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bellamyblake · 3 years

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The perfect sleeping arrangement

for @star-sky-earth

Alternate Universe-Canon divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Smut, Mommy!Kink, Nightmares, Anxiety Disorder

Bellamy always tries to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders but at night he's breaking apart-anxiety and nightmares are tearing him up, yet he won't let Clarke take care of him. Unless she insists and he starts opening up to her.

The only time Bellamy ever allowed Clarke to take care of him was at night.

During the day it was all about him doing everything he possibly could-going hunting, passing by medbay to bring her lunch, toss a scarf over her naked neck so she doesn’t get sick, ask her mom if she got anything for breakfast over her rolling eyes, make sure she comes back home before ten even though there’s a council meeting that night that he won’t attend because of his guard shift.

And it wasn’t just about her really-still, two years after they set their camp and started actually building it, he was taking care of the hundred as if they were his own children just like when they first landed-he brought Jasper a new jacket, fixed the roof of the co-joined cabin that Harper, Monty, Miller and a few other kids used, made sure to raid long-forgotten bunkers for winter supplies, participated in the shoveling of the snow, smoaking the meat from the game he had caught, helping Raven with the electricity solutions she needed figuring out as well as taking up as many guard shifts as he could especially during the winter when it was harder for the delinquents.

He even volunteered once a week in the small day care they opened last fall, reading books and telling stories to the kids in the midst of giving them a few history lessons here and there.

Overall he was stretching himself a little too thin and Clarke hated it even though whenever they fought about it, he always made sure to remind her that she’s no better than him.

And that may have been true but the thing was, he refused to let anyone ever take care of him, even her.

Even though he made sure she was fine all the damn time and it was the little things that broke her-him making her tea in the evening, bringing her hot water for her freezing feet and making sure she warmed up after her enthusiastic run in the back yard when the first snow hit, him tucking her up at night even when she kicked the blanket or finding the right kind of animal skin so he would sew her gloves for the winter.

He had even learned how to knit from a grounder woman during the summer festival and when they got back to camp he secretly traded a few sweaters for some yarn, only to start working on a beautiful blue scarf for her that he wrapped around her once the first winter days arrived.

It was great being with Bellamy but it was also heartbreaking, watching him give all of himself away and never expect anything in return.

Even when they kissed or had sex he always made sure she’s came first, always made sure to show her just how much he loved her, whispering words about her beautiful body in her ear as he teased her clit and bring her over the edge.

But when Clarke wanted to do the same, he’d try to get away, refusing the attention.

Some mornings she’d feel his hard cock against her butt and reach over to take him, turn around and kiss him, try to give him a good time but he’d kiss her forehead, mumble something like “I’m fine, princess, have to get to work, maybe some other time.” and slip away leaving her angry and sad that he just denied himself pleasure.

She knew why he did it, she had seen it from the moment back at that tree on their unfortunate day trip-he didn’t think he deserved it even though she had tried to make it known, even though she always made sure to show him how much he means to her, how much she loves him-but it wasn’t about that, it has never been about that-the fact remained-he didn’t believe he was worthy of being loved, of pleasure, even when it came from the person he cared for most in the world and who cared for him just as much in return.

The thing was, he tried to hide his problems away from her as well and that had been the last straw to turn things around.

At first it was his inability to sleep because of anxiety-he had a few days or even a week sometimes every month when he couldn’t sleep-nightmares plagued him and left him weak and exhausted but he would try to hide it from her at first until one night she came home and found him so tired that he had passed out by the hearth, having only just started the fire.

She can't even move him no matter how hard she wants to. She kneels down, puts her hands under his armpits and tries but he's so heavy. On top of everything he's all wet from the snow-his jacket's peppered with fastly melting snowflakes, his hair was drenched-the curls stuck to his forehead, he was freezing and she knew his boots leaked too, so she had to get him out of it and warm him up.

”Come on, Bell, wake up, let's get you to bed.” and he manages to wake up, get to a half-awake state but he's so out of it, like a drunk five year old who had absolutely no idea what was happening to him.

”C-larke?”

“Yeah, come on, please I can't lift you on my own."

“I'm tired.” he mumbles.

“I know, but you need to get to bed.”

“Why?”

“Because it's cold out here you'll get sick”

“I'm fine...it's by the fire...just...leave me”

“No, I’m not leaving you, come on, please.” she’s desperate at that point, feels her own tears picking up at her eyes.

“It's okay, I like it here.”

“It's the wooden floor, your back already hurts, it's time for bed, please help me, please,” he groans a little, too tired to even lift his head and look at her but then she adds “for me.”

And that does it.

He manages to lift his feet just a little so she can drag him to bed and spray him diagonally at first, then she starts undressing him slowly, he's moaning everything hurts him-he's absolutely exhausted, tired to his very bone, hadn't slept in days, worked all through it too on top of it.

He's a baby when she undresses him he goes “I’m cold.” when he doesn't have clothes on or “Ohh, my feet!” when she takes his boots off and finds his blisters.

She’s pretty sure he’s only ever saying that because he’s not coherent of anything happening around him and he’s just a child speaking his mind.

It wasn’t just a one time deal, though-it kept happening and it worsened significantly with the change of the seasons-when winter settled he got bad, really damn bad and his anxiety made him jumpy, sad and insomniac.

In the spring it was a little better but still quite hard and the hot summer nights would throw him into another nightmare spiral that could last a month and leave him absolutely exhausted until the autumn winds hit and allowed him to breathe somewhat.

She takes him to Jackson when she comes home one night to find him passed out in his work clothes again. This time he's too tired to fully wake so she has to pile the blankets and pillows on the floor and sleep with him there to make sure he's warm enough.

Clarke figures out quickly that he loves being spooned, held, kissed-he groaned content when she ran her fungers through his hair-he liked being warm but he didn’t wear clothes in bed except for his boxers and he enjoyed most of all when she tucked him in first after taking all of his clothes and then sliding in bed, wrapping herself like a monkey around him and holding him tight.

Jackson had prescribed him some anxiety meds but after talking to some grounders at the summer Polis trade between clans, Clarke found herbs they could use to brew as a tea for him to drink.

It didn’t always do the job but it helped significantly.

Still, she figured out he had a need for her late at night in those vulnerable moments and the more they occured, the more he allowed himself to be like this despite the constant battle in his heart.

He liked being pampered, liked her momming him, taking care of him like that.

But there was still something that tips the scales and it comes from the most unexpected places of all.

Second year around when the camp is up and running, all of them have to go through the mandatory health check ups.

Of course, Bellamy had tried to get away with his, sneak out but Clarke had grabbed him by the collar-literally and dragged him there for his mom to do it, knowing if it was her, they probably would end up with her pinned on the cot, him on top, pushing into her, instead of her taking in his pulse.

And that’s when it happens-her mom takes in his blood pressure and finds it too high, listens to his heart carefully and furrows her eyebrows as she focuses. Clarke feels the cold spread through her from her back through her entire body when her mom tells them things are out of norm but that if he takes some blood pressure medicine to regulate it, everything will be alright.

Clarke hates herself for it though-she should’ve noticed it sooner. She always let herself be held by him and she had noticed, as she rest her head over his chest, that his heart beat too fast but she thought it was just him being too tired or maybe the anxiety was making it worse for him but she never once thought something could be wrong.

That’s when things changed and she refused to let him get away with being taken care of anymore.

His heart beat became her good night lullaby.

During the day he was still Bellamy the guard, Bellamy the hunter, Bellamy the protector of his silly kids starting with Jasper, Bellamy the love of her life who brought her lunch.

But at night things shifted.

He’d sit in bed and wait for her to come out of the bathroom.

“Took your anxiety meds?” he nods seriously “The blood pressure ones?”

“Yep.”

“You sure?” he had stupid phase where he tried not to take them for a few weeks so they could save recources and ration them and she hadn’t talked to him for days after.

“I’m sure, Clarke.”

“Good boy.” she praises as she comes over “Time for bed now.” she lays him down covers him up and he looks at her with big brown beautiful eyes.

”You coming?”

“Right in, you big baby.” she promises as she leans over and kisses his forehead.

“Can you hold me?” he’s learned to ask for that with time and she had made sure to show him how proud she was of it.

“Of course.” she tucks him in and then quickly slides in on the other side of bed, wrapping herself around him, her arm over his chest and leg thrown over his. Her other one sneaks under his neck and she pushes his head to her chest so that he’s a little lower than her and her chin cover his head. That way she had quick access to his hair and she runs her fingers through his curls gently, helping him relax.

Because at night she sleeps deep, she doesn’t always hear when he wakes up from his nightmares or terrors and the only thing betraying him would be the dark circles under his eyes in the morning, so she has to ask every night how the previous one had been because only then would he be honest.

“How was last night?” he knows the question will come so he shivers a little as she holds him.

“Not too bad.”

“How many times did you wake up?”

“Once” he lies. She tightens her grip on his chest.

“Your shirt was soaked, Bell.” he shrugs and closes his eyes but she insists ”So? How many times?”

“Three.” he lets out quietly and she wraps herself tighter around him

“Why didn't you wake me up?”

“You know I can't.” she knew he wouldn’t, he never did. Unless she was there to scold him and force him to lay still while she took care of him after a night terror, he wouldn’t say a thing.

He had admitted once that he would wake up gasping for breath but force himself not to move too much and instead just stare at the ceiling while he calmed down so he wouldn’t wake her up.

She hated it. She hated whatever made him hate himself so much that he’d refuse to reach out even to her.

She knew it was about the way he was raised-his mom loved him according to his words and fond memories of her, but she was stern and had expectations for him especially after Octavia was born when the real hell began.

He had anxiety then too, night terrors as well, he may have developed this heart condition just because of the constant stress he was put under, he just had no way of knowing it.

One night as she was holding him he admitted he wouldn’t sleep at night after O was born, he’d check on her and his mom all the time, then sleep by the door when they knew there would be random check ups in Factory.

He’d fall off his bed as he tossed in his nightmare sleep, he’d shake all the time, grow restless or too tired, get angry sometimes-all signs of what he was still suffering from now.

Something else that happened lately as she came to find out-because he was so exhausted from his lack of sleep, he’d take short naps in hiding, away from her, so he wouldn’t bother her with his pain.

He’d go to the small overhang they had in the backyard where they kept the woods and sleep there and she’d hate it when he did that because it was so cold there she worried he’d get sick or he'd hide out in the kitchen while Murphy prepared dinner after bringing in the game he caught with the hunting party outside. He'd even spray on one of the metal tables at Raven and Monty's tent where they discussed plans for the camp.

So she knows, comes to figure out that spooning him and holding him helped a lot so all of this didn't have to happen. So he wouldn't have to hide away.

But something else did too.

Clarke would ask him if he’s okay, if she could do something else besides holding him but he’d of course shake his head and grumple a soft childish “I’m fine.”

She’d know better do, could always tell by the way he folds into her if he’s more vulnerable than usual, if it’s worse that night than the previous from the way his hands tremble or how he pushes his head into her hand looking for her touch.

In those nights, like tonight, she slides her hand down to hix boxers, digs in and pumps his cock to hardness.

