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soaringthroughthegalaxy · 2 months

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In the Light of Day

After years of buried feelings, you and Crosshair wake beside each other, the line between friendship and romance blurred. In the light of day, you both confront the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

Pairing: Post-Tantiss Crosshair x f!reader

Word count: 1.6k

Warnings: softness, fluff, implied night together, very very minor spoiler from the leaked official S3 clip, character growth, Cross is trying to embrace feelings, a lil' saucy.

Translations: ner kar’ta - my heart

The palm leaves outside the open window dance with the first light of dawn, casting dappled shadows across the peaceful bedroom. Clothes lay strewn across the floor, remnants of a night intertwined in passion. As the soft, warm breeze wafts through the room, carrying the scent of the ocean and nearby blossoms, Crosshair lets out a soft sigh. Eyes flitting around the space, he takes in the golden glow from the rising sun - such a stark contrast to the months of dark coldness he’d once accepted as his fate.

Shifting a little among the rumpled bed sheets, his gaze lands on you, lost to sleep beside him, your chest rising and falling rhythmically with each breath. Last night had been…unexpected. For years, you’d been the object of his deepest affections, a love he had buried deep within his heart, covering it up with wit and snark, fearing rejection or the potential loss of your friendship. Yet, here you were, nestled beside him in the soft embrace of dawn. Every stolen glance, every suppressed longing, had led to this, where the line between dreams and reality blurred into a blissful haze of possibility.

You’d been with him and his brothers since the start of the war, acting as a liaison between them and Command. You’d driven him insane at first – all smiles and laughter, always up in his space – but as the days had dragged into months and then into years, he’d found himself gravitating towards you. Your laughter had become his favourite sound. He'd worried when you weren’t in his line of sight. Somehow, you’d wormed past his walls and planted yourself there, occupying space he’d once reserved solely for his brothers.

But then everything had fallen apart, and for a year, he’d only caught snippets of you – while tracking you and his siblings across the galaxy, as Kamino burned and sank below the waves, and then when the torture on Tantiss had been overwhelming. His mind had needed something to hold on to. Shaking away the memories, Crosshair draws his right hand towards his chest, his left hand cradling the back of it to stop the irritating tremble that was now his norm. He turns his focus back to you.

You were so beautiful and had been even more radiant last night – the life and soul of the equinox celebration that had taken over Pabu. He’d been content to linger nearby for a while, keep an eye on you as you danced and chatted with the island residents, but the large crowd had quickly made him uncomfortable. He’d fallen back into form, taking refuge on a nearby rooftop.

He’d missed the sound of you clambering to his vantage point and flinched with surprise when you’d sat at his side. You’d reached for him, a soothing hand on his arm, and asked him to walk along the quiet shoreline with you. The pair of you had been halfway down the beach when your hand had slipped into his, and once you’d reached the docks at the far end of the sandy shore, you’d cautiously pushed up on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

The rest was a haze – how he’d tilted his head to capture your lips in a desperate kiss, the building anticipation on the route home, the slam of the bedroom door, clothes discarded, the scent of you and, finally, the soft curves of your body in his hands.

You embraced everything about him. From his prickly attitude during the war to the desolate version of himself he’d been after his rescue, to who he was now – slowly healing, working through things that plagued him, and rebuilding his bond with his siblings. Gratitude flows through him, and he reaches for you, slender fingers dragging along the fullness of your cheek, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips at the sight of you resting amongst the pillows.

A feather-light caress stirs you from your slumber, your eyes fluttering open, meeting the hawkish gaze of the man beside you. Warmth sweeps through you, soft feelings that had slowly taken root in your heart over the years, no longer able to hide in the darkness. A gentle smile spreads across your lips. “Good morning.” You whisper, not wanting to break the tranquility of the moment.

Crosshair returns your smile, his fingers still tracing the curves of your face with tender reverence. “Good morning.” He murmurs in reply, his voice a low slink that sends shivers down your spine.

As you hold each other’s gaze, the galaxy seems to pause, waiting with bated breath.

“Last night... it was...” Crosshair breaks the silence first, trailing off, unable to find the words to articulate the depth of what he’s feeling.

Reaching out, you gently trace your fingertips along his jawline. The flicker of vulnerability in his eyes is a new development he’s learning to accept and embrace. “I know.” You murmur, your voice soft but sure. You’d been worried about making a move, concerned he wasn’t ready for it yet, but the enthusiasm with which he’d reciprocated had eased your worries.

Try as he might to hide it, a mixture of relief and disbelief washes over him. “I never thought...” He starts, his voice trailing off once more. With a heavy exhale, Crosshair lets the weight of his emotions settle, still learning to sit with them. “I’m not good at this.” He admits with a scowl, frustrated that he’s floundering.

“And that’s okay.” You respond, your voice a soothing melody in the quiet room. Your fingers thread with his and come to rest on the pillow between you, a gesture of comfort and understanding. You take him in for a moment – still a little gaunt with dark circles under his eyes. Among the knotted scars on the side of his head is a new one, a thin straight line, the only evidence of his chip being pried out once he’d been rescued. It was unsurprising that the Empire had lied to him about removing it.

Crosshair’s shoulders relax slightly at your reassurance. You’d always been patient with him, even when he hadn’t deserved it. “I’ve never been one for relationships.” He confesses, his gaze fixed on yours. “But with you, it feels...different.”

Your heart swells at his admission, the sincerity in his words washing over you like a gentle tide. “I feel it, too.” You reply softly, drawing your intertwined hands up to kiss the back of his hand, ignoring how it trembles.

“What…do we do now?” He asks, his voice barely above a whisper as his brows furrow once more, uncertainty marring his features.

You pause, considering his question carefully. “I think we have a choice.” You answer honestly. “We can either retreat back into the safety of what we know, or we can see where this takes us.” There’s no doubt in your mind which path you want to follow, but you don’t want to lead him. He needs to decide for himself. Too many decisions have been taken from him throughout his life.

Crosshair nods slowly as if mulling over your words. “And if it doesn’t work out?” He ventures.

“We talk about it.” You assure him, sincerity ringing in your voice. “We work through it together. Just like everything else.”

A comfortable silence settles between you as Crosshair weighs up the options, and you take the opportunity to soak up the feeling of being in bed together, just in case this is the only time you can experience it.

Lost in your thoughts, you almost miss the subtle shift in Crosshair’s expression - a flicker of determination, a silent resolve. “I want to try.” He says suddenly, his voice low but firm. “I want to see where this goes with you.”

His words hang in the air, and, for a moment, you’re speechless. It’s a leap of faith, a step into the unknown, but as you meet his gaze, you know he means it. A smile tugs at your lips. “I want that too.” You admit, your voice barely above a whisper.

Relief passes over Crosshair’s eyes as he leans in, his lips brushing against yours in a tender kiss - as easy as breathing.

You return it without hesitation, letting go of his hand so you can cup his face and anchor yourself in this moment.

Crosshair deepens the kiss, his hand reaching your hip, pulling you closer as if afraid to let go. When you finally break apart, a soft smile lingers on both of your lips.

“C’mon, let’s get some breakfast.” You insist, still adamant about helping him regain a few more pounds. Pressing one more kiss to his lips, you pull back and sit up, the sheets slipping down your body.

Crosshair’s gaze snaps to your naked frame, sharp eyes roaming over every curve as his smile switches into a smirk you’re all too familiar with. “You on the menu again, ner kar’ta?” He teases, voice raspy with desire.

Your pillow connects with his chest before he can stop it, earning a deep chuckle from him. “Behave.” You chide playfully, though the warmth in your eyes betrays the affection behind your words, and you can’t deny how your heart races at the new pet name. As you slip out of bed, you pull on his discarded shirt. “But you might want to save room for dessert...”

Tag list: @clonethirstingisreal @starrylothcat @cw80831 @dreamie411 @issa-me-bry-blog @leftealeaf @isaidonyourknees

#the bad batch x reader #the bad batch x you #tbb x you #tbb x reader #the bad batch crosshair #crosshair x reader #tbb crosshair x you #tbb crosshair x reader #crosshair bad batch #bad batch crosshair #tbb crosshair #crosshair #crosshair x you #the bad batch #star wars the bad batch #star wars clone wars #ct 9904

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elfy-elf-imagines · 9 months

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To Meet Under the Stars | Thranduil

▹ Pairing: Thranduil x Elf!Reader

▹ Genre: Fluff

▹ Words: ~3k

▹ Summary: In light of the stars, Thranduil finds himself entirely enchanted by a mysterious masked woman.

▹ Notes: I love masquerade balls, that is all. Unedited because we die as men.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

The light of starlight was something sacred to the elves.

In the times of old, before the moon and sun had been created, Varda placed the stars in the sky, illuminating the world for the elves to see. For all other races, stars were just light that guided their way at night, but they were so much more for the elves. They held the promise of life unsullied by the evil of Morgoth. A beautiful display of glistening diamonds that held the light of creation. To honor the stars was to honor Varda herself.

Under the canopy of stars, the wood elves of Eryn Galen celebrated the first night of the autumn equinox. The moon was full and high in the sky as lords, ladies, and commoners alike gathered for the party. The echo of minstrels ensured there would be no corner of the kingdom not lit with joy. Dragonflies darted across ponds, and crickets hid in the forest, chirping to the beat of the lute. There were festivities all throughout the kingdom, but the main attraction was the masquerade ball held within the palace of King Thranduil. Only guests of high esteem were invited to dance under the lush canopy in the company of the royal family.

And there you were, with summer in your hair and winter in your eyes. Dancing through the crowd, illuminated in the silver light of the moon, you were the vision of a goddess. A soft halo shone upon your silver-gold hair, pinned in an updo with stray pieces that cascaded down your back. Flowers in purple, blue, and silver hues were placed upon your head like a crown, creating the silhouette of a queen. A silver mask encrusted with enough jewels that it glittered under the light concealed the top half of your face, two holes allowing your eyes to glow in the dark. A grin born of pure ecstasy was outlined by the lipstick on your lips.

No one could recall who you were nor when you’d arrived at the celebration. It was as if you were always there, lying in wait and dancing with the ghosts of the open-roof ballroom. A laugh rivaling the minstrels' songs hung in the air where you stood and followed your every sweeping move.

From the high table, with a glass of wine precariously hanging in his hand, Thranduil watched you. He couldn’t help it. It was as if you were weaving some sort of spell, casting it upon all who watched, paralyzed by your song and enraptured by your dance. You were beautiful, quick as a whip, and light as a feather. Each step seemed calculated and purposeful, yet so loose it could only be natural.

Thranduil couldn’t recall ever meeting you, so certain he’d know your laugh even if he couldn’t see your face. His advisors tried to make idle conversation as Legolas spent his time with the other members of the guard, drinking and laughing. Thranduil couldn’t be bothered to even pretend to listen, intently focused on the way your summer blue dress flowed like water around you. It nearly felt sacrilegious to directly look at something so beautiful, like staring at the face of Varda herself.

“It is a beautiful--” his advisor beside him began to speak, talking so slowly it made Thranduil’s lips curl in slight irritation that was hidden by the goblet he held. He watched as you threw your head back in laughter, finding amusement in whatever the elf lord you were speaking with said. It took all his willpower not to roll his eyes as he drank more sweet wine.

The elf lord offered you his hand, which you gracefully accepted. Instead of dancing through the crowds alone, you twirled in the arms of another man. It made Thranduil’s stomach turn in a way it hadn’t for centuries.

You and the elf lord you danced with would flit in and out of his vision, yet the merriment never left your expression, and when the face of your dance partner would face Thranduil, he could see just how enchanted the man was by you. His grip on the goblet tightened, knuckles turning white.

The song seemed endless, drawing out the end of it for as long as possible. Part of Thranduil was tempted to bark at the minstrels to begin a new one in hopes you would once again be left alone, but he didn’t. A king needed to maintain his composure, even if everything inside was screaming not to. It seemed silly to be so taken by a woman whose face he couldn’t even see.

“Have you tried one of these cakes yet? They’re quite--”

“Galion.” Thranduil interrupted the man previously speaking, gaining the attention of his butler. The advisor that had been interrupted scowled yet said nothing else as Galion stepped closer to Thranduil.

“Yes, my king.”

Thranduil pointed at you, Galion’s eyes following his finger. “Who is that?”

His eyes narrowed as Galion leaned closer to try and get a better look at you. Yet not a glint of recognition twinkled in his eyes. Did anyone here know who you were?

“I’m afraid I am unfamiliar with who she is. Would you like me to fetch her, my king?” Galion asked, his attention returned to Thranduil, whose eyes furrowed in mild annoyance.

“That will not be necessary, Galion.” He waved his hand, and Galion returned to his previous seat. It would be easy to bring you to him, he was the king, after all, but he didn’t want your meeting with him to seem forced upon you. He already had enough of a reputation as a cold, unfeeling man; it wouldn’t do any good to give you a reason to believe them.

The song ended, and you stepped away from your partner, lowering into a curtsey that he returned with a bow. Thranduil stood, the legs of his chair scraping on the floor; he didn’t bother giving a weak excuse for his exit. If he doesn't act soon, you might slip from his fingers. Thranduil took long strides down the platform and disappeared into the sea of elves.

He pushed his way through the crowd, most too lost in the magic of the music to pay their king any mind. He could see you, dancing alone with your eyes shut. The grin on your face was wide, never wavering in the slightest. The distance separating him from you was dwindling, the anticipation making his palm sweaty. The crowd parted, and he could’ve pulled you into his arms if he wanted to.

But as he opened his mouth, you disappeared into the crowd, so preoccupied you never saw him coming. Thranduil’s eyes narrowed, his misty eyes searching the crowd for you, but you were nowhere to be seen. Had you merely been a figment of his imagination conjured by the trickster spirits rumored to hide in his forest? Perhaps you had been, but Thranduil was determined to comb through the crowd hoping to see you again.

Then, a flit of blue brightened the corner of his eye. He turned, seeing you dart from dance partner to dance partner, now on the other end of the room. A cat-like grin appeared on the edges of his mouth; he’d found you. Once more, he pushed through the crowd, not moving his eyes from you for one second, afraid you’d disappear without a trace if he did.

The crowd would pulse, and you would get closer to him before suddenly spreading out towards the treeline. Thranduil would get close enough to smell your floral perfume, but you'd dart in another direction before he could take your delicate hands in his. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was on purpose; you probably hadn’t even noticed him. Your eyes never locked with his that never strayed from you.

But the gods seemed to smile upon him that night, and as the crowd came closer, Thranduil snatched your hand. Your body twisted to face him, the grin on your face never faltering. The perfume you wore was distinctly jasmine, vanilla, and something sweeter, tantalizing enough to bring him closer to you. His hand was rough in comparison to yours, much larger too.

“May I have this dance, my lady?” His voice was velvet smooth. Thranduil stood out like a sore thumb as the only one in the crowd without a mask.

“You may, my king,” you curtsied before placing your other hand on his shoulder as his hand found its place on your waist. Wasting no time, the two of you twisted and spun through the crowd in an airy waltz. You had the grace of a swan, maintaining a poised elegance with a child-like grin. Thranduil felt himself falling deeper into whatever spell you had cast.

A witch, that’s what you had to be. There was no other explanation for the hammering of his heart or the delight your touch elicited.

One step back, one step forward, one to the side, and repeat. Another spin, extra flourish added for flavor, and the movements continued. Neither of you spoke, eye to eye, unable to look away from one another. Thranduil found himself counting the flecks in your eyes, convinced they held a thousand little stars in them.

Perhaps you hadn’t been an illusion placed to taunt him but a gift from the Valar themselves.

All too soon, the song ended, and the dance was finished. As he watched you do before, you stepped back from Thranduil and lowered into a sweeping curtsey. He wanted to ask you to stay with him, not only for the night but the rest of eternity, but he found himself tongue-tied.

“It was an honor to dance with you, my king.” Your voice was soft and warm, like the spiced tea he would drink before bed. He wanted your name, to lift the mask you wore and lay his eyes upon your face entirely. He needed to see the face of the woman that would surely haunt his every dream.

Thranduil blinked, and in the brief time, his eyes weren’t on you, you’d disappeared. He half expected for there to be stardust left where your feet had been, but the only proof you’d existed was the imprint of your heels in the grass. His eyes scanned the crowd, twisting his body and craning his head, yet you were nowhere to be seen. But this time, instead of seeing flashes of your dress or silver hair, you were nowhere to be seen. You’d disappeared entirely.

Thranduil stood in the crowd a moment longer, hoping for a glimpse of you before deciding to return to his seat at the table. Perhaps from the high crowd, he could ascertain where you were. Thranduil returned to his seat, acting as if he hadn’t suddenly rushed from the table to dance with you, ignoring the questioning glances from his advisors. His goblet of wine in hand, eyes on the crowd, Thranduil sunk into the music and lost himself in thought. All of them were plagued by you.

And there he stayed as the hours ticked by, seemingly in a trance. No one at the table bothered to strike up a conversation with Thranduil anymore; it was like trying to converse with a brick wall. So they settled in silence, occasionally remarking about the party with the other guests.

