Tumgik
#as if being magically bound to serve someone would stop him making the most of the situation
yaksha-lover · 5 months
Note
Good morning/evening! Anon that asked about the concepts here. 😅 I’ve lately been super caught up on the angst potential of a Yuu who is slowly dying as a result of magic exposure due to not being from Twisted Wonderland. There’s just so many ways this could go, depending on how much Yuu likes being in Twisted Wonderland.
For instance, imagine living your entire life caught up in the wonder of fantasy and mythology only to be whisked off to a strange and wonderful world full of the magic that made up your childhood dreams. Getting to live your fantasies, see so many things that before you could only dream of, meet so many interesting people, and make memories that you would never forget. A fairytale given life. Only to be brought crashing down to earth with the knowledge that you are withering away here so far from home, possibly fated to never to see your loved ones again. The loneliness and fear that would set in with the realization as this turns from a dream come true to a complete nightmare.
A child cursed to die alone and forgotten as a stranger in a strange land.
Anyway, thoughts?
I love this idea, it’s so tragic. The idea of an inevitable ending blooming from something that was once so wonderful.
I almost think it’s more tragic if Yuu never wanted to return, if their life in this world was much better than their last. Finally having friends, people who care about them. Getting to live life and do things instead of wasting away in their room all day. Escaping everything in their past and leaving it all behind.
Of course, things are never that simple. Yuu does not belong here. They were never destined to befriend Ace and Deuce, to stay with Grim forever. There’s no one to blame, no one to curse except the cold, unforgiving hands of the universe.
You try to stay positive at first. Sure, you’re the first case of this happening and no one knows how to treat it, but that doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean you won’t be okay. Right?
When you first get sick, more people come to visit than you imagined. It’s endearing, seeing even those you weren’t close with stop by to express their support.
Riddle comes by, Cater and Trey following. Riddle tells you about classes, trying to keep you caught up on things. Cater tells him to stop worrying about school, but you like the normalcy of it. As though you’ll make it long enough to make keeping up with school worthwhile. Trey brings his baked goods, much more delicious than anything they’ve been serving in the hospital.
Even those who seemed apathetic to your existence would come sometimes. Leona came, it seemed, just to taken naps; you appreciated the silent company. Azul would stop by and drag Idia along for the three of you to play chess together. Kalim would come bursting in; it was nice, almost, to see someone that positive during this time. Jamil would accompany him, of course, immediately going into caretaker mode for you. Vil was busy, but he would stop by when he could, offering to get you an early screening of his newest movie. Rook would come too, describing everything going on at campus in such a beautiful way that it was almost as if you were there to experience it. Ortho would also insist on visiting you, meaning Idia would be forced to come once again, and play video games with you; it was perfect while you were bed-bound. Malleus and Lilia come when they can, bringing trinkets and small gifts. Malleus even offers to hold his club meetings in your room, if it were to help.
It’s harder to hold on to that hope once the symptoms start. It’s hazy, for one. You sleep most hours away, but it’s always a treat to wake up with Adeuce sitting in a chairs nearby, Grim cuddled into the side of the hospital bed.
It’s harder for everyone to visit, after a while. You understand. They have their own lives, things keeping them away. They have futures, unlike you. Still, it’s a bit lonely, to feel that everyone is starting to forget about you before you’re even gone. Even with your friends and Grim spending every hour they aren’t in class here, it’s hard.
It just isn’t fair.
You aren’t from this world, and soon it’s as though no one will remember you were ever here in the first place.
142 notes · View notes
katnissgirlsmakedo · 2 years
Note
tell me about ouat's merlin <33 I know he's hot and a cunt but is there anything else going on there...
he is SO. i know i say this about every random once upon a time character whether they were in a hundred episodes or just one, but he is literally my close friend…. he is the reason i never wanted to see bbc merlin before this year (cassandra clare’s fault she broke me) and he is the reason season 5 is sooooo slay serve cunt pussy etc. basically his deal is that he was literally just some random dude in a desert somewhere (and it’s like are we meant to assume that desert became camelot? via merlin’s magic? we see him turn sand into grass and then we cut to him in the place that would eventually became camelot. is once upon a time implying that england was once a desert. i love this show) and he stumbles upon the holy grail and drinks from it and becomes an immortal sorcerer. and then some unidentified amount of time later he meets nimue (my best friend. she’s the most character of all time. she became evil because she was a feminist. like honestly work) and they fell in love (pre-her turning evil. one could say he turned her evil by being a kind of annoying boyfriend. i won’t say that. but. like i mean he was a little annoying and then she did turn evil so) and he wanted to cut away his immortality to be with her for one single lifetime and she wanted to become immortal and be with him forever (which. slay) and they came up with this insane convoluted plan to turn the holy grail into a sword that would be able to magically cut away merlin’s magic and immortality (in essence cut away his fate, which is something ouat did the very next season when they introduced the shears of destiny, and thinking about this specific thing further will cause my brain to hemorrhage so). BUT. before they could do that nimue secretly also drank from the holy grail and became immortal (which. the show literally says when it’s introduced that the “gods” (idk who the Gods are supposed to be within this show’s mythology. the greek ones ig given the rest of season five)(bizarre to imply that the greek gods created merlin via the holy grail. i love television!) choose who gets to drink from the grail and who gets its gifts and if you’re not Worthy you die. so clearly nimue was like. cosmically meant to live as merlin’s dark counterweight forever. which makes me feel insane sorry i haven’t even finished explaining the backstory) anyway so she does this and then what happens is hard to explain but she uses her magic to kill someone, and as per the ouat mythology, that makes her Dark, and she becomes the first Dark One. and merlin takes the holy grail sword (excalibur) and breaks it in half and makes the tip of it into a dagger that her soul is magically bound to and it lets him control her and stop her from i guess generally wreaking havoc and the like
AND THEN. she gets the dagger back and she turns him into a tree for like 300 years or something before our girl emma eventually gets him out. which like. totally insane that nimue as the first dark one was the one that trapped him and emma as the last dark one freed him. what if we were cosmically bound together and only you could hurt me and only you could save me. haha. 😐😐😐😐. and then he died because hook (as a dark one. meaning he was using nimue’s power, because all the dark ones magic comes from her)(quick explainer the dark one can only be one person at a time they have to kill the previous one to become the next one it’s a whole thing. emma however is a weird special case and her and hook were the dark ones at the same time and also they didn’t die) crushed his heart. (he’s not dead tho no matter what the show wanted me to think. he was just taking a little break from like. life. he’s out there tho. ESPECIALLY when you remember that the dark one power still exists meaning nimue still exists and her power doesn’t exist without him because they’re linked. whatever. he’s out there the writers just forgot to bring him back because they ran out of time and they had to do other stuff. like aladddin <3 and the count of monte cristo for some reason. and fucked up hansel and gretel)
anyway his whole deal was built up so much in season four with the introduction of the Sorcerer being some all powerful guy who no one has ever met except presumably his apprentice who was this old man that ana from frozen accidentally turned into a rat one time it was a whole thing. anyway they spent season four being all ohhhh The Sorcerer…. he’s sooo powerful…. he created the Book and he chooses The Author….. and then season five comes around and it’s just some cunt who got turned into a tree because he was such a simp for his evil fiancée. and he’s a deadbeat pseudo father figure. and he’s my friend <3
9 notes · View notes
worstloki · 3 years
Conversation
Loki: your wish is my command
Loki: unless i don't want to do it
Loki: then i won't
#all these AUs where Loki’s stuck working for people#as if he wouldn't oppose anything you ask him to do on sheer principle#as if being magically bound to serve someone would stop him making the most of the situation#and what's up with people commenting on Loki's pride in fics#I daresay Loki flaunts himself but I'd also argue any doubts in his esteem would stop that being a weak point#oohhhhh now I want a fic where some sorts of punishments crash and burn because Loki just isn't effected#you know those Avengers-era fics where Loki's been handed over to the Avengers to serve a sentence and/or do what they say?#that except Clint doesn't understand why threatening to use the sceptre to control him in return leaves him unfazed and shrugging#Tony would go for pride I think since he made fun of the showboating hmmm would probably ask Loki to kneel or do weird house chores#I just imagine Loki gets to cleaning and whistles as he goes because hey this is relaxing after whatever the h*ck Thanos' goons were#Natasha prodding for answers on his suicide but Loki doesn't mind sharing bc Thanos already messed with his head to relive it over and over#Loki be like 'free therapist! finally i won't have to practice telling my sob story to a cell wall to work through it!! :D!!!'#i reckon Clint/Nat could team up with the questions actually and maybe even poke at Loki with the adopted/jotun thing#Thor insists Loki needs to relearn how to be good and keeps trying to instill morals in him but Loki's actually the one helping Thor out#idk about Steve but he can argue that he'd beat the dictatorship fascism out of him hsggsaDUSHSHisduhi cue sparring matches#sparring matches where Loki isn't supposed to fight back and/or solely defend himself so he can learn what it is to be the 'little guy'#i bet Loki figures Cap gets flustered easily and uses the sparring sessions as stand-up innuendo sessions lmao poor Steve#Bruce ain't a sadist but could request the easiest punishment in everyone's opinions#it involves not talking and just sitting quietly in the lab so he can ethically get blood/tissue samples and observe things like healing#Loki of course only reacts badly to that punishment and it might have to do with scars and remnants of torture maybe maybe not who can say#hmm I like fics where everyone assumes Loki is super evil and guilty and he's just there chilling and accepting any punishment he gets#probably thinks he deserves it but also it'd be a conscious decision to just take the fall so he isn't seen weak or accused of lying
464 notes · View notes
heauxzenji · 3 years
Text
Szn’s Creamings
Tumblr media
Miya Osamu x Fem!Reader
Warnings: oof a lot sorry- eggnog(its delicious and you’re all just mean), corruption if you squint, clandestine sex I guess? Choking, fingering, oral (m & f receiving), nipple play, the Miya accent, improper use of Christmas decorations, bondage, unprotected sex(you should know to expect this from my writing by now), vaginal penetration, squirting, creampies/breeding, use of the word daddy like ONCE, cum eating, a dash of overstim for optimal flavor, ahegao (😌) aaaaand snowballing (aka spitting cum in someone’s mouth) swearing obviously ummmmm shit man idk anymore I’m 999% sure that’s it- good shit below da cut
Wc: 2.5k
A/N: Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and a VERY Happy Holiday no matter your culture’s festivities! This is part of my collab with my lovely friends in The Sewer Server- @rat-suki ty anu for organizing it all! I’m love u. This fic was written in an eggnog & fireball induced  blackout, and is singlehandedly fueled by lust for Osamu’s Dorito body and my love for Steak n’ Shake.
Cheese-on’s Greetings Collab mlist here 🎄🎁🐁
Tumblr media
“This... is it?” He cocked an eyebrow at the concoction, the red and green sprinkles bleeding dye into the whipped cream, the sad cherry on top sunken into it. 
“This is what you’ve been goin’ on about fer the last 3 weeks?” 
This- was an eggnog milkshake. A wintertime classic, and a staple at the local diner in your hometown. Simple enough. It didn’t look like much- in fact, it honestly wasn't. But to you, this shitty, artificially-flavored diner milkshake encompassed all the joys of holiday magic into one tall, frosted glass. You could count the years you spent in this diner, knocking them back. You’ve grown of course, but the nostalgia always stays the same. Having Osamu come to your hometown for the holidays was a pretty big step in your relationship, sure, but including him in the milkshake tradition usually reserved for your best friend? That was even bigger. 
“You haven’t even taken a sip, you ass,” you giggled, putting your own straw to your lips, reveling in the cool flavor that was coating your tongue. Pure sugar, just a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon- perfect as always. You pushed the glass over to him, urging him to try for himself. He took in a large drink, letting it rest before clicking his tongue a few times and looking over at your eyes- eyes that were aglow with anticipation and gingerbread men? No, that was just the reflection of the gaudy tinsel that adorned the booth you sat in. 
“Soooo?” 
“Not bad,” he sighed, pushing the glass back your way. Always anticlimactic. 
“But I could definitely make one that’s better.”
“I’d like to see you try,” you shot back, narrowing your eyes at him. 
One thing you knew he could never resist was a challenge. Grabbing his wallet, he slammed some bills on the table, whisking you away from the diner in 2 minutes flat, the milkshake an ever present memory, like that of the favorite Christmas gift from childhoods passed. You didn’t think he’d take it that seriously, but you also knew that Osamu took everything- especially food- seriously.
Even still, the drive back to your parents’ was a calm one, like every night adventure. The only difference was the bitter cold in the air, and the soft crooning of songs about Santa Claus on the radio. The only thing was- you just couldn’t stop pressing your thighs together….
“Put it away, sir.” you said jokingly, shifting your current position on the couch. Miracle on 34th Street shown on the small screen of the television as you flicked through what seemed like every Christmas movie ever made with the remote.  The feeling of his cock starting to stiffen at your back told you everything you needed to know; that Osamu wasn’t interested in whether or not Santa Claus was real, or  whatever the ‘true’ meaning of Christmas was- he was solely interested in the meaning of that which currently resided between your legs. 
A sneaky had drifted under your shirt, breath hitching in your throat as his thick fingers rolled one of your nipples, the soft tugging leaving you mewling as the sensation traveled down to your now throbbing clit. You leaned into it for a split second, but you were bought back to reality by the sight of your family’s Christmas photos on the fireplace mantle. There was no way in hell you could get fucked in front of a photo of your grandmother. You swatted Osamu’s hand away.
“We can NOT do this right now-” your words fell on deaf ears as  his hand snaked up your thigh, leaving a trail of warmth in  its wake as he settled them right above your stomach, fiddling with the drawstrings of your shorts. 
“My mom and dad are literally upstairs….” The words left your mouth faintly your body lurching toward him.
Again, you tried. A valiant attempt. It wasn’t a lie- they most certainly were upstairs, presumably fast asleep, as they had been up there for almost two hours now, leaving you and Osamu to watch a few corny Christmas movies- or so they thought. But he saw through your objections. Hearing the way your voice softened, seeing how your chest wavered as he got closer and closer to your face, he simply couldn’t contain himself. 
“It’s not my fault ‘ya wanted to stay here,” he huffed, large hands seizing your own, pushing away their protests as he passed his thumb up and down your clothed slit. You bit your lip in an effort to silence the moan that was bubbling its way up and out of your mouth. You had started to become feverish, your own state of vulnerability apparent as Osamu used one arm to pin your wrists above your head, sending your lower half flailing and bucking up into his free hand as you whimpered desperately for his touch.
“You want it, don’t ya, little love?” Little love. The one pet name you could never resist. Almost like a switch, you moaned a particularly needy, not-so-hushed “hmmhm- yes, daddy,” that definitely would have blown your cover. Luckily, Osamu’s thick fingers worked their way into your mouth to silence you, your lips immediately wrapping around them and obediently sucking to heed his words.
“Just be s’quiet as possible,” his hushed tone came out in a low baritone. He pressed a finger to his lips, pointing another up toward the ceiling from the couch of your parents living room. 
Keeping your arms restrained, your boyfriend’s free hand pushed past your layers of clothes, your saliva coated his fingers, providing just enough slickness to enter your hole with ease, gently curling against that soft spot right inside. You were so warm, so needy, easily molding into his touch as he watched your eyes widen within his. You fixed your mouth to open, but it hung there as his fingers worked, your cunt sucking  them in manically. 
“F-fuck,” you could barely manage that. “Please I-hmph- please…”
“Use yer words, little love,” he cooed, the tone of his voice was sickeningly slow as he teased you, slowing his fingers down. You bucked your hips in protest, pouting and wiggling underneath him to feel some form of friction.
“Stop Squirmin’.” His demeanor shifted immediately, darkening at your perceived disobedience. The hands that held your wrists met your throat, a half gasp escaping you as he gently squeezed, your face softening into a pout. 
“I said- use yer words.”
“Please, please fuck me,” you squeaked. “F-fill me up.”
“Then we gotta find a way t’keep ya nice n’ still. Will you be good fer me?”
You nodded. You always were. Osamu’s ability to render you a compliant, malleable toy for him to fuck was astounding. You could spend the rest of your life being his obedient little thing without a care in the world or a complaint.
“I know ya will,” he pressed a kiss to your lips. “My little love’s always s’good…” 
You knew you were in for it- but you didn’t expect this. It was a little different from your normal setup, but at the same time, the rush of excitement built in the pit of your stomach just as it did the first time ‘Samu ever bound you. It just so happened that there were some discarded lights nearby the Christmas tree. You could see the glimmer of an idea in his eyes as he plugged them in, smiling as the glow lit up his face. He looked at you on the couch and wiggled his eyebrows- as much as you wanted to laugh out loud, you weren’t in the position to be picky about your rigging tonight. You had to make do. 
“It’s…. festive?” You could tell that even he was amused. But amusement aside, the desire that built between you, the stored tension of having not touched each other for almost two days now was clearly screaming to be addressed. His large hands made a bite in the wiring of the lights and they quickly found themselves around your wrists, the illumination beautiful, but also kind of blinding this close to your face. With a kiss to your lips, he moved from your wrists and down toward your torso, trailing an interesting track of holiday cheer into a harness around your chest and tying in your back. Your arms were bent forward at the elbow, snugly enough so that you could wiggle your fists, but your wrists were of no use.
 Pushing you onto your knees, you felt the press of your boyfriend’s hand against your back as he repositioned your arms and elbows to place you on all fours. Cool air immediately hit the skin of your lower half as you felt him pull your bottoms off. You wriggled your hips in an effort to help, but instead your flesh was met with an aggressive strike. Managing to catch your discomfort in your throat, a lowered hiss bared through your gritted teeth, soon followed by a sharpened inhale as you felt the presence of him towering over you. 
“Been thinking about the way those cute lips were wrapped around that straw all night,” he panted, palming his cock through his sweats. You could see how uncomfortably hard he was- it lit a fire in the pit of your stomach. You couldn’t wait to serve him, you couldn’t wait to feel the weight of his thick cock against your tongue- and stretching your pussy past it’s limits.
“I bet’cher sweet mouth wrapped around my cock would look even prettier, don’t ya think?” 
His words hit at your core. Your mouth began to water in anticipation as he pulled himself out of his sweats, gently pumping before lining up at your mouth. 
Delicately, your tongue swirled down the slit of the head, plush lips wrapping around the pink bulb. Osamu’s hands guided your head down the length, drool sliding out of your mouth and down your  chin, where it dripped onto your chest, riddled with bright multicolored light. Slowly, he fucked himself with your throat, allowing you to adjust to his girth. 
“Yep,” he exhaled deeply, hissing at how warm your mouth felt around him.
 “Ev’n prettier.”
 His motions sped up as he bobbed your head up and down, the slight saltiness of his precum going down easily, leaving you practically begging for a full load.  You always craved him on your tongue- he tasted much better than any diner milkshake could. The soft gargling of his assault on your throat slowed to a stop as he pulled you off, leaving you gasping for air. Licking the drool from the corners of your lips, Osamu kissed you passionately before throwing your bound body onto the couch.
You clenched haphazardly around his cock as soon as he entered you, head flying forward with the force of his thrusts. His arm held you upright, parallel to his chest as his cock pistoned in and out of your hole. 
“‘S-sa-ah!~ ‘Samu- ffuck!” Your eyes snapped shut as he fucked into you. His breathy grunts resounded deep in your ears, sending jolts of molten lust down your spine, chest heaving as you tried keeping your voices down. Your hot, wet cunt sucked him in deeper and deeper each time he entered you- your urge to milk him for everything he had was only made more apparent by it. 
“I can feel you baby,” He purred into your ear. “So fucking wet.” 
Osamu released you from his hold, letting you fall forward into the couch, one hand pushing your head into the cushions, the other roughly kneading at the flesh where your ass and hip met, digging his nails into the flesh as he began to carnally pound into your pussy. Each stroke hit your sweet spot with a ridiculously precise skill. Your muffled sobs echoed into the cushions of the couch as he drilled you, never once slowing the rate in which his hips snapped into yours. You wouldn’t be surprised if the smacking of his skin against yours woke your parents at this rate- you couldn’t be bothered to care with your orgasm this close to the horizon. 
Somehow you managed to free a hand from your twinkling ties, immediately pushing it to your clit to rub it feverishly. The squelching started up shortly after, your ears beginning to ring as your throat squealed itself raw into the deep void beneath you. Osamu pulled you back by your hair, pressing his lips to your ear and clasping a hand to your mouth.
“Keep rubbing that pretty pussy, sweet girl, so fucking close to cumming fer me, aren’t ya?”
You could only whine in response. He softened the hand on your mouth, muffled words spilling out.
“I’m gonna cu-ah-cum! Please let me cum!” 
“Hmmm? Gonna cum? Did I hear ya right, little love?” He knew what he was doing, egging you on like this.
You were mere milliseconds away from losing it, the edge pulling up to you so close that you could barely collect yourself as you began to feel yourself slip over it- eyes whiting out as Osamu gave you the go-ahead. 
“Just let me c-” he finished your sentence for you.
“Cum.” It was a simple word, a simple command. But the way it hit your ears: the way the low growl tore through your body- you didn't stand a chance. The warm wetness of your release sprayed against his abs, trickling down your thighs and pooling into the upholstery. Your eyes crossed, face contorting further into lewd bliss as a scream tried to escape your mouth- but only silence hiccuped its way out. 
“Good fucking girl- now take this, baby. Take it all…” God, he was the devil. 
Fucking you through it- your boyfriend chased his own high, cock twitching inside as the vision of you wrapped in lights blurring into colorful stars as he spilled into you, his load coating your insides with a mass of sticky, soothing heat. You both collapsed into each other, bodies writhing as you caught your heavy breaths. 
As he slipped out of you, Osamu lifted your hips to his mouth, sucking in the mixture of his and your own release, savoring it on his tongue. Your puffy, fucked-out cunt spasmed at the contact, the sensation overwhelming as you tugged at his steely grey locks, snapping his head back. 
“Hmmph-  s’too much ‘Samu!” Your thighs clamped together as soon as he released you.
Humming a soft apology, he moved up from your lower lips to the upper ones, pushing his tongue past them, spitting arousal across your tongue. You swallowed the mixture greedily, smiling against his lips. You could still feel ropes of cum pouring from your spamming hole and leaking onto your thighs.
“Whaddaya think?” The words were slurred against the skin at the crook of your neck while he peppered your skin with kisses.
“Delicious.” You looked at him with a smirk, mind still hazy as your body shook its way through a few more aftershocks. 
“Told ya I could make a better milkshake.”
 As he said it, laughter broke out between the two of you. Your chest struggled against the harness, as it was still pretty tight. Osamu unplugged the decorations, gently untying you as snow fell outside your living room window, the faint jingling of bells filling the room again as the tv light illuminated you both. 
Tumblr media
 Taglist Starseeds (check ur privacy settings if your url is in bold): @honey-makki @crushzone @yumekosgamblingroom @boujiesav @onesingleravioli @ushijimasfarmhat @trouvelle @nekoma-hoe @right-shoe-jpg @atsumusc0ck @ukeis @nivky0-0 @animoozies @charmarsmith
790 notes · View notes
solomonish · 3 years
Text
selfless (to a fault?) [nowdateables]
CW: allusions to past toxic relationships.
Tumblr media
brothers here!
Tumblr media
Diavolo
So. Diavolo might not notice right away. It’s not ignorance! He’s just very busy, and public appearances are important to keep up, so one of the ways he keeps up with you happens to be exactly what you have trouble accepting. Large bouquets sent to the House of Lamentation when you’re there, a word sent out to any of his staff out where you may be to make your life easier however possible (Mammon tries to tag along with you all the time, hoping to hear the magic words: “His highness has graciously waived the fee for all exchange students’ purchases today!”) - and he’s not even there to see the way your smile looks a little more like a grimace, or the way you stare uncomfortably at the little gift.
He seems to love that you are so willing to try and help him out - even if there isn’t much you can do, since he handles a lot of sensitive documents and information. But, considering he’s so lonely, when it comes to reciprocating he sort of follows your lead?
He knows, on a surface level, how to be in a relationship, but considering you’re a human AND he doesn’t have a lot of interpersonal relationships for practice...he sort of follows your lead, and hopes your way of giving love is the same as your way of receiving.
You’ll have to bring it up to him, which is a nerve-wracking experience on its own, eased only by the fact that you know Diavolo has done his best to make sure you KNOW you can bring up any issues you have. He is very good at opening his ears to you and helping you problem solve, and when dealing with the things he cares about (yes, YOU) he is very direct about problem solving.
The moment you stand before him, Diavolo notices the way you fidget with your hands and almost refuse to look at him directly. He immediately stops what he’s doing, putting everything down and turning in his seat. If he’s at his desk, he gestures for you to come to his side and asks you directly - “What’s wrong?”
It seems terrible to directly accuse the prince of wanting to manipulate you, so instead you ask, “What did you want in exchange for those gifts?” And for a moment, he does not know what you are talking about. First of all, WHICH gifts, there’s so many, and secondly did he come across as wanting something in return other than your happiness?
No matter what he was doing before, he will set aside all of the time he needs to at least start to communicate to you that he has no ulterior motives with his gifts to you. If you’d like him to stop with such blatant displays of affection, he will, but it’s more important to him that you know he is only trying to communicate how he feels when he cannot do it directly.
Tumblr media
Barbatos
This is a relationship where you might have to bring it up before you even start dating. Either that or he WILL get a hint before then. He’s a butler! Not only is he normally serving other people, he is a master at standing in the back and watching people. He notices the way you awkwardly hold your tea cup after he gives it to you, or decline anything that he offers you when given the chance. It just comes up by nature of who he is.
Before he is interested in pursuing a relationship, he simply brushes it off as the unfamiliarity of having someone wait on you. Perhaps you’re particularly independent, or you just never really are in a situation where someone waits on you like he does. Either way, it isn’t really much of his business.
But...it is very obvious in a relationship. He just...defaults to helping others. Sure, he knows how to separate work and his personal life (though, to be fair, there is not much of a “personal life” there with how much time work takes up, so maybe that needs to be revisited. some day...) but even with that separation he enjoys providing solutions for people and helping out. It brings him joy to help make your life a little easier if he can help, and it’s something he’s good at.
Still, he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable, and he definitely doesn’t want to make you think that he’s treating you the way he treats people as a job. If he wanted to, he could most likely peer into different timelines or even into your past, try to figure out what’s bothering you...but he knows better than to creep into places you haven’t explicitly told him you want him. Besides, communication is important, and this seems a prime opportunity to put that to use.
So he asks you one day when you visit him at the castle, after he notices your hesitation to respond to him when he offers to help you with something you were complaining about. “Why does it make you uncomfortable when I offer my assistance to you?”
You freeze for a moment. “Wouldn’t you be able to find that out on your own?” “Would you like me to?” “...no, not really.”