He gasps a little, pushes his back into hers and looks up, searching for her eyes.

He doesn't want her to worry so much, so he tries to tell her it's okay but she wouldn't hear it and she jerks him off like this from behind. She knew exactly how he liked it by now-starting slowly, teasingly from the tip of his cock before sliding all the way down and cupping his balls for a moment before taking him in again.

His legs kick off the blanket just a little, he arches his back and she reins him in, calms him down, by kissing him softly, starting from his cheek, to his chin, sliding down to his neck, peppering him with her love, making sure to pay attention to all the freckles she sees in her way.

Her other hand is still in his hair-tucking at his curls, moving his head just the right way to expose more of him to her, give her a better angle as he gasps into her arms and calls for her untill he comes gasping, head buried in her chest, begging to be held, tighter, to be cuddled.

Finally, she lets him roll over when he's spent and he buries his head in her chest.

Clarke knows what he wants.

He loved sucking her tits after a good blowjob like this but she teases him a little like a boy who wants to be fed in the middle of the night but his mom's sleeping.

Bellamy buries his nose between her tits, breathes her in, lets her run her fingers through his curls, soft talk him, baby him until his quiet moans turn to desperate ones and he starts sucking, searching for her through her thin shirt.

“So impatient.” she jokes “You want some of that big boy?”

He whines, writhes against her just a bit, searching for more like a desperate hungry kid.

“What's up?” she runs her fingers through his hair once more while he keeps trying to bury deeper into her, probably hating the fact that she decided to wear a shirt tonight but it was winter and she was cold. “You hungry?”

He groans, buries his head even closer, searches for her nipple but can't find it through the awful angle that her tits are in now that she’s laying on her side “Want me to lift that up for you?” she asks grabbing the hem of her shirt that is in fact one of his “Want to suck on mom's tits?”

He looks up then, moves away a little and she wants to laugh at how cute and adorable he is-his mouth hanging a little, saliva drooling on his chin from his desperate attempts to get to her tits.

He gives her a soft hurt look, his eyes so lost and desperate, the barest of nods and she just can't deny him when he does that-he’s so sweet, so gentle, so broken.

And so exhausted.

“Maybe this will help him fall into a fitful sleep.” Clarke thinks as she cups his cheek and runs her thumb over the dark circle under his eye.

He's so tired, it's the absolute picture perfect of a boy turned baby needing his mom and a hungry for his partner man.

She can’t handle it, would be lying if this wasn’t doing things to her too, so she raises herself up just a little and pulls her shirt off.

His reaction is immideate, he doesn’t even wait for her to fully lay back down when he takes the nipple of her right breast in his mouth and sucks on it hard.

He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her up closer to him, wants to feel all of her pressed to his body, needs to have her there with him.

He doesn't just kiss her he sucks on her like a baby that's expecting for milk to come and it leaves her gasping and thrusting into his leg at the feel of her own wetness pooling into her but it is him that breaks her heart- he's so desperate for love and affection it's absolutely devastating for her.

It's noisy, he's smacking on her like a hungry baby and he's beautiful, so damn beautiful.

But he also never forgets about her-he sneaks his hand down to her ass and squeezes it, which makes her panties drench with her wetness and she grinds a little into him but she doesn't need release-this is about him, just him.

He gets a little hard again but it's not about that either now-he just wants to suck on her breasts and move his hands down her ass then up her back, then to her stomach-he loves touching her stomach, the softness there, the round curves that make her arch her back a little, makes her moan above him, reach out and put her hand on his shoulders, looking for something to support her.

Then he goes down to her panties, sinks in a finger into her making her gasp as he moves to her other breast, smacking just as hard, desperate for her beautiful breasts, desperate to beheld in her arms, to be vulnerable around her but also to love her, to let it pour out of him in any way possible.

And when he's had enough of touching her he brings his fingers up, pulls away for just a moment so he could spread her wetness around her nipple before sucking onto it hard again.

“Bellamy-” she gasps and he moves away from her nipple for just a second, peppers her chest with soft little kisses, moves to the valley of her breasts, drags his tongue there before sucking onto the skin just above her right breast and pulling her closer to him by the waist.

“Bell-”

He moves away a little, looks up at her asking if he did something wrong, worrying like always but she just takes his face in her hands and pulls him in for a kiss. She’s as desperate to have him as he is her but Clarke knows this is about him, so after she lets him go they just pant a little, breathe with hurry and desperation after their recent endeavours.

Her hand falls to his chest, his fast beating heart and she wants to command it to slow down.

“Ready to fall now?” she asks and he sneaks a glance down to her chest again before he looks right up, not daring speak out his desires but trying to silently ask for them anyway.

Without words.

He could never speak for himself.

But she would.

“You can take one if you want to.” she prompts him gently tugging at his neck and pushing him back to her chest.

“You don’t mind?” he asks and his voice comes out too small, too scared for her liking.

Clarke hurries to shake her head.

“In fact I love it.” he tilts his head a little as if asking “Really?” and she smiles “I love having you so close at night.”

HIs head falls and he looks down for a minute, accepting her answer, but trying to gather up the courage to ask something else.

“Will you still hold me?”

“Of course I will.” she promises and he smiles, beams really in a way she rarely sees on him which makes her sad because he should be like this all the time.

He quiets down after but not before slipping his hand back in her pants and sinking three fingers into her again, it's like he just wanted to be there, always, being the Bellamy that he is, to always give in return.

She grinds a little into him, he pumps her some but then they settle.

She watches him, cups his cheek runs her hand through his curly bangs smiles and kisses his forehead.

He gets a little shy like what he wants of her is too much, too weird maybe but she confirms again with a little nod that says ”It's okay, you can go ahead” and he wraps his mouth around her nipple again and smacks like a baby until finally he quiets and they fall asleep like this-his fingers in her and his mouth on her-the perfect sleeping arrangement.

#bellarke fanfiction #bellarke #bellamy blake #clarke griffin #bellarke fic #canon divergence #hurt/comfort #smut #kink fic #idk how i wrote this it sucks im sorry #my writing

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heavyarethecrowns · 3 years

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Forget Wills and Kate - it's Harry who's found love - May 2007

Gazing into the flames of a campfire on the banks of Botswana's Okavango River, a scruffily dressed young man took a sip of his beer and let out a prolonged sigh.

Minutes later, he was pouring his heart out to the three strangers sitting beside him.

"Apparently, he had fallen in love with some girl in Cape Town who was the daughter of a rich businessman in Zimbabwe.

"He seemed really serious about her, saying he couldn't understand how he had fallen head-over-heels only four days after meeting her," one of those fellow travellers later recalled.

The love-sick youth was, of course, Prince Harry, then on holiday in Africa during his gap year. And the girl who made such an impact was Chelsy Davy.

Three years on, almost to the day, Harry is preparing to wave goodbye to his girlfriend and march off to war.

Much has happened to the young prince in the intervening period: officer training at Sandhurst; periodic brawls with the paparazzi; and his father's marriage to the woman Harry once blamed for causing his late mother so much anguish.

But, to the surprise of many observers, one of the few constants in Harry's life has turned out to be the coltish, snub-nosed girl he met in Cape Town.

Indeed, some of his friends believe that an engagement is almost certainly on the cards, though probably not for a few years yet.

Of course, feelings can change. A tour of duty in Iraq, fighting for his country, may accelerate the progression from pampered prince to more mature man of the world: he may want to close the book on his youth, open a new chapter, find a different kind of soulmate.

But maybe not. Even 12 months ago, few could have predicted that Harry's long- distance relationship with the coquettish daughter of a Zimbabwean wheeler-dealer and former Coca-Cola model would outlast William's romance with the eminently proper Kate Middleton.

The truth of the matter, however, is that Harry has always seen himself and Chelsy as better suited and more capable of going the distance.

"And now," said a well-placed source this week, "he's been proved right."

The 22-year- old prince has become increasingly irritated by what he saw as the "hype" surrounding William and Kate's relationship.

A friend of Harry's says: "Harry doesn't want to be subjected to the level of interest people have been taking in William and Kate.

"It's his idea of hell. But he also feels very frustrated at the way people are so dismissive of him and Chelsy.

"They are always portrayed as a pair of poor little rich kids who will burn themselves out sooner rather than later.

"In Harry's mind, there is nothing ridiculous whatsoever in the idea that one day, in the not-too-distant future, Princess Chelsy could be standing on the balcony at Buckingham Palace - even though she would probably be hiding a cigarette and a bottle of Malibu behind her back."

Despite the stream of paparazzi photographs that reveal a fondness for partying and a distinctly beach-chick style, the 21-year-old Zimbabwean has been an "A" student at school and university.

Harry would not want to change anything about her.

While others - including his own father, according to Harry - find themselves transfixed by Chelsy's more obvious charms - the prince has always believed that his girlfriend has some sterling qualities that Kate probably lacked.

"Harry has always been quietly very proud of the fact that Chelsy - or Chedda, as he affectionately calls her - loves him for who he is.

"In fact, she sees the fact that he's royal as more of a hindrance than a help," says a confidante.

"As the hugely popular daughter of a multi-millionaire businessman with homes in at least three different countries, she doesn't really need to take advantage of Harry's birthright."

One source close to the prince suggests that he actually sided with members of William's circle who felt that Kate Middleton had started to take advantage of the relationship.

"Harry had sympathy with those of William's friends who felt Kate had begun to rather enjoy her fame by association a little too much - unlike his own girlfriend, who he thinks is a 'real class act'," the source explains.

'When she first met William, Kate had few friends of her own - but over the years, she carefully assimilated herself into his circle.

"There was a feeling among some of William's friends that Kate had become a little too self-aware - she even had the cheek to bag herself a cut-price Audi, thanks to her royal links - while publicly insisting that she wanted to be treated as an ordinary girl."

Although Chelsy and Kate were photographed together on several occasions, most notably at the Beaufort Polo Club last summer, Harry's girlfriend apparently didn't particularly take to Kate.

"It wasn't that she disliked her - it's just that they had nothing in common. One only has to look at them to see it," says the source.

"Chelsy is a lot sweeter than she looks, but she is still a very outgoing girl who likes a beer and a fag.

Thanks to her rather indulged upbringing, she is incredibly sociable and self-confident - qualities that don't come naturally to Kate."

Others more sympathetic to Miss Middleton's cause, suggest the reality is that Chelsy has been just as keen to turn a royal relationship to her advantage.

She may protest about the attention, but she has not raised objections about her new status as international cover girl.

Last year, the society magazine, Tatler, even bracketed her with the Duchess of Cornwall as one of the most powerful blondes in Britain.

Her brother Shaun, meanwhile, has taken to styling himself as one of Harry's official bodyguards, and has been known to chase after photographers when they try to take the prince's picture.

Yet, in Harry's besotted eyes, Chelsy and her family can do no wrong.

Courtiers who have expressed concern about the Davys' controversial business links to Zimbabwean despot Robert Mugabe, have been told that she is a "non-negotiable" part of his life.

And he is undoubtedly entranced by the relative normality of his girlfriend's close-knit family.