“My king,” Galion returned to his side. “The lady you danced with has stepped away to the gardens.” Galion’s tone was even as if he were merely commenting on the weather. Thranduil side-eyed him, noticing the tinge of mirth on Galion’s smile. Thranduil tilted his head to the side, then slowly nodded.

“Perhaps I should ensure our guest is enjoying the festivities.”

Thranduil stepped away from the table and followed the path toward the garden’s you just slipped into. He took long strides to reunite with you sooner. This time he was determined to get your name and to peek beneath the mask you wore.

When he finally stepped into the garden, he saw your back turned to him, fingers dipped in the fountain's water. Your posture was relaxed, hair loose and flowing, no longer pinned in the updo it once was. It flowed like liquid silver, furthering his conspiracy that you were a celestial being born of the gods. Precariously hanging in your hand was the mask you’d been wearing, thumbs rubbing against the ribbon that tied it in your hair. The minstrels were now a distant hum, the flowing water, and the chirp of crickets the only song in the gardens.

He stopped a few steps from you, trying to find the words to say. It’d been so long since he’d been made to feel like a shy elfling, nervous about approaching his first crush. A king should be dignified and confident, but he felt all of that crumble in your presence.

Your ears twitched as Thranduil shifted in his spot, head raising at the sudden intrusion. Slowly, you turned, unsure who to expect would intrude upon your solitude. But of all the people you imagined stepping into the garden, you never anticipated it would be the king. He nearly seemed awkward and unsure in his place, fingers smoothing wrinkles on his robes that weren’t there.

Immediately you lowered into a curtsey, but the king didn’t acknowledge the movement. His eyes were wide and mouth slightly agape as he stared at you. As he looked upon your face, this must’ve been how the first elf to gaze upon the stars felt. The curves and lines of your face were soft and delicate, the vision of beauty. Your eyes seemed even brighter in the dim lighting, an unsure, shy smile curling on your lips.

“My king.”

He remained silent, too wonderstruck to speak.

“If you require to be alone, I can--” You began to walk towards the exit, but as you passed Thranduil, his hand reached out and caught your arm. You turned to face him, uncertain. Thranduil’s hand trailed down your arm and intertwined with yours, a soft smile on his lips.

“Of all the people who desire my presence, yours is the one I desire most.”

You swallowed thickly, your mouth suddenly dry. You’d been close to the king only hours ago, sharing a dance with him. Yet the privacy of the gardens and the sweetness of his words, it all felt much more intimate.

“Then I shall stay.”

Thranduil’s grin widened as he guided you further into the gardens. The flowers were vibrant and lush, a true testament to the skills of the elves. A canopy of trees diffused the moon's light, reflecting off the fountain and casting a spotlight on you.

“I have a confession.” Thranduil suddenly stopped, eyes intently watching your face, noticing how your lips slightly parted and your eyes glowed with curiosity. “I have found myself quite enchanted with you, my lady. It seems foolish, not knowing your face until this moment and not having your name.”

“It’s Y/N, my king.” You interrupted, a charming smile curling your lips. The hammer of your heart matched the tempo with Thranduil’s.

“Y/N.” He muttered your name quietly, your name on his lips making your stomach curl. Of all the ways you anticipated this night's end, strolling the garden with the king was not what you could’ve predicted in your wildest dreams.

“Y/N. If I may be so bold, I would like for this to not be the last time we meet. I desire more of your company.”

Thranduil stepped closer, the heat he radiated warming your chilled skin. Gossebumnps followed where his hands touched, a shiver rushing down your spine. Subtly you pinched the back of your leg, convinced this was nothing more than a dream. Yet you didn’t wake; this moment was real.

“If I may speak freely, my king?”

Thranduil nodded his head. “Please, you may call me Thranduil. No need for such formalities.”

You tipped your head at him as the smile on your face brightened.

“If I may speak freely, Thranduil.” You corrected, with an almost mischievous lilt to your voice. “I would much desire more of your company as well. I have heard many rumors of your cold and detached demeanor. I’ve heard of how harsh you can be, yet I have seen nothing of that.”

“I’m glad the whispers of the court haven’t scared you away, my lady.”

The smile on your face curled into a teasing smirk, eyes illuminating. “You’ll find it’ll take more than malicious rumors to scare me away.”

Thranduil's finger twirled around a lock of hair that framed your face. He seemed relaxed and more at ease than you'd have imagined.

"A strong will and a fair face, Varda herself must've crafted you."

His words made your face flush red, so deep it was seen in the dim lighting of the garden.

"Pretty words you speak, my king; I'm eager to learn if your words match your heart."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

#thranduil imagine #thranduil x reader #thranduil #the hobbit imagine #the hobbit one shot #the hobbit #lotr imagine #lotr oneshot #lotr fanfic #lord of the rings imagine #middle earth imagines #lotr #tolkien #lord of the rings #lord of the rings oneshot #mirkwood elves #lord of the rings fanfic #king thranduil

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fili-urzudel · 5 months

Note

Hello!! Could you do 14, 15 and 31 with Fili? Romantic or platonic, up to you. Thank you 💜

13. Sitting together

14. Handholding

15. Sharing a blanket (potentially violent)

31. Stargazing

This combination is classic and oh-so-fluffy, and with my favorite Dwarf to boot! I went ahead and added another prompt as well.

Everyone lives AU, because there is no other ending in my mind.

BTW I'm sick :( but I'm going to try to get at least one other prompt request out this week

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.8k

Moonrise - Fíli Durin x Reader

The Durin's Day festival was always fun, but it was all the more spectacular in the newly reclaimed Erebor.

"The first autumn equinox since the mountain was reclaimed, can you believe it?" Fíli said with a bright smile, looking with pride at the crisscrossing bridges and vaulted ceilings of the entrance to the mountain. There was still plenty of work to be done, to be sure, but its improvement was impressive regardless.

"And in a couple days, the anniversary of when it was reclaimed," you nodded in agreement. "A few months after that, the anniversary of the first time you walked around by yourself."

"Hush, I'm trying to enjoy this," Fíli gave you a fake scowl, unconsciously probing the scar hidden beneath his tunic.

You changed directions. "Of course, my Prince," you teased. "You look very nice today."

You meant it. His hair was freshly washed, the slightly damp strands frizzing out in the cool morning air. Each bead was carefully placed, a few decorative gold ones added in place of a crown. His tunic was a smooth yet understated silk underneath his leather vest and wool coat. Every detail was precisely placed, the burnt oranges and browns blending seamlessly. He had clearly been seen to with the utmost care. He looked like royalty, even without the royal garb. Most importantly, he was healthy.

His smile softened, his cheeks turning a bit pink under his mustache. "Thank you," he glanced to the ground before looking back up at you. "And you're beautiful as ever."

You blushed deeper than him, unused to compliments. You plucked at the placket of your own wool coat, dyed a deep woad blue. It was your favorite. "Thank you," you said, choosing for once to believe him. "What duties do you have today?"

"None, surprisingly," Fíli breathed. "Thorin's let me have a break, so I can enjoy the first festival in our new home right alongside you." Something about that little word, our, set your heart ablaze. "You want to stick with me?"

"If you'll have me," he smiled again. That smile was impossible to resist.

"Of course I will."

Erebor had been steadily growing over the past year, but that day, it seemed more alive than ever. The market squares were full, overflowing into the wide side streets. Jewelry, blades, shields, ceramics, sculptures--anything made out of earth or in forges were certainly found somewhere in the expansive space. The Ereborian dwarves' tentative friendship with the Men of Dale caused new, less traditional stands to pop up as well: flower stalls, street food vendors featuring fish dishes, and clothing and homeware shops full of bolts of linen. The mountain had only dwarves—and Bilbo—in its halls, a presently rare occurrence, and so you were all free to speak Khuzdul, the sharp sounds ringing pleasantly in your ears.

The two of you strolled as quickly as possible through all the markets had to offer, determined not to miss the afternoon's performances. You exercised exemplary self-restraint, only stopping at one of every five stalls that caught your eye.

"No," became a very popular word as well, what with resisting Fíli's unceasing offers to purchase anything you liked.

"Well, if you will not spend any of your share of the treasure, I must spend some of mine and relieve what must be the terrible, stifling boredom of your living quarters, my friend," he teased, mustache beads swinging from side to side.

"I will have no prince wasting his money on me."

"Oh, it's never a waste if it's you," Fíli told you surely.

There he went again, saying things that made your palms sweat and your cheeks flush. "You're too kind."

Fíli smirked at the way you diverted your gaze. "Well, if I cannot buy you a rug, at least allow me to buy you lunch," he gestured to a permanent restaurant on the corner that was swarmed with dwarrow.

You couldn't help a smile at that. "Hot stew?" You asked, referring to the almost overpoweringly spicy meat-and-potato stew that was a dwarven classic. Benron's was your favorite.

"As hot as you like, of course," He agreed, guiding you forward with a gentle hand on your back.

The stew made your eyes stream in the best way, and you pulled Fíli out of the restaurant scarcely once he was finished eating. "We have to find good seats!" You reasoned as he raised an eyebrow, still wiping his mouth.

"You do realize that Thorin has the best seats, and by extension, we do as well?"

"Right," you said. You had forgotten. Somehow, none of the Durins were royalty in your mind. They were still your traveling companions, dirt poor and looked at as crazy.

"Still, it is sort of nice to take a seat before everyone starts filtering in and it gets too loud," Fíli reassured you. "After you."

The grand presentation began with a song to the mountain. In the ancient tradition, singing was a way to ask the mountain to reveal its secrets, a careful gathering of tones that would uncover its nature.

This song, however, was made more to please the ears of the listener. It was a song of thanks, of hardly believing that this mountain was once again the shelter for her people. You tried your best to control the tears that rose to your eyes.

Fíli leaned over, bumping your shoulder with his. You gave a small smile that he returned, and you could see in his eyes that he was thinking of all that it took to get there.

"We did it," you whispered.

"Yeah, we did."

The opening songs were followed by traditional dances, a speed-forging competition, and a few spars. You cheered on the brothers as they fought each other, with a healthy dose of brotherly teasing. Fíli let his little brother win, or so he told you. The look on Kíli's face was more than worth it. You congratulated him and let them both clean up as you headed to the gates.

The gates were still open, cool air pouring into the mountain as the sun dropped in the sky.

Dale was dimmer than usual—the city was empty. The men were lining the edge of the water with candles. This equinox now also marked the anniversary of the fall of Laketown and many of their loved ones. The dwarves tried their best to be respectful of their vigil.

You leaned against the wall and watched. You hoped they found peace and remembered to enjoy their new lives. Bard, standing at the back of the group, turned around. He caught your eye and nodded.

"Come with me, I think we should see something," Fíli's low whisper startled you from your reverie, and his hand wrapping around yours even more so.

"Where are we going?" You asked, not that it mattered. With his hand in yours, you'd probably follow him anywhere.

He led you on a trek around the front of the mountain, the setting sun turning everything orange and making his hair appear as flames as you went.

Caught in the daze of bliss, it took you a while to notice what was draped over his other arm. "Wait, is that—I told you not to buy that!"

It was the woven blanket you had noticed earlier, the tapestry depicting sunrays falling through a thick forest of firs. "And what if I bought this for myself? I have uses for it."

"Then it's alright, I suppose."

"You can keep it once I'm done with it, though."

"Sly fox."

"Coin pincher."

"Seriously, though, where are we going?" You asked.

Fíli smiled at you. "A certain very large staircase."

You gasped. "Leading to a secret doorway?"

"The very same. I figured, since we were both trying to help Kili, erm, not die, we missed the excitement, and now we can see it for ourselves."

"That's extraordinarily thoughtful of you."

"Eh, I'd say averagely thoughtful at best," Fíli shrugged.

"Perfectly suitable for me," you told him.

"Good."

The achingly long trip up the staircase was rewarded with a very nice sight: another, less decorative blanket spread across the stone, a couple flat pillows, and three lanterns, already lit and ready to face the darkness.

"When did you find time to do this?" You asked Fíli, grinning from ear to ear.

"I have my ways," he said mysteriously. "And help."

"That's where Bofur, Bilbo, and Dori disappeared to," you observed. "I see. Well, it's very sweet of all of you."

"I'm glad you think so," Fíli said, still holding your hand as he guided you to sit on the blanket with him.

The stairs had taken longer than anticipated, so the sun was already almost gone. You quieted as you realized how close the time was. The two of you watched in quiet admiration as the moon rose, bright and perfect, into the sky, before you turned, hoping to catch a glimpse of the door.

You gasped. "There it is!" The moonrise revealed the shape of a perfectly hidden keyhole. "That is very neat, indeed."

"Mmhm," Fíli agreed. "Beautiful." The keyhole was not what he thought was beautiful. He wasn't actually looking at the door at all, but rather you, and the way the moonlight reflected off every spectacular detail of your face.

He had never known quite when he started to feel this way, only that he didn't in the Blue Mountains, when he barely knew you, and he did now.

You turned your gaze from the keyhole once the wonder had made a comfortable space in your heart, and looked to the stars, all too aware of how close Fíli was.

You read out the constellations to yourself in the comfortable silence, assuming the prince was doing the same. You then heard him shift.

"Lay with me," Fíli offered, and you turned around in record time, cheeks blazing and eyes wide.

"What?"

He was already lying down with his head on one of the pillows. "To watch the stars more comfortably."

"Alright," you said, voice quiet. You scooted down until you could lay your head on the other pillow, before changing your mind. You decided to take a risk and settle your head on his chest instead.

"Is this alright?" You asked immediately. The last thing you wanted was for him to be uncomfortable in this situation.

"Of course it is," he said softly, his arm raising to hold your waist. "I enjoy being close to you."

It wasn't quite a grand confession, but it was good enough for your heart to begin hammering in your chest. "I enjoy being close to you, too."

#lotr fanfic #lotr #the hobbit #lotr fandom #the hobbit headcanons #the hobbit x reader #fili x reader #fili durin x reader #fili and kili #fili fanfic #fili #fili durin #fili durinson #fíli x reader #fíli durin #fíli durin x reader

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vampyrsm · 9 months

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‣‣ COR UNUM: CHAPTER TWO | SUSANOO

‣‣ Synopsis: Our tale continues in a sea of red, the spider-lily flowers can only mean one thing – death is soon. With a sword in hand and a wave of bubbling anger deep in your gut, you have one chance to kill the thing tormenting you... eat your heart out.

‣‣ Main Masterlist | AO3 ‣‣ Pairing: Sukuna x Reader ‣‣ Word Count: est. 5.5k ‣‣ Warnings: Blank blogs & Minors DNI. Dead Dove: Do Not Eat. Cannibalism, set in the Early-Heian Period, trueform!Sukuna, dead bodies, descriptions of wounds & blood, dismemberment, female reader, violence, mentions of vomit.

Endless upon endless amounts of red flows around you. Ebbing and bending beneath the gentle breeze that blows by. The sun is a distant off blur, an orange hue that fades until it too is bathed in a deep crimson.

You look down, and beneath your bare feet are Equinox Flowers; better known as red-spider lilies – the corpse flower. It was odd to see so many of them gathered together, an infinite sea of them that moved together. Returning your gaze back to the sun, you spot a Torii gate in the middle of the ocean of corpse flowers.

The gate is painted bright red, just like the flowers at your feet, and it stands at least twenty feet tall. It’s overly large. Traditionally, the gates would lead to a shrine but you spy no shrine.

Instead, standing at the open gate is a figure that fills the space. You can’t make out his features, but you don’t need to see his face to know who or what he was. His four arms are crossed over his chest, forcing his muscles to bulge and inevitably make his form larger.

Was this the after-life so many Samurai spoke of? Were you to fight the demon that killed you in order to earn passage?

Said demon makes no move to step through the torii gate, instead, he continues to watch you from afar. Another breeze rolls by, and the kimono on your body blows with it. Only then do you recognise the weight in your hand, and looking down do you see the tachi you had used to kill the beast before you.

It’s clean, glinting in the amber sunset, as if it had never been used and freshly made. Did that confirm that yes this is the afterlife? That you were to fight the very thing that killed you?

You waste no more time pondering the thought. If killing that monster was the one way to ensure your soul lived on then you will not fail.

Flowers bend and move out of your way as you sprint across the field, the tachi in your hand twists until it’s poised with the tip brushing against the heads of the flowers. An upwards strike will surely disorientate it.

As you grow closer, you can make out the features of the demonic monster. His eyes are as red as the flowers around you, his lips are turned down into a deep frown as if he’s not pleased by what’s about to occur. Did he know that you wouldn’t mess up your singular chance this time?

Even so, he doesn’t move when you strike. The blade arcs upwards smoothly and slices along the width of his torso before your entire body spins with the blade. You bring it back around, strengthening your shoulders. Breathe. Once facing the monster again, the sharp metal of your blade slices cleanly through the thick muscle of his forearm. The discarded limb falls with a thud in the flower field and yet he still does not attack.