He isn’t one to press you for information, or to ask a thousand times if you know he’d never use any of his attempts to make your life in the Devildom easier against you. Barbatos will listen to what you have to say intently and do his best to mesh to what you think you’re most comfortable with. He does intend to help you accept help as much as he can, but it’ll be so subtle you’ll hardly even notice. With the little amount of time he already gets with you, he’s already practiced in making the most of it - what’s one more little task to the greatest butler in all the realms?
Tumblr media
Solomon
See, this is a relationship that doesn’t necessarily depend on the whole “acts of kindness” thing. (Like, it does to the same degree any relationship does, but considering I think you’d both be pretty independent people and the helping each other aspect normally comes from things you’re doing together anyway. If that makes sense.)
Still, he does notice how...surprised you look when he surprises you with a flashy spell he learned, or when he hears you complaining about your course load or Lucifer’s expectations for you. You decline every single offer he gives you to help, and you never look as happy as he hopes you will when he shows you his spells. (Depending on what stage you are at in the relationship, how is he supposed to impress you if you never want him to do things for you !!!)
However, he is accustomed to holding information close to his chest, and he isn’t always the best at asking about people’s emotions. So, even though sometimes you jump at the opportunity to help him collect ingredients for potions or find one book in massive libraries or craft things for enchantments and spells but you REFUSE to let him help you study for a class he could pass without even listening to one of the lectures, he silently suffers and hopes you’ll breach the subject on your own.
Which you do. Kinda. He’s trying to convince you to let him help you with paying back the debts of one of Mammon’s schemes he dragged you into - figuring two bodies on the job will get it done faster and, in turn, he can have more time with you later - but he makes the mistake of rationalizing it with, “Well, since you help me out so much, maybe I could-”
“Don’t! Don’t...say that. We don’t owe each other anything.” You give him a tight smile that’s OBVIOUSLY fake. “I help you because I want to.”
“And I want to help you. Why won’t you let me? What’s up?”
The conversation is...uncomfortable. Solomon isn’t the best at handling vulnerability. But he doesn’t judge you for a second, and he gets the fear that you have in the back of your mind. Especially since people keep telling you not to trust him and that he’s shady...this relationship is pretty dependent on a thorough trust between the two of you. But he doesn’t mind proving himself a little more, so long as you’ll be gracious enough to give him a chance.
Tumblr media
Simeon
Simeon is really good at vibing out somebody’s boundaries and comforts. Call it angelic intuition, but he also has a feeling about you that makes a little too much sense when he notices how you shy away from any offers of assistance.
A little thinking, and suddenly the way you stretch yourself thing to help the brothers at any moment makes a lot of sense too. (And, of course, he is pleased to know everyone considers everyone to be family. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t two main causes!)
Angels naturally want to ease the strife of the humans they come across, and even though Simeon knows that it might make you uncomfortable, he finds himself unknowingly putting you in awkward positions with how often he reaches out to make your life easier.
Bringing you homework that you missed, being your escort when the brothers are busy, buying you lunch just because - he’s a bit of a sweetheart and it’s in his blood to do these things, and he only remembers how it hurts you when you uncomfortably shift before taking the only option he’s given you - accept what you don’t want.
He sits you down one day, letting you know it’s bound to be a healing conversation between the two of you. Fortunately, he has a knack for making you feel comfortable and safe, so he has a slightly easier time getting you to pen up to him.
The moment you even hint at him having ulterior motives, you feel stupid. Even when he assures you that it’s alright, saying it out in the open feels...wrong. That doesn’t shake the feeling or ease your fears, but it does make addressing things a bit easier.
Simeon has no problem helping to draft a plan for re-affirming your trust in genuine love and kindness. He also inserts himself directly into the plans - what, you thought he wouldn’t? Simeon will remind you what it feels like to be cared for with no expectation of return. don’t get him wrong though, he’ll take a lil kiss or something if u want...
Tumblr media
Luke
You can’t say no to him. Unfortunately, he bakes a LOT and he is all too eager to be your personal guard dog guardian angel.
When you do decide to let him know why you look so uncomfortable when he tries to do something for you (giving him an abridged version, of course) - and he, in all his energy, does not seem to get the hint to STOP ASKING - you can see him literally just chill out. One minute he’s vibrating with pure energy and the next he’s just. Still.
He half wants to get indignant on you, but he knows that’s not a good response. Instead he just sort of stands there, watching you for a minute, until he blurts out with zero grace - “What would I even have to do that for??”
He realizes it’s a terrible response the moment it comes out of his mouth, but you seem to be okay with it if your awkward chuckle is anything to go with. Luke starts pouting just a little bit, more upset with himself that he’s completely failing at handling this situation. “I’m just nice to you because you’re nice and you deserve it. There’s nothing else to it.”
He’s a sweet boy, and he doesn’t wanna lose his favorite taste-tester. He’s got the spirit.
181 notes · View notes
five-rivers · 3 years
Text
Stars Aligned Chapter 3
(Please do not ask when the next chapter will be, I do not know. Links to AO3/FFN will be included in reblog.)
.
Here’s the thing. The very, very, stupid thing. Despite all his planning for this trip, Danny had no idea what his birth family looked like. Presumably, they also had no idea what he looked like.
As much as Danny would like to blame this on a wizardly aversion to the internet and photographs, he couldn’t. Danny could have sent them a picture of himself through the mail at any time. Even if wizard mail involved owls for some unexplained reason. But he didn’t. Because he was dumb.
And his equally dumb wizard family had also failed to send any pictures.
What were they thinking? Did they assume they’d somehow recognize each other on sight? Was that a wizard thing? Did they expect to spontaneously develop blood-relative telepathy? Was that a thing?
Danny did not know what to expect. He honestly didn’t know enough about wizards.
The end result was that Danny was standing in the middle of the wizarding world’s equivalent of an airport, which involved way more open fires than could possibly be safe, and people stepping into those open fires, which, again, could not possibly be safe. Of course, Danny had done it, as uncomfortable as it was for his core, and anything that used internal combustion was technically also using fire as a means of transportation, so Danny might have been a bit of a hypocrite, but still.
But, back to his dilemma. He, a dumb teenager, could be expected to do dumb, thoughtless things and make easily avoidable mistakes. It was basically a requirement. His actual family, who probably could have realized the error, didn’t want him to go and could be forgiven for any oversight. But dumb wizard birth family had at least one semi-competent adult in it. Supposedly.
Despite himself, his desire to kidnap his brother increased. Even though it would most likely cause an international incident.
He sighed. Maybe he should just follow the crowd and see if anyone stopped him. After all wizards might have magic blood-relative detection something or other.
He trudged along, pulling his trundle suitcase behind him. Silver lining was that whatever happened, he didn’t have to spend hours in a metal tube breathing recycled air. Silver lining. Silver lining. Silver—
Ah. Hm.
Danny blinked at his name written in large letters on a square of poster paper. His first and middle names, that is, and his bio-family’s last name.
He was highlytempted to turn around and go back home, but there was his twin, holding the card and looking fragile and hopeful, standing next to a tall woman with greying black hair.
He sighed. He was doing this, then.
“Hi,” he said, “you must be Draco. I’m Danny. And, uh, you must be Narcissa Malfoy?” He sort of held his hand out, feeling awkward.
“You can call me mother, Deneb,” said Narcissa. She sounded slightly tearful.
“It good to meet you, Deneb. Er. Danny.” Draco’s eyes flitted up to his mother.
“Yeah, um. Please don’t take this the wrong way, Mrs. Malfoy, but I don’t actually know you. And I’ve got a mom.”
“Yet,” interjected Draco. “You don’t know mother yet. That’s what this visit is about, right?”
“Right,” said Danny. “I’m… really looking forward to it.”
Draco looked relieved. “Excellent. Well, then, Looky can get your luggage and we can floo home.”
A very small, rather wizened person stepped out from behind Draco’s legs.
Okay. Danny had questions.
.
Danny did not particularly care for the answers to his questions.
.
Draco didn’t know why his twin had stopped talking to him before they’d even gotten home. He had, to some degree, expected rough spots. Merlin knew his family didn’t get along perfectly. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t hoped he and his twin would have a special connection. That they would mesh.
That… wasn’t happening. In fact, this was rather… awkward. Painful, almost.
He thought back to what they had been talking about. He didn’t think he’d said anything particularly objectionable. Had he hit on some chip on the shoulder those squibs had inculcated in him? Well, he thought, rather shamefacedly, he shouldn’t think of them like that. They hadn’t been the ones to abandon Deneb – Danny – just for not being immediately magical.
“Right,” he said, as Danny stepped (jumped, looking slightly disturbed) out of the fire. “Let me show you your room. We’ve had the house elves clean it out.”
Something on Danny’s face went dark, but he visibly controlled himself. “Thank you,” he said. “And, um, thank you, Looky. For your help.”
Draco frowned. He was confused, and he didn’t like feeling confused. He knew muggles didn’t have house elves, of course, but still. The concept wasn’t that hard to understand, was it? Although, it was possible Danny had never come across house elves at all, even second or third hand.
He supposed they might be unsettling if they were the first magical creature one came across. Ugh. He’d never tried to put himself in the position of someone learning about magic for the first time. Why would he? That was mudblood business, and he’d never associate with one of those.
But Danny was in that position, just about.
That meant it was Draco’s job to help Danny understand.
.
Danny was hoping he was misunderstanding something and that wizards did not, in fact, practice slavery.
This seemed to be a forlorn hope.
“So,” said Draco clasping his hands behind his back in the doorway of ‘Danny’s’ room, “er, house elves. You’ve probably not seen them before.”
“Can’t really say so, no.”
“Probably the first magical creatures you’ve seen.”
“Um,” said Danny. “Also no. I did have to go get a wand and stuff, and you’ve got to go to a wizard town to do that. I saw a bunch of different stuff there.” He didn’t really want to explain the ghosts, but… “Also, my parents study ghosts.”
“You mean, your adopted parents.”
“My parents, yes.”
“I didn’t know squibs could see ghosts. Well, they never seemed to have any trouble with it, so…” He shrugged.
“I… see.”
Danny doubted it, somehow. “But you were saying? About house elves?” Benefit of the doubt, he reminded himself.
“They’re servants,” said Draco. “Magically bound to serve certain families.”
“Magically bound,” repeated Danny, liking this less and less.
“Yes, it’s very old magic. An ancient agreement between our race and theirs, and the individual families and the house elves in question.”
“They can’t, like, opt out or anything?”
“That would defeat the point.”
“Okay,” said Danny. “So… Do they get, you know, paid at all?”
“Of course not,” said Draco.
Danny closed his eyes. “Okay. Um. Draco.” How to put this in a way that wouldn’t immediately alienate him. “Isn’t that slavery?”
“No,” said Draco, immediately. “They want to serve.”
“Well, they might say that to you, but human slaves used to say the same thing, because they’d get in trouble if they didn’t.”
Draco opened his mouth, closed it, and then said, confidently, “It isn’t like that.”
“Are you sure?”
“They aren’t human. They want to do this.”
Danny was no stranger to dealing with inhuman mindsets (but he most definitely did not have one himself). Even so…
“I think my point still stands. Like, are there very many house elves in this situation?”
“I don’t know,” said Draco. “I suppose so. Most families of substance and breeding have at least one.”
“Okay. Ah. Look. I’m not even sure where to start with this. Slavery is bad, right? We can agree on that.”
An annoyed expression passed over Draco’s face. “Yes, we can. That’s a given. But that’s for humans—"
“Great. Let’s start there. It’s bad for any human, right? Even, like, no-majs, or stupid humans, or—”
“Muggles,” corrected Draco. “No-maj is the American term.”
“When in Rome, I guess, sure. Muggles, then.”
“Yeah,” said Draco, uncomfortably crossing his arms.
Oh, Ancients, there was something there. Which Danny should have expected, given his birth father, whom he had yet to meet, threw him out of the house literally at birth.
Wizard supremacist weirdos corrupting his poor twin brother.
“Then what makes house elves so different?”
“Like I said, they want to do this. It’s in their nature. You wouldn’t, I don’t know, decide a dog was unhealthy because it barked instead of meowed, would you?” He spread his hands in frustration.
“I’ll give you that, but Looky looked actively afraid of you. And what was she even dressed in? That can’t be comfortable.”
“Giving them real clothes would free them – only if it’s their master, which in this case is Father.” He shifted slightly. “Except for Looky, I suppose, who is technicallymine. Great Aunt—Oh, you won’t know her. Why do you even care?”
“Why do I care about other people suffering? But otherthan that, what’s the difference between a house elf and a human servant? Like, would you treat a human servant like that? If you were a servant, wouldn’t you want to be treated with respect, even if being a servant was all you’d ever wanted?”
“But I’m not a servant.”
“But if you were. Can’t you just try to imagine it? A little? Please?”
“I… fine. But don’t bring this up to Mother and Father. They wouldn’t be pleased.”
“Okay. Deal.”
“Deal,” agreed Draco. “So. Do you like your room?”
Danny looked around. “Yeah, actually. It’s nice. Bit different from what I have at home, but, yeah. Good, um. Good floors. And wallpaper. And, um. Do all wizard paintings move like that?” He genuinely hadn’t noticed until just now, intent on the house elf problem.
“Yeah,” said Draco, seemingly relieved at the more normal topic. “It’s an enchantment on the canvas and paint.”
“Seems like it’d be hard to work with,” observed Danny.
“Well, the spell isn’t finished until after the actual painting part is done. At least, that’s my understanding.”
“I see, that would be easier.”
Silence.
“Would you like to see the peacocks?”
“Sure, why not?”
.
It took a bit of time to get bundled up in coats (cloaks in Draco’s case) because it was cold outside, but once they did…
“Wow. They’re albino peacocks.”
“Yes.”
“Wild.”
“No, they’re quite tame.”
“Oh, it’s, um, it’s an idiom. Like cool. Or wicked, I guess? Do British people use that?”
“I’ve heard some people use it. But Mother and Father are… not particularly enamored of slang.”
“Right,” said Danny. “I’ll remember that.”
They continued walking through the garden, towards the pond. Danny tried not to dwell on how much labor it would take to keep the grounds here so pristine.
“What do you do for fun in America?” asked Draco, out of nowhere.
Danny blinked. “Different people do different things,” he said. “Uh, a lot of things I usually do won’t work here because of the whole magic and electricity not getting along well thing. Have you ever heard about video games?”
“No,” said Draco. “Is it anything like quidditch?”
“I have only the loosest of understandings of what that is. It’s that broom sport, right? The one where you fly?”
Draco looked scandalized. “… Yes,” he said, finally. “I’m going to have to teach you how to use a broom before you have to go back to America.”
“The flying type of broom?” asked Danny, teasingly. Sure, he already could fly, but whatever.
“Merlin, yes.” Draco rolled his eyes. “I’m part of my house’s quidditch team. Letting you leave without some understanding of the rules would be a crime.”
“Draco, are you a jock?” asked Danny. “What is this world coming to. Related to a jock.” He shook his head dramatically. “I’ll never live it down.”
Draco nudged him slightly. “I’m not a meathead beater, at least,” he said. “I’m the team seeker.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
Draco’s smile slowly slid off his face.
“What?” said Danny.
“It’s just… you should. You should have grown up here, with family, as part of this world.”
“I did grow up with family,” said Danny. “Just not direct blood relatives. It kind of sucks that we didn’t get the chance to grow up together, but, like, I’m not really impressedby your parents so far.”
“Mother was very upset when she heard what Father did.”
“Sure, but she also kind of ditched us as soon as we got back here.”
“She has a delicate constitution? I’m sure she’s just trying to decide how to act… giving you space to make you feel more comfortable?”
Danny shrugged. “Well, we’ll see what happens. I’m going to be here until the end of the break, after all.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to Hogwarts, just for the rest of the school year? I’m sure they’ll be better than any alternative in America, when it comes to catching you up. Father has friends on the board of governors and the Ministry Department of Educational Oversight. It would be easy for you to go.”
“My friends are all back home,” said Danny, “and magic or not, what I really want to do with my life is become an astronaut, and I need ‘muggle’ grades and school for that.”
“A what now?”
“An astronaut?”
Surely, Draco had just misheard him.
“Is that some sort of muggle thing, then?”
“I- Do you not know what an astronaut is?” asked Danny, flabbergasted. “Really?”
Draco’s eyebrows were furrowed. “No, I don’t.”
“How about cosmonauts? Do you know about them?”
“No,” said Draco. “Is this related to the Argonauts, somehow? That Greek thing?”
“No,” said Danny. “I mean, the root word – But no. Not the same thing at all. How do I even… Do you know what outer space is?”
“Astronomy is a class at Hogwarts.”
“Not a very good one,” said Danny, “if you don’t know what an astronaut is. I think I’d die.”
“It’s a very good class. Hogwarts is the best wizarding school in Europe. And I know what outer space is. It’s the space up above the atmosphere, where the planets and stars are, and stuff.”
“Okay. I mean. I’m not trying to make you feel bad or anything,” reassured Danny, sensing that he had ruffled some feathers. “I’m just… an astronomy class should teach about astronauts. Astronauts are people who’ve been to space. Outer space.”
“That’s rubbish,” said Draco. “You can’t go to space.”
Danny refrained from informing Draco that he had, in fact, been to space. “Well, I want to go to space,” said Danny, “and other people have been there.”
“No one’s been to space,” said Draco. “Unless maybe someone apparated there by mistake, but how would you even do that?”
“I don’t know what apparating is,” said Danny. “Some kind of teleportation?”
Both of them stared at each other, each one probably at a loss for words regarding the other’s ignorance of things they themselves considered common knowledge.
“Yeah, more or less,” said Draco, finally. “But you can’t get to space. It’s impossible.”
“It isn’t. There are people up there right now,” said Danny. “On the International Space Station. Which is… it’s sort of a little house. In space.”
“There’s no air up there.”
“They bring the air with them.”
“Wouldn’t it explode?”
“They figured out how to make it so it wouldn’t explode. It’s very, um. Sturdy. Rigid. The space station is airtight.”
“And you’re saying that there are muggles in it. In space. Outer space. Right now.”
“As we speak. I mean, I guess some of them could be secret wizards, but considering your reaction, I’m doubting it.”
“Muggles. In space.”
“Yeah. We made it to the moon, too. But that was—”
“The moon?”
“Yeah?”
“In the sky?”
“That, uh.” He looked up, as if expecting to see the moon despite the thick cloud cover. “Yeah. The moon.”
“You’re telling me,” said Draco, in a hushed voice, “that there are muggles on the moon. Right now. As we speak.”
“No, that was before we were born,” said Danny.
“What.”
“Yeah, some people went, but it was really expensive, so they haven’t been back. Which I think is silly, because can you imagine the scientific advancements we could have made? The resources we could have brought back?”
“The moon.”
“You seem really hung up on this. Are you okay?”
“You- That- The moon. And muggles in space?”
“Yeah,” said Danny. He rubbed the back of his neck. “So, you see why I need to go back. I’m sure Hogwarts is great and all, but I really want to be an astronaut.”
“Can you see them through a telescope?”
“See what?”
“The muggles in space.”
“On a clear night, sure, if you know where to look.” Before the Accident (the Big One, the Unaliving, the Green Flash, the Knockoff Origin Story), Danny usually checked the internet for the times the ISS passed overhead. But he’d developed a ghost power that gave him a pretty good sense of where anything in the sky was, so long as he concentrated for a few minutes. “It orbits the Earth every ninety minutes or so, although it doesn’t always catch the light enough to see properly. You can actually see a lot of satellites.”
“There are more of these things?” hissed Draco.
“Not with people on them.”
“I’m getting my telescope,” declared Draco, starting to stride back to the house.
“We won’t be able to see anything now,” said Danny.
“It’s enchanted to see through cloud cover and ignore non-reflected sunlight. It’s top of the line.”
Danny had never wanted a physical object so much in his entire life.
“What? What? Magic can do that?”
144 notes · View notes
musicallisto · 3 years
Note
hi love! congratulations on such a wonderful milestone! i’ve been following you for ages so this is almost as exciting for me haha
could i please get a 🍨 for the grishaverse/six of crows? (whichever you feel fits!) i’m straight female who is an istj, slytherin, and 6w5! i also took the grisha quiz and am apparently a alkemi (but would i truly want to be grisha? the jury is still out on that). im 5’7 with blonde hair, brown eyes, and glasses. i’m a sagittarius sun, pisces moon, and aquarius rising!
i’m pretty independent, and believe no friendship demands blind faith. i’m probably too selfish (which i don’t see as a bad thing, personally), and can be quick to anger.
HOWEVER! i’m not all angst. i’m introverted, shy, & frankly bad with emotions (both feeling and expressing), BUT i also love to laugh, and will not stop talking to you about things i like once we’re friends.
i love that first sip of coffee, the silence after it snows, and the stars on a clear night. i’ve had multiple concussions from sports (which tells you all you need to know about my self-preservation skills) but i will take a day in bed reading or watching various franchise movies over adventure most days. i also lovelovelove listening to music — specifically classical!
thank you so much in advance !! and take all the time you need, this is a fun celebration so i wouldn’t wanna stress you out :) congrats again!!
hi! here’s your vanilla milkshake! (also - please come off anon because first of all, you’ve been following me for a long time? my heart melts. but ALSO! you sound like the most amazing and fascinating person and i adore your personality.) i thought of going for a shadow and bone character to diversify a little bit - but who am i to resist the call of kaz brekker?
Tumblr media
no words can express my excitement at being able to use an actual gif for Kaz.
we all know Kaz and we all know his emotional turmoil. expect the slowest of slow-burns; expect to even wonder if the candle is lit at all.
But it is, I promise. It is lit and it seeps into his heart in ways that he doesn’t understand, and frankly, that scare him a little.
He’s never been good at that whole falling thing. He’s more than content to sit above the rest, and leave the tumbling to Inej.
So when he has to face the music and understand that you’re not getting away, and neither are his growing fondness for you? He’s totally helpless. Serves him right for not learning how to fall sooner.
At first, he thought it was mere fascination that drew him to you. Sure, it takes a lot for him to be impressed... but even he has to admit that you are a lot. Not in the lot in the exuberant sense of all these merchants, but assured and strong in your mastery of your powers, and in your quiet competence.
You craft most of the poisons and antidotes the Dregs use, and are unafraid to yield them yourself; you don’t mind getting your hands dirty; you’re reliable, loyal, easy to trust, and, surprisingly to him, easy to befriend as well. Although he doesn’t make a big effort to befriend you anyway; but whenever he goes down to visit you in your clandestine lab, he ends up spending much more time than he originally planned talking to you.
It’s just so easy to forget the grime of the streets above in that peaceful laboratory, with the distant sound of violin and chemical solutions bubbling somewhere indistinct. And your total concentration, as you mix up the poisons and conjure the blasting powders with deadly precision, is a magnificent sight to see.
At first, Kaz is guilty of sending you on missions for him, or confining you to your lab. You don’t mind the work, and understand that it is where you are most useful, but quickly tell Kaz that you are not at his disposition whenever he wants to run his errands; that you are his equal, and that you work for the Dregs because someone must feed these poor children, not because you would blindly give up your life for him.
In other words: you owe him nothing, and you’re not his lackey. And he better understand that quickly, lest you leave and offer your services to a cause that will remember you for more than your craftsmanship.
It’s a wake-up call for him, surely; it’s when he realizes that you have an independent soul, that you know no ties nor bounds, that you are neither a Kerch nor a Ravkan nor a Shu, but truly a citizen of your own heart, and that there is nothing tying you to him except your good will.
And the idea that you might disappear from his life as quickly as you barged in is enough to paralyze him for a good second. But then he regains his composure.
And asks you to stay, please.
(Not for the poisons, not for the magic, not for the money, but for me, he almost adds, but he can’t get the words out, and doesn’t.)
From that point on, you go on missions with Kaz and the Dregs, and no longer for them, standing as tall as the other Crows.
And your relationship with Kaz grows seemingly a little stronger for it. He opens up a little more, sometimes slips in a little something that might even be considered a compliment.
The others have told him time and time again that you are a fun and happy person to be around, and he couldn’t believe them, because all he ever saw of you was the focused and precise Grisha synthesizing arsenic or negotiating contracts by his side. But as he opens up to you, and on the rare occasions you’re both at the Crow House, he listens to you excitedly tell a story to the others Dregs crowded around a greasy table, he understands what they mean.
You are fascinating.
It’s not the Alkemi in you, it’s not your deadly aim nor your rigor with your work... it’s you. It’s in the excitement in your voice when you talk about something you love, and the care you put in making space for Kaz in your busy schedule.
“I thought you didn’t want to see me?”
“I don’t want to see you when you boss me around. Otherwise, you’re not so terrible to spend time with.”
(Which, in your shared language of restriction and shiness, means “I appreciate you a lot and enjoy your company more than I let on”.)
It’s in your relaxed face when you listen to classical music... when you’re working late nights at the lab and start humming along to the piano on a beaten gramophone that Jesper, of all people, stole for you one day - a Romantic Fjerdan melody, nothing to do with the industrial rhythms of Ketterdam, and your feet begin swaying to the music without you noticing.
He just stopped by to bring you the list of what he’ll need to take care of the Ice Court guards... but he’s taken aback, on the doorstep, watching you enjoy the music like a careless ballet dancer. He’s never seen you quite so relaxed...
... maybe that’s when he falls for good.
And maybe you know he’s fallen for good when you stop by unannounced at his office at the Crow House to hand him the poisoned blades he’s asked for... and you find him listening to the exact same waltz you were playing when he arrived.
You never took Kaz for the classical music type - you do a double-take before he looks up at you, his face and lips even, but a glimmer of hope twinkling in his dark eyes.
“You wanted?”
“To see you.”
His brow perks up.
“However did I get so lucky?”
But he gestures for you to step in, to get closer to him, to fill his dull office with your heady scent, both poison ivy and white rose.
Maybe, under the right night sky, with the right alignment of stars, and after the right snowfall on a deserted plain, he will hear the same music again, and this time he will clumsily extend this hand.
Not to dance, not even for you to take. Just to hold it out for you. Just so you know he would go to any lengths to keep you safe.
But for now, you have a heist to plan.
Tumblr media
800 follower sleepover CLOSED!
173 notes · View notes
genshin-pals · 3 years
Text
Corruption......part TWO!!!
Part one is here!! 
At this rate we’ll just do all the genshin characters because GOD I love this trope and y’all apparently do as well.
Characters: Venti, Lisa, Razor, Hu Tao, Qiqi, Rosaria
Tumblr media
He hates Dragonspine. The snowy mountain only brings him sadness and pain. It serves as a reminder of a horrific battle that would end with his dear friend in pain and susceptible to suggestions of the abyss.
Anxiety consumed him when you told him you were off to the mountain, but he smiled and waved you off anyway. He regrets that.
