lips, smiling when they chase his lips. “There should be an open spot in the bleachers or, you could watch from Peanut.”

“Bleachers!” Logan gets out of Leo’s arms and starts pulling both the boys towards the crowd without horses. Leo helps them find a spot next to some girls who flirt with Leo but he has no fucking clue. He is just focused on getting Finn and Logan a good spot.

“Alright, my number is BR11710, so when you hear that you’ll know I’m up! I think Clay might come and find you, he had a good run earlier wrangling those troublemaking claves, so keep an eye out for him.” He smiles and climbs down the bleachers gracefully until the last small step where his spur gets caught and he has to yank it out of the cevous it got stuck in. Looking back up at Finn and Logan his cheeks were red as he shrugged and sauntered off towards the chutes.

“Hola losers!” Clayton plops down above with and slaps a hand on their shoulders. “Excited to see him ride? Or have you already? Actually I would know because we overshare way too much.” Smiling, Clayton is covered in dirt and his cowboy hat has been traded out for a ball cap and his button up taken off to be just a white tank top. A tall pale girl sat down with Clayton and was scrolling on her phone looking uninterested. Clayton sits up and wraps an arm around her waist. “Oh this is Ashley, my girlfriend.” She looks up and gives them an irritated wave before going back to her phone.

“Ride? What’s he doing?” Finn looks at him confused after sharing a look with Logan about the irritated girlfriend, then they hear the announcers call Leo's number.

“Alrighty ladies and gentlefolk! We have something special for y’all! One of our very own PBR riders is here to ride the roughest toughest bull of the day! Ole Forty Days!” The crowd cheers as a confused Finn and Logan look at Clayton who whoops and hollers for his bestie. Whistling with his thumb and forefinger in his mouth.

“Alright Jimmy lets get in some commentary before the ride starts, Leo Knut is a 19 year old Professional Bull Rider, his Mother is Eloise Knut also known as Miss Rodeo of 1970 and Miss Louisiana of 1971. His father was Wyatt Knut, Air Force Veteran who was also Leo’s biggest role model.”

“Was?” Logan whispers and gives a sad look to Finn who is busy watching Leo, he is on this tank of an animal, large, white, horns the size of his whole forearm. Leo was adjusting the way he is sitting and has an underside grip on the rope around the bull, wrapping it around his palm to make sure there isn’t a tether that can be stepped on and yank him off.

“Ole Forty Days is the only PBR bull here today, worth millions he is undefeated 32-0 in his career this year. Will Leo who is 30-2 this year be able to stay on those eight seconds.”

Leo hits the challenge button and the gate flies open, Ole Forte days is wild! Finn is automatically on his feet as he watches Leo with his hand up in the air, eyes hard from focusing and counting in his head. Forte turns a 45 degree buck and just about tosses Leo but his grip is so tight that he lasts those eight seconds. The announcers went crazy the entire time.

As he dismounts the still bucking bull his wrist gets caught in the rope he was holding earlier because of the way his glove is falling apart. The rodeo clowns distract the bull fast enough for Leo to get himself detached, falling on the ground. The bull tosses Leo onto the ground and just misses stomping on his ankles. Leo hops onto the fence, the adrenaline is pumping through his veins and his eyes are bright as he searches for the boys in the stand watching him with fear etched into their faces. When his eyes met Logan’s the fear turned into relief and Leo felt the adrenaline making his heart beat even faster.

After Forte is corralled back into the pen to have the rope around his hips removed Leo jumps off the fence and takes his hat off bowing to the crowd, and they love it, whistling and whoops are heard. He points to Finn, Logan and Clayton. Clayton is so excited and starts dragging the other two down the bleachers leaving Ashley behind. Leo doesn’t like her at all so it's fine. Leo turns around and walks towards sports medicine and lets them take a look at his wrist. As his adrenaline starts to fade away the tweak in his wrist starts to bother him as the medic wraps it up.

“You just ruined Forte’s career!” Clay hugs him from the side and picks him up all excited, his girlfriend who decided to join looks at them unapprovingly. Finn and Logan basically tackle Leo to the ground once Clay puts him down. One on each side of him, balanced.

“Are you insane! That could have killed you!” Finn is shaking a laughing Leo by his collar as Logan examines the way his wrist is wrapped.

“I know, I technically wrecked at the end but I still got my eight seconds!” He smiles and takes his hand from Logan, cupping his cheek and rubbing his thumb over the soft skin.

“You never told us you rode bulls! Leo, a little heads up would have been appreciated!” Logan whacks him on the back of the head after they stand up.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. How can I make it up to you?” Leo puts an arm around them and kisses their temples. They had an idea. Where to do it was the question.

The rodeo ended not long after Leo’s ride, the charities the winners chose would be given a five thousand dollar check courtesy of the Knut’s. After Leo was done taking down the arena, a large pile of wood was set up with large equipment. Leo pulled a Clayton and took off his chaps, vest, button down, and hat off so he was wearing a white shirt and a ball cap.

Leo made up for scaring Finn and Logan by pulling them into the back seat of his truck. Leo sitting in the middle of the seat with Finn straddling one leg, hunched over and sucking on Leo’s neck. Logan straddled Leo’s other leg and kissed him with a ferocity that made them both groan. Leo rested his hands in Finn’s hair and on Logan’s hip. Pulling away Leo turns his head to face Finn, guiding him from his neck to lips. He feels Logan push his hand underneath his shirt and smirks into his kiss with Finn. Moving his hands to squeeze both of their asses, causing Logan’s breath to hitch and Finn to moan. He is about to suggest something spicy when a knock on the window alerts them that the party has started.

Why does Clay always have to stick to his word? Leo asked him to let them know when it was time to move his truck to have the tailgate facing the fire, and now was that time. Leo’s head thumps back onto the seat as he lets out an annoyed sigh.

“Well, I guess we have a party to attend… I’m gonna get so drunk.” He smiles and gives his boys one last kiss before he ushers them out of the truck so he can get out of the backseat to move it.

Finn wanders over to Clayton who has Ashley under his arm, she is tall and very skinny. Her long brown hair was in a French braid, she was wearing short shorts, boots and a crop top. He has a very sour look on her face as Finn walks over to them. Logan on the other hand, goes to take a piss in the porta potty. Something he is not fond of doing.

Leo moves his truck and gets out to put the tailgate down so people can sit on it, climbing into the bed of the truck he opens the cooler in the back and takes out two budlights, Leo doesn't really care for budlight but they need to be drunk.

“CLAYTON!” He shouts as the three walk over to the truck, chucking the beer at his friend; they both take out their keys, puncturing the cans and shotgunning the beers.

A few hours and a lot of drinks later Leo was singing to Finn, standing between his legs as Finn sat on the tailgate next to Logan who was filming.

“You can train 'em, You can try to teach 'em right from wrong. But it's still gonna turn 'em on!” Finn can’t help but laugh and wrap his arms around Leo’s necklaces he sang, every once in while facing Logan's phone and singing into the camera as he filmed. Taking a drink of his beer he smacks a sloppy kiss on Finn's cheek and skips away to Clayton to dance like idiots as Luke Bryan sang about shaking it for birds and bees.

The two drunken best friends wrap and arm around each other hips with their drinks in the other hand, putting left side to right side they swing back and forth to the beat as they scream out the music.

Later on Leo picks Logan up so his arms are around his neck and his legs are around his waist and spins around while humming to a song about wheels and Finn looks so smitten that clayton takes a picture to show him and laughs as he send it to Leo, who has managed to misplace his phone… for the millionth time.

Setting Logan down he wraps his arms around the shorter man's shoulders and rests his chin on top of his head as he bounces to the beat. Logan leans his forehead to rest on Leo’s chest and uses his hand that isn’t holding his water to loop his finger into one of Leo’s belt loops he wishes he could take a screenshot in his brain.

Hours passed, singing and horrible dancing, more drinking for Clay and Leo until it sounded like a good idea to see who could crush a folding table by jumping off Clayton’s truck. Finn managed to lead them away before they actually tried it by telling them’ Leo could def dance better than Clayton’. Which turned into the worst dance battle ever seen. Two drunk teenagers and country music make for terrible dancing but a lot of laughs. Eventually, the fire dies down, the drinks run out and the boys get tired. Finn wrangles Leo into the back seat of the truck after lifting the tailgate, moving to go to the drivers seat because Logan might be to short to drive and they are to dumb to figure out how to move the seats, Leo latches onto him and pulls him into the backseat with him.

“Hey! How do you expect me to drive back here!” Finn pokes Leo’s nose and Leo catches his finger in his mouth biting him. Finn squawks and pulls his finger away. Looking at Leo offended, laughing a little as Leo is looking at him with this tiny smirk. “That was rude.” Leo narrows his eyes playfully and flips them so Finn is laying on his back with Leo snuggling into his chest.

Logan gets in on the passenger side and looks up to see Finn in the back seat being snuggled by an oddly cat like Leo who is rubbing his face on Finn’s soft t shirt, when his eyes meet Logans he blushes so vibrantly pink and has the shyest smiles as he hides his face in Finn’s chest again. Logan looks at Finn who looks like he's dying from cuteness overload. Logan moves over to the driver's seat and sits all the way on the edge of the seat to be able to touch the petals. Logan doesn’t have a clue where Leo lives… but he does remember how to get back to the hotel.

Trying to get a clingy 6’3” cowboy into a hotel room while he is intoxicated is a lot easier than you would think. He was tired, stripping down the second they walk into the door he lands on the bed in his boxer briefs and spoons Logan and grips Finn’s arm as he falls asleep.

They all slept incredibly well that night, warm, close, and together.

The next morning was the morning The Lions leave to go back to Gryffindor. Leo was up before the other two, showered and dressed when he woke them up with peppering kisses all over their faces.

“Good morning, Honey Bees. Y’all need to get up and get ready to leave, you go home today.” Leo runs his hand through Finn’s hair as he greets them with a sad smile. He doesn’t want them to leave, but he knows that this isn’t some fairytale where two princes will give up their dreams to be with him. That’s not what he wants anyway. The other two finally get up, Finn goes to shower as Logan changes and packs his bag. Glancing at Leo every once in a while, like he wants to say something.

“Leo, what are you still doing here?” Logan drops his bag by the door and turns around to face the taller man, crossing his arms and giving Leo a cold look. Leo is a little taken back by this, Logan has never looked at him like that, and he wasn’t expecting it from how nice yesterday was.

“I was to see you two off… is that okay?” Leo starts to feel uncomfortable under the harsh eyes he found so pretty, he starts picking at the wrap around his wrist, breaking eye contact with Logan as a sinking feeling seeps into his chest. He never expected anything to actually come from this but he ached for it.

He knows where this is going.

“I don’t know what you think is going to happen after we leave, but we aren’t going to be fawning over you when we are busy with our own careers. You are just… a guy who we had a fling with. Finn and I aren’t even together so don’t expect anything.” Logan's voice stayed low in volume but echoed in Leo’s ears.

“I wasn’t expecting anything. I just wanted to see you guys leave, say goodbye, maybe…” Leo didn’t finish his sentence when he looked up at an annoyed and frustrated Logan. “What did I do?” He hears the bathroom door open and Finn walks into the room whistling in fresh clothes as he dries his hair with a towel.

“You don’t mean anything to us Leo'' Finn hears Logan and knows exactly what’s going on, Logan has done this to him many times. This is Logan’s way of cutting off something he wants in a way he knows won't bring the person back, even though he always feels horrible eventually. Finn has been a victim of Logan’s lashing out many times, and he hasn’t left, because he loves Logan. He really really likes Leo, he gives his heart a similar jolt that Logan does. From what they have discussed, Logan felt the same. Logan doesn’t allow himself the luxury of feeling like this though.

Leo looks absolutely shattered after Logan’s words sank in. He looks over to Finn who looks like he’s in his own head, then back to Logan. “I really really like you guys-”

“Stop being a fucking child Leo! This isn’t something we can continue after we leave, we would get torn to shreds by the league! Not everything is about you and we don’t want you! So just go back to your fucking farm and forget us.” Logan grabs his bag and walks out the door slamming it shut, going to be the first one on the bus that just pulled up to take the team to the airport.

Leo stares at where Logan was when red catches his eye, Finn stops and gives Leo a sad smile, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. Finn then turns his back to Leo and follows Logan out the door. Leaving Leo alone in the hotel room… He reaches in his pocket and pulls out the hotel keycard, standing up he goes to leave it on the table of the room, he stops just before he sets the key down.

He takes the card and walks out of the room, Climbing into his truck that was horribly parked, he finds his phone on the floor of the passenger side. Picking up his phone, he calls up the only person he knows who would be willing to hang out even if he was sick from last night.

“Clay? Can you meet me somewhere?”

A half hour and some McDonald's hash browns later. Clayton and Leo were sitting on top of Leo’s truck hood watching the airplanes take off, sipping on soda they got with their food. They watched in a comfortable silence as planes brought people in and took people away.

Logan and Finn were on one of those.

#leo knut #logan tremblay #finn o'hara #james potter #thomas walker #Clayton Bruss #o'knutzy #o’knutzy #lumosinlove #sweater weather #coast to coast

[ijustwant2write]

City Girl-Bonnie Gold x Shelby!Reader

(GIF credit to @pcllygray)

Masterlist

Prompts

Tags: @jenepleurepasbaby @amirahiddleston @bloodorangemoonlight @haphazardhufflepuff @mzcrazy2

Requested by anonymous: 'Hello my love! I hope it’s alright to request. Lately I’ve been an even bigger sucker for Bonnie Gold. Could you maybe do something where the reader is a Shelby, and Bonnie falls for them but has no clue that their brothers are the Peaky and practically his boss. Just something fluffy and fun! Please'

Characters: Bonnie Gold x Shelby!Reader

Meanings: (Y/N)=Your name

Warnings: Swearing, lots of fluff

(A/N: It's long, I got carried away)

                                    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The wind whipped through my hair and hit my face as I rode my horse, her long legs galloping across the open field. This was my one piece of freedom, the time where it didn’t matter who I was or where I was going. It was just me and my horse, both experiencing the thrill of an adrenaline rush. Slowing down, I let her walk so she wasn’t exhausted, patting her neck graciously.

“Good girl,” I said,“you always know how to make me feel better.”

She reared her head back, shaking it and causing her hair to mess up. I quietly giggled as I brushed it out, continuing to ride her. We had gone a little further than usual today, and if any of my family found out how far away I was, they would not be happy. But I didn’t care. It was my day off, and I needed to be away from the hustle and bustle of Small Heath; as well as experience the tiniest amount of fresh air before heading back to the polluted city. After a few more minutes, I stopped my horse, dismounting her and grabbing her reigns. Her nose nudged me as I rummaged in my bag, knowing that her treats were in there.

“Don’t say I don’t look after you.” I mumbled to her as I produced a couple of sugar cubes.

The tender moment was interrupted when I heard hooves hitting against the ground, fast at first until I saw a man also riding a horse, slowing down as he approached me. My hand reached into my bag again, fingers resting on my gun. I had loaded it this morning, I knew I could whip it out at a moments notice.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that’s a very spoilt horse.” he said as he stopped in front of me.

“A girls got to look after her horse, hasn’t she?” I warily said.

“I don’t mean to scare you, but it’s not safe out here.”

“So why are you here?”

He chuckled, glancing away from me for a moment.“I must say, I’ve never seen such a beauty around these parts.”

I smirked.“You talking to me or the horse?”

He smiled again, and I found myself enjoying the view.“I’m Bonnie.”

“(Y/N).”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you (Y/N).”

“Do you own the land?”

“No, but I live on it.”

It clicked in my mind that he was a gypsy, not that I looked down on him now. My family had told me time and time again that we were descended from gypsies, and that we should never forget our roots. 

“You’re right, I’ve never been here before.” I said as I mounted my horse.

“Well, would you like a tour?”

“A tour of a few fields and some trees?”

“That’s what all the city girls say.”

“Oh, so you’ve had a few ‘city girls’ turn up around here?”

Bonnie seemed flustered for a moment, but as I broke out laughing so did he, relief washing over his face. Commanding my horse forward, I was now next to him, having a chance to study his handsome features up close.

“Well, what are we waiting for?”

As expected, Bonnie knew his way around these great outdoors like the back of his hand. He would tell me the names of all the flowers and what they meant, explaining who created the pathways throughout the woods and how his ancestors used every plant and animal to survive. He was so passionate when speaking, and although there was definitely flirting throughout (from both of us), it wasn’t arrogant or cocky. I wasn’t just going to fall for this boy who I met in a field, but he was much more interesting than any lad who had come up to me on a night out. When we returned to the open field, I challenged him to a race, our laughs echoing out, before I triumphantly beat him.

“Please do not say you let me win, because boys have said that to me before.” I breathed out as he caught up to me.

“Oh, so you’ve been hanging around with country boys?”

I rolled my eyes at him, looking over my shoulder to see that the sun was getting low in the sky.“I’ve had a lovely time, but I have to get back home Bonnie.”

“Let me ride with you to the road.”

“Don’t you also need to get back to your family?”

“We’re gypsies, we’re free to roam where we want, when we want.”

As he said, we rode together to the back road, where hardly anyone drove, but it led back to Small Heath. I wasn’t sure if I would see Bonnie again, but unlike other boys that swaggered around or acted as if they were better than anyone else, essentially putting me off them, Bonnie held this charm, there was something about him that intrigued me. And the mystery of ever seeing each other again made me excited. 

“This is where we part ways.” I stated.

“Will you be back? Maybe we could ride together sometime.”

I pretended to think about it, already trotting away from him.“It is a nice area. Perhaps you will see me around these parts.”

He scoffed a laugh.“You won’t even tell me when?”

I called out over my shoulder.“I guess you’ll just have to keep an eye out for me!”

No one had questioned where I had been that day, they knew I had been riding, and there seemed to be a lot of tension as I stepped into the room. Obviously something had happened (which they wouldn’t tell me, not yet anyway), but after my afternoon with Bonnie, I really didn’t care. My family was too caught up in whatever problem Tommy had got us into to ask why I was constantly smiling and day dreaming.

The next day I had been stuck in the shop, repeatedly huffing and making snarky comments at the incompetent men I was stuck working with. However, I knew I was just annoyed that I was working on such a beautiful day. It would have been perfect to go riding, a perfect day to see a certain gypsy boy. When Bonnie and I had gone our separate ways, I hadn’t thought too much about him until I went to bed. He had been on my mind, that bright, wide smile, intriguing eyes and the sound of his voice...that’s when I knew I was already in too deep. When I woke still thinking about him, I wanted to scold myself for being infatuated with a boy I just met, but I couldn’t, and the urge to find out more about him took over.

Watching as my brothers walked out of the shop, not telling me where they were going as usual, I took it as an opportunity to sneak away without any of them asking where I was going on my break. I wouldn’t have time to go all the way out to the field again, but being outside was better than being knocked into again and again by the amount of people in the shop. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Polly said, catching me before I could step out of the door.

I refrained from sighing.“Just taking my break.”

“It’s the busiest time of day, and you’re going to leave now?”

“Just ten minutes, please Pol? I can’t stand all the noise a moment longer.”

She was the one who sighed.“Fine. But do not be late coming back!”

As soon as she finished her sentence, I was out of there. My pace was quick, not headed to anywhere in particular, just somewhere less crowded. Slowing down, I pondered buying something to eat, buy a treat, I deserved it having to deal with those men. However, I was distracted when someone laid their hand on my shoulder, and being by myself, I went into defence mode; grabbing their arm, I twisted it as I spun around, instantly gasping when I saw who it was.

“Bonnie?!” I let go of him as he winced.“I am so sorry, I just panicked.”

“It’s fine.” he groaned, cradling his hand.“I shouldn’t have been so sneaky.”

“What are you doing here?”

“My dad is dealing with some business. But I spotted you across the street and had to see you.”

“So you’re in my part of the woods now.”

“It seems so.”

“I would offer you a tour, but I’m on break from work.”

“That’s alright. It seems I might be spending a lot more time here.”

“How come?”

“Long story short, I’ve always wanted to be a boxer. Never had much luck seeing as I live on the road, but dad seems to have sealed a deal, and I’m starting my training soon.”

“Bonnie, that’s amazing!”

“Yeah...” his cheeks started to flush pink.“I haven’t secured a match yet but...but I would love it if you could come to my first one.”

I smiled, nodding slightly.“I would be honoured to watch you win.”

“In the mean time, perhaps you could show me around, go for some drinks-”

“Bonnie!” someone shouted, an older man waiting for him. It must have been his father.

“I’ve got to go, but I’ll definitely be seeing you soon.”

Only when he began walking away did I feel how fast my heartbeat was. I was so giddy, an urge to giggle almost every other minute. It was embarrassing.

A few days passed by, and it was agonisingly slow. I had kept an eye out for Bonnie, taking a different route to walk past where some lads were trained to fight, but I saw nothing. I even went out riding to the field again, though he wasn't there either. The horrible, twisting feeling in my stomach made me upset, made me angry, I almost felt humiliated that I got my hopes up over a boy I hardly knew. That all changed when I saw him again in the streets.

"Bonnie!" I smiled as I ran towards him.

He was grinning too, meeting me halfway."(Y/N), I've been looking for you everywhere!"

There was an awkward moment where neither of knew if we should hug, shake hands or just leave it. Bonnie hesitantly pulled me in, but as soon as his arms wrapped around me, it felt right.

"I was actually looking for you too." I admitted as we parted.

"We were probably going around in circles chasing one another."

"Yeah, we must have looked like lunatics."

"I'm sorry I didn't catch you. But, guess what?"

His excited expression made me giggle."What?"

"I have my first boxing match."

"That's great Bonnie! I expect an invite, a car better come pick me up, a glass of champagne at the door-"

"Woah, unfortunately I don't think I can arrange any of that, but I can get you front row seats."

"So now I'll get to watch you win up close."

"No pressure there then."

"I'm not worried. I'll even place a bet on you if they're doing them."

"Good to know I have someone have so much confidence in me. Don't worry, I'll give you a good show."

The night of the match finally arrived. I had used the rest of the week to plan my outfit (a great excuse to go shopping, with Ada giving me opinions on everything), decide what to do with my hair and makeup, as well as what the fuck I was going to say to Bonnie after the fight. Would he be too beaten up to go drinking with? Would he even be able to string a sentence together? It occurred to me that I hadn't even seen him fight, maybe I was about to see a whole different side to him.

"(Y/N), cancel what you're doing Saturday night." Tommy commanded as he waltzed into my room without knocking.

I scoffed as I stopped reading, the book falling into my lap."Why?"

"You're going to a boxing match."

"I was going anyway."

"What?"

"Yeah, Bonnie, the smaller lad who's fighting, he invited me."

"How the fuck do you know Bonnie Gold?"

"W-we met when I was out riding."

"And you didn't think to tell me this?"

"Why would I? Whenever I've mentioned any boy before, you lot threaten and scare them away. Also, he was just a gypsy boy I met."

"I'm in business with his father."

"Well, shit. Small world. But I'm still going, right? I've spent my money on a new dress, I can't let it go to waste-"

"Yes, you're still going. Does he know who you are?"

I shook my head.

Tommy looked up at the ceiling, sighing before he left."Fuck me."

For some reason, my heart sank at the thought of Tommy using Bonnie to his advantage. He wouldn't have arranged this fight over good will or the kindness of his heart, it was covering something up. However, I was still going, I was going for Bonnie.

Following behind the other Shelby women, I tossed my hair back as men gawked at us. We held the power too, and not just because of how gorgeous we all looked that night. We were headed towards our seats, but I was too impatient to wait for Bonnie. Splitting from the group, I glanced around the crowds, spotting where Bonnie could potentially be before the fight. Luckily I was right, waltzing in to see Tommy speaking to Bonnie, as well as his father stood there.

"You're not supposed to be back here (Y/N)." Tommy stated, somehow expecting me to turn around and leave.

"I've come to wish our fighter good luck." I smirked, locking eyes with Bonnie.

His eyes were wide, flickering between my brother and I.

"Fine, I suppose he was the one to invite you."

With that he left, Bonnie's father following, but not before looking me up and down; not in a way that creeper me out, he was sizing me up, seeing if the youngest Shelby was as strong as the others. Once they were gone, I approached Bonnie, who was only in a pair of shorts and a robe.

"You're a Shelby?" he breathed out.

"Yes."

"And you didn't think to mention it?"

"You never asked. And also, does it matter?"

"Yes! Your family are the Peaky Blinders!"

"I just never said anything cause....well if I'm honest, I was too distracted when talking to you to bring it up."

"Distracted by what?"

"Well...You Bonnie."

We shared a smile, and he took another step towards me."Thank you for coming. I was trying to look out for you."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Now, you need to concentrate on totally beating the other guy to a pulp."

"You have such a way with words. After I win, I'm taking you out for celebratory drinks."

"Sounds like a plan."

I boldly leaned up on my tiptoes, pecking him lightly on the lips. Opening my eyes, I saw him leaning in again, stopping when he realised I had pulled away.

"Now go out there and win Bonnie. I'll be watching and waiting."

#bonnie gold one shot #bonnie gold ship #bonnie gold x reader #bonnie gold imagine #bonnie gold imagines #peaky blinders imagines #peaky boys #peaky blinders imagine #bbc peaky blinders #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinder imagine #peaky blinders #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders fan fic #peaky blinders fan fiction #peaky blinders x reader

[seancekitsch]

Intended: Chapter 1

Warnings: uhhhhh slight witcher spoilers??? yearning bullshit, kidnapping, implied canon things that happen when an army sacks a city, none of my usual smutty bullshit?

“Do you think we would be like this?” Cahir mumbles, his lips pressed against your shoulder as you watch the smoke from the fire drift into a starless sky. He embraces you around the waist, as close as he can have you. As much as you are the object of all of his affections, he knows that you are something from a dream and nothing he ever thought he could have. As a child, he dreamed of being a great knight, a relic from the stories he’d read, chivalrous and true of heart, winning the favor of a lovely woman and leading his men into noble battles for causes that are just. Earning honor on his name.

“Mmm, what do you mean by that?” you hum, snuggling closer into his embrace on the bedroll, loving how he feels warmer than the fire you'd made, warmer than even the hearth in your chambers in Cintra, the home you'd been rescued from during its burning. You'd been on the run when Cahir in his mighty helmet had found you in your attempt at escape and brought you out of the chaos. He had saved you, and now treated you with the most chivalry as you traveled, on foot because his horse had been lost, to an out skirting kingdom you could start over in. You spent the week learning each other, your fears, your innermost desires, dreams you'd never shared with anyone. Felt more yourself than you ever did in Cintra. While your family fretted that you'd never make a wife, to imagine their faces now as you'd found someone you would easily marry. Your family. If only they were still here.

“Do you think we would be like this,” he says, his lips brushing against you again, “had I not captured you?”

Cahir lifts his head as soon as the words leave his mouth, seemingly recognizing his error immediately.

You rip yourself from his embrace, jumping to your feet as he quickly follows, scrambling to a stand in confusion as you fume. You find a pace, your gait that of any warlord he’s seen, wild and quick. You mutter under your breath, not quite believing what you heard but repeating it to yourself over and over until you whirl around on your heel. You round back to him with anger in your tone as you shout your summation.

“Captured? Pardon me did you say captured? As in, not rescued like you've had me believe for the past week?” Your voice was shrill, and of course you had caught his slip up. Your hands shake as you speak, refusing to look up at his fucking face. The face of a liar. Of course you had. You are sharp as a whip and he had learned this week it was best not to lie to you, unfortunately the entire nature of the events that had brought you together were a lie crafted by Cahir on the fly. Cahir that had guided you out of the piles of bodies, the debris and the destruction. Cahir who told you he was safe, not like the other Nilfgaardians burning your city. Cahir who had given you the contents of his canteen and had stolen a bedroll to sleep on so he would be the only one to sleep on the ground. Cahir that had listened to you as you told him of all of your secrets, things only revealed to a diary that was now probably nothing more than ash. Cahir who taught you how to use the dagger you shared, the man who praised you and was excited at the progress you made in a short week. Cahir that promised you a sword once you mastered the dagger. Cahir that you had stolen a kiss from, and then continued to kiss and kiss and kiss while you traveled further east, hoping to come upon a new home in an allied kingdom. Cahir that had apparently lied to you the whole time. Stolen the kisses you thought you had stolen, reveled in affection that would not have been given to a captor.

“Did you capture me, Cahir? That was my home you stole me from!”

He hesitates, then mumbles. Refusing to meet you in gaze and in words. He bows his head, like a man praying for forgiveness for a grave sin. Like a man at the altar at his most desperate hour. You now realize that sin is yourself, you are stolen and every moment he spent with you was coveting of something he could not possess himself. He took what wasn't his and dared to spit into the wind and the wind blew your intuition back to the forefront to see him for what he truly is.

“Speak, knight! I know you aren't mute you've done a fair share of moving that tongue since I’ve met you.” your eyes burn holes into his skin, and when he looks up into them it's like looking into hell itself, but he would rather blind himself than look away. Before you is not the man you’d tasted in kisses and between baring your soul talking until dawn the entire week you'd been in the woods. Before you is a villain, a wretch who did not give you the dignity of dying in your home, the dignity of fighting to the death with whatever you'd find once you were eventually cornered. Truthfully, to die in battle seemed like a nice way to die, to die with bloodied hands and passion alight beneath your skin.

“I did, I stole you away,” his voice is ragged, panicked, you've never heard it like this, “but you were not who I meant to take.”

“So you meant to kidnap someone? And should that comfort me? Bring me joy that I was not the intended target?” You’re right. That isn't comforting at all. Instead of completing his quest he steals the first woman he sees near the castle who’s not clearly a terrified peasant. What a mess he’s made of his knighthood. He refuses to meet your eyes as he nods, still downcast eyes into the fire beside you.