Continuing on the trajectory of the blade, you imbed the blade as far as it can go into his side. Slicing clean through both clothing and muscle as if he were nothing but meat, however, the blade gets stuck. It’s stuck just beneath his ribcage and finally, the monster starts to respond. One hand grabs at the blade, uncaring as it slices into his long fingers.

He pulls it free from his side, and his eyes remain locked onto your face. Something’s wrong, you can feel it. It blooms deep in your chest and settles into your bones when he rips the blade from your hands only to toss it into the sea of red flowers to be forgotten.

The two-faced demon tilts his head, and for a split second, he’s just staring at you before a hand wraps around your throat. Instinctively you can only react by wrapping your hands around his wrist, feeling the smoothness of it before your nails sink into the flesh.

He doesn’t react.

Belatedly you realise the hand holding your throat is the one you had removed, blood splattering up his arm but the hand is clean. The ground beneath you slowly disappears as he raises you up into the air, up to his height.

“Enough of your games.” He snarls, the lower timbre vibrates through his entire body. “Wake. Up.”

Elongated claws sink into the soft tissue of your neck and then there’s only a deafening crack.

...

The floor beneath you is cold, a smooth wood that has been thoroughly cleaned when you open your eyes to glance over the expanse of it. You’re laid on your front, tossed onto the floor like you were some doll according to the aches in your body.

Wherever you are is oddly quiet, only the eerie whistle of wind that blows through the opened koshi doors that must lead out to the courtyard of wherever you are. It most definitely was not the estate you had been living in for the past few years of your life, there’s no familiar eucalyptus smell that came with whatever the maids used to clean the linen.

Instead, you’re only met with the smell of blood. Perhaps it’s your own, you can feel the stickiness of your kimono sticking to your shoulder and yet there is no pain that comes with what had happened to you. But there’s that feeling of being watched, eyes resting upon your back as they watch you slowly return to the real world.

You can’t see them, nor hear them, is it the monster? Did he bring you back to his lair to feast on you properly? You move your head slowly, careful to not jostle the thing watching you into attacking.

To your left, there is an unlit Irori – the logs of wood in the hearth look like they were alight at some point. There’s no pot hanging precariously over the hearth, had it been used to keep the room warm?

To your right, you spot the raised platform for an untouched futon. It’s big, larger than any futon you had ever seen before. But alas, it is unoccupied and further pushes your mind to believe that whatever is spying on you is in the shadows. Your eyes drift back down to the floor, only to land on the unsheathed blade of your tachi. It’s coated in blood that has crusted in the warmth of the fire that had once been lit.

You move before you think. Your fingers curl around the hilt of the blade before there’s pressure on your forearm.

A foot holds your arm in place and sharpened nails that are like claws scratch along the wooden floor. The cold of the room is chased away with the monster holding you in place, there’s a thud of a knee on the other side of you as he successfully cages you to the floor with his form again.

“You humans never learn.” He growls close to your ear, and a huff of warm breath against the back of your neck causes a shiver to roll down the bumps of your spine. “You never think. Never listen to the rationality that I know you all have.”

The foot at your forearm somehow curls even more around your forearm, crushing the bones and tendons until you release the hilt of the blade with an undignified yelp. You’re rewarded with a chuckling pleased sound from the thing holding you down.

Hands that you have grown to recognise in such a short space of time grab at your shoulders before the world shifts and turns, you’re pushed back into the wooden floor by large hands and the monster looms over you. His foot has shifted from holding your forearm in place, but he remains kneeling over you on one knee.

With just the dim light of the flickering candles that were littered around the room, you’re able to see him in a more delicate light. He’s no longer wearing the kimono he had worn when you first laid eyes on him at the clan's estate. His entire torso is exposed, and his muscles are relaxed despite him holding you down to the floor. You’re now privy to the thick bands of black tattoos that curl around said muscles, painted along his chest and arms.

His trousers are certainly the ones he had been wearing in the wake of his attack however, the unmistakable splatters of blood and other bodily matter a subtle contrast to the black of his pants.

“Why?” The coarseness in your voice is rough, and thankfully the man/monster above you refuses to comment on it — but his lips do quirk in the faintest of cruel smirks.

“Why do you never learn?” He raises an eyebrow, the only one on his face that isn’t covered by his ‘second face’. “The same reason why you think you have the right to speak to me so freely.”

The pink-haired monster leans in slowly, body hunching over until all you can see is him. His grin grows malicious; hungry.

“Because you’re nothing but a stupid bitch.”

He stares at you, expecting some sort of outburst. Perhaps he even expects you to cry with the way his grin splits his face in half and you see the joy dance in his eyes. But in truth, you have nothing to say to the beast. Nothing you can say would be answered truthfully, he’s clearly only brought you here to play with his food.

So you don’t ask anything.

Instead, your wrist twists awkwardly, but the arc is perfect. The blade that was knocked from your hand slices through the flesh of his neck, once again dousing you in a more violent spray of blood that stings your eyes and burns at your parted lips.

You can taste him on your tongue; he tastes just like death.

The beast rears his body back just enough for the river of blood to cascade down the bareness of his chest. You expect to see fear in his eyes, or perhaps even surprise when you flick your gaze away from the expanse of the wide gash on his neck.

But rather than any of that, you’re met with what could only be summarised as boredom. His eyes are entirely unamused, lips twisted into a frown that grows more and more furious by the second. One of his four hands reaches up to his neck, blood dribbling from between the cracks of his fingers and he swipes his hand along the wound in a clean motion.

As his hand falls away, you’re met with the smooth unblemished skin of his neck. The only evidence of anything had happened is the still-wet blood that’s smudged into his skin. Did he heal it? He only moved his hand and the wound had been cured.

“Monster.” You whisper, aghast at the display.

The hand that had been used to heal his throat curls into a tight fist, blood still dripping from his hand as he slowly raises it up. The way he positions it is without a doubt going to be brought down onto your head.

His lips part, an unreadable expression on his face. “Worse.”

All the muscles in his shoulder tense up, the thick tendons on his neck show that he’s not going to half-ass the pummeling of your skull. You can only find solace in the fact it’ll be swift, a merciful death. It comes down in one swift motion, the air around his fist whistling with just how quickly he moves.

A loud knock on the sliding door stops his fist just inches from your face.

“Come in,” he commands, still holding his position over you with the fist so menacingly close to your face that you can feel the heat of his skin.

You hear the sliding of the shoji door before feet shuffle in, and you watch in horror at the way the upper set of eyes shift to glance at the guest but the lower ones remain locked onto you.

“Master Sukuna,” a voice speaks from just beyond the hand that blocks your view. Sukuna. So the monster has a name.

Sukuna takes a moment to speak, the lower pair of eyes keep you pinned in place in lieu of his body as he leans up enough to open your view up to see who the new arrival is. You don’t move your head, just shift your eyes to catch a glimpse of white hair with a splash of dark pink that looks like a stain along their otherwise pristine hair.

“Uraume.”

Uraume bows in deep respect to the call of their name, and they hold it until Sukuna finally turns his attention onto them (save for the eye that’s still angled in your direction).

“Your audience awaits,” is all Uraume says before they duck their head once again, and you catch a glimpse of their face. It’s entirely blank, with no expression to give away if they’re being forced to call him ‘Master’ or if they’re here willingly. But with the way Sukuna at least gives them the time of day, you can only assume they’re definitely here of their own volition.

“Good.” Sukuna grins, sharp teeth on display and you’re forced to snap your attention back to him when he turns his face back to you. He sneers down at you, something malicious and mischievous bouncing around his brain. “Dress this one. It’s time she learns her place.”

His weight is gone in a blink of an eye from your body, and your lungs suck in air greedily. By the time your head is clear and you process his words, Sukuna is gone and you’re left with only the one named Uraume who does finally break the façade of being unbothered when you meet their eyes. Those pink eyes glare at you, judging you; they know you attempted to kill their master.

After some forceful shoving and wrangling into a pure black furisode; the choice of colour is not lost on you. You’d only be forced into a long-sleeved kimono of such colour after losing a loved one – a spouse. Sukuna was gloating about his conquest. Quite the sadistic monster. Along with the onyx furisode, you had a white obi tied around your midsection. Such a stark difference to the inky black that drowned you.

Uraume had guided you out of what you assumed to be Sukuna’s personal quarters. Stepping past the sliding door, you were immediately met with a type of cold that slinks through somewhere that’s not usually inhabited; abandoned and forgotten. But the corridor you step out into is anything but abandoned and forgotten, it’s clean.

So much so that you can’t spot a single spot of dust or a string of spider web that should occupy somewhere so old. You can definitely tell you’re in an older temple of some sort, the floorboards whilst immaculately clean still had the age-worn signs of excessive use evident. The walls were bare, but not in the sense that it was a stylistic choice.

But rather there were outlines of where you imagine scrolls once sat with scripture and artwork. As you continue your forced venture further through the mysterious temple, you finally start to piece together just where you might be.

You hit a junction, the left hallway leads down to a shrine. But it’s not a shrine anymore, you can see that the golden statue of Buddha was forcibly removed – ripped from its place and only one creature comes to mind with the strength to do such a thing.

The realisation of where you are makes you want to scoff, it’s just so obvious of an abode for an evil spirit. Sukuna seems to have taken over an abandoned Buddhist temple. How it became abandoned, you’re not quite sure you want to know.

You’re forced away from the left hallway, a sharp turn to the right as Uraume silently guides you. They haven’t turned to look at you, but you know they’re acutely aware of the fact you’re following along. You haven’t seen another person here yet, just Uraume and… you suppose, Sukuna counts as a person — of sorts.

Eventually, you come to a halt, two large doors are in front of you. Painted in a shade of red so brilliant you’d think that it was a fresh coat of paint. Something beyond that door causes your stomach to flip itself, anxiety bubbling to a boiling point deep in the pit of your soul.

You shouldn’t step a foot beyond those doors.

Uraume doesn’t seem to care about your inner turmoil, however, as they knock their fist against the large wooden door three times. Three slow knocks, a signal. And just like that, the doors are shifted and slowly drawn open. By who? You have no idea, you can’t quite bring yourself to glance away from the figure who has tormented you in such a short space of time.

Sukuna consumes a room solely by existing, and that’s without just how large and imposing he was. He demands attention, he looks like he knows it too. As he leans back on a throne fit only for a King, a large fist of one of his many arms curled against his cheek as he watches you with mild amusement.

He sits atop a raised platform, around five or six steps that lead up to him and the only thing you can think is that not even the Emperor himself sits so high. Sukuna thinks so highly of himself. You’re grabbed and shoved into the room by unseen hands before the doors are suddenly shut behind you, effectively cutting off your only escape route.

Sukuna says nothing, even if his eyebrow twitches at the way you stare at him for a moment. A gut feeling demands you glance away from him, and you do. You take a quick moment to glance around the room, peering into the darkness of the shadows where the light of the fire burning in a pit in front of the throne doesn’t quite reach.

You think you see figures in the darkness, shuffling to make themselves small and unseen. A snap of fingers causes your attention to dart your eyes back towards the monster of a man who sits so lazily on his throne. Sukuna still has his eyes set on you before they oh-so-slowly drag down your body to assess the state of your attire.

It’s unsurprising when his lips crack into that grin that you’ve seen when he was moments away from eating you alive; he’s very thrilled with himself and his jab at your newfound widower status.

“Bow.” He demands, the word a lazy drawl on his tongue and he only grins further when he sees your eyebrows twitch together in annoyance.

He wants your obedience, your loyalty. He wants to revel in his power, and you don’t doubt anyone has lived if they refused to meet his demand. But Sukuna waits for a moment, as if to see you’d continue to defy him. Perhaps a part of him wants that, he seemed to get a slight kick out of the fact you knew how to draw a sword and use it effectively.

“BOW.” It’s a thunderous roar, enough that you see the dust of the old temple flit down from the rafters. All you can do is fall to your knees, feet coming together as you assume the type of bow he might want.

The wooden floor is cold against your bare hands as they slide simultaneously alongside your thighs before they form a triangle in front of you. You bow deeply, your forehead just mere centimetres away from your fingers. It’s a bow you’ve been in many times before, in front of your father when he was Shogun, in front of the Emperor and Empress when you had been granted audience with them.

Typically, you’d hold the bow for only a few seconds, enough to convey your deep respect for them but something tells you that perhaps you shouldn’t rise from the position Sukuna demands of you.

Your ears prick at the sound of bare feet on the floor, slow but heavy, Sukuna must’ve gotten up from his throne. He approaches you like a wolf would when hunting its prey, slow and methodical as he maps out just how to strike. Would he stomp on your head with one of his clawed feet? Would he simply rip your head from your shoulders the second you looked up at him?

Without much time to think further, there’s a harsh grip on the back of your kimono and you’re wretched upwards and forward until your face is just inches from the fire that burns in front of you. It burns even without it being on your skin, the heat licks and lashes at your face until you start to sweat.

Instinctively you can only try to move yourself away from the flame, but a hand holds you steady.

“Look closely,” he says so close to your ear, and you imagine he’s looming over you like the wolf who has the frightened bunny in his maw. Your eyes are forced to look down into the pit of the fire, where the wood burns so brightly but instead you’re met with a face.

A face you had seen many times over the past few years of your life, a face you had watched in the middle of the night as he slept next to you. It’s your husband.

Or rather, just his head. Whatever is left of it anyway. Clearly, he had been shoved into the pit quite some time ago, the signs of what happens to a body under immense heat makes your stomach roll uncomfortably.

Sukuna laughs, a deep low sound that puffs against your cheek. “He screamed when he died. Like a little pig.” It’s a sneer, and his hand only clenches more into the fabric of your kimono until it sounds like it’s starting to rip.

Just as quickly as the flame had been thrust into your face, it’s ripped away. You’re brought back to your knees, no longer forced into the deep bow and you’re met with the face of your new tormentor. Sukuna grins as he surveys the damage to your face already, the welts that were already forming.

“I have a gift for you.” is all he says before he drops the hold on your back, the force enough to shove you forward again an inch towards the flame but you’re free to scoot away from it. He steps away from you for just a moment, there’s a shuffle of feet from the darkness of the shadows before he’s back in front of you.

You can only stare at his feet for a moment, the long claws there are no longer coated in blood as they once had been when you first saw him. Instead, he’s immaculately clean. For who he is, he’s oddly patient whilst your eyes drag up along the expanse of his legs and along the thickness of his chest until you meet his eyes.

He’s grinning down at you, all sharp teeth and red of his eyes glowing with something malicious. He raises a hand out to you, his claws sinking into the darkened cloth that’s wrapped around something in his hand. As his fingers sink into the cloth, there’s an ooze of blackened liquid that drips and curls around his fingers.

Blood.

“Take it.” He demands, even thrusting it closer to your face and you hesitate only for a fraction of a second before you take the wrapped-up thing in your hand. You already have a gut feeling what it might be, the weight plus the shape of it was a dead giveaway. “Open it.”

The blood-sodden cloth is sticky and cold as you touch it, your fingers coated in a thin layer of blood as you start to pry open the layers of cloth until it slowly starts to reveal itself. The smell is pungent, a ripe type of smell that sticks to the back of your throat when you accidentally inhale too hard to try and steel your nerves as you stare down at the ‘gift’.

It’s a heart. A large one, most definitely too large to be from any small livestock animal. You drag your eyes back up to Sukuna, and his eyebrow raises in amusement at whatever emotion must be on your face.

Suddenly he crouches down, invading your space with an intense heat that’s similar to the fire burning behind him. He’s still grinning, and up close you can see his canines are more like fangs that are absolutely made to rip apart people.

“Do you like it?” You don’t know why he’s asking such a thing; you’re certain he couldn’t care less if you liked it or not. But he doesn’t give you a chance to answer as he continues, “It’s your husbands.”

It made sense, that it belonged to your husband. It was his body that was currently fueling the warmth of the room, and you can tell Sukuna has a sick sense of humour. Automatically your eyes drift back to the heart in your hands, it takes up both of your hands as you hold it the same way it was delivered to you.

Your husband's heart is cold and stagnant in your hands, it’s an odd feeling that fills your chest. A mixture of both grief and relief, it’s overwhelming in the sense that you don’t know which one to lean into more. On one hand, he was your husband and you had been lucky enough to survive as his wife – but on the other hand, he wasn’t someone you loved. You never enjoyed his company, and he despised you for your lack of giving him a son.

All the while, Sukuna watches you intently. His multiple sets of eyes lap up every reaction, every thought that flits behind your eyes and he wonders for a moment if you might just start crying. He thinks he’d enjoy that a lot. But he has something even better in store first.

“Eat it.” He’s still down at your height, large forearms resting on his knees and clawed fingers itching to grab at you when you flick your eyes up in shock at him.

“What?” You speak for the first time and it makes Sukuna’s smile widen to the point where he looks like he might just lunge and eat you.

“Eat your husband's heart.” It’s said in such a tone that you know it’s not up for debate. He’s demanding, commanding, that you eat the heart that once beat in the chest of the man you had known for the last five years of your life. “Now.”

