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#completed story
geraskierficrecs · 2 months
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An Offer You Can't Refuse Update!
Hey look! I finally finished it!
Teaser:
Geralt’s lips were still cracked from the heat of the fire and they opened painfully on a near-silent word.  Immediately, Jaskier turned toward the tray of food Aiden had delivered to retrieve a bottle of water.  He gently helped Geralt raise his head from the pillow and guided the bottle to his lips, supporting him there as he drank deeply.  After a moment, Geralt turned his head away in a silent feature and Jaskier quickly set the water aside in favor of getting the alpha resettled on the pillows.
The other wolf licked his lips and attempted to clear his throat from the smoke still lining it.  “You’re here.”
Jaskier blinked, startled at the unexpected direction of Geralt’s thoughts.  He shifted his weight, trying to anticipate what Geralt meant by it.  “I…yes,” he said, “I didn’t want you to be alone.”
It was a dangerous sort of admission.  Far too close to acknowledging the bond that had been driving them together for weeks.
Geralt frowned at him and Jaskier felt his nerves turn into a wild thing, twisting and writhing within him.
He should have left while he had a chance.  He should have allowed Lambert to oversee Geralt’s healing.  Anything to avoid the rejection he knew was coming.  Anything to avoid hearing Geralt’s voice telling him to leave for good.
Jaskier leaned back to force himself to his feet, but froze when he felt Geralt’s calloused hand wrap around his wrist in a gentle shackle.  
All at once, he was terrified.  Terrified that perhaps it wasn’t love that moved within his chest each time he saw Geralt staring back at him.  That this love would become a knife twisting within his heart, sinking deeper with each new breath until death became the only release he could ever hope for.
In this moment, Geralt held the means to his destruction in a way Emhyr and Cahir never had.  A single word, a single syllable could erase every scrap of battered hope he possessed.  He stood at the precipice of calamity with one person holding on to the rope that kept him from sinking into the abyss.  He was–
Geralt’s fingers tightened around Jaskier’s fluttering heartbeat and his thumb swept over the delicate skin in a caress that made Jaskier shiver.  The alpha stared at Jaskier and his mouth shaped the word that made Jaskier’s wolf go quiet.
“Stay.”
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anchanted-one · 9 months
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Legend of Lightning 130. Epilogue
THE FINAL CHAPTER OF Legend of Lightning!!!!!! Special cameo from a wild place... https://archiveofourown.org/works/43208574
I appreciate anyone who has read my story, or is planning to. The story has a slight deviation in part 2: Heroes from both sides.
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jrob64 · 2 years
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Love Song for a Broken Heart - Chapter 2/2 (Healing Hearts)
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Here is the conclusion to the story and I hope it was worth the short wait. The tags promised angst, but also a happy ending, which you'll get...eventually. Thank you for the kind response to this story!
Happy birthday once again to Mary. I hope this is the start of a much better year for you!
Story Summary: After a painful break-up with the love of his life, Killian Jones writes a song for her and sings it every weekend at the bar. One night as he’s playing, he sees her in the crowd with a man he despises, and it leads to an eye-opening discussion between Emma and Killian. 
Rating: M
Words: (Ch. 2 - 6320, Total - 11,100)
Find Chapter 1 on Tumblr here
Also found on Ao3 and ffn
*********
“May…may I come in?” she whispered. 
Killian stepped back to open the door wider and watched her brush past him, every muscle in her body tense. He hurried to move his guitar off the sofa, offering her a seat. She perched on the very edge and kept her eyes on her tightly clasped hands. 
Killian sat also, leaving a cushion’s width between them. “Are you okay?” he asked. 
She shook her head. “No, I’m not. You…you were r-right. Those pictures were fakes. Once I looked at them closer, it was so obvious, but when I first got them, it was…I was…I just couldn’t…” She sucked in a choked breath and exhaled a sob. “How could I be so stupid?” 
“I’m sure they were very realistic if what Belle said about Milah’s work is true.” 
“They were, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that I thought they could be real.” 
“No, it doesn’t. You told me love is built on trust, but…you…you didn’t trust me. When I told you I hadn’t been with any other woman, you should have believed me.”
“I…I know,” she mumbled, casting her eyes down to the floor. “You’re right, but just hearing you were cheating on me, well, it brought up all the memories of when Walsh did that to me and…” 
“Emma, I know he broke your heart, but you believing I would ever cheat on you broke mine. I proved over and over that I wasn’t going to do anything like he did and I never gave you any reason to believe I would.”
He watched a tear make its way down her cheek before she reached up to swipe it away. “I know I was wrong and it disgusts me that I’ve wasted all these months being angry and making both of us miserable. All I can do is tell you that I’ll never doubt you again.” 
“I truly hope you mean that, because I can’t go through something like this again. The last eight months have been a fucking nightmare.” 
More tears spilled over her lashes and he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. Closing the distance between them, he wrapped her up in his arms and held her tightly. He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt as she continued to sob, her body jerking with the force of it. His own hot tears tracked down his face, but at the same time, the pieces of his shattered heart started clicking back into place. His beautiful love was back where she belonged. 
Minutes passed - he had no idea how many - until she took a shuddering breath and pulled away from him just enough to look into his face. “I-I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me, Killian?” 
His fingers reached up to tuck some strands of hair behind her ear. Pressing his forehead to hers, he quietly said, “I forgive you. You reacted like most people would if presented with something like that. I know if it would have been me, I wouldn’t have been able to bear looking at them.” 
“That’s how I felt, and why I didn’t realize they were doctored. Once I saw them, I never wanted to look at them again. I almost deleted them. I really can’t tell you why I didn’t, but it’s a good thing I held onto them. I could have gone the rest of my life thinking you cheated on me and…and lost you…forever. Maybe I already have.” 
“No you haven’t,” he was quick to reassure her. “You’ll never lose me. My heart is yours forever, Emma.” 
She brought her hands up to frame his face, her thumbs finding the scruff which was damp from his tears. “Killian, I love you. I never stopped loving you, even when I repeatedly told myself it was the wrong thing to do.” 
“But it’s not.” 
She hiccuped a giggle, the sound going straight to his healing heart. “No, it’s not. It’s the most right thing in the world.” 
Killian leaned back on the couch, taking her with him, and they sat that way for long moments that grew increasingly more comfortable. He peppered kisses into her hair as her fingers found their way under the hem of his T-shirt to brush against his bare skin, but he could tell it was just to feel connected to him, not to lead to anything more physical. They needed time to process everything that had happened in the last eight months and to clear away the debris in their hearts, so falling into bed together immediately probably wasn’t the best idea, no matter how much he wanted to explore that side of their relationship again.  
“Swan,” he said, breaking the silence, “did it take you a while to bring yourself to look at those pictures again?” 
“No, I looked at them as soon as I ended the call to you.” 
“May I ask why it took so long for you to come over then? It seemed like a bloody eternity.” 
“I, um, I called Mary Margaret to get advice from her on how to handle things with, uh, with Neal and his mother. I knew it probably wasn’t a good idea to go punch both of them in their deceiving, spiteful faces, despite my burning desire to do it.” 
He gave a low chuckle. “No, I don’t suppose it was. So what did you do?” 
“David offered to go with me to confront them. He said he would threaten to arrest them if they gave me any trouble. I went to Neal’s first and lucked out because Milah was there.”
“How did they respond?” 
“At first they both denied everything. Neal tried to sweet talk me and tell me I was just imagining things, but I showed them the proof. They used a picture from my own Facebook photo gallery, the idiots! Then his mother tried to say someone else must have done it, but I told her I knew she did photo manips and that she would do anything to help her spoiled son get what he wanted. Finally, after a lot of yelling and accusations, Neal admitted he’d asked her to do it, but claimed it was only because he loved me and wanted the best for me. The best! Can you believe that? As if he would ever be the best of anything! And to say he loves me? That turned my stomach. He has NO idea what love is! Oh, and get this - it was one of Neal’s buddies and his girlfriend having sex in the picture. Neal asked them to do it outside The Rabbit Hole and he took pictures of it. How sick is that?” 
Killian shook his head in disgust “I knew he was jealous of our relationship, and that he thought he was better for you than I am, but I still can’t believe he would stoop that low to break us up.” 
“It turns my stomach that he succeeded.” 
“The important thing is you found out the truth eventually. Did his mother ever admit to anything?” 
“She caved after her sniveling son did. She acted like I was making too big of a deal out of it, until David stepped in and told her she’ll be lucky if you didn’t sue them for defamation of character. That finally shut her up.” 
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Do you think you will?” 
He looked thoughtful. “Probably not. I just want to put it behind us. Besides, the sooner those two are completely out of our lives, the better.”
“I agree, but I still wouldn’t blame you if you did. For eight months, our friends and I thought you were to blame for breaking my heart, when you were completely innocent.”
“As long as all of them believe the truth now, that’s good enough for me.”