“I should not have. I just did not want to let you die.”

Cahir pursued the billow of skirts that trailed behind the form in the alley. Could this be the Princess Cirilla? Had he truly gotten this lucky to find her so easily? He chases on foot, abandoning his horse at the mouth of the alley he’d spotted her ducking into.  As the form turns a corner, so does he, hot on the trails of his perceived target. But the woman he pursues surprises him. She turns on her heel, and armed with a letter opener decorated with jewels, she lunges at him, swinging wildly as a feral tears from her throat. As he  dodges her efforts, he realizes this is not Cirilla. This is a woman; a noblewoman, one with fire and courage at that. She’s beautiful. He admires her immediately, even though she has a lot to learn about handling a blade.

“Watch it with that, you will stab me if you aren't careful,” he jests, removing his helmet as he moves from her swinging range.

“And who says” she lunges again, “I don't want to stab you?”

She wont go down without a fight, but is a fight something she could handle? No. certainly not against his men. She doesn't stand a chance. She won't make it out of here, he realizes. With what his men do to women. No. She does not deserve that fate. He could bring her in Cirilla’s place, he thinks. Whatever Nilfgaard needs her for, they need her alive and healthy. They would take care of her, even if her identity was false.

“You will not want to stab me if you want to make it out of here alive, I’m your only chance,” Cahir blurts out, before he can think about the weight of his words. Looking back here he realizes that he threw away any chance in finding the real Cirilla, any chance at not being tortured and executed if his deceit would be found for a woman whose name he did not know at the time. A woman who was swinging a blade at him, howling like a cornered animal. He leads you out of the city in the shadows that night, pilfering some supplies he can find before you make it past the walls of the now engulfed Cintra. Something about that night had clouded his judgement, changed him, but he did not yet understand why that was so. He did not even understand it when he kept up the charade of savoir, taking her east instead of south to where he would be rewarded for the imposter Cirilla.

“I demand the dagger,” you state, hand outstretched and conviction firm. He blinks up at you in confusion. To Cahir, you look like a blazing angel, the light of the fire making your hair resemble a halo. He would hand over the dagger, and should you wish to plunge it into his chest he would not move a hand to stop or delay you. He sighs as he relinquishes the one dagger to you, the only form of protection, your fingers brushing his as your grasp curls around it, a transfer of power and the last touch of your skin he may ever feel. His hand chases yours involuntarily, ever so slowly. You do not trust him anymore. You are not his to touch.

“I also demand the bedroll. We shall not share.” Not like we did last night hangs silently between you and he, and he silently concedes that to you as well. 

“In the morning, I’ll be gone. Do not attempt to search for me.”

“Please, don’t go,” his voice is weak, far away and parchment thin. Walking away from him will be hard, you realize. Knowing everything he told you… the kind of man he is. But also that he lied to you. He lied about your circumstances and interfered with your life. No, you must be strong. You must leave before dawn. If he wakes before you there’s still a chance you would fall into his arms and concede to this fate. You must stay cold. He is no different that all of the intended men you had turned down in the courts of Cintra. He was not a marriage prospect, like the lot of them were not suitable. Man after man you had rejected, scorned, and he will be just another. He will fade away soon like the others.

You tuck the dagger into the bedroll with you under the thin sheet, wrapping it around yourself as you lay down, facing him. He taught you never to turn your back on an enemy, and you guess he probably isn't the only person to say that so there probably is some truth to it. Sleep finds you soon after a half hour of forcing your eyes closed, but it always did in times of stress. Your body seems to know what you need more than you do, and right now its rest for the journey ahead. You slip downward quickly into a night as dreamless as the sky is starless tonight.

Cahir sits at the fire, staring into it, looking for clues, answers, the already fading memory of what it felt like to have you in his arms and have you kiss his face. Already, it slips from him. he steals glances to you every few minutes, to make sure his mind isn't playing tricks on him, to make sure you aren't already gone. You look peaceful, angelic in the same way you did when screaming at him but an hour earlier; the same way you did in the alley swinging a letter opener at his face. If only he could lay down next to you, to sleep peacefully. Had he known last night was his last beside you, he would have savored it more. Buried his face in your hair, held you tighter, kissed your eyelids and tried to will himself into your dreams. Everything feels heavy, as he fights to stay awake, resolving that to go without sleep is better than to sleep cold, without the feeling of you in his arms. If he has to, he won’t sleep ever again. To spare his heart. Now that he knows what it means to sleep with another, to sleep with you by his side, sleeping alone seems like a fate worse than whatever might greet him in Nilfgaard when he returns empty handed. Cahir doesn't notice falling asleep, he’s too consumed in his thoughts.

When Cahir wakes up back aching, the fire is dead and you are gone.

#cahir x reader #cahir the witcher x reader #cahir mawr dyffryn aep ceallach x reader #my work

[bechloeislegit]

25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020

Day 16 - Christmas in a Small Town

Prompt from FanFiction User lisamarie1987jan: Western AU. [Full prompt located at the end].

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"Whoa," Beca Mitchell called out, pulling on the reins to bring the horse to a stop. Steely blue eyes squinted as they surveyed the small town just below where she had stopped. Having been through these parts before, the owner of those steely blue eyes knew the town was called Barden. A town her cousin filled pages about in her letters to Beca.

Barden was a town that consisted mostly of women; women who loved women. Beca smiled beneath the bandana covering the lower part of her face to keep from inhaling the dry dirt the wind was whipping around. This was her kind of town.

Beca was a small, but commanding presence sitting on her trusted black steed in her black denim trousers and a red and blue checkered mackinaw covering her black button-down shirt, with black boots on her feet, and a black hat pulled low over her forehead.

Beca used her heels to gently touch the horse's sides, urging him to start moving again. The trusty steed walked at a slow steady pace toward the town, taking guidance from the reins held loosely in the steady hands of its rider.

As Beca reached the outskirts of Barden, she took everything in as she looked right then left. There were a few faces watching from various windows as she slowly moved down the main road. Each eying her with scrutiny as only a woman could. Beca smirked behind the bandana covering her face.

Beca stopped in front of Chloe's Boardinghouse for Women and dismounted, sliding gracefully from her horse. She tethered the reins around the hitching post and slowly made her way to the entrance.

Beca looked at the sign by the door.

"Boarding House," she read and snickered.

Remembering Stacie's letters, she knew that the Boarding House was a polite name for a brothel. Only this one catered to both the townswomen and the occasional male traveler. Beca pushed open the door and walked in.

"Hi, stranger," a female voice said, causing Beca to look at her. "May I help you?"

Beca removed her hat, shaking out her long brown hair. She then pulled her bandana down, tucking it under her chin.

"Beca!" the woman squealed and grabbed Beca in a hug.

"Hi, Dr. Conrad," Beca said.

"Stop with the Dr. Conrad business," Dr. Conrad said. "Everyone around her just calls me Stacie."

"Sorry, Stacie," Beca said. "I'm just so proud of you becoming a doctor."

"Nothing to fret over," Stacie said with a smile. "What are you doing here?" Stacie's face turned serious. "You'd better not let Aubrey see you."

"Aubrey?"

"Sheriff Posen," Stacie said. "Your picture is up all over her office."

Beca sighed. "What am I wanted for?"

"Murder. You supposedly killed some guy named Bumper Allen in Dodge City."

"I haven't been anywhere near Dodge City in over a year," Beca said. "And I certainly didn't kill anyone named Bumper when I was there."

"I believe you, Beca," Stacie said. "But you know how these things happen. The person who actually killed him probably claimed to be a witness and identified you as the killer. Everyone knows the name Beca Mitchell as that of a gunslinger."

"Just because I can handle a gun," Beca said. "Doesn't make me a murderer."

"I know that," Stacie said, hugging Beca. Stacie pulled back and looked at Beca. "You still haven't told me why you're here in Barden."

"Christmas is in a few weeks," Beca said. "Can't a girl visit her cousin for the Holidays? You talked so much about this place in your letters, that it sounded like my kind of town. I thought I'd check it out as I might be looking to finally settle down."

"That's great, Beca," Stacie said.

"Thanks, Stacie, I've got this," a sweet angelic voice called from somewhere behind Beca. "May I help you?"

Beca turned to see who was speaking and froze on the spot. The woman was about her age, with red hair, and the bluest eyes Beca had ever seen. She was also the most beautiful woman Beca had ever seen. The woman smiled at Beca and Beca smiled back.

"Sorry, ma'am," Beca said politely. "I'm just looking for a room for a few days."

"Chloe," Stacie said. "This is my cousin, Beca Mitchell. Beca, this is Chloe Beale."

At hearing Beca's name, Chloe's eyes widened in surprise. Chloe recovered quickly and her smile was back in place.

"Your wanted poster doesn't do you justice," Chloe said, staring at Beca.

Beca let out a laugh.

"It is very nice to meet you, Chloe," Beca said as they continued to stare at each other. "Do you have a room for me? Preferably long-term. I have a feeling I'm going to be sticking around for a while."

~~ Day 16 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020 ~~

Beca had been in town for three days before Sheriff Posen came to see her. Beca was in the dining area of the boardinghouse with Stacie. They were both enjoying the stew that Chloe had made for her lunch special.

Beca kept staring at Chloe, and Stacie noticed.

"You like her," Stacie said. "You should tell her."

Just then the door opened and Sheriff Posen walked in with her Deputy, CR Adams.

"Hey, Aubrey," Chloe called out. "Hey, CR. You two here for lunch?"

"Not right now," Aubrey said as she made her way to Beca's table.

"Sheriff." Beca nodded in greeting.

"Beca Mitchell," Aubrey said. "We should be here to arrest you, but, um, we're not."

Beca was confused. "Why not? Isn't that your job?"

"My job," Aubrey said. "Is to keep the citizens of Barden safe. And we have a situation that is going to lead to some safety concerns."

"What does that have to do with me?" Beca asked.

"There's a ranch about ten miles from here," CR said. "Owned by Jesse Swanson."

Beca sat up straight in her seat and looked at Aubrey and then at CR.

"Jesse Swanson?" Beca repeated. "I don't know who that is."

"He was best friends with Bumper Allen," CR said.

"And I have it on good authority," Aubrey said. "That he knows you're in Bardan and is planning something to take his revenge against you killing Mr. Allen. He's calling his plan to get you, the Christmas surprise."

"I didn't kill Bumper Allen," Beca said. "He had a lot of enemies, but I wasn't one of them."

"Let's say I believe you," Aubrey said, crossing her arms and looking at Beca. "Swanson thinks you did. And he's about to enter my town to make you pay. I can't have that."

"Why aren't you putting me in your jail so he can find me easily, or are you planning on just handing me over to him?" Beca asked.

"If I do either of those things," Aubrey said. "He'll think he can come into my town and do whatever he likes and we won't do anything about it."

"That's where you come in," CR said.

"What are you asking Beca to do?" Stacie asked.

"We want her to help us get rid of Swanson and his men when they come for her," Aubrey said.

"Her reputation as a gunslinger precedes her," CR said. "We need her talents with a gun to help save our town."

Beca looked down at the table, then looked at Aubrey.

"What's in it for me if I help you?" Beca asked.

"I won't arrest you," Aubrey said. "And no one outside of Barden will know you're here."

"You can't be serious, Aubrey," Chloe said. "There's got to be a better way to get rid of Jesse and his men than using Beca as bait."

"I'm not using her as bait," Aubrey said. "She was already here and Swanson somehow found out about it. I'm giving her a chance at keeping her freedom. If she helps us I won't be sending a telegram to Dodge City informing them that we have her in custody. No one will come here looking for her."

"You should do it, Beca," Stacie said. "Aubrey wouldn't make the request if she didn't really need your help. And she's right about him and his men coming back here thinking they can do whatever they want."

Beca sat back and thought about Sheriff Posen's offer.

"I have a counteroffer," Beca said.

"I'm listening," Aubrey said.

"In order for the law in Dodge City to leave me be," Beca said. "I'm going to have to be dead. So, I want you to send a message to the Sheriff in Dodge City that I was arrested and then killed while trying to escape. That should stop them and everyone else from looking for me."

"That's actually a good plan," Aubrey said. "Okay. You agree to help us and once Swanson is done away with, I'll send the telegram."

"So, you want me to kill Jesse Swanson?" Beca asked.

"Yes," Aubrey said. "But, I'm sure he'll give you no choice. His ego will cause him to want a showdown with you, to prove his manhood. I have faith that you will win that showdown."

"So, I guess that means we have a deal," Beca said.

"Yes," Aubrey said. "I guess it does."

~~ Day 16 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020 ~~

On Christmas Eve morning, Beca was having breakfast with Chloe in the boardinghouse. Chloe was nervous for Beca and took every opportunity to try and talk her out of having a showdown with Jesse Swanson.

"I'm begging you, Beca," Chloe said. "Please don't do this. I like you and I don't want you getting hurt or end up dead."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Chloe," Beca said, standing and going upstairs to her room.

Chloe sat with her head in her hand. Stacie came in and walked over to Chloe.

"Are you okay, Chloe?" Stacie asked. "I thought Beca was having breakfast with you?"

"She was," Chloe said. "Until I opened my big mouth about not wanting her to go up against Jesse Swanson."

"Don't worry so much, Chloe," Stacie said. "Beca knows what she's doing."

Both women looked up when they saw Beca come down the stairs carrying a rifle.

"Where are you going, Beca?" Stacie asked.

"I saw some wild turkeys not far from here," Beca said. "I thought I'd try and bag one for Christmas dinner."

"That sounds wonderful," Chloe said. "I'll plan a nice Christmas meal for everyone. Thank you, Beca."

Chloe kissed Beca on the cheek, causing Beca to blush.

"Well, I'd better get out there," Beca said.

Beca returned a few hours later with two wild turkeys strapped to her saddle.

"Beca!" Chloe squealed excitedly. "The girls are going to love you for this."

Beca blushed and got off her horse. She reached up and untied the turkeys, handing them off to Chloe and Jessica.

"What are we going make to go with the turkey?" Jessica asked as she and Chloe took their turkeys into the boardinghouse.

"Mashed potatoes for sure," Chloe said. "I think I may have the fixin's for an apple pie."

Beca watched as Chloe and Jessica walked off together.

"Tell her," Stacie said from behind Beca, causing Beca to jump.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," Beca said.

"I saw the way you were watching Chloe," Stacie said. "You should tell her you like her. She already said she likes you."

"I don't think I can," Beca said.

"Beca," Stacie said. "This is Barden. No one here cares who you like or love."

"I know," Beca said. "I'm just not used to being so open about who I like, especially when it's a woman."

~~ Day 16 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020 ~~

That night, Beca was nervous. She sat with Stacie, Chloe, and Sheriff Posen. She and Sheriff Posen were discussing the best way to handle Swanson and his men.

During a lull in the conversation, Chloe leaned over and whispered to Beca, "Are you okay?"

"Who? Me?" Beca mumbled. "I'm fine."

"You seem nervous," Chloe whispered, her breath tickled Beca's ear, causing a shiver to run down Beca's back.

"Maybe a little," Beca admitted.

"I can help you relax," Chloe said, standing and reaching out a hand to Beca. "Come with me."

Beca looked around the table and then back at Chloe.

"Come on," Chloe said, with her hand still held out to Beca.

Beca stood and took Chloe's hand. Chloe led Beca up the stairs and into her room.

~~ Day 16 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020 ~~

The next morning, Beca came downstairs to find Stacie, Aubrey, and CR sitting at a table, eating breakfast.

"Good morning, Beca," Stacie called out, smirking at Beca. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, I did," Beca said, flashing a smirk of her own. "I slept very well. Thank you for asking."

Chloe came out of the kitchen with a plate of food.

"Good morning, Beca," Chloe said and placed the plate on the table. "This is for you."

Beca looked at Chloe and smiled. She walked over to her and gave her a quick kiss.

"Thank you," Beca said and sat down to eat. "Merry Christmas everyone."

The sound of thundering hooves stopped any further conversation.

"I guess Jesse and his men are here," CR said.

Beca, Aubrey, and CR got up and walked outside, ready to face whatever was to come.

Stacie, Chloe, and the others looked out the windows and waited.

Jesse and his men remained on their horses staring down at Beca and the Sheriff.

"Sheriff Posen," Jesse said. "Let's make this real simple. You hand over Beca Mitchell and we'll leave. No muss, no fuss."

"I can't do that," Aubrey said. "She's my prisoner and I'll be turning her over to the Marshalls when they come for her."

"I guess we'll just take her then," Jesse said.

All Jesse's men pulled their guns on the group. Aubrey and CR pulled their guns as well. Stacie, Chloe, and a few others came out holding rifles and guns at the ready.

One of the men made a move, and then he and two others yelped and jerked their hands back as their guns went flying to the ground.

Beca twirled her gun and replaced it back in its holster. She smiled up at Jesse. "The next shot will be right between your eyes."

Jesse's jaw clenched as he looked at Beca and the women behind her.

"I don't think so, bitch," Jesse snarled.

"Oooo, a tough guy, huh?" Beca drawled.

Jesse's face turned red with anger. "I'll show you how tough I am. Meet me at Noon in the middle of town so we can settle this."

"Let's just do it now and get it over with," Beca said. "I have lunch plans."

"If that's the way you want it," Jesse said. "Let's go."

Jesse dismounted and told his men to stay put.

"Hold up there," Sheriff Posen said. "We need to make a few rules before this can happen."

"What kind of rules?" Jesse asked.

"Rule number one," Beca said. "After I kill you, your men will leave and never come back to Barden."

Jesse and the men laughed. "Rule one is fine with us because I won't be the one dead."

"Rule number two," Sheriff Posen said. "Your men will surrender their guns to me and Deputy Adams now. They will be returned when this is over."

"Agreed," Jesse said and looked at his men. "Hand 'em over, boys."

Stacie and Chloe held their guns on the men as they started tossing their guns to the ground at Aubrey and CR's feet.

Jessica and two other women collected the guns and took them inside. Beca nonchalantly reloaded her gun.

Jesse stood watching as Chloe ran and grabbed Beca in a hug.

"Maybe after I kill you," Jesse said, smiling. "I'll have a little fun with your girlfriend."

Chloe flinched and Beca's face hardened. She kissed Chloe and turned back to Jesse.

"Let's do this."

Beca turned to Aubrey and said, "Watch for Jesse's men. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a few of them hiding around town."

Aubrey nodded as Beca followed Jesse to the middle of town. Jesse stopped and turned to face Beca. Beca stopped about six feet away from him.

Jesse shifted to move his jacket away from his gun. Beca watched him. Jesse made a move for his gun; so did Beca. Two shots rang out.

A few seconds later, Jesse fell face-first into the dirt. A cheer went up from the women. The cheer died when another shot rang out.

Across the street, a man fell off the balcony of the mercantile. CR holstered her gun and Beca looked back at her with a smile.

"Stacie!" Beca called out. "I need Dr. Conrad."

Stacie and Chloe went running over to Beca. Beca was holding her side; blood was seeping through her fingers.

"Oh, Beca," Chloe cried, grabbing Beca in a quick hug.

"Let's get her to my office," Stacie said.

Chloe helped Stacie. Aubrey and CR kept watching Jesse's men to make sure they didn't try anything.

Aubrey looked at one of the men. "Get Jesse and the other one and get out of my town."

Four men dismounted and ran over to get the two bodies. The others slowly rode their horses over to them and the bodies were thrown over the backs of two. The four men mounted their horses and looked at the women; the women all held guns on the men until they had made it out of town.

"Take off your shirt," Stacie told Beca as she gathered a few things.

"Chloe, can you help me?" Beca asked grimacing.

Chloe unbuttoned Beca's shirt and took it off her. Stacie looked at the wound.

"It's just a graze," Stacie said as she wiped away the blood. "I'll have to stitch it up."

Beca grimaced and nodded. "Do what you got to do."

After Stacie stitched Beca up, the three women went back over to the boardinghouse. As soon as the townswomen saw Beca they cheered.

Beca blushed and pulled Chloe to her. Chloe put her hand on Beca's face and turned it toward her.

Chloe looked into Beca's eyes and whispered, "I love you."

Beca's eyes widened. "I love you, too," she said, just before their lips met.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Full Prompt from FanFiction User lisamarie1987jan: Western AU. Beca is a drifter and Chloe is a widow running a bar/brothel. Beca comes through town seeking a place to stay and ends up falling in love. But there ends up being trouble (the Treble gang comes through town) Aubrey and CR are the Sheriff and Deputy and they ask Beca for her help. Stacey is the town Doc.

#bechloe fanfiction #beca mitchell #chloe beale #Christmas 2020 #bechloe fic #bechloe fanfic

[raendown]

Todays follower milestone gift fic is for @sparklemagpie with the prompt word importune. Can you tell I had fun writing this one?

Pairing: ShikamaruTemariTayuya Word count: 1966 Rated: T+ Summary: For the two women in his life Shikamaru will do whatever it takes. As long as they're happy he's happy. When they're not...well, when they're not you get situations like this one.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Just The Right Cherry On Top

Shikamaru would have told anyone who asked that it didn’t start off as begging. No one was really asking, though, and the shreds of pride still buried in the back of his mind somewhere told him that was a problem. If no one was asking questions that usually meant they thought they already had the answers. But they didn’t. They really didn’t. When it came to his two girls Shikamaru was smugly aware that he was usually the only one with answers. 

Well, answers to questions like ‘are you sure they’re not trying to kill each other’ or usually ‘how can you stand to live between that’. The questions about what might be going on in either woman’s mind were ones he didn’t even try to guess at. He knew when to back away from a problem he would never figure out. 

Right now he didn’t so much have a problem as he did have a disaster. He knew very well that relationships took work, that his work would be doubled when he agreed to marry both of the most important women in his life, and since he had not a day went by when he didn’t consider that work so very worth it. For the most part their days were happy. Blissful, even. Shikamaru was as flawed as any other human being but among his flaws pride wasn’t usually the one that tripped him up. Disaster only really happened when pride snuck up on the other two parts of his soul. 

Tayuya, as usual, was the first to start throwing insults. And of course Temari, when faced with a hot temper, flared her own with the kind of heat usually accomplished only with the most deadly katon. Standing on the other side of the kitchen with a frying pan in one hand and his face in the other, Shikamaru briefly wondered if there were any missions available that would take him far away until these two crazy goddesses sorted their own shit out. 

There weren’t. He checked. Discreetly, of course. 

After the first couple days of cold silence it became obvious that this was one of those fights they needed him to bring them back from, when pride and stubbornness and sheer petty spite held both of their lips shut, eyes refusing to meet, tempers refusing to back down. These were the kind of fights that reminded Shikamaru why the three of them really worked as a full unit, one single whole, any weakness in one covered by another. Knowing that never made it any less annoying trying to be the cover to their weakness. They might need him but in those moments they sure didn’t want to need him. 

“What’ll it take this time?” Shikamaru could hear the exhaustion in his own voice but that’s just what happened when he hadn’t gotten more than three consecutive hours of sleep for the past week. 

“Nothing,” Temari snapped. “Maybe this is just it!”

Drawing a hand down his face spoke louder than words how little he believed that. If he looked really close he could see the lines of aching tiredness in Temari’s expression that told him she didn’t believe it either.

“Right,” he murmured. “I’ll just go talk to her then.

And so he did, though it would be hard to express just how unsurprised he was to get a very similar reaction from Tayuya.

“Fuck that bitch and her high horse!”

“You could if one of you would say sorry,” Shikamaru couldn’t help pointing out. 

“Oh no fucking way! Not with a ten foot god damned pole!” 

“What if I said please?”

So that was how it started. Or got to the middle, really. Much to the contrary of what other people seemed to think, Shikamaru was not so whipped as to just fall on his knees and beg any time he encountered the slightest of resistance in their relationship. He had some self respect. In the face of these two boneheads, however, self respect was a concept he was more than willing to throw out the window in favor of a full night’s rest, something he would not be getting until their home saw peace again. 

One instance of saying please did nothing. Twice did little more than that. Somewhere around the fifteen ‘please’ he switched tactics and added a cherry on top. Tayuya rather harshly reminded him that she hated cherries and described in very colorful detail where he could stick his polite words. Clearly another tactic was needed.

As a smart man Shikamaru very carefully ignored all of Naruto’s well meaning suggestions like sending his wives flowers pretending they were from each other. Maybe that would have worked on someone like Hinata who was determined to look at the world and see the best in everyone but Shikamaru had married two people determined to look at the world through a cold lens of cynicism. Gods but he loved it. Loved the both of them. He just didn’t love the fights. Naruto meant well but the one and only time any of them had seen Hinata truly mad had been the middle of a battle against the reanimated body of a dead man handing Naruto his own ass. It was great for the two of them to finally find happiness. When he thought of their calm and sweet relationship Shikamaru sometimes just couldn’t help but wonder how they didn’t get bored with no one around to throw a plate or two. 

Since being nice about it didn’t do much his next step was to try being firm. This time he went to Tayuya first because if he could crack her then honestly he was pretty sure he could crack the whole world. His efforts in this round were about as successful as the first. 

“Go ahead and try to tell me what to do one more time, Nara.” Right up in his face Tayuya was all fire, in her hair and in her eyes and in every move of the arm currently jamming in to his chest. “I’ve had just about enough of being ordered around for one lifetime, you hear me?” Oh he did. He did hear her. He also heard the undertone of heat and it wasn’t until an hour after he left their home in the daze of post orgasmic bliss that he realized he’d been had. Maybe Choji was right and he did think with his dick a little too much. 

Going to see Temari hadn’t exactly had better results - although he’d known better from the start than to consider either one of them ‘better’ than the other in certain departments. After making it very clear how much she both enjoyed and scorned his attempts to law down some kind of law Temari rode him against the nearest walls and sent him off afterwards with a few choice words about how she really didn’t mind wearing only his marks on her skin from now on. Since he hadn’t been the one to bring that up Shikamaru saw through it right away. They missed each other, a blind man could see that. Getting them to admit it was the hard part. 

So that was a bust on trying to put his foot down but if he were honest Shikamaru hadn’t expected any different. The next thing he tried was bribery. After the harsh years both of his wives had experienced it was entirely understandable that they should enjoy being waited on hand and foot. Usually the offer was an irresistible one to them; hence why he didn’t make it very often, a special treat for special occasions when he needed to remind them just how precious they really were. When not just one but both of them turned him down this time Shikamaru had to take a nice long walk through the woods and feed the deer for a while, wondering if maybe the magic offer had lost its touch at last. Or if maybe he was the one that had lost his touch. It took a good long while and three different deer taking curious nibbles of his ponytail before he shook himself and stood up with a little more steel in his spine. 

Clearly this problem was running out of control and that meant bringing in the biggest weapon he had at his disposal. One didn’t spend a lifetime best friends with the Yamanaka heir without picking up some tricks. 

“Please?” 

“No.”

“Please please?”

“I said no, fuck off Shika.”

“Uhhh, please and please and please?”

Tayuya actually stopped walking to round on him with furrowed brows. “You get hit upside the head or something? This is- you’re acting like a damn child!” 

“Maybe.” Shikamaru clasped his hands together and lifted his eyes to the clouds above them. “How many times I gotta say please? Cause I will. Give me a number, I’ll do it.”

“For real?”

“Please, please, please, please, plea-”

Ignoring the baffled looks of anyone passing them by was a lot easier than ignoring the sharp voice that spoke from the doorway, rough at the edges under the heavy weight of defeat and sadness. 

“He might not look like it, but he’s really just a child in a man’s body.” Temari studiously did not look at her wife when Tayuya whipped around to stare at her, missing the ripple of yearning that went through all those well honed muscles. “You probably shouldn’t test it. He really will just keep going.”

“Sounds annoying as hell,” Tayuya ventured. 

Neither of them seemed to notice when Shikamaru fell silent, still, waiting with baited breath. 

“It’d probably be less painful if we just give in. He already did that to me for two hours this morning and I don’t know if I can listen to it for much longer without violence that I’m pretty sure I would regret.” The proud set of Temari’s jaw was that of a queen making concessions. The dark warmth of her eyes when they finally canted sideways was that of a wife who missed the touch of her beloved.

“Good fucking god, two hours? Yeah, hell no. I ain’t listening to that. Let’s just get this over with or something then.”

“For the best.”

Despite that agreement it still took about five solid minutes of staring wordlessly in to each others’ eyes before either of them made any more toward the other. In the end they moved at the same time, reaching out with the same hand, laughing in a fondly awkward way as their fingers entwined. The moment would have been utterly beautiful if Shikamaru hadn’t breathed in very deeply just to let it all back out in one great rush. 

“Finally,” he muttered. Both of his wives frowned at him. 

“Wait.” Temari narrowed her eyes as though only now realizing what she’d done. “How did you do that?” She didn’t seem to appreciate the sheer exasperation filling him up in place of all the soft pleading he’d been wearing for days now. 

“You don’t just hang around with Ino for this long without learning how to annoy someone in to giving up.”

Before either of his wives could say anything Shikamaru was spinning on one heel and marching out the door, grumbling under his breath while he rummaged around his flack vest for a pack of smokes. Troublesome women and their troublesome tempers. At times he really did wonder why he put up with it. Two sets of footsteps rushing after him was a good reminder, though he thought he would be well within his rights to make them do a little begging after all the trouble he’d gone through just to bridge the gap between their overinflated prides. Worth it, absolutely worth it, but damn if they weren’t trouble sometimes. 