The growling order has you bringing the bloodied muscle to your lips, eyes not once leaving his. You had a choice here, if you didn’t do this then you’re most certainly going to end up as kindling for the fire burning bright behind the monstrous four-armed demon in front of you.

If you do obey his order, then what did that mean for you? For your mentality? Even with the way you felt towards your husband, to eat someone's heart is… a lot. It’s something that changes a person, and you can tell from the look in Sukuna’s eyes that he’s definitely banking on the fact it breaks you down.

He wants you to submit, you realise. You wounded his pride with the two attempts you’ve made on his life. There’s a pang in your chest at that, not a painful one, no. It’s your own pride rearing its ugly head, it sends a wave of accomplishment down your spine. You did that, you managed to fray the nerves of what might just be one of the strongest monsters to ever exist.

So you hold eye contact with his upper set of eyes, and you revel in the way Sukuna’s manic grin falters slightly at your own smile before your teeth sink into the heart. The metallic copper taste of blood hits your tongue first, and you have to suppress the urge to gag at the taste of it. Then comes the sinking of your teeth further and further into the muscle, it’s tough, chewy.

It takes far too much of your jaw strength to fully bite through the organ, and just as much of your own mental fortitude to not spit it out as you chew on it. Sukuna is watching with rapt sick fascination, his lower set of eyes watching the dribble of blood from either side of your mouth as it curls down your chin and along the column of your throat. His upper ones are still connected with your own, he’s waiting to see if you crack.

You’re not sure how you do it but you swallow the lump of muscle in your mouth, and that’s when your eyes flutter in a futile attempt to stop the urge to regurgitate it. Your stomach fights hard to not allow it to settle inside of you, but you swallow harder until it’s clear from your throat.

When you finally do meet Sukuna’s eyes again, he has an eyebrow raised in what must be surprise that you managed to do it. Then his face drops into a mean sneer, his upper lip curling up in what might be a snarl before he speaks again, “Finish it.”

Part of you wants to throw the bitten heart in his face, maybe it’ll give you a spare second to sprint out of the room before he catches you and inevitably kills you too. Could you open the heavy wooden doors fast enough to make your escape? Probably not. It’d be all for nothing.

So you bite, and you bite. You chew and swallow through the growing urge to vomit as you keep eye contact with Sukuna. He’s still sneering down at you but even you can notice the odd glint of what might be reluctant pride in his eye.

With one final gulp of the muscle, your hands are only left to curl into the wet cloth that sits empty. Your entire lower face feels bloodied, sticky with a wet liquid that’s starting to crack and dry the longer you’re sat near the burning fire pit. Sukuna remains down at your height for a moment longer, his eyes darting down to the blood you’re coated in.

Your mind is reeling, from both the intense heat that’s starting to grow hotter and hotter in the large throne room and from the fact you did that. You ate your entire husband's heart, it sits heavy in your stomach and just that thought alone has your stomach tensing in preparation to spit it back out.

But you don’t. You hold your ground and raise your head up high, defiant to the beast before you. It takes only a second before clawed fingers are grabbing at you, they curl painfully into your bloodied cheeks as his palm cups your chin. He tugs you close enough that you can feel your own heavy breaths bouncing off of his face back into your own.

Was he still going to kill you after what he made you do? It wouldn’t be a shock if he did, he seemed like the type to get enjoyment out of people's misery before killing them. Maybe at this point, it would be a mercy. You had no family to flee to, no husband left to come and find you. You were trapped in the maw of a vile creature.

Sukuna holds his gaze over you for a long tense moment, his eyes scanning over your features and flicking back up to your eyes as if he’s searching for something. What that might be, you’re unsure. You’re not quite sure if you want to know what’s bouncing around in his head.

“Take her away,” Sukuna finally settles on saying, standing to his full height once he forcefully shoves your head back. You fall out of the position you were holding on the floor with your legs tucked beneath you, your bloodied hands slipping against the polished floor.

There are footsteps, barefooted until they’re around you. You look up to see two girls, with faces that look like they’re uncomfortable with what they had to witness. Did he keep women here as a sick sort of show of power? Their hands tuck beneath your armpits, forcing you to stand as you stare stupefied at all the pieces that start to click together in your head.

Sukuna is sitting back on his throne by the time you’re being dragged from the room, your numb feet slowly starting to feel out the ground beneath you. And all you can do is stare at him as he watches you, he doesn’t look quite as malicious as he did at the start – but rather, he looks like he’s pensive about something, a thought that’s troubling him.

The large wooden doors shut with a resounding slam, and the last thing you see before you’re pulled around a corner was those crimson-coloured eyes staring at you.

‣‣ Main Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

#tw cannibalism #cw violence #dead dove do not eat #cw dark content #cw gore #sukuna x reader #sukuna x you #jjk x reader

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inkabelledesigns · 6 months

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Belladonna Nightshade - Halloween Dark Fairy

Base Doll: G3 Twyla from Monster High Clothing Pattern: Dollightful's Asymmetrical Dress (read to the end, I have notes about this)

Happy Halloween everyone! Since becoming a doll customizer, my Halloween dolls are usually related to my favorite indie horror game, Bendy and the Ink Machine. However, seeing as I've completed two Bendy dolls already this year, I felt it was time to give myself a break and try something a bit different. My friends over in DollyAnna's Discord server wanted to do a collaboration, so we decided to all make some Dark Fairies for Halloween!

Belladonna Nightshade is a mischievous fae that loves to play tricks and tempt mortals. That said, she's easily bribed with a sweet treat or two, and will usually let you be if you have a little candy or pastry to give her. I haven't decided what I want to do with her yet in terms of a story, but there is a part of me that would love to have her in my Equinox story.

When you consider the fact that most of my other Halloween dolls are black and yellow, it's no surprise she ended up super colorful. XD Would you believe this is my first doll with rainbow hair? Yeah neither did I, but she is! Part of my style is having really colorful and vibrant dolls, it surprises a lot of people that I've never done a rainbow before, but honestly? I'm glad to have finally tackled one! I'm also glad to have worked with another G3. Twyla is very near and dear to my heart, and I was so psyched to work with her mold! You can't see it in any of these photos, but I used glow in the dark varnish on her eyes and neon markings, so that her eyes still glow like the original. I will say, this doll has a lot more acrylic paint than my others, just by the nature of I don't have any pencils in neon colors. It was nice to get the practice in, I feel more confident than I did before in my brush skills. It was also nice to have a doll with dark scleras for a change! I haven't done that since I made Dreamer, it's surprisingly fun to draw on!

I was inspired by a LOT of different things with this one, and I went back and forth on my concepts a lot. Black light skeleton make-up, butterflies, fairies with non-traditional wings, candy, jesters, these were all sources of inspiration, and I think most obviously of all, Dollightful herself. This wasn't intentional, but I ended up using a doll of one of her favorite characters, with a lot of saturated colors which we know she loves, and even her dress pattern! I've been wanting to make this garment for ages, and finally I had a reason to try it!

So those of you who know how this pattern works are probably asking "Kat, how did you make this fit a G3? This dress is supposed to fit a G1 Monster High doll!" Believe it or not, Requiem Arts has a method for easily adjusting G1 patterns to fit G3 bodies. It's as simple as scaling a pattern up to 104% and printing it that way. It's meant for her garments, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work for other doll patterns. So I tried it with Katherine's dress, and I'm happy to say it worked out just fine! I think I probably should have adjusted a bit more on the skirt though. This outfit is essentially two pieces, and the skirt with all the ruffles is a little tight around the booty, it could have used a little more sizing up. So if you own this pattern and want to try this yourself, do keep that in mind!

Do let me know what you think! I had so much fun working on Belladonna, she's so vibrant and fun, I wanna try more fairies like her someday. I also need to try using props more. I got these pumpkins and hay bales on sale, and it was fun using them to craft a little temporary set for photos.

#dollblr #doll customization #doll repaint #ooak doll #halloween doll #doll custom #custom doll #monster high g3 #monster high g3 twyla #monster high custom #monster high g3 custom #monster high repaint #doll photos #doll photoshoot #doll photography #ooak #monster high ooak #longpost

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wordsbyvani · 1 month

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My gift for @comfortless. Congrats on your milestone, beloved!💖

Today is the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere (my favorite season), so... a little blurb. König goes on a cute picnic date with his lovely. No content warnings, just pure fluff. :o)

“Thanks for doing this.”

“Ja.”

This is ridiculous. He shouldn’t feel this nervous.

Willing, praying, his palms stay dry as you both walk together, hand-in-hand, through the forest, toward the lush glade you’d talked so much about.

Rays of sun peek through wispy clouds, a light breeze rustles branches budding with fresh blooms. A sparkling lake ripples, casting sparkles and glimmers through cracks in the tree line. Colors, green, life paint the area in messy splotches, having yet to find their place in nature.

Spring is here.

You had droned on endlessly about your love for the season, your excitement for the earth to come alive once more. Perhaps you thought he paid no mind to your silly ramblings. But he did. Every detail, every word, every expression; he drinks in every drop.

Even though you haven’t known each other long, it feels like forever. Everything flows naturally; conversation comes so easily. For once, in a social setting outside of work, he doesn’t feel nervous. He wants to talk to you, wants to spend time with you.

He simply wants… you.

So of course, when you mentioned how excited you were for warmth, for sun, he planned something right away. Shyly approached you with his request for an outing, which you readily accepted. Silently pleaded with the weather to cooperate as he planned, waiting for the day to arrive.

Now here you both are: strolling through nature, his heart leaping whenever you pat his arm and point to whatever catches your eye— a picnic basket in one hand, you in the other. He can’t imagine a more perfect moment than this.

You fit right in with the surroundings. Your laughter, your being— the birth of something new within him, just as the earth births new life. He didn’t used to think much of spring, more of a winter guy himself— tucked away, cozy from the cold world. But now he supposes spring is pretty, pretty like you.

You reach the spot, a large tree surrounded by patches of grass and the beginnings of blooms. A blanket is placed between the gnarled roots that welcome you, settling in and chattering as you unpack the basket.

He isn’t certain whether it’s the sun or you bringing him warmth. He wants you to be his sun, his moon, his entire universe. Or perhaps you already are. You glow brighter than any celestial body as you serve him portions of food from your favorite restaurant; how could he possibly know you loved this place? But he’s made it his goal to learn everything about you.

Maybe he’s a creep. Should have admired your beauty from afar; afraid to interact with it, to touch it. He’s known to destroy lovely things, a touch from him pure corruption. But he couldn’t help himself. He’s selfish, obsessed, craves the vision that is irresistibly you. And by giving it a chance, giving in to his self-centered desires, a new type of beauty grows along with the changing of the seasons.

Picking at his food while you prattle on about how nice it is, how you’re glad you guys are doing this, he waits for the perfect moment. One where he dares take the leap, dares take your relationship to the next level. Beyond the shy glances, chaste touches, innocent hand-holdings. To claim this piece of heaven as his own.

He feels like a silly teenager; fiddling with frays in the blanket; eyes darting wildly to avoid meeting your own as you pull out dainty desserts to share. If he thought the years of hardness, years of confidence grown could calm the squirrely feelings and nerves, he thought wrong. His piece of frilly cake is left untouched as he watches; the way you savor your treat, savor this simple moment in time, savor life. He wants to savor it with you.

Taking a deep breath, he gathers every ounce of courage he can muster as he zeros in on the frosting gracing the edges of your lips. Your focus from the delectable thing shifts to him instead, eyes wide as he leans closer, locking a stare with neverending pools of tenderness hidden behind a fog of weariness.

“Ah, you have…”

“Wha-”

A collision of his lips with your own cuts off your mutters, time frozen, electricity pulsing between skin.

His hand moves on its own, calloused fingers cupping your cheek, pulling you closer yet somehow not close enough. He runs his tongue to collect the speck of frosting, but the taste is incomparable to your sweetness.

He’s dizzy in the head when you don’t pull away, but rather lean in to meet his advances. Lips parted to allow exploration, giving him permission to take, to indulge. Faint moans from the back of your throat drive him wild, the urge to take the sound between his teeth and rip them to the surface so he can hear them properly nearly overtaking him.

He’s never been riddled with a passion such as this before. It’s not his first kiss, but it is his first kiss with you. A kiss with someone who truly matters, with someone dare he say he loves. One who awakens feelings and sensations he thought impossible for himself to experience.

Sure, he’s basked in your warmth, taken in the comfort of your aura. But being engulfed in it now, he knows he can never go back. He’s selfish, he wants more, wants neverending. Never wants this instance to end.

But when you do break apart, heavy breaths and tousled hair make the two of you quite the sight, he doesn’t miss the twinkle in your eyes he’s been dying to see up close. A sparkle that invites him to lose himself in the pool of a neverending cosmos, a bid to which he would happily oblige.

He tsks while pulling away, contemplating the flavor of the sweet and of you. “There was frosting.”

You let out a snort, a smile forming at his attempt at a cover-up. “That was cheesy.”

He feels heat shoot from his cheeks to his ears, attempting to avoid the grin that illuminates your face lest he turn redder than he already suspects himself to be.

“Tut mir leid…” he mumbles, unable to shake the feeling of fear creeping from somewhere deep within. A place that holds those dark thoughts, insecurities, things that can’t be covered with feigned confidence. But any idea that he may have muffed what he suspects to be his greatest gift from the universe is squandered when gentle fingers brush against his jaw, beckoning him to look in your direction.

“I like cheesy.”

Warm, willing lips pressing against his once more signify his success. He is yours, and you are his— everything and anything he could’ve ever wanted. Whatever was growing and budding between the two of you is now fully in bloom.

Spring is most definitely his new favorite season.

#könig #könig x reader #könig x you #könig fluff #🧀#drabblez

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kopivie · 6 months

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okay so i’m obsessed with your hades wrio so i have to know,, does he compromise? like in the original myth of hades & persephone he decides to let her back into the over world 6 months out of the year,, does he use something akin to the pomegranate seeds? id love to hear your thoughts lol

i'm so happy you like it! thank you so much for reading my silly little rambles, heh ♡ but i've been giving this a lot of thought because as of right now, i'm not 100% sure on what would act as the pomegranate seeds in this au. this is gonna be a bit of a brainstorm post, so bear with me:

it's evident that wriothesley loves and adores you enough to want to monopolize you, but he also knows that if he keeps you here for too long, you may grow to truly hate him. he can't have that, so he lets you go.

to some, the pomegranate seeds in persephone's myth symbolizes the indissolubility of marriage. i'm not quite sure if our hades!wriothesley would make you ingest something quite like that, but i do think he would give you a small mechanical device developed by the best mechanics and engineers in fontaine. this device would act as a timer that would go off on the fall solstice each year, which would signify that it was time for you to return "home".

hades would be gentle about it. he knows that you're suffering without organic plants and the initial love (or infatuation) you felt for him was dwindling by the day, so he pulls you aside one evening to propose the idea. he will send you back to the surface on the spring equinox. wriothesley will watch your expression change several times, but he will continue:

you deserve to thrive in the warmth of the sun. you need the long days and short nights that spring and summer provide. you deserve to be happy.... but there's a catch. the world in the fall and winter is no different from the fortress of meropide year-round; you will return to the fortress on the fall solstice to stay warm and cared for with wriothesley, who will ensure your happiness.

i think out of sheer desperation, you agree to his terms. if i were to circle back to the whole pomegranate seed thing, i don't think that would be necessary. like maybe it's just the prolonged time away from wriothesley that allows for your emotions to settle; the dust clears, the anger fades, and you're left feeling... hollow. you feel lonely in your bed at night. in the warmer months, you feel like the euphoria you feel is best shared with a companion -- with a loved one. what would wriothesley think about picnics with you on a grassy hilltop? would he go swimming with you? surely he'd ask you for flower crowns for sigewinne, right?

the time you spend away from wriothesley are freeing, yet simultaneously agonizing. you miss him.

so when the timer goes off on the fall solstice, you're actually eager to return to wriothesley's side. he's taken aback by your change in demeanor around him when you come back to the fortress -- you're shy around him, you get flustered so easily, and he can feel your lingering gaze from a mile away. but it's certainly not an unwelcome change. it's like a fresh start, where the two of you can now blossom into each other without the threat of resentment looming overhead.

i'm kinda giddy just thinking about the previously overconfident wriothesley being reduced to a smitten lover once more when you come back and actually return his feelings.. it's so cute! he wasn't expecting you to warm up to him during your time away, but now that you aren't giving him the cold shoulder or appearing visibly reluctant to accept his kindness, he doesn't really know what to do.

#[ 📬 — inbox. ]#hades!wriothesley x reader #wriothesley x reader #heavy sigh...#he's so cute #but also so intimidating

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lexluvswriting · 19 days

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L'autunno - Eris x balletdancerfem!reader

☆ Ch: 1

-> Content Warning + Notes (CW + N): x fem!reader, slow-burn, rivals to lovers, tinkle of angst, fluff, non-specified identity, no specific time in storyline except it is a few months after Amarantha. live, laugh, love 2 lesbian mothers!!