“They will. I’ll make sure of it.”
“I’ll have to call Liam tomorrow. He came to stay with me a few days right after you…right after it happened.” 
“I’m glad you had him to help you. I’m sure he must hate me.”
“He won’t, once he understands the circumstances.” 
Emma was quiet again, until she murmured, “I can’t believe I doubted you.” 
“We can’t undo the past, but we can look towards the future and I very much want that future to be with you.” 
She raised up to look at him. “It will, if I have anything to do with it. I never want to be without you again. I thought it would get easier with time, but it never did.” 
Her lips met his in a kiss that sealed their reunion. They kept it brief; just a slow, sweet promise of things yet to come. When it ended, they maintained contact by resting their foreheads together, then Killian chuckled as Emma’s stomach growled loudly. “Hungry, Swan?” 
“Yeah, I haven’t eaten since…” she paused, her brows furrowing as she thought, “since yesterday, before we went to the bar. Neal’s idea of a nice meal was a burger and greasy fries. He didn’t even order onion rings for me.”
Killian sucked in an exaggerated breath. “Egads! The imbecile didn’t figure out that the way to your heart is through the middle of an onion ring?” She playfully swatted at him, but he caught her hand and held it up, pressing his lips to the inside of her wrist. “Do you want to go out, or order in?” 
“I’d prefer to have it delivered, if that’s okay with you. I don’t really feel like having to deal with other people right now.” 
“Fine by me. What’s your pleasure?” 
“Well, now I’m hungry for onion rings.”
He feigned surprise. “I’m simply shocked!” He reveled in her laughter, his heart lighter than it had been for months. 
*********
While they waited for their meals to be delivered, Emma called Ruby to bring her up to date on everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Just like Mary Margaret, she accepted the explanation immediately, expressing her happiness that the couple was back together, and her outrage at what Neal and his mother had done.  
Once their food arrived, they inhaled it, both of them realizing just how hungry they were when the smell hit their noses. Afterward, they resumed their places on the couch and selected a movie to watch. Neither of them made it even halfway through, the combination of a sleepless night and a myriad of emotions finally put to rest, pulling them into a deep slumber. 
Killian woke up nearly three hours later and found they had shifted in their sleep. He was now pressed up against the back of the sofa with Emma laying beside him, wrapped in his arms, her cheek resting on his chest. He soaked up the feeling of finally having the woman he loved in his arms once again, as he felt her breath ghosting over his throat. 
Emma stirred several minutes later, blinking bleary eyes while she tried to get her bearings. “What time is it?” she asked in a hoarse voice. 
He stretched to collect his phone off the small table at the end of the sofa. “Almost nine o’clock.” 
She yawned widely then moved to sit up. “I should probably get going.” 
Gently caressing her shoulder, he asked, “Do you have to?” 
She turned to look at him. “You want me to stay?” 
His fingers found the fringes of her hair as he answered. “I, uh, I’m afraid if I wake up in the morning and you’re not here, all of this will have just been a wonderful dream.” 
“I know what you mean. It…it feels so good to be in your arms again.” 
“So you’ll stay?” 
She leaned in and kissed him. “Yeah.” 
She’d nearly forgotten how much she’d missed his dimpled grin until it stretched across his face in response to her answer. “Thank you, Love. I’ll be right back.” He pushed himself up from the couch, bent down to plant a kiss on her forehead, then left the room. When he returned, he was carrying a familiar set of clothes. 
“You…kept my pajamas?” she questioned. 
“I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of them. I still haven’t washed the pillowcase you always slept on, even though I can’t smell your scent on it any longer.” 
Unbidden tears came to her eyes. “Oh, Killian,” she whispered. “You never gave up on us, did you?” 
He pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “I have to admit there were moments when I despaired of ever being with you again, but I always had hope the truth would eventually come out.” 
She toyed with the buttons on his shirt, not meeting his eyes as she softly said, “I got rid of the stuff you left at my place. All except for one of your old band shirts, which I buried in a dresser drawer. I’m sorry. It just hurt too much to keep everything.” 
Killian swallowed down the pang of pain her admission caused. “It’s okay, Love. We each had to deal with things in our own way.” They swayed together, moving almost like they were dancing; his hands stroking long, soothing caresses down her back, while her fingers traced small circles into his chest. When he spoke again, his voice rumbled against her cheek. “May I ask you something, Emma?” 
“Mmhmm.” 
“You and Cassidy…never mind, I don’t want to know. All that matters is we’re back together.”
“I never slept with him, Killian.” She felt the breath he had been holding whoosh out of his lungs. “He was…well…I thought he was my friend, and I only went out with him as a way of thanking him for being there for me when everything happened. Little did I know, I wouldn’t have gone through any of it, if it wasn’t for him. Despite what he was trying to convey last night, we never had a physical relationship of any kind.” 
“I’m sorry, Love, I just…” 
“I understand.” She looked up at him and moved her hands to cradle his face. “Now, if it’s okay with you, I never want to talk about or even think about him again.” 
“It’s more than okay.”
“Good. I’m gonna go change and wash my face.” 
“All of your things are still in the cabinet under the sink.” She gave him another watery smile before making her way down the hallway. 
While she was in the bathroom, he went into his bedroom and changed into a pair of sleep pants and an old, soft T-shirt he knew was one of her favorites. When she emerged, dressed in her pink pajama pants with yellow ducklings and a loose-fitting V-neck shirt, he simultaneously met her in the hallway. 
“You can have the bed, Emma. I’ll sleep on the sofa.” 
She gave him a puzzled look. “Why can’t we both sleep in the bed?” 
“I, uh, it might be too soon for that. I know it’s going to take time for us to work through everything and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” 
“Nothing has to happen, Killian. I just…I just want to be close to you. Will you be uncomfortable sharing a bed?” 
“Honestly? I would truly love falling asleep with you in my arms, because I haven’t been able to get a good night’s sleep in eight bloody months.” 
“Then it’s settled,” she smiled, and headed into his bedroom. 
After brushing his teeth, he moved around the apartment, making sure the door was locked and flipping off the lights. Then he grabbed a couple of bottles of water out of the refrigerator before entering his room, where his heart warmed, seeing his beautiful love cuddled under the covers; her long, blonde hair fanned out over the pillow. Her pillow. 
Unsure whether she was asleep or not, he set the water on the nightstand and quietly slid between the sheets. Immediately her hands sought him out and he happily obliged by scooting further across the mattress towards her.  
As soon as his arms were firmly wrapped around her, she sighed and melted into him. “I love you, Killian,” her sleepy voice assured him. 
“Love you too, Emma,” he replied, feeling that he was, at long last, whole again, and settled in to get the best sleep he’d had in many months.  
*********
When he awoke the next morning, Emma was still in his arms, though she was turned on her side with her back to him. The effect it had on him was painfully apparent, and he immediately shifted his hips backwards. She mumbled something, but he could tell she was still asleep, so he pressed a kiss to the back of her head and carefully eased out of bed. 
After taking a quick and bracing shower to calm himself, he checked on her once again and, finding her still snuggled under the covers, grabbed his phone off of the nightstand and went into the kitchen to start the coffee machine. 
Noting that it was nearly ten-thirty, he knew it would be a good time to call Liam since his two-year-old daughter would be taking her afternoon nap at that time. He flipped the switch to brew the coffee, then moved to the living room and flopped down onto the couch to place the call. 
“Hello, little brother,” Liam greeted, and Killian gritted his teeth at the moniker, but decided he was in too good of a mood to let it bother him. 
“Hi, Liam. How’s everyone doing?” 
“Just fine.” He went on to bring Killian up-to-date on all the new things his niece was doing and saying. 
After Liam had filled him in for almost five minutes, he asked the question Killian was waiting to hear. “How are things going for you, brother?” His voice held the same note of concern Killian had been hearing ever since Liam went back to England after spending those days with him following the breakup. 
“Incredible!”
“Are you being sarcastic?” 
“Not at all. She’s back, Liam.” 
“Who? Emma?” 
“No, Princess Leia, you dolt. Of course Emma.” 
“Please tell me you didn’t go crawling back to her after what she did to you.” 
“She came to me, actually.” He related the story of what had happened the past two days as Liam listened without commenting. 
Once he brought him up to speed, Killian waited for his brother to respond. There was a long pause on the other end before Liam finally spoke. “She should have believed you from the beginning, Killian. Your word that you hadn’t cheated should have been enough proof for her.” 
Killian sighed. He knew Liam would take the protective big brother stance. “She’s aware of that and she already apologized.” 
“She put you through hell for no reason and you’re just going to forgive her that easily?” 
“We talked things through, Liam. I told her what she put me through, but I also told her that I forgive her. We know it’s going to take a while to build up trust with each other again, and to work through all the hurt we’ve experienced, but it’s worth it. Love is worth it.” 
“What if she breaks your heart again?”
“I won’t,” Emma said firmly, sitting down beside Killian. 