#rae writes #follower milestone #shikatematayu #shikamaru #temari #tayuya

[billythecryptid]

Lemuel Fike/F!Reader

Lem comes up with a plan that involves you and a tree, everything is great until it's time to... get down from the tree. But don't worry our loveable little nerd baby is there to help.

I just love Lem so goddamn much

I've replayed the moonshine missions so many times.

I whipped this together in about an hour so judge lightly.

Also... please just accept that Pishawing is a verb and also don't start with me about how you can't use the word card when you are describing someone running their fingers through someones hair.

Just enjoy the Lem content

<p>There was something enduring about Lemuel that despite the many tight situations he’s gotten not only himself, but you in as well made you readily agree to just about anything he suggests. </p>

<p> So now here you are perched up in a goddamn pine tree, Lem himself boosting you up to the first branch which was above your head, you shakily climbing the rest until you could see across the valley. </p>

<p> “Now just tie yourself up there, make sure yer secure.” He calls up. </p>

<p> “Don’t gotta tell me twice,” You laugh nervously and suddenly Lem is doubting his plan. He’s never seen you as anything less than sure, confident, and uncomfortably calm in sticky situations. Compared to all that you sound terrified. </p>

<p> “Maybe we should-”</p>

<p> “Lemuel Fike!” You snap. “My ass is already up here, now go get into position.” </p>

<p> “Yes, yes, of course,” he flushes. “I will come back for you I promise.” </p>

<p> “I know you will,” you reply softer. “See you in a bit.”</p>

<p> “See you in a bit.” He repeats. </p>

<p>You slip your prized rifle off your back, and set it up so it rests on another branch. Peering through the sight, he was right, there was another moonshine camp not too far from your shack and a road block not too much further. Then you see Lem, tearing through the camp on his horse faster than you’ve ever seen, in fact you don’t think you even thought he had it in him. But there he goes, you watch his back like a hawk, taking out anyone who even reaches for their gun. You aim mostly at their hands and they become frantic trying to figure out where the shots come from. Lem makes it through and you feel yourself relax a little, and force yourself to wait, knowing they have to chase him as part of the plan. You gotta say it’s pretty clever, as goofy as Lem is he comes up with some interesting ideas. They follow him right through to the road block where the revenu men let him right through, opening fire on the Moonshiners, who start shooting back. It’s a bloodbath, but Lem is clear. You pick off a few of each, making sure everyone is down. </p>

<p>“Hey,” Lem calls up. “How’s it going?”</p>

<p>“Yer a goddamn genius Lem,” you laugh, relieved to hear his voice again. </p>

<p>“I would not go as far as to say something like that…” he blushes, thankful you can’t see him before he moves to the base of the tree. You look down and immediately regret it. Your body freezing in fear as the ground looms far below you. “You can come… are you… are you okay?” he squints up at you, and even from far down below can tell you’ve gone pale.</p>

<p>“I... “ you swallow your pride, one hand clutching your rifle, the other clutching the closest branch to you. “I c’ain’t move Lem… I’m… I…” </p>

<p> “It’s alright, I am coming up,” and sure enough with agility you didn’t know he had in his gangly limbs he had scaled up the tree until he was on the branch below you. “Here, hand me your rifle, I will be careful with it I promise.” </p>

<p> Had you not been terrified of dying from your body hitting the ground you would have been touched by the careful way he took your most prized possession from you. “Alright, now I want you to turn onto your belly and put your legs down towards me. Can you do that?”</p>

<p>“No,” you whimper, closing your eyes tight, your newly freed hand gripping another branch. </p>

<p>“Hey listen,” he speaks gently. “The rope is tied to you and the tree, I won’t cut it until I got a hold on you, okay, you hear me?” You nod, eyes tightly closed. He places his hand on your knee and gives it a gentle squeeze.  “I’m right here alright?” His hands find your hips and you reach one hand out to touch his hand taking a deep breath. You slowly turn and he guides your leg down. You are now between him and the tree trunk and you feel him shift. “I’m going to cut the rope now okay?”</p>

<p> You feel sick with relief as you get to the last limb, Lem jumping down then turning and holding his arms up to you. You lean forward and let yourself fall, he catches you in his arms and the two of you are chest to chest. His hands on your waist from where he caught you and yours resting on his shoulders. </p>

<p> “There, safe and sound,” he hums, looking pleased with himself for getting you down in one piece. </p>

<p> “Thank you Lem, I don’t know what got into me.” You blush and he gently lets go of your waist. Your hands slip off his shoulders and down his arms where you can feel the muscles flexing beneath his soft flannel shirt. </p>

<p> “Everyone has got something they’re afraid of, “ he shrugs, then without thinking , brushes some pine needles free, tucking your hair back behind your ear. You're still gripping one of his upper arms. Both of you look down to your feet blushing, but instead of pulling away you squeeze his bicep, nervously looking up, breath hitching as you take in the way he’s looking at you. You swallow then lick your lips. </p>

<p>“I would very much like to kiss you right now,” he says. </p>

<p>“I would very much be okay with that,” you reply before he bends down as you lean up, your lips meeting in a shy, careful kiss, which you follow with another then a more firm, sure kiss, hands fisting in each other's shirts as it deepens. He cups the back of your head gently, as you tilt your head and open your mouth, inviting his tongue in. He moans into the kiss and you hook your fingers in his belt loops pulling his hips flush with yours as he backs you into the tree. </p>

<p> Your hands roam over his back, sides and chest as the kiss continues until you’re breathless and the world has grown almost too dark around you and the bugs start biting. </p>

<p> “We should be heading back, Maggie gets worried when I keep you out too late,” you tease lightly and he laughs leaning down and kissing you once more. You card your hand through his hair before resting your palm on his cheek. </p>

<p> “Thank you for saving me,” you sigh one last time. </p>

<p> “Please,” he pushaw’s “after all the times you’ve saved my sorry hide, it’s the least I can do.” </p>

<p>The two of you head back to Maggie’s hand and hand, making it back just as the sun sets. She’s waiting on the porch and you pull your hands apart, faces heating, but she only scoffs at the two of you, getting to her feet. </p>

<p> “Was wonderin’ when you two would quit with the longing looks and just get it together already,” she grumbles, heading inside. “Whatever you get up to, keep it in your tent out back…” She’s muttering to herself as the door shuts behind her, leaving you two severely red faced. </p>

<p> “I-uh…Aunt Mags...” Lemuel coughs through his embarrassment, “She’s always been rather presumptuous.” </p>

<p>“It don’ bother me none, I’ve always been an <em>Impetuous </em>sorta person,” you turn, looking up at him demurely, before hooking your fingers back into his belt loops, tugging him forward in a suggestive motion. He responds with another heated kiss, only stopping when Maggie comes back out to extinguish the lantern hanging by the door. </p>

<p>“I said keep it in your tent!”</p>

#lemuel fike #lemuel fike/reader #RDRO fanfic #red dead redemption online #red dead redemption 2

[randomfandomimagine]

What Would You Do Without Me? (Jaskier x Reader)

Characters: Jaskier, Geralt

Fandom: The Witcher

Tags: Reader Insert, Female Pronouns, Pining, Heavy Flirting, Fluff, Cutesy, Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: Injury, a little sad and angsty at first.

Word Count: 6k words.

Summary: Y/N is intent on exploring perilous lands and Jaskier, ever at her side, agrees to go wit her. His presence and comfort prove more helpful than she could have imagined.

A/N: I read this great piece by @lia-writes and was inspired to write some cute hurt/comfort of Jaskier myself. Hope you all like it! :)

AO3: Link

“No” Geralt insisted, not giving in.

“Well, I’m going!” You assured, turning to Jaskier. You were received with a concerned and cautious glance from the bard. “What about you?”

He rolled his eyes in a dramatic fashion and nodded his head at you.

“Of course I’m going with you, whatever will you do without me?”

You had to grin to his response, and so did Jaskier.

“Go ahead” Geralt interrupted. “But don’t blame me if you get killed”

“It is settled then” Jaskier patted the witcher’s back, earning a grunt from him.

Leaving the witcher alone in the inn, you walked outside with the bard.

“Perhaps this will make for a fantastic song” He started speaking as you went to the horses, too used to his ranting to have to turn around to him. “If we survive your reckless adventure, that is”

“So you do agree with Geralt” You briefly smirked at him over your shoulder.

“Uh, yes, I do” Noticing you walking ahead, he jogged a bit to stand by you. “I just didn’t want to say it in front of him”

“And give him the satisfaction of telling him he was right”

“Precisely”

You chuckled, absently glancing around the town as you made it to your horses.

“I mean, we are walking straight into uncharted territory, Y/N” Jaskier insisted. “We literally don’t know what sort of monster might be lurking in there"

“That’s what I want to find out” You nudged him in the ribs, to which he frowned. There was unease to his gesture as his eyebrows knitted together. “What lays at the outskirts of this town?”

“Possibly death”

“Or perhaps just another rumor and it is perfectly safe”

“Geralt didn’t want to go”

“Geralt wasn’t scared, he just couldn’t be bothered to come”

“Still…”

“Relax, Jaskier, I will protect you”

“You’re lucky you’re delightful, Y/N”

-

Mountains could be seen in the distance. The atmosphere was completely quiet once away from the busy town. Only the sound of your horses hooves was heard in the complete silence.

You slightly turned in your saddle, glancing at Jaskier. He moved on his horse, eyes glancing all around him. His shoulders were tense. His hands tightly gripped the reins.

“You’re terribly quiet back there” Your comment seemed to bring him out of his thoughts. Possibly pessimistic ones that involved danger and injury.

“Forgive me, my lady, if I’m cautious about this mysterious desert land that people say is cursed” He sarcastically replied, dedicating you a mocking grin.

“If you’re so worried, then why did you come?”

“I just can’t say no to you”

You laughed a little and sent him a flirtatious look. A genuine smile appeared on his lips and his shoulders eased down. You were opening your mouth to tease him when your horse suddenly stopped.

Merely exchanging a glance with Jaskier first, you faced forward again. The horse stirred in the spot, anxiously stomping on the ground as it paced up and down.

“What’s wrong?” You leaned forward to gently caress his neck, but that didn’t help.

“Y/N” Jaskier uttered behind you, just barely loud enough for you to hear. “Do you feel that?”

You straightened up when you realized what he was talking about. A certain darkness seemed to reign in the air, enveloping you and bringing a tight knot to your throat. Something evil seemed to be lurking in the shadows, threatening and dangerous. 

“I… Yes…” You replied, immediately regretting your foolish act of defiance.

During all your many travels with Geralt and Jaskier, nothing had happened. It was all fun as you mostly stayed in taverns and chatted with the bard. How naïve of you to believe that you couldn’t be touched for this reason. That nothing could ever happen to the witcher’s loyal companions, even without his presence.

“Perhaps we should go back to-“ Before Jaskier could finish his sentence, your horse cut him off.

He neighed and whipped his head around like he had seen a terrible apparition that didn’t reach your eyes. You desperately held on to the reins, but it was starting to become hard to stay on the saddle.

“Ah!” You shrieked when the horse stood in his hind legs and threw you off.

Your landing was rough and unpleasant, ridding you from all the air in your lungs. A blinding pain shot through your back, so overwhelming that you didn’t even know where it started. It just pulsated through your whole body as you struggled to breathe.

“Oh, gods!” Jaskier uttered, suddenly next to you. “Y/N!”

For a moment you grew disoriented as the pain claimed all your focus. You grimaced, trying to process anything. How had he gotten to you so quickly? What had happened? What did the horse see? Were you in danger?

“Are you alright?” Jaskier hovered over you, reaching out with his hands but being too afraid to touch you. “Speak to me!”

You gaped, breathless, and clung on to his arm. He scrambled for words as he gingerly pulled at you to sit you up. Then you could finally take a breath and recover. You finally got your bearings back as you locked eyes with him.

“I-I’m alright” You gulped, gasping as your heart thumped against your chest. “I think…”

Jaskier dropped his head and sighed in relief. His arm under your hands was shaking just as much as your entire body was.

“Can you move?” He kindly asked you as soon as you found with his blue eyes fixed on you.

Still slightly dazed, you nodded your head and let go of him. You folded your legs to try and stand up. At least you didn’t think you were hurt, it was probably just the shock of the impact.

However, as soon as you leaned a hand on the ground to push yourself up, that lacerating pain returned. It shot up from your wrist until it reached your shoulder. You screamed out, clutching your arm to your chest and rocking forward.

“What! What’s wrong?!” Jaskier urgently patted your knees.

You had to take a few deep breaths to calm yourself. Tears arrived to your eyes, and you only felt worse at the look of utter sadness and worry in his expression.

“My arm…” You breathed out, barely being able to move it. “I hurt my arm, it hurts so much…”

Jaskier stared at you helplessly. For a brief moment you thought he would break out crying himself. There was a long pause until he frantically stood up and moved around.

“Alright, we’re going back” You heard him mutter behind you. “Up you go first”

His arms snuck under your arms and he grunted as he lifted you up. The sudden change of height made you slightly dizzy. Or it could be just the dull ache that went from your right shoulder down to your wrist.

Jaskier hesitated to move, wanting to make sure that you could stand. When he assured that you wouldn’t fall back down, he hurried to step in front of you.

“I-I’ll take a look” He muttered, softly placing his hands on your shoulder.

Despite the delicate manner in which his fingers moved, you hissed in pain at the smallest of grazes. Jaskier heaved a restless sigh and watched you, eyes laced with concern.

“I-I don’t actually know much about this…” The bard shrugged, seemingly small and helpless. “It is a bit swollen”

You nodded your head and clutched the injured spot. The pain was so intense that it made it impossible for you to find your voice.

“Geralt probably knows more than I do” Jaskier added with a sudden cheerfulness that could be nothing but make pretend. “He might be able to help you!”

Once again, you solely nodded your head. You were pursing your lips so tightly that they hurt. Facing your back to the bard, you returned with your horse. The animal nudged his head against your collarbone as an apology for having done you any harm.

“Can you actually ride?” Jaskier’s nervous tone didn’t quite help your anguish. “Perhaps we should ride together, so-”

“I can ride” You urgently interrupted him, struggling to even breathe through the pain. “Just let’s get back as soon as possible, please” 

“Right… Yes, of course” Meek and obedient, the bard helped you get up on your horse.

He lingered by your side even once you were safely on the saddle. With a resigned touch to your leg, he finally went to ride his own horse, knowing there wasn’t much else he could do for now.

-

Luckily, you hadn’t been through a lot of pain in your life. Unluckily, this one was making you wish you could just faint and forsake yourself to a peaceful slumber.

You were hunched over in the saddle. By the point you finally made it back, you were at the end of your rope. As soon as you lightly pulled at the reins to stop your horse, Jaskier’s stallion to your left halted as well. The bard nearly threw himself off the horse to the ground in order to help you down.

His hands, clumsy but gentle, fell on your hips. He pulled at you until you were gracefully placed on the ground. You leaned into his touch, feeling too weak to stand. Not only was the pain becoming unbearable because of the intensity and duration, but your arm was also mildly numb and it was a very unpleasant sensation. Discomfort and nausea filled you and made you want to cry in frustration.

“Alright, stand still” There was distress in Jaskier’s voice as well.

“What are you doing?” You feebly asked as you leaned your head on his shoulder.

“Trying to…” He mumbled, wrapping an arm around your side and attempting to sweep your feet into the air. “There we go”

You were scooped into his arms, much to your relief. Having to hold your own weight proved exhausting on itself. You snuggled closer to him, shivering and whimpering, as you sought every ounce of comfort he could provide you with.

“Sh, it’s alright” He shushed, hoisting you up to properly hold you against him. “Geralt will help you, we’re almost there”

Jaskier strained as he walked as fast as he could. The distance between there and the inn seemed never ending for both of you. You didn’t think you could take the pain for much longer. On his side, Jaskier was having a hard time carrying you, but he was more preoccupied with healing you first. He never stopped whispering words of comfort to you. It broke his heart to see you in so much pain.

-

“That damn witcher” Jaskier swore through grit teeth, quitting his pacing to sit by you in the bed he had settled you in. “Why does he always wander around?”

You were a mess, trying not to sob in front of him. You were mortified enough already knowing he was so worried about you. You refused to, on top of all, start bawling your eyes out.

“He should be back any minute” Jaskier kissed the top of your head. “Hold on for a bit longer, love”

You just nodded, mentally cursing Geralt yourself for not being there. He would know what injury you were facing, as well as perhaps having a potion to eliminate the pain.

Too restless to sit by your side anymore, Jaskier sprung up from the bed. He walked over to the cupboard and rummaged through the drawers. You wanted to ask what he was doing, but were simply too drained to speak up.

“Ah-ha!” He finally exclaimed, grabbing something and turning to you. “I knew it was here somewhere”

You observed the foulard he was holding and peered at him in confusion.

“We can make a sling out of it!” His excited grin comforted you slightly and reminded you to breathe. “That way you can keep your injured arm in place”

He fiddled with it and approached you once more. Just as he was trying to tie it around you, the door of the room opened.

“Oh, thank the gods” You and Jaskier sighed at the same time.

“You’re alive” Geralt greeted you, solely glancing at you.

“Not quite” You sulkily replied, being fed up with your injury.

His golden eyes fell upon you and his deadpan expression turned to anger at the sight.

“Geralt, please help” Jaskier followed him around the room as Geralt came in. “Y/N fell of the horse when-“

“The horse got scared?” He sarcastically finished the sentence, dropping his satchel on the other bed and searching it.

“I literally don’t have the strength to put up with an ‘I told you so’, Geralt” You sighed, clenching your fists in annoyance and helplessness. Your shaky voice was proof enough of the distress you were experiencing. “You were right, I was stupid to go, please tell me you have a potion or something for this pain. Please…”

Jaskier returned to your side while the witcher did his thing. The bard was careful enough to sit on your good side and rub your back there where the pain didn’t reach.

Geralt towered over you, offering you a small bottle that contained a clear liquid. You didn’t hesitate to take it from him and desperately drown it all in one gulp.

“Ugh” You shivered when a wave of nausea hit you. “That was disgusting”

“Yeah, well” The witcher tilted his head as he took the bottle back from you. “It will help with the pain. What hurts?”

“Her arm” Jaskier replied for you. “I think she landed on it when she fell”

“Stand up, I’ll take a look at it” Geralt briefly turned to leave the empty bottle atop the cupboard.

Along with Jaskier’s support, of his arm once more around your waist, you stood to your feet. You forced yourself to stay up while your whole body complained and threatened with collapsing.

Geralt faced you once more, so you pointed him to your right arm.

“Let me see” Was all he said, so you moved your shirt to reveal your bare shoulder.

He carefully squeezed, making you squirm at his rough calloused hands. Just the briefest touch to your delicate skin made you grimace. He kept palpating your shoulder until he seemed to come up with a diagnosis and let go of you with a thoughtful hum.

“Turn around” He asked you, and you did as well, now revealing the skin on your back.

“Oof” Jaskier exclaimed behind you. “That’s a nasty bruise! It’s all purple and-“

“Jaskier” Geralt quickly scolded him, but it was too late.

“Oh, no, is it dislocated?” Your mind started racing. “Do you have to put it back on the socket? T-That will hurt even more! I don’t… I don’t think I can take-”

“It’s not dislocated” Geralt turned you around to be facing each other once more. “You were lucky”

As you recovered from that scare, you felt Jaskier falling into place behind you. In a gesture that surprised you, he wrapped his arms around you from behind and rested his chin on your healthy shoulder. You smiled a bit, imagining it was his apology for having worried you.

“Try not to move it” The witcher concluded, stepping away from you. “You’ll be fine, you just need to rest”

“W-Where are you going?” The bard asked next to your ear, but Geralt didn’t reply.

When you were left alone in the room once more, you exhaled. It was a big relief that you hadn’t badly injured yourself. Jaskier’s gentleness also invited you to further relax.

“Phew…” He sighed, rubbing his thumb over your rib. “You gave me quite a scare there”

You just hummed in response. Your knees were nearly giving in under your weight, but his arms lightly tightened around your stomach.

“Alright then” With baffling ease, he left a small kiss on your shoulder. “If my lady allows me, I will now look after you”

You chuckled as he took you with him to the bed once more. Once you were sitting, he went to retrieve the foulard from before. In the meantime, you started to feel quite groggy, probably because of the effects of the potion Geralt gave you. Finding that your thoughts were tangled and messy, you paused.

“You’re spoiling me, Jas” You then told him with a sleepy smile.

He laughed at his new nickname but didn’t comment on it. Instead, he stood before you with his hands on his hips.

“Absolutely, it will make for a quick recovery” The way he smiled now, with so much relief and renewed energy, made you calmer than you had been all day. “I will gladly spoil you”

He carefully put your injured arm in the foulard, then wrapping his arms around your neck to tie the ends diagonally over your good shoulder. When he moved away, he was still smiling like that.

“Now lie down, Geralt told you to rest”

You wearily nodded your head and closed your eyes. The pain was finally subsiding, making you relax your muscles and make you aware of how tense they had been for hours.

“I am sleepy” You groggily lifted your legs up to the bed.

“No wonder, love” Jaskier’s fingers tenderly fell over your healthy arm, pushing you slightly until you were lying down. “Today was quite the ordeal”

“Mhm” You sighed, finally finding comfort and calmness to what had only been chaos. “Will you stay with me?”

You blindly reached out until your hand fell over his arm and you squeezed it tight, eliciting a fond chuckle from Jaskier. The bed lightly shifted with his weight as he sat on the corner, but you weren’t satisfied with that. You frowned and whined, barely managing to open your eyes to look at him.

“No, here” You kept tugging at him, trying to make him understand that you wanted him to lie down with you. The only thing missing in your perfect comfort was him. His arms around you. His fidgety and warm body against you. His voice in your ear, whispering soft words with his delightful accent.

“Oh” Jaskier finally realized, smiling like that once more. “Of course”

As he occupied the space next to you, on your good side, the bard lowly laughed to himself. You stirred, trying to fit in the small space with him. You settled over him at last with your head on his chest, not putting pressure in your bad arm and instead squeezing your left one against his torso. At that moment, you were confident that you had never felt so cozy and peaceful before.

Jaskier continued giggling under his breath, even as his arms lovingly fell around you. He brought your frame closer to him as to not let you lay so close to the edge of the bed.

“What’s so amusing?” You went to slap him in the chest, just then remembering your arm was kept in place with Jaskier’s improvised sling.

“You are quite adorable when you’re sleepy” He playfully wrinkled his nose at you.

“Stop…” You nuzzled his shoulder, only making him laugh more as you proved his point.

“Are you comfortable?” His hand tenderly pressed against your back in a gentle massage that relieved your sore shoulder. “Do you need anything else?”

“I’m alright… Now I am” You sighed, closing your eyes and allowing yourself to give in to the welcoming sleep. “Thank you, Jaskier, for everything”

“It is my pleasure” His voice had lowered into a whisper, helping you fall asleep with even more ease. “I am quite comfortable myself, honestly”

You smiled and nuzzled his neck, treasuring his warmth and loving affection. Despite your many shared travels and adventures, you had never been this close. Nonetheless, it felt natural and comforting.

“You are so great, I love you” You shivered as his hand caressed your hair.

You didn’t notice he abruptly stopped at your words. Nor that he was suddenly holding his breath.

He was saying something to you now, but you were already asleep.

-

A deep voice brought you out of your slumber. After a few seconds of haziness, you recognized it was Geralt. You couldn’t differentiate the words he was saying, but you felt Jaskier’s voice resonating in his chest under your ear as he replied.

You jolted up slightly, cruelly dragged away from the comfortable stupor, when the door was slammed closed. The bard stirred under you as well, surprised by your movement.

“Y/N?” He cautiously asked, his fingers brushing over your ear as he secured your hair behind it so it didn’t fall over your face. “Are you awake?”

You lazily opened your eyes, being welcomed by the sweetest of looks in his eyes as he peered down at you. A smile immediately appeared on his mouth at your intertwined gazes.

“Was that Geralt?”

“Yes, he… Came to check on you”

You wondered if the sudden restlessness and hesitance present in Jaskier’s voice was a product of your imagination. Perhaps you were still too drowsy.

“How are you feeling, by the way?” He resumed, gently squeezing his arms around you. “Any better?”

“Yeah” You pouted at the thought that you would have to leave that position. Being engulfed by him, you wanted nothing more than to stay there forever. “It doesn’t hurt as much”

Jaskier uttered a sound that was a mixture between a sigh and a chuckle. His bright grin reminded you of the one that seemed to illuminate your world before you fell asleep. Then when you needed it the most, when you needed him the most.

“Well, I am happy to hear that” Apparently, the bard had nothing but loving gestures for you as he gingerly squeezed your arm. “I was worried about you”

Your eyes met and refused to look away. Something stirred within you with the sudden realization of how close you truly were, mere inches separating your faces. Of how sweet and tender he had been. How caring, how gentle. Gentle Jaskier.

Despite the wonderful moment, your body complained. You groaned, knowing you needed to get up and eat or drink something. After all, you didn’t even know how long you were asleep for. That thought also made you aware that Jaskier hadn’t moved an inch, for your sake. Surely, he must have been feeling sore himself after maintain that position for so long.

“Thank you, Jaskier” You carefully leaned your hand on his stomach to push yourself up. “You have been so kind”

“That I have” His playful and flirtatious tone, that you hadn’t quite heard since before the accident, had thankfully returned. “Perhaps you should give me a token of your gratitude?”

Not without effort, you had managed to sit up on your own. When you turned to him, he had rolled over on his side now and was resting his jaw on his hand. You grinned at the cool demeanor he displayed.

“Heroes don’t ask for rewards, my dear Jaskier”

He pursed his lips in a badly contained smirk that still crept up to his mouth.

“I am not a hero, I am a knight. Saving damsels in distress”

“Don’t get used to it” You leaned closer to him and lovingly pecked his cheek. “But thank you, oh valiant knight in shining armor”

Jaskier shrugged with feigned bashfulness, but you could see a faint blush on his cheeks.

“You’re welcome” He nimbly stood to his feet, running to your side in case you needed any sort of assistance. “In any case, you… already said thank you before, remember?”

You tried to sort out your thoughts, too distracted by his magnetic presence next to you. By his charm. His beautiful smile, his lingering glances and lively blue eyes. The way he reached out to lightly touch the small of your back, asking you if you needed any help without using words at all.

“Um…” You muttered in an attempt to focus. “Did I?”

“Aha…” Jaskier calmly followed you around the room.

Upon seeing your reflection on the mirror atop the cupboard, you gasped in outrage. You were suffering from a terrible case of bed hair. With your one healthy arm, you reached out to try and comb your hair. Until a sudden memory flashed in your head. Heat arrived to your entire face, but you tried to ignore it as well as Jaskier, who still expected a proper answer from you.

Instead of giving it to him, and with the mental excuse of feeling slightly cold, you went to pick up your forgotten jacket from the chair it rested on. You were disappointed, however, when you remembered you couldn’t move your arm.

“You seem flustered” Jaskier observed, softly taking the garment from your hands. “Is something the matter?”

You couldn’t quite get mad at his sarcastic tone as he put your arm on the sleeve, first the healthy one. As he moved to stand to your other side, he paused and stared.

“No, I’m not flustered” You saw his smile with the corner of your eye.

Jaskier waited for a few more seconds. In the end, he chuckled and you prayed that you weren’t blushing. It was a mild relief when he began carefully maneuvering your injured arm out of the sling and into the other sleeve.

Your gaze lingered on the ground and away from his eyes. He positioned himself before you once he was done adjusting the jacket over your shoulders and reclaimed your attention.

“You do remember it, then” He put his hands on his hips. “Hm?”

“I do, Jas”

“Well, did you mean it?”

“I… Y-Yeah”

“Would you say it again?”

The flirtatious atmosphere shifted in favor of a more serious one. His eyes were now glinting with emotion and expectation. You opened your mouth to say it, to show him that you actually were fond of him. Fond of him in such a way, that was. However, the words got stuck in your throat and you were unable to pronounce them.

“It’s alright” Jaskier suddenly took your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You don’t actually have to say it”

“I don’t need to, do I?” You looked at him through your eyelashes.

Jaskier stirred in the spot and cleared his throat, apparently flustered. You eyed him carefully and saw him opening and closing his mouth like a fish. When he gazed at you again, you smiled at him.

The two of you chuckled together. There was so much left unsaid that was implied in that shared laugh. The nervousness, the familiarity, the longing.

Your breath caught in your throat when his hand found its way to your face.

“Are you really alright?” He asked, quite seriously now.

“I am now” You sweetly smiled at him, earning a smitten look.

Jaskier took a deep breath, nodding to himself. You couldn’t help but to notice the way his eyes kept drifting down to your lips. Betraying your yearning, yours did the same.

It wasn’t until you felt a soft squeeze in your hand that you remembered he was holding it. You used it to softly push yourself forward. A chuckle escaped your lips when your noses bumped against each other.

Your arm throbbed. As well as that, you felt light-headed, but you couldn’t tell if it was because Jaskier’s closeness took your breath away or because of your injury. You leaned towards the first, since you felt completely elated.

Butterflies flew inside your stomach in anticipation. You could feel the soft velvety touch of his lips on yours already when a sound broke the magic spell.

“Ugh…” You cowered back in shame, holding your growling stomach.

The wonderful sound of Jaskier’s laughter filled the room.

“Come on” Jaskier tugged at your hand, refusing to let it go. “We need to get some food in you”

“But…” Your glance fell over the door. At the other side of it were countless of indiscreet eyes, and you were far too fond of this newfound intimacy with Jaskier to put up with that. “My… My hair is… a mess”

He looked up at it, considering it for a moment, and then nodded.

“Yeah, right” Jaskier gawked at you as you hurriedly stepped away from him.