There was a pain in his chest, fingers hovering above the strings of his harp as he stops in the middle of a song. 
Without another word he started running, running to the mountain he hated. 
It was up at the top of the mountain he found you. Kneeled down in the snow, clutching your head as something dark pulsed through your body. Tears fell. You were hurting.
Without his Gnosis, Venti’s power is limited. But he’ll be damned to leave you in this state. Taking a step forward, you turn at the crunch in the snow. Frantic like a cornered animal.
Kneeling before you, hands raise to gently cup your cheeks. He sees the pain on your expression. You’re frightened, much like Dvalin was when you first arrived in Monstadt.
“With the last of my divine strength, let me share in this curse...” 
The tips of his braids started glowing, and the boy’s form changed. Wings grew, and he was now dressed in white. However, all of that soon vanished, crumbling away as the darkness that haunted you moved over to the former archon.
Thoughts started becoming clearer, and recognition returned to your eyes. Venti...what was he doing?
Winds dying down, you stared at the other as he breathed heavily, still holding your face so gently as he panted.
“You, who have traveled the stars, also have your limits...” He forced out. Lifting his head, he smiled, despite the purple crack crawling across his face. “...but perhaps in a smaller dose, this hatred can be healed by your spirit...”
With the cursed blood split between the two of you, Venti helped you down the mountain. Windrise would help cleanse the last bits of corruption from you both.
Tumblr media
How curious Lisa was. She wanted to know the truth of this world, but once she saw the madness that quest for knowledge cursed those around her, she gave up.
If the price of knowledge is the well being of others, it is best to remain ignorant.
Now, she’d use all her knowledge and power to save you. The witch was quite knowledgeable of legends of Monstadt, and the curse of Durin was no different.
That hatred radiating off of you was familiar. When you brought that corrupted tear drop crystal, that felt the same as you do now.
“Looks like I’ll have to play rough...”
Spell circles appeared at both her and your feet. The snowy clouds turned dark and pitch black. Lightning flashed, crashing down where you stood.
Identifying the woman as the source, you charged towards her.
But you couldn’t even get close. Thunder roared, and the air itself seemed to be filled with electro. 
This type of powers was almost unimaginable. Lisa may have forsaken the title of “grand mage”, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still qualified for it.
With all of her magic, a bolt of lightning finally struck it’s might upon your form.
The scream you let out pained the woman’s heart, but the fight was over. Rushing to your side, she kneeled down, lifting your head to rest on her lap. Gently, her hand stroked your hair.
Lisa hated work, but she’ll work as hard as she needs to in order to heal you.
Tumblr media
He doesn’t understand what’s happening.
Razor followed you to the mountain, met a mysterious blond boy, and you got some weird sword. The more you battled, the more you changed. 
He was scared, but couldn’t find the words to express his concern. You assured him you were alright, but he never believed it.
One night, a blizzard raged across the mountain. The two of you rushed into a cave for shelter. Strangely, the cave seemed to radiate warmth. Razor looked at the white hail outside, calling your name. When you didn’t answer, he turned around.
You started at a large red...thing, in the back of the cave. Razor didn’t like it. If it wasn’t for the blizzard he would suggest leaving. But then something else happened.
You lunged at the wolf boy, slashing the cursed sword towards him. He gasped, quickly dodging.
“Please, calm!” He shouts. “Why attack?!” 
You weren’t listening, charging once again.
This was so bad. Survival came first, that’s what his head told him. But you were his lupical, and you were in pain... He could see it in your eyes, and the unnatural cracks in your skin.
Razor wanted to protect his lupical. So he had to think. This started when you entered the cave. No...before that. When you got the sword.
Static pricked on his skin, his sword clashing against your own. With a growl, electro burst forth from his blade. 
You were slammed into the wall of the cave. Razor was fast, roaring as he drove his weapon into Festering Desire. The piercing gaze of the gem cracked, and you let out a gasp.
Slumping down, you were out cold. Nothing Razor did would wake you up.
Positioning you on his back, he would run down to the city. Through the storm and over the hills, he needed you to be okay.
Tumblr media
Dragonspine was a good source of business for Hu Tao. Foolish adventurers who believed they could conquer nature often lead to their own downfall.
Sometimes, she goes out there herself, knowing that there are bound to be bodies and spirits that have been lost for years. The pyro spirit that followed her kept her warm as well as helped to locate the corpses. But this time, it found something else.
Something else caught her attention. A disgusting energy. But it was you.
You rushed to slash at the girl, and Hu Tao dodged. This was unlike you and she knew it.
“Trying to send me off, hm?” She called to no response. Any sense of teasing was lost. This was serious. “I see...” Eyes drifted down to the weapon you held.
Twirling her spear, Hu Tao prepared herself for a fight. “Sorry, y/n. No discounts today.” She would take you back alive.
As the fight went on, the cold was starting to get to her. How long have you both been out on the mountain? This needed to end, and soon.
Summoning her blazing spirit, she swung it around and hit you. It burned, and you stumbled backwards. 
Hu Tao was running at you, before vanishing for a moment. In that single moment, the blazing spirit appeared from nowhere, screeching into your face. 
Something grabbed your wrist, turning, you saw the girl you were fighting.
“Boo~” She said with a grin, knocking the sword from your hand and holding you down.
Vision began to blur, and all you remember is a calm, forgiving warmth...
Tumblr media
Someone who made Qiqi not mind the warmth was now so cold.
The energy created from the sword you were given wasn’t good. She didn’t like it, and yet Qiqi was unable to tell you.
You were hurt, attacking everything in sight. Somehow, that felt familiar, as if sparking a memory.
Qiqi didn’t want you to be sealed. So she would help you now.
With her orders received, she jumped into action. 
Even when you were marked with her talisman, the battle was difficult. The strength radiating off of you was almost overwhelming. But Qiqi felt if she didn’t save you now, you would be destroyed.
It was dangerous, but Qiqi unleashed the adeptal powers within her. Snow and ice raged around you two, and the small child rushed forward once again. She slashed at your hand, the evil sword sent flying.
You gasped, turning to retrieve your weapon when someone stopped you.
Small arms wrapped around your legs. They were cold, but shockingly strong.
“Qiqi loves you the most.” The girl spoke quietly. Those were the words used to cancel her orders. Typically spoken by Baizhu with no sincerity. But now? Qiqi means those words with all of her heart.
The adepti power helped to clear your mind, and soon your eyes fell heavy, along with your body. Now passed out, Qiqi would drag you down the mountain. 
Qiqi doesn’t ask for much, but she would demand Baizhu help you once returning to Liyue harbor. She would stay by your side until you woke.
Tumblr media
Albedo is a dead man. She doesn’t know how, but she knew this was his fault.
It can wait, though. But for now, she focused on you and you alone. If you became a threat to Monstadt, she would end you. That is what she told herself. And yet, looking at you now, she wishes to save you instead.
Rosaria was making more work for herself, it seemed.
With a tired sigh, the sister darted forward. Blades clashed against one another, and Rosaria wasn’t above underhanded tactics.
Kicking up snow into your eyes, Rosaria moved to your back, slashing hard and fast. Blood dripped onto the white snow. You were injured, so that should slow you down.
It should have, but the power possessing you didn’t care what your physical state was. You fought regardless of the blood loss. Swearing under her breath, Rosaria noted how the darkness seemed to originate from your sword.
You ran to pierce her chest, but Rosaria’s spear parried your attack, sending Festering Desire into the air. Before anything else could happen, the woman tackles you to the ground, holding the handle of her spear to your throat.
You couldn’t get up with her sitting on top of you, and the bar above your neck made it hard to breath. Senses returning, your eyes fluttered close.
With a sigh, Rosaria stood, pulling you up and onto her back.
She would head back to the city, hoping Barbra would be able to heal you properly...
213 notes · View notes
Text
Merlin has been gone for two years, Arthur has a meeting with the Lord Emrys to help with the changing laws:
And he has never bitterly regretted sending Merlin away more
Part 2(final part)
Angst,
SO
I'm gonna say... about 6 months before Uther dies, Merlin's magic is revealed to Arthur.
He really does NOT react well.
Arthur doesn't let Merlin get a word of explanation in, before he hits him on the head so hard he's unconscious before he even hits the floor.
When Merlin wakes up, what he can only assume is MUCH later, he's wearing cold iron shackles, he's been blindfolded, and gagged.
He just listens at first, still dazed and certainly concussed.
After about twenty minutes he's more aware, and realises... he's outside, in a forest, and he's on his own.
~
It’s been two years since Arthur abandoned Merlin in the woods beyond Camelot’s border.
He’s been King now for about a year and a half.
He went back three days later and tracked Merlin for a few hours, before coming to the conclusion that he'd gotten away safely, and heading back to Camelot.
He always tried to justify it to himself as protecting Merlin from Uther, ignoring the fact that Merlin had managed just fine on his own for years.
But really that was just an excuse. All he saw in the moment was a liar and a traitor. Really he should've had Merlin executed so... he's still a good person. He did the right thing.
He hadn't told anyone else the truth (perhaps because he knows they would hate him for it). Instead he told them that he and Merlin had argued, and before Arthur could get to the bottom of why his manservant was so irate, he stormed off in the middle of the night, and told him he wasn't coming back.
He stuck to that story the whole two years, though he's fairly certain they at least suspect he's lying. Gaius definitely does.
I imagine Gaius, only a few days after Merlin's disappearance, taking Arthur aside one night, and demanding to know if Merlin was dead. If Arthur had killed him:
"No! No of course not. He... we had a fight. It's like I said. He left in the night and told me not to follow him, that he wasn't coming back. I plan to respect his wishes."
Gaius releases the bruising grip he'd had on Arthur’s arm and takes a step back, his expression unreadable as he stares at the Prince.
"I...why would think I killed him?"
"Despite the fact that he most certainly could've defended himself against you, I always found it troubling how willing he was to let you execute him, should that be what you wanted."
Arthur has no reply to that, what would he even say? Would Merlin really have willingly walked to a pyre? If Arthur had only asked?
Gaius goes to walk away at that, but just before he shuts the door behind him, he pauses, and without looking back, says:
"If I find out you have killed my son, Sire, for who he is, there will... there is a large group of people who would see that justice is served. Myself included."
Everyone notices the change in the relationship between Gaius and Arthur since Merlin had left.
Arthur, with the knowledge that Gaius knows. Knows the truth and had guessed what he'd done. He couldn't face that.
They barely spoke to each other, Arthur avoided the physician wherever possible and words of encouragement and kindness were no longer aimed his way from the gentle old man.
His relationships with the others deteriorated as well.
They either thought he was telling the truth, and resented him for both being cruel to Merlin, and letting him go so easily.
(After years of Arthur treating Merlin terribly, no one is really surprised that Merlin had decided he'd had enough and left.)
OR they thought he was lying, hiding something, and resented him for not telling them the truth, and potentially doing something unforgivable to Merlin.
All but Gwaine are still polite to him, showing him the due respect of a Prince, and then a King, but not of a friend.
After a series of hijinks, Arthur comes to the terrifying realisation that magic isn't all bad.
Really I think, he's known all along. But admitting that magic wasn't pure evil made what he did to Merlin even more unforgivable.
He begins making moves to legalise it. It's slow and difficult, and he meets resistance at every turn.
BUT he also has the surprising support of Gaius, and his knights, and Gwen, and Morgana.
Still, none of them treat him like a friend, not the way they used to, but they're helping him along the way. He hadn't realised how many people close to him opposed the ban, until he started dismantling it.
Hope rises in him, over the months, as he realises that once he's legalised magic, he can find Merlin, and bring him back. The first place he'll check is Ealdor.
He's... scared of that. Scared that he won't be able to find him, but more scared that he will. That Merlin will hate him. That Merlin won't care that he's repealing the ban and won't want to come back.
Arthur doesn't think he could bare that.
Mostly because he knows that it would be entirely his own fault.
After the ban is finally lifted, there are huge celebrations. If the King is seen to be searching the crowds, as if for a familiar face, no one mentions it.
A few days later, a group of Druids come for an audience with the King, and are met by Arthur in the courtyard.
After quick introductions, and pleasantries, the leader begins to speak:
"Once and Future King, I first want to extend my gratitude for this warm welcome, and promise that you have the Druid's full support in lifting the ban. We hope for a peaceful future, full of cooperation and compassion."
Arthur nods and smiles slightly at that, but before he can reply in anyway, the Druid speaks again:
"Our leader, the leader of all Druids and all magic of the world, would like to convene with you, and discuss the specifics of any future agreements between our two worlds."
Arthur is surprised at that, but hides it well. Leader of... all magic? Sounds... powerful:
"Of course, I readily accept. They may bring themselves forth, I will make time for a meeting whenever they so choose."
"Your majesty, My Lord Emrys already awaits you in the throne room-"
(The Druid smiles at Arthur's barely concealed shock at his words, both at the idea that someone had snuck into his castle undetected, and at the mention of Emrys. One of the the few conversations he'd had with Gaius had been an in-depth explanation of who Emrys was, and his and Arthur's destiny (the physician had failed, of course, to mention Emrys' true identity.)) 
The Druid continues gently:
"-He's not one for public appearances."
"I.... of course. Will you and your group be attending? Or would you like to be shown to your rooms immediately?"
"This is a matter to be discussed privately, between the two of you, My Lord. Myself and my group have a camp just beyond the city walls that we will return to. Thank you for the offer of hospitality, we appreciate the kindness greatly."
With that, the Druid gives another short bow before turning and leaving through the castle gates, his group following closely behind him.
Arthur takes a deep breath, briefly glancing at Sir Leon, who stands at his side, and instructing him to inform the council that any remaining meetings for the day had been cancelled.
Leon gives a stiff nod and stalks off. He had been the best at hiding his disdain for his former best friend, but it still shone through occasionally, and Arthur's heart clenches as he thinks that he really can blame no one but himself for the deterioration of everything in his personal life.
With another deep breath, he re-enters the castle, and heads towards the throne room, trying to psyche himself up for meeting the supposed Leader of All Magic, who had managed to sneak his way into the heart of the castle, without anyone noticing or raising the alarm.
He pauses briefly outside the doors, and instructs the guards to not let Anyone in, without the King's express permission.
They nod, and with that, Arthur opens the doors and enters, shutting them quietly, before turning around to be faced with a near empty throne room.
He furrows his brow as his eyes settle on a single man, his back to Arthur where he stands gazing out a window, onto the courtyard below.
Arthur can't see his face, he can't see much of him to be honest, he's shrouded in a floor length blue cloak, hood up and covering his head.
The King stares only for a moment before raising himself to his full height, clearing his throat, and speaking:
"Lord Emrys? It's my honour to welcome you to Camelot. Thank you for coming."
The man turns his head slightly at that, though not enough for Arthur to see any more of his face.
"Your honour?-"
He huffs a small laugh at that, though it sounds dry and sarcastic, as opposed to genuinely humoured.
"- we shall see about that."
His voice comes out strangely, obviously magically altered, and Arthur has to stop himself from gulping at the many voices echoing around the otherwise empty room.
They sound sort of... familiar? But he pushes that feeling down and takes yet another deep breath:
"Of course. I've been told a great deal about you. That you have always been an ally to Camelot, and have protected both me personally, and the Kingdom, from the shadows, never asking for credit or requesting recognition. I thank you for that, my gratitude knows no bounds. You had no reason to protect a kingdom that previously would have seen you burn, though I swear to you, that is not how things work now."
Emrys let's out a chuckle at that, this one somehow even less humoured than the last
He gives a small nod, before saying, almost to himself, though Arthur hears anyway:
"Yes, we shall see."
His voice is no longer disguised, and Arthur once again pushes down the feeling of recognition blooming in his chest. He's sure he knows that voice.
("It sounds like.... no. It isn't. Stop hearing things that aren't there. You're just setting yourself up for heartbreak." runs through his head.)
Arthur is unsure how to continue the conversation from there, but before he has to force some sort of response out, Emrys finally turns, and lowers his hood.
Arthur takes a step back and gasps, his eyes wide.
Merlin's hard eyes stare back at him, his expression completely blank. He looks very different, but is still recognisable as Arthur's former manservant.
"...Merlin?" Escapes Arthur's mouth, so quietly he can barely hear it himself
At this, Emrys let's out a deep sigh, sounding almost resigned, as he cocks an eyebrow and replies:
"No one's called me that in two and a half years. You know, I used to hate the idea of people calling me Emrys instead of Merlin. Now, I find that I feel the exact opposite.-"
He tilts his head slightly, looking briefly puzzled as he maintains eye contact and mumbles:
“-Or perhaps it’s just you.”
At this Arthur gulps, and really looks at Merlin... or Emrys.
He's bulked out a little, no longer skinny and sickly looking, he fills his clothes (good quality, blues and silvers and blacks, intricate patterns and fitting well) in a way he never had before. His hair has grown out long and curls around his ears. His beard has grown in a little.
(Think, the living and the dead) :
Tumblr media
His hands, which now have druid markings tattooed all over (they're also just about visible above his collar, though they don't go very far up his neck) , are clasped tightly in front of him, his fingers adorned with a couple of rings.
Nothing he wears looks especially expensive, Merlin had never been one to dress up, but they are good quality, and screamed "Druid" and "powerful".
"You're Emrys? Why did you never say??"
Merli-... Emrys tenses his jaw at that, his face showing slight anger as opposed to the boredom it displayed before, but before he can answer, the gang bursts in all at once.
Arthur can hear the guards yelling over the top of the door banging against the wall, and the footsteps of eight people rushing into the room.
"I tried to stop them sire but they wouldn't- Merlin??" From Leon has Arthur letting out a frustrated growl.
The King sweeps his eyes over the rest of the group as they all stare in surprise at Merlin.
Gaius is the only one who doesn't look surprised, he is instead smiling, and steps forward to offer Merlin a hug, which he accepts with no resistance as a small smile graces his face.
Merlin speaks quietly, but everyone can hear him:
"It's good to see you Gaius. I've missed you. When this is all sorted I've got so many things to tell you, to show you."
Gaius pulls back and grins even wider,
"All in time, dear boy. You're looking very well. I'm glad you've finally revealed yourself as the Lord Emrys."
Merlin blushes slightly at that and looks down:
"I haven't gone by the name Merlin in almost three years Gaius, Camelot has been the only place to not know me."
Merlin steps back, and glances quickly at the others, before settling his gaze on Arthur, who is looking a little like an animal caught in a trap. Merlin's eyes harden once again, and he schools his face back into disinterest and boredom:
"As I was about to say before, My King, I didn't get a chance to explain myself to you before I awoke, shackled and blinded and cold, with a rather nasty head wound, in the middle of a forest. And quite frankly, after that, I wasn't prepared to stumble my way back to Camelot and try for a second time. Though perhaps I should be grateful you simply knocked me out and dumped me, as opposed to burning me?"
Arthur looks to be in physical pain, but doesn't look away from Merlin, not even as the others gasp and mutter and stare and glare at him.
"Shackled? You.... I knew you were lying you monster. How could you?!" From Morgana is the first thing loud enough to be heard.
It's Gwaine who speaks next, but Arthur still doesn't look away from Merlin:
"You bastard. What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He goes to draw his sword and step towards the King, but Elyan holds him back:
"No, Gwaine. It isn't our place. This is Merlin's fight, and he knows we all stand with him."
At that, Merlin finally looks away, an ever so slight smile escapes as Elyan nods to him, and becomes the first of the group to move to stand behind Merlin, facing the king. The others follow shortly after.
They stand in a group just behind him, the fury rolling off them in waves.
Morgana steps forward and takes one of Merlin's hands in her own. Staring Arthur down, she speaks, her eyes flash gold as a sharp wind whips through the throne room. No windows or doors have been left open:
"Would you have done the same to me, brother-mine? Would you have beaten me and shackled me and left me in a forest to rot?"
Arthur steps back in complete shock, the group behind her and Merlin are also shocked, but take it in their stride.
Merlin squeezes her hand in a silent "I'm sorry, I'm with you, I'll teach you, you're safe."
Arthur doesn't really have the words at this point. He's speechless and in shock and almost crying.
He had always known that his first meeting with Merlin would be difficult, but he wasn't expecting everyone who had ever been important to him to be there as well, stood opposite him, hating him.
The wind dies down as Gwen places a hand on the other woman's shoulder from behind. Merlin looks towards Morgana first, and offers a comforting smile to her teary face, before looking behind him to the others.
"As much as I appreciate the support, and as much as I love, and have missed you all, I think me and the King need to have a private meeting on the matter. Personal problems aside, I need to see to the continued safety of my people."
It’s quiet, reserved Percival, who speaks up:
"Like hell are we leaving you with him now we know what he did." The others nod at this, but Merlin replies gently:
"I'll be fine, I'm perfectly capable of defending myself. Go, I'll find you later."
At this, he turns once more to Morgana:
"There is a group of Druids camped just beyond the city walls, go to them, take Gaius. They will help you until this is all resolved, and then I can teach you myself." he says with a smile, and at her nod, he glances at Gaius, who steps forward and leads Morgana out the room, closely followed by a hesitating gaggle of knights.
Gwen is the only one who remains, as she takes Merlin’s hand briefly in Morgana’s place, and snarls at Arthur:
"Monster."
-before following the others out of the room, and shutting the door behind her, leaving the throne room once again empty of people, bar the Forever King and the Immortal One.
Merlin speaks first, looking back to Arthur, unwavering and determined:
"How do I know this is all real? The change in laws?"
"I... what? What do you mean real? Of course it's real. Merlin please, can we just-"
Merlin turns away as he interrupts him, and walks back towards the window, to look upon the courtyard, where countless innocents had been slaughtered:
"Pretending to change the laws so you can lure my people to your city, before starting another purge, sounds like exactly something Uther's son would do. I will not put my people in danger by encouraging them to come here, before I can be sure they are truly safe from the Pendragon line."
Arthur's heart breaks even more. He really had damaged the relationship between himself and Merlin more than he ever could've imagined. Merlin had seemed to make it his life goal to assure Arthur that he wasn't his father, that he could follow his own path and create his own legacy. Before Arthur had ruined everything.
"I would never. The law is changed. Sorcer- your people, are safe. Merlin will you please-"
Merlin turns and interrupts again, looking Arthur directly in the eyes, obviously not prepared to let the conversation turn personal.
"Promises made to beings of magic are... powerful. There is magic in words, swear to me that my people are safe from persecution, and I will believe it."
"I...yes. I swear it. People with magic will no longer be unfairly persecuted in this kingdom as long as I am king, I swear it, in the name of Camelot."
Merlin’s eyes flash gold, and Arthur feels as though the words he's just spoken have been branded onto his soul. In a way, they have.
Merlin looks once more out of the window, and replies quietly, but darkly:
"I will hold you to that, Arthur Pendragon."
~
THE END!
This two-parter has been finished!!
As per usual, I only write drafts, so if someone wants to write this up all proper, then go for it, credit and tag me✌
308 notes · View notes
kryptsune · 3 years
Text
World Building Wednesday!~Yokaifell
🌼One of my personal favorites was chosen this week and I am so excited! It was a tie between Wiccafell and this and I just decided to do a little coin toss. I am happy to also announce that the ideas in Yokaifell will also be appearing in a more original form in the Souly Damned Universe. I will talk more about that on SD Saturday!
Tumblr media
Yokaifell AU
Yokai Masterlist:
[Red] Ryutsuki (Ryou) 龍月- Kitsune (Kitsune Ebi- Shou & Rin)
Tumblr media
[Boss] Kuro  黒- Gashadokuro
Tumblr media
Doomfanger- Maneki neko (a variation of the bakeneko this kind brings good luck and fortune which I thought would be cute for the brothers. Hilariously Doomy was with Boss before he died coughs. Doomy is kind of like that cricket in Mulan supposed to be lucky but... questionable.)
Flowey: I am unsure if I am planning on putting Flowey in this or just have him as Asriel. Either way, he would most likely resemble the higanbana. These are also Red’s flower of choice, which is…ironic if you know the language of flowers.
The Dreemurrs: (this is a hard one. There are no Yokai as far as I can recall that are goat like, however there are some good candidates that could work. I have a few in mind right now and that is the kotobuki, hakutaku, shisa, Kirin or even the baku.
Undyne: Uni nyobo
Alphys: Honengyo (This is kind of the “Godzilla” idea she would just be mini XD)
Muffet: Jorogumo
Grillby: Onibi (this is a strange one because he would have to be a combination of onibi for this to work but don’t worry I am on it!)
Tumblr media
Gerson: Kappa/ Genbu (due to his wisdom)
*{The lesser monsters would be a variation of yokai not exactly pertaining to their UT counterparts unless I can make that connection. The Underground/ Underworld, in this case, it basically the spirit realm so it’s not really necessary. They are not exactly trapped like in the original.}*
Tumblr media
Main Plot Synop:   Frisk is a foreigner trying to start a new life across the world in Japan. I am still trying to pick a possible location in Japan but that is a minor detail. I will say that I would like it to be a little more secluded. It is also modern day (I settled on Izumo). The people she moves to live among tell Frisk of their traditions and stories but her being from the West she has a hard time understanding. Frisk is told not to stay out too late and wander the nearby forest but hey who listens to reason? She ends up getting lost, alone, and afraid. That is until a series of flame like lights presumably show her the way back to the town. This happens a few times but she becomes more and more curious by them until they lead her deeper into the forest. She comes upon the entrance of an abandoned shrine stopping before a Torii Gate as the lights disappear. These are kitsunebi by the way. Only when she is hesitant to pass through it do they appear on the opposite side.
She ends up being startled by a white haired human that seems to have just appeared out of thin air. He tries to speak to her but she barely understands the language if only a few words. In frustration the stranger steals a kiss from the shell shocked human girl only for her to suddenly be able to understand what he is saying. A still highly confused Frisk ends up learning that he is in fact a demon or rather her interpretation since she is from the West.
It turns out that in order to give her the ability for her to understand him a dose of his magic was required changing the physical makeup of her soul causing it to become desirable to other hungry yokai that roam both the spirit realm as well as the night. Not believing his claim and rather angry at his sudden advance she storms off heading back toward the village. She begins to see more than she should as spirits appear out of the woodwork.
An oni appears in front of her ready to devour the poor unsuspecting human in which she ends up running back to the gate in order to avoid the giant monster. At first Ryou is not interested in saving the human girl but it is his fault that she has ended up in this situation. He saves her but not before she ends up accidentally running through the Torii Gate attempting to dodge an attack. The beast follows and Frisk ends up trapped in the spirit realm when the monster destroys the gateway. Kuro, Ryou’s older brother makes quick work of the beast.   
The rest of the story revolves around Frisk trying to return home which requires a journey since a human does not belong in their realm and the gate to “leave” is on the opposite side of the realm. It is incredibly dangerous for someone like her to be there so she ends up in disguise with the help of Grillby and Ryou. Ryou is a kitsune so he is able to create the perfect disguise adding more magic to her soul to fool it into becoming a yokai temporarily. He is surprised to find she is the same kind as him, a kitsune. 