-> Trigger Warnings (TW): Eris Vanserra, mentions of racism, mentions of discrimination, mentions of forced removal from homes (cant think of the name rn), Beron Vanserra is a massive cunt.

W/C: 2.8k

╰┈➤ Lex's note: omg eris fic is here grahhh!!! the title for this comes from Vivaldi's Four Seasons Concerto album, which i did listen to while writing this, yes yes. Eris has is a massive dick, but i'd like to believe he's a massive cunt for a reason that will... hopefully be revealed better- though Morrigan's suffering is not excusable at all! and i hope reader can hold him accountable throughout the series!! (she will). this will absolutely be a ride for all of us. while reader is fem and i have not specified any identity aside from Summer Court, I do make a few plays at racism, which there absolutely was in ACOTAR. so if this does feel a bit daunting, triggering and hurts, please let me know if it feels like i have written a little too intensely- i'm basing it off of personal, and researched experiences.

A violin filled the studio, wafting around like a strong scent- hypnotic as you inhaled deeply, eyes shut to steel yourself and count in before your arms swung up and out, fingers and feet pointed within your ballet shoes as you began to dance. Careful, calculated steps sent you spinning around the room- the perfect prima of your time. A prime example for those who dream to even come close to your level.

In a room of fire, your movements were fluid. In a room of embers, you were a tidal wave. Your body poise and malleable as you stretched yourself alluringly to those who watched as you swayed for the sweet symphony of violins. Eyes watched you from a concealed viewing platform high above- russet spheres simmering with a flame of interest that was bound to end in a fiery mess.

“Her. I want her to perform for the Equinox.”

“She’s quite the star, isn’t she?” Your mentor nodded, eyes twinkling with pride, before he wore his favourite facade- an arrogant smirk on his lips as he inspected his manicured nails. Eris’ face was impassive, yet any trained, or similarly minded individual would see the need for greed in his russet eyes as he glared down at you, pupils flaring possessively.

“She’s my starlet, young Lord. I cannot let her perform without any… payment. She will be put through harsh training- stretching, extension of her muscles, and her diet will be limited- to ensure she is tamed and perfect for the Lord’s family. I know the Lady of Autumn thoroughly enjoys the…” He trailed off nervously as Eris held up a silencing hand, the young heir fixing him with a cold stare- despite the fire in his veins.

“Spare me. Your pocket will be stuffed accordingly. But I warn you,” With one hand he grabbed the collar of the weaker male’s shirt with a predatory grace,

She must be perfect, or else we won’t have her, and the only old you’ll see is the Vanserra signet ring imprinted in your cheek.” His hand clenched accordingly, the Vanserra signet ring- the emblem of the Autumn Court banners carved in the pure gold, making Gustav still and nod compliantly. The heir dismissively waved for a servant to hand your instructor a list before storming out- ignoring your dancing figure.

--- ⋆⁺₊✧˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☾⋆⁺₊✧⋆ ---

“Wrong! When we kick, our leg must come out-”

A cold hand clamped around your calf, another hand pushing just above your knee, the joint loose like a hinge. Your face was impassive- unmoving even as a small ‘pop’ echoed from somewhere in your knee. One of the junior dancers recoiled visibly, hiding her face behind her hands as a cluster of them watched you be used like a demonstration doll for your instructor.

“Stiff! Strong! Not flabby and weak. We are not caterpillars- we are butterflies. We are not brutish fires, we are?”

“Dancing flames.” The dancers replied in a drone of young feminine voices, with a few meek boys who looked like they were on the verge of clawing their eyes out. Gustav was being a right pain in the ass as always, but today he seemed more sharpened. Another lecture, another scolding, but it was always,

“For the better! I do this for your own good, my dears! When the Equinox arises and we are in front of your esteemed Lord, I know his lordship would enjoy seeing his dancers disciplined. Lean and poise. Controlled.”

The cold hand that held your leg squeezed once in warning- ‘I’m talking about you too’, before letting go, as your instructor sighed with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“That is why we dance the way we dance, and why I speak the way I do. Now leave me! And warm down appropriately or I will personally see to it that the muscles you take for granted will tear.” A curl of the lip in a low, warning snarl, before he waved with a sweeter disposition.

“Adequate work today, my dears!” Footsteps echoed as the younger dancers left first, whispers filling the halls as they eagerly complained about their instructor. The older ones bid polite greetings of farewell as they followed, until you were the last to leave. The prima. Gus liked to call you the ‘Summer jewel in the Autumn box’.

“Ah, ah, ah! I mean it, my jewel. No going off and doing your own thing.” You pause. His voice carried a weariness of someone twice his age, before he covered it up with his usual airy arrogance, “The Lord will be hosting important families at this gathering. Something big is on the horizon and I know he will be watching you closely.”

Ah, yes. Kicking out all the non-fae and those who hail from other courts. The nationalist prick seemed to have no lost winks of sleep as he commanded his soldiers to haul families out in the night, dispatching them at random borders with no cares for the creatures that lurked with a taste for fae flesh.

“I’m aware, Gus. No sudden movements, no flashy shows of skill, Mother forbid I reveal I’m not some worthless foreigner with no talent.” You mocked mirthlessly, earning a sigh of defeat.

“Wait a moment.” He roused, and the fingers that curled around your bag strap tightened slightly, your pointed ears twitching at the tone of his voice. But you slowly turned, a scowl on your unimpressed face as you nodded airly.

“You were selected personally to perform for the Vanserra family. Something about honouring the magic in the Autumn Court territory with dance and such.”

You paused, mind blanking, yet your demeanour remained even, “And you’re looking at me like that, why?”

He winced, knowing how keen you were to snap at any male- or anyone, really, who rubbed you up the wrong way.

“They left a list of… expectations. As in, mandatory requirements or they won’t let you perform. They expect you to be… um… Be polite, and uh, as he put it, ‘socially acceptable’. Speak in turn and only when spoken to-”

“He?” You snapped, visibly unimpressed and ready to pull out completely. What kind of prick-

“I don’t let you anywhere near me on a good day, Gustav. What in the Cauldron makes you think I’ll just-”

“They’re offering coffers of gold. The Equinox… well, after Amarantha… they need to regenerate the magic of the Autumn Court specifically, so they want to use the Equinox.”

You cringed at the mention of that sick tyrant, yet you weren’t going to just roll over and lie down because someone jingled a purse of gold. “What of the Spring Court and Calanmai?”

“I didn’t ask, because I know my place. And don’t start. I didn’t exactly feel like getting ripped a new one by the son of the Autumn Lord, [Y/N]-”

“Son? As in, Eris Vanserra? That oaf- that misogynistic, foul-mouthed, mentally decayed pig was here? And he spoke to you about me?” You snarled, lip curling back as you advanced forward slowly like a fox- a wolf, eyes narrowed.

“He’s offering coffers on behalf of his father, [Y/N]! Enough for you to be paid out well, and then some for the studio.” Damn right he put you first on the pay list, otherwise he wouldn’t have a damned head. Though, you personally couldn’t give a flying fuck about the Vanserra coffers. You wanted nothing of it, as tempting as it might have sounded.

“Get Nerissa to do it.”

“He wanted you-”

“I thought the family wanted me.”

“I… oh, fuck it- Fine! Eris came here alone! Came here alone, saw you, insisted on you with this list in mind and he said either you or no one at all.”

You or no one. You or nothing. You made a retch of disgust, laughing at the mental image. Who did he think he was? “Then I will snap my leg in half and shatter my bones into teeny tiny pieces for good measure.”

“[Y/N]-”

“I will swan dive off the nearest staircase.”

“No.”

“I’m not performing personally for a good-for-nothing family that are backwards in everything they do.” You reaffirmed, shaking your head, but Gustav stepped forward.

“[Y/N].”

“They singled out the non-Autumn Court dancer to perform for them. What powers do I possess to help the court that doesn’t even want us? A ‘summery breeze’? A ‘foreigner’s’ complexion? Absolutely not-”

“Please. We…” Silence, before a sigh. A sigh that made you glare silently. “I received a letter last night from the building owner. I’ve been falling behind on payments, and Beron’s financiers are… hungry- they see this old building and want to knock it down for something else. Something miserable and drab.”

You frowned, blinking at your instructor. Well, fuck. Your shared silence was long- his pleading, hopeful silence swirled like smoke with your prideful refusal, that melted like wax the longer it lingered.

“... Fine. But only because I enjoy this damned studio.”

--- ⋆⁺₊✧˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☾⋆⁺₊✧⋆ ---

Your life was, what you thought at least, a mixed bag. You were brought up in an orphanage- housing mostly Autumn children, all who seemed to smell the ‘impostor’ blood in your bones, weeding you out as an odd one out. Your appearance led the governess of the orphanage to believe you hailed from the Summer Court- as did russet and teal muslin you were wrapped in. You repurposed the seemingly sentimental piece of fabric into a scarf- letting it rest around your neck currently, as you walked down the path of the bustling town.

You were lucky to be recognised for your artistic performative abilities, earning a grant to allow you to perform in the Autumn Court’s national dance academy, as well as live in one the apartments they provided. Two old ladies next door adopted you as their honorary daughter, and you were grateful for their familial company, even if there was no blood relation. One of them, Ordelia, even pushed you to study at the grand scholar’s library, using her former connections to grant you access to all the education you could need.

It wasn’t wonderful. But it could be worse. At least you were making it on your own, sort of.

“Afternoon little doe! Will you come for dinner? Delia-dearest made pumpkin and feta soup the way you like it!” ‘Madame’ Primrose, one of your makeshift mothers, waved to you from her balcony, and you offered a small wave.

“Not tonight, I’m afraid. I’m on a strict diet of greens and grains.” You pat your stomach with a sympathetic wince- greens and grains. Like a bloody farm animal. The silver haired fae seemed to nod sympathetically and wave a hand.

“You’re always welcome, dearie.”

You stopped for a moment, looking at an old fae sitting on the corner of the little road, a vendor selling flowers. The sun was dipping behind the horizon, staining the sky pink amidst the grey from the overcast weather that settled. You smiled at the older male who offered you a bouquet of lavender stalks and crocus bulbs.

Pretty.

Your eyes widened slightly as you beheld the bouquet, cradling it against your arm while you fished out payment. As you dropped some coins into his hand, a scream made you both look to one of the older complexes, where a woman was pulled out by some Autumn Court guards with two wailing children behind her. Any passersby walked quicker, ducking their heads, and when you looked back at the old male you realised he had been watching you. He gave you a nod, as if you’d know what it meant, and you swallowed before walking past, your head lower than before.

Beauty was hard to come by in the Autumn court, no matter how colourful it looked.

--- ⋆⁺₊✧˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☾⋆⁺₊✧⋆ ---

“Oh, it’s nasty business, it really is. My darling Ordelia was telling me how shameful he is- that Beron Vanserra. Nasty business. I remember his father- he wasn’t much better, but certainly more handsome.” You had succumbed to the dinner with your neighbour-mothers, though your portion of soup was smaller, as the sprouts and stalks you miserably chewed filled most of your stomach.

“You know, I could have married Beron.”

Your eyes widened, hand shooting up to cover your mouth as you didn't know whether to choke or chortle. “Primrose!” Ordelia huffed,

“I could have, you know! But I wasn’t interested in a man with no morals.” ‘Madame’ Primrose sighed wistfully, and you laughed softly behind your mouth while her wife rolled her eyes. While Ordelia had raven hair in a tight, disciplined bun, Primrose wore hers in a loose braid that cosied on her shoulder- her silver hair glistening in the gentle faelight of the small dining room you all sat in.

“You know, I hear that Lord Vanserra is looking for some pretty girls to match his sons. The heir will be attending the Equinox alone, can you believe it?” Primrose hummed, thriving off the gossip, but Ordelia watched you with a knowing stare- amused at the soft snort you let out.

“How fares the paper? Arwen mentioned that you were hitting some brilliant points. Politics might be your strong suit, should you grow tired of glamorous costumes and fast dances.” The Autumn-born female brought up your most recent studies, a ghost of a smile on her lips as she heard her wife scoff.

At a first glance, you used to wonder how they could possibly be mated. Ordelia, with her firm, reserved rigidness and disciplined personality, and Primrose- a Spring Court fae who was gossipy and eclectic, always buzzing with something to share. Ordelia was a former scholar for Beron’s family before she retired, while Primrose was the prima ballerina of her time, moving to Autumn in search of a grander role where she met her mate. Their love-story made you sigh a little every time you heard it, but you shook your head of distractions as you answered Ordelia.

“It’s um… definitely going. I feel a little foolish writing it but every time I hear about another family getting kicked out, I get even angrier, and determined to write more. Although… um, Gustav spoke to me about… performing a solo dance for the Vanserras. A part of the Equinox celebration-”

Primrose gaped at that, as if she had been asked to dance herself, “Oh, little dove! Well, what did you say? You worked for that position- I’ll tell you that for free! I can’t fit on my fingers the times I had to remedy your torn muscles. Did you say yes? Did you accept?”

Ordelia nodded, taking a thoughtful sip of her soup before chuckling softly. “I would not be surprised if your radiance catches the heir’s eye. You’d be a different splash compared to the other dames he usually parades around on his arm. I think you’d certainly give him a run for his father’s money.”

“Ordelia dearest! What makes you think our little summer shell would even consider him?” Primrose voiced the disdain etched on your face, and you joked dryly, “I didn’t think you believed in fate and whatnot.” The Autumn female scoffed softly, shaking her head, “I don’t believe in fate, or destiny. I believe in the laws of attraction. You are everything his family lack, thus making you a match. Opposites attract.” You glanced at Primrose, and both of you made a childish noise of disgust as you shuddered, shaking your head as you finished off your meal.

“I’d rather have a kelpie as a bedside companion than Eris Vanserra.” You muttered, before taking all three plates to be cleaned. Laughter sounded softly behind you, and as you felt a small smile curl on your face, you abhorred the idea of being anywhere near the Lord of the Autumn Court and his family.

--- ⋆⁺₊✧˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☾⋆⁺₊✧⋆ ---

After bidding your goodnights, you retired to your own apartment, basking happily in the moonlight that shone through the silent space. Peace and quiet. The best way to finish off a bleak day. Your calendar stared you in the face, the Equinox marked in an angry scribble of orange ink. ‘End of the week!!’

What a day. You rubbed your face, feeling a stirring in your stomach as you thought about the Autumn Court. You glanced at the daily paper slid under your door, seeing Eris’ face on the front page- his smug, arrogant, wicked, slightly crooked, unnecessarily charming grin staring you in the face, making your stomach tug. ‘Eugh. Imagine being fated to that beast?’ You’d rather eat glass.

You looked at the paper, baring your teeth at the male’s face before ripping it off and crumpling it up. A swift kick sent it across the small apartment, under your couch, and stayed there for a while as you grumbled softly. You got ready for bed eagerly, excited for the day to be over, only to reach under the small sofa it had rolled under and pick it up again, making a face at it before leaving it on the small table.

╰┈➤ Lex's note 2: i think that's all for now!! readers, pls let me know how we feel about this!!! (privately, in comments, on inbox, i don't mind)!! also in search for a beta reader [i draft everything on google docs, don't hurt me] (T-T)

#lexluvswriting #lex luvs eris vanserra #lexluvswriting: L'autunno #eris vanserra x reader #eris x reader #eris vanserra #eris fic #eris acotar #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #x reader #x reader fic #acotar x reader #acotar x fem!reader

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isagrimorie · 1 month

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People give Janeway guff about not giving Kazon replicators and transporters. Still, it's proven repeatedly that giving one Kazon faction an advantage over the other would be mixing it up in an internal war that would LITERALLY shift the balance of power.

Klingons at least know the technology they have engineers, even as it's becoming a dying breed over Warriors.

TLDR in Alliance Chakotay and Tuvok convinces Janeway that making an alliance with a Kazon faction is the way to go.

And so she does finally concede on this little experiment but with a lot of reservations going in: That once they leave the infighting will go on, and might actually have been worse.

Tuvok naively thinks it might help and bring about a Federation.

B'Elanna then pushes forward Harry's sarcastic comment about forming an alliance with Seska and then at the first sign of this, Chakotay balks.

And then Janeway says something that I feel is her guiding principle in dealing with hard decisions:

Janeway: "You can't have it both ways Commander. If you want to get in the mud with the Kazon you can't start complaining that you might get dirty."

Again, this is what I love about Janeway -- she gets flack for it but when Janeway makes a decision no one else wants to make it.