A part of you cursed your stupidity for hiding. The other one, though, urged you to get away from his prying eyes that were likely to spot your flush.

Pretending to focus hard on the task ahead, you picked up your hair brush and began furiously carding through your hair trying to get rid of the knots. With your one arm, it was a challenging task.

“Wow, wow, wow” The bard was back at your side in the blink of an eye. “What are you doing?”

“Combing my hair…”

“Why so violently?”

“I always do it like that, it’s easier to untangle it and-“

“Give me that” He took the comb from your hands and shook his head in disapproval as he moved behind you. “How are you not bald already?”

You had to chuckle, still endeared that he was so adamant on looking after you. The comb gently passed through your hair as Jaskier’s hands slowly worked. Your neck tingled when his fingers travelled through your tufts. If there was any unease left in you, it vanished the more his fingers sunk in your hair.

“That’s better” He concluded, letting your mane gracefully fall over your back. To top it all off, he bent down slightly to kiss you on the head. You glanced down, smiling to yourself. How could you not adore him?

Determined to focus on anything else not to throw yourself at him and kiss him silly, you tried to gather your now combed hair to tie it up. An inevitable grunt crawled up your throat at your useless arm that made it impossible to finish simple tasks such as that.

“Fine, I’ll do that too” Jaskier held his hand out, with the fake reluctance of someone who definitely was excited to spoil you even more. “Give me the thing”

“What thing?”

“That ribbon you always carry”

Your hand fell over your wrist in awe, surprised that he had noticed such a small detail. Pulling at the ends of the thin red ribbon to untie it from your wrist, you gave it to him over your shoulder.

“Thaaank you” You bit your lip when your hands brushed and with his lively reply.

His fingers reached out from behind until they picked up all of your hair, dragging across your temples to make sure no tuft escaped from his grip. As he gently gathered all of your hair into his hands, you sighed in delight to his further gentle cares.

“Was that a happy sigh?” The fond amusement was obvious in his voice.

“Yes…” You shivered when his fingertips graced your neck as he tied the ribbon around your hair and secured it there.

“What for?” Jaskier took ahold of your shoulders and turned you around to face him.

“You”

“Me?”

“What would I do without you, Jas?”

The bard smirked, and even if you mirrored his expression, you felt slightly embarrassed by how clingy you suddenly felt. Jaskier chuckled and infected you with soft laughter.

Craving his closeness, you softly kissed him in the jaw and then hid in his chest. As you buried your face on his shoulder, he tensed up slightly, perhaps as flustered as you.

“What are you doing?” He asked, his hand tenderly cradling the back of your head.

“I’m trying to hug you” Was your excuse as you reached out with your good arm and put it across his back to demonstrate.

“Oh” His arms immediately pressed you against him. “Like this?”

You hummed, happily nuzzling his chest. Honestly, all that pain was nearly worth it just for bringing you so impossibly close. For earning you his delicate cares and loving attention.

When you looked up at him, your gazes met once more. You could feel the romantic atmosphere that surrounded you, nearly being able to touch it. Not breaking away from his embrace, you tilted your head up. His lips were right there, so close, so reachable. So enticing.

His mouth perked up, grinning at your gesture, and he leaned closer too. He closed his eyes, and you did the same as his arms squeezed you even closer to his torso.

“You two!” A deep angry voice exclaimed just as the door violently swung open.

“Dammit, Geralt!” Jaskier complained, glancing at the witcher.

He merely pointed a finger at you and scowled, apparently either oblivious or unfazed by what you had been doing before he so rudely erupted in.

“If you’re not there in two minutes, I’m eating without you” That said, Geralt stormed off.

Exchanging a glance with Jaskier, the two of you giggled like two mischievous children.

“Let’s go, the white wolf is hungry” He reluctantly pulled away from you. However, he refused to completely abandon your touch and took ahold of your hand.

“He was waiting for us all this time?” You gawked at him, following him as he reached the door.

“I… Might have forgotten to tell you” Jaskier grimaced in apology, not meeting your eyes. “Even forgotten he was there…”

You just laughed and exited the room with him. Even if, as you had foreseen, the noisy crowd that gathered outside harshly broke the sweet magical spell that hung over you and Jaskier.

-

Geralt wolfed down his food, barely paying any mind to the two of you sitting across from him. Even with your playful and even childish gestures, like lowly laughing together, all the nudging and whispering and leaning into each other.

“Cut it out” The witcher finally complained, not bothering to glance at you.

“Sorry…” Jaskier mumbled, leaving you with a last pat to your knee before focusing on his friend. “Where have you been, by the way?”

“I went to the outskirts” You intently listened as you nibbled on the food before you. “There was a ghoul there, that’s why your horse got scared”

“Oh” You could only say in return. “Well, thank you. Not only on my behalf, I’m sure the people of this town are grateful now that they’re safe”

“Hm” Geralt only hummed.

“That’s good…” Jaskier absently picked at his bread. “Yeah…”

“You barely had a bite” You observed, watching his full plate. “You should eat something too”

“I can’t eat” He dramatically sighed and peered at you. “I have butterflies in my stomach”

You let out an involuntary guffaw at the unexpected comment. You could discern that wonderful bright grin of his before you hid your face on his shoulder.

“Is there something between you two?” Geralt demanded to know, forcing you to look back at him.

Both you and the bard stuttered as you tried to find a proper response. It turned out that you didn’t even know it yourselves. There was certainly something, but what exactly, you couldn’t tell.

You shrugged your shoulders and that immediately reminded you of your injury, nearly forgotten. A sharp pain started in your shoulder blade and spread down to your arm and wrist like it had done at the start of the day.

“Shit!” You hunched forward and angrily slammed the table.

“What happened?!” Jaskier’s palm settled over your back in alarm.

“I fucking shrugged!” You took a deep breath to calm down from the sudden shock.

“Maybe that will remind you to be more careful next time” Geralt said as he stood up. “Instead of pulling any reckless deeds again”

“Are we leaving?”

“Yes, I’m not putting up with you two”

You were equally amused and mortified by his blatant annoyance with your cutesy interactions. Instead of commenting on it, however, the both of you stood up and quietly followed him.

The air and the sun outside were refreshing after such a long day. Besides, Jaskier’s lingering hand on your back brought you that comfort he had been providing you with all day.

As you neared the horses, the bard paused next to yours. A sly smirk had mysteriously appeared on his expression, and you found out why before you could question it.

He smacked his lips against yours, sneakily yet casually, and ran away.

“Jaskier!” You called him, stopping him before he could escape.

“Yes, Y/N?” He innocently turned to you, like nothing had happened.

“I… Help me up on the horse, please?”

Without a word, he returned by your side and settled his hands on your hips. Before he could boost you up, however, you leaned your hand on his shoulder.

“It has been quite a day” You said as an excuse to keep him close. “Will you stay by my side?”

“I am your knight in shining armor, after all” He winked an eye at you.

You played with your hair and moved in closer, painstakingly slow. Every centimeter of your body started tingling when you finally met on a proper kiss. Slow but passionate. Tender and delicate. Loving and demanding.

Jaskier laughed against your mouth as he pulled away.

“Are you trying to seduce me, you little devil?” His lips had never been so attractive as they curved up against yours.

“Perhaps…” You innocently batted your eyelashes at him. “But you’re not allowed to fall in love”

“I’m afraid it’s far too late for that, Y/N”

You chuckled in awe at his words and leaned in again. Geralt, already up on Roach, loudly cleared his throat behind you. You had to suppress a guffaw when a flush appeared on Jaskier’s cheeks. To divert attention from it, he nodded and silently helped you up on the horse once and for all.

You smiled to yourself as you absently caressed your horse’s neck. Surely, it had been a long day, but you wouldn’t change a thing. Even as you towered over him, Jaskier smirked at you.

“What would you do without me, love?” He playfully squeezed your knee before he left to ride his horse. Despite his teasing, the sweetest of smiles was plastered on his lips.

Geralt went first, but as he passed you by, Jaskier winked an eye at you. You couldn’t help but noticing that he didn’t let you go first this time.

Tag list: @kingniazx​ / @greensadmoon / @they-call-me-thewildrose / @aviankin / @jasper-the-stan / @v3nusc3 / @kisabellar / @breezyfails / @iwannaendme5 / @squirrel-saloli / @saveatruckrideoptimusprime / @ultracolorfulnerdcollection / @creativemayhems / @bands-messed-me-up / @pantrashtic / @buckyness-intensifies / @drunkonbuckybarnes / @kkcline123 / @designfailure56 / @this-is-whump-dammit / @anderfelll-s // If you want to be added or taken off the tag list for these fandoms or characters, let me know!! // Reblogs and comments are appreciated!

#rfi writings #witcher #the witcher #jaskier x reader #the witcher imagine #witcher imagine #jaskier imagine #fluff #jaskier fluff #reader insert #not requested #faves #ficlet #witcher ficlet #the witcher ficlet #jaskier ficlet

[yourdeepestfathoms]

we poured mud through our veins (part two)

Part 1

------------------------------------------

don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

Lydia did not like the way her family was looking at Presley, and she could tell Presley felt the same way by the way she tightened her grip on her arm nervously. Nobody said anything in reaction to the new arrival, so Lydia felt like she had to fill the silence with words of her own. She decided to try to speak to her friend this time.

 “Presley, this is my family,” Lydia said, then began naming everyone, pointing to them respectively as she went. “That’s my dad, Charles, and my step-mom, Delia. Those are my ghost parents, Barbara and Adam. And that’s--”

 “Beetlejuice,” Presley whispered.

 “Yeah,” Lydia nodded.

 “When you said you have otherworldly people living in your house, this was not what I thought you meant,” Presley said. Her voice was very quiet, as if she were afraid she would be yelled at for talking loudly. Or perhaps she was just shy, which seemed very likely given how timid she was.

Lydia laughed slightly. “Yeah, it’s a bit strange. But we all fit together just fine! We make do. Lemons, lemonade- however that goes.” She looked back at her family. “Presley is my friend. She’s really nice. I’m sure you guys will like her.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Presley smile bashfully.

 “Lydia,” Charles said. “A word, please.”

 “I’ll be back,” Lydia said to Presley, then gently slid her hand off of her arm and walked over to her family. They all bustled into the kitchen and began to talk, even though they were still very much in earshot of Presley.

 “Lydia, what were you thinking?” Charles hissed.

 “I didn’t resurrect her!” Lydia flared. “She just showed up!”

 “It doesn’t matter how she got here,” Adam said. “She’s here now and we need to figure out something to do with her.”

 “She isn’t a dog, Adam,” Beetlejuice said. “We can’t just send her to the pound. At least, I don’t think we can. Can we?”

 “That isn’t what I meant!” Adam blustered.

 “Is she okay?”

Everyone looked at Barbara, then at Presley.

The young jockey was still standing on the final step on the staircase where Lydia had left her, looking all around the house. She kept fiddling with her crop, flicking it back and forth in her hand as some sort of nervous tick. When she accidentally made eye contact with the gawking group, she yanked her head away so fast her helmet twisted out of place and she had to readjust it. She must have felt pressured to say something when they continued to stare because she said aloud, “Your house is very pretty.”

 “Thank you, Presley,” Lydia said to her. Then, to the group, “She’s harmless.”

 “She’s harmed,” Barbara said. “What-- what happened to her?”

Lydia stole another glance at the young jockey, who was now rocking back and forth on her heels--only to grimace and latch onto the railing of the staircase when pain seemed to shoot up her legs. She tentatively touched her thigh with a dirty, glove-covered hand like she was making sure the femur wasn’t sticking out or something, then started looking around again. Lydia looked back at her family.

 “She was killed during a race,” Lydia said. “She used to be a jockey and whipped her thoroughbred while running, which sent it into a frenzy. She got trampled to death.”

Barbara, Adam, and Delia all got matching horrified-worried expressions on their faces. Beetlejuice let out an impressed whistle. Charles looked shocked and disturbed at the gruesome revelation.

 “What an awful way to go out,” Delia whispered, giving Presley a sympathetic look. “Poor thing.”

 “You two got lucky,” Beetlejuice put in helpfully to Adam and Barbara.

 “Really lucky,” Adam agreed. He seemed to be trying to imagine what it would be like to be caught underneath a herd of heavily-muscled race horses going over his body at over forty miles per hour and shuddered.

 “That’s all I really know about her,” Lydia went on. “She didn’t tell me much when I first met her, aside from that and her name. I don’t think she likes talking about it.”

 “I can see why,” Adam blew out a breath.

 “Lydia?” Presley called over meekly.

 “Yeah?” Lydia looked over to her.

 “May I sit down?”

 “Presley, you don’t have to ask me permission to sit down. You can do whatever you want.”

 “…But may I?”

Lydia sighed. “Yeah, go ahead.”

 “Okay, thank you,” Presley said, and then sat down on the last step of the staircase.

Lydia looked back at her family. “She’s polite!”

 “How is she even alive?” Charles asked, looking Presley up and down. “The blood--”

 “Being Dead can be kinda hard to explain at times,” Beetlejuice informed. “BASICALLY you can still feel the pain of how you died. And your body can continue to do some functions, hence why Adam can cry real tears at Disney movies and Miss Horse Girl over there--”

 “Presley,” Lydia said.

 “Presley,” Beetlejuice corrected, “looks so freshly bloodied. She was probably still able to bleed all throughout her afterlife. And, MAN, that must have sucked!”

Presley looked over at them in confusion at Beetlejuice’s rise in volume. The others hissed at him to be quiet.

 “I don’t understand the afterlife at all,” Delia said.

 “Yeah, it can be very confusing sometimes,” Beetlejuice nodded.

 “Okay, but my concern still stands,” Charles spoke back up. “Look at her. She looks like she got run over. Literally. How do we know she’s not going to keel over at any moment and then we’ll have the dead body of some random girl on our hands?”

 “Well, if nobody knows who she is or that she’s even here, then we can just bury her in the back--”

 “NO!!”

Presley looked over at them again. Beetlejuice huffed and crossed his arms.

 “You guys are no fun.”

 “We should probably take a look at her,” Barbara said. “See how badly she’s hurt. Bathe her and get her some new clothes. If she is still injured, she shouldn’t be wallowing in all that filth. She’ll get an infection.”

 “I’ll help you,” Delia said.

 “You both are going to bathe an unknown child you don’t even know?” Charles looked disbelieving. “She’s a stranger.”

 “She’s also a child, as you said,” Delia said. “She’s hurting. She needs--”

 “I really don’t want to be a bother.”

They all turned to look at Presley, who was looking back at them with an apprehensive expression on her face. She rose to her feet, which made pain flash across her face when she did so, but she ignored it.

 “I can go.”

 “Go?” Lydia echoed. “Go where? There’s nowhere for you to go.”

Presley opened her mouth, then closed it. She didn’t seem to know what to say, so she just settled for a shrug.

 “Presley--” Lydia took a step towards her.

 “I could kill myself.”

 “No!” Lydia shouted, eyes going wide. “Presley, don’t.”

 “Why not?” Presley tilted her head. “You said it yourself- there’s nowhere else for me to go. And I really don’t want to bother you and your family. Besides, I already know where I’m going to go when I die. Nothing is going to change. But maybe the pain from how I die this time will override the pain of how I died the first time. Oh, that would be great! Do you know how much it hurts to live with internal bleeding that never goes away? I swear, somedays I think it would be better to just let my guts out and leave them out for good. Like, if they want out so badly, why not let them? Not my problem! I shouldn’t have to fight with my own small intestines while trying to do my job, which I STILL don’t understand. I never asked to--” She then caught the stares they all were giving her and snapped her mouth shut. She cleared her throat. “Umm-- Sorry-- I-I’ll just go now.”

 “Presley, wait!” Lydia called after her.

But Presley was already hurrying towards the front door.

And when she turned around, a giant crater in the back of her helmet was revealed to all of them.

An entire piece had been broken off completely, most likely from either getting stepped on or kicked by one of the horses, displaying a tangled red mess to their eyes. For a moment, Lydia thought Presley was a ginger, and then she realized that was blood matted in her hair.

Adam’s resulting sickened noise perfectly exhibited how they all felt.

Presley opened the door and began to walk out--

--only to be stopped by the storm raging outside.

She stared out at the furious tempest for a moment, then stepped back, shut the door, and turned to them.

 “It’s raining.”

 “Looks like you’re stuck with us, kid,” Beetlejuice smirked toothily.

Presley shuffled her feet. “I really don’t want to bother anyone.”

 “You won’t,” Lydia assured her. She walked over and offered Presley her hand. Presley took it eagerly. “And if anyone asks you can be my…”

 “Second-cousin!” Adam offered.

 “Second-cousin, yeah!” Lydia nodded.

 “Adam!” Charles gave the ghost a betrayed look.

 “What?” Adam held his hands up. “I have a soft spot for kids! Especially girl kids! That sounded wrong.”

 “Come on, Adam, didn’t we have an entire lecture on creepy old men a few months ago,” Beetlejuice said.

 “I didn’t mean it like that!!”

Presley laughed at their bickering. And then coughed. And then that cough built up into another cough, and then another cough, and then another, and then another, and then another, until she had to pull away from Lydia to cover her mouth with her hand. Adam and Beetlejuice instantly stopped playfully arguing with each other to watch on with concerned expressions, as did Lydia, Delia, Barbara, and even Charles. After a moment, the coughing fit tapered off, and Presley pulled her hand away from her mouth.

There was fresh blood on the glove she wore.

 “Well, would you look at that,” Presley said, trying to joke. There was blood on the sides of her mouth. “My lungs still bleed!” She laughed weakly and wiped her hand on her already-soiled racing trousers. “Sorry.”

 “Are you alright?” Delia asked, sounding very worried. Her Mom Side was starting to come out.

 “I’m fine,” Presley answered quickly enough for it to be suspicious. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.” She looked down at herself. “Or looks.”

Beetlejuice snorted. “Riiight,” He said. “And I’m not hitting on two different people at once, both of which are married to each other. Uh-huh. Totally, kid.”

“Really,” Presley said, narrowing her eyes at him, which Lydia was surprised she even did given how anxious she was. “I died quickly. I fell off and then the--” She struggled for a moment, which was enough evidence proving that she hadn’t died instantly and didn’t remember a thing from the experience. “The-- the horse kicked me in the head and I was dead. See, quick! Fast! Painless! All this other stuff happened after I died and just lingered on my body into the afterlife because the universe hates me. Probably because my family was wealthy. You know, ‘eat the rich’ and all that.”

 “Then why did you say you were in constant pain earlier?” Charles asked, and Lydia could tell he was getting interested, now.

 “I lied.” Presley said.

 “And why would you do that?”

 “…Attention?”

 “What about That Thing you showed me in my bedroom?” Lydia hopped on the interrogation bandwagon. Although she didn’t really enjoy this method of getting Presley to open up, she could tell her new friend was as stubborn as a mule when it came to letting people help her.

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lydia crossed her arms. “You literally showed me deliberately. On your own accord.”

 “I didn’t think you would tell anyone!” Presley hissed.

 “Show them.” Lydia said.

 “What? No, that’s weird!”

 “Presley,” Barbara stepped in, and her tender, soothing voice was enough to snag Presley’s full attention. Lydia had to bite back a giggle; it seemed it was a universal thing to be drawn to Barbara’s Mom Aura like a moth to a flame. “It’s okay, honey. We want to help you.”

Presley looked at her, then the others, and then nervously at Lydia. Lydia nodded to her. She sighed and finally gave in.

 “WOAH,” Beetlejuice yelled when Presley began to unbutton her jockey uniform. “Kid, did you not hear me literally a few minutes ago? We’ve already had the talk about creepy old guys!”

Presley’s face immediately flushed red. Lydia marched over to Beetlejuice and punched him in the arm.

 “She isn’t flashing us, you weirdo!”

 “Oh,” Beetlejuice said. “Right. Of course. Carry on!”

Lydia had to nod to Presley again, but Presley finally undid enough buttons for her to pull back one side to show off her heavily bruised chest.

And, like before, like her body had been, it looked much worse in full light.

What Lydia had thought was black was actually a deep, dark purple that seemed to fade into multi-colored waves like an oil spill upon her chest. Now, Lydia could see the different bruises, which were splashed on top of each other like a mess of spilled paint. There were a few nicks and cuts, all inflamed with scarlet around the edges and packed with dirt that had been there for god knows how long, but the worst had to be the angry red hoofprint on her collarbone, seething pus down her chest.

Presley quickly buttoned her shirt back up, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

 “It’s really not that bad,” She said.

 “Oh, you poor thing!”

Delia raced over to Presley, which made the young jockey take a wary step back. Presley began to fidget with her crop again.

 “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Delia said. “You don’t have to live like this any longer! We--” She looked around. “Barbara, get over here and Mom with me.”

Barbara hurried over.

 “We,” Delia went on, “will help you.” She smiled warmly. “You’re in good hands.”

Presley blinked up at her in shock, then glanced at Lydia. Lydia laughed and nodded to her, giving her permission for whatever she felt she needed permission for.

 “O-okay,” Presley stammered.

 “Wonderful,” Delia said. “Come on. We’re going to start by getting you out of those clothes and into something more comfortable.”

 “Tell me, Presley,” Barbara said as she and Delia began herding the young jockey towards the stairs. “How long has it been since you had a hot bath?”

#mud!verse #beetlejuice the musical #beetlejuice the broadway musical #beetlejuice fanfiction #beetlejuice fic #beetlejuice #lydia deetz #lawrence beetlejuice shoggoth #delia deetz #charles deetz #adam maitland #barbara maitland #the jockey

[kinetic-elaboration]

September 1: 3x06 Spectre of the Gun

Okay so, it might be a little early to declare myself a S3 apologist, since there are still a lot of eps I’ve never seen, but I feel like I’m pretty close..

This ep was so good!! Honestly I think it’s one of my faves. And perfect to usher in Spooky Season.

Honestly, this show really is my happy place. Just all the characters together on the bridge, on some kinda adventure, looking at weird space buoys and investigating stuff.

Again, this buoy looks like a Windows 98 screensaver.

Kirk keeps referring to Spock as “Science Officer.” Is he mad at him? Full of some particularly intense longing that requires him to put extra distance between them?

Excuse me, you address US as aliens? YOU’RE the aliens.

Hmmm, so it seems they’re not friendly.

It’s addressing them in different languages!!! I love it. Love the reminder that Uhura’s first language is not English,also.

“True telepaths are dangerous.” As opposed to fake telepaths like Vulcans lol?

The Melkotians withdrew immediately. They invented space travel, they saw space, and they said “not for us” and they turned around and left. McCoy would like them; they’d have a lot to gripe about together.

The welcome mat is NOT out.

“Unlike Mr. Scott’s transporter, this unit is not functioning.”

It legit looked like Spock put his hand on Kirk’s back there. Like he clearly raises it, but not far enough to be seen above Kirk, so like.. what was the point? Where did it go?

LEE CRONIN--oh no, flashbacks lol.

“We come in peace”--immediately pulls out gun.

I should have watched this when writing my Western fic.

Just bits and pieces of a Western town... and a completely red sky...

The guns are “crude but dangerous.” If only Sulu were here; he’d love this.

An announcement with a specific time and place on it--that’s a very precise detail to just pull from their minds. Must have come from Kirk’s, that nerd. Maybe Spock. But probably Kirk.

“Because my ancestors pioneered the American frontier.” I mean did they really get to the frontier? Or just... the Midwest?

Maybe it’s actually because he’s a cowboy at heart?

Aliens using his own ancestral sins as the pattern for his own death for breaking their law IS a great (possibly partially unintended) idea. Oh also, if they think that Kirk and co. are here to ‘tame’ or colonize them, then the Western setting makes even more sense--you’re no different from your ancestors, you came somewhere new and brought lawlessness and violence and death, but not this time!

Can you believe Kirk knows all of these details about the OK Corral? NERD.

Spock is so proud of himself for knowing the phrase “had it out.” Look, I used slang correctly!

These are some creative aliens.

“We know death is real here.” Or is it? They’re literally telepaths guys.

Hmmm, this building doesn’t need a roof I think. - The aliens probably

Can’t believe Scotty thinks his usual is his actual usual lol. You’re going to drink bourbon and like it!

Kirk and Spock look so good together.

They’re obviously Chekov’s disapproving parents.

“The day is still young, Ensign.” I don’t remember the exact context of this but Spock is SO judgmental.

What is Kirk doing? This guy is a hallucination; he won’t be convinced by touching some cloth. There’s nothing to convince! He’s only a Concept.

“Have you seen clothes like this?” / “Yes.” / “Where?” / “On the Claytons!” Comedy gold.

Kirk really thinks he can charm his way out of anything. Hmmm, maybe if I just talk nicely to the Earps, they won’t kill us.

“In small amounts, it [bourbon] was considered medicinal.” Lol.

Scotty is becoming a bourbon guy!

“Mr. Chekov is inVOLVed” lol. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

“A lot of people and things have tried to kill me.” No need to brag.

THAT’S how you make a city limits sign. Put a dead animal skull on top. I live quite close to a city limits sign and I think it could use a cow skull.

Western Cossacks!!

Poisonous snakes and cactus plants. That really distills the Aesthetic down to its core.

This is a good Kirk episode. He’s really being a good Captain: coming up with different ideas, being creative, pushing his crew to brainstorm.

Bones and his tranqs again.

Bones meets his old nemesis: Old Timey Medicine.

Why was Doc Holiday just...chilling in his own dentist chair? (My mom suggested: power nap. Let’s go with that. Power nap + ability for optimally dramatic entrance.)

Also I can’t believe McCoy just goes into this guy’s practice and starts helping himself to all the serious drugs.

Chekov definitely isn’t the marrying kind.

RIP Chekov.

Bones does not sound very sympathetic here. Jim, get over it, he just died, whatever.

And then two seconds later he turns around and tells Spock he’s not sad enough! You can’t win.

“We all knew the risk when we joined the service.”

“My feelings are not a subject for discussion.” !!!!!!! This line!!

“You worked closely with him.” Yes! Chekov is his protege!

“Bones, Scotty, stop bullying Spock.” <-- not an actual quote but it might as well be.

If this were AOS, Spock would already be choking Bones out.

Whoops, no one told Chekov he wasn’t supposed to die!

“Let’s organize! Let’s form an anti-Earp union!”

“I can’t kill them!” he says in a mad rage.

I mean, it is important, though. That’s not what he does.

Kirk is /disgusted/ by lawlessness and frontier justice. What a Rebel TM.

I feel like Bones was waiting for the gotcha moment when Spock compliments him. “Saying nice things about me? That’s not how this relationship works!”

“Nothing can go wrong.” / “Up to now, everything has gone wrong.” He has a point.

That pause before Spock admitted it hasn’t been tested lol--they don’t want to admit it.

“[The bourbon’s] for the pain.” / “But this is painless.” / “You should have told me that before.” The unexpected comedy stylings of Scotty and Spock.

It doesn’t work--guess Spock’s got to take back that compliment now.

“Captain, you don’t understand--they’ve been telepaths the whole time which we already knew!”

“We’re not going to move from the spot.” * is immediately in a different spot * Well I mean at least he’s trying. He’s doing his best!

Love the OK Corral sign also. Weirdly creepy. With its accompanying horse.

Spock doesn’t have any hips for the holster to rest on.

“What did Chekov die of?” / “A piece of lead in his body.” That would do it.

If the tranquilizer should have been effective, does that mean Scotty is actually passed out right now?

Honestly, this is all so spooky. TRUE Western Horror Ghost Vibes.

Also very trippy. If you don’t believe it... it’s not real... some kinda weird chicken and the egg argument regarding our belief in the truth of physical laws idk but it sounds good. Spock brings it home.

Even with the wind whipping around him, Kirk is SO in love. His absolutely adoring expression... So soft...

“Very well, Sir, I’ll meld with you again. Not that I particularly want to. It will be a sacrifice. But I’ll manage. Even though you’re such a dynamic individual haha ha I’m fine I’m cool.”

I feel like Scotty is NOT into the mind meld. He looks terrified. Maybe he should have saved the bourbon for this occasion.

I know the mind meld is supposed to be a replacement for on screen hypnotism...but is this not hypnotism? Like even more than past uses? In this case, Spock is leaving them with suggestions that he wants to continue AFTER the meld, as opposed to, like, efficiently sharing information or giving immediate suggestions. And the scenes themselves are very creepy and...hypnotic.

Kirk’s patented move: WHOLE BODY ATTACK.

Well, we wrapped that up right quick.

Did they... never actually leave the bridge? Or even navigate past the buoy? This actually brings up a lot of questions as to when the aliens started the hallucinations, what their bodies looked like to the rest of the crew, and how they woke up--since there’s obviously been a bit of a time skip, as Bones is already examining Chekov.

Lol at Chekov, saved by horniness. “Nothing but the girl was real to him.”

“A vast alliance of fellow creatures who all believe in the same thing...”

Kirk’s vision of the utopian future is so powerful, he’s effectively gotten the welcome mat put back out.

A personal question? Kirk is intrigued.

Ah, but it’s just another excuse for Spock to be a hypocrite--how did humans survive? How did VULCANS survive? And for the show to remind us of its utopian vision of the future... we will move past violence, we will prove ourselves attractive to and worth of new alien friends.

Then McCoy walks out so Kirk and Spock can have their Moment. He undoubtedly knows what’s up.

So this ep was shown one day before the anniversary of the shootout at the OK Corral AND on Halloween week. It is very much a spooky season episode. So surreal and strange. Ghostly.

I know using sets rather than on location shoots, and not even building whole sets, was a budgetary issue but tbqh I think it worked in the ep’s favor. It added to the alien feeling of it and was an accidentally creative way of showing that these images were pulled from Kirk’s mind.