“I’m sorry I woke you, Love. I thought I had the volume turned down low enough.” 
“The call didn’t wake me up. You not being in bed did,” she whispered against his ear. Then she spoke into the phone again. “Liam, I promise I will do everything in my power to never break your brother’s heart again. If I do, you can personally come over here and kick my ass.”
“I want that in writing.”
Emma laughed lightly. “You got it.” 
*********
Despite having spent the night in each other’s arms and the light-hearted mood they enjoyed as they ate breakfast after the call with Liam, the couple found themselves at a loss for words when they sat down on the couch together later that morning. Both of them had thoughts of what happened the previous evening, as well as the past eight months, swirling through their heads and were having trouble expressing them. 
Finally, Killian reached over and took Emma’s hand. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to pick up where we left off, no matter how much I want to do that. I’ve been carrying around the…the pain of your false accusations and how easily you believed the worst of me for months now.” 
“It wasn’t easy, Killian. It just seemed like indisputable evidence.” 
“Your trust in me should have caused you to dispute it.”
“I know, but at the time, I was blindsided and I just…I guess I just wanted to protect my heart from being hurt again.” 
“That’s understandable when you’ve been hurt like that, but I can’t pretend all of this isn’t going to leave some scars behind, too.” He watched her drop her head and nod sadly, before bringing his hand up to cup her cheek. “But I truly believe what I told Liam - love is worth it, and I love you so much, Emma.” 
“I love you, too,” she murmured and he felt the wetness of a tear against his thumb. 
“How about if we start slowly?” 
She raised teary eyes to look at him. “What do you mean?” 
“Will you go out with me tonight, Emma?” 
A smile flitted across her face, chasing away some of the clouds settled there. “I would really like that, Killian.” 
*********
Killian was afraid the date was going to be awkward, but he actually enjoyed getting a chance to take Emma out for what felt like the first time again. They went to a small diner on the outskirts of town, rather than opting for a large, noisy restaurant. Their conversation was easy and relaxed as they caught up with each other, and he took every opportunity to hold her hand or touch the bare skin of her arm. 
He wasn’t sure what she expected, but he had already decided the evening wouldn’t end up in one of their bedrooms. Emma seemed to agree with his philosophy, when he said goodnight to her outside her apartment with a sweet, lingering kiss, and an invitation for a walk on a linear park path the following day. 
The next three weeks saw them spending an increasing amount of time together and Killian found someone to fill in for some of his scheduled weekend gigs to concentrate on rebuilding his relationship with Emma. The raw edges of their emotions were being smoothed over and both of them began to feel like they were approaching the degree of comfort they had with each other before the breakup. 
One Sunday afternoon, when they arrived at Emma’s door, Killian kissed her as usual, forcing himself to end it before they got too carried away. Unwilling to break all contact with her, he pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. 
“Do you want to come in?” she murmured, slowly stroking her fingers along his jaw. 
His eyes opened slowly and met hers. “I would love to.” 
She gave him a bright smile, unlocked her apartment door and led him inside. He glanced around, taking in the familiar surroundings, then followed her to the couch and sat down beside her. 
He noticed she was fiddling with the chain of her necklace, a habit she had when she was nervous about something. “I, um…I have really…enjoyed our dates, Killian,” she said haltingly. 
“I sense there’s a ‘but’ in there somewhere.” 
She peeked up at him through her lashes, a small grin tugging at the corners of her mouth, which quickly disappeared. “But there are still some things I need to say to you…to clear the air between us.”
“I didn’t realize the air still needed to be cleared.” 
Twisting the chain tightly around her finger, she said quietly, “I-I’m having trouble forgiving myself, because I’ve been thinking about everything that believing Neal’s lies cost us and I just….” 
“Emma, I already told you…”
“No, listen to me, Killian. In the year-and-a-half we were together, you never gave me any reason to believe you were anything but dedicated to our relationship. You always put me first and believed in me and loved me; yet the minute someone told me you were with another woman, I believed him. I was a complete idiot and I’m so very, very sorry I hurt you.”
“Look at me, Love.” He waited until her tear-filled eyes met his. “I can’t pretend I wasn’t hurt and that I don’t regret the time we lost together, but I also know how hard it is for you to trust people because of your upbringing in the foster system, and of course, the situation with Walsh didn’t help. I imagine once you saw those pictures, the trust you had in me crumbled and you felt abandoned again. I just wish you would have given me a chance to explain, instead of cutting off all lines of communication.” He paused to brush the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs before continuing, “I believe all things happen for a reason, and even though this has been a painful chapter in our relationship, we’ll come out of it stronger than ever.”
“I don’t deserve you,” she said quietly. 
He tenderly brushed her hair away from her face, tucking it behind both ears. “Aye, you may be right about that,” he smirked, hoping to lighten the mood. 
She hiccuped a giggle, then allowed him to settle her against his chest. “Anyway, thank you for giving me a second chance. Believe me when I say I won’t make the same mistake again. I trust you completely, Killian.” 
“Good.” 
He held her close, brushing kisses over the crown of her head and humming under his breath. 
“That’s the song you sang at the bar that night, isn’t it?” she asked. “The one you said you wrote for me?” 
“Aye, it is.” 
“No one has ever done anything like that for me before.” 
“That’s because no one has ever loved you as much as I do.” 
She leaned back to look up at him. “Will you sing it for me?” 
“Right now?” 
“Please?” 
He leaned in to kiss her, then began to sing the song softly as she watched him with awe-filled eyes. When he finished, she sighed and pressed her lips against his. “Thank you, Killian. I love you and I promise to never crush your soul.”
*********
The next Friday, she once again invited him in after they returned from watching a movie. “Do you want something to drink?” she asked. “I have wine or rum.” 
“Just water please. I already had a drink with dinner and I need to drive home later.” He saw a flicker of disappointment pass over her eyes before she left the room to retrieve their drinks from the kitchen. 
When they were seated together on the sofa, she took a sip of her water, then twisted the cap on and off several times. He waited for her, knowing she had something on her mind. “How long do you think it will take, Killian?” 
“How long for what, Love?” he asked, although he was pretty sure he knew. 
“Until we’re ready to move forward again, to where we were before all this happened.”
He set his bottle of water on the floor beside the couch and turned to face her, bringing his hand up to caress her cheek. “Every minute we spend together pushes the pain further away. I don’t know about you, but I feel like my heart is well on its way to healing. This isn’t just my decision though, Love; you were hurt, too. What are your thoughts on the matter?” 
She shifted her body to close the space between them on the couch and molded herself to him, sliding her arms around his torso and situating her legs across his lap. “I’m ready to put this whole thing behind us, Killian. I know we said we needed time for our hearts to heal, but I think intimacy is part of that healing process. My body has craved your touch and more times than I care to admit, I wake up aching to feel you inside me. I’ve missed every part of you.” 
That was all the invitation he needed to crush his lips to hers. The kisses they shared up until that night had been sweet, but tentative, apologetic and reassuring. This one was full of the fiery passion that was always characteristic of their love for one another. 
“Should we move this to the bedroom?” he mumbled against her throat. 
“Y-yes,” she managed to utter through the haze of pleasure he was eliciting. 
He started to rise from the sofa and she clung to him, wrapping her legs around him and peppering kisses over every bit of skin she could reach. 
He stumbled into her bedroom, nearly tripping over the pile of clothes laying in the middle of the floor. “I see you haven’t changed, Swan,” he chuckled. 
“Eh, they may get put away someday.” 
He laughed and picked his way across the room to drop her, giggling, onto her mattress. They stretched out beside each other on the bed and looked into each other’s eyes, before they resumed exploring with their lips.
Roaming hands groped for skin under their clothing, which soon found its way to the floor. Fingers, lips, tongues and teeth set to work reacquainting themselves with the body of their love, and the sounds of encouraging moans and murmurs soon filled the room.
“Gods, I missed you, Emma,” Killian gasped hotly into her ear. 
“I missed you too,” she panted between open-mouthed kisses she was placing across his collarbones. 
“I missed kissing you,” he continued, ducking his head to capture her lips. “I missed your deep moans when I run my tongue along your throat,” he added, before doing just that. He began caressing and kissing his way down her body, pausing frequently to tell her more. “I missed your perfect breasts…your soft skin under my fingers…your responsiveness…your wet heat…the smell of your arousal…” By this time, his head was between her legs as his hands pressed her knees down to the mattress. “I missed your taste on my tongue and the way you grab my hair to pull me in closer.” He pushed a finger into her, causing her to buck against him. “I missed this sweet cunt and the way you close your eyes and bite your lip when you’re getting close to the edge.”
He worked a second finger into her and curled them just the way he knew would set her off, then ground down on her bundle of nerves with the heel of his hand. Her grip became painful on his hair as her legs shook and clamped around him, finding her release. “Killiannnn…” she whimpered. 
He slid back up her body, retracing the path his lips had taken earlier. 