Which is perhaps hardly surprising. By the age of 13, Harry had weathered not only his parents' separation but had also been forced to cope with the tragic - and endlessly raked-over -death of his mother.

Since then, his upbringing has been marked by a lack of parental discipline, thanks to his loving but laissez-faire father.

Even those with reservations about Chelsy concede that she has had a positive effect on the headstrong, devil-may-care young prince.

"It's far from a coincidence that when Harry does slip up - the times when he falls out of nightclubs drunk and brawls with photographers in the streets - Chelsy isn't around," says one who knows them both well.

"Believe it or not, he has matured in recent years - in large part thanks to Chelsy, whom he is incredibly protective of - and really does try to keep his head down.

"They are so besotted with each other - like a couple of lovebirds, really - that when they are together, nothing else really matters.

"Their body language is so different from that of Kate and William, who always used to look more like brother and sister.

"The trouble is that when Chelsy isn't around, Harry is easily led astray."

On their recent jaunt to the Caribbean, the couple barely left their luxury condo in the exclusive Glitter Bay resort in Barbados, preferring to lie, holding hands, by the pool.

And at last Friday's raucous Blues and Royals party to celebrate Harry's deployment to Iraq, it was William who stayed out clubbing until 4am with a bevy of beautiful girls.

Harry and Chelsy quietly sipped cocktails in a private booth before slipping off discreetly at 1am.

Lately, friends have noticed that the relationship seems to be deepening - although that is not to say there haven't been some pretty intense spats.

Unlike William, who was accused of leaving Kate to flounder under the weight of expectation while he forged on with his own life, Harry has been actively encouraging Chelsy to make solid plans for their future.

Bristol University has flatly denied rumours she plans to do a postgraduate degree there in the autumn, but friends say she is definitely planning to spend more time in England, where she has many friends from her days as a boarder at Stowe, a co-educational public school in Buckinghamshire.

She has even cancelled her plans to return to Africa over the summer and will instead wait for Harry to return from Iraq on leave.

"Chelsy hates the weather here, but is desperate to be nearer to her darling Haz. She is willing to make sacrifices if it takes their relationship a step forward," says a friend.

And Harry has already asked Chelsy to attend the memorial concert in July that he and William are organising to mark the tenth anniversary of their mother's death, though they are still discussing whether she should attend the formal church service later that month.

A Clarence House source says: "The problem is that every senior member of the Royal Family will be there, and Harry knows that taking her is tantamount to making a public statement on the future of their relationship.

"He doesn't think that it's fair on her to open the floodgates just yet."

In the immediate future, he knows that he needs to concentrate on leading his men in Iraq.

The highly charged public debate over his deployment to the Gulf has radically increased the pressure on him to make a success of his career - and he wants to show that the Army's confidence in him has not been misplaced.

"After what happened to my mother, I'm not afraid to die - but I am frightened for those around me," he recently confided to one close friend.

Although he did once petulantly threaten to quit if he were not sent to Iraq with his troops, his attitude has changed in the last few months.

"He knows that the situation is bigger than him now, and he'll take whatever he is told to do on the chin," says a royal aide.

Indeed, those who know him well say he is haunted by the fear that one of his men could be captured or even killed because of him.

"That's something he just couldn't bear, and he knows he would be held to account for the rest of his life.

"The men in his troop have tried to reassure him - joking that they will all wear ginger wigs to confuse the enemy, which is typical of Army gallows humour - but he is wracked with guilt," says another friend.

Iraq, however, is also Harry's big opportunity to strike out from under his elder brother's shadow.

For the first time in his life, the spare to William's heir will be taking centre stage.

"Harry loves his brother very much, but he is acutely aware of the way in which he is overshadowed by William.

"He is determined to go to war and make his family proud," says a friend.

But unlike William, he will have a long-term sweetheart to sweep into his arms when he returns.

#duke of sussex #prince harry #chelsy davy #article

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seydaneencensusoffice · 3 years

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Prince Borggaeir (son of High King Janse of Skyrim) meets Ruluril, a Falmer and future Lord Sorcerer of Skyrim. Windhelm, circa 1E 390.

In the courtyard of the western wing of the Windhelm Palace was a rowan tree, tall and bushy, which was wreathed in clusters of tiny white flowers in spring and bursting with blushing red berries in autumn. The old tree had plenty of company. The palace was always bustling; servants in the household of Prince Borggaeir and Princess Saga, the two small children of High King Janse, used the courtyard as a thoroughfare between the kitchens and the royal quarters. They sneaked handfuls of rowan berries to eat on their busy days, cramming them into pockets stained red with juice. In the summer, precious and fleeting in that far-northern city, the palace gardeners rested under the shade of the rowan tree and ate roasted sunflower seeds, then tossed the shells to the squirrels and birds that made their homes in its boughs and raised offspring on its bounty year after year.

That year, a pair of robins were nesting in a hollow partway up that majestic trunk. Borggaeir, the young prince Skyrim, had become something of a birdwatcher. In the winter, he took to sitting on the wooden bench in the courtyard to observe as the little brown-and-orange birds carried moss, grass, and leaves into the hollow to build their nest. One day, he had even seen the female of the pair arrive triumphantly with a scrap of blue silk torn from a cloak clasped in her beak. Spring came, and the robins took turns to forage for seeds and worms to bring back to the nest for the chicks that had hatched inside. Borggaeir smuggled handfuls of nuts from the kitchens and scattered them over the icy ground, then retreated to the bench to watch his robins hop over and snatch them up.

The dreamy, curious child would rather study the birds in the rowan tree than the volumes of Nordic poetry, history, and war theory he had to study as a prince of the empire. While his sister Saga was a diligent student, sharp and witty and the apple of their father’s eye, Borggaeir had a habit of hiding in the courtyard when it was time for lessons. The royal tutor often found his young student sitting under the rowan tree, wrapped up in a fur-lined cloak, with his pale blonde hair braided neatly and tied back with a blue ribbon and his cheeks flushed rosy in the cold.

Sometimes, another child hid in the courtyard, watching Borggaeir as the little prince watched the birds. One spring morning, when the servants in the royal household were tidying up after breakfast, he crouched behind the gooseberry bushes and winter roses, hoping that Aunt Yue wouldn’t notice his absence. He wore a standard issue servant’s grey woollen tunic and moccasins that were too big for his feet. Peeking out of the hood of his cloak was a wan little face, with grey almond-shaped eyes and skin white as the snow that was melting on the ground. As he watched Borggaeir play, the servant boy rubbed his icy cold hands together to generate warmth, envying the fine leather gloves clipped to the sleeve of the prince’s cloak.

But all was not well under the rowan tree. The robin fledgelings had begun to venture out of the hollow and test their downy wings. That day, Borggaeir had found one of them lying cold and dead in the snow, its neck broken.

The pampered little prince had not seen much of death. He understood it in the simplest terms, as a goodbye that was never remedied, a promise broken — like the bloodless hands of his mother, which had stroked his face the night before, but now lay folded and still across a chest that no longer rose and fell with the rhythm of breathing. His eyes began to prickle with hot indignant tears as he prodded the bird’s pitiful body with a stick, scolding it. How could it die? How could it leave its mother? Didn’t it want to learn to fly; didn’t it want to eat the walnuts he scattered on the ground?

Nearby, in the gooseberry bushes, the servant boy watched quietly, pitying the little prince who was so innocent that he would shed tears over the death of a bird. The prince had never seen villages go up in flames, bodies of friends and family burned beyond recognition, men slaughtered, women and children captured to be sold into servitude; such horrors were beyond his imagination. All that he wanted was for a baby bird to open its eyes and ruffle its feathers, as if waking from sleep.

With thin fingers reddened by the cold, he parted the branches and peeked out between the leaves. All it took was clear intent and a rush of magicka flowing through his body toward the motionless body on the ground and the robin chick began to stir. Spreading its weak fledgling wings, the bird pushed itself up onto its spindly legs and began to peep.

The prince gasped and leapt to his feet in shock, dropping the stick. How could such a thing happen? He looked around wildly, heart racing, and realised at last that he was not alone: A little ghostlike face stared out from the gooseberry bushes.

“What did you do?” he demanded. He was no more than five or six years old, but already spoke with the imperious tone unique to royalty.

The servant’s hood slipped back, revealing black hair tied into a neat bun and long, pointed ears. Like Aunt Yue, the housekeeper of the prince and princess’ household, he was a Falmer.

“I woke it up for Your Highness,” he said softly, averting his eyes.

“You’re strange.”

The Falmer’s eyelashes trembled against his frosty cheeks. Worrying his lower lip with his teeth, Borggaeir crouched down again and held out his hand. The chick hopped onto his palm and he cupped it gently, unnerved by the coldness of its body and the way it cocked its head, more like a ball-jointed doll than a real bird. Still, he was pleased; now it could go back to its nest, and it wouldn’t have to be separated from its parents. A smile lit up his sweet childish face.

“How did you —”

“Ruluril! Prince Borggaeir!”

Both children startled at the voice of Aunt Yue, who was shouting as she stormed across the courtyard in heavy boots. The little Falmer, Ruluril, disappeared into the gooseberry bushes with a panicked squeak, only to be dragged out unceremoniously by the sleeve of his tunic. Aunt Yue, a tall and wiry woman enveloped in a blue brocade cloak, seized Borggaeir with her other hand and began to march the two boys inside.

“Both of you! Into the kitchen — NOW!”

As he trembled in her firm grip, Ruluril’s pale lips moved in a silent incantation. The robin chick went still and collapsed into the snow. A cool spring breeze picked up across the courtyard, stirring the new green shoots on the branches of the rowan tree.

#they'll grow up to be the main antagonists fighting against the chimer and dwemer in the war of independence #a chapter from my current project...

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yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy · 4 years

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My Knight, My Savior, My Herald

Alright, so @waiting4inspiration NEEDED this. Some sweet Herald Finehair to the rescue. Is it incredibly indulgant? Yes. Is it romantic? Yes. I wanted this to be nice and sweet and most of all, COMFORTING but not intrusive. If she wants a part two, I can include sexy times if she wants them. But this first part is just soft and sweet yet casually intimate. I tried to leave this vague as far as the food and presents go (which is incredibly hard for me) and tried to leave things as ‘your favorite’ so you can impose what you like into it. The only thing I specified was a fruit tart and chocolate covered strawberries. Sorry it took so long, I spent an equal amount of time writing it as I did scouring pintrist for THE PERFECT PICTURES. Only the best for you Dearest.

You walked out, to be met by the sight of Harald waiting by his car with flowers and a smile on his handsome face.

“What are you doing here?” You asked.

“Here as your knight in shining armor on my valiant steed here to take you to my tower of solace.” He answered in an over dramatic way that had you snickering a laugh as he handed you the flowers before hugging you tight and his hug felt like coming to a warm and loving home. There was warmth, comfort, love, care and happiness here. Where you felt welcome and at peace and he let you hold him for as long as you needed.

“Are you going to be alright y/n?” He asked, his words muffled by your clothes and hair since his face was buried into the crux of your shoulder.