This felt like a very Classic S1-ish ep to me. I think it’s because Kirk was foregrounded as the Captain/hero and we get to see not just his intelligence and creativity and leadership but also his compassion and his moral core. He IS the values of the series, personified, and that was clear here.

But we also got to see lots of him and Spock, casually working as a pair, and the use of the rest of the landing party crew was very deft also. I loved that there was time to mock Chekov’s horniness, to talk about Spock and Chekov’s professional relationship, to joke around with Scotty, to show more of the Spock and Bones dynamic.

Again, great sci fi concept. I think this would have been another possible inspo for my Pirate AU if I’d seen it in time (although I think I picked a good mission-concept ultimately). I’m fascinated by the Melkotians: who are they? What do they really look like? Do they communicate any other way but telepathically? Are they corporeal? What is their planet like? And most importantly, what experience lead them to be so isolationist? They specifically refer to the aliens as “disease” coming into their home. And it’s when Kirk shows himself to be fundamentally nonviolent even in the face of his own death, they let the Enterprise through.

Basically, I always enjoy hints of alien societies that bring up more questions for me than answers. I love speculating about it.

The next two eps I’ve seen and remember well and I know they’re classics. I’m really looking forward to them!

#the year 2021 #2021: fandom thoughts #2021: star trek #star trek tos

[spooky-luvur]

Is it possible for you to do a fic with Dutch with a male s/o who's deeply in love with him but has a shitty, very homophobic and abusive family?

Anything is possible, dearie.

Also, idk how to put in a ‘read more’ on mobile, so until someone helps me do that, you’re stuck with a big block of text sorry.

I really enjoyed writing this. I hope it’s okay. Constructive criticism is always welcome!

-

(Warnings: abuse, mentions of rape, language)

(Sorry for any spelling mistakes)

-

Ranching had been your family’s life since the day your great-great grandpappy had built the entire thing with his own two hands. It was for his wife, Amy Rose. She had come down with a serious illness one day, and she told her husband that before she died she wanted to own a ranch. And he loved her enough to let her have her wish. And so Amy Rose Ranch was born.

You lived and worked here with your parents and two older brothers. Although you wouldn’t exactly say they worked here too. Your family wasn’t...the nicest folk. At least, when it came to you. They thought you were no good, so they left you with the dirty work around the ranch. Which was pretty much...everything.

Shoveling shit, for one. It had to be your least favorite. You also had to do it quickeri than a man could pull a gun on his enemy during a duel. If you took too long, your brothers would come in and force you to clean it all up with your hands, saying the shovel was the reasons you was taking so long.

Ma handled the fancy stuff that didn’t require no shit shoveling or cow milking. She busied herself with the money and who owed them what. Money was a big thing to Ma. She always had to have as much as possible so Pa could buy her that new jewelry set or a fancy mirror. Buyin’ herself all the new clothes and looking more like a queen than a ranch owner.

Pa wasn’t no good neither, but don’t let him catch you sayin’ that. He’s as good as a saint around other folk, but around you, he was as mean and nasty as the devil himself. He’d beat you when he was mad, or when somethin’ around the ranch went wrong, or, on real nasty days, he’d lock you up in the cellar, yelling at you that is was your fault they was losin’ so much money. You never thought too much of it. Honest. It’d been the same for so many years that you’d begun to think it was only normal. That maybe you were the cause of all their problems.

But not this one.

—————

Loud laughter from outside the barn made you pause from laying out hay for the pregnant cow in there. You recognized your pa’s very loud and very fake laugh he saved for folk with lots of money. Shaking your head in sympathy for whatever man stupid enough to fall right into your fathers greedy hands, you turn back to the hay. Before you can finish, though, you flinch at what Pa says next.

“My youngest boy, (M/n), is the one that handles the horses. (M/n)!”

You force back a loud sigh and set down the rest of the hay, pushing open the barn doors to stand next to Pa.

“Yes sir.”

“Take these fine gentlemen to pick out a few horses.”

Your gaze skins over the rough-looking men before you nod.

“Yes sir.”

Before you can turn to lead them to the stables, your father roughly but discreetly grabs your arm and hisses in your ear.

“Don’t screw this up. They have big money.”

You incline your head in a nod, and he lets go, allowing you to lead the men away.

“Dutch Van der Linde.” The nicest dressed man beside you holding out his hands, metal rings gleaming in the harsh sun. You hesitate. Pa had always told to never interact with anyone more than you needed to. For the sake of the other person, of course. Finally getting a good look at the mans face, your breath catches in your throat awkwardly.

By god, he was lovely.

Warm brown eyes look at you curiously. You remember his hand and hurriedly shake it, eyes never leaving his face.

“Uh- I’m- (M/n), I’m (M/n)...”

“Well it’s good to meet you, Mr. (M/n).”

-

“This is Colt. Four years, Thoroughbred. Good if you wanna be fast. Ezra, five years, Paint.”

Dutch nods along as you list off fair horses. The other two men were off somewhere else in the stables after he’d nodded for them to trot off and check out the other horses.

It was all going well, with Dutch asking a question ever now and again, until you were in the middle of explaining how you bred one horse. The sound of a gun cocking makes your entire body freeze up at the unfamiliar sound. You put your hands up by your head like Pa had taught you to.

Dutch’s warm breath fans over your neck, making you shiver. His voice comes close to your ear.

“Now, Mr. (M/n), we’re going to take a few horses, and you’re going to tell your Pa we’ll be back in a day or two to pay. You think you can do that?”

A sinister laugh from the side makes you flinch.

“Aw, Dutch, don’t make the kid piss himself! He’s shakin’ in his boots!” The mean voice taunts, making Dutch chuckle. The cold barrel of the gun leaves your back, making you relax slightly, hands lowering. He turns you around, putting a hand on your shoulder.

“You gonna answer me?”

“Yes sir, I- I can do that.”

He pats your shoulder. “Good.”

-

“What?!”

“Th-they said they was gonna be back Pa, I didn’t-“

He backhands you, making you fall back with a pained noise you cut off in your throat.

“They better. They better come back, and they better pay, or it’s you I’m putting a bullet through next! Understand me, boy?!”

“Yes sir...”

-

A few days later, the men do return. They don’t return on the horses they took, which confuses you a bit, but you don’t have the time to think about it once Pa offers them to have some fancy whiskey in the drinking room.

They laugh like they did when the men was first here. This time, both Ma and Pa were laughing with them. Pa yells for you to come pour some more drinks. You go and do so, handing them out. Once you offer Dutch his, he grabs your arm instead of the glass, making you let out a small startled noise. His eyes meet yours before they move down to your uncovered arm, tracing the bruises left by the many harsh grabs from your Pa and brothers. He lets go after a few moments and grabs his glass, taking a sip as if he didn’t do a thing. You blink, straightening up and taking your place beside Pa’s chair.

“What do you and your men do for a living, Mr. Van der Linde?”

Ma’s honey eyes trail over the mans strong arms, down to his several expensive-looking rings. She flutters her eyelashes, giving him an attractive grin.

“We’re merely men, Mrs. O’Malley. Men that needed horses.”

She gives him a fluttery laugh, trailing her fingertips along her exposed collarbone. To your relief and amazement, he doesn’t even give her a second glance. She doesn’t seem to notice his attention is no longer on her.

“So, Mr. Van der Linde, our money?”

“Of course, sir. We have your money. But first, how about another drink?”

Pa never refuses another drink.

“Of course! You can even pick it out. (M/n)!”

“Yes sir.”

“Show Mr. Van der Linde our selection. Help him choose well.”

“Yes sir.”

The entire way to the room, you can feel Dutch’s eyes burning holes into the back of your head. Neither of you say a word, though. You were still wary of the man that held a loaded gun to your back.

You open the door to the room filled with various kinds of alcohol, bowing your head once Dutch passes.

His eyes skim over the room before he turns to you, making you straighten up, keeping your head down. You clench you’re first to stop them from shaking.

You hear the well-dressed man slowly walk closer and closer, until you can see his polished shoes. Nearly jumping at his fingers curling under your chin, tilting your head up to meet his eyes. His...kind...eyes.

“Your daddy ain’t very good to you.”

It’s not a question.

“I...Pa’s just...he works hard-“

“A daddy should work hard and respect his son.”

Dutch grabs your arm with his other hand, turning it over to look at all the scars and bruises. “This, this is *not* respecting your son.”

Your eyes start to water. “Please...Mr. Van der Linde-“

You look back up, into his eyes, and your face falls completely. That look...a look of pure concern...you’ve never seen a look like that directed to you. Ever. But...they’re not good men. You can tell. Pa can tell. Something’s off. But even with that, you can’t help but feel a pull toward the man before you, as if you need him. Need him to care about you.

But before anything else can happen, the door swings open, making you jump back. Dutch, however, doesn’t move, staying perfectly calm.

Your brother stands in the doorway, eyes wide. He looks between the two of you, putting the pieces together.

Then, his mouth curls into the most sinister and evil grin you’d ever seen.

That’s when you knew, you were fucked.

Pa didn’t say a word to you the rest of the night. You didn’t know if your brother, Alan, had told him what he’d seen. You were tense, waiting for someone to jump up and strike you so hard you’d die.

But nothing happens.

By the end of the night, Pa and Ma are as drunk as a crook. They laugh heartily as they show the men out, completely forgetting all about the thousand or so dollars they still owe them. It was a trick, you realize. You don’t think the men have the money. And Mr. Van der Linde, you realize as the man meets your eye, knows that.

Pa beats you that night.

-

Two days later, the men return. But things are different. Pa is impatient, and is also starting to wonder if they actually have any money, or if they’re the drunk crooks. They take their seat in the sitting room, but Dutch is the only man from his side to sit as well. The other two men remain standing. Tense. Like a guard waiting for a moment to strike.

No drinks are poured.

For the first several moments, no words are exchanged.

Then, Pa asks the question.

“Where is my money Dutch Van der Linde.”

Dutch intertwines his ringed fingers. The corners of his mouth twitch. He looks amused.

“There is no money.”

Faster than anyone else can move, Pa lets out an angry cry and whips up out of his seat, taking the bottle of expensive scotch on the table and smashing it over your head. Foul smelling liquid and tint shards of glass rain down on your face, that and the pain making you cry out, stumbling to the floor. The alcohol stings your eyes and blurs your vision.

Dutch, to the others astonishment, springs to his feet, clenching his jaw as he takes in your crouched form.

“My money! Give me my money!”

Ma gasps as the other two men whip our their guns, both of them pointed at Pa. The man seethes, deciding to turn his anger to you. He kicks you in the chest, making you let out a pained wheeze.

“Faggot! You goddamn faggot! This is all your fault!”

“Settle down, Mr. O’Malley. Your son did nothing-“

“Nothing?! Why are you so concerned for him?! Did he suck your cock?! Did you fuck him?! That’s all he’s good for!”

The air in the room itself seems to pause. All three of the men freeze and look at Pa with wide eyes. He wouldn’t...

“Fine! If you want him so much then take him!”

He pulls you up by your hair, throwing you at Dutch who catches you in his arms. You push yourself into his chest, tears and blood running down your face.

Someone’s gun goes off. Something falls to the floor. Ma’s scream is cut off by another shot. Something else falls, and then it’s silent.

That night, you stand outside the house with Dutch.

“I am...sorry...you had to live like that, (M/n).” He pulls out a nice stack of bills from his pocket, putting them into your hand. “But you don’t have to listen to them anymore.”

You frown.

“You can go into town, take the train somewhere and-“

“No!”

Dutch raises his brow. “No?”

“I...” you shift, embarrassed. “I want to come with you. Please.”

He shakes his head. “My life isn’t-“

“I don’t care!” You force the money back into his hands.

“If it isn’t with you then I don’t want it. I’ll...I’ll never be safe!”

Dutch studies you for a long moment. Finally, he grins.

“Well, we wouldn’t want that, now would we?”

#dutch van der linde #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #dutch van der linde x reader #dutch van der linde x male reader #rdr2 x male reader #rdr2 x reader #red dead resemption 2 x male reader #read dead redemption 2 x reader #rdr2 dutch #anon request

[cylonalyna]

Alyna watches Xena! S01x01 – Sins of the Past

Beware. For the road is long and full of spoilers… I mean, if a 25 years old show can be spoiled. But fair warning.

I was never a fan of Hercules so when I watched the pilot I didn’t know what Xena’s back story was and that it was Hercules who convinced her to change her ways. And because I didn’t know that, I thought Xena was just this ex-evil warrior who changed her ways because of some reason known to her. Anyway, I remember watching this episode out of boredom and thinking it’s just a female version of Hercules, but oh boy, was I wrong. Thankfully. And this thing here was supposed to be short but I made a very long recap of the episode. Sorry not sorry, I’m gonna be making recaps of the series. Yes, every single episode… Not regularly... And it's gonna be long… Deal with it.

And maybe read it and let me know what you think. :)

Oh, and if there are any grammatical or punctuation errors also let me know. English isn't my first language so there might be some things to fix. :)

We start with Xena is going through some burned village reminiscing on her past when she was just killing, pillaging and burning villages… And people too, I guess. And then there’s this boy coming out of a burned house asking for food. And when Xena asks him where his parents are, he says Xena killed them. He describes her attack as if the goddess herself showed up and fucked the village up for no reason and Xena is all like:

And it’s really one of the best moments of a pilot, because we’re shown flashback of the attack so even without watching Hercules and meeting Xena there we can see she used to be a bad bitch. So before leaving she gives the kid some bread and cheese so he could hide in his burned house and eat something before he dies of some sickness, gets killed, is eaten by wild animals in search for food etc. Brilliant plan boy, you’re a prodigy.

So then we have the scene where Xena digs a hole and puts her armor her sword and chakram there and frankly, she’s not really a clean lady since there’s still blood and some meat pieces on her chakram.

*rule #1 - wash your weapons from enemies intestines*

And suddenly, a whole bunch of villagers is chased by some warlord taken straight from Mad Max movie. Xena observes the situation, the Mad Max warlord says he’s gonna get the girls (men, smh) and then this blonde girl is all like “take me and leave everyone” and warlords are like “lmfao, nope” and Xena is all like:

*Carless Whisper saxophone solo intensifies*

Because frankly, who wouldn’t be? I know I had the same reaction to Gabrielle so I get Xena. I totally get it.

So when the warlord wants to whip Gabrielle for being insubordinate Xena suddenly jumps into action and starts kicking ass. We get backflips, kicks, punches and a really awesome action sequence until Xena is hit in the head (because she was watching if Gabrielle was safe and it got her distracted. Again, totally understandable).

Men are standing there groaning “argh, grr, rghhg” or something like that and then BOOM! Xena takes out her sword from the hole and with a laugh starts fighting them. And you can see how much fun she has. She kicks warlords’ asses and realizes they’re from Draco so she tell them to say hello from Xena. But who’s Draco? What does he do? Is he more evil then Xena? We don’t know! And… opening!

In a time of ancient gods, warlords… Well, you know it.

So later on Xena is in this small village surrounded by the villagers and Gabrielle is fawning over her and the whole situation, and Gabrielle’s father comes in being all like “thanks for saving us, but now GTFO” and this tall dude behind him wants to take Gabrielle. But Gabrielle is all like “dude, I know I’m supposed to marry you against my will and then die in childbirth or of boredom, but I’m not gonna listen to you. GTFO”. So when he leaves, Gabrielle begs Xena to take her with her. Xena being stoic and supposedly unmoved by Gabrielle words of course disagrees, because “she works alone” and… Then she tells Gabrielle she’s going to Amphipolis, because OF COURSE Gabrielle wouldn’t try and follow her. Nope. Not at all. And she goes like “don’t follow me, you don’t wanna make me mad, do you?” and of course Gabrielle is all like “yeah, no sure, I get it” but then is of course “meh, she’s not that scary. I just need a plan!”

So we move to Draco’s camp where he’s without shirt exposing his bare chest, being all handsome and shit, and being badass when catching almost four arrows at once. But then he’s sort of colorblind… I mean he notices the color of the arrow that wounded him but can’t see who has green arrows when the dude’s arrows are visible from behind his back...

*seriously Draco…*

Anyway, later he’s alone and Xena sneaks in and they have the whole who's tougher bitch, which is Xena of course, and she asks him to leave the village alone (because of her future wife or something) and Draco’s all like “yeah, sure… If you join me” and when Xena says she can’t join Draco, being a typical man he asks why. And we get this really awesome scene where Xena dramatically turns her back, stares at nothing and says she’s going home. OH, DRAMA!

So Draco becomes even a bigger drama queen than Xena and tells our warrior saying he’s dreamt of being in love with her or… fighting in battle or whatever, can’t remember, but Xena turns and Draco goes all soft and says he’ll spare those villagers. But he also asks Xena what's she looking for at home. Being still in drama mode he tells her that when he tried to come home his dad beat the shit out of him with a blacksmith’s hammer. And he survived that. Damn, he IS badass! I mean, have you people ever seen a blacksmith hammer?!

*10/10 wouldn't recommend this an educational tool*

Meanwhile, Gabrielle wants to escape home in the middle of the night and while sneaking out she… Hits strategically placed table waking up her sister Lila. Gabrielle explains to her she needs to follow Xena because she’s in lo… She wants to be a warrior like her and that she doesn’t love Perdicus and it’s her destiny. So Lila being a supportive sister is all like “Go, chase your girlf…. Dreams! Just do it!” and Gabrielle leaves.

*Lila being a supportive sister*

It’s daylight and Xena is riding Argo when suddenly her horse stops all afraid. So Xena gets off the horse that suddenly runs away and… The Blind Cyclops shows up with Draco’s dad’s blacksmith’s hammer! (I honestly don’t know if I used Saxon Genitive in the right way, but I hope you get the meaning). Xena is all like “Fuuuck, that’s a big hammer!” which makes the Blind Cyclops even more badass than he already is, but she stands to fight and humiliates him by dropping his pants. He starts bawling like a baby and Xena leaves him and continues her journey to Amphipolis, because she has no time to deal with Cyclops drama.

But Draco is plotting against Xena. He decides to attack Amphipolis and pretend it was Xena who told him to do it. Plot thickens, you guys.

Gabrielle is afraid of bridges… And gets caught by…Yes, you guessed right. The Blind Cyclops. But being a smart girl she says she’s out here to find and kill Xena because… And here we have very subtexty dialogue:

C: “How’s the young thing like you is gonna kill Xena?”

G: “That’s the point. She’d never let a man get close enough to do her. At least not that kind of do her. But a young, innocent looking girl like me, I’ll catch her totally off guard…

*You sure will, Gabrielle. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)*

At the same time, Xena is being followed by Draco’s warlords. They’re dumb enough to think she doesn’t know so she goes all ninja on them, fingers the Mad Max warlord… I mean, she cuts the blood to his body… Pervs. ;) And when she learns about the plan she leaves to stop the invasion.

In the next scene, Gabrielle is chilling out on the road when some old dude stops and tells her to GTFO, because she’s blocking the only route to Amphipolis. So Gabrielle convinces him to take her with him and the old dude agrees.

So while Gabrielle and the old man are traveling on the only route to Amphipolis, Xena is taking a detour through the hills for dramatic effect or something. Basically, New Zealand… I mean Greece is a beautiful place so why not show it, right? Right?

She meets those peasant women singing Bulgarian…  I mean Greek chants and rides through them, but they don’t give a shit being too into chanting and putting on stacks of… Hay, I guess. Meh, whatever.

So Xena reaches Amhipolis and goes into a tavern to drink wine and sleep with beautiful women. But unfortunately it’s not that kind of a tavern and there’s no wine and beautiful women to sleep with. All she meets are angry people, silence and… wait for it… her mother, Cyrene!

Cyrene grabs Xena’s sword and tells her she’s not welcomed there and she should GTFO. Xena wants to rally people against Draco but Cyrene is against and she tells Xena she’d rather die and that she’s not her mother. And it’s a rather powerful stuff, because we only know glimpses of Xena’s past so we don’t really know how big her crimes are. Of course burning one village and killing peasants is a big no no, but Xena is too big of a character to be hated for such a minor offense. Anyway, villagers in the tavern also tell Xena to GTFO so she does.

Draco is pissed that Mad Max warlord told Xena about his plans and tells him to pick a weapon. Sadly it’s not Draco’s father’s blacksmith’s hammer because that’s been stolen by the Blind Cyclops, but a simple spear. Still, Draco proves to be truly awesome by kicking Mad Max warlord’s ass and killing him while telling new plans to his people. Truly, he was a great choice for a pilot.

In the morning, Xena comes back to the tavern looking around hoping to find some wine and beautiful ladies to sleep with, but to her disappointment there are still none. But her sword is there. And her mom is there. Oh boy, this tension between them could cut diamonds in half. But we get a bonding moment where Cyrene and Xena open old wounds so they could heal, and Xena tells her mother she might not be able to set things right, but she’s gonna spend the rest of her life to try. It’s another great moment in this show where we see Xena in her vulnerable state and not all powerful and strong. And this moment is ruined by villagers coming into the tavern saying Xena’s army is burning fields to which Xena answers they’re lying, Cyrene feels all hurt thinking it was all a ruse and leaves, and villagers start throwing rocks at our warrior princess.

But then Gabrielle comes to the rescue! Because Gabrielle has a natural talent to talk her way out of troubles, she uses it to save Xena. She uses a cunning bluff of “if you hurt bad guy’s girlfriend imagine how pissed he’ll be”. So the villagers reluctantly agree and decide to not commit murder. After a small talk Xena takes Gabrielle on her horse and takes her to her dead brother. Because, you know, there’s no better start of a romance than a visit at the crypt.

So Xena is talking to his dead brother saying she’s lost but that she’s gonna be ok, but that she’s alone and then Gabrielle shows up saying she’s not. And by the way that they’re looking at each other we’re to believe these two weren’t into each other from the beginning? Please.

*they’ve known each other for like 1 hour and we get those looks already? So straight indeed*

Meanwhile, the villagers are waiting for Draco to make a deal, but when he shows up he’s threatening to destroy everything and kill everyone unless they tell him where Xena is. And this is another great moment for Draco, because he really is a scary and ruthless dude and I really wish he was more in this show then just 3 episodes. It was a wasted character, imo.

Anyway, while threatening the leader to kill him, Xena shows up and Draco makes fun of her asking about the homecoming. Again, he tries to convince Xena to join him and goes all Palpatine saying she should “celebrate her dark side”, but Xena is all like “pfft, fuck off and let’s fight to the death”. Draco tells her to choose weapons, but Xena leaves the choice to Draco. Now, Draco being a really smart guy and someone who knows how good Xena is with swords, chooses staffs. I’m sure he believes it’ll give him advantage or at least even oit the odds. Xena chooses the conditions and her conditions are to fight on a scaffolding. The first person to touch the ground is gonna die. Draco agrees and tells his people that whoever falls first is to be killed.

Doing a flip with the help of his people he gets to a scaffolding and grabs his staff. Xena is way more of a showgirl. She hits the dude with his staff and when he leans down she jumps on his back and then on a head of another warlord and jumps to meet her opponent.

They start fighting. It’s an even fight and Draco proves to be a worthy opponent. Soon Xena has to fight to stay on the bamboo scaffolding as it starts to fall off. The archers prepare to shoot, Cyrene shows up and everyone is thinking if she’s gonna fall. But no, Xena standing on one bamboo stick starts hitting bamboos under Draco’s feet to make him back out and leave him vulnerable. But Draco stands tough and very soon he manages to make Xena almost fall again. She manages to hang on her staff, her legs barely touching the ground. Cyrene starts panicking, being all teary, because, come on, she’s a mom. No matter how pissed our moms are at us, they worry 24/7.

Draco starts hiting Xena’s hands wanting her to let go and fall, asking her why she would die for the people that hate her. But Xena grabs Draco’s staff with her feet and doing a truly awesome backflip she manages to stand on the scaffolding again attacking him. Draco almost falls but jumps on people’s heads and give Xena a signal to join him.

And the same villagers who earlier denied Xena her wine and beautiful women to sleep with, and wanted her dead are now supporting her… Literally. She manages to stand on the arms of one person and attacks Draco. They do backflips, kicks, punches and all that for a few minutes and then with one swift kick to the chest Draco falls down on the ground and Xena jumps on his chest looking down upon him to let him know he’s just a little bitch and not a match to her skills. Xena promises to spare Draco if he leaves the valley and he agrees.

But one of his warlords decides to sneakily attack Xena from behind. Gabrielle’s warns her, but before the warrior can react Draco throws his knife at him. After all, Draco may be a ruthless warlord, but he’s honorable.

After the fight Xena is preparing to leave when Cyrene shows up and hugs Xena, who asks again for forgiveness and is, of course, given that. It's a truly awesome moment in this pilot.

But, and honestly I have no idea why, Xena doesn’t stay in the tavern for wine and beautiful women to sleep with. Maybe there is no wine and beautiful women to sleep with after all. Instead, Xena starts a fire near some woods when she hears some noise and goes into a warrior mode. But, as it turns out, it’s just Gabrielle saying she wanted to follow Xena without her noticing, but she couldn’t start a fire and it’s cold and there are mosquitoes looking lkke eagles or something.

Xena wants to send her back home, but Gabrielle says she won’t go. There’s a talk about not belonging there and Xena seems to understand Gabrielle completely. So when she gives Gabrielle a blanket we get one of the most beautiful moments in the pilot.

*couldn't find gif so you're stuck with bad screenshot*

And in the morning we see Xena and Gabrielle travelling to new adventures to right wrongs, drink wine and… Oh forget it.

This episode is all kinds of awesomeness. It’s a great introduction to a character of Xena even to those, like me, who didn’t know her from Hercules. It has tons of very well choreographed fights, amazing music and it’s a rreally strong pilot that makes you wanna see more.

10/10

#xena warrior princess #xena #gabrielle #xena and gabrielle #lucy lawless #renee o'connor #sins of the past #01x01 #alyna watches xena

[toloveawarlord]

The Ties that Bind (Ch. 6)

You can find my masterlist in my bio!

Pairing: Rena x Ieyasu

Tagging: @plumpblueberry​ @shangsty​ @youreawizardharr​ @starry-starry-night24​ @gay-noodle-clan​ @thetwinkims

A/N: 12 days of ocmas day 5! Wow it’s been a long time since I wrote Rena. As promised, this chapter is a flashback into their lives before the main story. We’ll be jumping back to the future for the next one, but I think I’ll continue to throw in flashback chapters like this one! A special shout to shangsty for messaging me about this fic. I wouldn’t have continued it if not for your support! I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to it.

“You’re wrapping that wrong.”

“It looks too loose.”

“Can’t you do it the right way?”

Ignoring him only frustrated the young warlord. I tugged the bandage loose from my ankle and threw it through the dungeon bars at him. “If you’re so worried about it, then come in here and do it yourself.”

 Ieyasu was silent for moment, but ultimately gave in. “I’ll call for a guard-” He’d sent them away for privacy after learning that I’d been placed here due to non-compliance. He’d barely gotten dressed and arrived with a deep frown.

“No need. It’s unlocked,” I said with a cheeky smile. There wasn’t a lock that I couldn’t pick.

The door creaked as it opened. Ieyasu dropped to one knee, reaching out to swipe my injured ankle up and rest it on his knee. “Why can’t you follow the rules?” His words ones laced with irritation, but his hands were gentle, wrapping the bandage with expert precision.

“I’ve held up my end of our agreement, and yet you still refuse to give me leave to visit my family. I will not be a caged bird, Ieyasu.” It had been months since my arrival at the castle, trading places with a little loved one in order to pay for the crimes committed.

Emerald irises lifted to meet golden ones. “You’re my hostage until the debt has been paid.” He repeated it often as if I’d forget. The young warlord needing to remain strong and unwavering before his men.

I sighed, leaning back against the cool stone wall. “Hostage or not, you made a vow and I expect you to honor it, my lord.” The title only one I used when annoyed with him. We’d been in each other’s company for a year now, and he still didn’t have an ounce of trust in me it seemed. “Am I allowed to leave the dungeon now or do I need to beg for forgiveness first?”

“As if you’d ever beg,” Ieyasu retorted with a roll of his eyes. Satisfied with his work, the warlord rose to his feet. It would be troublesome if I ran, so he took my arm to help me stand before stooping to throw me over his shoulder. “I will drop you if you struggle.”

He planned to carry me all the way to his chambers like this. In front of the entire castle? This surely wouldn’t make the maids and servants dislike me even more. “That’s preferable to this arrangement! I’m perfectly capable of walking.” My ankle hardly injured. The vassal who’d tossed me in here cared little on how I’d landed.

Ieyasu didn’t answer me. From my upside-down vantage point, only a glimpse of features was visible. It must be the blood rushing to my head, otherwise, I’d have sworn there was a ghost of a smile on his lips.

“Fetch my horse.”

“Right away my lord.”

The world was right way round again at last. My dizzy spell lasted only a few moments, but we were at the castle gates. Curious. He’d never let me this close before. 

A vassal delivered his horse, sneering at me in the process. “Shall I gather the guard for this excursion?”

“That won’t be necessary. We won’t be gone long.” Ieyasu mounted with ease, offering his hand down to me. The bewilderment on my features must have been a sight as he smirked. “Get on before I change my mind.”

Sat on the saddle in front of him, it was impossible not to feel him. His strong arms trapping me against his broad chest. The horse setting into a canter didn’t help matters. Even with the wind whipping around, my body was oh so hot. It was easy to think of him as this abstract thing when keeping my distance, but whenever we touched, I was reminded how much of a man he was.

Ieyasu didn’t speak as we rode down a familiar path. Deep in the forest there was a house, once abandoned but now occupied by those I called my family. Morning dew still coated the grass as the horse gratefully indulged in a morning meal after the ride.