“I missed the way you say my name when you climax and the way you…oh, gods…” She rendered him speechless as she found his cock and began stroking it, her hand sliding up and down while using her other hand to grab his ass, coaxing him to move back over her. 
“I…I missed you, too. So much! P-please Killian, I need you!” 
He nestled between her hips and looked down at her, wantonly reaching for him as she squirmed on the bed, her eyes half-closed and her lip caught between her teeth. Leaning down, he brushed a kiss to her throat, dipping his tongue into the hollow of it, before adjusting his body to align himself with her. “I love you, Emma,” he declared, then pushed inside her throbbing heat. 
She wrapped her legs around him, crossing her ankles at the small of his back and opening herself up to him even more. He stilled within her and gulped in some breaths, trying to fend off the orgasm he could already feel building. When he felt like he could move without coming prematurely, he dropped to his elbows and began languidly gliding in and out of her. She was so aroused that there was no friction as he moved, only pure, sensual pleasure. 
“Mmmm…feels so good! Go f-faster, Killian! Harder…and faster!” she urged. 
“Your heart’s desire, Swan,” he grinned, then began thrusting into her with more intensity. 
Their bodies responded to being apart for far too long, and soon they were climbing to the apex together, their gasps and moans spurring each other on. When she shuddered to her second climax, digging her nails into his back and biting down on his shoulder, the sensations she created ended him. He pressed his hips to her tightly and poured his release into her, breathing his love for her into her ear. 
He wrapped a leg around her and rolled them over, until she rested on top of him, completely sated and boneless. 
Neither spoke as they lay together, but after several minutes, Killian heard Emma sniffle and felt the wetness of her tears against his skin. “Swan? Are you alright?” he asked, concern evident in his voice. 
“Yes, I just…I’ve missed you…missed this. Every time with you is perfect, like we were made for each other.”
“I truly think that we were, but why does that make you cry, Sweetheart?” 
“Because it finally feels like I’m back where I belong.” 
“They’re tears of happiness, then?” 
“Mmhmm.” 
“That’s good and you’re right - this is exactly where you belong, in my arms and right next to my heart.” 
“Stay with me tonight?” she implored. 
“I’m not going anywhere.”
*********
Over the following months, they continued to rebuild their relationship and slowly came to realize that it was even stronger than it had been before. They were more open with each other, making sure to discuss anything that concerned them, and sharing their thoughts and feelings. 
When Neal tried to contact Emma several weeks after she found out the truth, she took the call to let him know in no uncertain terms what she thought of him, then ended it and promptly blocked his number. 
A few months after the confrontation at the bar, they heard a rumor that he had run into some severe financial problems. After his mother paid off his debts, the two of them moved to the west coast, leaving Emma and Killian to breathe a sigh of relief that they wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally running into him. 
Six months after getting back together, they went on a vacation to a small beach house one of Emma’s college friends owned. After a full week of spending every second of every day together, Killian asked Emma to move in with him once they returned home. He knew they wouldn’t be able to stand even one night apart any longer. 
They settled into life together very easily, with Killian playfully nagging his girlfriend about her messy habits and Emma teasing him about hanging his clothes in the closet, sorted by color. Neither of them had ever been happier. The months of separation and pain were pushed to the far corners of their minds, crowded out by all the wonderful memories they made together since then. 
Life was good. 
*********
“Do you want to take all of this music with you?” Emma called, straightening the stack of sheet music scattered over the desk in their spare bedroom. 
“Sure, just stick it in the folder and throw it in my guitar case,” Killian answered from the bedroom, where he was changing clothes for his gig that night. His talent and reputation were becoming well known throughout the area, and he was in demand at places much nicer than the bars where he got his start. 
“You really should be more organized, Babe.” 
“Creativity is messy, Swan.” 
His reply made her smile as she sorted through the pile, trying to make sure the pages for each song were together. One that was a handwritten draft caught her attention. As she began reading the lyrics, she realized it was ‘her’ song. Pushing a few papers aside, she found the first page and her heart skipped a beat when she read the title. He always called it the song for the love of his life, but now she saw he had entitled it Love Song for a Broken Heart. 
Just then, he stepped into the room tugging a dark blue henley over his head, and saw her holding the sheet in her hand with an indecipherable look on her face. “What’s that you have there, Swan?” She held it up to show him and his eyes softened. “I guess I should rename it now, yeah?” 
She hesitated. “No. You wrote it when your heart was broken, but it led to us getting back together and helped heal both of our hearts. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a very fitting title.” 
He bent to kiss her, lingering against her lips for several moments. “Killian?” she whispered as soon as their lips parted a hair’s width.
“Mmm?” he hummed.
“Will you write another song for me sometime?” 
“Your heart’s desire, Love.” 
*********
Fourteen months later at their wedding reception, Emma was beginning to wonder where Killian had wandered off to, when suddenly she heard his voice coming through the microphone and looked up to see him onstage in front of their hired band, with guitar in hand. 
“I’d like to sing a song I wrote, and dedicate it to my beautiful bride, who inspires me every day. It’s called Healer of My Heart.” 
Emma couldn’t stop the tears of happiness pouring down her cheeks as she listened to the heartfelt lyrics written just for her, by her new husband. 
Their relationship was never a pre-destined love story, guaranteed a happy ending, but they had fought for their love… 
And they won. 
*********
I know some of you were calling for Neal & Milah’s heads on a platter, but I wanted to concentrate on Emma and Killian in this conclusion. Thank you for reading, liking, reblogging & commenting! 
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julithesunflower · 11 months
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ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀɢ ᴏꜰ ɢᴜɪʟᴛ
“I’ll give you 130 for it.” I watched as my mother’s face dropped. That’s not the amount she was hoping for.
“$130? But this bag was originally almost $300,” The man behind the counter stood unfazed, slouching as he smacked his gum. “Maybe you don’t understand this is a Michael Kors bag in fantastic condition, and it looks almost brand new.” The man, once again, smacked his gum, blowing a bubble before it popped, leaving the residue around his mouth. 
“130.” My mother let out a breath of air before looking around the pawn shop to see if anyone could listen. She slowly leaned over the counter toward the man.
“Listen, I really need the money right now. I need at least $200 to pay my bills.” The man looked back and forth between my mother and me before sighing and shaking his head.
“I can go up 150, but that’s it.” He quickly walked away after finishing his sentence, and my mother’s face lit up as she turned around to look at me. She looked at me, smiling for a few seconds before speaking. 
“Nicky, sweetie, can I borrow some money from you? It doesn’t have to be much, even just a twenty. I’ll pay you back once the hotel pays me,” I stared at my mother, knowing she already knew the answer. She cleared her throat a looked away. “I’ll find another way. I, as the parent, shouldn’t ask my child for help anyways.” I turned around, looking out the pawn shop’s windows. My eyes automatically fixated on the game store across the street as I watched the workers put up the signs for a new game.
“Mom, can I borrow $60? The game I’ve been talking about for months is being released tonight,” I waited for my mother’s voice to say the usual yes, but this time was not the usual. Hearing no answer, I turned around only to be greeted by my mother’s dumbfounded face. “It’s not that much, and it’s not like you don’t have the money for it.” I glanced at the black leather bag sitting on the counter. My mother’s brows began to furrow more and more as the seconds passed. 
“Well, if it’s not as much money as you say, you buy it. I know you have the money from winning all those video game competitions.” I glared at my mother as the man from before returned. He smacked his gum as he handed my mother the cash and took her most prized possession. I quickly left the store, putting my headphones in, frustrated with my mother.
 I started to walk faster the more I thought of the situation. Before today my mother would’ve gladly bought me the game if she didn’t have the money; she would work more hours or jobs. She did it all because she knew it made me happy. I was brought back to reality as my headphones were pulled out of my ears, as the sound of my mother replaced my music.
“Nicole, you need to stop walking with your headphones in. You ignore what's around you,” Turning to the side, I noticed we were in front of our apartment building. My eyes met the back of my head as I grabbed my headphones from my mother's hand and walked toward the building. “Are you going to say anything to me today?” I stopped walking, turning around to her.
“Can we hurry? I want to play my games.” I continued walking into our building as my mother threw her hands in the air. I walked up the stairs, stomping on each step harder than the last. As we slowly approached the door, the red paper became more and more visible. My mother picked up her pace and ran past me to our door, dropping her keys as she grabbed the paper.
“You have to be kidding me,” I watched as she slowly leaned back against the door before sliding to the floor. Tears started to fall from her eyes as she let go of the paper, putting her head into her hands. The bright red paper slowly floats to the ground before I pick it up to read ‘EVICTION NOTICE’. I looked down at my mother, who was already staring at me with her tear-stained face. “Still think I should be the one to buy your game?” She turned away as she started to weep more. I sighed before dropping the paper and grabbing the keys by my mother’s feet before unlocking the door. My mother quickly moved to the side, watching me from the floor. 