Tumblr media
Their journey takes them all the way across the spirit realm to find another gate and on the way they run into a colorful cast of characters. Some are helpful spirits. Others are man eating demons that are looking for a delicious human soul to devour. At first Frisk is content staying with the brothers but a human does not belong in their realm and that causes complications. 
Tumblr media
Yokai Lore/ Spirit Realm world: 
The spirit realm is a dangerous place that few humans have ever set their eyes on. It the world between. A space that is home to various yokai. Humans cannot naturally see spirits as the modern setting has diminished the humans that still believe in them. They are not trapped but rather there is a hierarchy that is established. The more powerful the yokai the more they are able to interact with the human realm. 
Hierarchy brief explanation (restrictions and interactions): 
Servants of the gods- Yokai that can interact with the human world during the day or whenever they see fit. They are messengers for their respective deities. They are not known to be troublesome or mischievous. 
Kitsune- A more rare type of yokai that can shift its appearance at will but mostly represented by that of a multi tailed fox. Some of them are servants of the gods but those who have no alignment can walk among the living during the day for a duration of time. When the night comes they can walk freely and interact with humans as they see fit. They are mostly known for luring humans away with kitsune ebi or fox fire.
“Boss” Yokai- Yokai gain their status by either specific species or their prestige. That can either be obtained by LV gain or doing favors for the gods. Some are hostile and some are passive it depends on the encounter. They can walk freely during the night without hindrance but unlike the two prior they cannot take form during the day. 
“Lesser?” Yokai- Yokai that are relatively weak and unable to hold a physical form in the human realm. They can move objects and possibly possess humans but they have no ability to interact on a substantial level. They can be seen by some humans as little dancing and vanishing lights. They can rarely pass the barrier as is.  
Lost souls- Lost spirits that wander between realms. They cannot interact with humans but can be seen from time to time. They are what the west consider the typical ghost.
Tumblr media
Human Struggles Info {Plot}:
A human does not belong in their realm which also means that the world is also an enemy. The power of the soul plays a huge factor in this as weak souls are more susceptible to the world influence. There are three different outcomes that are possible for a human if they end up trapped in the spirit realm.
Dinner is served-  A large number of yokai are known for their man eating tendencies finding human souls and flesh a kind of delicacy. Some are beasts that kill for pleasure but humans worst outcome is being eaten or killed.
You’re one of us now- A strong human soul slowly can be changed. The soul decides what kind of yokai that humans can become or will become. It is entirely possible that most of the yokai were once human but it is unknown. They are usually lesser yokai or spirits.   
Lost soul- What the title implies. A soul unable to remember who they were. They wander for the rest of eternity searching for answers they will never receive. They are miserable creatures that pull others into their fate. Their depression is infectious and anyone already questioning themselves could easily find themselves among their ranks. They are not malicious only confused and desperate.  
Symptoms of becoming a Lost Soul: 
Confusion
Memory loss
Random emotional outburst/response
Physical weakness/fatigue
Relationship {Plot}:
Ryou and Frisk become close for a reason that they are both unsure about. They could be soul mates or his magic that is embedded in her soul begins to spread making her have feelings for him. Either way her love for him never wavers. A human can never fall in love with a yokai. It is not only forbidden but also very dangerous. *whoops* Their soul bond only grows stronger as their outward feelings increase. They spend the night together not understanding the consequences of that kind of action.
Unfortunately, Frisk begins to show symptoms that her soul is not powerful enough for this world and she begins to lose herself and forget. In desperation Ryou and Kuro make the decision to travel all the way to the end of realm to get her back to the human realm. When they get there she has a choice. She can stay and become a lost soul for the rest of eternity or leave and forget everything about them. Since Ryou and Frisk are soul bound she would feel a loneliness for the rest of her life unable to understand why. It is like losing a part of yourself. It hurts but she chooses the second option returning to the human world a little bit changed from before.
Tumblr media
*Have any questions past this point be sure to drop them in my ask box! If you want to see more drop a comment and/or a reblog! 
(spoilers ahhhhead)
Epilogue {Plot}:
Though Frisk has forgotten about her soul mate and her time spent in the spirit realm she still has these feelings. She finds herself spending more and more time peacefully sitting by the gate or in the forests surrounding her home. It is calming and peaceful for her. What is even more curious is her new condition. She finds out by some miraculous way (not really she just doesn’t remember) that she is pregnant. When she has her children she finds them as normal children for the longest time until they turn 10. They start seeing things that they shouldn’t including dancing among little fire like lights that she swears she has seen before. She could swear she sometimes sees little fox creatures dancing in the flames. A trick of the light...right? 
Frisk doesn’t know but Ryou’s ability to walk in the human realm has him visiting his children and her even though she is unable to see him any longer. Sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night feeling like someone is there. A kind of warmth that she leaves her feeling cold when it’s gone. Her two children begin to show physical signs of being yokai including little fox ears and tails which she does not seem to question. It feels right to her for some inexplicable reason. Her children eventually see their father through the gate one day and Frisk is hesitant to step through it (for obvious reasons). She follows her children only to leave the human world behind once more meeting a stranger that to her is not so strange. Her memory slowly returns his Ryou’s help and they live happily together with their kids. It turns out that giving birth to two yokai children strengthened her soul from before giving her the ability to stay and become a yokai herself. As before she becomes a kitsune.
237 notes · View notes
alive-out-of-spite · 3 years
Text
Karasuno x witch s/o
Desc: I practice witchcraft and didn’t really feel like there are enough of these types of spiritual/witchy headcanons, so I made some. Please take into consideration that this is my first time doing this, and enjoy!
Daichi
Low-key wouldn’t believe you
Probably kinda confused
Would think about it later and would be like so that explains the candles
And incense
And crystals
Wouldn’t take long after that and would be really accepting
probably wants to see it-
Either impressed or confused by everything in your grimoire
Would probably end up asking for something to calm down Noya and Tanaka
Or good luck on a game
And let’s be honest, you’d low key jinx the other team
Like, not anything that would hurt them, but the ball just randomly goes to the side.
Or their spikes going just slightly out of bounds. 
After this keeps happening, he’d just look up the stands to see you muttering something under your breath while staring at the other team
Would probably confront you about it
Might not ask you to stop though-
Probably doesn’t want the team to find out because they’d flip out
But they do
And they flip out
Would probably ask for different readings for games and how to help teach someone something
Sugawara
Really accepting. 
Seriously though, it’s suspicious how you tell him you practice witchcraft and he’s like “oh yeah, cool, can I get back to studying.”
Once he’s done though, he starts asking questions. So many questions. 
And when you bring up kitchen witchcraft, he just lights up
Okay but like, if you two don’t make way too much bread together then what, pray tell, are you doing? 
Also, he is freakishly good at rune casting. You cannot tell me I am wrong. 
Your deities (if you work with them) love him. 
And he’d ask about them too. He’s probably not too good at communicating with spirits alone, though. 
You guys would do ritual baths, though. 
He’s so aesthetic though, and when he’s looking at witchy aesthetics and sees it, he just goes, “Y/n. Here. now.” 
Would not so subtly say that he wanted to learn how to make one. 
He ends up learning witchcraft too because he keeps doing little parts of it, and you have to teach him a few things so that he doesn’t mess something up, and then he ends up full on practicing it. 
This is how the team finds out. They’ve seen you two hanging out, so Noya and Tanaka send Hinata as a spy. They bribed him with meat buns. 
He ends up hiding behind a tree while ya’ll are walking around in a forest, picking flowers and talking witchcraft. 
Hinata ends up screaming some type of gibberish and dragging you guys back to meet the team. 
They are so confused. 
He’s so calm about it though, just like, “This is my s/o, y/n, now back to what we were talking about.” You guys end up talking about your full moon ritual right in front of the team. 
All hell breaks loose when they question what you guys are talking about and you just say, “Witchcraft.” 
You two are officially the power couple no one messes with. 
Like,, one witch is dangerous if pissed off. But there are two witches. And they are dating. Go against one of you guys, and suddenly they have four deities after them. 
And the entire volleyball team.
Asahi
You have to kinda edge it on
Mention all the things you do kinda casually
Like seeing a crystal and listing off its uses 
And after a while be like “oh yeah, you know all my hobbies and collections. I kinda practice witchcraft.” 
You’d have to debunk everything he knows about it
Then he’d get it
He’d be kinda scared that you can curse 
But would see everything else you can do and accept it
Okay, but hear me out here: anti-anxiety jars
He would learn more about witchcraft because he knows it can be dangerous and would low-key ask for one. 
*excited y/n noises*
Would definitely meditate with you. 
The team finds out when he slips up. 
You go to pick him up from the gym, and Suga goes, “Hey Asahi, try not to stress out too much about the game tomorrow.” 
He responds with, “Don’t worry, I’m meditating with y/n  today and they’re going to do a spell to help me.” 
[silence of realization]
Everyone asks him questions. You just walk in like, “Yo, Asahi, ready to go?” 
“Woah Asahi, how d'you get a s/o that hot?” 
Chaos erupts and you end up having to drag Asahi out of there, and it’s then that everyone realizes they still don’t have answers.
Nishinoya
So excited. 
“Can you do a taroT reading?” he cannot pronounce tarot for the life of him
“Do you have a pointy hat?”
“Can I ride your broom?”
You definitely have to explain everything the movies got wrong though. 
Will ask you to do a spell to make Tsukishima nicer. 
I will fight you on that. 
Low key shows you off to everyone. 
And is like “my s/o is a witch” 
If no one would believe him, you’d probably do something
Imagine the team being like “you can’t be a witch, witchcraft isn’t real, then the lights going out in the gym.”
He’d try to learn it at some point or another. 
And would end up failing miserably. 
Probably has to call you up to catch the demon he summoned. 
Why did he summon a demon? You’ll never know. 
When you get there though. . . there’s wax on everything. 
And I mean e v e r y t h i n g. 
Somehow it’s on the ceiling. It’s all over the curtains. It got in his hair. 
Would watch in awe as you fix everything. 
Please do not do spirit work while he’s in a five-mile radius. 
He’d burst into the room like “YO, DOES THE SPIRIT KNOW HOW TO SHAKE ASS-” 
“NOYA NO-”
He pissed off the spirit and his ass hurt for a week after that-
Tanaka
The first time you tell him, he just laughs it off. 
“You’re literally the nicest person ever y/n, there’s no way you could be a witch.”
Until he buys you coffee one day and walks to your house to surprise you. 
He walks in and starts noticing the incense everywhere. 
And your excessive plant collection, and tea collection, and crystal collection-
He tries to bring you your coffee and mayhap walks in while you’re in the middle of a spell. 
And then a spirit gets loose in the house and you can’t find any of your jewelry for a week. 
You end up having to manifest it back after a while. 
Still can’t find that earring though. . . 
Would definitely believe you after that. 
If you work for deities, it is over for this boy. 
“wAIT A MINUTE,, YOU WORK WITH GODS?!?!?” 
“Umm. . . yeah?” 
Is so proud of you and is impressed by literally everything. 
Will cry if you make him anything
You go to introduce yourself to the team with him one time and everyone already knows you. 
Kinda creepy, but it’s just because Tanaka will not stop talking about you. 
They notice how much better he plays while you’re at practice 
They beg you to start coming to games. And when you do and they completely dominate Alba Josiah, you’re officially required to attend all games ever. 
Not like you have any problem with it-
They do kinda wonder why Oikawa’s serve did nothing though-
One day though, you are talking to Tanaka about how the new moon is just as important as the full moon but no one will acknowledge it and he’s aggressively agreeing. 
Noya sneaks up with the intention of scaring both of you, and then you just hear from behind you, “Hey y/n,, why do you care so much about the moon?” 
Suddenly the wind starts going crazy and you shout in an annoyed voice, “Cut it out.” 
The wind stops and you just smile at him, “Witchcraft.” 
This boy literally drags you to the gym with Tanaka trailing behind ya’ll. 
He gets there, stops, and just goes, “Y/n’s a witch.”
Tsukishima
This dude could go two ways. 
Laughing and telling you you’re crazy,, or bringing out a list of people to hex. 
I feel like he’d be good at tarot reading and find a way to make the cards even more insulting. 
“The cards said it.” Becomes his number one excuse. 
Would remind you of stuff really subtly so he could help you without seeming too nice. 
Something like, “Hey, what do you do for the full moon again?” around two days before so you wouldn’t get that panic of having no clue what you’re going to do for it. 
The team only finds out about you due to the second-years stalking him after they see him being nice to you and then they bring you to practice the next day to cause chaos. 
Tsukki would be so confused but ends up just going with it because ya'll have a date that night and might as well go there together instead of meeting up again later. 
He would bring you dried flowers and the team would be like ‘wtf Tsukishima you suck at this’.
And then they get so confused when you just respond with “oh, thanks, I actually just ran out of lavender yesterday.” 
Everyone would get so confused when you bring up spellwork and just start talking about it like it’s nothing. 
You end up casually dropping the fact that you practice witchcraft like you’re talking about the weather. 
They mention to you that they don’t believe you, but then a volleyball hits Kageyama in the back of the head. Everyone put the volleyballs away. They are across the gym. Everyone is standing here. Yet there is a volleyball right behind him. You laugh. Tsukki smirks. Everyone is afraid. 
The two of you just walk out of there. 
Leaving everyone shooketh. 
No one ever teases you. Or Tsukishima while you’re around. You have become a being of fear.
Kageyama
Huh?
This boy is so confused. 
“You mean like magic?”
You knew this would happen, so you didn’t even tell him. 
But then he walked in on you surrounded by candles with a book open putting stuff in a jar. 
You only see him after you finish the spell and the moment of ‘oh no’ panic is ✨immaculate✨
Eventually, he’s okay. He’s completely clueless but is just cool with it. 
Brings you random stuff like “could you use this?” 
It’ll end up being something that you really needed or had been trying to manifest
*insert realization that your deities are sending you signs through him*
Probably isn’t too good with most parts of witchcraft, but once you explain numerology, he points every time he sees it. 
The team finds out because Kageyama was bragging talking to Hinata about how he has the best s/o but told him not to tell anyone
He told everyone
The pressure everyone puts on him end up with him dragging you to practice one day
You just snap, “I was in the middle of a spell, why did you drag me all the way out here?” oblivious to the scene around you. 
3. 2. 1. Chaos. 
Everyone just starts screaming bloody murder. ‘Kageyama, you never told me your s/o was that hot’ ‘What do they mean ‘spell’?’ ‘Wait, y/n?’ ‘Who’s that?’ 
“Hi,” you almost snarl, “I’m y/n, Tobio’s s/o, and I’m going to get back to my spell before the Dybbuk haunting my best friend does any more damage.”
“What do you mean ‘spell’,” Suga asks, “and what’s a Dybbuk?”
“I practice witchcraft, and that’s not important.”
You walk away muttering something about warding. 
“Definitely Kageyama’s s/o.” -the entire Karasuno team
Hinata
Shooketh
“WHAAAAA?!?!? Y/n, you’re being haunted? Are you possessed? Are you-”
You have to calm him down and explain everything.
Once he gets it, he brags to everyone he knows. His teachers, his team, the other teams, his parents, his sister- everyone.
After enough literally just a day of him begging, you finally have to meet the team.
“So. . . this is your s/o?” “Yup!”
Tsukki starts laughing, “I mean, calling them a witch is a little rude, don’t you think?”
“HAAAAAAA??!?!!? No, no, no, they practice witchcraft and do magick and-”
Tsukki laughs even harder. “I knew you were stupid, but delusional is-”
“Hey Tsukishima, there are cheap headphones at the corner store, the left ear of your’s aren’t working and that always sucks.”
“How did you-”
“Witchcraft.”
. . . “oh-”
He can never keep the attention span necessary to do anything involving witchcraft, but cannot not watch you do everything witchy.
He will literally sit like an excited child in the corner while you do your full moon ritual.
If you invite him to any witchy holiday he will be stoked and eat all the bread
Way too excited, but keeps eating your stuff. “I thought you said it was a luck spell?” 
“I DID,, AFTER SAYING IT CONTAINED ESSENTIAL OILS!!!” 
“They’re essential to my health?” 
“N O -”
Literally so supportive through the whole thing, do not throw him away-
Yamaguchi
Dsfsgisnf
He is really confused
Witchcraft? You mean like magic? You must be confused, come here, do you have a fever?
It takes him a while to wrap his head around it. 
Once he does though, he’s really curious. “Hey y/n, what are the properties of an apple?” 
He’s another one who’s a sucker for kitchen witchcraft. He’s just like ‘I have a s/o who can make amazing food and make that amazing food help make my spikes more accurate.’
He’s mesmerized by everything you do, but when you offer to teach him anything, he’s too scared he’ll mess up and just says no. 
He’s still kinda normalized it and accepted it as a part of your relationship. 
It just becomes a normal part of his life, and he grows more comfortable with it, but still doesn’t practice it. 
He just feels like it’s you’re thing and has no interest in practicing it, still loves watching you though-
You always involve him in you’re celebrations that don’t involve spells, like this year’s Beltane. 
So you invite him to the park for a Beltane picnic where you both can do some fun activities to celebrate. 
He accepts and is so excited (he never gets over his excitement to be around you). 
So you are both eating and talking witchy stuff (Yamaguchi loves learning about it). 
You’re just talking like, “Yeah! I seriously don’t get how no one knows that the veil’s thinnest on Beltane as well as Samhain-”
“Saw- what now?” You hear from behind you. 
You turn around to see Tanaka and Noya eating ice cream and very curious about their junior’s peculiar ‘friend’.
Yamaguchi has a panic moment, but you just whisper a quick, “It’s fine, they were bound to find out eventually. Can I tell them?” 
He nods and you turn to the chaotic duo. “Hello, I’m y/n, and I’m Yamaguchi’s s/o. Nice to meet you, Noya and Tanaka.”
“You know our names!” Tanaka muses. “Yup,” you deadpan. “How much does our kohai talk about us?” Noya asks, “I know we’re special, but this is another level.”
“Not much,” Yama replies, “They just know things.” Noya and Tanaka smirking: “What type of things?” 
Yama.exe has stopped working. You sigh, “C’mon Tadashi, you couldn’t celebrate with me last Samhain, so you’ve never seen me do energy work when the veil’s this thin.” He immediately perks up, but so do the Duo, yet again. Here’s a demonstration, you smirk. 
You start moving your hands, and the breeze picks up a little, not that the Duo would notice anything but you’re weird hand movements from where they’re standing. They’re about to laugh when the trees all around you start moving along with your movements. 
Tanaka and Noya leave without another word. 
You continue you’re date with him as normal, but make a point of showing up to practice to make sure you and Tadashi tell the team before the Duo can. 
“Hey, Babe!” Yama calls upon your entry. Noya and Tanaka who were previously shouting at the top of their lungs for who knows why go quiet- something not unnoticed by Daichi. “Do you two know them?”
“Yup, we had an encounter yesterday.” 
“It was kinda weird how it was raining yesterday though, it was supposed to be clear.”
“Oh, my bad,” you say, to which Tsukishima laughs. “What? Are you delusional or something?” Wordlessly, you start moving your fingers in a circular motion. No one notices, but they do notice how there’s a violent wind circling the court even though all the doors and windows are closed. 
“Or something,” You deadpan, “Let’s go, Yama.” 
His teammates look back to him, walking to you and lightly giggling, “Sure, y/n, you can stop it now, though.”
“Fine,” you huff and the wind stops immediately.
Thanks for reading, I hope you guys like this. If you have any ideas for another spiritual (or just random) hc, please make sure to submit it! Thanks for reading!
78 notes · View notes
cutesuki--bakugou · 4 years
Text
Reckless
Rating: Explicit Warnings: Rough Sex (Vaginal), biting, scratching, breeding, very minor mention of blood, degrading, dirty talk Words:   7812 Pairing: Dragon Fantasy AU Bakugou Katsuki x Fem!Reader 
BTW, please blacklist the tag cutesuki-lemons if you do not want to see this content from my blog. I will no longer be tagging with specific keywords for this type of content.Thank you~
Due to the nature of this post, the characters are 18+
Tumblr media
Taking huge risks was never really your thing. All your life living in the castle, you always followed the rules of your role, never stepping out of bounds and never taking chances. You had always thought about it, asking for a different position or perhaps more pay, maybe even just a change in shift. But, in the end, you always decided that, not only was it not worth the possible outrage your superiors could slam upon you, but you could lose what made your position so absolutely wonderful. A change in your work life could rip you away from the presence of your Lord, who you had grown very attached to in an obviously one-sided romantic connection. 
Working with him multiple times during the weeks he was present at the castle was like a dream you never wanted to let end. As a scholar and war strategist, you were his first line of contact when it came to important political or wartime plans, and you cherished the contact and respect he had for you. Your Lord wasn’t one to trust people easily, but with you, it was like he could share even his deepest worries and secrets without worry that you would betray him. Never in your life would you even consider doing such a thing, because in truth, you loved him. 
There were many reasons why you shouldn’t be so enamored with him, but in the end, all they did was make your desires stronger. To the world, to his people and enemies, he was a ruthless brute. Conquering lands and expanding his territory was his constant goal, and even at his young age, he had been incredibly successful. His people respected him, his warriors would die for him, and his enemies cowered at his feet. It was so incredibly attractive to you, to watch him in action and know that you were helping him on this journey, that you were the one to help push him forward. No matter what other opportunities you knew you had, if you were to just simply ask, there wasn’t a chance in hell that you would take it. You didn’t take those risks because you wanted to be here, at his side as much as you were allowed. 
Bakugou Katsuki was your Lord, but he was also the man that made your knees tremble with just a simple glance. He made you soft and filled with such a longing that made your chest ache terribly, and you craved to feel his hand against your skin. Anything would do. A simple touch on your arm. A brushing of his fingers against yours. A secure grip on your hips. A rough tug of your hair in his fist. 
No, no! You couldn’t let your thoughts go that way. It was highly inappropriate for you to think that way of your Lord, even if he was the most attractive man you had ever laid eyes on. Your thoughts on him could click from cute to extreme lust in the time it would take you to blink, and they did so frequently, no matter how you tried to stop it. That adorable fluffy blonde hair matched with that piercing crimson gaze always had your heart racing, and the thick, muscular figure didn’t exactly quell your urges. 
You tried everything you could think of up to this point to get over him. You saw other men who were just as equally built or with similar personalities, but none of them could match up to the way he made you feel without having ever even laid a finger on you. You could imagine in the moment that it was him touching you. Fucking you. They could quench your thirst when it was unbearable, but it was just never enough. You wanted to know what it was like to be closer to him. But how could you? 
You had tried, with subtle hints or during moments of casual conversation that came up during your meetings. An innocent batting of your eyelashes or brushing of your hand along his arm that was, of course, completely accidental. A flirtatious smile. A sultry giggle. A peek down the front of your corset as you bent over the maps to talk strategies. In the end, it was impossible. Sure, you had caught him peeking at your skin or your curves when he thought you weren’t looking, but that wasn’t enough to convince you he was even remotely interested. 
Although your body was on fire for him, it wasn’t all that you wanted. There were cute things about him that you had seen during the times you were alone with him. The way he covered his mouth when you said something that could make him laugh, or the excited grin that would break his face when you gave him good news. You had caught him napping on occasion, and his expression was so soft and calm. You knew there was more behind the short fuse and anger he carried, and it was something that you hoped to see one day. The softness that he had within him was fiercely protected, not only to keep up this image that he was a brutal man, but also because he just wasn’t ready to share those parts of him. 
Especially not with someone whom he wasn’t romantic with, like yourself. He was calm and collected around you, sure, but that could purely be from the nature of your professional relationship. But what if it was more? What if he was really and truly comfortable around you? You could only hope so. 
Hope wasn’t really working for you, however, and the longer you waited to do anything, the bigger your fears grew that he may pick a different woman. Bakugou was a Lord, someone who would need to have heirs to pass his lineage down to, and that meant that he would eventually need to have a wife and children. He had talked about it a few times with his advisors and counsel as far as needing there to be someone in case he was killed in battle or some other tragic event. Each time, he blew it off, but never gave any hints as to why he wasn’t actively searching. 
Although he didn’t want a wife, that didn’t mean that he didn’t have women at his disposal. Being a very frustrated man, much of his stress relief was in the form of sex, and he had plenty of handpicked concubines to serve him. There was a special magic done on each one of them so they could not get pregnant by him, and that procedure was highly regulated by Bakugou and his advisors to make sure there would be no illegitimate children. In truth, you weren’t sure of the exact number of women he had at his beck and call, though you knew it was at least in the double digits by now. 
There was a very good reason for that, and it wasn’t just because he grew bored with the women. Bakugou was dragon kin. That meant that he had powers, abilities, and features of a dragon while he was able to keep a mostly human form. Those included enhanced senses such as eyesight and smell. Sharp canines and nails that he tried desperately to keep trimmed. More strength and stamina. But, your favorite was something that you’re pretty sure he wasn’t even aware that you knew. 
He purred. This strong, gruff, and rough man would occasionally purr. A deep, low rumble in his chest during moments of true relaxation or happiness. You had heard it a few times, when you caught him sleeping before a meeting, resting his head on his arms against the table. It was truly the most adorable thing you had ever heard, and you wondered if he was dreaming about something - or someone - special. 
There was something less adorable that came along with his bloodline, and that particular thing was what affected the number of women he had in his life. Ironically enough, it was the urge to mate. He hated talking about it, so you didn’t know much, but he was frustrated how he felt like nothing but an uncontrollable animal during those few months. It was so difficult for him, in fact, that he locked himself away in his chambers until it was over, if he was able. If he had war or political things to attend to, then it was a decent distraction. But, when he didn’t have that, then all he could do was hide away with his women. 
That’s why there were so many. His needs and urges were nearly insatiable during this time, and even if they could go for a while, the women would eventually need a break. It was an almost constant rotation, though you were never sure of exactly what went on behind those doors. You were free to imagine it in the comfort of your room, hand between your legs as you pictured him absolutely ravaging you from behind. 
Although the thoughts of what he was doing in that room made your body incredibly hot, it also worried you. What if he had a favorite woman that was stealing his heart before you could even have the chance? They were all his body type, since he had picked them in the first place, and they were obviously fluent in how to pleasure him. What if they had a personality he liked, too? If that were so, how could you ever find a way to stand out or get his attention? 
Well, you knew how. 
You had to take a risk. 
A huge one. 
And that just wasn’t your thing. 