“Rena!” “It’s Rena!” “Rena’s back!”

A chorus of excited squeals filled the air. The news spread through the home quickly and I’d only made it halfway to the entrance when I was overwhelmed with the kids. An entire year had passed, and it had changed so many of them.

The wet of the grass soaked into my pants as I knelt to allow all the hugs they’d muster. Questions were thrown at me with great speed, and I tried to answer as many as I could. It was so lovely to see them. Tears pricked in my eyes as an ache settled into my chest.

“You bastard!” Joji’s voice cut through the merriment. He stalked out of the house like a man possessed, eyes only for the man he called an enemy. He reached out to grab him only to be met with the tip of a sword.

Ieyasu despised Joji, even though they’d only met briefly in passing, just before Joij was thrown from the castle. If given the opportunity, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill the younger boy.

I herded the young ones inside as Joji’s shouting of profanities and insults to the Lord of our land reached a peak. Ieyasu remained composed but never lowered the sword. This would only end in bloodshed if I didn’t step in. “Joji, that’s enough-” 

“I won’t let him take you back. You aren’t leaving us again.” He reached for my arm but retracted his in time to not lose it completely. His eyes narrowed, anger consuming him even more. “Bastard!”

“Rena will return with me, or I’ll kill every last child here.” His voice laced with authority as Ieyasu straightened his back, ready to win this duel.

I couldn’t let this continue. “I said that’s enough, Joji!” I shouted this time, slipping between the two and pushing down Ieyasu’s sword in an ultimately feeble attempt. It only angered both of them further.

The last thing I remember was Joji throwing me to the side and landing on some rocks sticking out of the dirt. My vision blurred and then... nothing.

                                                          << << <<

Sinking down into the scalding water of my bath, I blew bubbles as I exhaled an exhausted breath. I’d gotten quite the earful from the head maid when I’d awoken in my chambers. You shouldn’t burden Lord Ieyasu with your petty problems and Be gracious that Lord Ieyasu treated you and is so merciful. She’d confirmed that he hadn’t followed through with his threat to kill my family, which I was grateful for.

I should go and thank him for today, even though it went horribly sideways.

The door to the room was thrown open and shut with immense force, startling me. Ieyasu had crossed the room and reached into the tub before I’d had a chance to even speak. With a tight grip on my arm, he jerked me up. It was impossible to move as fast as he’d wanted, and I tripped on the edge of the basin and fell onto my ass on the floor.

“Ieyasu-”

“Shut up!” He growled, dropping on top of me, hands gripping my wrists and pinning them beside my head. Emerald irises glimmered with anger as he frowned. “Do you not understand, yet? Do I need to find a more intimate way to make you comprehend that you belong to me?”

Words he hadn’t said in such a long time. Hostage. Captive. Prisoner. He reminded me often that although he’d given me some freedom, I had sold myself to him in order to pay my family’s debt from stealing from the castle.

“I-”

“Don’t. Speak.” He snapped, squeezing his fingers tighter around my wrists as if he would be the shackles himself if he needed to. “Unless I give you permission, you can’t do or have anything. I own you, Rena. And I’ve been far too lenient. My vassals whisper of weakness and bias towards you, and I will not allow that.” His desperate need to gain control of their situation evident in his rambling.

His eyes followed a droplet of water down my neck and through the valley between my breasts. In the year we’d been together, Ieyasu never once considered taking me as a concubine, but I could see his wavering thoughts in the matter. As if that would make him strong in the eyes of his vassals, to conquer me. 

But he softened, grip loosening and his head dropped to rest on my bare chest. Velvet blond hair tickling my face. He sighed, silent.

I tugged one hand free without any resistance from him. In my time here, I’d come to learn that he was alone. A powerful warlord surrounded by vassals and servants, but none of them knew him. My fingers laced through his locks briefly until he sat up with a feigned angered expression. “It’s alright.”

Ieyasu tilted his head slightly, perplexed by what I’d said. He’d likely been expecting me to fight, argue, and curse him for saying those things.

“If taking me will make you feel any better, then do it. I understand that today’s incident reflects badly on you, and for that, I’m deeply sorry. If you want to lock me up or reprimand me before your court, I’ll take whatever punishment you see fit without resistance.”

His brows creased. “I don’t understand you at all. You must not comprehend what I could do to you.”

But he was wrong. I did know. He could make me a concubine to the vassals, leave me in the dungeon without food or water, or even execute me. It was all within his power to do so.

I smiled weakly. There was fear. Those prospects would not be painless. I was also embarrassed, completely bare underneath him. It is nothing for him to pin me down and force himself on me, which was also within his power and rights, as I’d vowed to become his in exchange for the freedom of my family.

I also knew that he wouldn’t do those things.

“I won’t go see them again, not until the debt and this one, is paid. My word doesn’t probably mean much, but I’ll promise it, nonetheless. You can do whate-”

He sealed my lips with a heated kiss, pressing his body against mine. His sense seemed to have left him for a brief moment. “One week.” His fingers brushed against my cheek before he climbed to his feet. “One week in the dungeon and I’ll consider forgiving what happened today. If you choose to leave that cell, you’ll be a slave to my vassals. There will be no more chances.”

He’d spoken with such authority; I knew there were soldiers on the other side of the door. It was a declaration to them, not me. He cast one more glance at me, eyes lingering. Perhaps he possessed more than simple desire.

“Yes, my lord.”

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen #ieyasu tokugawa #ieyasu wife #the ties that bind #chapter 6 #i have a story for them now #guess this means I'll be revisiting clever canary and solitary confinemnt #ikemen sengoku fanfiction #12 days of ocmas

[fiction-fun]

Hidden in Plain Sight

@braidedchallah @alexanderdamnhethin @creedtheconquer @rthoney @2pintsofjohnlaurens @pixiepip @andpeggy21 @little-nymph-claro @hamiltimes @haha-gunsgoburrr

Fandom: Hamilton

Pairings: Laf/Oc, ElizaAlexander, Hercules/Elizabeth (both Hamliza and Herc/Elizabeth are secondary)

Words: 17,791{sorry not sorry}

I tied my hair back quickly after pulling on my jacket, boots already on. I took a breath and hoped today wouldn’t be the day I was found out.

“Sinnette, you look like the Majors going to eat your head!” One of the soldiers beside me called.

I turned and glared.

“I do not!” I said my accent coming out thickly.

The soldier shrugged and turned back to whatever he was doing. I took a breath; these English soldiers always knew just how to press my buttons. I walked from the tent and paused before the Major-Generals tent, I coughed softly to clear my throat.

'You just have to stay formal. You’ve got this.’ I thought.

I walked around the side of the tent; the main flap raised. I paused at the doorway, a chill going down my spine

'I hadn’t realized that Washington was going to be here! And who is that?’ I thought as I looked between the other people in the room.

“Ah! There you are Lyon! Come say hello!” the Major-General called and waved me in.

I nodded and stepped forward pausing in front of the only open side of the map table.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” I asked my eyes flicking between him and the others.

‘I'm stood to close; they’re going to see.’ I thought frantically.

“Ah! Oui I did! This is Alexander Hamilton right hand and fellow Ade-de-camp for General Washington. He’s going to be staying with us for a week or so. I want you to…...easier in French. Show him around.” The Major-General said quickly.

I nodded sharply.

“Of course, sir. I was just preparing to head on a patrol I can show him around now if you’d like.” I said my hands fisted tightly behind myself.

The Major-General shook his head and waved a hand. He looked to the side at General Washington and pointed to me.

“This is why he's my right-hand. Always ready at the drop of a hat. It also helps he speaks fluent French and English and can translate when I can’t think of the words, or when I slip into French, like I seem to have.” The Major-General said before looking at me.

“The Major-General said that it helps I speak fluent French and English and can translate for him when he needs it.” I quickly filled in.

General Washington nodded and looked at Hamilton.

“You learn everything you can from him. Understood?” The General asked and he made it clear it wasn’t a question.

“Yes, sir.” Hamilton responded.

Washington turned to the Major-General and raised a brow.

“Where did you find him anyways, Lafayette? We could use more like him.” The General said with a laugh.

Lafayette laughed beside him.

“He is one of a kind. There is no one quite to his level.” Lafayette said.

The Major-General turned to where Alexander and I stood, on the opposite sides of the table.

“Oh, go on, I have something to discuss with the good General. But come back in a little bit, I may have orders for you.” He said waving a hand dismissing me.

I nodded and saluted.

“Yes, sir!” I said before spinning on my heels and heading from the tent.

“What are you waiting for, Hamilton!” General Washington's voice carried from the tent.

It was followed by the hasty “Yes, sir!” and then Hamilton’s frantic footsteps running out after me. I stopped sharply and turned to look at him.

“First and foremost. I don’t know what you do in your unit. But we don’t run, we march. We salute and we are respectful. You will keep pace with me and not hold me back or I swear I will hang you by your bootstraps from that tree. Understood?” I said firmly, accent thick.

Hamilton nodded and fell into step beside me. After that I showed him around the camp. From the duties to were the food and rest areas were. I turned and looked at him, seeing him staring at me.

“What is it?” I asked voice tight.

Hamilton jumped.

“I just didn’t expect someone so young looking. That’s all. Sorry, I have a bad habit of getting lost in my head.” He said with a small laugh.

I shot him a look quickly before pulling him to the side. To anyone passing by it would look like I was disciplining a junior officer.

“You lose yourself in your head here, you lose your head out there. You will not be a casualty on my watch, understood?” I said firmly.

I had lost to many men who lost themselves in their heads. Hamilton nodded and looked towards the ground.

“Sorry, it’s a bad habit of mine. I’m not used to needing to be fully focused all of the time. Besides, when in actual battle.” He said in explanation.

It was then I realized why I recognized his name.

“Great, I get saddled with the idiot who stole British canons.” I muttered turning to stalk away.

“I am not an idiot!” Hamilton shouted after me.

I paused and turned slowly to him.

“You speak French.” I said it was a statement.

“Oui.” Hamilton said stopping in front of me.

I crossed my arms self-consciously, but slapped a glare on my face when he stopped moving.

“Just what are you doing here, Hamilton?” I asked voice strained through clenched teeth.

Hamilton shrugged slightly.

“I was told to learn from you. Apparently, Lafayette picked you about as soon as you walked into the field but you’d know that better than anyone.” He said.

I flared my nose and glared harder at him.

“That is Major-General Lafayette. And so, what? You want my position; you’d have to duel me for it.” I said firmly.

Being Lafayette’s right-hand was a dangerous position everyone wanted it, I had already been challenged and won 20 duels. Hamilton put his hands up like he was cautioning off a scared animal.

“No! I don’t want your position, I’m happy being Washington’s right-hand. He just wants you to get me used to the position requirements. And Lafayette is a friend of mine, he won’t mind me calling him that.” He said quickly.

I loosened my arms and nodded faintly.

“Fine, we need to report in now. Let’s go.” I said spinning around on my heel and walking back to the Major-Generals tent.

I heard Hamilton take step beside me and nodded. He was capable of learning. We paused outside the Major-Generals tent and I held a hand up when Hamilton went to enter. I shot him a look.

“You wait until you are summoned inside.” I said firmly.

Hamilton nodded, and stopped beside me. Hands at his side, my hands folded behind me.

“Ah! Come in you two!” Lafayette said looking up.

I stepped forward, Hamilton at my side.

“Sir, all is clear at the perimeter, sir.” I said quickly, I used English purely for Washington’s benefit.

“Very good, and Alexander’s training?” He asked watching me.

I shifted my weight from my left foot to my right and looked at him.

“He has much to learn, but it should be doable.” I informed switching to French quickly.

The Major-General nodded.

“Good! Lyon, he’ll be in your tent then.” Lafayette said.

I froze, my eyes darting around the room.

“Sir, are you sure that’s the best idea? Not to question your decision but sir, he’s so new and he’s new to camp, the others may become suspect and, you know the issues we already have.” I said quickly trying to talk myself out of sharing a tent with him.

Lafayette raised an eyebrow before waving off my concerns.

“You’ve handled it just fine so far; besides he’s only going to be here a week or so.” Lafayette said.

I bit my tongue and nodded.

“Yes, sir.” I said resignedly.

Lafayette didn’t seem to hear my tone as he just nodded and waved for us to join them at the table. There we discussed plans and attack strategies.

“No, we should focus here.” Hamilton said pointing to a spot.

I lifted my head and shot a look at him. The Major-General and the General having stepped to the side when we started this debate.

“You’re insane! The French forces are Naval Hamilton! Just because your American forces are land based doesn’t mean a thing! We out number you ten to one and they out number you a hundred to one! Learn your spot Hamilton, then suggest suicidal battle plans! I’m not losing men because you think you’re smart!” I said switching part way to English, unconsciously.

Hamilton slammed his hands on the map.

“You’re being intransigent!” He exclaimed.

I leaned closer to him and glared.

“And you’re too big for your bootstraps!” I said back firmly.

“Lyon, take a walk.” Lafayette called from the side of the tent.

My head whipped over to him, as I stood from my leaned over position.

“Sir!” I exclaimed.

He shook his head and gave me a look, waving me off. I clenched my fist and nodded.

“Yes, sir.” I said finally and stormed from the tent.

I took to my horse and ran off on a border patrol, needing the air. After twenty minutes I heard another horse ride up behind me. I made a split-second decision to stop, my hand on my sword.

“I was worried I’d have to chase you further.” Lafayette’s voice came from behind me.

I swallowed thickly and turned my horse to face him.

“If I had realized you were behind me, I would have stopped sooner, sir. I apologize. I said quickly.

Lafayette waved off my apology and moved closer to me, looking me in the eye.

“What was that with Alexander?” he asked.

I bit my lip, and looked away.

“He’s completely unwilling to accept direction. He thinks he knows best and refuses to accept he’s wrong!” I said my tone firm.

Lafayette nodded and watched me.

“He has always been like that. But you have been with me long enough to know where we stand.” Lafayette said and I knew he knew exactly why I was being so harsh.

I looked at him.

“I just, he speaks French. You didn’t tell me that. I’m used to being included in information like that. How am I to know what you have planned for new people coming in. Not that it matters, if you wished to replace me it would be entirely within your right.” I said carefully, my tone soft.

Lafayette placed a hand on my shoulder.

“You have nothing to worry about. You helped me to even get here, we are a pair until this and our own war are over. Actually, should the need call for it, you should expect to be my aid for a while. And if it doesn’t, you’re my friend, just because we’re commissioned doesn’t change that.” He said tone even, but firm.

I swallowed and looked to the side; I remembered the day we met. I was just a stowaway on a merchant ship he had bought the only reason I exposed myself was because we were boarded. I remember I grabbed the sword from a downed passenger and used it to go through the attackers, ending up at one point back to back with Lafayette who had also grabbed a sword. We nodded to each other and sprung back into the fray. When all was said and done, Lafayette and I along with most of the crew still stood, blood stained, but uninjured. It was then that Lafayette had asked me to be at his side in this and our own war, I had accepted without thinking.

‘If you only knew.’ I thought looking back to him.

“Sir.” I started but was interrupted.

“I don’t see any other officers out here. Not that that’s a requirement, I told you, you can call me Lafayette.” He said firmly.

I nodded.

“S…Lafayette I understand that, but I don’t have military training, he does. The others do. I was just a stowaway.” I said, he knew that much.

Lafayette let his head drop and he shook it laughing.

“He has no more training then you did! You learned on the field just as he is. As for just being a stowaway, sure that’s what you were, but if you hadn’t have been there we all would have been dead. I needed someone I could rely on, someone to have my back, that was you. That still is you.” He said just as firmly.

I swallowed and shook my head. We were to close, he’d find out.

“I should finish my patrol, and you have guests.” I said quickly trying to pull my horse from his.

He reached over and tugged my reigns from my hands, causing them to fall into my lap.

“We have a minute. Why are you so jumpy?” he asked.

My hands shook where they had instinctually fallen onto my lap, I quickly moved them.

“No reason.” I said trying not to let anything out.

Lafayette gave me a look but shook his head leading his horse a step away. I picked my reigns back up.

“Perhaps you’ll tell me one day.” He said before turning his horse around and leading it away.

I dropped my head and my shoulders shook.

'You have no idea how bad I want to tell you everything, Lafayette. But I can’t.’ I thought before pulling my horse back into a trot.

I made it back to camp twenty minutes later and retied my horse.

“There you are Sinnette, the Major-General is looking for you. At least I think he is, he’s only speaking in French again.” One of the soldiers said.

I nodded and turned quickly heading towards the Major-Generals tent. I paused in front of the tent and waited to be waved in. Inside sat Alexander and Washington. Lafayette at the side of the tent looking over some papers. He looked up when General Washington coughed slightly, and pointed over to the tent entrance.

“Come in, come in.” He said distractedly.

I stepped inside and folded my hands behind me.

“Sir?” I asked looking at him.

He glanced up and waved me over.

“The winters ball is in a few months, Washington’s invited me, and I’m bringing you.” He said still distracted.

I blinked slowly and swallowed thickly.

“Should we both be away at the same time, what if something were to happen?” I asked trying to get out of it.

He looked up briefly nodding to Washington and Hamilton.

“They are going to send spare troops for the duration of the ball. There shouldn’t be any issues.” He said finally looking up from the papers in front of him.

“Did you come to see me for a reason?” he asked confusion evident in his voice.

I backed up a step as he stood straight up.

“No, sir. I just got back from my ride and an officer came up and said you were looking for me. I believe it was because you were only speaking in French, you still are by the way.” I said quickly in response.

Lafayette lifted one hand and held it to his forehead the other naturally falling to his sword, he leaned to the side to look at Washington and Hamilton.

“How long have I been speaking in just French?” He asked them.

Hamilton looked up, before looking to Washington.

“Probably twenty-five minutes or so. Since you got back from your ride at the very least.” Washington said, not looking concerned.

I assume Hamilton had taken to quietly translating for the General. I looked away and out of the tent like I was checking the soldiers from a distance.

‘It’s my fault. I locked him in a French loop then wasn’t here to break him out of it.’ I thought faintly.

Lafayette tossed a hand up.

“Oh well, it’s a good thing both of our right-hands speak French and English huh?” He asked sending a smile to Washington.

Washington nodded with his own smile.

“It’s very good.” Washington agreed.

After that day the rest of the week went quickly but trickily, I normally had my own tent since I was promoted. So, I didn’t have an issue keeping my secret but with Alexander Hamilton staying with me it was rough. Despite our rough start Hamilton grew on me, at least as a soldier. One day towards the end of his time with us, we stood around the map table, Lafayette at the other side.

“We'd have to meet up here.” Hamilton said pointing to a spot.

I shook my head.

“That wouldn’t work.” I muttered moving his piece over to a different spot on the map, nodding.

Hamilton looked at me and I felt his annoyance.

“Why are you so….” He started before being interrupted.

“Let Lyon explain.” Lafayette cut in quickly, nodding to me.

I nodded back in thanks before turning back to the map.

“Your plan is technically achievable. But your missing something In your factoring, see this patrol line? It cuts right through here and it’s such a tight line. I’ve tried to strike it before, for supplies. There’s a cavalry line that follows that path, that’s one rider every maybe two minutes. We’d never get a full unit through before they saw us and alerted the others. They have twice as many troops as we do, it wouldn’t be a fight that we’d win easily. Over here, is a break in their lines. It would be easy to get in and out.” I said quickly indicating the points.

“You crossed enemy lines for supplies?” Lafayette asked looking at me.

I swallowed and nodded.

“Oui, last winter. You were gone, but we were running low on food and medical supplies. I used the night as a cover, which considering the line runs at night as well, wouldn’t help us before you suggest it Hamilton. I got in hit them hard and got out as quickly as I could. But that’s how I got the scar you saw on my arm and asked about.” I said pointing to the general spot of the scar.

Lafayette nodded and turned back to the map.

“Well as long you’re ok. And clearly you are. I agree with Lyons view point. I’ve seen the cavalry line myself. It’s a good plan Alexander, it just wouldn’t work here.” Lafayette said pushing back from the table and turning to his desk.

Hamilton nodded also rising to his feet, I stood as well.

“Go prepare.” Lafayette called and waved us away.

“Yes, sir.” Hamilton said turning quickly to the exit.

I turned as well.

“Yes, Sir.” I said just as quickly.

“Lyon, wait.” He called just as I was about exit the tent.

I paused instantly before nodding to Hamilton to keep going I spun back as soon as he was away from the tent.

“Yes?” I asked walking back to the map.

Lafayette took a long time to turn around, he sighed and finally turned, pulling his hair tie out and shaking his head.

“After a week, how do you think Alexander is doing?” he asked sitting down in his chair.

I swallowed and looked to the side, as if in thought.

“He’s doing better then I expected, I will admit. Will he be effective? I think he’ll be more effective in a land locked area then he will on a water camp. But he’s smart and should be able to effectively help General Washington.” I said finally.

Lafayette nodded and waved at the seat in front of his desk, pouring me a drink.

“You prepare in less than five minutes. Let Alexander rally them, if he fails you can get them going quickly. Have a drink with me.” He said head resting on his hand.

I moved slowly to the chair and sat down taking the offered drink, I was watching him. I saw his fingers gently moving against his head.

“Headache, Lafayette?” I asked taking a long drink off the glass.

He nodded and closed his eyes.

“I haven’t been sleeping very well lately. A lot has been happening and I’ve been planning.” He said without opening his eyes, taking a drink of his glass.

I hummed lightly.

“Why not let me help? That’s what I’m here for.” I asked quietly.

Lafayette huffed out a laugh.

“I know, I know. But you have been dealing with training Alexander and planning today’s attack. I didn’t want to add more to your plate.” He said just as quietly.

I sighed softly and shook my head.

“Let me help you from now on. I don’t like seeing you work yourself into a state like this, especially when I am ready willing and able to help you.” I said careful of my word choice.

Lafayette opened an eye and looked at me, before sighing.

“You’re right of course. Perhaps tomorrow when things calm down from our fight, we can discuss the things that are happening.” He said softly.

I nodded and we sat in silence for a bit. Hamilton came in after a while.

“Sir, the soldiers are ready!” He announced quickly.

I rose to my feet Lafayette doing the same. In the same motion Lafayette had his hair tied back and his hand on his sword.

“Let us ride.” He called.

I laid a hand on my sword and ran from the tent.

“Saddle up!” I shouted, my group running to our horses quickly.

I saw Lafayette jump onto his horse and Hamilton took charge of the foot soldiers. We waited for just a minute before I drew my sword, seeing Lafayette do the same. At the same time, we lifted our arms, swords aimed towards the sky.

“LETS RIDE!” we shouted in tandem.

With that the horses were sent into a run, the foot soldiers moving quickly behind us. Lafayette and I spurred our horses on, jumping over logs and dodging hanging branches. We moved quickly, reaching the spot we had chosen to hold back faster than expected. Lafayette and I pulled our horses to a stop, the others stopping beside us. The foot soldiers catching up to us now. Lafayette waved Alexander forward and he stopped between our horses. Lafayette looked between us.

“We are ahead of schedule; how badly will this throw us off?” he asked looking between us.

I looked around, taking in the dark trees and listened for the sound of the enemies nearby.

“It shouldn’t throw us off at all, we planned to be there in darkness, and we will be.” Hamilton said quickly.

I held up a hand and brought it to my lips quickly, hushing them.

“We have company.” I said quietly.

That got their attention, Lafayette sat up right on his horse and looked at me. Hamilton watched us both, Lafayette closed his eyes and listened for a minute. Within thirty seconds his eyes popped open and he looked at Hamilton.

“Get the men ready, we’re getting ambushed.” He said quickly.

Hamilton nodded and turned back to the ground soldiers. Within a few seconds they were all drawing their weapons. Lafayette nodded to me, I turned slightly to see the cavalry men.

“Swords and guns out men!” I called quickly.

“Come out come out little British soldiers!” Lafayette called teasingly.

The next two hours were a blur. I threw a man onto my horse and spurred him forward with a quick slap. I spun back to back with Lafayette.

“We need to stop meeting like this “Lafayette said a smile playing on his lips.

I laughed, even surrounded in blood and death I couldn’t help it.

“You need to stop smiling while soaked in blood, you look like a maniac.” I said with another laugh.

“Says the one laughing with blood stains soaking on his coat and a bloody sword in his hands!” Lafayette called before spinning away back into the fray.

I laughed again and ducked before jumping back into the fight. I looked over ducked and ran sliding on the wet grass, the night barely taking from my ability to see and make decisions. I slammed my sword hilt into the back of a guy’s head and spun bringing the blade down hard and fast.

“Be careful Hamilton!” I shouted before using a nearby tree as a runaround.

I spun and swung my sword using the momentum I grabbed a tree branch and used it to swing up kicking a couple of redcoats out of the way I landed in a crouch and drew my gun firing twice I stood holstered my gun and went back after them with my sword. I swung my sword one last time, the redcoat falling to the ground spraying blood from the wound I had just inflicted. I rose up out of my crouch, and looked around. I kept my sword held in my hand in case there were any stragglers. I saw Hamilton rise up a few feet away, and kept looking seeing ally after ally rise up. I didn’t see Lafayette and I froze; I took a breath.

“All those with horses grab a buddy and get back. Hamilton you’re with me.” I called swinging my sword to knock off the blood and sheathing it.

Everyone slowly started to disperse back towards camp, Hamilton stopping beside me. I watched the surrounding woods with an eagle eye.

“What are you looking for?” Hamilton asked.

I lifted a hand and shushed him.

“Come on, you’re too good for this. Where are you?” I whispered as I listened.

I kept listening, I heard a soft rustle in the bushes. I took of running towards the sound, one hand on my sword the other motioning Alexander to follow me. I jumped over a thicket and paused. Looking around for any signs. I lifted a hand to stop Hamilton. He paused beside me giving me a look. I slowly walked over to something I saw on the ground. I lifted it up and saw that it was a golden tassel, I looked up and saw another one a little further away. I waved Alexander over to me, showing him what I found.

“French only, whisper. We go this way; we need to find him.” I said quietly.

Hamilton nodded and we took off running. He had his gun out and I drew my sword again. I paused at a line of bushes, Hamilton beside me watching me. I nudged the bushes apart, and took a breath. I stepped to the side letting Hamilton see what I was seeing. There In the middle of the enemy camp sat Lafayette, tied up and coated in blood. I glanced around and saw his sword on a table, counting a half dozen men or so in the camp I stepped back.

“Hamilton.” I started in a whisper.

He looked at me, I shot him a look.

“Yes?” he whispered back just as softly.

“We go in guns blazing we’re bound to either die or get him killed. There’s about six of them, maybe more. We go around the outside, you knock them out, I finish them. If we get seen you start shooting, worry about yourself. My priority is to get Lafayette, and his sword. After that we’re golden.” I murmured barely understandable.

Alexander nodded mutely and we started around the outside of the camp. Taking out four enemies before we were discovered. I nodded at Alexander and he started shooting. I jumped over the bushes surrounding the camp and ran into the center of the camp first grabbing Lafayette’s sword, before sliding past him and slicing his ropes.

“Are you ok, sir?” I asked standing up and handing him his sword.

He jumped to his feet with a smirk playing on his lips, as Hamilton joined us.

“Better now. Although I did miss all of the fun.” He said rolling his shoulders.

I let out a shaky laugh and shook my head, Hamilton holstering his gun.

“Fun isn’t exactly what I’d call it. But at least Hamilton got some tracking training. How did you even get caught?” I said looking at him out of the corner of my eye.

Hamilton was starting to move around the camp and put things into piles of importance. Lafayette whistled sharply, and both of our horses came racing out of the woods.

“I found your horse. I got surrounded, lead them into the woods and missed a jump.” Lafayette said slipping his sword away.

I put mine away as well and nodded.

“Well, we have transportation and supplies, so I suppose mission successful. We’ll have to see how many dead we have when we get back. But they definitely took a larger hit.” I returned as I moved to help organize the supplies.

Lafayette moved deeper into the camp turning back to look at us.

“As long as I don’t have to go back home anytime soon.” He called laughing.

Hamilton shot me a look with a raised eyebrow. I just shook my head; it wasn’t my story to tell. I grabbed a couple of bags and started putting things in order. Another hour later we were loaded up. I looked at Alexander and went to reach down a hand, a risky move, but Lafayette beat me to it.

“Let’s go!” He called quickly.

I nodded and we took off into the trees. We made it back to camp and tied our horses back.

“Alexander organize our supplies; Lyon take stock of our injured and dead. I’ll be in my tent.” Lafayette said, shaking his head.

I watched him for a few seconds before moving to the medical tent to collect the information I needed. After that I walked through camp to see who else may be missing. I sighed and shook my head, turning on my heel I headed towards Lafayette’s tent. I paused in the doorway, seeing him with his shirt off, wrapping a bandage around a slowly bleeding wound. I walked inside and clicked my heels twice.

“I hope you cleaned that first.” I said voice soft.

Lafayette turned his head and looked at me for a second, before going back to wrapping the bandage. I walked over to him and took the roll, carefully but quickly wrapping it the rest of the way around the large cut.

“I did.” He said finally when I was taping up the bandage.

I nodded and stepped back, as he turned to pull on a clean shirt.

“Good, we don’t need you getting sick from something preventable.” I said carefully.

Lafayette laughed softly.

“Sick, that’s one way to put it.” He said, his tone soft.

I knew where his mind was, I let out a soft sigh before walking to his desk. I opened the drawer, he watched me an eyebrow raised. I grabbed two cups and his bottle of alcohol. I poured us both a glass before passing his to him and taking the seat on the opposite side of the desk.