As I've mentioned in another post in tags: #right or wrong#i admire how janeway is always the one#who goes#the buck stops with me#she makes the hard choices on voyager#especially during debates#when the staff just goes around and around in circles#like in memorial where she starts just in the background#listening to the senior staff debate#from how janeway started in episode 2 of season 1#where she's presented with the horrific#sophie's choice of neelix dying because he has no lungs#and then subjecting another person to the same fate#to the (now boring debate about tuvix)#to this moment#to the moment on the memorial episode#she will take on that burden#and she will always stare at the hardest choice unflinchingly#because someone has to#as the 12th doctor once said#sometimes all your choices are bad ones#but you still have to choose#

In this episode, she allowed herself to be persuaded but she's not sold on it. But she's letting her crew run with it -- okay so we do this, but if we do this, we commit to it. And yet, at the first uncomfortable decisions... there's already balking. This was Janeway testing the waters if any other person on her senior staff could carry water about making the hard choices.

So far the ones who have stepped up were B'Elanna, Tom, and Neelix.

Anyway, I wish there was more fallout on the whole Kazon vs Trabe conflict because that was actually interesting.

But also Voyager had a Doctor Who problem -- if they meddle in the affairs of a spatial politik, they don't know the repercussions of their actions and just look at Living Witness and the reputation Voyager gained simply by doing a bit of a trade deal.

Voyager can help when they can, see: helping Brenari refugees escape the Devore. (Counterpoint).

But they can't and shouldn't really interfere with internal politics. They're not like DS9 where they can stay in one place and fix things permanently. They're just passing through.

This is also why I think she wasn't really considering Tuvok and Chakotay's thing during the Void episode where they raid another ship's resources. (Also, because after Ransom and Equinox, she knows what faltering in the Federation principles can do).

Crucially, she's also known both Chakotay and Tuvok enough that while she loves them -- Janeway knows neither men have the stomach for their proposals.

The Alliance episode was one example of that already.

Janeway, though, if she is pushed to make that commitment and there was absolutely NO way they can prevent raiding others-- Janeway would have committed to that action 110%. This is why I feel Janeway would actually come to a similar conclusion as Sisko in In the Pale Moonlight.

Especially, if she gets daily reports of Starfleet casualties. I have a feeling, there would be less kicking and screaming when Garak finally does his reveal.

Janeway has rules for a reason. She is fastidious about it. For a reason. Because once she commits to an action, it will take both hell and high water to take her off that course.

/edited

#star trek voyager #kathryn janeway #voyager s2 #(what is it about briefing room scenes in early seasons #why is it so inert? the only thing keeping the scene #interesting was kate mulgrew's force of personality)

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biteofcherry · 1 year

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Hi I just went through your master list and all of your stories are a-maz-ing! But I wanted to ask, I need to know, how alpha Ari chose omega reader?! Is it a true mating like in Grainof Truth? When and why he decided he wants that omega. Cause damn he want to extremes to get her (and I'm weak for that 😳😳😳 )

The Bad Moon Rising universe is a completely different universe than Grain of Truth, so it's not a true mating for Ari and his omega.

Bad moon rising

alpha!Ari Levinson x omega female reader

warnings: none for this part below; mentions of primal kink and chase kink; a/b/o dynamics; wolf!Ari; alpha!Ari; shifter!Ari;

There was something about you that made him curious. Simple as that, yet it meant much more.

~ * ~

Not much surprised Ari. For two decades now he carried responsibilities on his shoulders, providing for his pack and dealing with their problems - as serious and as petty as they came.

Ari read people easily, he learned it along the way when he took over the pack, and he grew bored with how predictable most of them were.

Then the autumn equinox festival came and you appeared among the numbers of Dimitri's pack.

Ari and your alpha decided on joined celebrations, so the two packs could show they can coexist and share land while still staying independent. An uncommon thing to happen for shifters, but Ari respected Dimitri enough to give his idea a chance.

Even if his alpha instinct snarled with the urge to dominate over the other alpha and take over his territory.

For shifters, wolves especially, land was sacred. Most needed to free your wolf and roam freely.

But human civilization spread rapidly, buying off lands and chopping down trees. They turned everything into steel and glass, their cities like cages for shifters who longed for nature.

So when one pack was in danger of losing land they searched for it - often warring with other packs. It ended with an alpha challenge. To the death. The winner taking over both lands and both packs.

That was Ari's initial plan too, but Dimitri was a seasoned, calm alpha who came with a counter proposal.

To share lands.

Honestly, Ari still wasn't sold on that idea. But he would honor the sacred celebrations of autumn festival. He made sure his pack behaved their best, as well.

It was then, as he leaned against an old tree that burst with shades of red and gold, drinking sweet mirabelle plum wine and watching some of his easygoing people break ice with your pack, that's when he noticed you.

A mature omega - your scent wafted to him even over the mixed aromas of food and bonfire.

Ripe as a plum and untainted by a mate's scent.

Ari felt his whole body snap to attention. His wolf side perked up, fascinated as well confused as to how a delicious omega like you was unmated.

You looked well into your thirties; not something that he really cared for. However, it was uncommon for any shifter past twenty five to be unmated. Mostly due to pack's expectations and pressure to meet conservative standards.

So many young members of his pack buzzed with this need to quickly find a partner. Yours pack too, he noticed.

Just like he noticed single females prancing around for his attention. One curl of his finger and he could have any he wanted.

To be fair, he was going to end his festivities exactly that way - with a willing partner to tumble with in the woods, raw and primal just the way he liked it the most.

Now that you appeared, the only chase he wanted to follow was after you.

An unmated omega so mature of age was a fascinating occurrence. It meant you had an iron will, standing against any social pressure, as well that you expected more of your partner. Ari respected that.

Slowly, he prowled along the shadows, watching you as you stepped to the side to admire one of the hand-carved wolf statues.

You traced your fingers over the fine details of the statue - a masterpiece, you had to admit that. With a little smile, you picked one of the flowers from thee wreath on your head and put it behind the wolf's ear.

"I'm not sure if he'd snap his teeth at you, or waggle his tail."

Unexpected chuckle startled you, your eyes lifting up from the statue to stare at the man emerging from the shadows behind it.

Ari Levinson.

The dreaded alpha of the other pack. He was recognizable not only for his reputation, but also because all of the young women in your pack kept panting after him the whole evenings; pointing at him, whispering, hiking up their skirts to show more flesh and lure his attention.

You understood the attraction. Levinson was handsome and charismatic. Built tall and big, overpowering. Sharp blue eyes that saw any tick, any weak spot.

Everything about him screamed alpha and your wolf side mewled with the need to run away. Partly of fear, partly because the bitch knew the alpha would give a chase.

You swallowed nervously, but tried to mask it with a chuckle.

"It's festive time," you shrugged with a smile, "even the most brooding wolves should celebrate. I helped him getting into the mood."

"Sometimes a wolf snaps his fingers when he is in a mood." Ari's voice was a low, soft caress.

The meaning behind his words hit you with a punch of heat. Along with the lure, came a spike of fear.

If this was merely him flirting you up, seeking for a chance of one night of rough fucking, you'd probably follow quite eagerly. It's been a while since you gave in to the carnal side. And your wolf would howl in pleasure.

But the way Ari's eyes were trained on you was too assessing, to intense. And he wasn't even staring at your boobs. No, he was studying you.

He was, you realized, fascinated.

For an omega, having an alpha - an alpha as powerful as Ari Levinson - fascinated with her meant binding for more than just a one night stand.

An alpha was a predator. He engaged in fun without pouring all of his instincts into it. When he did that, it meant he was on a chase after a prey he was adamant on catching.

"Ah, there's quite a bouquet of flowers to choose from to fit your mood." You turned slightly and motioned at the gathering of people, groups of women (and a few men) glancing toward Ari with promises of devotion in their eyes.

"I'm a seasoned alpha," Ari chuckled in a self-mocking tone, "I've had my fair share of occasional celebration. I'm ready to permanently sate my mood."

"What makes you think I'm the right choice?" You knew that blunt disobedience wouldn't go with any alpha.

And you shouldn't antagonize one that might as well force your pack to submit to him.

"What makes a wolf know that a doe will sate his hunger?" He replied, stepping closer to you. "I don't know that yet, omega. But I want to find out."

You trembled slightly, though you tried to take control over your body. Instinct to run away was growing stronger, but you knew the instant you stepped away Ari would pounce.

Your wolf side buzzed with excitement at the prospect. Your human side feared being unable to handle the overwhelming power of Ari Levinson.

He wasn't simply a strong and confident man. He was a ruler, a conqueror. Your independence would crumble, if he bound you to him.

"That's bold. You don't even know if-"

"You're unmated." Ari stated with confidence.

"I'm-" you thought of restoring to a little lie, suggest that you're meeting someone in hope it would deter Ari.

Once again he interrupted you with a calm certainty:

"You're not with anyone." Ari traced your cheek with a finger. "No man's scent lingers on you."

He leaned much closer to you, his fingers dipping below your hair to grip your nape.

"It's best if it stayed that way, omega." His voice remained soft, but there was a growl to it. Your clit pulsed with the sound of it.

"No other scent, but that delicious, tempting smell of you. Until you're covered in my scent."

"I haven't consented to it." You tilted your chin defiantly.

"Of course you haven't." Ari suddenly pulled away, a respectful step between the two of you.

He grinned at you; charming and playful. The blue of his eyes shimmered with excitement.

"Make me work for it, little omega." He reached out to pick a flower from your wreath.

"Make me chase you." He tucked the flower behind his ear.

#ari levinson x reader #ari levinson x female reader #ari levinson smut #alpha ari levinson #alpha!ari #shifter!ari levinson #ari levinson x you #bad moon rising

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acourtofthought · 7 days

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Lol you're hilarious. Everything about the story and SJM's recent online activities AND the articles point towards elriel endgame but y'all will only stop when elriel is announced I guess.

Anons like this are always better than a cup of coffee because wow, do they wake my brain up in an instant.

Articles pointing to an E/riel endgame? You mean articles written by journalists who never sat down with SJM and who never even spoken to the author or Bloomsbury regarding the content? Articles that were factually incorrect, one originally claiming that SJM was the author of the Elemental series with a hyperlink to a different authors Amazon page? Journalists who definitely are not more qualified than Sarah's own best friend who is on record as saying she doesn't think E/riel is happening?

Also, if we're really claiming her posts as possible clues of which we have zero evidence they are, those clues suggest Elain more than any ship.

Bloomsbury tweeted flowers and fire (not stars or a night sky). Which actually would hint at Lucien over Az.

She had the book of flowers displayed during her live. It's cute how some tried to claim there was a black bat on the spine of the book but alas, it was a blue petal.

She wore a Bambi sweater with flowers during an IG and yes that sweater was on a black background but only because that's how the shirt is produced. I'm sorry but you can't be so ridiculous as to think that the author would want to wear that particular sweater (something she's owned for years as it was mentioned in another article from way back when) but second guess herself because the black background it was already on might have people thinking it hints at Az.

The Spring story had nothing, NOTHING to connect to Az but if you recall from the actual books, Lucien is permanently stationed in the Spring Court.

Let's break down the Az clues you're so confident in.

She was writing ACOTAR 5 in September. She was already into the process to the point that she was obsessed with the book, that it felt like having a crush, that she was so focused on it she didn't even have time to make a treat for her childs school. So that probably means she was at least a few chapters in? A third in? In February, about 5 months later, she did a fan made bracket (that did not include Lucien). and said Az was someone she'd be exploring more in the future.

She wrote the current version of HOFAS in a month. If she had already been working on ACOTAR 5 and had already spent 5/6 months writing about Az, why would Az be someone she wanted to explore more in the future? Shouldn't she have already explored him in e/riels book?

The post where SJM went up North to draft and stopped in front of a small body of water in the middle of the mountains? Guess what, Koschei's LAKE is hidden in a forest, surrounded by mountains. Illyria is not the only place in their entire world with mountains and pine trees. Also, Vallahan is surrounded by mountains on the map! Places SJM could easily have written about in this next book, places more connected to Lucien, Elain and Vassa. And as mentioned above, she said she was up north to draft. It is now 7 months since she did the Live interview talking about how she was working on ACOTAR 5. Chances are, whatever she was up North drafting is not ACOTAR but her next project.

Onto Guilty as Sin. My point mentioned above twice still stands. Why are you assuming it made her think of a book that's probably already written rather than a book she may be working on? Maybe it gave her the feels for the LoA / Helion's love story as they were forbidden lovers who were not yet lovers in their youth. Sarah has often spoken about wanting to write an ACOTAR book set in the past, maybe it's time for theirs. Mor heard rumors that the LoA waited before agreeing to Beron's proposal, after having met Helion at an Equinox the previous year. Helion claims that he heard her family wanted ties to power. At that time (before they ever had an affair), the LoA and Helion would have been forbidden because he had no real power. If you recall, he only became HL during Amarantha's reign after she killed the HL of Day and most of their family. Or maybe she is writing about the Seraphim from 500 years ago, before the first war. Where Miryam and Drakon fell in love when she was with Jurian.

Would it honestly make sense for her to be excited about a song that she just heard for the first time three days ago over a book that should be finished save for maybe final edits?

I like imagining how these things might hint at Elain and Lucien too, it's fun in this drought of ACOTAR info. But I don't have such blinders on that it makes me unable to consider other possibilities.

Stop claiming you see the whole picture when you are only selecting the puzzle pieces you like best. Trying putting the entire thing together if you want to have a chance at sounding like you know what you're talking about.

You guess we'll stop when e/riel is announced? You mean the ship that ended on Solstice, the ship Elain did not shed a single tear over the way she cried for Graysen (someone we know that she loved)? Elain returned Az's necklace and never once looked like she was struggling with moving on. What kind of Elain stan are you, having Elain daydream of being with the guy who rejected her and couldn't confirm real feelings to his own brother? Are doormats now the rage?

I think I remember the Bryce / Az shippers saying the same thing, how we'd see when CC3 was released, but guess who was victorious on that front? The people who believed Bryce was ending up with her mate.

#elucien #pro elucien #anti e/riel

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happyely2 · 7 months

Text

Pairing: Portuguese D. Ace x Fem!Reader

Rating: For all and sundry, with a little sprinkle of spiciness here and there

Summary: Small glimpses of daily life in autumn with your partner Ace, in this case we are not in the world of OP, but we are in the real world. An idea that came to me thanks to this Post, and what's more, the Autumn Equinox is today🍂 ah, my favorite season begins!

🍁 Cosy Autumn Prompts 🍁

🍁 Cuddling under a blanket 🍁

The days were starting to get shorter and shorter, the air was finally starting to feel fresher and not as muggy as in the previous days which had forced you to sleep in separate beds and with the fan on because it was too hot.

Finally the time came when you could get under a blanket and bask in the early hours of the morning. Ace is happy about this, he complained all summer that he couldn't use you as a pillow - he didn't mind the heat, but you risked fainting if the temperature was too excessive.

It felt good to feel his strong arms wrapping around your waist and bringing you close to him. Ace loved kissing every single inch of your free skin, sometimes he would take off your pajamas to have more skin to kiss, his fingers would pinch your hips pleasantly and you would laugh holding him to you. You liked stroking his hair, kissing his face and gently pulling his cheeks to tease him a little, tracing the lines of his muscles and observing that galaxy of freckles on his body. You kissed him, every now and then a little bite here and there. It was nice to go back to old habits.

“Come on pigeons, come down instead of flirting in bed.” The knocks on the door and Marco's voice brought you back to reality. It was better not to keep the large Newgate family waiting, also because you risked that one of them would enter the room to grab you and drag you out of bed.

You were about to get up when Ace held you back, carrying you back to the bed and placing the blanket over you.

“The two of us haven't finished our dose of morning cuddles yet.” He had said, kissing you passionately and leaving you no escape. Not even the knocks on the doors and threats from his older brother changed Ace's mind.

🍁 Baking together 🍁

Autumn also meant preparing big family lunches for everyone to be together. Or rather you cooked, Ace was responsible for tasting the dishes to help you adjust the spices, salt, pepper and cooking of the food.

The last time he cooked, his brothers had told you, the fire alarm had gone off and for this reason the whole family had decreed that Ace would no longer go near the stove. So all his brothers were amazed at your culinary skills and the fact that you allowed him to stay in the kitchen without causing damage.

“Ace, can you tell me if the pancake batter turned out well? Then get me the sugar and cinnamon.” You said as you continued to mix the cream to fill the pancakes with, Satch had entrusted you with the task of making desserts for that Branch and you had gone wild. Ace was very happy about it, he loved your sweets and finally he could go into the kitchen and scoff at some food.

“Did it come out perfect, when did you fry it?” The boy asked, passing you the ingredients you asked for. You replied that it would be better to do them after everyone had arrived, only his two brothers Sabo and Luffy were missing but they were on their way and would be there any moment.

“Oh no, I forgot to whip the cream for the cake!” Only then did you remember the cake that was resting in the fridge still unfilled and you also had to add all the fruit to it, but you had to finish making the blueberry pancakes and then the apple ones and the peach ones: "Ace, take the whisks and whip the cream, after which I'll decorate it." The situation was desperate because everyone was busy, even Satch.

Your boyfriend looked at you for a whole minute, then following your request and the instructions you gave him: you told him to take the cold container, put the cream in it and then use the whisk, increasing the speed slowly. You also told him what movement he had to make, up and down in such a way as to incorporate a little air to make it softer.