“Dad would.” Opening the door, I entered the apartment, going straight to my room, leaving my mother crying on the floor. I sat on the floor of my room, waiting for my mother to come in. I leaned against the wall and listened to the noises outside my room. I waited, listening closely to the footsteps, the sniffles, and the floor creeks. I heard my mother rummaging through the fridge before hearing the familiar sound of the wine bottle opening. I sighed, realizing I would have to wait for my mother to finish before leaving.
I slowly got up from the floor and made my way to my desk, turning my computer on before starting a game and entering a match. My eyes stayed glued to the monitor as I sat in my gaming chair. My right hand moved the mouse quickly across the mouse pad while the fingers on my left hand danced across the keyboard. My room was dark, and the light from my monitor made me the only thing visible. My eyes darted all over the screen, killing every enemy I saw. 
Every kill reminded me of the new game I wanted. The game I had to have. I subconsciously started to slow down my movements the more I focused on my thoughts. My plan was perfect other than leaving the apartment unnoticed by my mother. I ran through all the possible ways for me to leave the apartment, all leading me to the same conclusion of getting caught. I threw my hands in the air while I groaned as the idea of me getting the new game seemed impossible.
I leaned back in the chair as I watched my character die before the words ‘GAME OVER’ flashed on the screen. I sighed, rubbing my face before restarting the game. I clenched my mouse harder as I realized I wouldn’t be stuck in this situation if my mother had said yes earlier. My mother telling me no in the pawn shop replayed in my mind over and over again. My hands started to move faster as the frustration began to grow. 
My mother had the money for the game, which made me even more confused about her answer.  I knew my mother could easily walk with me to the game store to buy the game. My hand slowly began to loosen as I remembered my mother crying in the hallway a little bit ago. I imagined the woman crying later tonight after discovering what I had done. My hands stopped moving as the words ‘VICTORY’ appeared on the screen. I sighed again before turning the computer off and leaving. I returned to my cramped position on the floor, listening for my mother. I sat in the cramped position, waiting for her bedroom door to close and lock. 
After what seemed like years, I heard the sweet sound of the lock clicking. I slowly cracked open the door peering out into the dim apartment. I quickly rushed to where that black leather bag used to sit but now was replaced with a lonely wallet. My heart starts to pound as I hear footsteps coming from my mother’s room. I swiftly pulled the credit card out and ran out of the apartment before my mother could spot me. A smile started to form on my lips as I ran down the stairs, out of the building, and to the game store. 
I ran through the crowds of people down the street, slowly starting to slow down as I finally reached the store. I walked to the back of the line and crouched with my head in my hands, trying to catch my breath. I looked up only to be met with that black leather bag displayed in the pawn shop window. I scoffed at myself as I saw the $200 price tag on it. 
Finally catching my breath, I stood up and stared at the game I’ve dreamt about for months. Drawing my attention to the line, I looked at the long line of people in front of me and realized I should’ve come here sooner. My eyes met the back of my head once again before landing on the bag again. The memories that bag holds started to flood back to me.
It was an anniversary gift from my father. His law firm had a big break, allowing him to buy my mother the black leather bag with no problem. It was the happiest my family ever was. My father was spending money like crazy, buying me any console and game I wanted with no hesitation. This was before Melissa, when he was still a loving father and husband. My mother took that bag everywhere, even after my father left. She kept the bag because it reminded her of a happier time. The bag made her happy. I looked back and forth between the game and the bag in the window before sighing and stepping out of line.
After a short walk, I arrived at my apartment door. I slowly opened the door and found my mother crying on the couch. She looked at me, trying to force a smile, only to fail and start sobbing again.
“Did you get your game?” I walked over to her and handed her the black leather bag and an envelope. Confused, she opened the envelope to find $300.
“Dad mailed me $500 the other day. I used the other 200 for your bag, and I thought you could use the money more than me.” My mother smiled at me before she hugged me and started to sob again, only this time from happiness.
“I told him it was worth $200.”
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living-with-cml · 9 months
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The last part of my story is finally up! It's an epilogue of Steve's relationship with his daughter over the years. Here's a little excerpt:
Her father’s courage and love for her in that moment was so palpable and overwhelming in its power that Ella flung her arms around Steve, helplessly dissolving into sobs against his chest. Steve held her as he stroked her hair and gently shushed her, but even in the safety and security of his embrace, her tears wouldn’t subside that easily. She cried for the little girl that knew her father was different, but didn’t understand yet how truly extraordinary that made him. She cried for Steve and all the sacrifices he made and the daily adversities he overcame to be there for Ella in every humanly way possible. She cried for both his superhuman inner strength and the physical strength he lacked as a result of the MS. And most of all, she cried for all the kids in the world who weren’t lucky enough to call Steve their father. But even though she was his daughter, she sometimes unintentionally took that for granted. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, now. Don’t worry about me. Even if it’s hard, I can still find a way, remember?”
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jplupine · 11 months
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Title: Flower’s Thorn
Words: 57,626 (Completed)
Rating: M [✨🥊🩸🍋🍖]
Pub Date: Dec 31, 2017
Pairing: Aomine Daiki (M) x Toge Satsujin (F)
Summary: Toge Satsujin doesn't hate her name, but she doesn't like it either. She just puts up with it. Even though it fits her a little too well since her personality really embodies a 'thorn'.
Where to find it: AO3 || Wattpad
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breaniebree · 1 year
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Welcome to the FINAL 2 DAYS OF KISMET! 
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Chapter 69 -- The One With Azkaban
I'm not crying... you're crying😭
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wrenala · 2 years
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A Witch & the Knight of Noble Blood
Kaji Eiri
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Community Guided Chapter 5
Later that evening, Aomine headed out to a local café for dinner with plans to meet Kagami and Whitney. He’d asked Kaylee if she had wanted to join him but she had refused, saying something about watching her figure. In reality, Aomine knew, it was because she’d just bought a new game and wanted to binge it the rest of the night. Guaranteed tomorrow she would spend about three hours telling him about every single aspect of the game, from lighting effects, to voice acting. Honestly, he had no idea what sort of games she played; he only knew that every once in a while, he’d hear some pretty suggestive noises coming from her switch. He never investigated any further.
He reached the café a few minutes after the arranged meeting time and found the two of them already seated at a table. Ordering a coffee and grabbing a menu, he ambled over to their table and slid in across from them. “Where’s that one girl?” Kagami asked, disinterested.
“Who knows. She’s a freaking otaku, I swear.” Aomine shrugged, taking a long drag of his coffee.
“Otaku?” Whitney blinked at him.
“A loser who spends all their time obsessing over something. In her case, video games.” Kagami clarified. Aomine couldn’t even argue, though the part about being a loser was unnecessary.
“I thought she played sports?”
“She does. She’s super into tennis but once she gets hands a new game she was excited about, I won’t hear from her again until she finishes it. I’m surprised that she even makes it to class.” Aomine rolled his eyes. Whitney laughed. “But whatever. It keeps her out of my hair.”
“Like you even want that.” Kagami scoffed. “Her boobs are freaking huge. I bet you wish you could spend all day every day buried in them.”
“Not if it means I have to listen to her tell me one more time about some ecchi scene in one of her games.” Aomine snorted, making a face. He’d heard about a few games he really wished he hadn’t. Kagami snorted his drink, caught off guard.
“She plays those type of games.” He shuddered. As Whitney turned to ask, he shook his head feverently. “You don’t need to know.” She shrugged and took a long sip of the milk tea she was working on. “Anyway, how are things going? It seems like the guys from the basketball court are leaving you alone.”
He shrugged and leaned back into the seat, draping one long arm over the back of the wicker chair. “I hardly see them at the school and if I do, they leave me alone. I think they’ve finally learned their lesson.” He ran a hand through his hair.
“I told you they’re not such bad guys. Just a little… Eccentric.”
Aomine snorted. “I don’t know if eccentric is the right word for a guy like David, the racist prick.”
“Just be thankful you don’t have super prominent Asian features.” Whitney scowled, biting the tip of her straw until she’d imprinted teeth marks. “I don’t know what that guy’s problem is, like for real.”
“Is that super common here? Just today I ran into some other guys like that. I thought people from California were supposed to be super open minded or some shit?” He broached the subject without even thinking about it.
Kagami stared at him. “What are you talking about? What happened?”
Aomine shrugged, surprised that he’d be interested. “I was going to class when I saw this kid being cornered in a classroom by some group of thugs. They were totally surrounding on him.”
“What did you do?” Whitney asked. There was a very subtle shift in her attitude, as if she were expecting a certain answer but she didn’t want to let on that she was. Her fingers curled a little tighter around her cup, but neither of the boys noticed.
“I stopped them, what else? I wasn’t going to just let them beat the piss out of him. He looked so scared he was about to wet his pants.” Aomine took another long drag of his coffee. “There was even a girl in their group. Jordan, I think her name was.” Whitney scowled. “What, you know her?”