That didn’t matter. If you wanted your chance with him, then you knew that you had to put yourself out there in a more… obvious way. You had to show him that you wanted him. Subtle hints just weren’t going to work anymore, if they had worked at all up to this point. It was time to literally jump into the lion's den - or, in this case, dragon’s den - and offer yourself to the beast. And, in reality, that wasn’t an exaggeration. He was in peak rut season right now, and from what you heard, he was absolutely feral. In fact, it was so intense this year that the male servants he had bringing him food had to literally run away before he ripped them to shreds in a territorial rage. There were even rumors that he was showing signs of dragon features that were rare for him, including scales along his skin. Those were just rumors, as far as you could tell, because some said he didn’t and some said he did. 
It was of little consequence. You would see for yourself. 
Although Bakugou was impossible to please during this time, he still kept up a schedule of sorts, and after some spy work, you learned that he actually had been sleeping most of the night and his concubines didn’t start showing up to his room until sunrise. That meant all you had to do was show up before that time. Right? An hour or two before anyone shows up would be plenty of time to see if he’d either take you or reject you. 
So, dressed in nothing but a shift and a coat, you silently made your way through the castle to his chambers, avoiding others who may try to question you. Since it was so early in the morning, before sunrise, there weren't many people out, so the journey was less stressful than you had prepared yourself for. Though, you wished you had done more prepping to have enough bravery once you reached the entrance to his room. You had decided to not go through the main door, and since you knew the route that cleaning servants took and the location of the hidden door, this was a perfect plan to avoid being caught. 
Even still, it took an incredible amount of courage to finally place your hands against the cold stone, nibbling at your bottom lip nervously. You had thought of everything that could go wrong already, and of course, it was rushing back to you like a violent storm. You could be fired. You could be killed. You could be banished. You could be simply rejected and forced to continue your normal life with an incredible sense of shame and regret. You could fall only further in love with him. He could admit his feelings for you. He could use you for his own uncontrollable sexual pleasure. 
He could accept you. 
That’s what kept you from running. There was still hope that he would take you as his woman, which you wanted more than anything. 
You just prayed that you weren’t going to end up biting off more than you could chew. 
After a final trembling breath, you carefully pushed the door open, just wide enough so you could fit through before shutting it behind you. Since it was made to be quiet, there was barely a sound in the dim light of the fireplace, which was blazing across the room. Soft, warm heat rolled across the large room, bringing relief to your cold bare feet and legs. In the flickering shadows, Bakugou’s large bed loomed over the room like a large hungry beast, the posts tall and reaching for the ceiling. The footboard that you could see was very ornate, with dragon bones, horns, and scales, which matched the color of the canopy drapes that hid the man inside. 
Or, it would have. Much to your surprise, you could see rips and tears in the fabric as you stepped closer, which you assumed came from one of his many lustful sessions. There were pillows and blankets also scattered across the floor, abandoned in favor of sleep, and the remnants of his last meal were sitting on a table near the head of the bed. 
“What the fuck are you doing here?” 
The dark growl of a voice startled you so badly that you jumped, stumbling back against the wall, eyes darting this way and that to find the source. In the darkest corner of the room, you could see Bakugou’s shadow-cloaked figure, his reflective pupils visible as he glared at you. Feeling heat rush to your cheeks as you tried to calm your racing heart, you placed your hands on your chest, keeping pressed up against the wall. Before finding the strength to answer, you looked over what you could see of his figure, only able to tell that he was perched up on a chair with his legs pulled up into the seat. It was a stiff and uncomfortable position, as if he were forcing himself to stay in place. 
“I… I, uhm… Why are you awake so early?” 
“Are you fucking serious? You’re walking into my room in the middle of the damn night, and you’re asking me why I’m awake?” 
“I… I had just heard that you were having more trouble than usual. I hadn’t heard from you about any of the strategies I sent in and… I got worried.” You could hear the bullshit in your own voice, and you wanted to just bite your own tongue off. Already, you were chickening out of your plan, but his aggressive presence was more radiant than you expected. It was throwing off the small amount of confidence that you had gathered, which you knew you needed to get back as quickly as possible. 
A low rumble escaped him as he lowered his legs to the ground, the growl sending a harsh shiver down your spine. It was so aggressive and intimidating that you nearly felt the need to cower down to the ground, but you kept yourself up on weak legs. It was odd, how he was both frightening you and filling you with a raging lustful fire at the same time. 
Clutching at the front of your coat, you stepped away from the wall, but was once again startled to a halt by his voice. 
“Bullshit. I know you. You’d just send a letter instead. That’s what you’ve always done when I’m like this. On top of that, you’re sneaking around the servant’s halls like a rat.” His teeth were visible as he snarled, clutching on tightly to the arms of the chair. “You think you’re being slick, huh?” 
“I don’t know what you mean…” 
“Yes, you do. You wanted me alone. Sneaky, figuring out my schedule and getting in here without anyone noticing. I’m both impressed and pissed off.” 
“I… You’re right. I did want to come see you when no one would bother us.” Giving your bottom lip a nervous nibble, you began to unbutton the front of your coat, able to see him only further tense in his chair. “I wanted to… ask you something.” 
Bakugou couldn’t take this. How in the hell could this really be happening? This had to be some type of dream, a hallucination brought on by his unquenchable need to breed. How could you actually be here, in his room, at the peak of his rut. It was so dangerous, and you needed to leave. Now, before he lost what little control he had. He wanted to tell you, to snap at you to fuck off, but the words just wouldn’t leave his lips. 
He was too enamored already. Your scent filled his senses like the aroma of a delicious fruit, one which he craved to sink his teeth into and let the juices drip down his chin. Just the sight of you made him dizzy, so disheveled and vulnerable. 
Unexpecting and unaware. 
Beautiful and stupid. 
So fucking stupid. 
As your coat was shrugged off your shoulders, more of your scent wafted over him, forcing him to further dig his claws into the fabric of the chair to keep himself in place. With the light from the fire, your figure was visible to him as a silhouette beneath your white shift, giving him just a taste of that beautiful body he craved. If only you knew how badly he wanted you. How badly he had always wanted you. But it just hadn’t ever been the right time. He had never made the move. 
Now, here you were, tired of waiting and willing to put yourself in such a compromising situation. Your years of flirting, teasing, and genuine care for him was always something he paid great attention to, and the feelings weren’t unwelcomed, like you must have assumed. Of course, he knew it was his fault for refusing to take that step you both craved. 
Still… 
This wasn’t the right time. 
“Tell me what you want,” Bakugou growled, his heartbeat so loud in his ears he could hardly even hear himself. It pulsed through his entire body to his crotch, his cock already hard and straining painfully against the fabric of his sleeping pants. “You’re fucking stupid for coming here. Don’t you know what I could do to you?” Tell her to leave! “Don’t you know what’s wrong with me?” I need to throw her out! Fuck, I want her. I want her! Damn it!
Letting your coat fall to the floor, you took a few steps closer, swallowing the hard lump that had grown in your throat. “I just can’t wait to find out anymore, my Lord.” Growing shy, you timidly fiddled with the fabric of your shift, your body growing hotter with his reaction to the formality. Bakugou’s breathing grew incredibly heavy, his head hanging as he tried to not look at you. 
“Don’t fucking… call me that… Don’t say that!” He spoke with a trembling, angry growl. “Just fucking tell me what you want!” 
“Y-you! I want you! You oblivious jerk!” 
“Oblivious?!” Bakugou barked, standing up so roughly that the chair toppled backwards behind him. The volume of his voice and the movement startled you enough to make you take a few steps back, bringing your hands up to your chest defensively. “I’m oblivious?! You moron! Look who’s just waltzed into my room knowing damn well I’m dangerous right now.” 
“I don’t care,” you stood your ground as Bakugou began to come towards you, his hands balled into fists at his side. “I’m not scared of you. I know that you wouldn’t do anything I didn’t want.” 
“You’re smart enough to know that I’m not completely myself right now. I don’t know what I could do.” His tall and broad stature was incredibly intimidating as he got closer, breaking your tough front and making you stumble over your feet stepping backwards. It wasn’t only his form that caught you off guard, but the intensity of his glare and the patches of crimson scales that broke his skin along his cheeks, chest, and shoulders. 
It was true, what the servants had said about him. This was the worst he had been, probably ever, and you were truly curious as to why. Was his body really beginning to grow desperate to have an heir? Was the need to impregnate and breed worse because of his natural instincts, or was it because he knew who he wanted as his mate and he just hadn’t been able to have her?
Your back was once again pressed against the cold stone of the wall as Bakugou pursued you towards it, and in the next instant, you were trapped by his arms on either side of you, palms pressed against the rough surface. He was so close to you that if you relaxed your body, your chests would touch, and it was hard enough to keep the distance as your breathing grew heavy. “I… I know. But I don’t care. I came here now b-because… because you couldn’t ignore me or brush me off so easily.” 
“That’s fucking bold of you. Reckless.” 
“Why is it so reckless?” You relaxed a little, the warmth radiating from his body calming your momentary fears. “Other women can be with you… Why can’t I?” 
“Are you serious? You’re comparing yourself to one of my whores? To a bitch I can snap my fingers at and have her at my feet? You think that lowly of yourself?” 
Confused, you gave a small shake of your head, feeling an odd fluttering in your stomach. “That’s… I don’t mean that. I mean… it’s safe for other women, why couldn’t it be safe for me?” 
“It’s not safe for them. Why do you think I have to rotate? I could hurt them. I have, however unintentionally. You’re not like them. Don’t compare yourself to them like this… It pisses me off.” 
“Why?” 
“Because I respect you.” 
A fierce heat rushed to your cheeks, spreading across your skin to burn your ears and even your eyes. You had wanted this type of response from him, but it was still such a shock to hear it. Not exactly the love confession you were wanting, but it was something, and he hadn’t forced you out of the door just yet. 
But there was something else, paired with his response that made your heart race. That glare, so dark and frustrated, had softened into what you could only describe as… gentle. There wasn’t a single crease or frown line on his gorgeous face, bringing such a sweetness to him. Even his pupils had relaxed, the thin reptile like slits now wide and blown out. There was more than just respect in that gaze. 
“My Lord,” your voice hitched as he tensed at the formality, shifting half an inch closer to you as his pupils constricted. “There’s… more than just respect. Isn’t there?” Your final question wasn’t confrontational. Instead, it was worried, seeking the affirmation you had dreamt of. 
“Of course there is. But I can’t do this now.” 
Heart sinking, you slowly and carefully brought your hands up to caress his cheeks, but they didn’t stay in place long. The instant you touched his skin, Bakugou grabbed both of your wrists, forcing your arms up over your head against the wall. It was so quick that you barely had time to register what was happening before he began to speak again, a deep growl that you could even feel reverberating in your chest. 
“I said I can’t do this now! Don’t just fucking touch me! You don’t understand!” Although he was saying these things, his body was betraying him, pressing in closer to you, one leg slipping between yours to further keep you in place. “I’m not me right now! I’m a fucking animal.” 
“T-That’s not true!” The position of your arms was making it difficult to find the breath to speak, unable to resist wiggling in his grip uncomfortably. Your thighs clenched around his and your chest ached up against him, your lips permanently parted against your panting and struggles. “This is you! It’s a part of you, My Lord--” 
“--Don’t call me that!” 
“-- You have to accept it. I accept it. I want to be here for you.” 
You had to stop. Bakugou had to make you stop. Somehow. He wasn’t going to be able to control himself much longer. That beautiful flushed and pleading expression. Your plush breasts pressing against him with every breath and wiggle. The scent of your arousal fogged his mind with every breath and he could hear your heartbeat, so rapid and desperate. He knew that he needed to make you stop this, but he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to stop. 
No, at this point, he didn’t think he could stop. How much he adored you was swirling with the fierce need to fill you with his seed, to fuck you for hours on end until you were absolutely filled to the brim. He wanted to mark you, sink his fangs into your soft flesh, taste your sweet essence, and hear you scream his name. 
More than anything, he wanted to have you as his mate. His lover. His queen. All these years of having you by his side had always felt so natural, like you were always meant to be there. Now, he had you, so willing and accepting of him even in his darkest moments. Was this really okay? Could he really let himself take you now, when he was unsure of what was love and what was lust? 
Frustrated, Bakugou pressed his forehead against yours, clenching his eyes shut tightly to alleviate the red from his vision. Trying to restrain himself so intensely was beginning to grow painful, his muscles and joints aching from the need to just devour you. Even your lips barely brushing against his was enough to send shocking tingles through every nerve, urging him to taste you. 
I shouldn’t do this.
But I need her. I want her! 
I could hurt her! She doesn’t know what I could do. 
She’s not protected by the magic… She could become pregnant--
“Katsuki.” 
The sultry sound of his name coming from your lips instantly snapped his restraint like a twig, not even opening his eyes as he kissed you roughly. The feeling of his hot lips against yours made you immediately melt into him, moaning softly with the first rough nibble to your bottom lip in a demand for access. The kiss was sloppy and wet, with little direction except the mutual cravings to taste each other. You couldn’t help but wonder for a moment if he kissed the other women like this, so fierce and passionate, with an unrelenting aggressiveness that made you feel weak in the knees. 
Unable to move or find a moment to breathe, you began to struggle again, trying to tug your arms down out of his grip to at least be able to hold him. You had no luck. Instead, he moved to grip both of your wrists with one hand, his other roughly gripping your neck and pressing you back against the wall with a frustrated growl. “You trying to escape me?” His lips left yours, pressing against your flushed cheek with a wicked smirk. A low rumbling began in his chest, a deep and hungry purr that was completely different from the sweet and innocent sound you had heard in the past. “My little pet… You can’t get away, now.” 
A soft whimper escaped you, biting down onto your bottom lip as Bakugou ran his tongue along your cheek to your ear, leaving a hot trail of saliva in his wake. “I-I’m not…” You relaxed your head back against the stone, looking up at the ceiling as his tongue slid along the shell of your ear. The pain of his teeth pulling on your earlobe was paired with the pleasure of his knee pressing up into your sex, your clit immediately met with the friction of his pants as there was no underwear to create a barrier. 
Able to feel your heat against his leg, his purr only grew deeper, his hand leaving your throat to move down your body. His touch was hot and rough, caressing your figure and digging his sharp nails into your plush areas that he deemed worthy of a squeeze. You couldn’t help but continue to whine and wiggle with the slight pain, only further pleasuring yourself against his leg. “K-Katsuki--” 
“Don’t be shy,” Bakugou spoke in your ear, his hot breath running down your neck. “You want me? Show me how much of a horny bitch you are.” His hand set firm on your hip, his teeth lightly scraping along the skin of your jaw. “C’mon, pet. You were so desperate to have me, now you do.” 
God, your body was so hot. Every inch of you felt like a raging inferno, and the fire had nowhere else to escape but between your legs. Your sex was throbbing and aching, absolutely begging for his touch. The need was too much, so you began to roll your hips, grinding yourself eagerly against his leg. 
“That’s it,” Bakugou released your wrists, tugging your body in closer while still forcing you to straddle his leg. Now, however, each roll of your hips had you pressing into his cock, his girth impressive from what you could feel. Your head free for the moment, you took the chance to look down, eyes glancing over his muscular torso before focusing on the bulge in his pants. The grey fabric was taut against the form of his cock, and was dark with wetness from where you assumed the head to be. You wanted to touch him, to feel him throb in your hands, but you found that they were otherwise engaged. 
You were forced to hold on tightly to his shoulders to keep yourself balanced, since Bakugou was doing little to help you. He had both his hands on your ass, holding and squeezing while you fucked his thigh. His lips were still at your neck, growling and panting against your skin with each moment of pressure against his cock. Listening to him, you started to feel lost in the moment, loosening up to instead wrap your arms around his neck. Though, with a sudden rough bump of his leg into your sex, you released a loud moan near his ear, which was quick to set him off again. 
Taking the back of your shift into his hands, he ripped the thin fabric open, exposing your back to the chill of the room. “A-ah, Katsuki-- Wait--” Removing his leg from between yours, you found your front pressed into the wall, the torn shift falling in loose rags against your body. Standing behind you, Bakugou kept one hand on your back between your shoulders to make sure you couldn’t move, while his other trailed down your back and to your hip. He left light marks along your skin from his nails, but those really weren’t what he was focusing on. That perfect curve and dip in your back. The shape and plushness of your perfect ass. The light glistening off your skin where your essence had spread across your sex and down your thighs. 
“So pretty,” Confident that you weren’t going to move, he released your back to grip your ass in both hands, spreading you open to see every inch of you. You couldn’t stop the twitching of your pussy at his touch, his thumbs so close that your body instinctively arched out more for him. The effort paid off for a moment, his thumbs slipping into your folds to pull your pussy open nice and wide for him. “Fuck… How many other cocks have filled up this pretty pussy?” 
Turning your head a bit to look at him over your shoulder, you caught his piercing glare, feeling your core twist at the sight. “N-not that many… They can never satisfy me.” 
Leaning forward, Bakugou pressed his lips roughly against your cheek, his hips grinding into yours and digging the length of his cock against your sex. “And none of them ever will,” He growled into your ear. “You’re mine. And once I’m done with you, all you’ll be able to think about is my cock. You’re going to be so fucking marked up and covered in my cum no other man will ever think about touching you.” 
“I don’t want any other man. I only want you.” 
“Good girl.” Another lick and bite on your ear made you moan softly. “My little pet… My pretty mate.” His hands left you for only a moment to pull his pants down, finally freeing his hard and throbbing cock. It came to rest for a moment between your cheeks, giving you a decent look at it once he sat up from leaning over you. His length and girth matched the size and muscular figure of his body, making your entire body quiver with a mix of excitement and worry. 
“S-so big…” Your voice came out as a trembling whisper, though you had expected it to stay in your mind as a mere thought. Bakugou chuckled, slowly running his tip along your wet slit, teasing your clit. 
“We’ll see if it’s everything you’ve dreamt about.” Without any further warning, Bakugou began to push his cock into you, the tightness of your cunt pulling a sharp hiss from his mouth. “Oh fuck…!” 
The feeling of him entering you immediately made you feel breathless, gasping and digging your nails into the stone wall. “A-ah, wait--! It’s so big! I-I’m not,- I can’t-!” 
“You said you could take it, my pet. So take it.” 
With a sharp snap of his hips, Bakugou buried himself completely within you, making you cry out and nearly collapse as your knees tried to buckle out from under you. There wasn’t another second that passed before he began to fuck you, holding your hips steady with a fierce grip. It was so much at once that your mind was already going blank, the initial uncomfortable feeling of being so incredibly full beginning to morph into an unrelenting pleasure. It left you completely breathless, barely able to find the strength to stay standing. All you could do was moan. 
“How does that cock feel inside you, huh? You like being fucked like the horny bitch you are?” A rough slap to your ass made your voice squeak, and you somehow found the conscious strength to look back at him over your shoulder. 
“I-it feels good! M-my Lord, do whatever you want with me!” You gasped as your hair was suddenly in his fist, pulling you back up against his torso. Hand wrapping around your throat, he continued to thrust into you, his lips at your ear as his deep grumbling purr began again. 
“Don’t fucking call me that. What is my name?” 
“K-Katsuki-!” It was almost impossible to speak through the grip he had on your neck, and mixed with the breathlessness brought on by the pleasure, you weren’t sure if you were even going to stay conscious. 
“Say it again.” 
“Katsuki!” 
“And what am I?” 
“M-my mate! Katsuki, please, I--” As your eyes began to roll back, you found your body floating in a hazy sea of pleasure, the lack of steady oxygen making you oblivious to everything else. It had already been building up in your core, pushing you closer and closer towards release, but you just weren’t there yet. 
“Are you going to cum already, my little pet?” His nails dug into the skin of your neck, making you wince and whine from the pain. Yet, you didn’t hate it. 
“M-more! Katsuki, please- A-ah! Fuck!” Releasing your neck, he grabbed both of your wrists and pulled them back, forcing you to bend over. With this new leverage, he slammed his cock so deep and hard into you that you couldn’t even find the air to moan. Head hanging, you watched his muscular legs and the way your arousal dripped from your ravaged pussy behind blurry, teary vision, only able to take a split second to be amazed at how truly turned on you really were. You were the hottest you had ever been in your entire life, so needy and aching for any attention or passion Bakugou would throw your way. It didn’t matter what he wanted to do to you. You would take it all just to finally be one with him. 
Each thrust inside of you had your pleasure spiking, the coil within your core growing tighter and tighter, until the tension was too much to bear. When it finally broke, your body reacted without any conscious thought, twitching and trying desperately to escape the pleasure as he only continued to pound into you against the constricting of your walls. “Ka- a-ah! N-no, wait--!” 
“Not so fast, my pet,” Bakugou used his grip on your arms to yank you backwards, one hand firmly on your throat. His other arm latched around your hips, keeping you in place while continuing to roll and dig his cock deep inside you, pressing against that delicious spot that drove you mad. “Fuck, your pussy feels so good squeezing my cock like that. You’re so damn perfect, I just want to fill you up until you’re dripping with my cum.” 
“F-fill me up, Katsuki-!” You gave a choked moan as his grip tightened on your neck, his deep, grinding movements returning to the erratic and rough thrusts. You could tell that, in that moment, the thought of pleasuring you at all had completely left him. All that was on his mind now was doing just as he wanted, just as you had asked him to, and you were at his mercy. Even his teeth sinking into the skin of the crook of your neck didn’t deter the pleasure for you, the sudden spike of pain only making you arch your hips up even more for him, up on your tiptoes as far as you could possibly get. 
With the movement, Bakugou released a frustrated growl mixed in with his groans and sighs of pleasure, his teeth only sinking further into your skin. The warmth that spread down your collarbone told you that he must have broke skin, but it was nothing compared to the heat that filled your womb in the next instant. The cum that coated your pulsing walls was hotter than anything you had ever felt, bringing a gasp from your hoarse throat. Desperately trying to clutch on to anything that you could to help distract you from the feeling, you snatched onto the arm of the hand that held your neck, clawing at his skin. 
“H-hot, oh fuck- it’s so hot!” Although at first it was an uncomfortable sensation, you were slowly enveloped by the warmth, spreading through every inch from the belly out. When you began to relax, your eyes grew heavy, loosening your tense posture to rest back against Bakugou’s broad chest. “So hot… It’s nice…”
Teeth still in your skin, Bakugou began to purr, that same deep and rough sound that vibrated all through your body. Releasing your neck, his hand moved down your body, coming to a stop on your stomach. “Mm…” He smirked against your bleeding skin, running his tongue along the wound. “Delicious… You’re going to look so fucking beautiful when you’re carrying my children.” As he pulled his still hard cock out of you, his cum began to dribble down your trembling thighs, wondering for a moment just how much he had released. 
Mind still hazy from the pleasure and the heat, you brought a hand up to tangle into his hair, turning your head to catch his lips. The metallic, sweet taste of your blood of his lips and his tongue were of no consequence, moaning softly against the kiss as both of his hands gripped and squeezed your breasts eagerly. From the feeling of his cock still between your thighs, hard and pulsing, you knew that this wasn’t over. You didn’t want it to be over. He had felt so heavenly inside of you, his attention and affection, however rough it may be, was filling your heart to the brim. 
“I want to… Katsuki, please pick me! I want to always be at your side, to be your wife and carry your children.” You turned to face him, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Please make me your mate!” 
There wasn’t another word shared between you as he kissed you, cupping your backside to scoop you up into his arms. Legs hooking around his waist, he carried you towards the bed, the plush softness of the blankets against your back lost to the euphoria that was his body intertwined with yours. 
Bakugou wasn’t sure the time of day when he finally came out of his haze. The red that had blurred his vision had subsided in a sudden flash of white, finding that he was panting quite heavily, his forehead pressed into soft flesh. His consciousness returned to him slowly with the final pounding waves of his orgasm, his cock buried deep within the still twitching and constricting walls of a woman. No, not just any woman. It was his woman. You. 
Slowly, he felt tired arms wrap around him, softly stroking up and down his scratched and sweaty back. With this movement, his head was gently pushed further against wherever he rested, which became clear by the pulsing against his lips that it was your neck. With a deep groan, Bakugou kissed your skin softly, working his way up along your jawline to your cheek. Your fingers in his hair made him feel so calm and secure, more than he had ever felt in the weeks since his rut first started. 
It was odd. Usually, Bakugou could never stop once he got going. At least, not without using extreme self-control. He would need to keep going until his body was at its limit, but now, there was nothing. All that was left was this overwhelming softness, an urge to protect, and a love that he had refused to accept all these years. You were something so special to him, so incredibly precious, and you were his. All his. 
Is that why he finally felt at peace? Is this what he had been missing? Are you what he had been craving for all this time? 
The unfamiliar butterflies fluttering about in his stomach were proof enough, bringing him to nuzzle his nose against your cheek as your hand softly stroked his. It was then that the uncontrollable soft rumble began in his chest, which was the complete opposite of the aggressive purr he had been making most of the morning. He finally had you. And he was happy. 
“Katsuki,” You spoke in a hoarse whisper, turning your head a bit to finally catch his gaze. “What’s that cute noise you’re making?” Your continued touch along his cheek made him realize that his scales had finally subsided, figuring he was mostly back to normal for the time being. How bad he had gotten, he really couldn’t remember, and just hearing how faint your voice was made him worry. 
“Fuck off, you know what it is. Are you alright?” 
Clearing your throat, you nodded, smiling against his lips. “I’m fine, Katsuki. Perfect, actually. I’ve never been happier… But I am pretty thirsty.” 
“You look it.” Carefully moving some hair out of your face, Bakugou placed a kiss on your lips before sitting up from you, removing his member as well. As he flopped to sit on the bed, he felt a twinge of true concern while looking you over. “Fuck. I was way too damn aggressive.” Bruises, bitemarks, and red scratches littered your beautiful skin, your neck and thighs being the areas that received the most abuse. Shiny with sweat, you were truly a sight to behold, and the amount of his cum that stained your body and pooled between your legs was more than he had seen in a while. You were beautiful and ruined. Marked and scratched. And all his. 
“Oh, I really don’t mind.” Sitting up, you lightly ran your fingers along a bite mark on the top of your left breast. “I didn’t know what to expect coming in, but… it really did feel amazing. I’ll be sore, but it’s worth it!” Smiling, you reached over and took both of his hands tenderly, bringing one up to softly kiss his fingers. “Mm… I’m so happy…” 
With only a light tug on your hand to beckon you forward, Bakugou let his arms rest around your waist as you straddled his lap, facing him. A soft kiss was shared as you rested against him, the purr returning. “I am, too. It was a stupid fucking thing for you to do, but… I’m glad you took the risk of coming here.” 
“You were pretty much moving subconsciously through most of it, though, right?” 
 “Hm… I mean, I remember some things, and the feelings, but that animalistic part of me was… really strong.” 
“I was just gonna say that… it was super cute when you kept calling me your mate,” You couldn’t resist a smile as Bakugou’s cheeks flushed, the color spreading to the tips of his ears. “And you were calling me your pet.” 