“Now I am.” You answered, confident that now you were together again, you would be.

“Come on, I got a surprise for you.” He revealed when you pulled apart.

He opened the passenger door for you as you slid into the leather interiors. The car was clean and fresh but you smelled food, like groceries- kind of food before you turned around to see paper bags full of groceries in the back seat as Harald went around the car and got in himself.

“So is the surprise dinner?” You asked as you gestured to the back seat as he started the car.

“Part of it.” He grinned as he looked back over to you. There was a mischievousness to the curve of that smirk. Normally it would give you just a touch of fear. But over time you’ve learned to trust it because there was never any maliciousness or any harm, intended or unintended with that. He was a hopeless romantic and he believed in big romantic gestures and being spontaneous. And now was one of those times.

He reached down and took your hand before he kissed the back of it sweetly before he focused on driving.

He drove for what felt like at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half. He let you listen to whatever your heart desired music wise as the city turned into suburbs then to the country side, the roads getting narrower and narrower until it was just a back country road and the houses became fewer and fewer as lush fields turned into heavy forests.

The scents of late summer and early autumn were rich and heavy into the air as the air got cooler and cooler before he leaned forward, looking for something in particular.

“10105, 10110, 10115, 10120, ha, here we are- 10125.” He beamed as he pulled into the driveway, it was a long, winding gravel one through the trees where you saw squirrels and a bunny or two go for cover as you drove through and then a clearing….

Low and behold, the proverbial and exemplar cabin in the woods. But with a twist. There were solar panels on the roof, interrupted by skylights for the place, there was a lovely wrap around porch and a little garden on the side. It was so beautiful you wanted to cry.

“Do you like it?” Harald asked hopefully.

“I love it.” You professed.

“Good, I’m happy you love it. New home away from home for a while.” He revealed as he drove all the way up to the house and under the car park where you could see the back of the house where there was a hot tub on the back porch. Oooh, you were going to have fun in that later.

You got out of the car and tried to help bring in groceries at least.

“Oh no you don’t, I got this, the code for the door is your birthday, go check it out, I got this.” He urged you.

Before you turned and went to the code thing for the door and punched in your birthday, thinking it was really cool that he would set it to that before the door opened and revealed an exquisite interior. A gorgeous new kitchen and cozy if not slightly lavish and luxurious interiors but not so much so that you felt uncomfortable or that you couldn’t breathe for fear of messing it up as you simply let your heart lead you. You found the most cozy and inviting reading nook. Oh the stories you could read. Hell, the stories you could write from there. But this was about you filling your own cup before you could pour and give to anyone else.

Your hand felt along the plush throw blankets over the back of the couch as you walked past, the fireplace was begging for a fire and the large tv was also inviting you to watch it but, not now, maybe later. You followed your eyes up the sturdy stairs to the upstairs, a lavish upper bathroom with a tub of dreams, oh the baths you could enjoy. It was big enough for at least two people. Bathbomb needed.

And the bed. Oh God. Heaven help you. A king size bed, with a down comforter and super soft sateen sheets with all these pillows and you just rather unceremoniously flopped onto the bed face first.

It had some memory foam in some of the layers because you bounced a little before you just sunk in as your body laxed before you rolled over to your back. The bed smelled amazing, fresh and clean and looking up, oh, the biggest sky light ever right above the bed. Combined with the giant windows, you didn’t lack any natural light. You felt...at peace, free and comfortable. Like the rest of the world and all your problems were a million miles away and they could stay that way.

It wasn’t until you heard Harald doing something in the kitchen, a clank of pots and pans which brought your attention away from the bedroom of dreams to get back downstairs to see Harald surrounded by his ingredients and a few already on a cutting board, having already been sliced and chopped to the perfect sizes.

“Hey, so? How do you like the place?” He asked hopefully as he swirled some oil in the pan around.

“I love it, how did you find it?” You asked.

“Airbnb is amazing. It was close yet far enough for you to feel like you’re getting away without actually going too far away. And we still have all the comforts of home plus some. Did you see your present?” He asked.

“Wha...what present?” You frowned. “I thought this was the present.” You looked around.

“Well I mean yeah, but hang on, let me get this in the pan.” He urged you as he threw the diced items into the pan to hear them sizzle as the scents became enhanced from the heat before he turned the heat down so it wouldn’t burn and put a lid on it before he brought you back to the livingroom where a giant present was sitting on the couch with your name on it and you were so focused on the soft throw, you totally missed the present as you gasped in surprise and smiled so brightly.

“Yay! There’s a real smile.” He cheered before he kissed you sweetly.

“Open it,” he urged you before you sat next to it on the couch.

You ripped that wrapping paper to shreds trying to get inside and you squealed with joy. It was a pampering gift! Oh you had a couple of face masks, you had a body scrub, you had a trio of bath bombs, you had fancy lotions and little bottles of shampoo and conditioner and body wash and even a little thing of bath oil and a little moisturizer and face cleanser. And if that wasn’t enough, oh no, you had a new pair of super soft pajamas, with a new comfy robe and slippers too! The man knew you and knew exactly how to make you feel like a princess, if not a queen.

You were beyond happy.

“Thank you so much!” You thanked him as you threw your arms around him and hugged him tight.

“You’re welcome, y/n.” He chuckled as he hugged you tight.

“I gotta go finish cooking.” He said as he let go to return to the kitchen to finish preparing your dinner before he put what he needed to into a deep cooking dish and slipped it into the oven to bake for a while.

“So, we have a little time before dinner is ready, what did you want to do? You could start enjoying your gifts or there’s a trail in the back, we could walk it and see where it takes us.” He hinted as he nodded over his shoulder were you could see a trail as plain as day.

“I’m feeling a little adventurous.” You admitted before you took his hand and he led you to the back yard as you took the trail together since it was wide enough for that. You were so enchanted by the forest, it was rich and dense yet not so dense you could peer deeply into it. You could hear the birds sing their delightful songs and the breeze rustling the branches before they caressed your skin, keeping you cool and comfortable since the humidity was way down today. You just felt so at peace, just walking side by side with Harald before the trail brought you to another house, this one bigger with a barn with horses in the yard.

“Ok, time to turn back.” You urged him as you tugged him back towards the cabin.

“No it’s ok, these are the owners of the cabin, they have horses and the option to ride them was part of the deal. We’ve come this far, want to go a little farther? They have horse trails all over the woods, all you have to do is get on. The horses are very tame and sweet.” He invited.

“Really?” You asked as you stopped tugging before the horses seemed to notice you and neigh at you.

“Hey guys!” A woman greeted as she waived at you from her chicken’s yard since she was feeding them her trimmings from dinner before she came out and walked on over.

“I’m Ashley, the owner and operator of this ranch and the cabins, I take it you’re Harald Finehair, we talked on the phone, and you’re y/n.” She assumed judging by the trail that dumped out as you noticed others lead out from the farm. She must have had other cabins at the ends of those trails.

“Thinking about going for a ride?” She asked hopefully as Harald looked to you for that answer.

“Well we don’t want to trouble you.” You tried to dissuade them.

“Oh no trouble at all, these cheeky beggars need an excuse to get out.” She reassured you as the horses came closer to investigate. They did look really nice.

“Ok,” you caved before Harald and the owner walked towards the barn.

“How much experience do you have with riding horses? Harald already told me he has quite a bit of experience.” She inquired.

“Uh, some.” You answered before you told her of your experience.

“Well then I’ll put you on Casper, he sounds like he would be a good fit with you. Harald, I’m putting you on Duke.” She said before she walked you into the barn before she grabbed two haltars and two lead ropes and walked out into the main paddock where other horses were there, eating hay and drinking from the trough before she approached two particular horses and put the bridals on them and then the lead ropes before she led them back over to the gate and with Harald manning the gate, she got out and tied them to a post outside of two of the stalls. “Y/n, meet Casper, Harald, meet Duke.” She introduced before she went through the few kinds of saddles she had and what you preferred before Harald took a brush from a bucket and handed you one brush while he took the other as you brushed them down, the horses quite liking this part as Casper rubbed his face into your front.

“Oof, I like you too.” You chuckled as you brushed him down and just as you got done, Harald took your brush and handed you a hoof pick so you could clean out your horses hooves which you did. Casper was super good and picked up his feet for you as Harald did the same with Duke who was sniffing at Harald’s back pockets to see if he had any carrots or treats or anything in them.

“Hey, cheeky beggar, they don’t have treats.” Ashley got after Duke when she came back with Harald’s saddle and set it on the bar that rotated out from the wall next to the stall before she left again to get your saddle.

Harald was a natural around horses as he placed the saddle pad right where it needed to be just as Ashely came back and put your saddle and saddle pad on the rotating arm next to the stall and Harald had saddled his horse in no time before he came over to walk you through it again and no sooner had he cinched it that Taylor came back with the bridals.

This part you could do yourself so Harald could do his own before you led the horses out of the barn to a small stool to make mounting them easier.

“So how long do you want to ride for?” She asked.

“Uh, dinner should be done in about an hour so like half an hour or so?,” Harald answered.

“Well then you should take the Lake trail, and when you get to the fork, turn left, if you turn right, it’ll take you about two hours to get back and that’s too long.” She urged you.

“So at the fork turn left.” Harald repeated.

“Yup, you can’t miss it.” She insisted before she pointed you in the right direction.

Once on the trail, Harald took the lead and just let you walk, following him through the forest as your body adjusted to the rhythm of the horse walking at a comfortable pace. Grateful you weren’t getting chowed by mosquitoes or really any other kind of bug. You were just having a wonderful, romantic, charming ride in the woods. With Harald. The one person who knew you, knew all of you and loved you unconditionally, and not in spite of your flaws, but because of them. Who accepted you wholeheartedly, who would never betray you or your trust or confidence. You didn’t have to be strong or tough unless you wanted to be. You could be vulnerable and when you felt like you were about to collapse, he was there to fall into and carry you when you felt like you couldn’t go on much longer and you didn’t have to turn yourself into something you thought he would love, nope, as long as you were all of yourself, that’s all he wanted. You. And you had learned that if you just let him and give him the chance to try, he would take care of you in every way. And you needed this now more than ever and you appreciated having him in your life.

Sure enough you found a fork in the trail and turned left before the forest opened up to reveal a gorgeous private lake where there was already another couple in a row boat having a romantic afternoon themselves while two more horses were tied to the horse equivalent of a runner line for dogs, but for horses as the horses themselves were happily munching on the grass.

“Tomorrow?” Harald asked as he turned around and looked at you hopefully.

“Tomorrow.” You mirrored. A day on the lake sounded lovely actually.

The trail continued to wind and twist through the forest before it came back to an open field.

“Wanna run?” Herald asked.

Your answer was to click your teeth and gently tap your heels to Casper’s side and Casper got the hint that you wanted to go faster which he was all too happy to oblige you as you hung on and galaoped through the field with Harald, both of you laughing as Duke was not about to be surpassed and gave Casper a run for his money.