“It’s not my place, but I’m here if you need to talk. Otherwise, we can just have a drink and then discuss business.” I said softly.

Lafayette did say anything for a long time, then his head dropped back.

“I don’t even know what I would say.” Lafayette said softly.

I swirled my drink and watched him.

“You don’t have to say anything, or you can just talk. Whatever is easier for you.” I said gently.

Lafayette took a sip off his glass before setting it on the table.

“It would have been so easy, just say the wrong thing. Let them kill me, just one wrong thing and…” he trailed off and shook his head.

I stayed quiet and just listened, I wasn’t sure I’d actually trust my voice enough to speak if I had wanted to. Lafayette sighed softly.

“But then I thought about everything. The wars, you and our men, the dreams we all have. I couldn’t do it; I couldn’t let it happen. But you amazed me once again.” He said softly tilting his head down to look at me.

I raised an eyebrow.

“O-oh?” I asked softly.

He nodded and slouched down in his seat, the image reminded me that he wasn’t just some experienced Major-General, he was a kid barely older than me.

“One second I’m surrounded, trying to figure out how I’m going to get out, then I heard a soft thud and another and then more. Then I heard gunshots, and there you were in front of me, ropes cut and offering my sword to me. I don’t know how you managed to track me.” Lafayette said watching me.

I nodded to him.

“Your shoulder patches. The tassels must have been ripped off while they brought you into their camp. I followed them, after I heard a noise in the bushes.” I said shrugging lightly.

Lafayette shook his head, a smile on his face as a laugh escape.

“And you’re worried about what, again?” He asked looking at me.

I bit my tongue.

'So many things.’ I thought before shaking my head.

“You can’t blame me for being worried, anything can happen tomorrow.”  I said softly.

Lafayette went to say something when Alexander came in.

“Everything’s organized and put away.” He said pausing at the door.

Lafayette waved him in, I finished my drink and stood.

“I’ll let you two talk. Good night.” I said slipping out of the tent.

I walked back to mine and sighed softly, quickly getting ready for bed, crawling into my cot I closed my eyes. Hours later I heard Hamilton walk in and get in bed. Two months later I rode beside Lafayette as we made for New York and the Winters Ball.

“You look like you’re going to be hanged, it’s a ball!” Lafayette said with a bright smile.

I offer him a small smile and nod.

'If you only knew.’ I thought.

“I’m just not particularly fond of balls. That’s all.” I said in response.

Lafayette nodded and let the matter drop. We rode through town and paused briefly.

“Come, I want to say hi to a friend of mine.” Lafayette said dismounting his horse.

I swing off mine as well, making sure my sword was secure at my side, I followed Lafayette inside.

“Mulligan! How are you, Mon Ami?” Lafayette shouted as he entered the small tailors’ shop.

The man at the counter smiled large and laughed walking from behind the counter and met Lafayette halfway for a hug.

“I’ve been good my friend, and you? You seem alright.” Mulligan said looking him over.

Lafayette nodded and waved me closer.

“Oui, I am well. Mostly thanks to my right-hand, he keeps me alive. Mulligan meet Lyon. Lyon, my friend Mulligan.” Lafayette said in introduction.

I smiled and shook the man’s hand, firmly.

“Good to meet you, he needs a watcher and you seem like a good one. Keep him alive alright?” Mulligan said with a smile and a laugh.

I shook my head and laughed softly.

“I will do the best I can, but he can be a bit wild.” I said in gentle teasing.

Lafayette smiled between us; obviously happy we were talking like this. Then he turned around and raised a brow.

“You two chat, I’m going to go check something. I think I just saw someone else I know.” He said as he walked back through the shop.

Mulligan walked back behind the counter and I looked around the shop.

“So, how did you two meet?” Mulligan asked, looking up at me.

I froze for a second before dropping the skirt of the dress in front of me.

“When we were both coming over here, I was on the same ship.” I said leaving out the fact I was a stowaway.

Mulligan nodded, and looked back down at his papers, I saw him glance up at the doors. He waved me closer and locked eyes with me.

“He doesn’t know does he?” Mulligan asked in a voice barely over a whisper.

I froze as dread seized me, I swallowed thickly and looked around.

“K-know what?” I asked trying to play it off.

Mulligan looked at me with a serious look on his face.

“That you’re a…” he started.

“Shh! No shh! You can’t say that. No, he doesn’t.” I said fervently, looking around frantically.

Mulligan took my hands and put them on the desk.

“Relax, I’m not going to expose you. But you should tell him at some point.” He said softly.

I looked down.

“I know, but it’s illegal, and besides I don’t want him to look at me like some weak little….” I said trailing off not even wanting to think the truth.

Mulligan looked at me and nodded.

“Come back tonight, before the ball. You can get ready here. That way you can make an impression.” Mulligan said quickly.

My eyes widened, before I slowly shook my head.

“I can’t, he expects me to be there.” I said softly, just as the doors opened.

“We’ll figure something out.” He said softly.

I nodded faintly.

“Mulligan! Look who I found!” Lafayette called walking in with his arm around the shoulders of another guy.

“Laurens!” Mulligan called.

I stepped to the side and let them talk for a minute, before attention was turned back to me.

“This is, literally, my life saver. Lyon! This is Laurens. Laurens meet Lyon.” Lafayette said leading the man to me.

“Hello.” I said in greeting.

He nodded and smiled.

“At least you’ve got someone to take care of you.” The man, Laurens said with a laugh turning back to Lafayette.

Lafayette threw his hands into the air.

“Why does everyone think I need to be looked after!” he exclaimed.

“Getting drunk and lost, a block from where you’re staying.” Mulligan started.

“Swinging your sword around as you talk, almost taking out your own eye.” Laurens continued.

Lafayette turned to me and raised an eyebrow; I lifted my hands.

“What? All I do is organize his information! And save your ass from time to time.” I said before whispering the last bit.

Lafayette pointed at me.

“See! I’m perfectly reasonable.” He said crossing his arms.

Laurens and Mulligan laughed.

“He works for you; he’ll protect your reputation even from your friends!” Laurens said with a laugh.

“Or he’ll try.” Mulligan cut in.

Lafayette shook his head and pouted a bit. After a few seconds he brightened back up and they kept chatting for another little while. After a bit, Lafayette and I were back in our horses racing through the streets to get to our accommodations.

“See!” Lafayette called a smile on his face.

I laughed and shook my head.

“It’s not a campsite in the middle of a forest, it’s already an improvement!” I said smirking a bit

We tied our horses up and walked inside.

“Ah good! You two made, great time.” Washington said walking up to us.

Lafayette laughed tilting his head back.

“Even making a stop!” he said in return.

They chatted for a few minutes before we were ushered up to where we would be staying for the next few days. I sat on the provided bed and sighed at the softness. A few hours Later had Lafayette bouncing outside my door.

“You go ahead, I’ll catch up.” I said finally.

Lafayette nodded.

“Just don’t take too long!” He called back his tone light.

I laughed.

“I won’t, don’t worry. Go you can’t get into that much trouble for a few minutes!” I called with a smile playing on my face.

Lafayette laughed and waved as he walked away. I watched from my window, waiting for him to leave. Then I grabbed my jacket, slipped it on and ran down the steps. I jumped on my horse and spurred him into movement, heading back to the tailors’ shop. I arrived in record time and paused at the door, taking a breath I walked in.

“You came!” Mulligan exclaimed seemingly surprised.

I nodded and took a shaky breath.

“Yes, now remind me that the risk is worth it before I run.” I said quickly.

Mulligan shook his head and took my arm.

“It’s worth it because you clearly care about him. Now I’ve put the perfect dress in the back for you, go get ready.” He said giving me a small push.

I stumbled a bit but made it to the dress. I took a deep breath and pulled back the curtain. It was a beautiful blue dress that almost matched my uniform color. The white cuffs and collar added to the look. I quickly changed and stepped into the blue heels.

“How is everything?” Mulligan called softly from outside the room.

I took a deep breath as I pulled the pins from my hair letting it tumble down past my shoulders and to my mid-back. I tucked the pins in with my clothes and turned opening the door.

“I feel vulnerable. And I hate it.” I said looking at him.

His eyes were wide.

“Wow.” He said softly.

I reached up and ruffled my hair, tucking part of it behind my ear.

“What? Do I look bad? Is it too obvious?” I asked quickly already moving to go back into the room and change back.

Mulligan grabbed my hand and pulled me in front of a mirror.

“You look amazing, completely different.” He said as he messed with my hair, adding small white bows throughout it.

I took a breath and looked in the mirror, gasping slightly. Even I barely recognized myself.

“But what if he asks for me?” I said softly.

Mulligan locked eyes with me in the mirror.

“If he can pull his eyes away from you long enough to ask, I’ll tell him your walking around. Making conversation, but I wouldn’t worry.” He said softly.

I took a deep breath and nodded.

“My clothes?” I asked quietly.

“I have a bag you can bring with you. Change in the bathroom at the end of the night. He won’t know the difference.” Mulligan said turning to get said bag.

I nodded and took the bag carefully bundling my clothes into it, so as not to lose the pins. With that we set out to the ball, my horse safely hidden behind the shop. We got to the ball and I froze.

“I can’t.” I whispered.

Mulligan took my arm and lead me inside.

“You can and you will. You’ve got this.” He said softly.

I took a breath and nodded.

‘I wish I had my sword.’ I thought.

Mulligan let go of me and started to move through everyone. I cast my eyes around the room and started to make my way around the room. I stopped by the back-wall hands folded in front of me.

“It’s a lovely party.” I said quietly.

His head lifted and he looked at me, his eyes widening.

“it is now.” He said softly turning fully towards me.

“Kaleyanna Sinclair. A pleasure “I said softly curtseying slightly.

He took my hand and dropped into a bow, kissing my knuckles.

“Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. The pleasure is all mine. My fair lady.” He said smiling up at me.

I smiled at him, taking a breath.

“Shall we?” He asked looking at me.

I took his offered hand and nodded.

“Yes, but please forgive me. I have two left feet when it comes to dancing.” I said laughing gently.

He smiled and led me out to the floor.

“I'm certain that’s not possible!” he exclaimed as he spun me around the room.

I laughed as he spun me. We danced for hours before he broke away from me. I saw him speaking quietly with Mulligan, looking concerned. I caught Mulligan’s eye and nodded. I moved quickly to the bathroom, making sure not to draw attention to myself. I quickly but carefully changed, flipping my hair up and wrapping it down, tucking the pins in to keep it together, I tied it back. I straightened my jacket and nodded, tucking the dress and heels away. Glad I hadn’t worn any makeup. I tucked the bag into my jacket and moved out of the bathroom. I walked towards Mulligan and Lafayette.

“Sorry to interrupt, I heard rumors that you were looking for me?” I asked stopping beside them.

Lafayette looked at me like he had seen a ghost, but smiled.

“There you are. Where have you been?” He asked me unconsciously slipping into French.

I smiled and nodded towards the crowded room.

“I’ve been getting to know people. Was that not why we came?” I asked with a small smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“Very true! But that doesn’t mean we can’t spend time chatting together.” Lafayette said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders like he had done with Mulligan and Laurens earlier.

I laughed and shook my head.

“Right you are! But I think Hamilton or Laurens were looking for you.” I said aiming a thumb vaguely over my shoulder.

Lafayette nods, lifts his glass to both of us and wanders off. I slide over besides Mulligan, sneakily passing him the bag back.

“Are you sure?” He asked me.

I nodded.

“Yes, it was nice and I enjoyed it. But it’s just too big of a risk trying to live a double life right now. We both know he needs someone there for him, I’m no good to anyone if I’m exposed.” I murmured softly.

Mulligan nodded and looked out at the crowd.

“Alright let me know how it all goes.” He responded just as quietly.

I nodded and moved off into the crowd. I realized a problem about twenty minutes before the end of the ball. I looked around to find Mulligan but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

‘I’ll just have to deal with it when the time comes.’ I thought as I slowly spun around the room.

The end of the night came quicker then I realized and before long Lafayette and I were walking outside. I had to do a double take when I saw my horse tied off by Lafayette’s. Lafayette mounted his horse and gave me a look.

“Are you coming?” He asked laughing a bit.

I shook my head before mounting my horse.

“Lets go.” I said and we spurred our horses on.

We rode through the streets back to Washington’s New York home. We arrived and tied our horses up, before heading inside. We walked up the stairs and just as we reached the top of the steps, Lafayette reached over and laid a hand on my shoulder.

“Let’s have a drink.” He suggested.

I laughed and nodded.

“Alright, let’s have a drink.” I agreed easily.

We walked into his room and he pushed me to the bed. I laughed and sat down as he poured us drinks. Lafayette sat beside me and lifted his drink.

“Tonight, was amazing.” Lafayette said voice soft.

I blinked as far as I know he only really spent time with Mulligan and I.

“Oh? How so?” I asked looking at him.

I took a sip of my drink.

“I danced with the prettiest girl tonight.” He said softly with a slightly wistful tone.

I promptly choked on the drink I had just taken. I coughed and cleared my throat.

“O-oh you did?” I said watching him.

He nodded.

“She wore the loveliest dress. It was blue and white, she had nice ribbons in her hair. We spent hours dancing.” He said smiling softly.

I nodded and tried to think but I couldn’t.

“Thats good!” I said throwing excitement into my tone that I didn’t really feel.

Lafayette paused sending me an unreadable look, before sighing.

“I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere though.” He said a bit sadly.

I raised an eyebrow and swallowed.

“Oh? Why not?” I asked.

'I really am a glutton for punishment.’ I thought disbelievingly.

He shrugged and looked at me.

“I only got her name, that’s all. And I’m almost certain it’s fake. Since the Sinclair daughter is supposedly missing.” He said watching me.

I nodded.

“Makes sense, maybe she just wanted to fit in.” I suggested trying to defer his attention.

Lafayette nodded.

“It’s possible. I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” He said.

I stood taking the dismissal as what it was. I settled the glass on his desk, and paused for a second.

“If it changes anything in your mind, I know she had a good time tonight and really enjoyed dancing with you.” I said softly, so softly I wasn’t sure he heard me.

Then I darted across the hall, into my room and I closed the door. I walked over to my bed, before turning back and locking the door, before going back to bed. The next few days were tense between Lafayette and I, we got on our horses the last day and I looked at him.

“We aren’t going back to camp. They’ve already been moved. We’re headed for Monmouth.” Lafayette said quickly spurring his horse to a quick gallop.

I quickly kicked my horse into action following after him on the path. It was mid-day when he slowed down enough for me to catch up to him. We were in the middle of the forest. I looked down at my horse, knowing he would follow Lafayette’s horse without my direction.

“Sir, have I upset you in some way?” I asked finally, sucking up my courage.

Lafayette looked over at me, and sighed shaking his head.

“No, no. You haven’t.” He said quietly.

I looked up at him and he was giving me a smile, I smiled back and we rode into Washington’s camp at Monmouth. A week later and I was ready to scream.

“I’m going to snap that skinny twig pathetic worthless, piss poor excuse of a solider in half!” I growled stalking around the medical tent.

My arm wrapped tightly in a bandage my jacket slung over the footboard of the bed. I heard quick footsteps and turned towards the door. I saw Lafayette pause in the doorway and suck in a deep breath.

“You’re ok, oh thank God.” He said walking over to me.

I gave him a small smirk and shifted my arm carefully.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just caught a bullet with my arm. The doctor set me right, pretty quickly. But I heard you got the command out there, congratulations.” I said offering him a smile.

The frantic look didn’t exactly leave his face as he looked me over, I tilted my head and watched him.

“Sir?” I asked softly.

He seemed to freeze for a second before lifting one hand and resting it on his forehead, fingers splayed out and pushing his hair back. He turned slightly and looked at me from the corner of his eye with a smile. I felt my heart stutter, and my breath caught in my throat.

“I’m glad you’re ok, Lyon. We have a meeting with Washington and Alexander. Let’s go.” He said, and like that everything was back to normal.

Or at least closer than it had been the last few days. I grabbed my jacket and carefully pulled it on over my arm. I kept a step behind Lafayette, a glare on my face directed at anyone who came close to us. We stepped into the meeting room and I sucked in a breath through my nose, my eye twitches and my hand inches towards my sword.

“Let me kill this bastard.” I hissed quietly.

There sat Charles Lee at the table with Washington and Hamilton. Lafayette laid a hand on my shoulder and shook his head.

“No, he’s being dealt with. Come, sit by Alexander.” He said softly.

I nodded, a hard look on my face. I sat beside Hamilton, carefully. He looked at me and I took a breath, refusing to look at the fifth person at the table. Lafayette settled beside Washington who nodded before turning to me.

“I’m glad to see the injury in the field wasn’t dire.” He said and I nodded.

“Thank you, sir.” I said as politely as I could.

Washington nodded before turning back towards Charles Lee. What followed was a two-hour dressing down, and me fighting not to laugh.

“Dismissed, Lee.” Washington said looking down at the stack of papers in front of him.

“Sir!” Charles Lee yelled out and my hand instantly fell to my sword.

Lafayette shot me a look, and I flared my nose letting my hand fall from my sword.

“Lee, leave before I let you get stabbed.” Washington said voice firm.

It was then Charles Lee realized exactly who else was in the room with him. He quickly made his way out of the door. Hamilton raised an eyebrow.

“Would you have really let him get stabbed, sir?” he asked curiosity clear.

Washington laughed and shook his head.

“I wouldn’t have allowed it, but I probably couldn’t stop it if I tried. Not that I would. Look at who’s at the table Alexander. Lafayette, the quickest swordsman we have. And Lyon, the quickest fighter in any regiment. If one of them decided to actually ignore rules, Charles Lee would be as good as dead before either of us could blink.” Washington said firmly.

“I wouldn’t have hesitated but then I’m a little angry, after getting fucking shot for that pathetic little piss ant…” I started muttering.

Alexander sent me a look and Lafayette shook his head.

“I’m with you, but you need to calm down.” Lafayette said softly.

I took a breath and nodded. Washington spread out a map on the table.

“I’m going to refuse a translation, and say it was some less then nice comments on Lee’s person.” Washington said looking at Lafayette and me.

I looked towards the map, but I assume Lafayette nodded, as Washington laughed softly.

“We have some strong minded right-hands, don’t we?” Washington asked turning to Lafayette.

Lafayette smirked and nodded.

“That we do, that we do.” Lafayette said nodding in agreement.

With that we went to planning. Two weeks later Alexander was sent home. After a duel. I raised an eyebrow.

“Is he going to make it?” I asked him before he left.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think It was bad enough to end him.” He said quietly.

I nodded my head and dropped a hand onto my sword.

“Don’t, they are going to need at least one of us. I’m getting sent home. Washington and Lafayette need you.” Alexander said quickly.

My nose flared as I took a breath to calm down, I closed my eyes and nodded.

“Yeah I know. Laurens should have shot him in the mouth.” I muttered darkly.

Hamilton laughed as he moved towards the door.

“That’s what I said to Washington, and I’m sure part of the reason I was sent home. Keep them alive ok?” Alexander asked me.

I nodded.

“I’ll do my best.” I said firmly.

He nodded and walked from the room. I heard footsteps, and didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

“He’s going to live, isn’t he?” I asked.

Lafayette laid a hand on my shoulder.

“Unfortunately, however Washington has already downgraded him. That’s all that can be done. We need all the men we can get. France isn’t sending another ship; I haven’t had the chance to tell Washington yet. But as far as I know we’re alone in this.” Lafayette said softly.

I nodded and turned to look at him.

“Then we’ll do what we do best.” I said as I turned and started towards the planning room.

“Plan and fight.” Lafayette said catching up to me easily with his long legs.

I laughed and shook my head.

“Win.” I said simply.

Lafayette nodded with a smirk, his hand dropping to his sword. I let mine drift to my sword as well. We must have made quiet the sight, when we opened the door and stood there. Washington hunched over the map looked up at us, his eyes wide.

“Well? Are we planning or just going to let the British fully claim the York providence?” I asked sitting down at the table.

Lafayette raised an eyebrow at Washington before also moving to sit at the table.

“You two have a new energy to you.” Washington said.

I looked up at Lafayette and raised an eyebrow, he sighed and nodded.

“As far as I know, there is currently no plans to send more French aid.” Lafayette said finally.

Washington nodded, but looked at the map. Concern etching his face. I laid my sword on the table, causing them both to look at me.

“We don’t need French aid more then we have. You have me and Lafayette. You have our swords. You have our service, don’t look so dire about it. We more then make up for a singular French ship.” I said firmly.

Lafayette nodded sending me a smile. Washington nodded.

“You’re right.” He said, turning back to the map.

I looked up at Lafayette, he raised an eyebrow. I lifted my sword tilted it towards him and then slid it back into place. The rest of the afternoon was spent planning. The rest of the next few weeks were spent planning. I dropped back into my seat and crossed my arms.

“You’re playing this stupidly! With all due respect sir, you really aren’t thinking this through!” I exclaimed.

I glanced at Lafayette, who stood tall.

“If we rendezvous with Rochambeau consolidate their gifts…” Washington started.

I groaned and Lafayette slammed his hand on the map. I looked up it was rare he got annoyed like this. But we had both done everything in our power to get another envoy and it would still be a miracle to win this.

“We can end this at Yorktown. Cut them off at sea, but you know as well as we do, for this to succeed, that there is someone else we need!” He exclaimed looking at Washington.

Washington shook his head; I rose to my feet.

“He knows what to do in the trenches sir, he’s ingenuitive and fluent in French a skill your men desperately need. The more stressed we get the less we’re going to be speaking English because French is easier!” I exclaimed standing beside Lafayette.

Washington still didn’t look fully convinced.

“Sir, you are going to have to use him eventually. What is he going to do on the bench?” Lafayette asked.

I saw Washington starting to crack.

“No one has more resilience or matches our practical tactical brilliance!” I said firmly.

“Do you want to fight for your land back?” Lafayette asked raising an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

Washington nodded and grabbed a quill and parchment, beginning to write.

“You’re right, we’re going to need him back. I gotta get my right-hand man back.” Washington said firmly.

It was a few days later that Alexander arrived, I paused in what I was doing and looked up at him.

“General Washington said he wanted to see you as soon as you got in.” I said tossing the rag I was using to clean my sword down.

“Hello to you too.” He muttered softly.

I stood and swung my sword around, sheathing it quickly, I turned and cast a sideways glance at him.

“Alexander Hamilton, Lafayette and I fought Washington to get you back. Go see your commander, and don’t disappoint us.” I said as I started to walk away.

“I’m going to be a father!” Alexander called.

I paused and looked down at the ground for a second, swallowing thickly.

“Congratulations.” I said before continuing away quickly.

I found Lafayette sat at a table. I stood at his side until he motioned to a seat.

“We’re leaving for Chesapeake Bay the day after tomorrow. This is it.” He said and his voice sounded distant.

I nodded and glanced at him.

“Well, for the Americans at least. We still have a war waiting for us at home.” I said softly.

Lafayette laughed a bit and shook his head.

“All I’ve done my whole life is fight. I can’t even see the end anymore. I know why I fight, but why do you?” Lafayette asked turning to face me.

I looked at the table before turning to look at him.

“Fighting seemed the only option for me.” I said softly.

Lafayette nodded and went silent for a few minutes.

“it’s going to be dangerous.” He said voice still soft.

I couldn’t help but laugh, causing him to look at me.

“I’m sorry. That just made it sound like the rest of this has been a walk in the park. It’s all been dangerous. But we always have each other’s back. We aren’t called the quickest draws for nothing. The British don’t stand a chance. Will we loose people? Absolutely. But we have this.” I said firmly, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I was just trying to convince him.

He looked at me and nodded.

“You’re right of course. I meant to ask, is Alexander in yet?” Lafayette asked watching me.

I nodded.

“Just in, he’s with General Washington.” I said.

He nodded. The next day we prepared what we would be taking with us, barely having time to sit and eat. Then I was sat on my horse, awaiting leave orders.

“Monsieur Hamilton!” Lafayette called with a smile on his face, and tension in his eyes.

“Monsieur Lafayette!” Hamilton returned a similar looking forced calm on his face.

“In command where you belong.” Lafayette said nodding.

Hamilton lifted his hands.

“How you say, no sweat!” Alexander said and Lafayette laughed.

“Finally, on the field we’ve had quite the run.” Alexander smirked at that.

Lafayette laughed and shrugged.

“Immigrants…we get the job done!” Lafayette started but Alexander shouted the ending with him.

“So, what happens if we win?” Alexander asked.

Lafayette looked back at me and smiled.

“We go back to France, bring freedom to our people if we are given a chance.” He said before turning back to Hamilton.

“We'll be with you when you do.” Alexander promised.

I saw Lafayette shake his head with a smile on his face.

“Go lead your men!” Lafayette said turning and racing to his horse

“I’ll see you on the other side!” Alexander called.

“Until we meet again!” both Lafayette and I called.

Lafayette looked at me and with a nod we spurred our horses on. I glanced at Lafayette he looked confident.

“We seize in and out make them think there’s more of us then there are!” Lafayette said turning his head to face me.

I nodded.

“We go until we can’t, then we go some more.” I agreed firmly.

We struck with our unit in early afternoon. It took a full week before finally a young man stood on a parapet, waving a white flag. I had turned when everyone stopped fighting to look. I heard the gunshot, and saw Lafayette’s eyes widen. Before I could turn, I felt the searing burn. I fell foreword, Lafayette lunged over a railing and caught me as I fell. He held me close.

“I’m ok. I'm ok.” I said faintly.

Lafayette’s hands rubbed my back until they found the wound, pressing on it. I gasped and grabbed his jacket.

“Stay with me, you promised me you wouldn’t leave me.” He whispered faintly to me.

I nodded and tried to swallow.

“I keep….my….prom..is…es…” I said softly, my voice trailing off.

I heard a choked sound and wasn’t entirely sure if it was him or me. I wasn’t sure how long I was out, I opened my eyes and looked around. Lafayette had his head on the side of my bed. I looked up and saw Hamilton and Mulligan at the door, seemingly guarding it. I took a breath, feeling my body, I groaned softly as the pain laced through my back. Lafayette’s head sprang up at the small noise.

“You’re awake, thank God.” Lafayette said voice shaky.

I tried to give him a smile, but even I knew it was weak.

“I told you, I keep my promises.” I whispered.

He laughed and nodded; it was then I noticed the tears, falling down his face.

“You had me worried.” He said softly.

I smiled shakily and weakly lifted a hand.

“I told you, I was going to help free America and our own people.” I said softly.

Lafayette nodded, and glanced at the door. I looked up to seeing both Alexander and Mulligan gone from it. I looked at Lafayette, and then his hands were on the sides of my face and his lips pressed to mine. I gasped softly, before practically melting into the kiss. After a few seconds I realized exactly what would happen if we got caught. I pulled back, slowly hesitantly.

“Lafayette, if we get caught….” I trailed off.

“You’re right.” He said hesitantly.

I looked around, before looking down. Registering that Lafayette’s coat laid over me. I looked at him, he shrugged lightly.

“They fixed your back up with you on your stomach before rolling you. I laid my coat down to cover you.” He said.

I closed my eyes and laughed a bit, coughing a bit right afterwards.

“How long?” I asked softly.

Lafayette leaned closer to me, wiping my face gently.

“Since the ball.” He said softly.

My eyes popped open and I smiled a bit.

“Damn it, Mulligan.” I whispered.

Lafayette laughed softly.

“Don’t blame Mulligan for you missing a bow in your hair.” He said just as softly.

I groaned softly, closing my eyes.

“I tried so hard. Who else knows?” I whispered softly.

I felt Lafayette’s hand in my hair, and I sighed softly.

“As far as I know, the only ones who know for sure are Mulligan and myself. Although I think Alexander suspects. And you succeeded for a long time, you can keep going. I’m not going to out you and neither of them will either, that is if you want to continue.” Lafayette said gently.

I opened an eye and looked up at him.

“You’d still fight with me? Knowing the truth?” I asked softly.

Lafayette smiled down at me.

“Of course, you’re still one of the only ones who can match my practical tactical brilliance!” He said and I laughed a bit.

I let my eyes close, and I felt Lafayette’s hands on me again.

“Hey come on, stay awake.” He said and his tone had turned begging.

I smiled softly and opened my eyes again.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere, I’m just tired.” I said softly.

Lafayette hesitated but nodded. I closed my eyes and felt him grab my hand. I smiled and drifted off to sleep. The next month was spent recovering.

“I CAN WALK MYSELF YOU PHSYCHOTIC FRENCHMAN!” I shouted on the day the doctor had finally released me.

Lafayette laughed at that and looked up at me.

“I know, just let me do this.” He said quietly.

I looked into his eyes and sighed nodding.

“Alright. Where are we off to?” I asked gently.

He smiled and nodded towards Washington, thankfully I was able to be fully in uniform at this point so the risk of exposure was minimal.

“I’m glad to see you are up and about.” Washington said smiling at me.

I smiled and huffed a laugh.

“I’m glad to be out of that medical room, I have to be honest.” I said smiling softly.

Washington nodded before his look turned serious. I nudged Lafayette’s shoulder.

“Let me down, I think something happened.” I said softly.

Lafayette looked between me and Washington before carefully setting me on my feet. He turned to look at Washington, I looked around, I saw Mulligan but not Hamilton or Laurens.

“What happened?” Lafayette asked him softly.

In response Washington handed him an envelope. He looked down at it and froze up. I glanced at it, and swallowed harshly. He slowly, mechanically opened it. He unfolded the parchment and began reading, I looked up at Washington he didn’t look ok.  I turned my attention back to Lafayette; his face blanked the more he read. He looked up.

“Excuse me.” Lafayette said softly spinning on his heel and walking away.