“Ah... Well, so what if I was?!” Bakugou’s embarrassment instantly had him feeling defensive, even as you laughed and hugged him tightly. “I wanted you, alright?! And not just right then, for fucking years! I was excited-- stop laughing at me!” 
You nuzzled your nose against his neck, sighing in happiness as you closed your eyes. “Aahh, Katsuki… you’re so cute. I’m so happy that you picked me, out of all the women you could have.” 
“There’s no other woman I’d ever want than you. How about we clean up and get some food. I think we could both use some rest. My beautiful mate…”
2K notes · View notes
ajerzaaddict · 3 years
Text
Let’s make things right between us
Jellal believed that Erza shouldn't be with him for valid reasons, but Erza thought otherwise. And she would fight until she make things right between them.
Rated: M
Words: 5.8k+
FFN
I can’t believe I’ve actually come up with 5.8k+ words for a oneshot. And it has taken me near 6 months to complete this, as I checked that I actually created the doc on 31/3/2021. The lack of canon contents was discouraging me, and there were other things occupying me as well. So usually I wrote a few paragraphs and then would put it aside for weeks. Anyway, I’m so glad that I’ve done it and happy with the outcome. I really hope that you find this rollercoaster of Jerza filled with hurt / comfort / sexy time enjoyable to read.
~~~
"Jellal."
His shoulders stiffened when Jellal heard his name being uttered by the voice he yearned but also feared to hear. Slowly, he turned his head to look at the uninvited visitor.
"Erza." There was a tightness in Jellal's voice. He was slightly irritated, but mostly nervous. "How did you find me here?"
"I'm sorry I can't tell you. I've promised confidentiality to my source." Erza opened the wooden gate and stepped into the backyard.
"Nevermind." Jellal sighed. His location should only be known to his former guild mates. "Then may I ask what brings you to me?"
Erza looked at Jellal with a piercing gaze. "It has taken me hours to come to see you. How about you being a friendly host, inviting me to your cottage for a seat and offering me a cup of tea? Then I can answer whatever questions you have for me."
Jellal stared back at Erza as he considered the options he had, but decided there was none other than complying with Erza's request because she definitely would not take his rejection as an answer. He took a deep breath, then exhaled.
"Please come in." He finally looked away from Erza as he injected his magic force into the magic-driven wheelchair through the body-link to move himself towards the cottage's backdoor.
Erza followed Jellal in silence. Passing through the backdoor, they entered the dining room equipped with an open kitchen.
Erza was surprised to find there was a woman in the room, and her heart suddenly felt heavy. The woman was a blonde like Lucy but had short hair. She was in the middle of clearing the dishes when she sensed their presence and turned to look at them. Erza studied her face and guessed that she was of a similar age to Jellal, not older than thirty.
"Mr. Fernandes." The woman greeted Jellal before fixing her gaze on Erza. "Oh, you have a guest. Would you like me to serve you and this lady anything?"
"Thanks, Iris. There's no such need. I have something private to discuss with my guest, so you can leave earlier today."
Iris nodded her understanding and took off the apron and put it in the kitchen drawer. "Then I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Fernandes."
"See you tomorrow, Iris. Thanks for your hard work today."
"Not a problem." Iris smiled at Jellal before she excused herself.
"Take a seat." Jellal told Erza after Iris left the room.
"Is Iris your domestic helper?" Erza tried to ask casually as she took her seat at one of the two chairs placed by a small round dining table.
"She's not merely a domestic helper. She's my caretaker as well, assisting me in doing things I can't handle on my own in daily life." Jellal answered while moving to the stove cabinet that was clearly specially made lower to suit his height in the wheelchair. "I'm sorry that I only have coffee but not tea. Or would you rather have water?"
"Water will be fine, thanks."
Jellal filled two glasses of water and put them in a tray. He then placed the tray on his lap and directed the wheelchair to the dining table. He settled himself at Erza's opposite before placing the tray on top of the table.
Erza picked up one glass and took a mouthful of water; while Jellal simply watched her and left his glass untouched on the tray, waiting in silence.
"I'm here to fight for my happiness." Erza said as she laid the glass on the table, and looked straight into Jellal's eyes. "And I won't leave until I get what I want."
Jellal balled his hand around the wheelchair's armrest as he willed himself to hold Erza's determined gaze which seemed to penetrate his soul. "You've come to the wrong person, Erza. What you are looking for is not something I can offer you."
Erza snorted. "You sound like you really know what can make me happy, better than I do. But Jellal, you don't really. You need to stop deciding what is the best for me and assuming you can't give me what I need."
"Aren't you assuming, too, Erza?" Jellal questioned, raising his voice in frustration. He knew Erza didn't like being challenged but he was also not afraid of confronting her when needed. "Didn't you sound like you know me better than I know myself when it comes to what I'm capable of giving and what not?"
Erza slammed her hands on the table top, shooting up from her chair. "Then let's speak our minds and make things clear for each other once and for all, and stop making assumptions any further." She paused and swallowed. "I love you, Jellal. I have a crush on you the moment you named me Scarlet and since then I've never stopped loving you."
"Stop it please, Erza." Jellal asked in a distressed tone.
Leaning forward, Erza grabbed Jellal's shirt and pulled him closer.
"I've never stopped wishing for us to be together one day since I met you again before the Grand Magic Games. After Zeref and Achnologia have been defeated, after you've been pardoned by the Queen, I thought my wish would come true finally." Angry and hurtful tears pricked at the corners of Erza's eyes.
Gritting his teeth, Jellal turned his head to the side and closed his eyes as it was too much for him to watch Erza crying sadly because of him once again.
"Yet you avoided me when I tried to reach you after you were pandonned, and chose to isolate yourself, not giving me a chance, not giving yourself a chance, to find the happiness we deserve together. "
Jellal grasped Erza's wrist as he came face to face with her again. "What kind of happiness can you find in taking care of a handicapped man like me for the rest of your life, Erza?" He questioned in a grave tone. "You'll just find I'm nothing but a burden to you eventually."
Erza searched Jellal's eyes. She found herself still being enthralled by their beautiful deep blue color which reminded her of the ocean at night. But it also pained her to see that they were dimmed by sorrow which blocked out the light of hope.
"Why are you having so little trust in me even though I've shown you time after time and crisis after crisis, that I'll never give up on you no matter what happens to you, Jellal?" Teardrops rolling down her face like a chain of pearls. "And how can you still belittle yourself as nothing but a burden? You've protected me from danger and comforted me in ways no other could when I was vulnerable despite your physical disabilities!"
"But I couldn't even have come to your side without someone else's help!" Jellal cried out in pain. "There are many things I can no longer do on my own and I must rely on a caretaker to live my everyday life. And I don't want you to shoulder such a duty for a lifetime!" Jellal lowered his head as he could no longer hold back his tears from falling. "I'm very sorry to disappoint you, Erza. I'm very sorry you've invested your love in the wrong person, that is me. Please don't waste your time on me anymore. You should live freely, not be bound by me."
Jellal wouldn't be surprised if Erza rebuked him, or even slapped him in the face, for being a coward who didn't dare to accept the love of his life because he didn't know how to overcome his insecurity. He wished she would. He deserved to receive her anger. But what descended on him was only a heavy silence which seemed to suffocate him.
"I'm already tired of you forcing your vision of freedom on me. It never ended well."
Erza's voice was nothing more than a whisper, but her words were crystal clear and sharp like her sword, breaking the silence as well as slicing through Jellal's heart. Placing his hand over his left chest as he felt his heart aching, Jellal slowly raised his head, glancing at Erza with anguish-filled eyes.
Erza released Jellal's shirt from her hold. Wiping her cheeks with both hands, she tried to dry them from her tears, before she took a few deep breaths to force down her sobbing.
"You so desperately want me to leave you, don't you? Then this is how you can make it." She kneeled in front of Jellal such that she could look into his eyes on the same level. "You only need to look me in the eyes and tell me that my love for you is one-sided all along, that you've never loved me, and you never will."
Jellal's eyes widened in disbelief. "Erza…"
"Tell me what I've told you, and I'll gather the pieces of my broken heart and disappear from your life forever ."
"Have I not already made my point clear enough for you, Erza? Why can't you just accept the reasons I've given you?" In a shaky voice, Jellal almost cried out his questions.
"I'm waiting, Jellal. If you can't tell me to go from the bottom of your heart, then allow me to stay."
"Just…...leave me alone." Jellal shut his eyes and balled his hand over his chest.
"Look at me Jellal!"
Countless moments in their past flashed across Jellal's mind, like a movie being played fast-backward. He still remembered it like yesterday, the joyful look on Erza's face when he named her Scarlet, and the first taste of falling in love when she thanked him with a timid smile which made his heart skip a beat and jump unusually quick. Their fate had intertwined since then. To deny that he had been in love with Erza since they were young teenagers was like abandoning the most influential element which made up the Jellal Fernandes he was today.
Yet, he believed he was a man who was already too broken to be repaired anyway. It seemed like a fitting fate for him to lose himself more by severing his ties with Erza completely. He told himself that it would also release Erza from his bond, so he should not hesitate to become a cruel man to smash Erza's heart, as well as his own.
Jellal had never felt his eyelids so heavy before when he opened his eyes again to look at Erza, the woman who was like the force of his life. Putting down his hands on the armrests, he held them firmly as he felt his body trembling.
"Your love for me is an unrequited one and I never…"
He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence.
In a lighting speed, Erza had held Jellal's face between her hands and crashed her mouth over his.
Startled by Erza's sudden advancement, Jellal was immobilized as Erza greedily tasted him. He grabbed her shoulders once the initial shock was over, trying to push her away. But Erza refused to let him go. As they struggled against each other, the wheelchair, being unable to withstand their combined forces, lost its balance. Jellal fell forward and into Erza, landing on top of her as Erza fell backward on the floor.
They were both panting as they took a break from their fight and kiss. Jellal's face was buried in Erza's hair and between her head and shoulder. Her scent was alluring, that it took every ounce of his will for him to not give in to her seduction and stay but to distance himself from her by pushing his upper body up.
He looked into Erza's teary red eyes and sighed. "You've never planned to actually accept my rejection, didn't you?"
"I simply can't lose you." Erza admitted with a bitter smile. "And I shouldn't have challenged you, forcing you to say things which were against your heart and will. For that I apologize."
"And I'm sorry for trying to tell the biggest lie to you. But Erza." His eyes were filled with sadness but also tenderness as Jellal gazed at Erza. "You must understand that love can't be the solution to everything. And you must accept that even if we are in love with each other, being together still may not be the best choice for the both of us."
"Love can't be the solution to everything, but it's what motivates us to find one even when the problem seems unsolvable. It's the force which keeps us moving forward when we feel tired and weak. Love gives us comfort and warmth and courage which helps us to endure suffering when life gets cruel." Holding Jellal's shoulders, Erza rolled them over and got on top of him. "But not everyone is lucky enough to find love in life. There's no other worse choice than rejecting love when we are blessed with it. I really, really, hope that we can treasure the love we found in each other and allow its power to grow on us."
Jellal breathed a sigh and smiled a small knowing smile. "You are ever optimistic, Erza."
"That's why I'm a perfect match for you who is ever pessimistic. We can balance each other out."
Gently, Erza held Jellal's right cheek in her palm.
"Do you love me, Jellal?"
Jellal knew he should not evade the issue again as they were trying to make peace with each other after going through an angst drama.
"Always."
"Do you love me?"
Jellal breathed deeply. "I love you, Erza." He said it with his clearest voice and firmest tone. "I always do, and always will."
"Thank you." Smiling, Erza whispered, then lowered her head and pressed her lips over Jellal's. This time, she kissed him less forcefully but more sensually.
Jellal was hesitant to react, but also unable to reject Erza. Having admitted his love for her was like having his heart stripped of the steel wall he built around it, making it impossible for him to pretend any further that he didn't enjoy her kiss. When Erza traced his lips with the tip of her tongue asking for entrance to his mouth, he finally let go of his last restraint and gave in to his desire.
Running his fingers through Erza's hair at the back of her head, Jellal opened his mouth and wrapped his tongue around her intruding one. He had never known a taste as toxic as Erza Scarlet in his life. He forced their tongues into her mouth as his desire to taste her more thoroughly grew beyond his control. He explored her warm, wet cavern as far as his tongue could reach, as well as stroking her tongue with his.
Erza felt dizzy. Jellal had not only taken away her breath and emptied her mind as he kissed her eagerly and dominantly, but had also ignited an aching need deep in her core and between her thighs. Moaning deep in her throat, she ground her groin against Jellal's.
Jellal snapped out of the spell of the kiss and regained his senses as Erza's action made him realize that he had led them to something he feared to face. His hand slid down Erza's head. Grabbing her shoulder, he pushed her away from him, breaking their kiss finally.
A thread of their mixed saliva stretched between their parted lips as they both panted heavily to draw air in their lungs.
"I can't." Jellal said once his breathing resumed normal.
Disappointment flashed across Erza's face but she managed to keep her negative emotion at bay.
"What do you mean? What are you worried about?" She asked Jellal in a concerned tone.
Jellal covered his eyes with his palm. He had wished that he would never need to reveal his disturbing problem to Erza. He could have kept it in the dark if Erza had accepted his rejection and left. But now, after he had failed to convince her to give up on him and even given her hope in their relationship with his confession of love, he knew he must tell her the truth. She needed to know it.
"My injury has not only rendered my legs useless." Jellal paused, tasting an unusual bitterness on his tongue. Or the taste was only from his imagination, reflecting his unwillingness to admit his incompetence to Erza. He swallowed hard before continuing. "I'm…...suffering from a certain degree of…...sexual dysfunction, too."
Silence engulfed them once again. After a moment, Erza held Jellal's hand over his eyes and tried to pull it away from his face. To her relief, Jellal had not put up much resistance; although he had chosen to look sideways instead of at her after she uncovered his face. She didn't blame his act of avoidance. She tried to make him at ease, caressing his forehead with her fingertips. Then she ran her fingers along his eyebrows and traced the shape of his facial tattoo, before she palmed his face, stroking his cheekbone with her thumb.
Jellal casted a glance at Erza. He didn't look as stressed as a moment ago, and heaved a quiet sigh. "You have every right to change your mind and leave me, Erza. And I won’t blame you."
Erza smiled a little, shaking her head. "I didn't come here looking for you unprepared, Jellal."
She straightened her back and moved to Jellal's side. Kneeling on one knee, she picked Jellal off the floor in bridal style.
Out of instinct, Jellal wrapped his arms around Erza's neck to steady himself, and his face turned slightly pink out of embarrassment.
"Erza? What are you doing?" He asked in a voice laced with anxiety.
"I don't suppose the hard floor is a comfortable place for you to lie on." Erza answered matter-of-factly as she walked out of the dining room.
On the other side of the door was the living room which was furnished with a two-seat couch, a coffee table, two bookshelves and a fireplace. Erza glanced around, then moved towards the two closed doors on her left-hand side.
"Is your bedroom behind one of these doors?"
"The one…...on the right." Jellal answered hesitantly as he was still unsure about the purpose behind Erza's action.
"Could you help open the door for us to go in?"
"What are you planning, Erza?"
"I just want you to loosen up while we try to sort things out between us."
Jellal sighed, not being completely convinced by Erza's answer. He did what she asked anyway.
Erza closed the door with her feet after entering Jellal's bedroom. She tenderly laid Jellal down in his bed ensuring that she would not hurt him, before she joined him in the bed. She lay back down beside him and rolled onto her side. She then rested her forehead against his strong upper arm while she held his hand in one of hers and put her other arm around his chest.
"When I decided that I would do anything to bring you back to me, I borrowed books trying to find out what kind of health issues and inconveniences would be faced by people who suffered the similar injuries as yours in their daily lives, and to learn some caretaking skills. Things were much more difficult to understand than I originally expected, though." Erza laughed dryly as she admitted her incompetence.
Jellal said nothing, but Erza knew he was listening intently, feeling his chest expand and contract under her arm as he breathed in and out deeply.
"Luckily Wendy was nearby and always helpful when I asked her questions; and also Porlyurisca, despite her resentment towards human contact, has given me some professional advice on things Wendy couldn't answer. She's always a little bit more lenient to me than to other people when I need her help."
Erza lifted her face to look at Jellal as her hand slid up his chest and found his face. Their eyes met when Jellal turned his face towards her.
"What you have just confessed on the floor of the dining room…...was one of the things I've prepared to face once we become a couple. It's not a big deal. There are many ways which allow us to satisfy each other." She looked away for a moment and lowered her voice. "It's also possible for us to make our own babies with the help of some tools if it's what we want. But no matter what." She turned her gaze back on Jellal. "I won't give you up because of this issue, or any other challenges."
Jellal cradled Erza's cheek in his palm; and tears appeared at the corners of his eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Erza asked gently. "What's it about this time?"
"I haven't expected that behind your resolution in being with me, you've made such a big effort to understand my circumstances, and to prepare yourself for living with me. I assumed you came to find me without knowing all the troubles I'm facing or you may face to be with me, and said something terrible to you. I'm truly sorry."
"I didn't blame you. Like what I've said earlier, I knew that love can't be the solution to everything. So I tried to find out what challenges await me to become a part of your life, and to prepare myself to face them. Jellal, I'm truly ready."
"I trust you are. I'm just...worried that the responsibility of looking after me will tire you out in the long run because things could be more difficult in real life than they look on paper. Iris is already the third caretaker I hire. The previous two quit in less than three months because they felt the workload was too heavy."
Erza chuckled. "You don't compare me with ordinary people. Have you forgotten which guild I come from? I've helped look after a guild filled with some of the most difficult people to handle on the continent for years, yet I'm still good and don't find it a problem. But we would probably need a part-time helper so that someone can assist you when I'm away for long. Anyway, listen, Jellal." Erza put on a serious look. "I truly hope that you are finally convinced that we can be together, and understand that it will bring me infinite joy instead of making me miserable, with everything I've said and done."
Jellal took Erza's hand and placed it over his loudly-beating heart.
"I'm a handicapped man with a broken heart. I feel…...very inferior to you, the best woman and also person I've ever known, and ashamed to offer myself to you. But…...I'm all yours as long as you want me."
"You are my treasure and all I want." Tipping her head upward, Erza closed the distance between her lips and Jellal's. It delighted her that Jellal responded immediately, kissing her back. Their lips moved against each other in an unhurried yet fervent manner as they tried to enjoy the moment but also couldn't get enough of each other. Only when their lungs screamed for air that they finally pulled away from each other.
Erza slid one leg over Jellal's thighs and got on top of him as soon as her breathing had returned to normal, and used her equip magic to change into nothing but her underwear: a set of bra and panties made of thin white lace embroidered with flower patterns which barely covered her nipples and private area.
Jellal widened his eyes and opened his mouth slightly. He was not only unprepared for Erza's bold action, but he was also in awe seeing the divine beauty of her almost naked form. He took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart before he was finally able to take his eyes off Erza's glorious body but to look at her face instead. He found that her face had already turned rose-pink, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. Despite appearing shy and nervous, she chose to look at him instead of avoiding his gaze.
"We have time. We can take things slow." Jellal suggested. He didn't want Erza to force herself to do something she didn't feel comfortable with. And he wasn't sure if he really should develop physical intimacy with Erza in the current moment. Everything between them seemed to progress too fast all of a sudden and out of his grasp.
Erza shook her head.
"Eighteen years have passed since we parted ways in the Tower of Heaven against our will. I think we should make up for the immense time we've lost without further waiting."
Leaning forward, Erza laid her body flat against Jellal's and held his face to kiss him again. Jellal slid one hand to her bare back and weaved the other into her hair as he opened his mouth to welcome her tongue in, choosing to go with the flow and abandoning his hesitation.
Their kiss came to a halt when Erza drew back. She took a deep breath, and then brought her mouth to Jellal's throat. She trailed wet kisses from his Adam's apple to his chin and along his jawline, while her hand went underneath his shirt, roaming over his abdomen and chest. His nipples hardened under her touch and she pinched one lightly between her fingers.
A sigh fell out from Jellal's lips.
"Have I made you feel good?" Lips brushing against his ear, Erza asked Jellal in a whisper. Jellal nodded.
"I want to feel you touching me in the same way." She brushed his other nipple with her fingertips. "Have you ever fantasized holding my breasts in your hands? Caressing them, fondling them, squeezing them? Dreaming of rubbing my nipples between your fingers and of me moaning your name?"
Jellal shut his eyes, and various fantasies he had made about Erza flashed across his mind. He couldn't help but question if all the flirtatious words he had just heard were also from the Erza he imagined. Yet, he could clearly feel his body temperature rising, and his heartbeat quickening. He felt aroused; something he could only experience occasionally since he was injured. He opened his eyes to look at the real Erza. Raising a hand, he cupped the side of her left breast and squeezed.
Erza gave a little yelp and lifted up her head; her eyes found Jellal's. Jellal wasn't sure if the emotion he saw in Erza's eyes was surprise or excitement, or both. But he had no doubt that the color of her face had turned red like her hair.
"Should I stop?" He asked.
"You should continue." Erza pushed herself up with both hands and got on her knees, hovering above Jellal with her hair falling down like a red curtain at both sides of his head.
Jellal held Erza's cheek with his unoccupied hand as he looked at her fondly like he had found the brightest star in the sky. Being trapped in the scarlet world of Erza with her alone, isolated from the outside world, Jellal seemed to finally be able to honestly admit to himself that no matter how undeserved he felt of Erza, his desire to be with her would never die. If it was a sin for him to accept Erza into his life, he would willingly bear such sin instead of pushing her away.
"I love you, Erza." Smiling, Jellal ran his hand down to Erza's neck, over her collarbone and the side of her right breast, before cupping her breast from its underside.
"And I love you too, Jellal."
Sighs fell from Erza's lips as Jellal began working on her breasts and nipples over the thin fabric of her bra.
"Ah. Yes. Keep on." Erza encouraged Jellal, trying to arouse him more. "Make me wetter."
She freed one hand to unzip Jellal's pants. She then pulled his underwear down and reached for his manhood. She had seen naked men many times but touching a man's cock was a first time for her. Feeling both curious and nervous, she palmed Jellal's member.
"You feel smooth." She wrapped her fingers around him and began stroking, in the way she learnt from books. Gradually, he swelled and stiffened slightly in her hand. "How about I massage you between my legs instead?"
"Oh god. Erza." Jellal felt pleasure rising from deep in his stomach as Erza pumped him quicker and seduced him with words.
Erza leaned back as she lowered her bottom onto Jellal's thighs and pulled her breasts away from his hold. Jellal pushed his upper body up from the mattress with his elbows and forearms to have a better look at Erza. His heart skipped a few beats as he watched Erza gilding her lace-covered core along his length.
Erza moaned lowly in pleasure, feeling the aching need of her damp, throbbing folds being soothed by the physical contact with Jellal's flesh. She flattened one palm on Jellal's abdomen for support as she rubbed herself harder against his partly erect cock, and alternately rolled her nipples between her fingers to stimulate herself further.
Jellal fisted the bed sheet and panted, feeling his inside burning with lust which he had not experienced as strongly for a long time, as he watched Erza pleasuring herself with his body. Her arousal had already soaked through her tiny panties and rubbed over his cock. Her nipples stood hard and popped against her bra after receiving all the ministration from his and her hands and her breasts were bouncing as she moved her hips back and forth. Her moans falling out from her parted red lips were mixed with the sound of his name. He could feel excitement tingling over every nerve endings of his upper body. It was like Erza had awakened his lost senses with the combined forces of intimate touches, erotic view of her body and the lewd sound she made. He growled deep inside his throat and his head fell back with his eyes shutting closed and his teeth biting his lower lip, when a strong wave of rapture washed over him.
Erza smiled in relief when she realized that Jellal had reached his peak. She slowed down her movement to a stop despite having not reached her own climax. When Jellal laid his back flat on the mattress again, she lifted herself off him and moved forward to take his face between her palms. She then dipped her head to kiss him on the lips.
"I'm so glad you enjoyed the things I did with you."
"You are marvelous." Jellal smiled and ran his fingers through Erza's hair. "But things between us aren't over yet. I want to make you feel satisfied, too. Would you turn around with your back facing me?"
It warmed Erza's heart that Jellal not only cared about her, but also showed willingness in taking the lead in their newly established relationship. She nodded and did what he asked, turning her body around and straddling his waist.
Jellal palmed one side of Erza buttocks and pushed lightly, making her lean forward a little to leave a gap between their bodies. Erza steadied herself by grabbing Jellal's thighs. Jellal then slid his free hand through Erza's inner thighs and pressed two fingers against her slit through the damp panties. Erza sucked in a deep breath. Jellal started stroking her with his fingers sliding up and down along the lace barely covering her opening, drawing sighs out from her mouth. He soon felt his fingers being coated in Erza's juice, and slid them beneath her panties. Her lip-shaped folds against his fingers were slick and soft and warm, being more ready to welcomed his fingers in.
"Let me know if I hurt you."
"Okay." Erza breathed out the word.
Jellal slipped his fingers partially into Erza's folds first, giving her some time to adapt. When Erza gave him no sign of stop, he then inserted his fingers fully into her core. Erza uttered a cry; her inner walls spasmed as they were stretched by Jellal's intruded fingers more than she had ever done to herself with her own.
Jellal pulled his fingers out a little and thrust them back into Erza's tight core, and repeated the action. He spread and twisted his fingers every time he buried them deep inside of her, to explore and excite her sensitive spots. Erza moaned and mewled helplessly and her body trembled, and it didn't take long for her to start riding Jellal's fingers.
Jellal felt like he had been turned on again watching a lust-filled Erza fucking his fingers zealously. He could perfectly picture it was actually his cock but not his fingers which was filling Erza up and being hugged by her inner walls. His body was burning up, and his heartbeat was drumming against his chest echoing Erza's moans.
"Oh dear. More, Jellal. More." Erza gasped and her nails dug into Jellal's thighs as she tightened her hold on him.
Complying with her demand, Jellal added a third finger in thrusting Erza, and slid his hand on her buttock over her thigh to reach for the bundle of nerves at the top of her opening. He easily located it beneath the panties as it had already stuck out from her folds waiting to be touched. He pinched it between his fingertips, massaging it. The additional effort he made soon pushed Erza over the edge into ecstasy. She screamed his name and squeezed his hand between her thighs as she came on his fingers; her juice overflowed and left a trail along his palm to his wrist.
Jellal breathed deeply to slow down his erratically beating heart before he slid his fingers out Erza's core. Erza panted for air on top of him until she regained her breath, then she slid off him and lay down at his side.
Jellal turned his head to look at Erza and she, sensing his gaze, turned to look at him as well.
"I love you." They said at the same time, and both laughed softly at their perfect timing.
Jellal held Erza by her shoulder as he looked at her with a tender loving gaze. "You are the biggest miracle to ever happen in my life, Erza. I promise I'll cherish you as much as I can, and do my best to improve my physical conditions with whatever therapy or medicine which are considered useful."