“And it’s a tie.” Harald laughed once you reached the end of the long field before you found another trail that would lead you back to the farm before you rode the horses back over to the barn and got off and led them back into the barn where they got their tack taken off before you brushed them again and cleaned their hooves before they were let back into the corral with the others before Harald took your hand and led you back to your private cabin.

The timing had been perfect, dinner was done, cooked perfectly and Harald opened up your drink of choice and poured it into the appropriate glass before serving you dinner. All the flavors were perfect, rich and divine and your portion was generous, filling you comfortably full but not overstuffed.

“There’s going to be a storm later tonight.” He mentioned as he ate his own dinner and checked the weather on his phone.

You slept really well through thunderstorms. That would be awesome.

After dinner and an array of desserts, from a your favorite cake, to a fruit tarte and chocolate covered strawberries, you coaxed him into the bathtub with you as you put in your most promising bath bomb as he settled in behind you in the hot waters and held you as you watched it melt and fizz, the heavenly aroma filling the bathroom as Haralds hands lovingly stroked your body, not in a sexual way perse but definitely in a comfortable intimacy way. LIke you were a priceless pearl or gem he was enjoying running his fingers over every facet and appreciating each one and how it made the jem itself shine and you couldn’t help but smile. So many little things that were his way of saying ‘I love you’ without saying a word.

You stayed in the tub till the water got luke warm and your fingers were pruney, you heard the first splatter of rain on the roof and by the time you had drained the tub and gotten dressed in your new pajamas, the storm had settled in. A few cracks of thunder and lightning and the down pour was splattering on the roof and relaxing you further as Harald dressed in a matching pajama set and a robe and slippers that were the masculine compliment to yours before you went back downstairs to start that fire in the living room as you sat on the couch and finally got that soft throw blanket to go over you and him as the fire roared to life, the sounds of the rain hitting the roof, the rumble of thunder that you could almost feel in your chest, the occasional flash of lighting, the heavy rains pounding the roof and the soft loving comfort of Harald’s arms as you cuddled together, watching the fire.

Soon enough you were practically falling asleep.

“Come on, you’ve had a big day, into bed with you.” He gently urged you as you sluggishly got off the couch and happily took his hand as he led you upstairs, helped you shed off your robe and slip into bed, the cool sheets were welcoming and looking up through the skylight, you could almost see the splattering of rain when the lightning crashed before Harald had you snuggle into his side.

And in no time, you drifted off the sleep, in your savior’s arms. Warm and perfectly comfortable.

#Modern Vikings au #harald finehair x reader #harald finehair imagine #something relatively short #but super sweet #comfort #no more hurt #just comfort damn it #Vikings #History Vikings #@waiting4inspiration #this is all for you Darling #because I love you #I got you #And this is as close to a hug as I can give you #So let your imagination do the hugging.#You're gonna be ok. You don't have to thrive #just survive #that's all you gotta do.

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thelostandforgottenangel · 4 years

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Hide and Seek

Okay so earlier the other day while talking to @blossom-skies I was telling her how when my internet went down *AGAIN* I was playing hide and seek with my little ninja princess – we played sarcastic Hide-and-seek for three hours straight and while talking about this she mentioned how cute it would be as a fanfic

With Leonardo and Donnie… Later we agreed Mikey would be great dad for this too but it seemed so unfair to leave Raph out because I see him as a great daddy to his baby

That was it I wrote this because my heart couldn’t stand not to see them with their little ones playing a game while they are trying to do something important

@bloody-dark-shells03 @betelgeusessonajblog @lonelyheart-clubband @fyreball66 @nikitaboeve @darksaphire2002 @aurora-the-kunoichi @autumn-the-punk @midnightrebel669 @queendice98 @mistyroselove @angelicdavinci @raphtherebel @raphie-chan1 @luvroffictionalcharacters @waterstar2016 @bluesakurablossom @neattea-tmnt @midnight-chocolate-turtle @ravenousmonstrosity @ravn-87 @ellieandtheguys @tmntswagger @numberonecosmicgirl

Leo

As the leader Leonardo has so many responsibilities already on his shoulders between being the head of his team, the older brother, eldest son, the one who had taken the torch and was now in charge of all his brothers training after his father decided it was time for him to take a step back on top of having a 4 year old and twins on the way his plate was full and overflowing

But somehow even with all of that he still was one of the best father’s anyone had ever seen putting his baby above almost everything much like he did his beauty

Their son had been planned much like almost everything in their lives Leo being a perfectionist he had planned the time to get her pregnant so the baby would be born in the summer, had read all the stuff he could to insure conception, the number of times he had her in the bedroom in one day she was sure to be carrying after that first night but he had committed to giving it all to her for one whole week what he hadn’t planned was the fact that his child would be so stubborn; they had no idea what they were having and then the baby not wanting to come on time, coming over a month late but when the baby finally decided he wanted out he broke his mommy’s water while the whole family was in the middle of a movie night marathon

Leo was at her side the whole six hours and was so proud hearing they had a son, letting tears escape when his little boy was placed in his arms. Shadow was the spitting image of his father leaf green skin and blue eyes only added to the pride he felt in the room welcoming their little one to the world

The twins on the other hand – yeah they were far from planned one crazy passionate night after a successful mission during mating season, a few celebratory drinks and Leo had took her right there in the living room when they were alone both passing out on the couch, never expecting two months later wake up after a long night to see a little stick with a plus sign on his side table with a tiny note but once he processed what he was looking at he was down the stairs and in the kitchen where everyone was eating grabbing her up from in front of the stove yelling the news as he kissed and spun his girl around

But that reaction was nothing compared to hearing they were expecting two new additions so much more loving with her this time around hoping for at least a little girl

He had been unaware his lovely goddess had left for a while to go out with April and her girlfriend’s for lunch, and self care afternoon, and some shopping for baby stuff since he hadn’t really let her go anywhere in months worried for her safety, having thought she was in their room with the baby napping he had gone to do his daily meditation while they rested knowing how drained she had been.

It wasn’t until Shadow stumbled out dragging his little foam sword over to his daddy that he realized it was just them. He had been in the middle of his two hour long session and had hoped he would get to finish but the tiny child playing in his lap was a distraction, the thwack of the foam on his chest plate had him chuckling before the little boy was pulling on the tails of his mask

Asking nicely he tried to get his son to go play for a bit in the room while he finished up but he didn’t move actually standing in front of Leo holding his face in those tiny hands asking repeatedly for Daddy to play a game with him giving the cute face the leader had yet to learn to refuse

Finally thinking it could go in his favor the leader agreed to play their favorite game closing his eyes counting as he tried to meditate listening as the little one scurried across the floor losing track of his steps as he stopped immediately peeking out to see the his little ninja was hiding behind the couch his butt in the open with the tiny tail wiggling in excitement sighing with a grin

“Couch-”

“NO DADDY!”

Repeatedly he counted and waited for the boy to find his hiding spot then called out the hiding place all without opening his eyes being ordered to count again afterwards going at the same game until a huffy little face was in front of his pouting telling him he couldn’t guess making the leader chuckle as he got a long drawn out gibberish lecture on he couldn’t guess

It was cute when his little man acted like him smiling with pride as he gave finally covering his eyes counting one last time before hopping up off his elevated seat chuckling when he saw his little warrior laid on the couch covered by his blankie scratching his head as he walked around just talking to himself

He looked everywhere stating several times he was just too good of a hider praising his child highly for being a better ninja then him before slumping down on the floor his shell to the couch so Shadow could sneak up on him gasping in shock when he felt the little boy climbing onto his shell yelling happily he had won

They continued to play like that until finally he asked his daddy to hide. Leo was a little too good at the hiding able to get high up above the baby’s eye of sight but it was fun to sneak around until he dropped down from the roof silently right behind him grabbing up his son laughing as he tosses him up over his head catching the giggling child never realizing his lady was watching him from the doorway “You found Daddy! Look at my little ninja making daddy look like an amateur”

If anyone asks he will tell them Shadow won every round like the proud daddy he is and not wanting the game to end they played until he had to go out for patrol when it was time for the baby’s bedtime

Donnie

Working all the time makes him a little less aware of his surroundings or can sometimes be a little negligent about his love by accident

Now that don’t mean that from the second he met the love of his life he wasn’t hers completely, that he did small things to remind the woman that even if he wasn’t paying attention sometimes he loves his girl more then anything.

That he had proposed after knowing her for three months because he knew she was the one

I mean it’s not like the second she told him she was carrying his baby he put everything on hold because his world was carrying HIS child and he gushed for days always kissing at the little belly already there, or the fact that he had made a machine to monitor what he found to be two very healthy embryos, going out of his way spoiling his queen with getting anything she could ever need and want, made her feel beautiful when at five months pregnant she was way bigger then expected and couldn’t get around too good, or the last month of his loves pregnancy that he didn’t really leave her side rubbing her belly and massaging her swollen feet… and lets not forget those first two months of the twin’s life he really didn’t work because he was too busy adoring the beautiful little angel’s he had somehow created with the light of his life

Donatello is a wonderful father and can be very dedicated to his family but he’s still the genius we all know and turning his brain off can be difficult when he has an idea, but after they were born Donnie could be found all the time working with his two little princesses in his lap or in the double bouncer he made to have them on his desk to give his girl a break to pamper herself while letting them help him

Now he had learned not to let them in the lab after they started crawling fearing they could get hurt he had put up a baby gate had found a play pen for when they did got to be in there but it was quick to see if they wanted daddy they could climb both easy with the other’s help just to be in his arms and with his wife expecting baby number three the twins could easily outrun her on a good day

So today when his Queen had gone out for groceries and they had finished cartoons they had gotten away from Uncle Raphie who had passed out on the couch found the cookies they had promised Uncle Mikey they wouldn’t tell anyone about eating the whole box before both had scaled the gate sneaking up on him while he had been fixing his computer, both climbing into his lap one pulling on his mask while the other had nuzzled up to him “Dada is working sweeties” he made the mistake of looking down seeing both starring at him with the bambi eyes pleading for him to play with them

He couldn’t say no but needed to get done before Leo needed him to do anything so he started counting still working on his computer, he went to ten then looked up his eyes immediately falling on the overturned basket with tiny giggles coming from right under reaching one leg over and tapping the top, again he went to ten but with each game he changed the language getting a pat on his leg telling him to count right before seeing two displeased faces

This went on for a while until he stopped counting focused on a few wires until his youngest climbed up his legs pulling his glasses off and running as fast as she could when he reached for her “Hey I need those you little troublemaker!” both giggled wildly when he blindly followed seeing one tiny blur run out of the door her sister having knocked the gate over

Without his glasses he was completely blind and had to count his steps to make it easily around calling out to them hearing giggles from two directions laughing as he almost tripped holding his hands out

This was something they could do but shockingly both were together throwing their voices in a way nobody had taught them making it harder on him until he saw a little blur shoot across the floor getting down feeling his way knowing what would come next and as expected the girl’s sprung jumping on him making him fall to the floor in defeat hearing the joyous giggles as they climbed over his shell “Oh no you got me! Dada is down!”