For once you were optimistic, he wouldn't do any damage.

A scream coming from the other side of the kitchen made you whirl towards an Ace covered from head to toe in whipped cream. How had he multiplied the cream like that?! You turned off the stove and headed towards him with a tablecloth to dry him off.

"Look at the bright side." He said as he tasted the cream on the sides of his mouth. Only he could see a positive side in that disaster,

“Didn't you let the kitchen catch fire?” You replied as you cleaned his clothes, he would have to go change, god it had gotten all over him.

“I know how to whip excellent cream.” Ace said smiling at you and letting you taste some whipped cream from his hand. In fact he was right, he had been good and there was enough left in the bowl to fill the cake.

“No Food Porn in my kitchen!” You jumped to attention as soon as you heard Satch's voice coming from the other side of the room and burst out laughing, who knows what he heard.

🍁 Lazy days in 🍁

Ace is a hyperactive boyfriend - despite his chronic narcolepsy - he doesn't know how to sit still for a moment, not even in the morning when you would like to sleep and stay under the covers as much as possible, but no, Ace won't let you. He's like a persistent cricket until you get up and go down to breakfast with him.

Ace tells you what he did as you go down the stairs and you listen to him trying not to trip on the steps and give him all the attention he deserves-because despite everything you love him to death. He took out the rubbish, put away the new bags, went for his morning run and has already met with your whole group of friends to get organized and go to university, he got the newspaper, did the shopping for breakfast and he went to get you your favorite espresso to surprise you.

The container is lukewarm, he begins to slowly sip your drink while your boyfriend does ten thousand things a second, he is emptying the dishwasher that you put on the previous evening while he tells you some gossip about the neighborhood, and he begins to put away every object of the kitchen in its place.

You remain with your drink and your eyes half closed listening to him, smiling every now and then in the hope that your brain will reconnect to the world with the caffeine it is ingesting.

Then the sound of a photo wakes you up and the vibrations of your phone force you to open the family chat - or rather the chat in which Ace's family have included you because for them you are part of the family now.

“Ace, did you send a photo of me in this condition?” You said without getting too angry, by now Ace's family knew you so well that they had seen you in even worse situations - and you had your photo library to be able to threaten them.

“You look like Baby Yoda, look how cute you are!” He said Ace hugging you and peppering you with kisses on the cheeks, as if he were going to charge you-it kind of worked.

“Come on, we have so many things to do and so many lessons to follow.” The brunette said placing your favorite cereal in front of you. His smile was so beautiful.

“Ace it's six in the morning, lessons start at nine, I'm going back to bed.” You tried to get up, but Ace didn't let you go, this time too you weren't able to fully enjoy a lazy day, but your boyfriend knows how to make up for it.

🍁 Carving pumpkins 🍁

Having a little brother is something you've always wanted, and Luffy is perfect for this role. You love Ace's five year old brother, he's small, compact and sometimes when you go out you can pretend to be a happy family to get some discounts on lunch. And Luffy loves calling you mom or calling Ace dad to scare away girls who bother him when you go out shopping together.

And that day was no different, you went out to buy pumpkins to carve, Luffy's school had assigned this task to the children to start decorating the school for the autumn term. And the girls attacked Ace while you and Luffy were choosing the pumpkins to buy, you and the little one looked at each other and carried out the plan, the girls' faces were a sight and Ace played your game so well that they ran away apologizing to you.

“Luffy uses the spoon to remove the pulp and seeds, but don't throw them away, I'll put them in the oven to make some snacks.” You said as you continued carving the pumpkin you had emptied earlier, “Ace help your brother.” You added seeing the smaller one in difficulty. You hadn't expected them both to make a mess and end up covered in pumpkin from head to toe, you were only distracted for two minutes.

You rolled your eyes at their carelessness laughing until you felt something sticky hit your chest. It was pumpkin pulp, the one that was not eaten and which contained all the seeds. The two brothers looked at you with challenging looks. You started running around the kitchen, aware that they would catch you in no time and that they would fill you with pumpkin, but you managed to defend yourself even if you fell and they both followed closely behind you due to how slippery the floor had become.

“Now we have to clean ourselves up.” You said jokingly as you picked up a little Luffy in your arms and removed the pumpkin on his face.

“We bathe together!” The little one said smiling playfully and chuckling and throwing himself on top of you.

“And I was going to cook you, stuff you and eat you.” Ace whispered in your ear making you turn all red as soon as he placed his lips on your neck. Or why your boyfriend could be so damn sexy even in a situation like that.

“Ace I want to eat the stuffed big sister too!” Luffy's comment shocked you, or at least he made you go into disarray while Ace laughed big time at what was happening, the little one looked at you in a daze, leaning on your neckline to understand if you were doing well or badly.

He would then ask Sabo.

🍁 Movie nights 🍁

“We're over having a movie marathon!” Ace always had a bad habit of yelling at everyone when you came up to his room. You knew that he had pushy brothers, very pushy, but every now and then you wanted something calmer.

“Do you have to say it every time?” You asked, pulling his cheek a little.

“Let's go so they don't bother us.” The boy replied as he kissed the palm of his hand making you blush visibly.

“Turn the volume up a little or change movie genre, lovebirds!” Izou's voice made you stop halfway up the stairs, the boy with long black hair passed you, adding: "And this time we're almost full, so I suggest you don't do any kind of stunt."

"WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?" Ace started chasing his brother.

“That the walls of the house are thin turnip heads!”

🍁 Flannel shirts 🍁

If there was one thing you liked to do it was get rid of Ace's shirts. Your beloved boyfriend had built up so much muscle mass thanks to his workouts that many shirts he owned had to be given away because they were too small now. And finally you could throw away some of dubious taste, like the leopard one or the one with zebra stripes. You finally had the power and the opportunity to get new ones.

“Cool colors suit you better Ace.” You told him as you hung some shirts in those shades, you had filled him with shirts to try on in the changing rooms.

“Are you sure I need that many? I only need a couple." He said coming out of the dressing room and wearing the dark red one, it looked great on him.

“This autumn will be milder than others, you need these light shirts so you don't die of the heat.” You responded by fixing his collar and smiling at him: “Come on, you have six more to try, come on Love!”

🍁 Cold hands 🍁

“Your hands are frozen!” Ace always worries about you, I mean how do you lose heat even though you go out all covered up with sweaters, scarves, hats and gloves. During the lessons you take together Ace has to hold your hands to prevent them from becoming very cold.

“You know that I lose heat and that you gain it.” You said resting your head on his shoulder. Your university had a bad habit of not turning the heating on full blast, yet the rainy week was always the coldest.

“And yet I like your hands freezing when you run them over me.” Ace's voice was a whisper in your ear, accompanied by the gesture of taking your hand and placing it under his sweatshirt in direct contact with the skin of his abs. Suddenly a hot flash hit you out of the blue, you tried to stay calm so you wouldn't be discovered.

“You're a stove.”

“A stove that needs to be cooled. At the end of the lesson we go to the study room.” He whispered in your ear.

You definitely felt warmer now.

🍁 Steaming mugs 🍁

You had gone out early that morning, even though your nature would have led you to stay in bed for a while longer, but the sales for the furnishings of the house were starting and you wanted to go and buy something to start decorating it a little more and because the plates and glasses were starting to run out, you no longer lived alone in that house, Ace had almost moved in with you now, he was just missing one thing.

So you didn't think twice when you saw a giant orange mug on a shop cupboard next to a blue one. Orange and Blue are two complementary colors you remembered.

You didn't waste time, you bought them immediately and finished your shopping quickly to rush home to put everything away.

When Ace came back and saw the two steaming cups of hot chocolate and cream, decorated with cookies and homemade treats on the kitchen table he looked at you with eyes full of sweetness.

“Now you practically live with me, you have your toothbrush, your clothes are mixed with mine and you have the keys to the house, all you were missing was a cup for breakfast.” You said hugging him tightly to you, you would never let him go, not after he had entered your heart like that and made it his own. Ace held you tightly to him, he had never felt so good in that moment. He lifted you up and filled you with kisses not letting you go for any reason, he had finally found someone who would never abandon him and who was accepting him for who he was.

🍁 Scary movie marathons 🍁

You've never liked scary movies, the nightmares you get aren't normal, and you don't sleep for three days when you see one. But all of Ace's adopted brothers love having scary movie marathons and that's why they brought you in. Even little Luffy is braver than you and he watches them without any problems while eating his popcorn.

You can't watch them, not even the ones produced by Disney, in your opinion those are even more terrifying. For this reason Ace has organized it in the following way: You holding him and Luffy sitting on your lap. You were able to follow the film calmly, covering your eyes with Ace's hand when the scene became too scary, even if Luffy told you about it and everyone started laughing...

Then you had to go to the bathroom because you drank too much coke, and because everyone needed a break, it was the third movie in a row you'd seen and you had to order pizzas.

You rinsed your face and walked out of the bathroom, meeting Luffy down the hall as he grabbed his favorite hat from his room and asked you to wait for him.

Once the child returned you walked towards the living room, unaware that someone was following you in the shadows.

It was a matter of moments, the light went off and on again a couple of times while you were walking down the corridor, what's more it was raining and the sound of the rain distracted you for those few seconds, you approached the window to see if there were any flashes on the horizon and the moment the light went away again and then reappeared you saw the figure behind you from the reflection in the window.

You whipped around to stand in front of Luffy to hide him from the black figure who possessed a disturbing voice and a blood-soaked knife.

You screamed, picked up Luffy - because the little straw hat was going to hit the monster - and ran down the stairs with tears in your eyes as it chased you.

Ace was under the stairs and caught you in time before you fell to the floor, you closed your eyes and a familiar laugh made you instinctively turn around.

Satch had taken off his mask and was laughing out loud, only to be hit by Marco and Izou and scolded.

You were shaking in Ace's arms and had tears in your eyes, your boyfriend got even more angry at his older brother, he and Luffy chased him around the house to teach him a lesson while Izou took you to get something warm to drink in the kitchen to relax your nerves.

Ace came back to you, hugging you and apologizing for what had happened.

“Don't worry, I'll sleep with you this evening and we beat Satch properly.” He said to reassure you.

“I want Luffy too.” You said as the little one came towards you to check on you. Ace didn't say anything, he knows that Luffy is a great nightmare buster and seeing that you love him so much warms his heart.

🍁 Home-cooked meals 🍁

If there's one thing you like to make, it's your family's homemade recipes. Your mom sent you Grandma's cookbook and now you're flipping through it with Ace. your grandmother wrote those recipes by hand, meticulously noting all the steps and tips that she acquired over time.

“This seems to be good.” She said Ace pointing to a recipe that included figs. She knew they were your favorite fruit and that you would eat them endlessly.

“Unfortunately, however, we no longer have figs, they no longer sell them in the supermarket, their season is coming to an end.” You replied, they look at the bruschetta that could be made for lunch, or the jam or the savory dishes or even other desserts.

“Who told you we have to get them at the supermarket.” You looked at Ace a little worried when he dialed Satch's number - despite the horror evening you forgave him - and when half an hour later the person concerned showed up at your house with a basket full of figs and everything you needed to do your grandmother's desserts and recipes.

“Satch, are you staying with us for dinner?” You asked carrying the basket into the kitchen.

“Actually the others are arriving too. Even Father wants to try your grandmother's recipes." The brunette replied carrying two more baskets of Figs, Ace had more in his hand.

You didn't wonder where they got them from, you smiled again because you know that was Ace's plan.

“I know you love cooking homemade meals as a family.” Your boyfriend said, kissing you lightly as the doorbell rang again, “These are the others, Luffy can't wait to get cooking.”

🍁 Scented candles 🍁

Ace had noticed that your mood was a bit down lately, the period of ongoing tests wasn't at all easy at university, especially when he knew that your professors were very rigid and expected mind-boggling projects. He helped you as best he could when he heard you repeat yourself or when you had to do a presentation or a practical project.

So as soon as he saw that mega set of orange, cinnamon and vanilla scented candles he had a great idea.

You heard a knock on the door of your study, you hadn't gotten up for four hours you noticed and when you told Ace he could come in but you didn't hear the door open you got weirded out. So without wasting time you left the room only to notice a lot of red rose petals on the carpet creating a trail towards the bathroom.

You went to investigate, then opened the door and noticed the atmosphere that your boyfriend had created in your bathroom: the heater was on and had warmed the air, the water in the tub was hot and steaming and full of foam and then there was 'there were candles, the candles were lit and released a very good scent of citrus, cinnamon and vanilla and there were also rose petals in the tub.

Ace leaned his chin on your shoulder and kissed your neck: “Come on, let's take a nice hot bath.” He said placing his warm hands on your hips.

You undressed each other and entered the hot tub, you leaned against his chest and enjoyed all the cuddles and attention he was giving you: not only had he taken the candles but also the shampoo, conditioner and shower gel matched.

“Thanks Ace, I really needed that.” You said turning to him and kissing him passionately.

“Anything to see you happy.” The dark-haired man replied, kissing him back.

For that evening you could do without studying, you had your eye on a body oil to put on after the shower.

🍁 Bear hugs 🍁

Ace was always ready to react to any situation, he had faced some rough and tumble during his life, but he certainly couldn't expect to be welcomed into the house by you and Luffy dressed in bear pajamas, which also included the matching hood.

You jumped on him once he entered the house and you all burst out laughing and Ace hugged you tight, so tight.

You were so lovely.

“We have pajamas for you too.” Luffy said running to get him. While Ace continued to kiss you.

“You're such a cute little bear.” He told you, kissing your forehead, then his gaze fell on your neckline and he noticed something that he liked even more.

“This little teddy bear will get plenty of honey tonight.” You whispered in his ear as Luffy arrived in Ace's costume.

Your boyfriend smirked as he went to change followed by his little brother. “Get ready, this bear wants a lot of honey.” He told you as he took off his shirt and thinking of all the ways he could make Luffy as tired as possible so you could have the whole evening to yourself.

So now on his lock screen there are the three of you all dressed up as a family of bears, but in your private chat there was you in the background with a copper colored lace suit and honey covering your breasts.

Grinning, Ace texted you that he was going to buy some honey that was out of stock.

🍁 Coffee shop dates 🍁

Going out in autumn meant only one thing, calling all your friends to go and have a hot and steaming drink to be in company, laugh and joke.

Ace had a commitment at university and would arrive later, but luckily he had one of your closest friends to keep you company. Yamato had managed to free herself from commitments with her family and had immediately run to the cafeteria, crushing you in a hug that never ended. You hadn't seen each other for three months and you started chatting about everything that had happened, until the waitress came by to ask you if you wanted something and while your friend was ordering a pumpkin pie and a hot tea you he only asked for tea.

“I haven't been so well lately.” You told her as you sweetened your cinnamon tea.

“After all the desserts you made, I believe it!” Yamato replied, regretting not having been able to taste them.

“It will be as you say and I also gained weight, ugh starting today we're going on a diet.” You said as you saw Ace arriving with your entire company of friends. He too was happy to see Yamato again after a long time and while he went to order for him.

“Aren't you pregnant?” Yamato asked you in a low tone of voice, explaining that everything you had had coincided with a pregnancy.

“I don't think so, we were always careful.” You responded as you saw your boyfriend walking back with the others and giving Yamato a look that you would talk about it later, even if you were skeptical. Ace had sat next to you with a steaming cup of hot chocolate and cream and you had changed the subject, Yamato had given you a look as if to say to get checked and then started joking with the others, while Ace held you close self.

🍁 Bonfire night 🍁

“If you're that sick, let's not go.” Ace had been categorical. Since that morning you have been nauseous and your head is heavy, you almost fell down the stairs.

“Ace I must have caught a cold, a Tachipirina and I'm fine.” You said while you were drinking tea instead of coffee, it was the only thing that made you feel good: "And then this evening all our friends are here and Yamato also managed to free herself for this night." It was the most beautiful part when the bonfires were lit for barbecues all together on the evening of the Autumn equinox and you would go there.

In the end Ace had to give in to your stubbornness, but at least he won the debate regarding a medical examination to be done, you had been too ill lately and this worried him.

When you arrived everyone was happy to see you, they had thought that until the last moment you couldn't come and finally you started making bonfires, Yamato stayed next to you the whole time at Ace's request, you might not have felt nauseous anymore, but the dizziness was still present.

“Eventually I'll go get some blood tests, maybe it's something missing.” You said to Yamato as you prepared the skewers to cook and Ace helped start the fire.

“If needed, I can hold Luffy for you.” She said your friend nodding to Ace that he was okay.

Your boyfriend worried a little too much.

“Did you manage to eat anything?” He asked you with a mug of beer in his hand and sitting next to you, he smelled like embers, even if he stung your nose it was a smell that didn't bother you.

“Yes, I ate something calm Ace.” You replied taking a sip of his beer and grimacing, you usually liked the beer he had.

“Mhm, my tastes are altered.” You said as you leaned against him and watched the fire dance in front of you. Ace held you close to him as you slowly fell asleep lulled by the sound of the chatter of the people dear to you and the warmth of the bonfire.