Erza nodded her head with contentment; her eyes welled up with happy tears. "And I'll always walk by your side to support you, to love you. The road ahead of us may not be easy to walk, but we can do it."
"As long as there is love, am I right?"
"Absolutely." A heartfelt and satisfied smile spread across Erza's face. She then yawned as she finally felt consumed by the tiredness accumulated from all the things she had done in the day: taking hours of travel to find Jellal, confronting him first, persuading him next and finally having sex with him. She snuggled against Jellal's chest, closing her eyes. "But now, I simply want to take a nap with you, and also take a shower afterwards. Then we shall see what we should do next."
"Sure." Jellal kissed Erza on the forehead, before closing his eyes as well. "Rest as much as you need."
Having never felt as peaceful and as fulfilled in their hearts, they quickly fell into a sweet slumber.
~~~
You should have already known where I got this idea of Jellal being disabled and using wheelchair if you are in the fandom long enough but if you don’t, see this.
33 notes · View notes
alj4890 · 3 years
Text
All Through the Night
Tumblr media
A Choices: The Royal Romance Dark AU
A/N Picking up right where we left off in the prologue and delving deep into the Beaumont's part of this storyline. We will also begin to see what some of our other TRR characters are and how they affect this divided kingdom of Cordonia. This is a VERY long chapter since I went into both Beaumont's histories, but I couldn’t find a good place to end their beginning to this storyline, LOL. Hope it doesn’t ruin this for anyone.
@gkittylove99 ​​ @krsnlove ​ @kingliam2019 ​ @texaskitten30 ​ @yourmajesty09 ​ @mom2000aggie ​ @ofpixelsandscribbles ​ @twinkleallnight ​ @lodberg ​ @twinkleallnight ​ @amandablink ​ @neotericthemis ​  @mm2305 ​ @sfb123 ​ @iufilms​​ ​ ​ @tessa-liam @busywoman​ 
Masterlist
Part 1
Outside the Cordonian Palace...
"Home?" Drake asked as he fell into step beside Liam.
"So soon?" The prince smiled at him. "The night is still young. We could check out a club or two."
"Uh huh." Drake shook his head. "Nice try, but I know you, Liam. Where are we really headed?"
Liam's smile dimmed. "I thought about checking on Leo."
"Leo? Why?"
"I'm worried about him. That last argument he had with Father...he hasn't been in contact at all with anyone at home." Liam softly sighed. "He hasn't answered any of my calls or messages."
"Then why visit?" Drake's tone was filled with bitterness. "Some siblings leave without a second glance and don't care how much it hurts you in the process."
Liam winced at the reminder he had caused his closest friend. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to bring up memories of Sav--"
"She's dead now." Drake bit out.
Liam closed his mouth. He knew that wasn't true, but it was the only way Drake could deal with what Savannah had done. Ever since the Beaumont’s appeared that fateful night, the Walker's had been permanently damaged.
He didn't know if there was even a chance for a reconciliation between the two.
Clearing his throat, Liam returned to the subject of Leo. "I can't come down here without checking on him."
"Is he even here anymore?" Drake asked. "I thought he had left Cordonia all together after your father refused his latest petition."
"He did. But through new sources, I have discovered that he not only returned, but has been back for quite some time."
They walked on in silence until they stopped in front of a small townhome.
They stared at the façade where not a single light was on.
Liam checked the time. "Perhaps it is too late to call upon him now that he is part of the human world."
"We can always come back after sunset." Drake offered.
"You don't have to accompany me." Liam placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder. "I think I can manage to get around down here on my own."
"And leave you alone with not only a Nevarkis but also a Beaumont protecting the streets from your kind." Drake's eyes narrowed. "Fat chance."
Liam shook his head. "Olivia is not going to harm me. And--"
"You can't trust her. I know you think you're little bond you made with her as a kid will keep you safe, but she'll end up just like her family and betray you the first moment she can."
"She's one of my closest friends." Liam argued. "She would never--"
"And as for Beaumont, do you honestly believe he will not seek revenge for what happened to his brother?" Drake snapped. "I'm surprised he has waited this long to make a move."
Liam knew there was little use arguing when Drake fell into this state of mind. With a sigh, he turned away from his brother's current dwelling and began to make the long trek back to the Blackspire Mountains.
****************
Earlier that night, Ramsford...
So many memories...
Maxwell stood in front of the wall of weapons his ancestors had collected over the years.
His hand raised, trailing over the gold kraken near the hilt of his namesake's sword, the very one that felt like an extension of his own arm.
"Here you are." Bertrand grumbled. "We need to discuss the next Beaumont Bash."
The young lord had to summon all his strength to fall into the act that was necessary.
"You came to the right man." He spun around, his movements as smooth as silk. "What would you like me to do?"
"I'm leaving music selection in your hands. Savannah," Bertrand smiled softly, "will be handling the decorations. I will of course be choosing the menu." He held up his many lists of chores. "I want my wife's first ball to be praised by all who attend."
"This will be the Beaumont Bash to beat all the previous ones." Maxwell promised.
"I knew I could count on you." Bertrand hesitated. "Perhaps, is there a young lady you would like to invite?"
Maxwell fought to keep his carefree act in place.
"You know me." He shrugged with a dimpled grin. "It's difficult to find...someone right."
Bertrand patted his shoulder. "You'll find the right person."
Once he disappeared down the stairs, Maxwell allowed his smile to disappear.
The past year and a half had been difficult. Becoming this version of a party loving noble grated on his nerves. He wished that they could go back to what they once were...monster hunters.
The Beaumont Brothers had once struck fear in the Dark Kingdom. The very notion that they had been tasked to bring a creature to justice sent many of them scurrying into the far reaches of the realm. Yet, none could escape them for long.
At least...that was how it once was.
That one fateful encounter with the King of the Dark Kingdom made their entire world turn upside down.
*****************
2 years ago...
"Wait." Bertrand placed his hand on Maxwell's shoulder.
He did a few hand signals.
Maxwell nodded and slipped his sword out of its sheath. He briefly closed his eyes, using his other senses to zoom in on where the danger was. The woods along the outskirts of the Dark Kingdom could be treacherous during the daylight. At night, it was nothing but a death trap to the random lost hiker.
Sensing a presence a little to his right, Maxwell took a few silent steps forward.
Bertrand followed, guarding his back with a crossbow.
"Stop!" A female's voice cried out. "Please, my lords. Help me!"
The brothers froze at the sobs that followed that plea.
"She sounds human." Bertrand whispered. "Could she be lost?"
"This far up the mountain?" Maxwell countered. "Not likely. It's probably another vile fiend hoping to trap her next meal."
"Please." The voice was faint, sounding almost defeated. "Please help me escape."
Escape. That one word meant she was an innocent human, one that would most likely perish from the monsters that resided nearby.
Bertrand stopped Maxwell and stepped in front of him.
Parting the branches of a bush, they saw a woman sitting on the ground. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her face was buried in her arms. Her body shook with muffled cries.
"Will no one help me?" She repeated over and over.
Bertrand lowered his weapon then knelt before her.
Maxwell remained tense, ready to lop off her head if she even made the slightest movement to harm his brother.
"We can help you." Bertrand reached out and laid a gentle hand on her arm. "Who--"
The brothers jumped back when she lifted her face.
She was a Walker and not just any Walker: Savannah Walker, only sister to the crown prince's right hand, Sir Drake Walker.
The two were the only descendants left of a human family that once centuries ago had made a blood oath to the Rhys. Each generation served as a protector and companion of sorts to the reigning family.
Savannah wiped at her tears. She cautiously rose, then held her hands out to them. "Please. I know who you are and I mean you no harm."
Bertrand had yet to raise his crossbow. His jaw was slack as he gazed upon her.
Maxwell pointed his sword at her. "We received a message asking us to search for a missing human." His eyes narrowed. "Did you send that message?"
She nodded. "Forgive me for lying, but I knew you wouldn't come if you knew it was from me."
Maxwell cursed, his nerves notched to an eleven as his eyes scanned the forest for a possible ambush.
"Why do you need to escape?" Bertrand asked.
"Aren't you the prince's right hand girl?" Maxwell taunted. "No longer enjoying being a vampire's plaything?"
Savannah winced at his insults.
"That's enough." Bertrand snapped. "She needs our help."
Maxwell's jaw dropped. "Surely you don't believe her?"
"I do." Bertrand moved closer to her. "Tell me what is going on."
Maxwell looked up to make certain the sky wasn't falling. Had his overly cautious brother, the very one that made him train hours upon hours each and every day, just defend an enemy of Cordonia?
"Prince Liam demands nothing from me, other than the occasional donation of blood." She sniffed. "He is very kind, but I don't want to remain here." Her warm brown eyes held Bertrand's. "I want to live a normal life, have a family...one that isn't bound to live here."
Bertrand rubbed a hand down his face. She looked so desperate, so in need of reassurance that she could have that dream.
"You're bound by a blood oath." Maxwell reminded her with a shrug. "There's nothing we can do to help you."
"Please!" She jerked her hands back when his sword swatted them. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"
"Maxwell Percival Beaumont!" Bertrand moved in front of Savannah. "Lower that weapon this instant!"
"Have you lost your mind?" Maxwell motioned toward the one that dragged them out of their beds. "Has she cast some spell over you? She's a member of the inner Dark Court. She probably has some signal that will have Constantine and his spawn out here to end us."
"I don't." She cried. "I could never do that."
Bertrand wrapped an arm around her. "We can't help you escape tonight. The blood oath will kill you if you break it without magic." He gently squeezed her close. "We'll find out what must be done and then rescue you."
"We'll do what now?" Maxwell jerked his brother away from her. "We are not prepared to face off against both Constantine and Liam."
"We'll find a way around them." Bertrand hissed. "Regina will know what to do."
"You're involving the witches now?" Maxwell's eyes grew incredulous. "You know they don't take sides."
Bertrand glanced back at Savannah. "I know. But we must try."
He returned to her and softly whispered the plan.
Maxwell watched as her eyes filled with tears again. She nodded, whispered a way to contact her and then impulsively kissed his brother’s cheek.
"Thank you." She squeezed his hand. "I must return before someone notices I'm absent."
She took off, stumbling through the brush, and disappeared from sight.
"We're really doing this?" Maxwell muttered.
"We are." Bertrand vowed. "She doesn't deserve to be imprisoned here for what her ancestors did."
"Everyone is in some type of prison thanks to our ancestors." Maxwell told him as he started back down the mountain. "Some of us just endure our life sentence better than others."
****************
A few weeks went by after encountering Ms. Walker. Bertrand summoned Regina and her coven to discuss how best to help Savannah.
The Guardian, as she was referred to by the younger witches, pondered this problem. Reassuring him that she would find a way, she rose to retire to a guest room.
"Just a minute, please." Maxwell held up a hand to stop her. "Your admirer must never know of this. He'll kill her as well as us if he thinks we plan on disrupting his castle."
Regina stiffened at the word, admirer.
It was no secret that Constantine had fallen in love with her. Years ago, the vampire had made her an offer of marriage. She had been tempted to accept, given that she had lost her heart to him as well. Then tragedy struck and her cousin and her husband perished in a plane crash, leaving their young daughter Madeleine, an orphan.
Regina had noticed that the little girl had inherited magical skills that could be molded into a powerful witch. Knowing that their talent would not be welcomed in the Dark Kingdom, she refused Constantine's proposal and remained in Cordonia. She had raised the young countess to be a witch that would do whatever she could to protect the innocent and needy.
Madeleine had formed friendships with two other noble ladies, completing the coven that would replace Regina on her death. Ladies Kiara and Penelope studied hard, yet were never quite as powerful as Madeleine.
And now the Beaumont’s were asking a favor.
Regina knew she owed them one. Hundreds of years earlier Percival Beaumont had saved the life of her ancestor, Kayden Vescovi. Without him, Regina and Madeleine would not be here today nor imbued with magic.
Madeleine slipped inside.
"Do you really think we can break a blood oath?" She sat down beside her relative. "Blood magic is tricky enough as it is. I can only imagine how much it will take from us to break."
Regina gently patted her hand. "We will do all we can to find a way. Our debt to the Beaumont’s must be repaid."
Madeleine nodded in agreement. "I brought some books along. I'll see if they have anything that can help us."
Regina watched her pixie like cousin slip out the door with a fond smile. It slowly firmed into a frown as she thought of what she had discovered before journeying to Ramsford.
Leo Rhys, former prince of the Dark Kingdom had begun visiting Madeleine in secret. 
She knew she would have to address that once she discovered the type of relationship Madeleine had with the young man. Now though, she was needed to solve this problem for Bertrand.
It took weeks of research, then having to wait upon a waning gibbus moon before a potion could be prepared. Once Regina had placed the bottle sealed with a waxed cork in Bertrand's hand, she had explained what must be done.
"Savannah must drink this and declare herself free from the Rhys' family." She explained. "Then she must force herself to turn her back on them and walk away. It will be painful for her, but she will survive."
"Thank you." Bertrand bowed. "I knew if anyone could help us, it would be you."
She gently squeezed his hand. "If you need me, do not hesitate to call. I will be here as fast as I can."
*******************
That night, the brothers slipped quietly through a gate into the Dark Kingdom. Savannah had told Bertrand that it was their best place to go undetected, given that the guard typically dozed off around the midnight hour.
"How often have you two talked?" Maxwell whispered.
"Everyday." Bertrand replied.
"Everyday?!"
"Keep your voice down." Bertrand ordered.
"She called to pester you everyday over this blood oath potion?"
"Not exactly." Bertrand slinked further into the shadows when they noticed a few people lingering around a town center.
"Then what have you been talking about?" Maxwell prodded.
He wasn't prepared to hear the answer.
"Marriage." Bertrand reluctantly replied
"Marriage? To whom?" His eyes widened. "You're going to marry a Walker?!"
"Yes." Bertrand narrowed his eyes. "She is kind and--"
"She's a Walker. A. Walker." Maxwell stressed. "Enemy to any and all monster hunters."
"She's not our enemy." Bertrand snapped. "For that matter, she says that Liam isn't either. He wants peace between our kingdoms."
"Oh well, that's a relief." Maxwell mocked, wiping his brow. "The word of a vampire is the one thing you can always count on."
Bertrand grit his teeth together to keep from saying something he might regret. He needed his younger brother's support and approval with this decision. He had never had a moment in his life since Maxwell's birth where he didn't have that. He would need it even more so in taking Savannah for his bride. He also hoped that Maxwell would become a brother to her since she was about to lose the only family she had ever known.
Regina had told him to stress to Savannah that breaking this blood oath could also destroy the bond she had with her brother, Drake.
He had done so over the phone, then wished he could be there to hold her as her heart broke over this hefty price.
With a shaky voice, she had remained determined to leave and marry him.
Creeping onward towards the castle, the brothers remained each lost in thought of what the future would bring.
*******************
Castle Rhys, that fateful night....
"Welcome home, my dear Sherry. And Rashad, how was your trip? Successful as usual, I believe." Constantine greeted the cousins warmly.
The two bowed and curtsied before relaxing again.
"It was very successful, your majesty." Rashad sat down in a chair catty cornered to the king's. "In fact, I was able to...."
While the pair talked, Sherry hurried over to hug Liam.
"Sherry!" He swung her into a tight hug. "I didn't think you were returning to us so soon."
"I missed home." She stepped back and grinned at Drake. "How have you been, Sir Drake?"
"Stop that sir mess and come here." He couldn't maintain his frown for long around her after pulling her into a tight hug. "The Blackspire Mountains haven't been the same without you flying about."
Sherry, formally Lady Sherveen Alcantar cousin to the Duke of Domvallier, Lord Rashad Kovak, was a fire-user. She and Rashad were direct descendants of King Dominic and his secret marriage to Sei Rhuka after the death of Queen Kenna. The fire users had decided to marry to protect the true heir to the kingdom and give him a family that would always be ready to fight by his side.
Like their ancestors the two cousins could transform into dragons and were known to fly above the clouds, away from curious humans.
Given their direct descent and blood relationship to each member of the Rhys family, their closeness had been encouraged with each and every generation. Sei had been the one to decree that every dragon born was to devote their lives to keeping their vampire relatives safe.
"Where's Savannah?" Sherry asked. "It seems like forever since I last saw her."
"Sav's been down lately." Drake explained. "Maybe she has been missing you and Rashad." He began to walk away, "I'll go fetch her."
Liam motioned for Sherry to sit with him.
As she lowered herself down, her gray eyes turned silver. A delectable smell seemed to waft from nearby. It fluttered her senses.
"Excuse me a moment, Liam," she pushed her jet black hair back and searched for the source.
It wasn't food she smelled, but rather someone. Possibly the one if she was to go by how her ancestors described finding the perfect mate. Her heartbeat accelerated as the smell became stronger with each step she took.
Then she noticed the guards' bodies lining the second floor hallway.
********************
Savannah said the words necessary after drinking the potion. Her insides became engulfed with flames, scalding her blood of any magic.
"AHH-" she clamped her hands over her mouth to muffle the agonizing scream while boiling tears slipped down her cheeks. A white hot mist began to float up from her skin.
"Savannah!" Bertrand tried to take her in his arms, but was burned upon touching a bare piece of her skin.
"Let's go." She managed to say through painful gasps. "We must hurry. It's almost--"
Her bedroom door flew open. A stunned Drake followed by Sherry walked into the room.
"Sav? What did you do?" Drake gripped his head. "Why don't I feel--"
Sherry stared wide eyed at Maxwell. She could feel the heat move over her body and pooling within her palms. One little flick of a finger would have fire burning within her grasp.
The one I'm meant for is a hunter?
But how could this be? They couldn't--impossible--how would they ever--
"I'm leaving, Drake." Savannah sobbed. "I can't take it anymore."
"What are you talking about?" He staggered against a wall and slowly slid down. "Why do I feel like you have died? That you've been taken from me?"
"I'm sorry." She knelt beside him. "So incredibly sorry."
He passed out from the pain pulsating in his veins.
"No!" Savannah tried to wake him up. "Drake please--"
"We have to go." Maxwell eyed the silver irises holding his own gaze. "Don't make any sudden moves."
Sherry merely nodded.
The three edged around her to the door.
"Who are you?" Sherry asked.
"No concern of yours." He bit out.
"But..."
She had to chase after him.
******************
It had happened in the blink of an eye. One minute, they saw the exit and felt elation at having succeeded. Then a sinister creature flew over their heads. It landed in front of them then threw its cloak back.
Constantine had found them.
"What did you do Savannah?" He snarled. "Why is your brother unconscious? Whatever you did also hurt Liam."
"Sir, I am so sorry. But I can't--"
"You haven't begun to feel sorrow." Constantine held her gaze, then reached out to torment her mind until she was beyond help.
Bertrand knew what was happening and jumped in front of Savannah, taking the hit of Constantine's frightening power.
He fell to the floor with a scream. Curling into a ball, he cried out for his dead mother and then for Maxwell.
Constantine slumped against a wall too, his powers surprisingly weak.
"Bertrand!" Savannah gently touched him and tried to snap him out of whatever nightmare Constantine had thrust him in.
It was no use. Whatever the vampire king had done, there was no clear way to help Bertrand.
"What did you do to him?" Maxwell demanded. "Tell me now before I kill you!"
"Do?" Constantine's voice had grown weak. "I got my revenge."
"No please!" Savannah pleaded. "There's bound to be a way we can end this amicably."
Bertrand’s screams turned to whimpers.
Fighting his own panic, Maxwell picked up his brother and began to back out of the room.
"Wait!" Sherry stepped forward. "I must--"
Liam appeared, causing the hairs on Maxwell's neck to rise.
"Savannah?" He stumbled forward, catching himself against a side table. "What is going on?"
"I'm so sorry Liam." Savannah whispered. "Please tell Drake I love him, but I have to live my own life. Tell him," she glanced back at the man sobbing in Maxwell's arms, "tell him I'm to marry Bertrand Beaumont."
"No!" Sherry shook her head.
It couldn't be. She had lost her heart, her very choice to choose another mate, to Maxwell Beaumont.
"Savannah," Constantine hissed. "If you ever return to the Dark Kingdom, I will kill you for this treason."
Tears continued to slip down her cheeks, her blood had cooled, giving her a new dose of strength to turn her back upon her king and leave all she'd ever known forever.
******************
Maxwell had struggled to get his brother down the mountain. Once back within Cordonia's borders, he had called Regina. No human doctor could help Bertrand. He hoped that a witch could reverse the effects of Constantine's vicious attack.
Regina worked tirelessly along with Madeleine to find a way to cure the young duke. The potions and spells they tried did little to bring him out of his fear.
Savannah never left Bertrand's side. She took care of him, fed him, tried to soothe him when he cried out. She did everything Regina suggested in between their treatments. Maxwell begrudgingly began to soften toward her when he saw that she truly loved his brother.
After a month of this, Regina finally sat Maxwell and Savannah down to offer them one final solution.
"I cannot bring him back." Her eyes were filled with sorrow. "Constantine's power is too strong. The damage is too extensive."
Savannah bit back a sob. "It's all my fault."
Maxwell silently agreed. If she had only accepted her lot in life like everyone else did.
"Bertrand made his choice." He mumbled, knowing he would want him to try and comfort her. "You were his choice."
She blinked back tears. "I won't give up on him."
Maxwell wondered. Hadn't she given up on Liam and Drake? And whoever that girl was with the silver eyes? Why would she remain with a mentally damaged man she had only seen once before and had a few conversations with?
Only monsters fell in love that quickly.
Was she--
"What I can do is give Bertrand a new mind." Regina leaned forward. "It will take years to make it permanent. You will have to slip him potions until the new memories settle."
Savannah and Maxwell sat up.
"New mind? So you can give him what he was before the attack?" Maxwell asked.
"I could, but I won't." Regina explained. "I'm afraid the knowledge of the Dark Kingdom would cause the new mind to never fully develop. His fears are forever tied to Constantine now. What he's seeing in his mind are you both, your parents, and even himself being tortured by the king and other monstrous creatures. It is a never ending slide show of agony."
Maxwell swallowed as stray tears began to fall down his cheeks. No wonder Bertrand screamed his name and their mom's. He thought he couldn't save them.
"Bertrand will never again be a hunter and he must never know that you are still one, Maxwell." She reached out and took his hand. "From the moment I begin the incantation, you all will need to live as a normal human."
"Whatever he needs, I'll do." He promised.
Savannah added her own fervent vow that she would give Bertrand that life.
Regina nodded. "Come. Madeleine and I will walk you through the potions you'll need to secretly give him. Tomorrow, we will begin the process."
******************
Within a month, Bertrand was back on his feet. He was pleased that he would be marrying his fiancée soon. He was content with the sparkling wine his duchy was famous for. He even took great delight in being a part of Queen Olivia's council.
And he believed his younger brother needed something to occupy him.
Maxwell managed to pull off his late nights out as partying instead of monitoring the boundaries between the two kingdoms. Olivia would join him as much as she could to help, but he preferred being alone.
He needed to prefer being alone.
And then, after a few months of proactive policing, he saw the silver eyed girl.
She was returning from an evening out with human friends.
He stepped out of the shadows, blocking her path.
His eyes darted over her, trying to discern what she exactly was. He could usually pick a vampire out of a crowd easily. Witches were not known to live in the Dark Kingdom. She could possibly be a human that Constantine and Liam preferred to feed from. But that didn't seem likely.
Those humans never left the Dark Kingdom.
He knew there were other creatures rumored to live up there. Werewolves could be occasionally heard at night. There were the elves who kept the kingdom wealthy. An occasional troll would slip out to attack a human. A few families of vampires from other nations had moved a long time ago to the only kingdom where they didn't have to live in fear.
And then there were the mythical dragons.
Maxwell had never seen one, save from renderings of King Dominic and his fellow fire user Sei.
The girl stopped, keeping about six feet between them. "Good evening, Lord Maxwell."
He blinked at the friendliness he could hear. "Good evening, umm..."
"Sherveen Alcantar, or Sherry.” She blushed over her stuttering. “ I prefer Sherry."
"Sherry." He repeated. "What are you doing down here?"
"I was meeting with some friends of mine." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "My cousin is business partners with William Sloane, do you know him?"
Maxwell gave a noncommittal shrug.
"Oh. Well, he was hosting a dinner on his yacht and I, um, went." She lowered her eyes.
"And what exactly was on the menu?" Maxwell asked.
Her eyes flashed at that condescending tone of his. "The usual a multimillionaire would have. Appetizers of caviar and shrimp. A roasted beet and pear salad. Lobster. Roasted parsnips and potatoes. Complete with a dessert of chocolate soufflé sprinkled with powdered sugar and gold flakes."
Maxwell merely quirked an eyebrow.
She huffed in irritation. "Anyway, there is something I think we should discuss."
"Savannah is not coming back. She's married to my brother." He informed her.
"No, that's not what we need to talk about." Taking a deep breath, she let the words finally be said. "You are meant for me."
"I'm what?" His eyes narrowed. "Are you a vampire."
"No." She shifted, raising one of her legs to take a shoe off. "But we are meant to be together." Her silver eyes began to glow brighter. "And I believe you know it."
"I--" was that why he there wasn't a day that passed where he didn't think about her?
She removed her other shoe, sighing at the relief she felt. "I'm a fire-user."
He snorted with surprised laughter. "Right. And I'm really a--"
His eyes widened when she produced a flame in her palm. Winking at him, she produced two more and began to juggle the fireballs.
"That doesn't mean--"
He fell backwards when she turned into a black dragon with silver tipped wings. Smoke curled out of her nostrils as she leveled a humor filled eye upon him.
He stared at the creature he believed was made up.
With a puff of smoke, she transformed back into a human.
A naked human.
"Don't stare." She ordered, pulling out a spare dress that she always kept close at hand from her purse.
He couldn't help it. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Once she was properly covered, she sat down beside him.
"What do we do about our destiny?" She asked.
He didn't know. His world it seemed had truly fallen apart.
******************
He tried to fight it. Maxwell didn't like the fact that he was intended for someone else without any say whatsoever. It seemed that a human couldn't fight the magic or whatever it was when a monster recognized you as their mate.
Sherry began to show up wherever he was whenever he left home. She'd spend a few minutes talking to him, then leave before he could deny they were meant to be.
It drove him crazy. There were times he wanted to accept it. Then there were times he wanted her to never return. Either way he couldn't stop thinking about her. He no longer saw any other woman as being attractive.
One day, he was walking through a park to try and clear his head. It hurt to no longer be able to discuss things like this with Bertrand. He needed his guidance in this. Of course given how he had fallen for Savannah, he probably would have encouraged Maxwell to be with a dragon.
Sherry appeared before him.
He bumped into her. His arms reached out and wrapped around her to keep her from falling down.