The cute chants that they had won were followed by tons of sticky kisses and his queen’s laughter at seeing him on the floor. His glasses were back on his face before his little princesses took off running as he counted again getting up and placing his glasses on the table preferring the game better when he couldn’t see anything

His work long forgotten for now he called out to the girls looking everywhere until he got tackled again playing until he collapsed on the massive beanbag holding the twins laughing

He was found later in the den watching their cartoons by his family fast asleep holding them against him all out cold snuggled together

Mikey

As the baby of the family it was a shock when at eighteen he had told his family him and his girlfriend were expecting a baby and there were doubts at the beginning; Michelangelo was still a kid when they had found out and he wasn’t ready for a big responsibility like what would come with a baby but when he stepped up and asked her to marry him after they had found a abnormality with the infant his brother’s started to see why their father hadn’t been too worried, seeing the usually immature turtle being so serious took all of them by surprise.

They were married two moths later and a few months after that he had called them frantic because while they were wrestling on the couch her water had burst barely having time to get her to the needle room before the baby was crowning

She was three months too early he had to be prepared that she wouldn’t survive but as he stood by his wife’s side he never lost faith that the baby would pull through breaking down in tears when he heard that small cry as the little girl took her first breath wailing as she was cleaned up never stopping even as her mother held her but the moment that tiny baby was placed in his arms she stopped looking right up at him so calm so suddenly

She didn’t look abnormal; in fact she was perfect to him cooing as he cried kissing her tiny face

After a moment it sunk in just how perfect she was; her light green skin that was just a few shades lighter then his own was his new favorite color but around one eye she had a birthmark that was a healthy peach color in the shape of a heart making her just as unique as the heart on his plastron, as he unwrapped her he could see a little bit more peach in smaller heart shapes on her shoulder, her bright baby blues opened only minutes after birth and a smile that put his to shame when she looked up at her father so small the little girl practically fit in his hand but she was a fighter

Mikey seemed to grow up fast right there or as much as he could being the jokester he was when it came to her, while his babycakes recovered from the delivery he had done everything for his princess caring for her finding she was calmest in his arms forming a bond none of them could possibly understand

Over the last few years she excelled getting to all of her milestones before any child should but to her daddy she was his little miracle that brightened his days making him the proudest daddy in the universe

Today Mikey was in his Call of Duty game smack talking his friends before hearing his little princess calling him making him almost jump out of his shell looking over fast to find his little girl standing next to him huffing as he tried to get his heart to stop jumping out of his chest

Something he had still not gotten use to since the first day she had done it right after she started crawling was his baby was one of the best ninja’s he had ever met – she was so quiet that she could sneak up on her Uncle Leo and Grandpa still as energetic but when she wanted something she was able to switch on her stealth mode just to get it

When she really, really wanted something she went to daddy because she got her way with him

He looked over hearing her sweet voice calling to him softly she was giving him that cute big doe eyed baby face that melted him every time as her mother caught up to her carrying their nine month old daughter on her hip holding her belly out of breath both were hoping for a boy this time looking drained from trying to get her to get dressed well aware the sweet little girl was going to get her way with him when he turned off his mic pulling her into his lap nuzzling and kissing his princess until she giggled curling into him “It’s okay I’ll save you from mommy” he grinned when his wife rolled her eyes but gladly sat down resting her feet on his shell

A while later she took his headset off his head looking at it “Hey boys no nastiness my baby girl is on” seeing him speak into the foam piece she started babbling into the speaker getting several heartfelt aww’s from his buddies online before her daddy took out two of them fast both cheering together

His wonderful little distraction was helping him win both into the game together

He knew it was only a matter of time but she finally wasn’t sitting still

He would never say it but now he knew what his brother’s had been dealing with growing up with him although he couldn’t figure out why they had always been annoyed; when she climbed onto his shoulder wiggling herself into the small space between his neck and shell slumping over his dramatically growling his name in her deep voice that made them laugh telling him to play with her it was the cutest thing he had ever seen

Mikey wanting to finish this one round agreed quickly his eyes never leaving the T.V. hitting buttons as he sat her down shielding his vision with one as she took off counting loudly until she disappeared hearing the ruffling of her climbing into the laundry basket beside the couch struggling to throw the small rags over her until Leo walked in with an arm full of towels that had just finished in the dryer trying to help the woman who was close to passing out, the leader trying not to laugh looking at his niece when she reached for them

The tiny squeak as he dropped all of them on top of her had Mikey grinning seeing them moving as she curled into them finally going still calling her daddy to find her

Without missing a beat he glanced over seeing her little snout sticking out scooting closer before tapping her nose lightly “Hey is there room in there for me!?” the rate of speed from which she stood up looking shocked he had found her made the others burst into laughter, demanding him stop cheating and count again she took off fast climbing under Uncle Raphie’s chair hiding behind his legs.

It didn’t matter where she went the joyful giggles were a dead give away his favorite was her trying to hide so she could see him those baby blues always made him want to look at her

After the game ended he dropped the remote leaving the game as fast as possible leaping up over the couch grabbing her as he landed getting excited squeals from the kicking child. He tickled her kissing all over that little face cradling his baby close telling her how beautiful she was until she kicked at him making the turtle sit up pouting at her as she took one his hands at a time covering his eyes making him count

As he got to five he felt a small pressure on his shell as the little girl climbed up on him but didn’t react waiting until he heard the small click as one of his brothers hooked her in with his boards sling getting up hearing her giggle as she held the top of his shell. He walked around looking every where seeing his brothers dying as he searched acting completely oblivious to where she was stunned he couldn’t find the child until she climbed up squealing in excitement for finally hiding from her daddy in a place he couldn’t find

Now once she had calmed down he bounced around yelling it was his turn quickly going to hide by jumping over the couch sticking his head under the pillow waiting for her to get him after she finished her version of counting

Raph

The little pats of tiny feet walking into the weight room drew his attention away from the bar he was holding up having not been able to fall asleep feeling overheated but not wanting to wake up his mate for some fun he had tucked his love in and decided to work out until he was tired

Raphael had just started his third set he was surprised to see his little girl standing there with a sad look in the doorway; her princess pony sleep pants dragging around her tiny feet as she pulled at the shirt that was getting too small for her, that little lip set in a pout tears filling those stunning golden green eyes “Ay there kitten – what’s wrong baby ya ‘ave a nightmare?” seeing her nod he sat the bar back down on the hooks sitting up as she shuffled towards him sniffling, picking her up after hearing her telling him about the scary creature that had been chasing her “C’mere kitten” he kisses her head trying to calm her by rubbing her little shell the way she liked “Ain’t nobody gonna hurt ya ‘m the scariest thing in these tunnels ain’t no half ass loser gonna get ya while ‘m here, want daddy ta kick that monsters ass fer messin with m’ girl” he couldn’t help the smile that took over his face as she nodded fast curling up against him

He never thought for a second he would be right here in his life; sure he had dreamed of a better life but it was just that a dream

He had never thought he could fall for a beautiful woman who had become his best friend in a short time after meeting by accident, he had taken the risk showing her he wasn’t wearing a costume after a few too many drinks, for some reason she had liked him, he hadn’t thought she would love him for who he was green skin shell and all but all night she was at his side and as the night grew later her drunken self becoming more then friendly, one crazy night of uninterrupted passion turned into a few months later hearing her say that she was pregnant

Time stopped right there

Not knowing what to do or how to process the sudden news he had sat down too stunned to speak the fact that she had told him it was obvious she wanted to keep the baby and he didn’t even question it Raphael had took her hand pulling the sobbing woman against his chest holding her tight whispering a promise that they would face it together and from then life had been perfect and took off fast

They were a couple right off the bat driving one another crazy, ridiculous fights that always ended ion them laughing and finding they were a match made in hell, he loved laying on her chest talking to the baby so affectionate when nobody was looking being the teddy bear she teased him for.

He was a committed father before he heard that first heart beat, before he had even seen the sonogram he was wrapped around his baby’s finger. As she reached her final month the massive turtle surprised her one night by pulling the woman into his room covering her eyes until he was ready for her to see. Where all his weights and belongings had once sat he had moved almost everything out placing it in the tiny area she had been given her stuff was in there now along with a nursery he had set up for his little angel on one side having built a crib and gotten her a comfortable chair and made both of them a blanket

Their daughters birth had been a shock a month before her due date that his wife still hadn’t let him live down since it had been his fault, he didn’t think so but hey he couldn’t have been the only man to break their girl’s water during a slightly rough love making session- Maybe…

But since the night that little girl was laid in his arms he was glad he had taken the chance, letting somebody in because she made him believe in miracles, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen next to his girl a mix of both of them his life had been flipped upside down by that sweet face and he hope it never changed. In a few weeks his woman was going to deliver another little girl even though his brother said he couldn’t tell the gender they knew it had to be a girl, or that at some point in his life he deserved the mini him that had started it all that was curling up in his lap clinging to her turtle baby doll

“Tell ya what – how bout ya tell Daddy what will make ya feel better kitten?”

He gave her time to collect herself much like him she wasn’t good in voicing her emotions but hearing her small whisper snapped him out of his thoughts looking at her as she asked if they could play a game pleading with her daddy when he told her she really needed to go to bed

He wanted to finish his work out but seeing those big eyes shinning up at him he gave instantly never really able to tell his baby ‘No’ sitting her down covering his eyes starting to count as he did some curls hearing her giggle as she went and hid under the meditation pillows her feet just visible chuckling as she called him to find her, groaning as he tossed his water bottle making her jump looking so betrayed he hadn’t let her win trying to find a better spot in his weight room but when told to count he started just saying random numbers in a never ending sequence after so long she walked over pouting looking so agitated with him

That look told him he was three seconds from getting kicked in his shin making him straighten up before she was running as he jumped up starting towards the kitchen making her dive out of sight sneaking around the living room while he grabbed one of his protein shakes looking around not seeing her as he walked quietly through the area of their home even for his massive size he was so silent he managed to sneak up behind her when he saw her little tail wiggling as she crouched on all fours behind the couch sitting down smirking as she peaked out looking for him before sitting back looking so confused

He got low looking out over her head when she glanced around again trying not to laugh “Man I don’t know where he went but ya think he’ll find us ‘ere”

The screech she made had him on the floor rolling laughing loudly knowing they might have woken somebody as she jumped on him yelling he cheated before he had her in his arms amused as she tried to hit him but it dissipated quickly as she kissed his cheek covering her eyes trying to count knowing it was his turn to hide

Without thinking of it he quickly pulled into his shell watching his little warrior as she looked up to just see the huge shell hearing her laugh as she crawled forward peeking in looking for him her tiny hand patting his head making him come out never knowing they were being watched as his brother’s came in from patrol sneaking to their rooms without interrupting the game “Oh yer too good kitten… damn ya are so good at this baby I can’t hide from ya- Can daddy try again?”