“And I wish I didn’t.” She spat, mood souring. She slammed her empty cup on the table. “She just does whatever her boyfriend does. I don’t think that she has even two brain cells to rub together. I don’t even know how she got into college, let alone the one you guys go to.” True enough, their college wasn’t exactly prestigious, but its acceptance rate was lower than the average state or community college.
“Wait, don’t you go to our school? And is her boyfriend a big, buff looking dude? With super short redish-blond hair?”
“Nah, she goes to a business college a little further away.” Kagami replied, biting into a sandwich that had just been dropped off by a waitress. “And that sounds like the guy.”
“You’ve met him?”
Kagami snorted. “Something like that. The dude is trouble, but he’s practically a genius.” Aomine could easily see that. The guy definitely didn’t have the air of a typical meat for brains. There was some intelligence behind his beady little eyes. “So, what were they even ganging up on him for? Just for fun? Was he black? I’ve heard a lot of rumors around here that there are some seriously racist people here that only target black people.”
Aomine shook his head, though hearing Kagami say that it made total sense how they’d reacted to him. He may have been Japanese but his dark skin wasn’t exactly something people could ignore. And, like Whitney had said, it’s not like he, or Kagami, had particularly defined Asian features. If he kept his mouth shut, he could be mistaken for just about anything. “I dunno. They kept accusin’ him of being gay.”
Whitney sucked in a sharp breath but said nothing. “And you stepped in? Did you even know the guy?”
“No, at least I don’t think so.”
“So, what happened?” Whitney spoke again, brushing a piece of fallen hair behind her ear. He sour attitude hadn’t lifted. If anything, it seemed to have gotten worse. “He didn’t get hurt, did he?”
Aomine shook his head. “They didn’t get the chance. I stepped in just as he was about to throw hands.”
“How many of them were there?” Kagami asked, eyes flashing.
“Like five of them? Six maybe.”
“That’s horrible.” Whitney gasped; her bagel she’d been slowly picking at totally forgotten. “I can’t stand people like that. First they gang up on someone and then they pick on them in numbers? How childish.”
“I mean two of them weren’t anywhere near him, just sort of watching, but the big guy and the girl were messing with him with two other guys.” He chugged the rest of his coffee. “I did end up punching him once because he tried to throw hands directly at me but in the end, nothing happened to either of us. The kid was fine and I went to class. It wasn’t anything interesting.”
Kagami sat back and wrapped an arm loosely around his girlfriend’s shoulders, a thoughtful look on his face. “Was he?”
“Was he what?”
“A homo?” Whitney shoved him hard in the shoulder and glared. “What? I’m just curious.”
“He says he wasn’t, but who fucking knows. It’s none of my business.”
“Don’t they make you kind of uncomfortable?” He took another large bite of his sandwich and chewed carefully. “I mean, what if they were looking at you in that way.”
Whitney gaped at him. “How could you say that? You like women, so do you look at all women in that way?” She asked.
“Of course not.” Kagami responded, staring wide eyed back at her. “I only like some types of girls.”
Interjecting Aomine said, “I don’t know. They’ve always just kind existed to me. Since I don’t like dudes, it’s never mattered to me whether they’re lookin’ at me like that because even if they do it’s not like they have a chance.” He sighed. “Plus, I don’t even know any gay guys.”
“Isn’t that Kise kid gay?” Whitney eyed him. “One of his old teammates. He was a model.”
Aomine shook his head. “Who knows. He’s never confirmed nor denied, and honestly, I don’t give a fuck. He was a good player and that’s all I care about.” He contemplated another coffee. “But I guess I kinda get what you mean. I wouldn’t want some dude hitting on me. It just feels kind of wrong.”
Whitney’s bright blue eyes turned sharply on him. “What is it with men?” They stared at her. “It’s like you guys forget that you have preferences, too. Just because a guy likes another guy, or a girl likes another girl, doesn’t suddenly mean that they want every single person they walk past.” She crossed her arms over her chest and moved away from her boyfriend.
“Yeah, but I mean… What if a girl hit on you?”
“Aho, that’s totally different. Girls are constantly flirting with each other-“
“How is that any different?” She demanded. “If a hot girl flirted with me, I’d be over the moon. A compliment is a compliment.”
The two of them looked at each other, then at her, and then shrugged. “It’s just different, okay. I don’t want a guy thinking about what he’d do with me in bed. That’s just weird.” Aomine asserted, rubbing his hair in awkward frustration. “Like, they can be gay if they want to but I don’t want to know.”
“Yeah, exactly.” Kagami nodded in agreement. “They don’t need to push it in our faces.”
Whitney let out an exasperated sigh and got to her feet. “I just don’t understand how people can think like that. Like, thank you for stepping in for that guy, but don’t go trying to diminish his existence just because it makes you feel uncomfortable.”
“I mean I would’ve stepped in whether he was or wasn’t-“ He tried to clarify but she cut him short.
“But I bet if you knew before, whether he really was or wasn’t, you probably would’ve hesitated, or even shared some of those bullies’ thoughts.” Aomine couldn’t really argue. “I’m going home. I’ve got homework to do. Taiga, I’ll talk to you later.” She didn’t even look at him as she picked up her purse and turned to leave. Watching her leave, they both exhaled in exasperation.
“Man, what was her problem? I don’t understand women. Of course, being hit on by a guy would be uncomfortable.” Kagami scoffed, shoving the rest of his now cold sandwich in his mouth, swallowing it whole. “Guys and girls are totally different.” He licked his fingers one by one. “Anyway, let’s go hit the courts. I haven’t paid you back for last week yet.”
“Shouldn’t you go after her?”
“Nah. Once she gets like this it’s best to leave her alone until she simmers down. I’ll call her before I go to bed tonight.” Kagami replied, reaching for the small duffle bag he’d tucked down at his feet. “Let’s go before it gets too late. The courts don’t have a lot of light.” His friend nodded, eagerly and followed shortly after him, a small part of his mind still bothered by the events from earlier that day.
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woobifiedvillain · 8 months
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Big fan of characters realizing they don't get to die. They have to live. And grow. And be a person. And deal with shit they thought they'd never have to. And be fucked up about it. I would like more of this. Enough dying for honor or as redemption. It ain't. You're just a corpse. There is no moral value in dirt time.
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geraskierficrecs · 1 year
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End of the Year Updates (2022)
Thank you all for hanging around and continuing to be amazing friends, writers, artists, and readers for the Witcher fandom!  You have all been incredibly supportive and make me so glad that I am a part of this too.  To that end, I’ve collected all the fics I’ve completed or are in progress this year.
Links and descriptions under the cut.
In-Progress:
The Sin Eater
“He doesn’t have much time now,” the demon observed, “Even Witchers need oxygen. This is your only hope of saving him.”
Jaskier’s face went firm and determined, turning back to the creature with no sign of his earlier hesitation.
The demon looked amused. “Are you sure he’d worth giving up so much?”
“All that and more,” Jaskier whispered.
Then he stepped into the circle. ————————— To save Geralt, Jaskier lets himself be possessed by the demon he was hunting. Will there be anything left of the bard for Geralt to save?
The Fixer
In the world of the wealthiest members of society, there is only one man who you call when there is a problem that needs to disappear. Whether it's killing off your competition or ensuring you have the blackmail you need to keep your enemies at bay, Jaskier--better known as Dandelion--has made a living getting his hands dirty.
So, when the offer comes to track down the missing child of a billionaire CEO, Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier is more than happy to go undercover and get the information they need to ensure Geralt doesn't become a problem.
But what happens when he starts to have feelings for the kind, smartass barista and his strange family?
Completed Multi-Chapter Works:
Lark of My Heart
“What do I smell like to you?”
Geralt looked up from where he was sharpening a blade to frown at the bard. “What?”
“You’re always sniffing around me,” Jaskier explained with a smile that covered the sheepish blush on his cheeks, “And I've read that Witchers have a keen sense of smell so tell me, what do I smell like to you?”
Home. ___________________________
After the mountain, Geralt faces the reality of what his temper has destroyed and tries to pretend like he's fine with that. (He isn't.)
Call Me Sunshine (Jaskier/Eskel)
It becomes a habit to keep an eye on the front door every Wednesday. Jaskier told him after the second week that he tries to grab the flowers on his lunch break. It’s how he found the shop in the first place.
“I tutor a kid near here,” he tells Eskel as he watches the florist trim the thorns off some David Austen roses. “He’s a menace, but his mom wants him to learn piano and is willing to pay for all the grey hairs I’m getting.”
“You play piano?”
“And a few other instruments. My favorite is the lute.”
Eskel grins a little. “A lute? Do you moonlight as a bard too?” ___________________________
Or, a florist AU with enough misunderstandings and pining to fill an entire season of a CW show.
Dying for You (Again and Again)
By his understandably shoddy memory, Jaskier had died over 1300 times since he first drew breath several hundred years ago.