I looked after him, before turning back to Washington.

“Which one?” I asked softly.

He closed his eyes taking a deep breath before opening them.

“John Laurens.” Washington said softly.

I nodded and spun on my heel, carefully.

“Excuse us.” I called back over my shoulder.

I stalked off down the hall and looked for Lafayette. I finally found him outside leaning against the horse fence. I stopped in front of him.

“We can stand here and be quiet or you can talk about your thoughts. I’m here for you.” I said gently.

Lafayette took a deep breath and looked up at me.

“He wanted to free the slaves here in the colonies, well now I suppose it is America. But he gets shot and killed after the damn war is over! How is that fair? How is anything about that fair?” He asked hands fisted and he slammed one into the fence below himself.

I stepped closer to him, taking his hand in mine. And just holding it for a second.

“We will keep his memory and his wish alive. If we have to start in France and work towards freedom here then we will. Between us I know we can do it. It isn’t fair that he was killed after the war, but we knew there would be some areas that would be slower to get the news. We were bound to lose more people. It isn’t right that it was John. It isn't right to lose more people than we did during the battles. But look at me, I know I almost died, and I was there at the last battle. I was ten feet from you, and I was shot. Laurens was miles away, news didn’t reach him for days, if not weeks to reach down there. Lafayette I’m sure he did his best to survive. You four, you’re brothers, family. He didn’t want to leave you. But he did, and now we carry on his dream.” I said firmly.

Lafayette had started staring at me, watching every word I said. When I finished speaking, he nodded and pulled me close. I wrapped my arms around him, offering him comfort. He tilted my head up and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

“How do you always know what to say?” Lafayette asked me softly.

I smiled and shook my head.

“I don’t, a lot of the time it’s just luck and speaking from my heart.” I said softly.

Lafayette smiled faintly and slowly let me go. The next few weeks were a blur of political negotiations and terms of surrender. When it was all done, I leaned against a wall outside of the building taking a deep breath. Lafayette found me there nearly twenty minutes later, and settled next to me. He bumped our hips together and reached behind them, grabbing my hand. I let out a soft sigh and smiled at him.

“I didn’t realize I could be more tired than fighting a war.” I said softly.

Lafayette nodded looked at me from the corner of his eye.

“Marry me.” He whispered.

I felt my breath hitch in my throat.

“W-what?” I whispered just a softly.

Lafayette turned to me, and gently placed his hand against my cheek.

“Marry me.” He said again firmer this time.

“Lafayette…. I…” I started but couldn’t form words my brain froze.

He leaned down and kissed me softly, a risky move.

“I can’t lose you too. Don’t make me beg, marry me.” He said lips hovering above mine.

I took a breath and nodded, daring to lean up and connect our lips.

“Of course, I will.” I whispered against his lips.

Lafayette gifted me a bright smile and pressed another kiss to my lips, before we separated before we got caught. Two weeks later and Lafayette had managed to successfully spread that I had gone back to France already, when in reality I just let my hair down and slipped into a dress and heels. I smiled as I stopped beside Lafayette, one day, Seeing Eliza beside Alexander also smiling. Today was a good day. Lafayette and Alexander were set to be honored for their help with the war, technically I was too, but I was in France already. Lafayette looked down at me and took my hand in his, bringing it up to press a kiss to my knuckles. I sighed softly and smiled at him gently. I saw Washington watching us and, swirled my finger at him and he looked down at the parchment in front of him. Mulligan stood to the side smiling at us, he had already been honored earlier that week.

“Oh boy, forgive me Lafayette. But I have to read your full name I am going to mess something up.” Washington said, to laughs.

Lafayette raised a hand.

“The name you have is about 4 names shorter than my actual name. Be glad you aren’t a pastor…. Although I suppose you technically can perform marriages.” He said and murmured the last bit to me in French.

I gently patted his arm.

“Still, alright.” Washington started pausing for a second.

I giggled softly.

“Someone needs to teach that man French.” I whispered to Lafayette.

Washington cleared his throat and looked up.

“Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette.” He called, and Lafayette laughed and walked up to him bending slightly and accepting his honors, simultaneously accepting mine as well.

He stood up straight and nodded at the crowd. Before making his way back down to me. Washington sighed thankfully, and turned back to the crowd.

“Alexander Hamilton.” He said sounding relieved at the easier name.

Alexander followed Lafayette’s lead and bowed to accept his honors, turning to the crowd with a smile, before making his way back to Eliza.

“Thank you for your service, a special thank you sent out to those we lost.” Washington called.

Everyone in the crowd cheered. I leaned against Lafayette, my back still hadn’t actually fully recovered yet, he wrapped an arm around me, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of my head. I sighed contently. I saw Alexander leading Eliza over to us, Mulligan moving closer from the other side of the room.

“Lafayette, who is the lovely lady you have been hiding?” Alexander asked with a smile and Eliza shot him a look.

I giggled softly and leaned into Lafayette more. Lafayette shifted slightly to let me take some weight off of my injured back. Lafayette smiled at Alexander.

“This is Kaleyanna, you met her at the Winters Ball. Of course, I don’t blame you for not remembering.” Lafayette said with a small laugh.

Alexander looked at me again and smiled.

“Well I apologies. It’s lovely to see you again.” Alexander said with a smile.

“You as well, sir.” I said softly.

Lafayette kept talking to the guys for a little bit, Eliza and I just stood there wrapped around our guys. Eliza nudged Alexander, a while later.

“We have to get going, Phillip.” She said in a hushed voice.

Alexander nodded and smiled at us all, before waving.

“I will see you again.” He said walking away.

Lafayette turned immediately to look at me.

“Are you ok?” he whispered.

I shook my head quickly; something had popped in my back. Lafayette looked over at Mulligan and tilted his head to a back room. Mulligan nodded and cleared a path for us without drawing attention. Lafayette carefully guided me to the room. I groaned softly when we finally got away from the crowd.

“What happened?” Mulligan asked quickly.

I huffed and leaned heavily against Lafayette.

“Something popped in my back.” I whispered softly.

Lafayette lifted his hand before looking at my back, I saw his face go pale.

“Get a doctor.” Lafayette said quickly moving me to sit down.

I held Lafayette’s hands.

“Exposure, what I did was illegal.” I said worriedly.

Lafayette shook his head looking into my eyes his hand going up to the side of my face.

“I can’t lose you too.” He whispered fervently.

Washington decided that moment was the best time to come in, he looked around at us before turning his attention to Lafayette.

“What happened?” He asked looking at the blood on his hands.

Lafayette swallowed thickly and I nodded minutely.

“I think I’m stuck…...she was shot that’s what!” he murmured before turning to Washington and raising his voice a bit.

Washington raised an eyebrow.

“He said I was shot.” I whispered looking away.

“What?” Washington asked moving closer to us.

I nodded and Lafayette looked up at Washington, he took a deep shaky breath and I lifted a hand gently running my fingers through his hair.

“She is…was Lyon.” Lafayette said finally after a second if opening his mouth silently.

Washington looked between everyone in the room.

“Wha…what? I don’t understand. Women can’t fight, it’s against the law.” Washington said quickly.

Lafayette had turned back to me, and I could tell by his expression I didn’t look good.

“With all due respect sir, we don’t have time. Get a medic! And then pardon one of the best strategists we had.” Mulligan shouted, raising his voice for the first time that I had ever heard.

Washington nodded and turned back to the door, racing out of it. Lafayette’s hands lifted and rested on either side of my face. I smiled weakly at him.

“I'm ok, I’m ok.” I whispered softly, beginning to get light headed.

Lafayette gave me an equally weak smile and nodded.

“I know you are, you’re strong and you don’t break promises. Kaleyanna, come on stay awake.” Lafayette said patting my cheek.

I hummed, my eyes closing as I fell forward.

“I'm...ok…” I whispered.

Lafayette’s arms wrapped around me.

“No, stay with me, please don’t go! I can’t lose you too. Please, don’t go…” Lafayette begged softly, rocking us.

I don’t remember anything after that, not for a while a long or short one I’m not sure. I opened my eyes slowly, taking in the room. A bright white hospital room greatest me and I winced slightly, I looked down and saw Lafayette laying with his head on my bed, holding my hand and I could just make out tear tracks on his cheeks. I looked around the room as best as I could, seeing a chair on the opposite side of the bed as well and then on the bedside table what I could just make out as both my War Honors and a Presidential Pardon. My eyes slid back to Lafayette; I gently squeezed his hand. His head popped up, before his eyes even fully opened. I smiled weakly at him and he immediately leaned over me sobbing hands on either side of my face he pressed kiss after kiss to my face.

“I'm ok, shh shh, I’m ok.” I whispered to him.

Lafayette nodded, still openly crying.

“Ah, I see our patient is awake.” A doctor said coming in.

He tried to look me over but Lafayette just wouldn’t move so he could.

“My love, let the doctor look me over ok? I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere.” I said softly.

Lafayette finally seemed to register the doctor and nodded backing up just enough for the doctor to look me over. The doctor smiled and nodded.

“You are mostly healed.” He said.

Lafayette’s head snapped up at that.

“We’ve heard that before! And look at where it got us!” He said sharply.

I reached over and took Lafayette’s hand.

“Breath, breath calm down.” I said softly.

Lafayette nodded and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I looked at the doctor with a small smile.

“Sorry about that.” I said quietly.

The doctor shook his head, smile still in place.

“We are well use to his quick attitude. Actually, it’s been a few friends of yours that have been able to actually calm him down, while you were out.” The doctor said and it caught my attention.

I turned my head a bit catching Lafayette’s eye.

“How long have I been out?” I asked a small measure of shock running through my tone.

Lafayette looked at me.

“Almost six months.” He said softly.

I swallowed thickly and closed my eyes looking at the ceiling. The doctor made that the moment he left. I took a shaky breath and opened my eyes.

“I’m so sorry.” I said softly.

Lafayette shook his head.

“You have nothing to apologize for.” He said just as quietly.

I lifted the hand he didn’t have in a death grip and wiped my face.

“I kept you waiting, I put you through so much stress. I missed our wedding!” I said voice choked and shaky.

“You came back. That’s all that’s important to me, we can get married anytime. I don’t mind waiting if it means you're ok. Stress is a normal part of life, I’m ok as long as you are.” He said softly, gently running his fingers through my hair.

I took a shaky breath and nodded, smiling softly.

“I’ll always be here no matter what.” I whispered softly.

Lafayette smiled at me and nodded watching me. I smiled softly at him, seeing his eyes in the distance I took his free hand in my hand and gently rubbed his hands with my thumbs trying to bring him back to the present. It took a few minutes before he shook his head and looked back at me.

“There you are.” I said gently, watching him.

He gave me a small smile and pressed a kiss to my hands.

“I didn’t mean to get lost just….” Lafayette said trailing off.

I shook my head and smiled softly.

“It’s ok, I understand.” I said gently.

Lafayette gave me a small smile and leaned forward, moving one hand to run through my hair, giving me a gentle look.

“Get some rest, I’ll be here when you wake up.” He said gently.

I nodded and let my eyes drift shut. The next time I came too I heard soft voices whispering beside me. I opened my eyes and looked around, seeing Alexander and Mulligan chatting softly I tilted my head looking for Lafayette.

“He had to run to the bathroom, he’ll be right back.” Alexander said looking away from Mulligan.

I looked back over and slowly, with some help, sat up. I nodded, and watched the door, Alexander and Mulligan went back to their conversation and I barely paid attention to it.

“She ripped me up one side and down the other!” Alexander said with a small laugh.

Mulligan laughed and shook his head.

“You were new to her camp can you blame her!” Mulligan came back with, and I tuned in then.

I turned my head slightly so I could see them as well.

“Are you talking about when I yelled at you for running in camp, knowing French, trying to take my position, or the incident with the map?” I asked with a small smirk and curiosity in my tone.

Mulligan looked between me and him and laughed sharply.

“You, tried to take her spot?” He asked Alexander sarcastically.

Alexander threw his hands up and shook his head.

“No! I didn’t want your position!” Alexander exclaimed, and I couldn’t help but laugh a bit.

It was quiet for a few minutes as Hamilton pouted. Alexander looked up at Mulligan and gave him a small smile.

“At least Lafayette will be able to breath now.” He said and Lafayette’s name caught my attention.

I turned and saw Mulligan nod, as he leaned against the wall.

“Yeah, I was getting worried about him.” Mulligan said just as much relief in his tone as was in Alexander’s.

“Yeah especially after what the doctor said.” Alexander said softly with a small shrug.

Mulligan nodded and closed his eyes. I took a breath a chill going down my spine at their words.

“Yeah, barely eating, hardly sleeping. I was worried we’d have to keep him from doing something stupid.” Mulligan agreed.

I swallowed thickly and turned my attention to Mulligan specifically, Lafayette had let slip that he knew what had happened as well.

“What did the doctor say?” I whispered softly, staring at him.

Alexander looked at me, confused. He clearly didn’t know.

“That, since it’d been almost six months, he shouldn’t expect you to wake up.” Alexander said.

My eyes widened, as it all made sense.

“No, tell me he’s not telling me the truth Hercules.” I whispered, my voice shaking.

Mulligan nodded, raising an eyebrow at me. I lifted my hands and covered my face.

“No wonder he acted like that….” I said softly, my throat feeling clogged.

I heard the moment Mulligan realized what I had. I heard him let out a breath and then slide down the wall.

“What? What happened?” Alexander asked looking between us.

I couldn’t lift my head, feeling so horrible about being away for so long, even though it wasn’t my fault. I heard Hercules take a breath and shift.

“He was married when he first came over.” Hercules said finally.

“W-what?” Hamilton asked.

I took a breath and looked up.

“It’s not our story to tell.” I said softly.

“It’s ok, he should know too.” Lafayette said voice barely over a whisper as he rejoined us.

He immediately sat in the chair closest to me, taking my hand and pressing a kiss to my cheek. I looked at him and opened my mouth, he shook his head giving me a soft smile.

“It wasn’t anything you could control. It’s ok, I’m ok now that you’re ok.” He said quietly.

I swallowed and nodded; Lafayette looked up at Alexander.

“I was married when I came over here to fight. My wife was pregnant at the time with our first child. I tried to go back as often as I could in the beginning but….” Lafayette broke off and shook his head.

I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair gently, he looked up at me, I nodded and turned to Alexander. I took a deep breath.

“His wife died in child birth, his daughter followed hours later.” I said softly, explaining the rest to him.

Alexander took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“I’m so sorry, I…I didn’t know. I never…” He said voice shaking, my head turned to him then and I leveled a glare at him.

“Never should have what, Alexander Hamilton?” I asked my voice low and dark.

Lafayette lifted a hand and placed it against the back of my neck carefully turning my head. Alexander meanwhile, stood out of his chair and started backing up away from me.

“It’s ok, he didn’t know. He was trying to be helpful, but without knowing…. everything it didn’t come out right. I’ve already forgiven him, breath it’s ok.” Lafayette said softly voice even and gentle.

I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Ok, I won’t gut him.” I said tone soft and joking.

Lafayette laughed at that, which was good. The less he dwelled on the past the better. He lifted his head, looking away from me and looked over at Alexander.

“Relax, you both took all of the sharp pointy things out of the room already. The only thing she has is her hands.” Lafayette said laughing softly.

I smiled gently hearing his laugh. Mulligan laughed and shook his head, also looking at Alexander.

“and we’ve seen where those two want to keep their hands lately.” Hercules said laughing at Alexander’s reaction.

Alexander brushed his hair behind his ears and straightened his jacket, a face-saving move if ever I’ve seen one.

“Sorry, but when you spend two weeks getting threatened to be hung by your boot straps by an angry Frenchman…err excuse me, French woman…with a sword, you get cautious when you see the same person giving you angry looks!” Alexander defended himself.

I couldn’t help it, I broke out into laughter and looked at Alexander, Lafayette looking over at me.

“You aren’t even wearing boots, Hamilton!” I exclaimed, a smile lighting my face at the image Alexander made.

That set Lafayette and Mulligan off into fits of their own laughter. Meanwhile Alexander tried to look upset but we all saw the small smile playing on his face. After a few more minutes Alexander had to excuse himself home, Mulligan left shortly after that. I turned to look at Lafayette, a smile lighting up his face. He lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to it.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” I asked, I’d seen him putting on fronts for others before.

“I am ok, and I’ll be better when we can get you home.” He said softly with a small smile.

I laughed softly and nodded.

“I agree with that motion!” I said laughing a bit.

We sat quietly for a little bit after that just relaxing. Another month down the road and I was finally released, and the doctors assured us both that I was fully healed. Lafayette lifted me into his arms and I laughed softly shaking my head.

“I can walk you know.” I said gently, making no move to make him put me down, taking comfort in his arms instead.

Lafayette laughed and shook his head.

“I know just let me do this, also our lovely friends have set up a surprise for us.” Lafayette said softly as we walked from the hospital.

I sighed softly and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Then lead on, my lovely knight.” I whispered with a giggle.

Lafayette let his head drop back and he laughed with me. We reached Lafayette’s home in the city after a little while and walked inside.

“There you are! Let’s go! Lafayette the boys are waiting for you upstairs!” Angelica said swooping down on us as soon as we entered the house.

Lafayette carefully sat me on my feet and pressed a kiss to my lips.

“I'll see you soon, love.” He said quietly.

I raised an eyebrow watching as he ran up the steps. I didn’t get long to look after him, as Angelica grabbed my hand and led me away to an office, I turned my hands on my hips.

“Lafayette’s office? Why?” I asked.

That’s when I saw Eliza and Elizabeth step forward. One held a long dress in her hands and the other a long white veil.

“We put together a wedding for you both. And his office because Alexander said good luck to Lafayette letting you walk up the steps currently.” Eliza said smiling.

My eyes watered and I smiled softly.

“Oh you, thank you.” I said softly.

“Of course, you both deserve this.” Elizabeth said smiling as well.

I was sat in a chair as Angelica and Eliza did my make-up and hair. Elizabeth untying my dress. Elizabeth being Hercules' wife, I had met her briefly in the hospital. I looked at the dress and laughed softly, shaking my head.

“Hercules made the dress himself, he said it held special meaning to you both.” Elizabeth said in response.

I smiled and looked down for a second swallowing.

“It’s almost exactly like the one I wore to the Winters Ball, the first time I interacted with Lafayette as a girl.” I said softly.

The girls all awed at that, before we quickly got back to work. Before I knew it, I was dressed in the beautiful dress, my hair twisted into a braid. A bright white edge blue ribbon was twisted into it and tied off into a bow. I slipped on the shoes and took the bouquet of flowers from Eliza.

“We have to get out there, but Washington should be in shortly. You look amazing.” Angelica said as she ushered the other two out of the door.

I took a breath and looked in the small mirror on the wall, trying not to cry in excitement.

“Nervous?” I heard behind me, turning I saw Washington stood there.

I shook my head, smiling.

“When it comes to Lafayette, I’m never nervous. I’m just beyond excited and happy.” I said a small tremor to my voice.

Washington nodded a small smile playing on his face. He offered me his arm.

“We should go, everything is ready.” He said as I took his arm.

I smiled and nodded, Washington led us out of the back of the house and my eyes watered. Stood at the end of the aisle, was Lafayette in his blue uniform sword at his side. I saw him blink and swallow a bit. I smiled as Washington led me down the aisle.

“You look amazing, hopefully I’m not to awe struck to remember the words…” Lafayette said with a small smile.

I smiled back and nodded.

“You look handsome, and I think I’m in the same boat.” I whispered just as softly.

With that the ceremony started. I cried at Lafayette’s vows, and he sobbed at mine. We both did end up saying most of them in French, having very few people, including the pastor, understand us. When the pastor asked us to say “I Do” he also specified, “English please.” To which both us and those in attendance laughed a bit. When I was all over, we were presented as a married couple for the first time. Leading the procession back into the house we celebrated most of the night. Late into the evening Lafayette walked up to me and held his hand out, I took it and he led me away from the party and up the stairs. I smiled softly at him as he led me to the largest bedroom in the house, we stepped inside and he wrapped his arms around me spinning us slowly around the room. I giggled and leaned into him, he reached up and tilted my head back pressing a gentle kiss to my lips.

“My love.” Lafayette whispered leaning his forehead against mine, and brushing his nose against mine.

I giggled softly and brushed my nose against his.

“My heart.” I whispered just as softly.

We fell onto the bed softly and smiled at each other sharing small kisses. I sat up a few minutes later.

“I’d like to continue, but we should probably change…” I whispered softly trailing off a bit at the end.

Lafayette nodded also sitting up.

“We should, would hate to ruin that lovely dress.” He said smiling gently.

I giggled softly and nodded, before pausing. Lafayette already moving towards the closet turned to look at me.

“What are you waiting for, love?” He asked turning back to me.

I smiled softly and looked at him.

“I don’t have clothes here, well any that I know of.” I said standing up.

Lafayette nodded and turned back to his closet.

“You can use one of my shirts tonight, and we can collect…...or our friends planned more than we thought.” Lafayette said laughing and shaking his head a bit.

I raised an eyebrow and walked over to him, inside the closet sat what was in essence, a brand-new wardrobe for me. I smiled and laughed, seeing a note attached I reached up, pulling it down.

“Happy wedding, happy life. From your best friend Hercules.” I read and laughed softly.

Lafayette laughed softly beside me, and nudged me gently, pointing towards the top of the closet. I looked and couldn’t help but laugh, on the top shelf sat both of our uniforms, and our swords and guns. I shook my head, pulling a sleeping gown down I smiled and turned, taking a step behind Lafayette’s back. We had already talked about it and would just be sleeping tonight. After I pulled my sleeping gown on, I felt arms wrap around my waist, and leaned back.

“Let’s get some sleep.” Lafayette whispered against my ear.

I nodded and gently took his hand, letting him lead me to the bed. We laid down and curled into each other, relaxing together for the first time in a while. Over the next six years we spent a lot of time moving back and forth between France and America. We had a few children, who hated the travel but understood. Then one day it happened.

“France is officially at war with England.” Lafayette said one day as he dropped his hat onto the counter beside me, leaning against it.

I took a breath and nodded, looking up at him. We were currently at our French home.

“What are we going to do?” I asked softly.

Lafayette looked over to the children and gave them a gentle look, turning to face me.

“I’ve already contacted Hercules. He said he and Elizabeth could take the children if….” Lafayette started trailing off.

I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

“If?” I asked trying to lead him.

He smiled and lifted his hand.

“If you’ll come back as my right-hand.” Lafayette said smiling softly.

I lifted my hand and clasped his with it, our rings shinning in the dim light.

“Of course, I will. Let’s prepare.” I said smiling gently.

Lafayette nodded and we turned to the children. Over the next week we prepared what we needed, and sent the children to America. Two weeks after he told me, I was dressed in my uniform beside him. Our hands resting on our swords as we stalked down the hallways of the palace. With a smile to each other, we stood shoulder to shoulder and shoved the door open. The king looked up and his face relaxed into a welcome, thankful look. I glanced at Lafayette and let him take the lead. The next 10 years were difficult especially the years when Lafayette had been falsely arrested. I took over in his time away, leading us to many battle victories and also tight retreats. I stood beside the short dictator who had ordered Lafayette’s immediate release from the prison, amidst Lafayette’s uncle’s arguments. I turned swiftly, my sword out in a second and blade against his neck.

“It will take less then a fraction of a second for me to slice your throat open, less then a minute for you to bleed out. Stand there and be quiet or you will join my enemies in the ground, is that understood.” I stated in a growl.

“Lyon, stand down. It’s alright, I know he is not fond of me.” I heard Lafayette’s voice call from a few feet away.

I turned and even though he was dressed in full uniform, sword at his side I saw the weary look on his face. I turned and stalked to his side, swishing my sword through the air, to sheath it as I did so. I stood at Lafayette’s side through the following days and weeks as he had meeting after meeting.

“With all due respect sir, I’m going to America. The war is practically won. The rest of the men can lead a victory wave without me.” Lafayette said firmly on the last day of meetings.

The king turned to me and nodded.

“Well, we’ll have Lyon to help out.” He said confidently.

I shook my head.

“Apologies sir, but I’ve already accepted placement in America as well. I’ll be helping get their troops up to par in case they should ever be attacked again.” I said just as firmly as Lafayette had spoken a moment before.

The king looked momentarily defeated before his face brightened.

“I’ll deny your travel papers. No ship will give you access without them.” He said clearly thinking he had won.

Lafayette smirked and sat back, and I placed my hand on my sword turning slightly to the side.

“You forget, we have our own ship. You can deny our papers, but we will still be leaving.” Lafayette said with a smirk and a small laugh.

I ducked my head and shook it laughing as well.

“Yeah, there’s also the fact that we both have citizenship in at least one state so there’s nothing you can really do to stop us.” I said a smirk playing on my face as well.

The king looked to the side.

“I’ll send my guards after you, if you survive them, you’ll never be allowed back in France.” He said threateningly.

With less than a thought I was over the desk, sword drawn.

“Is that really something you want to do?” I asked softly.

Lafayette folded his hands and leaned back in the chair; ankles crossed.

“Are you not going to do anything?” The king asked him.

Lafayette laughed and shook his head.

“We saved your life repeatedly, and you want to deny our right to leave. I will say Lyon shouldn’t kill you. But if he does, we’ll get away fine, and probably be forgiven by the people. No one really likes you.” Lafayette said leaning forward a dark look crossing his face.

I smirked and twitched my blade against the king’s neck. He gasped and started to sweat.

“N-no, you can both leave. J-just let me be, please!” The king begged.

I looked at Lafayette who nodded, I slipped my sword away and lunged back over the table. Before the moon was fully in the sky, we were on our way back to America. We stood at the front of the ship the wind blowing across our faces.

“Would you have actually let me kill him?” I asked quietly.

Lafayette laughed and shook his head.

“Probably not, then again if he kept being an asshole, I likely would have done it myself.” He said just a quietly.

I nodded and we lapsed into silence. The two-week trip took its toll on the crew and we reached America with a few less crew then we had started out with. We were welcomed as hero’s, our children racing up to Lafayette, not recognizing me in uniform. Washington invited us to his Mount Vernon home, and we accepted, as soon as we were out of the public eye, I pulled my hat off and let my hair down.

“You both look a little worse for wear then the last time I saw you.” Washington said as Martha passed out the tea.

The children had jumped on me as soon as my hair was down, and I quickly changed when we reached his home, having kept a few dresses there for visits.

“Well, that’s because we are. But we’ll get into that later.” Lafayette said looking over at me with a smile.

I looked up and smiled at him as well.

“Yes, perhaps after the children are asleep.” I suggested softly.

The men nodded and we turned to lighter topics. That night we discussed the war, Lafayette’s arrest and my attempt on the king’s life.

“Why am I not surprised?” Washington asked shaking his head.

Lafayette laughed and shook his head.

“Maybe because we have threatened others.” Lafayette said smiling at me.

I shrugged.

“It’s not my fault people piss me off and I’m defensive.” I said smiling and looking to the side.

“Technically I think it would be protective. But still, valid point.” Washington said shaking his head.

We laughed at that and nodded. We settled in for the night and the next morning woke up early. Martha was watching the children and Lafayette and I suited up.

“Ready to try and teach these soldiers the way of the French?” Lafayette asked lifting his hand.

I clasped my hand around his and nodded.

“Let’s go.” I said smiling.

Lafayette dropped my hand and we walked from the room, meeting with Washington in the entrance hall.

“Let’s see how this works.” Washington said opening the door and putting his hat on.

Lafayette and I followed after him, slipping our hats on as well. Mounting our horses, we made the quick trip to the training grounds. That’s what we did, for a long time, we trained the soldiers taught them French. Well at least we did for a long time. The day Jefferson came to the training grounds was also the last day I trained anyone.

“I’m going to beat the man senseless.” I muttered by Lafayette.

He laughed and shook his head.

“Don’t, he isn’t worth it.” He returned smiling down at me.

I nodded and took a deep breath, relaxing for a bit. The peace didn’t last, and I ended up punching Thomas Jefferson in the nose.

“Well at least I was only relieved of my duty!” I said as Lafayette looked at me.

He shook his head and I couldn’t tell if he was trying not to laugh or yell.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Lafayette said finally.

I shrugged and nodded walking around our bedroom.

“Yes well, what’s done is done. And now I can play the perfect wife and take care of the children.” I said settling down on the chair by the desk.

Lafayette turned to me and laughed softly.

“You’ll be bored in a week.” He said shaking his head.

I shrugged lightly.

“Then I’ll sneak away to the city and visit the others. Jefferson deserved that punch in the nose, and you know it. Not just for the crap he said to and about us, but also because of what he’s said and done to Alexander.” I said firmly.

Lafayette raised his hands and nodded.

“I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it. I was just saying you could have challenged him officially. But what’s done is done.” Lafayette said finally, walking over to me and wrapping his arms around me.

I sighed and leaned into him. That was that when I got bored, I went to visit Alexander and Mulligan, teaching the children the best I could as I did. Over the years we saw friends turned enemies and we lost friends, those we considered family. Then the day happened and I laid beside my Lafayette one last time. We had both gotten I’ll and hadn’t been taking the best care of ourselves. Both of us thinking we were still in top soldier shape. I reached over and took Lafayette’s hand, he turned his head and looked at me, giving me a smile.

“I’ll see you on the other side my love.” Lafayette whispered softly.

Our children stood around us trying not to cry but we knew the truth.

“Until then my love.” I whispered just as softly.

With that we closed our eyes, and I felt first his grip slip, the. I slipped.

#fanfiction #hamilton #marquis de lafayette #oc #alexander hamilton #eliza schuyler #hercules mulligan #john laurens #george washington