🍁 Pillow forts 🍁

Ace was a good, amazing older brother who managed to satisfy Luffy's requests in every way. So you weren't shocked when you saw the living room of old Newgate's house transformed into a battlefield with trenches and forts built with cushions and all the foster brothers - even Father - playing war.

You had gone out to get blood drawn, you were only gone for an hour and all this had happened.

You burst out laughing when you saw everyone appear with improvised helmets and helmets and pillows of all kinds to throw as weapons. In short, where did they come from?

But what made you laugh the most was the moment when Izo and Satch took you hostage to make Ace and Luffy's team lose. Needless to say, the two brothers jumped into the fray to pick you up while Marco and Whitebeard laughed heartily.

In the end, many more pillows flew than expected, but nothing broke.

Luffy fell asleep on you, while the others cleaned up the mess that was created.

“It was to keep Luffy calm, he heard us talking about your blood tests and he got worried.” He said Ace then sitting next to you, “How did they go? When will you have the results?” He asked, stroking your hair.

“They went well, Yamato didn't give me a single moment of peace. I'll have them in a couple of days.” You responded by leaning on Ace, the environment of the pillow fort was so comfortable that you felt protected, Ace was there to protect you.

🍁 Thunderstorms 🍁

The first flash had torn the sky and blown you both into the air. Then the downpour started and the force with which the rain hit the windows of your room was enough to keep you awake.

You hugged Ace, unable to sleep anymore. Neither of them liked times like those.

“Tomorrow we may not even go to university.” Ace said showing you the weather alert notification that had come from the university just then.

“It's better this way, tomorrow we had a full day until six in the afternoon.” You said as you got into a sitting position feeling a cramp in your stomach. You got up to go to the bathroom to put away that evening's dinner. Ace behind you holding your hair and rubbing your back.

“Still with this nausea?” He was worried, the tests were slow in arriving and your nausea showed no signs of disappearing.

“Ace will be the period maybe, don't worry I'm not even losing weight.” You told him after rinsing your mouth and tidying up the bathroom.

Another bolt of lightning had illuminated the room and set off the alarms of some cars.

“Text Sabo to see how he, Koala and Luffy are doing.” You had said as you made sure everything was in order in the living room.

“Look at them, all three of them are sleeping in the big bed.” Ace showed you the photo and you smiled.

Other notifications arrived from the other family group and you laughed when you saw what was written. There were those who were taking the oars and the boat.

You got back into the bed, with Ace massaging your stomach to give you some relief: "Do you have your period?" He asked you deep in thought.

“In a couple of weeks why?”

“So, I didn't remember when you were supposed to come.” He replied, smiling at you and leaving a kiss on your cheek.

The storm wouldn't let you sleep, you both knew it, so you both immediately came up with a good idea to pass the time.

🍁 Leaf piles 🍁

The real autumn had now arrived and the evidence was the leaves falling on your driveway. You had piled them up well, they waste the whole morning cleaning up the garden. In fact, you took advantage of the opportunity to prune the flowerbeds and spend time with your friends.

Kid and Law wasted no time competing to see who could remove the most, while Satch and Izo cleaned the gutters with Ace and Marco sat next to you while you repainted the chairs for the outside.

Luffy was arriving at that moment accompanied by Shanks and Makino. So you prepared a good cinnamon tea for everyone, catching Luffy and Ace in time before they threw themselves into the pile of dry leaves that had been collected, you had wasted the day tidying up the garden.

“So it doesn't show any signs of disappearing?” Makino had asked sitting next to you, it wasn't a mystery to anyone that your health wasn't the best at the moment and Ace had talked about it with the woman next to you to get some suggestions.

“No, there are days when I feel better, others when I can't even get up, not to mention the smells. Some perfumes I can't wear anymore.” You said, sipping the hot drink.

A notification from your phone had caught your attention, it was the test results.

Looking at them they all seem to be perfect, so it was quite strange, not even Law was strange looking at them from the phone.

Ace was behind you, he noticed your sad look, so he picked you up and ran towards the large pile of leaves you had collected and jumped into them. You yelped in surprise as the others joined you and you laughed.

Whatever the problem was you would figure it out and Ace was amazing at cheering you up.

🍁 Sharing blankets 🍁

Sharing blankets was a concept that didn't apply easily to the two of you. Or at least you tried to do it the right way, but everything was impossible. Ace moved during the night and his blankets were thrown all over you.

You had all tried them, but there was no way to share them well.

“Yamato moves too much.” You said while you were at the supermarket with your friend.

“Then throw him out of bed.” She had replied, using her height to reach for the pumpkin mixture on the top shelf.

You laughed out loud, thinking that Yamato was right in the end, then you received a notification from Ace showing you a Pail blanket with sleeves that he had just gotten with the message: maybe we can sleep better with this.

You laughed and headed towards the registers to pay, but not before buying some things you wanted at the last moment.

“You should take a test.” Yamato had been trying to convince you for days, ever since you told him about the nausea and so without thinking twice she went into the pharmacy and took a whole pack and put it in your bag. There was no way to argue and in the end you returned home with Ace having joined you shortly after.

“Ace learn to move less, or I would hurt my friend!” She told him Yamato grabbing his cheeks and Ace had responded in kind saying it wasn't her fault.

You said goodbye shortly after and returned home with a giant family pizza to eat in front of the TV. You felt like it as soon as you saw the flyer and so you were able to experiment with the new blanket with sleeves and the pocket to put the remote controls.

Ace was good at choosing blankets so you could stay closer to him.

🍁 Rain showers 🍁

“I'm stuck at dad's house because of these stupid rain showers.” Ace hated being away from you, but in old Newgate's house the tip had collapsed and he and his brothers had gone to repair it, of course the beach didn't help and it was strong again.

“Come on, love, don't worry, it'll be over in a couple of hours.” You reassured him as you opened your bag to empty it. You saw the Test Yamato had given you and now looked at where to put it in the bathroom while you continued talking to Ace.

“Ace, I'll call you back in a moment…” You had abruptly ended the call due to the nausea you felt at that moment. Yet it wasn't early in the morning.

You looked at the test left on the nightstand and mentally called yourself stupid.

You were sure of it, you couldn't be.

The sound of the rain woke you up from your thoughts and that's why you told yourself that to pass the time you would do one.

And while the symbol appeared on the display along with the numbers that would tell you how old you were, you heard the door open and Ace run into the bathroom towards you, wet from head to toe and worried dead after you hadn't called him back.

“Love what happened?” Ace had leaned over to see what you had in your hand, fearing the worst when he suddenly saw you blanch.

“Oh it can't be!” You said turning to him with the positive test in your hand, “Wait it could be a false positive, let's do another one.” You said taking another test and throwing Ace out of the bathroom, yelling at him to get you some pear juice.

Five tests later you were now sure of it.

“It's three months.” You said looking down, now everything was taking a very specific turn.

Ace was next to you, looking at you with a look you couldn't decipher. You knew that he had fears of pregnancy, his mother had died from complications after giving birth and was then given up for adoption by his father, he had always felt guilty about this.

You never expected that he would hug you and whisper those words in your ear: "Don't think who knows what, we will keep him and raise him." His voice was broken by tears.

You both cried, a little happy and a little scared for what was about to await you. But you were happy that Ace wanted to start a family with you, despite the shadows of his past.

🍁 Log cabin 🍁

Gathering all your friends and family in the wooden cabin in the mountains was not easy, at all. It wasn't even easy to keep the secret until then. Because Makino and Yamato had suspected something.

Yet both of you are enjoying everyone's surprised faces.

“Your tests showed none of this.” Law looked at the ultrasound in his hand and passed it to the others. Kid would tease him for months.

“They sent the tests wrong, they confused them with those of another patient.” You responded as you picked Luffy up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He was the most elated of all. Along with Shanks he couldn't stop laughing.

“Ahhhh how beautiful! I'm so happy for you!” Yamato was over the moon and couldn't stop hugging you. In the end she was right and didn't hold back from saying I told you so.

Satch had fainted, literally fainted on the floor as soon as he heard the news, while Izo and Marco and all of Ace's other adoptive brothers were complimenting the two of you. With lots of jokes that further cheered everyone up.

“Now I can become a grandfather!” Whitebeard laughed, clapping Ace loudly on the shoulder and insisting that you two should move in with him.

“Dad…” Ace couldn't feel his shoulder anymore, but he was happy.

Koala did nothing but cry with happiness and Sabo was overjoyed to become an uncle. The only one who remained perplexed was Grandpa Garp, despite everything the old man was happy for you, but he would have gladly killed his grandson and would have had a very long fist-fighting chat with him.

“Come on Grandpa Garp you have a chance to be an amazing great grandfather.” You told him, taking him by the arm and bringing him closer to the others, in the end he too started laughing and joking with everyone else.

“So is he male or female?” Luffy's curiosity had attracted everyone's attention.

“We'll find out at the next check.” Ace had responded to his little brother by picking him up. Needless to say, more than half the world would participate in that check and the betting would start, you were sure of it.

You and Ace were happy though, despite all the stress you went through in those days and seeing people give you so close to you cheered you up a lot.

“You're about to become parents, I can't do it.” Satch held the ultrasound and smiled.

And as Ace hugged you a new awareness grew in you.

You were happy to have found a boy like him.

You were happy that a new chapter in your life was about to begin.

#one piece #portgas ace x you #ace x reader #ace smut #portgas ace smut #ace x oc #soft smut #Happy_Ely🪷#portgas d ace x reader

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itsbeesknees · 1 year

Text

Oh Brother of Mine

Cardinal Copia x GN!reader

——0——

Summary: Copia’s seeing someone, and it’s really no one’s business— but his brothers believe otherwise.

Warnings: none, just wacky hijinks and some fluffy crack

Word count: 1.3K

A/N: just wanted to write something silly today,, this is written with the pretense that Copia is related to the Emeritus brothers!

——0——

“He’s late.. again.”

Terzo swivels in his seat, facing his brother with a quizzical brow and a cherry red UNO card twirled between the pads of his gloved fingers.

When Secondo mentioned their youngest sibling's tardiness three weeks prior, the trio did not truly care, as it was none of their business what Copia chose to do in his leisure. But now it was his what? Sixth time being late to their annual family game night. Which was odd, since you could harangue Copia for his flaws left and right— but you could never say he was not punctual.

This behavior was irregular, Terzo supposes, and he had no clue to what it meant in the dictionary that was his brother's mannerisms. Or maybe he did have some sort of inkling, a suspicion of sorts, yet bit his tongue anyways. Because Terzo wasn’t quite ready to air out the idea that Copia might be having some sort of rendezvous or sex-escapade with a member of the congregation, and he needed a fragment of proof at the very least before flinging out the accusation.

Even if Terzo was right, it was none of his concern. Well, perhaps a little teasing would dribble out as it was an older sibling's duty, but regardless he wasn’t ruffled over the possibility of Copia’s secrecy. Terzo loved his brother, really he did, and respected his private life.

Though, if this plays out any longer Terzo’s curiosity would win out and he would get nosy. Confidentiality be damned.

Secondo was already ten paces ahead of him, pinching the arched bridge of his nose as the soles of his leather brogues tapped irritatedly against the floors. Moments away from hunting his younger brother down with a skewer.

Secondo could be patient, as long as there was a glass of bourbon or pack of marlboros on standby. Which was unfortunate for him, as his cup was currently empty and he had forgotten his lighter.

Primo, as it would seem, is precedently unbothered by the whole ordeal. A glossy book rests wedged between his hands, the corners of the cover warbled and frayed, possibly from water damage. Occasionally, he would spare a fleeting glance at the door, before half-heartedly turning another page.

“Don’t be so impaziente, fratello.” Terzo replies coolly, turning back to the poor excuse of a card-tower he had begun meticulously stacking together. “He probably got wrangled into some last minute paperwork. You know, being busy and shit.”

The third Emeritus’s words sounded too much like a bald face lie, even to him. Because, when Copia finally opened that creaky door— looking rather flushed and disheveled— there were no paper cuts, or ink stains, or anything that would indicate a Cardinal who had been engrossed in filing.

There were, however, four fresh hickies on his neck.

—o—

Copia’s love affairs were no one’s business but his own. And it was certainly none of his brother's business. But whoever he’s been seeing isn’t just a fling, a one night stand, a momentary heartthrob. No, it was apparent in his goo-goo eyed gaze they were much more.

The hickies were the first indicator, purplish-red marks seen puckered on his throat in early March, with the spring equinox following only a few days after. Next came May and the coincidental routine of Terzo walking in on Copia fidgeting with bushy bouquets while awkwardly practicing ‘hello’s’ in the vanity mirror. Then, in mid-July, there were the content sighs that would always bubble past the Cardinal’s lips when he’d stare off into the distance for too long, and a constant fragrance of someone else’s perfume or cologne that always lingered on his cassock. Now it is August, so Copia is ‘quite serious’ with this mystery person, whoever they are.

“Satanas aiutami ora, I cannot believe I am doing this.” Secondo groans brusquely. He was way too old to be crouching behind a marbled pillar with Terzo, who tuts at his bemoaning and slides on a pair of sunnies.

“You act all high and mighty when you’re just as much of a snoop as me.” Terzo sneers. “Now stai zitto, I am trying to focus.”

Focus on what exactly? Terzo had no clue. All he knew was that Copia occasionally liked taking walks around the ministry during the early evenings, and there was a betting chance his secret lover may be accompanying him. So hopefully, when the Cardinal comes waltzing down the corridor, his brothers may just catch a glimpse of whoever held his rapidly beating heart.

Primo was strictly against this idea, pointedly absent in their antics. He’d rather spend his evening in his greenhouse, as he put it, before hastily telling them that they were both idiots.

“So, we’re just supposed to wait here like a flock of sitting ducks?” Secondo retorts, glaring holes at the ridiculous shades Terzo had donned.

“No. Sitting geese, actually.” The third Emeritus’s lips curl up into a smirk. Yes, Terzo thought he was quite funny.

Secondo’s gaze hardens into one of caution, warning his brother to stop while he’s ahead.

The sound of shoes tapping against the floors snapped the duo back into the present situation, anchoring their attention back to the matter at hand. Judging by the steady footfall the figures passing by were a pair, and the fiddly Italian lilt that was Copia’s voice confirmed who precisely the pair was.

Terzo motions Secondo to be deathly silent, before poking his head out from behind the column to sneak a slivering peek. Surely enough, there stood Copia, stopping and standing right at a crossway, jovially chatting away with someone.

Unfortunately, another pillar rested just shy of a few meters down, obscuring Terzo’s view of whoever Copia was endearingly talking to. He managed to glimpse at the tips of their shoes and hem of their unholy vestments, until they took a step back and completely vanished from his peripheral.

Terzo squints as Copia leans in and... kisses them? Hugs them? He can’t quite tell, and he’s this close to cussing at a beam of stone.

“Well?” Secondo whispers, impatient and wincing at his now aching knees.

“Aspettare.” Terzo mutters. “This stupido pilastro is blocking my view.”

It is then he deduces, brilliantly, to careen his head out further and try to bypass the pillar. And his plan was going rather swimmingly, until he knocked right into a candelabra and sent a crescendo of crashing and clanging steel right in his direction.

Terzo grimaces as hot wax flicks onto his thighs, the materials of his slacks doing little to shield him from the sweltering heat. Secondo curses, reaching out to grab his brother’s collar and yank him back into the solitude of their relatively lame hiding spot.

But it was already too late. Copia’s mystery partner had parted ways down a separate foyer, gone without a trace, and the Cardinal was stalking straight towards the two.

“Ah, Copia.” Terzo grins coyly up at him when he finally snuffs them out. “What brings you here, on such a fine evening as this?”

Copia stares back at him, blinking. “Were you spying on me, fratello?”

“Spying? No.” Terzo waves in dismissal, scrambling to stand upright besides Secondo. “A little information collecting? Sì.”

Secondo winds back his hand and whacks Terzo upside the head.

“Ok, well, ehm.. maybe don’t spy on me, hm?” Copia presses his mouth into a thin line, irked and slightly amused.

“Yes, of course.” Secondo says, clenching his jaw hard enough that they could hear his teeth grinding behind painted lips.

In the end, the Cardinal gives them one last estranged look, before pivoting down the hall. His partner still remaining a secret kept under lock and key.

Terzo has the good grace to act ashamed, until Copia leaves and he splinters into a much more comical smirk.

“That could’ve gone worse.” He tells his brother good-naturedly, who simply huffs fiercely, shoulders past him, and refuses to speak to Terzo for the rest of the week.

—o—

#this one’s little shorter than my first fic #but I enjoyed writing it all the same #slowly but surely getting used to posting my writing #cardinal copia x reader #Copia x reader #papa emeritus iv x reader #ghost fic #ghost the band fanfic #ghost the band #Cardinal Copia #papa emeritus x reader #papa emeritus iv #the band ghost #ghost #copia #papa copia #terzo #peepaw primo #papa secondo

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