The game went on until the last time he had walked around not seeing her at all until the turtle found her grinning as his heart melted completely finding her curled up in his recliner with one of the blankets he had knitted snuggled with her doll fast asleep; very carefully he lifted her up patting her shell when she stretched cutely sitting down as she nuzzled into his chest sleeping so soundly, he put his legs up knowing he wasn’t putting her in her bed kissing her little forehead as she snoozed on him

Raph watched over his girl nuzzling her as she whimpered making sure the nightmares didn’t return passing out at some point while brushing his fingers through her little curls being found the next morning by his wife and brothers still lounged back with his baby protectively held close curled up on his chest humming as the woman kissed them after draping a blanket over both to let them sleep a bit longer

#teenage mutant ninja turtles #blossoms idea #daddy turtles #turtles and their babies #tmnt leonardo #tmnt raphael #tmnt donatello #tmnt michelangelo #Raph is having a boy that is daddy's mini me #i was a sucker for this #Yes Mikey has the most kids!#got long sorries #tmnt 2014/2016

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the-omni-princess · 5 years

Text

Frozen Heart [Chapter 8]

Author: @the-omni-princess

Summary: After the war against Hydra, King Bucky comes home to take what has been promised to him since he was young, you. But he is not the same person as the young boy that you grew up with. Can she break through his tough shell and bring back the young man she once fell in love with? Or will she be forced to marry the monster everyone thinks he’s become?

Word Count: 5.2K

Pairing: King!Bucky x Fem!Reader (Royalty Au!)

Warnings: Absolute and utter fluff!, badass!reader, mild language, a self-harm mention (not reader), Nudity but no smut

A/N:

I’m back! With so much fluff you’ll cry!

So, I have legit like four chapters done so if it all goes well I’ll be posting one a day, plus some one-shots I did!

No smut yet, but I got a one-shot smut Im posting tomorrow and then this series getting smutty :D but 18+ only or you’ll be getting blocked

[Series Masterlist] [Masterlist]

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Light flooded the once dark room as Natasha opened the curtains. You groaned, turning to your side and pulling a pillow over your eyes. "Five more minutes!" You cried out, your voice gruff with sleep.

Wanda poked her head out of the bathroom to speak, "Rise and shine! You need a bit of a pick-me-up so here I am, your bath is already drawn, and I'll be washing and braiding your hair."

You took a peek from underneath your pillow that sheltered you from the harsh morning light. "With the oils and perfume Pietro brought over?" You asked in a whisper, still desperate for sleep, but slowly being coaxed out of bed.

Wanda nodded, "One time offer so hurry up!"

"I'm coming!" You conceded, stretching your back, and letting the pillow fall off your face.

Five minutes later you were laying in the bath, Wanda washing your hair, her nails scratching your scalp as she shampooed your strands. You groaned softly, melting into her palms as you sipped on your coffee.

"So, y/n," Natasha, who was sitting beside the tub, doing your nails on your free hand, started to say. "How's the King treating you?"

You sighed softly, "I should have known you two were up to something, this sort of pampering only comes before events or when you're buttering me up," you teased. It had been about three months since you had moved up North with Bucky, and the seasons had shifted to autumn, the mountains already had more snow on top of them, bringing the cold to you. Bucky was swept up in work, busy trying to make sure the kingdom had enough in storage to last the winter. In the morning he would rush to meetings, and in the evenings when he could, he would find you around the castle. You were slowly familiarizing yourself in the halls, the passageways had a lot of wrong turns that could throw someone off, which just reminded you of your garden maze back in the South.

So far Bucky had been spoiling you rotten, and despite the multitude of interruptions, he was trying his hardest to spend time with you. He had managed to sneak himself away to give you a silver constellation necklace on a small golden chain, the constellation his birth was tied to, a necklace that never left your neck. He was still working on the greenhouse, but with his help, you managed to fix up the library, including a new window seat with pillows and fur-lined blankets.

You still remember the day you had found his personal study, the place he mentioned he destroyed during a rampage when he first came back from the War. It was an utter mess, books and maps littered the floor, the desk had splintered, and one wall had a hole in it, left behind most likely by his metal arm punching it. You immediately started to clean up the room, and that's how he found you that night, asleep, curled up against the desk, clutching a map of the Southern and Northern Kingdoms, the room mostly cleaned up. He had picked you up and tried to tuck you into bed, but you only buried yourself deeper into his arms, happy for the extra warmth.

You had also begun to bring warmth to the castle, one that you had heard the maids whispering about once. Naturally grown flowers from the nearby village were found in multiple rooms, scented candles from the lovely old lady two villages down the mountain, even representatives from other nations had mentioned the life seeping into the palace. You even had constellation lights added into your chambers, a fact only a select few people knew, and a new book on Morse code since you found out Bucky and Steve learned it in the War.

You had also frequently checked in with Steve, who sent Scott with you since he only trusted a few personal guards with your life, and Scott already knew the Northern Kingdom since his daughter Cassie lived with her mom and stepdad in the North. Steve was also doing perfectly fine as King, making you prouder than ever, and finally had a date with the Lady in court he had been eyeing.

Yet despite the many attempts you had of making this new home, well homely, something always felt missing. Love. Bucky. Always busy, always tiring himself out, wearing himself out too thin, he put the needs of the people and you above his own. You told as much to Natasha and Wanda, the latter having moved on to conditioning your hair now.

"I love him, gods, I absolutely adore him, but he needs to think of himself every once in a while. He has too many duties, taking on everything at once, and I have a feeling that's why you two are currently pampering me," you looked towards Natasha, who had a smirk on her face.

"You're reading my mind, y/n/n," she teased. "A King needs a Queen, henceforth, we are making you one. He has a meeting with his advisors today about increasing the storage for the grains to survive the winter. We both know you have been working on a plan, a good one, but you're too scared to tell him outright."

Wanda combed out your hair, massaging oils into your scalp as she spoke next. "Show everyone you will be a magnificent queen. Today, you're not going to just look like a queen, you're going to act like one. They won't respect you until you show them you're not some show pony princess from the south."

You smiled faintly, "You two are always scheming behind my back, but it is a good idea. Finally, be heard, be in charge, pull some of the weight of the duties off of Bucky, spend more time with him," you sighed and melted against Wanda's magical hands again. "Let's be a Queen." You whispered softly.

You let the two do their utter best, and by the end of it, you looked absolutely regal. A simple pink lace evening dress, and a tiara made of crystals on your head, you held back a proud smirk when you looked at yourself in the mirror. The tiara was made of rose gold, which caught the light when you moved, just enough to catch people's attention without being flashy. You finished the look with the constellation necklace Bucky had given you, which shone brightly against the pink lace.

You pushed your shoulders back, and held your head up high, deciding to use your best regal look, one you had perfected over the years. You entered the strategy room, all eyes going towards you. Advisors circled the table, maps, and plans along the table, with Bucky at the head of the table. Everyone was standing and considering the red faces of more than one advisor, you had interrupted a rather heated fight. You locked eyes with Bucky, who instantly smiled as he saw you, the cold expression he had when you walked in had melted just at the sight of you.

You took your time walking towards his side of the table, standing towards his left as you would if you were seated on thrones, taking your time to address the table. "Good afternoon, my Love," you happily kissed Bucky's now clean shave cheek. He had decided to go for the haircut and shaved after all, with hair just long enough for you to get your hands through it. You then turned to the advisors, "Good afternoon everyone, I have decided to join you all." You smiled warmly, leaving no room for disagreement, full well knowing you would still get some. Bucky looked at you a bit confused but also in awe, taking in the new order in stride, trusting you fully.

His advisors, however, weren't as welcome. "With all due respect, princess, we are speaking about a matter that does not concern you," a white-haired official spoke up, you recognized as Baron Ross. Despite Bucky's surprise of your presence, he knew Natasha and Scott had been teaching you everything to know about Northern Politics, including all the nobles and advisors in court, and who to be wary of.

"Well, Baron Ross, it does concern me. I may have been born in the Southern Kingdom, but the people of the Northern Kingdom will be my people soon enough. Unless you are saying that feeding said people is a topic that should not concern the leader of the people, I should and will be here." You kept your head held up high, determined not to show the fear in your heart that they wouldn't like you. It doesn't matter what they think, you reminded yourself, Bucky chose you and that's all that matters.

Another representative, one you couldn't see, spoke up. "Then what do you suppose you could do about the problem at hand? What could you possibly know about the situation?"

You bit back the growl growing in the back of your throat, Bucky wasn't as suppressed, you could see him tense, no doubt about to lash out at the man who questioned your ability. You gently placed your hand on top of his metal hand that was gripping the table. He visibly relaxed, as the metal had sensors to fire into his nerves, something you had asked Shuri once, and your very touch soothed him.

"Well, I know you have all been bickering about the food storage for the past month. Quarreling like children will only hinder the people instead of yourselves as we all know the Royal and Noble silos have been full for months. Besides, I've been working on a solution that will help the people that all parties should benefit from." You effectively shut the rest of the table up, and all eyes were on you as you explained your idea. Halfway through, Bucky had intertwined your hands together, letting you take charge of the room with his silent support. By the time they closed for the day, you had a fully functional plan and agreement in place that suited everyone's needs while also helping the kingdom.

You walked hand in hand with Bucky, who was in complete awe of you. "You were absolutely amazing, My Love! You going to be a magnificent Queen, you practically already are one!" He gushed, making you blush.

"Took a little push from my ladies but they were right, it's time I help ease the burden upon your shoulders, My Love," you kissed his cheek playfully, glancing behind you towards the personal guards flanking you, new ones you noticed. "What shall we do with our new free time?"

His face lit up, no doubt a grand idea forming in his head. "Follow me, it's time I introduce you to somebody," he sounded excited, already tugging you outside to where the Royal animals were kept.

He whistled once inside, his grip on your hand faltering as he took a step forward. A flash of pure white bounded towards the two of you, jumping into Bucky and knocking him backward. You yelped as his hand was ripped away from you, but all you could hear was his laughter as he wrestled with the white fur on top of him. It took you a moment to realize it was a pure white wolf attacking Bucky with kisses. He finally managed to sit up, and your heart melted at the sight before you. The juvenile wolf was still nipping at him, kissing his face, and yipping happily as he rubbed her ears and muzzle. A breathless Bucky looked up towards you, the bundle of fur managing to tire herself out, now curled up in his lap, definitely too big to fit there but managing to crush him anyway. "This is Aurora, my wolf, she's still a pup but she's already fiercely loyal, and ball of energy," he cooed at the wolf pup, who just whined and nuzzled into the hand scratching her ear.

You knelt beside the two, noticing how the wolf bared her teeth towards you as you got closer to Bucky. "She's absolutely beautiful," you said softly. Bucky gently took your hand in his own, presenting it to the wolf. She sniffed at you warily before nudging your palm with her muzzle. Bucky led your hand, gently brushing the wolf's fur. She was softer than most of the furs in your bed, and soon she closed her eyes, trusting that Bucky wouldn't let you hurt her. She whined softly, and as Bucky let your hand go, she relaxed against your hand, happily letting you scratch behind her ears. Bucky couldn't help but smile, overjoyed Aurora loved you. You sat beside him, Aurora nudging herself onto your lap to enjoy your affection. You cooed at the wolf, "You're such a good girl, aren't you? Such a good Wolfie, so soft and pretty!" The wolf in question melted against you, practically purring in your arms.