She took advantage of his momentum and kissed him.
He had frozen with the feel of her warm lips touching his. Against everything he had was and believed about the creatures that lived in the kingdom high in the mountains, he held her closer and took over the kiss.
Her soft hum of desire drifted up to his ears. Her fingers slipped into his hair. Their warmth was nearly burning. He jerked back at that reminder that she wasn't human.
Sherry's eyes were glowing again as she took deep breaths to calm down.
"Max, I--"
"I have to go." He sprinted away from her.
*****************
Months continued with seeing her like this. He actually found himself longing for her the moment they parted. He still fought against his growing attraction, but would succumb at weak moments to either holding her or kissing her.
Then he began to actually listen and talk to her.
After a year, he finally accepted that they were meant for one another. Once he did, they began to talk of a possible future together.
"Where could we live?" He asked. "I can't live in the Dark Kingdom. After my years of hunting, I'll be killed as soon as I step into the town square."
"I can live down here." Sherry rested her head against his chest.
"Can you?" He nudged her chin up to look into her eyes. "What about your duties to Liam? What about Rashad? Your bond, is it like Savannah's? I can't ask you to do what she did. She suffers daily with missing Drake."
"Mine isn't a blood oath, more of a way of life." She explained. "Liam and I are family." She gently caressed his cheek. "And he is so happy that I've found you "
"He knows?"
"Of course." Sherry laughed. "Liam, Rashad, and I have no secrets."
"And they're fine with you being with a man who hunts his kind?" Maxwell asked.
"We know you don't do it without provocation." She explained. "If you were a sadistic killer going after the innocent, then we wouldn't allow you to live."
"What about Constantine?" His eyes narrowed in concern. "Something tells me he wouldn't be so understanding."
"You're right." She lowered her eyes. "That's why I haven't told him."
"Sherry." Maxwell pulled her closer to him. "Would he hurt you if he found out? Like what he tried to do with Savannah?"
"I'm... I don't think so." She rolled away from him to look up at the night sky. "My discovering that you're my mate wasn't a choice like what Savannah did. And being with you won't hurt Liam."
"Are you certain?" He propped himself up on his elbow.
She sighed. "About us, yes. About the king, no." She finally shared what was worrying her. "Ever since the attack, King Constantine has been acting strange."
"How so?"
"He doesn't spend as much time with our people as he used to. He rarely leaves his chambers. He has begun pressuring Liam to either find a mate or arrange a marriage." Her brow furrowed. "He seems almost obsessed on making certain all possible enemies are destroyed."
"Enemies like me?” He asked. “Olivia?" 
"Yes." She wrapped her arms around him. "He has plans for Olivia. He fears she will extract revenge on him by killing Liam."
"I see." Maxwell rubbed his brow, trying to see a way out of this.
He didn't know if he could protect everyone.
***************
Now...
Maxwell searched his pockets for his cell. He didn't recognize the number but knew that whoever had this number was in need of his hunting services.
"Hello."
"Lord Beaumont?" A cultured voice asked.
"Yes." He hurried into his room when he heard Bertrand and Savannah talking a little ways down the hall. "Who is this?"
"Lorelei Lee." She replied.
"Lady Lorelei." He remembered her from his mother's stories. "How can I help you?"
"My daughter and her friend have got it in their heads to come visit Cordonia." She began. "I'm not certain how long they intend to stay, but I was hoping that I could retain your services."
"For what exactly?" Maxwell asked.
"Protection." She replied. "I have heard through certain channels that the dark prince is beginning to search for a bride." She took a deep breath. "We do NOT want our daughter anywhere near that vile creature."
"I understand." Maxwell replied. "I usually don't do personal security. With my brother retired," he grimaced at that, "it is left up to me to help protect Cordonia's borders."
"My husband and I would be in your debt if you could watch over her in the evenings." Lorelei cajoled. "I've heard that your brother is planning on extending his vineyards. We would be more than happy to invest in the production and distribution of his sparkling wine. Perhaps even let it be the only sparkling wine we serve in our hotels."
Maxwell rubbed a hand down his face. He knew his brother was anxious to succeed. Regina had told Maxwell recently that in order for the spell to be successful, Bertrand had to relax. Gaining not only an investor but also a permanent client would help relieve his troubled mind.
"Send me her information and picture. Call her and tell her that since our family is an old friend of yours, that I've volunteered to show them around. Find out where she's staying and when she plans on arriving."
"Oh thank you, Lord Maxwell. We--"
"I'll also need a contract prepared and signed for all that you offered." He added.
"Yes of course. I'll get everything to you at once."
He ended the call and tossed his phone down.
How had he gone from a monster hunter to a glorified baby sitter?
****************
Later the next day, along Beach Cove, Cordonia...
"This place is gorgeous!" Riley dropped her luggage and darted from room to room. "I can't believe we can afford something like this for our stay!"
Hana was puzzled as she turned about. The two bedroom beach house was not what she had booked for their stay. Knowing they would be here close to a month, she had gone for a plain, simple rental without any view whatsoever.
"This can't be right." She turned toward the agent. "We were going with the home on Fourth Street."
The agent shook her head. "You were upgraded by a Lady Lorelei Lee."
"My mother did this?!" Hana couldn't believe it. "Did she say why?"
"It was meant as a surprise and a sort of welcome she told me." The agent handed her the keys and told her to call of they had any other needs. "Enjoy your stay, Lady Hana."
Riley walked back into the entry hall as the woman curtsied.
"Hold up." Her smile held a lot of humor. "Was I supposed to be doing that this whole time?"
Hana rolled her eyes with a giggle. "No. It's just the custom here when one is related to a noble."
"That is so cool!" Riley dropped into a deep curtsey that made her wobble. "My lady."
Hana laughed while dragging her luggage further into the house. "I suppose I can't banish you to the kitchens since you now recognize my rank."
"I don't know." Riley pointed out the modern appliances. "I might be happier stuck in there."
"I can't believe my mother did this."
"Maybe this is her way of showing her support or make up for not showing it these last couple of years." Riley offered.
Hana paused outside the bedrooms. "I suppose that's one possibility. I would have preferred she simply tell am that instead of doing all this."
"Look on the bright side. Our videos are now going to be even more popular with this backdrop." Riley opened up the doors. "Which room you want?"
Both were master suites with a wall of windows looking out towards Cordonia's sapphire waters. The sun was beginning to set, adding a brilliant orange to the rich blue.
"I call the pink sands one!" Hana dashed into it, quickly throwing her luggage on the bed.
"Hey!" Riley doubled over laughing when Hana's momentum caused her to get tangled up in the straps and be buried under her bags.
The two friends had begun the tradition of claiming beds and rooms from their very first trip. Whoever's luggage touched a bed first, it was then hers for the rest of the vacation.
"Looks like I get the nautical theme." Riley hefted her bags and set them inside.
Her room was tastefully done in blues and whites. A bottled ship sat upon the dresser while a nearby table had an old map of the surrounding area embossed upon it.
She explored the large closet and bathroom, thrilled with the large shower with multiple shower heads to help ease the tension of a long day of filming.
"I don't think I'll ever want to leave." Riley called out. "You think we could just make this our new permanent base of operations?"
"We could ask, but I doubt we could afford it." Hana replied. "Besides, I thought you said all paths lead to New York."
"I say a lot of things." Riley giggled as she dumped her clothes on the bed. "You should know that better than anyone." She began to randomly toss her things in dresser drawers before losing all interest in this one tedious part of traveling.
She left her remaining pile of clothes and decided to check out Hana's room.
It was the same as hers yet themed more toward the beach. Riley bit back a smile at seeing Hana carefully unpack and hang her clothes one at a time. She didn't know how she had earned her friendship when they were so completely different.
She was truly grateful to have her as her best friend. No one encouraged or believed in her like Hana.
"Aren't you going to unpack?" Hana asked.
"I will." Riley paused when the phone on the nightstand began to ring.
Hana stared at it too in surprise. No one ever called them directly at the places they rented.
"It could be the agent." Riley told her as Hana picked it up.
"Hello?" Hana's eyes widened at the voice on the other end. "Mother! I don't know what to say. This is so generous to--who? Lord Beaumont?" She sat down on the edge of her bed. "He did? That is very kind of him, but we usually try and discover hidden gems for ourselves. I--no of course not!" Her head dropped. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful--I mean--yes, but--yes mam."
Riley lifted an eyebrow when Hana placed the receiver down. "What's up?"
"Mother called upon an old friend of the family." Hana couldn't remember her ever mentioning this family before. "A Lord Maxwell Beaumont, brother to the current Duke of Ramsford, is going to be our guide around Cordonia during our visit."
"Whoa." Riley's brow furrowed. "The entire time?"
"Apparently." Hana's brow furrowed. "I don't know why she would insist on his company unless...oh no!" She dropped her head in her hands.
"What is it?" Riley sat down beside her and gently patted her back. "Hana?"
"I think she's trying to matchmake me to this Lord Beaumont!" Hana cried out. "She won't ever give me a chance to simply live my life as I see fit, will she?"
"He might actually be the kind of guy who loves showing off his country." Riley pointed out. "Even if your mother is hoping you two decide to marry, you don't have to do anything you don't want to."
Hana nodded, feeling her confidence return with Riley's reminder. "You're right. I'm certain I can rebuff any advances he might give."
"Don't rebuff him just yet." Riley teased. "We need to see the hotspots and he might be cute." She covered her face after Hana hit her with a pillow.
The pair fell into giggles once more as the excitement of discovering all that this country had took over once more.
They knew this would be a trip they would never forget.
Maxwell x Sherry moodboard.
Tumblr media
33 notes · View notes
maxwell-grant · 3 years
Note
The crossover fic + learning he's a favorite of yours has me curious: do you think it would be possible to tell a satisfactory Shadow vs. Mr. Mxyzptlk story? I think he'd fit surprisingly well in that milieu as a credible threat: he's something of an older, mistier, shadowy world, kin to fairies and elves and imps, pixies and sprites and genies, bound by old laws and dressed like a parody of 20s/30s class, beyond The Shadow's usual powers and yet...THAT. There a thematic in to this throwdown?
I had never actually thought of Mxy in that light, even though it's very much in line with what he is, because Mxy is one of those characters I don't tend to think about much. He's one of those ready-made perfect villains who pretty much guarantees a fun and creative time whenever he pops up uninvented. Like The Ventriloquist for Batman, he is so uniquely a product of how Superman works and what his stories allow for, that I can't say I ever thought of taking him for a spin outside of them. But there's definitely stuff to work with in putting him and The Shadow together.
Tumblr media
Come to think of it, if there's a Superman villain I think Walter Gibson would have liked to play around with, it would be Mxyzptlk. Mxy stories are fundamentally about Superman being thrust into a position where his only way out is to solve puzzles and turn the tables using nothing but his wits, and Gibson spent the majority of his career before and after The Shadow as a writer of books on magic and puzzles, both of which show up a lot in The Shadow stories. You see it even in several covers which contained clues for the stories within.
To an extent, you could argue that The Shadow might figure out quicker a way to trick Mxy, because The Shadow's already has to utilize a constant amount of trickery and deceit and puzzle-solving in his daily adventures, it comprises almost the majority of what his stories are about under Gibson. The usual Mxyzptlk narrative is one that's well within The Shadow's domain.
Tumblr media
But on the other hand, it's definitely some extremely unusual territory for The Shadow, villain-wise. A villain who eclipses his powers and scope to such an extent is completely unheard of. The one time I can think of where he fought a villain this weird and who he was completely powerless against was when he met Suven The Clown King of Venus (who's definitely a character that could show up in this meeting), and even then Suven was just a weird alien who looked gigantic next to the shrunken Shadow. Even on the few occasions where The Shadow encountered other aliens or eldritch monsters, he was able to find a way to stop the threat for the moment or even kill it, which is definitely not happening here, because Mxy is a whole other level.
Tumblr media
Superman has the strength and endurance and superpowers to roll with whatever mayhem Mxy throws his way. If Mxy decides that The Shadow’s looking too pale so he's gonna give him a tan by throwing him in the sun, what the hell is he gonna do to stop him? I imagine that Mxy would likely take a different approach to messing with The Shadow, since he can't tank nukes like Supes and he's not really a good sport about the game. 
Fine, whatever, Mxy's a creative sort, he's got a couple of ideas for messing around with Mr Grim-n-Serious over there, show him what an Eldritch Monster looks like past the squid monsters and dragons he may have met.
The idea I'm getting here is, on one hand, Mxy attacking The Shadow with the usual goofiness he brings with him. And on the other, him realizing that messing with The Shadow's dignity isn't as fun as he thought he'd be, so he instead goes full SCP Foundation/Awful Hospital/Ice Cream Man on The Shadow until he's stopped, trapping him in amusing and horrifying eldritch nightmares and situations that he has absolutely no way to escape until he solves the puzzle. 
I mean, he's not fighting Superman here, he can kill this guy with a blink, even just stopping his heart with a thought. No fun in that. He's gotta beat the "Master of Darkness" at his own game. He's got a point to prove.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I imagine that much of the story would play out of The Shadow having to piece together what exactly has gone topsy-turvy in his reality, whether it's Commissioner Weston eating spiders for breakfest or the entirety of Manhattan sans him going blind and all lights going out across the country. And when Mxy comes out with that shrill SURPROISE!!!, assuming The Shadow already knows what he needs to do, then he falls for whatever gambit The Shadow's had to cook up to trick him. 
At the end, Mxy is an arrogant bully who lords power over those that can't fight back, and The Shadow's a master of beating those by turning their arrogance against them. It's Duck Amuck, except Bugs is a mind-breaking sadist and Daffy has to fight back.
I imagine something akin to a particularly funny scene from a story called Face of Doom, where a gangster traps The Shadow in a room surrounded by armed henchman so he can enlist him into taking down the city's leading criminal, The Face. The Shadow unmasks himself as Cranston to gain his trust, and the two proceed to talk plans. I'll post the sequence below
Calmly, The Shadow was removing his slouch hat. His arms spread, the black cloak began to drop from his shoulders. Clipper's nervousness changed to elation. If ever a criminal fooled himself, Clipper did so at that moment.
Though The Shadow voiced no agreement to Clipper's offer, the crook was confident that it was sealed. The Shadow was taking a step that no other criminal had ever witnessed.
When Clipper's squinty eyes saw the hawkish features of Lamont Cranston, the crook displayed another of his downward grins. There wasn't any question about the prisoner really being The Shadow.
"A ritzy mug, ain't you?" voiced Clipper. "Well, that makes you the real McCoy. One thing we'd all figured, Shadow — we guessed you was a high-hat guy.
"'You don't get out of here until The Face is croaked! Say, though — maybe one of your ritzy friends could put up a good front with The Face."
"There are others, who might serve. I have agents, you know."
A shrewd gleam brought new ugliness to Clipper's eyes. He had heard of The Shadow's agents. It would be smart stuff—using them to get The Face, then disposing of them afterward. Clipper couldn't hide the eagerness that betrayed his new scheme.
"Good stuff," agreed Clipper. "But how am I going to reach those guys and get them to work with me? They only take orders from you, don't they?"
In reply, Clipper saw Cranston pick up the black cloak and hat. He handed the garments to the crook. For the moment, Clipper was puzzled; then he saw Cranston's hand extend the discarded gloves.
"I get it," chuckled Clipper. "You want me to rig up like I was you. Then the guys that work for you will listen to me. How do you handle them—with some password?"
"Usually," replied The Shadow. "Try on the cloak and hat first, Clipper. I must study the appearance that you make."
It seemed like a give-away of The Shadow's game. Any one could stage this Shadow stuff. All he had to do was masquerade in black, spring a shivery laugh, and shoot quick with his guns. If Cranston could pull it, Clipper could.
The Shadow spends a couple of paragraphs calmly walking Clipper through the steps necessary to pull off a convincing Shadow performance, almost like he's directing him. And then this happens:
The back of Clipper's neck was exposed. Though The Shadow's voice was still the leisurely tone of Cranston, his left hand had lost its laziness. Behind Clipper's back, that fist whipped an automatic from a shoulder holster. Clipper didn't scent the move until the muzzle of the .45 iced his neck.
"It won't work, Shadow," rasped Clipper. "You know it as well as I do! One pop from that gat of yours, the mob will pile in and croak you! There's a wicket in that door; they'll use it!"
The Shadow had shifted low behind Clipper's back. The crook could no longer observe the reflection of Cranston's face. He could still feel the pressure of the gun muzzle on his flesh. "Climb off my neck, Shadow," warned Clipper. "It ain't getting you nowhere!"
It was getting The Shadow further than Clipper guessed. The gun muzzle was actually gone from Clipper's neck. His impression that it rested there was merely an after effect, from former pressure.
Crouched low, The Shadow had now reached the door. Before Clipper guessed what was up, The Shadow twisted the door knob. Wrenching the door inward, he pulled himself behind it.
At the same moment, The Shadow snapped a quick command, in a rasp that resembled Clipper's own harsh tone:
"The Shadow's yours, gang! Croak him!"
It ends for Clipper about as well as you'd expect.
One of the things I like most about Mxy is that you can't take shortcuts with him. It's not like how it is with Riddler stories, where you can half-ass the riddles because you know Batman's gonna win once he touches Riddler and the story's gonna end in a punch-up, Mxyzptlk is completely invincible unless you solve the puzzle he presents, and you'd think of course that, surely, he can't fall for it this time.
He's a wise guy, see, he's seen all of Superman's tricks by now, and what's that dumb old Shadow gonna do that he can't see a mile away? This is almost too easy.
It's so easy, in fact, that The Shadow even agrees, he's lost it completely, and the way he could possibly beat Mxyzptlk is by calling one of his agents to save him, and he's prepared a list of some of his smartest, cleverest agents for this moment. But, no, he wouldn't dare put them in such danger against this invincible, immortal genius, someone has to take this list from him and run, but ZOINKS, Mxy's taken the list. So he's gonna start seeing who is it that the Shadda thinks is smart enough to take him.
Clyde BurKe? Like some dimestore journalist's gonna have a shot, just cause he solves crossword puzzles. Lamont Cranston, yeah, more like, LAMEONT CRANSTON. Harry VincenT, who, the dumb kid who tried jumping off a bridge once? Come on, you gotta give me a hand here, Shadda! Let's see, Pietro, what, some cook? Ya kidding? Moe ShrevnitZ...actually, Shrevy's allright, scratch that one. ShrevY, hey, come on, that's cheating, ya just put Shrevnitz's name again, ya dum-dum. Mr Xanadu, hmm, catchy name but probably not a real guy. And Margo Lane. Yeah, smart dame that one, she could probably figger something out. And ya keep writing everyone's name's weird - WAIT
I KNOW WHAT YER TRYING TO DO HERE.
I KNOW YOU GOT SOME CLEVER SCHEME HERE, I'D SEEN THIS BEFORE, IT'S AN OLD TRICK.
YOU EMPHASIZED THE LETTERS SO THE REAL SMARTEST GUY YOU KNOW WOULD BE HIDDEN WITHIN THEM, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE COULD FIND HIM.
HAH, THAT'S RICH. THAT'S KID'S PLAY. WHAT, YOU THINK I CAN'T FIND THIS
KLTPZYXM
BY MYSELF?
.
.
.
aw crickets...
Tumblr media
49 notes · View notes
faelapis · 4 years
Text
what i mean when i say i like jasper’s ending a Lot in terms of “what the character needs”, rather than what the audience needs, is that the transition from “fragments”, to “homeworld bound”, to finally “the future” shows, albeit quickly, a pretty interesting commentary on “want vs need”.
“want vs need” is a pretty basic storytelling concept of, basically, writing flawed characters who have some growing to do as people. they “want” one thing, but they actually “need” another thing.
so let’s talk about jasper’s “want” vs “need”.
Tumblr media
cont: but you are not my diamond. if you think you’re hard enough to tell me what to do, fight me and prove it.
she makes her “want” clear in every episode she’s in SU future - which is that she wants to subjugate herself to a diamond, because that’s the only worthwhile purpose in life she’s known.
but we, and steven, don’t actually want that to happen. we know it’s not good for her health. we’ve seen that it’s not, both because hierarchies like those are toxic and because we’ve been shown, specifically for jasper, that it causes her to self-destruct over and over again.
Tumblr media
so when it does happen, it’s very fitting that it’s in the worst circumstances possible. she begged for steven to fight her with all his might, over and over again, so he could prove himself a worthy diamond - to the point where he ends up shattering her. and when she’s brought back to life, she’s not even mad at him. he’s proven himself a “worthy” superior.
so we’ve been shown very clearly that jasper’s want is pretty, well, unhealthy for her. she would literally die for it, and get nothing in return except unhealthy, oppressive structures around her. getting everything she wants, at long last, fills her with a kind of void and fragile happiness... which only lasts so long as steven embraces his role as diamond and stays with her. 
hence we, and steven, only see her act at peace with her circumstances without complaint for a couple minutes, and it always (both in fragments and homeworld bound) ends in her own heartbreak. that’s the fragility of her “want”.
Tumblr media
basically, it’s bad because, albeit she would know what to do with these structures... it would be at the expense of her own agency, character growth and health. it would always end badly for her.
this is a good time to point out the parallels to steven in “mr universe”.
Tumblr media
much like jasper, steven doesn’t care if the structures around greg were cruel or oppressive. he never looks closely enough to notice how much greg hated his life. he just wants things he sees as “normal”. he wants guidance, certainty and authority figures to tell him what he’s “supposed” to do in life.
so. how is jasper’s “want” inverted?
much like rose would eventually do with pearl, the unhealthy attachment is cut by giving your subject a very bitter pill - disappearing from their life. by leaving them behind, you’re essentially forcing them to grow.
that’s NOT the main / only reason rose has steven, or steven eventually leaving beach city... but both serve the purpose of making someone who idolized you “deal with” your absence. and that’s certainly at least a part of their intention - rose thought of herself as stuck and likely holding pearl back. steven is horrified by the diamond role and wants jasper to do “something better”.
Tumblr media
and that leads us to jasper’s “need” - to be free from these oppressive authority structures and find her own path in life. this would both improve her health & happiness, as well as making her stop engaging in unhealthy behavior towards herself and others.
now. is she fully “there” yet? no. 
Tumblr media
but i think that as much as her trying to persuade steven to take her with him into the great unknown mirrors pearl - ie “i should be fighting for you, because you’re too important”, her reaction to steven’s reassurance that he will be fine shows that she’s already done more growing than pearl had at that point.
she’s likely been taking classes at little homeworld (where she was confirmed to currently live, NOT just visit to say goodbye to steven) for the preceding months between “i am my monster” and “the future”. she’s somewhere near accepting that her diamond doesn’t need protection. it’s also likely something she started thinking after “fragments” - if your diamond is truly so wonderfully powerful... why would they need your protection? what is your “purpose”? steven defeating her + leaving without her in “homeworld bound” both lead her to the same conclusion - she can’t fail or succeed in protecting him, because he doesn’t need her to.
thus, her role isn’t warranted.
Tumblr media
“i can protect myself”. “i know... farewell, my diamond”.
it’s pretty significant to me that at the end of their little scene, steven doesn’t run away or give jasper any orders to stop following him. SHE leaves, albeit sadly, because she agrees with him. he can take care of himself.
jasper’s still framing steven as a diamond / superior, but... i think a big point here is that she’s someone who was so firmly stuck at the bottom of a pit of self-hatred, isolation and meaninglessness that she couldn’t unstuck herself - not without being pushed to do so. which ended up also being true for steven.
that’s the irony of the double-edged sword of her “want” - in a way, she’s right about one thing. she can’t just magically get better on her own.
i think the episode “guidance” illustrates an interesting balance between steven and amethyst’s philosophies - amethyst would rather gems do whatever, even if they end up slipping back into their old patterns. steven would rather guide them towards challenging themselves, even if that means dismissing their autonomy.
jasper... kinda gets both? her “want” and “need” play into each other in interesting ways. i’ve been framing her want as a negative a lot, but it does have an interesting silver lining - she had to get what she wanted (to be defeated, to be given a diamond), to be pushed to what she needed.
Tumblr media
and in turn, steven needed to listen to and adapt to HER, in order to help her. only after doing that, after being pushed by jasper in turn and truly giving her what she wants, even if it tears you apart mentally... would she ever listen to you. as steven is probably used to by now.
and despite the tragedy of it, i think that’s... kind of an okay thing to show? because not everyone will seek help on their own. it’s not the uplifting message of “anyone who needs help will eventually realize it entirely on their own”, but it IS the hopeful message of “even people who refuse help, deserve help”. 
there’s horror in steven ultimately adapting to jasper’s desires, because it shows them both the fragility of their wants - for steven, being able to control jasper was a horrifying consequence. he got what he “wanted” in the worst way possible. for jasper, getting what she “wanted” meant being forced to let it (steven) go in favor of staying at little homeworld. 
but honestly... we already knew that jasper would never seek help on her own. she’s too “selfless”, in the toxic sense. purpose matters most.
and she’s not alone in that.
Tumblr media
“pearl took pride in risking her destruction for your mother. she put rose quartz over everything; over logic, over consequence, over her own life.”
pearl taking rose down from that pedestal was a slow, elaborate, exhausting process that took years of actively working on herself. the majority of that work was only done after rose was gone.
jasper’s gonna have all the same tools - a genuine support network, people who are willing to both empathize and teach a better way, distance from her romanticized superior, and her own desire to get better. 
the latter point, at first, because she’s told to. but as we saw in “little homeschool”, leaving her to her own devices without any “worthwhile” path forward wasn’t ideal. her “want”, much like amethyst said... still deserves to be listened to, even if she still thinks like a homeworld gem. 
but the seriousness of such an effort is, as pearl taking care of steven “for rose” and then “for him” and finally growing to do things “for herself” shows, a good avenue for REAL growth. jasper may soon yet grow for her own sake.
and the results... again, pulling pearl as my example, can be remarkable.
Tumblr media
as i’ve said before... i am pretty sad we won’t actually get to see more of that. that’s what “the audience” may have felt they needed from jasper. the same way i’m sure rose would find it bittersweet to know how much pearl has grown without her. the same way you’re sad whenever you don’t see a character you love find love and happiness onscreen, even if it’s implied...
but in a show told from steven’s perspective, i think there is some point to that.
i’ve come around to the following: she couldn’t go with him. any forgiving hugs steven & jasper could’ve given each other at this point would’ve been hollow. that power dynamic would’ve been in the way. what they “need” is not each other. they need people who really, truly understand them, and to figure out what they want in their lives when steven doesn’t have someone to save emotionally (jasper), and jasper doesn’t have someone to sacrifice herself for (steven). 
(...and it’s at this point you realize i made you read ALL OF THAT mainly to justify why pearl and jasper’s relationship is gonna be such a central thing in my post-canon fanfic. lol. anyway here’s the link again.)
2K notes · View notes