Somehow, none of those deaths ever seemed to hurt as much as the dreams of Geralt. ___________________________________
Or, the Old Guard AU no one asked for, but I wrote.
With My Last Breath
Jaskier is tortured by Nilfgaard--angst, whump, and fluff follow.  In that order.
Wolves and Men
There was a challenge in his expression. A dare for Geralt to cast him aside once more.
Like he had on the mountain.
If life could give me one blessing—Geralt shook his head to banish the memory of those vicious words. Words he’d had plenty of time to regret in the years since Jaskier had walked away. Since Gerat had sent him away.
“Jaskier,” he whispered, voice thick. ________________________ Jaskier thought he'd found the perfect alpha to follow for the rest of his life only to be cast aside. He should have known better--the White Wolf always hunts alone.
If Wishing Made It So
Geralt stared down into the ravine and the glittering rocks below and wished the rumors of the Witcher’s missing emotions were true. He wished for a lot of things, then, staring down at the smear of blue silk stained red.
None of them came true. ———-
On a hunt that goes bad, Geralt is forced to imagine a world where his bard will no longer walk at his side.
Series:
Villainous Universe
Series featuring a supervillain Jaskier falling for the superhero Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.  Contains explicit content as well as all my favorite angsty tropes.
The Sentinel/Guide Verse
Jaskier was half way through a lackluster rendition of one of his least popular songs when his world went static.
In his ears, a foreign heartbeat thundered, ragged and wounded. It felt as though his lungs had gone sideways with the sensation. Even the air itself tasted like it was charged with lightning, bright and bitter as ozone. Deep in his gut, he felt something urging himself forward, pulling him like some invisible string towards an unknown destination.
Something brushed across his senses, rough as tree bark, and sinking into his skin to crawl like ants beneath. He froze, eyes darting around the room like he could spot whoever it was that had sent his senses scrambling against the hard earned shields he was always careful to maintain. In his hands, his fingers faltered, melody disappearing beneath the wave of wrong that felt like it was choking him.
The answer was simple--and impossible.
There was a Sentinel here.
The Full Cops and Robbers Verse
An enemies to lovers story revolving around a charming, mysterious thief and the cop that is absolutely done with his shit.
The Witcher Soldier Verse
Geralt barely managed to slam the pommel of his sword up in a glancing blow that shattered the metal latch holding the Soldier’s mask in place. The Soldier rolled into the movement with a dancer’s grace and came to his full height just as easily. For a moment, his hands reached up to run over the exposed skin, before he slowly turned to face Geralt once more.
The Witcher froze in a mixture of horror and near-frantic hope.
He stared into the eyes of a dead man and whispered, “Jaskier?”
The Soldi--the bard frowned at him in confusion and spoke with a voice rough with disuse,
“Who the hell is Jaskier?” ___________________________
Or, the Winter Soldier AU.
A Light in the Dark Series
One will rise And one will fail, But none can escape destiny’s call. ____________
Jaskier is a bard with a secret. For all the world knows, he strolled onto a stage ten years ago and made a name for himself as the sidekick of the White Wolf. But what came before? And will he be able to escape destiny's call?
A Three Part Series Exploring My Take on a Feral Version of Jaskier
One Shots:
Star Crossed
“It’s not true.”  The man’s voice is rough as a knife over gravel and is short enough to make the bard falter at his tone.  It takes him a moment to realize he’s referring to the story he’d told as part of the festival.
“You don’t believe in the lost lovers?” he asks, offended to the very core of his romantic heart.  He stands a little straighter to glare up at the larger man.  “I’ll have you know that my story comes from the works of Master Essi herself--she knew the lovers herself.  It's the foundation story of our whole town and this festival!  How can you say the story isn’t true?”
A shadow crosses over the stranger’s face and eyes that flash gold flick away from the bard to stare at the trees and the lonely hill.  Despite himself, the bard feels his heart ache at the grief in his expression.
“He didn’t come back.”
Burn For You
Jaskier twitched helplessly as the women filed out of the mill and left him where he was bound on the floor.  He arched his back slightly, trying to see to where the fire was slowly creeping from the bed to drip onto the floor.  It hit the edge of the floor and he closed his eyes, going limp with exhausted pain.
His body ached as he lay on the ground, bleeding.  The floor was cold at his back and noise came through staticky and broken like a voice through a waterfall.  He could just vaguely hear footsteps thudding toward him accompanied by shouting.  Still, his vision refused to focus, and the only thing he could identify around him was the flickering red of the flames reflected in the cloud heavy with rain that would never be enough to stop the fire spreading through the mill.
All he could hope was that the smoke killed him before he began to burn.
Gilded With Blood (Aiden/Lambert)
Aiden watched the slowly growing pool of his life’s blood dripping onto the red rock below him. His chest rose and fell in ragged little gasps made awkward by the sword still pinning him to the earth. Pain was far away now and he knew only the cold chill of death would replace it.
As his eyes closed, he couldn’t help but think:
This was going to destroy Lambert.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Seducing Your Fiancé
It is a truth universally known that Geralt fucking hated Viscount Julien de Lettenhove.
Their rivalry was the stuff of legends, the sort that drew the eye and the idle gossip of members of court. It ensured that each time they came within five feet of the other, the entire room would go still, watchful. Eager. For what could be more delicious, more exciting than a fight between the Crown Prince and his new betrothed?
I’ll Sleep Forever Next to You
“Geralt?” Eskel’s voice distracts him from his spiraling thoughts. “What’s wrong? Where’s the lark?”
Geralt seizes on his brother in arms, near desperate for someone who might know what to do. “He’s sick. He’s, he’s coughing, feverish--”
“How long?” The older Witcher looks like he does before battle, steady and fierce.
“I, I’m not sure.” Abruptly, Jaskier’s early night has all manner of new meanings. Had he been feeling poorly that long? His brow furrows. “He sounded like he was having trouble breathing last night.” _____________________________________
Or, three Witchers freak out over a bard with a cold.
Don’t Leave Me
Jaskier’s hands tighten around Geralt before slowly losing their grip, spasming where they fall limp. “Ger--geralt--”
“Don’t you dare,” he snarls back, “Don’t you dare try to give me your fucking goodbyes. You are not dying.”
“S--silly man.” Jaskier’s smile is full of painful fondness. “Would you fight death for me?”
Geralt swings him up into his arms and nearly weeps at the sound of familiar hooves running in his direction. “Every. Fucking. Time.”
Between One Heartbeat and the Next
Please. Please, not this.
Don’t make him listen to Jaskier’s voice beginning to strain in a way it never did on stage even as he continued to reassure Geralt.
“It’s okay… Geralt, you’ll be okay.”
Not without you.
“You’re...gonna be fine in...just a little while.”
You won’t.
“ ‘s...not...so bad...like going to sleep.”
Nononononopleaseno
Waiting for the Sun
Jaskier was dying.
The confirmation came with each cramping, shallow breath and spots of grey drowning out the mottled stone walls that would become his tomb. After all the years he’d spent terrified of this moment, it was almost anticlimactic to realize he was too tired now to fight back any longer. He was dying. The world would continue without him.
Blood dripped from his fingertips and formed erratic patterns against his own skin. Over the sound of his racing heart he could hear footsteps and murmured voices that made him want to vomit or rage in fury.
They were watching him. He didn’t need to look up into the window to see the strange faces twisted into cruel smiles, pleased at his suffering. He hated them.
Not a Damsel, Not in Distress
The one closest to him raised his trembling sword with a panicked expression at the unexpected violence. “Wh--what the fuck? You’re just a bard.”
Jaskier’s smile was more a baring of his teeth, made more alarming with the blood sprayed across his skin and clothing. “Your first mistake was believing that.” _____________________________
Geralt and Jaskier are ambushed by a pack of mercenaries. It was really their fault for believing the yellow eyed Witcher was the only threat.
Frantic
Geralt was hanging limply against the rough bark. Two daggers kept him pinioned like a bug in place and left dark streaks of drying blood down his arms and exposed chest. Silver hair was matted close to his forehead from a sluggishly bleeding would that left golden eyes hazy and unfocused. Worst still were the bruises littering every inch of exposed skin like a collage of torment.
His Witcher had been tortured.
———
There was a name for the emotion burning like fire in his blood, eating away at the dandelion bard that had made his living seeking the pleasure of others. A simple phrase that barely encompasses the new tension in his bones and made his mind focus with singular, violent intent.
Wrath.
A Blade in the Back
There was a flicker of movement at his side and he felt something slam into his unprotected flank.  Magic blew past him, ruffling his hair but leaving him unharmed. Surprised by the sudden attack, Geralt stumbled and whirled to face whoever had hit him.  
Only instead of a beast, he saw a bard.
Jaskier clutched at his chest where a dark stain seemed to spread over his heart.  His bright eyes stared at Geralt helplessly, mouth opening and closing without sound.  Geralt stared back at him in shock until Jaskier dropped heavily to his knees, collapsing like a puppet with his strings cut. ___________
In the midst of a battle, Jaskier is hit with an unknown curse. All at once Geralt finds himself locked in battle with the only man he wants to protect.
The Sweetest Poison
“And what do you want in return?  Your freedom? Your safety?”
Jaskier didn’t flinch from her scorn and Geralt could see his knuckles go white with the force of his grip around the small vial.  “Save him.”
The mage stared at him for a beat before letting out a burst of laughter that echoed off the wall like the flutter of vultures wings.  “All this trouble for the Witcher?” she asked incredulously, “Tell me, boy, do you really think he would do the same for you? That he cares at all what happens to the bard who follows after him like a lost puppy?”  She stepped forward, confident as a soldier preparing his death blow. “Oh, I know who you are, bard. I watched you trailing after the Witcher, eager for every scrap of affection or interest he’ll toss your way. I’ve seen the way you look at him.”
Jaskier was breathing heavily now, jaw clenched tight enough that Geralt could see the muscles fluttering with effort.
“Were you hoping this ill-conceived rescue mission would be enough to make him finally notice you?” she murmured with a mocking smile, “Poor little bard--always singing of love but never truly experiencing it.”
Into the Jaskierverse Additions:
Interlude: The Thief
Jaskier opened his mouth to cry out, to scream, anything, but it was ripped away by the jagged shards of reality tearing through him.  It was the djinn all over again.  The agony of watching Geralt disappearing beneath the rubble of the house.  The first chill that always signaled Geralt returning to Kaer Morhen.  The pull of power and magic that he now recognized as the moment before a spell hit and he was left with no option but to wait for the pain to hit--helpless in the whims of an unnatural force.  
Only this time there was nothing to stop the raw power that seemed determined to unravel him down to his very soul.  
He
     was
                remade.
Not Without You
“Geralt?” he finally whispered, a fragile hope in the familiar word.
“I’m here,” Geralt said as he crossed the room to stand next to the table.  “I’ve got you.”
Kicking aside the corpse of the mage, he fumbled with the restraints until he was able to release Jaskier’s arms and legs.  They twitched weakly against him and Geralt ran his hands over the rough shirt and pants Jaskier had been dressed in, searching for any other injuries.
“Geralt?”
“It’s me,” Geralt soothed. “They won’t hurt you again, I promise.”
Jaskier’s hands found an anchor against the front of Geralt’s shirt and he shuddered violently.  “I thought...I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
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the fact that shakespeare was a playwright is sometimes so funny to me. just the concept of the "greatest writer of the English language" being a random 450-year-old entertainer, a 16th cent pop cultural sensation (thanks in large part to puns & dirty jokes & verbiage & a long-running appeal to commoners). and his work was made to be watched not read, but in the classroom teachers just hand us his scripts and say "that's literature"
just...imagine it's 2450 A.D. and English Lit students are regularly going into 100k debt writing postdoc theses on The Simpsons screenplays. the original animation hasn't even been preserved, it's literally just scripts and the occasional SDH subtitles.txt. they've been republished more times than the Bible
#due to the Great Data Decay academics write viciously argumentative articles on which episodes aired in what order#at conferences professors have known to engage in physically violent altercations whilst debating the air date number of household viewers#90% of the couch gags have been lost and there is a billion dollar trade in counterfeit “lost copies”#serious note: i'll be honest i always assumed it was english imperialism that made shakespeare so inescapable in the 19th/20th cent#like his writing should have become obscure at the same level of his contemporaries#but british imperialists needed an ENGLISH LANGUAGE (and BRITISH) writer to venerate#and shakespeare wrote so many damn things that there was a humongous body of work just sitting there waiting to be culturally exploited...#i know it didn't happen like this but i imagine a English Parliament House Committee Member For The Education Of The Masses or something#cartoonishly stumbling over a dusty cobwebbed crate labelled the Complete Works of Shakespeare#and going 'Eureka! this shall make excellent propoganda for fabricating a national identity in a time of great social unrest.#it will be a cornerstone of our elitist educational institutions for centuries to come! long live our decaying empire!'#'what good fortune that this used to be accessible and entertaining to mainstream illiterate audience members...#..but now we can strip that away and make it a difficult & alienating foundation of a Classical Education! just like the latin language :)'#anyway maybe there's no such thing as the 'greatest writer of x language' in ANY language?#maybe there are just different styles and yes levels of expertise and skill but also a high degree of subjectivity#and variance in the way that we as individuals and members of different cultures/time periods experience any work of media#and that's okay! and should be acknowledged!!! and allow us to give ourselves permission to broaden our horizons#and explore the stories of marginalized/underappreciated creators#instead of worshiping the List of Top 10 Best (aka Most Famous) Whatevers Of All Time/A Certain Time Period#anyways things are famous for a reason and that reason has little to do with innate “value”#and much more to do with how it plays into the interests of powerful institutions motivated to influence our shared cultural narratives#so i'm not saying 'stop teaching shakespeare'. but like...maybe classrooms should stop using it as busy work that (by accident or designs)#happens to alienate a large number of students who could otherwise be engaging critically with works that feel more relevant to their world#(by merit of not being 4 centuries old or lacking necessary historical context or requiring untaught translation skills)#and yeah...MAYBE our educational institutions could spend less time/money on shakespeare critical analysis and more on...#...any of thousands of underfunded areas of literary research i literally (pun!) don't know where to begin#oh and p.s. the modern publishing world is in shambles and it would be neat if schoolwork could include modern works?#beautiful complicated socially relevant works of literature are published every year. it's not just the 'classics' that have value#and actually modern publications are probably an easier way for students to learn the basics. since lesson plans don't have to include the#important historical/cultural context many teens need for 20+ year old media (which is older than their entire lived experience fyi)
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ronanlynchbf · 7 months
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tshirt that says NO LIVE ORGANISM CAN CONTINUE FOR LONG TO EXIST SANELY UNDER CONDITIONS OF ABSOLUTE REALITY
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ficsforfundota · 5 months
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Chapters: 131/131 Fandom: Original Work Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Harry Potter Characters & Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character/Original Male Character Characters: Original Male Character(s), Original Female Character(s), Original Child Character(s) Additional Tags: Original Series, Scary, Horror, Thriller, Kidnapped, Forced Relationship, Forced Marriage, Forced Pregnancy, Cannibalism, Psychological Horror, blood bath, Bloody, cannibal, Force Feeding, Terror, Kidnapping, Murder, force, Abuse, Evil Plans, Chains, scared, Stockholm Syndrome, First Person Point of View, Third person point of view, Multiple chapters, Multiple Books, Vaginal Sex, birth scene, Hand Cuffs, Anal Sex, Pregnancy, Knife Kink, Guns, Humans As Animals, Forced Masturbation, Running, Human vs Human, Pregnancy Scares, Torture, Beating, Taken, Rituals, Ritual Sex, Cults, cult like family, noncon, Forced, On the Run, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Attempted Suicide, Stabbing, Serial Killers, Alternate Reality, Original Character/Original Character - Freeform, dead dove, forced impregnation, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Kinfe kink, Blood Kink, Birthing, abused, Bruises Series: Part 1 of Cannibal Series Characters Summary:
Hello, this is a series I started about 2017ish, there may be some errors so I do apologize for that. I will make sure you are very aware of the split between each book in the series. Read the tags, know its explicit, if you dont like it ignore it!
Book 1 Cannibalistic Posted In Full Book 2 Cannibalized Posted in Full Book 3 Cannibalism posted in full Book 4 Hero Killings posted in full Boy forged in blood Spin Off Series Posted in full
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avengersome · 6 months
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astrogeek7 · 6 months
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Let's get one thing straight; this story is about monsters.
In the realm of Auderine, a land of surreal spells and spectacular sights, Matías Ariza-Cano arrives at the majestic Auderine College of Business. But when he steps through its storied walls, the ordinary edges of his existence quickly become shrouded in a paranormal thriller. Facing an otherworldly and dangerous force, the mystery surrounding his arrival only intensifies.
Will he be able to keep the world safe from destruction, or will he be consumed by the horrors in store for him?
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The link:
https://www.wattpad.com/story/354108615?utm_source=android&utm_medium=whatsapp&utm_content=share_reading&wp_page=library&wp_uname=virgothealchemist&wp_originator=vmSypzQZ0L%2B0Z7GH0FZHfKDjzrDbJmUsF%2F8ypvuxvCaZ%2BC1iyR7%2BsHYxrJKHx91e7ePaYlCyWrT2i17rHB%2FeSW2A4NPzR4giYyfZgX5XwOSTprPLXzvea9abQjDm87If
UPDATES ON SATURDAYS!
BOOK 1 OF THE AUDERINE CHRONICLES
COMPLETED WORD TALLY: 15 453
TW: Death, Child Abuse, Panic Attacks, Sexual Harassment
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