Bucky whistled, and her ears perked, but she stayed contentedly in your arms. "She loves you more than me!" He accused dramatically.

You laughed, shrugging, "I'm just that amazing," you teased, giving Bucky a toothy grin.

He chuckled, standing up, "There's someone else you need to meet," when you looked up, you noticed how nervous he was. He tried whistling again, a different tone, and Aurora slowly got up, still looking towards you with her golden eyes. She curled into a ball beside you but now off of your lap, causing Bucky to groan. "Yep, you're definitely the favorite."

You giggled, running your fingers through her fur as she whimpered happily. "So, who is this new person I need to meet?" You asked happily, grinning up at him.

He smiled bashfully, "Wait here, close your eyes, My Love," he leaned over and kissed your temple just as you closed your eyes. You had your hands on your lap, hearing him shuffling around, and the voice of one of the animal keepers. He came back towards you and placed something small and furry in your arms before taking a step back. "Open your eyes, My Queen," he whispered into your ear, goosebumps raising, and a shiver ran down your spine.

You looked down, gasping softly at the small bundle of grey and black fur, a tiny wolf pup in your arms. You cooed, the pup looking up at you with bright blue eyes, which were just a shade lighter than Bucky's eyes. "Aw! You're the sweetest little thing!" You kept cooing, happily holding the pup close. She whined softly, relaxing into your arms, making you smile warmly at the pup. "What's her name?" You looked up at Bucky who was currently taking a picture of you and the pup, his own heart melting as he saw the bundle of fur curl into your body warmth. "Raine," he said with a grin, already putting his phone away and sitting beside you again. "It means Queen. This cutie was born four months ago, and we were waiting for her eyes to open so she could meet you. In another month, she starts her training and before you know it, she'll be attached to your hip like Aura is to me." He was smiling proudly, and the pup whined softly, diverting your attention to the pup.

"You precious pup!" You kissed the wolf's head, who just whimpered, nudging her muzzle into your cheek. You showered the pups with kisses and affection, practically purring loving words towards them. Both wolves eagerly soaked up your affection.

"Technically, she's supposed to be a wedding gift, but I could help myself." Bucky tenderly pushed a strand of your hair behind your ear, smiling warmly towards you.

You launched at him, hugging him and kissing him gently, careful of the wolf pup in your arms. "Thank you! A million times, thank you, Bucky. She's absolutely precious! I love her so much, and I love Aurora so much, and most of all I love you so much!" You gushed, grinning at him.

He gave you a goofy smile, absolutely enamored by you, and he noticed the wolf pup yawning in your arms. "I believe it's this little one's bedtime," he kissed your temple once you two broke apart, and you stood gingerly, still clinging to the pup, walking beside him to put the pup to bed, Aurora staying close to your legs. "And you're welcome, My Moon and Stars," you grinned at the new pet name, your smile making him melt. You put the pup into the fur bed, Aurora curling herself around the pup protectively. "Aura practically adopted her," Bucky explained, taking your hand in his, smiling as the two of you walked back into the castle.

"They are absolutely gorgeous," you grinned up at him, holding yourself close to him. "What should we do now, My Love," you said softly, following him towards his chambers.

"How about a movie? We can finally watch that other movie you wanted me to watch, Moana, and I made sure that we both have tomorrow off." You said goodnight to the guards posted at the door to his chambers, grinning as the doors closed behind the two of you.

"So, an entire day with you all to myself?" You teased him, pressing yourself against the ornate wooden doors. "Sleep in, relax all day, kiss all day," he followed suit, leaning against you, your chests pressed together.

He tenderly laid his forehead against yours, your lips ghosting past each other. "I have a picnic I want to take you on, on this beautiful spot I think you'll adore."

Your lips curled up in a smile, "I'd love that," your hands ran up his chest, mapping his muscles out. "Kiss me, Bucky," you whispered softly, locking eyes.

He tilted your chin up, moving the inch closer to your lips, your lips melding against his. He pressed against you harder as you deepened the kiss; you sucked on his bottom lip, smirking at his resulting groan. His hands wrapped around your wrists, pinning them against the door, making your heart skip a beat.

You broke the kiss, taking a deep gulp of air, your chest heaving against him. Your corset wasn't really helping matters, the restrictive material making it hard to breathe. Bucky noticed, yelping as he took a step back, letting your arms go. "Shit, you can't breathe!" He fussed, his hands freezing right above the lace of your dress.

You nodded, "It's okay, help me out of this thing, before you try taking my breath away again," you teased. You walked a bit into the room, turning and shifting your hair to the side to expose the strings of the dress and corset underneath. You looked over your shoulder, Bucky standing there, frozen in place, unsure what to do. "It's okay Buck, I trust you," you encouraged him.

He stepped closer, but still didn't grab the strings. "I don't want to make you think you have to do anything you're uncomfortable with," he spoke in a meek voice.

"Like I said, My Love, I trust you. If I want you to stop anything, I'll tell you. If you think it's too far, just ask me and I'll answer," you gently led his arms to the edge of the strings. He nodded, tugging the beginning of the strings loose, you let out a harsh breath, instantly feeling better.

"May I kiss your skin, My Moon and Stars?" He whispered softly, his breath hot against your neck, sending a shiver down your spine.

You managed a weak "yes," your body ready to relax against him in total trust. You felt his lips against your neck, just against your pulse point. You moaned softly, the gentle touches lighting your skin on fire. As he tugged more strings loose, he lightly kissed your neck and shoulders. Your eyes fluttered close, melting against him. "Tell me more about courting traditions," you murmured softly.

Bucky chuckled behind you, a bit confused by the complicated corset, but getting the hang of it. "Well, a courting starts with a silent promise written down. The person being courted can only read that promise during their wedding ritual. Any gender can start it towards any other gender and technically at any age, but it typically is done when they are both of age. Courting can take months, or years, or longer. Like how Dum Dum and his wife started courting when they were thirteen, and they married when he came back from the war." He loosened the last few strings of the dress, and you let it fall, now only in the corset and your panties.

"Keep going," you whispered softly. You felt Bucky nuzzle into your neck, kissing any skin he could find while he continued loosening the corset and speaking.

"The person doing the courting spoils the courted person, proving to them and to others that they can provide for them, physically, spiritually, mentally," he paused, kissing right below your ear on your soft spot, making you purr beneath him. "Sexually," he finished the corset strings, which had just enough give to stay on your body.

"Care for a bath instead of a movie? We don't have to do anything," you quickly added, letting your hand slip into his hair, gently carding through the strands. "You could tell me more about the rituals," you mumbled before noticing how silent he was at your idea. "What's wrong, My Love?" You asked softly, turning and quickly holding his face in your hands, running your thumbs across his cheeks soothingly.

He melted against your palms with a small sigh. "You won't like what you see when I am not clothed," he whispered softly. It didn't take a genius to realize he was ashamed of his scars.

"Nonsense, I love you, not for your looks but for your heart," you pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. "We don't have to, this isn't just about my comfort, it's also about yours. Let me hold you close, all of you," he looked down towards you, smiling faintly before nodding.

"I trust you," he whispered softly. Your heart melted, you knew he didn't give out his trust freely, as his trust was more guarded than his heart. You two had made your way to the bathroom, and you turned on the water to the bathtub, turning back towards him as it filled.

You kissed his nose playfully, "No hanky panky," you teased, unbuttoning his shirt.

He chuckled, nodding, "No hanky panky," he mumbled.

You smiled warmly, already letting your hands gently push back his shirt. He visibly tensed as you exposed his left shoulder. The scars where metal met flesh were angry and red, and months of watching the healers patch up others could tell you it was partially self-inflicted. You kissed the scar gently, gauging his reaction. He relaxed just a smidge as he closed his eyes, surrendering fully to you. You let the shirt fall to the floor, kissing every scar along his shoulders and collarbones. His chest was an array of multiple scars and burns; you didn't stop to think about what caused all of them, it was all in the past.

"These scars aren't ugly, My Love. They are your own constellations. They are a map of your past. They mean that you are strong, and you survived terrible things, that you are a warrior." You saw him start to relax as you kiss more scars, practically whimpering as you kissed his skin. His body was well sculpted, made from the gods, is all you could think. Pure muscle, toned, golden skin; you let your hands happily explore his chest and stomach, lightly mapping him out.

Eventually, he melted against you, accepting that you weren't running away or scared. His hands found their way to your hips, running up your back and tugging at the strings of your corset. "May I see you as well, My Love?" he murmured softly against at the shell of your ear. You nodded, biting your lip as he tugged the last string free, letting the corset fall, leaving you in only your panties and the constellation necklace around your neck.

You were a bit insecure, your arms crossing against your chest as you looked away. Bucky's hands stopped you, gently moving your arms away before tilting your face up to see him. "You're absolutely beautiful, doll," he spoke softly. Your nipples hardened from the cold air, a small shiver running down your spine as goosebumps raised on your skin. He chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to your collarbone, "Absolutely perfect," he mumbled. You whimpered softly, your eyes fluttering close at his touch. He ran his hands down your body, before they found their way to your hips, tugging you in as Bucky pressed his lips against your own. That was heaven, you decided. Soft lips of velvet and a faint taste of coffee and vanilla, you loved kissing Bucky.

Your hands stopped the water in the bath, before blindly tugging at his pants as you kissed him, his hands curling against the band of your panties. A few moments later you both stood naked in front of each other, unknowingly both nervous about what the other would think. You locked eyes with Bucky, gently taking his hand and leading him to the bath. He sat in the warm waters first, leading you in the tub. You sat between his legs, happily leaning against his chest, your fingers already tracing patterns into both of his arms.

Nothing about what you two were doing was sexual, both of you needed the intimacy with each other, reassuring the other was really there. "Tell me more about courting," you whispered softly, leaning your head on Bucky's shoulder.

He smiled warmly behind you, wrapping his arms around your stomach to keep you close. "Well, there are cases of mutual courtship, where both parties spoil each other," he spoke softly, one of his hands leaving your stomach to run through your hair.

"There is?! Why didn't you tell me? I would love to spoil you," you whisper-yelled, turning in his arms.

He chuckled, nuzzling his nose into your neck. "Your very presence spoils me. You're my Northern Star, Doll," he whispered softly.

"I never got the chance to ask you what that means," you carded your fingers through his hair, unknowingly soothing him, his eyes closing.

"There's a part of my story I haven't told you yet, My Love," he kissed your exposed neck, smiling faintly as you purred beneath him. "I've been in love with you since we were younger, the beautiful princess I couldn't get enough of. I had a lot of flings when we were younger because I thought you could never be mine, even engaged I thought you'd only see me as your husband out of necessity and not love. During the war, once Steve rescued me I sat for a month, waiting, healing. During that month I read through every letter you had sent me during the time I was gone, and Stevie even let me read his, all of his mentioned me in some way. It took me the middle of a war, already losing everything, to realize you loved me the way I loved you. After the war and multiple mental breaks, all Steve had to do was mention you and it set me right again. You, doll, guide me back home just by existing, you're my Northern Star." You practically melted into his arms as he spoke, gently curling his hair around your fingers. "Sometimes I believe the reason the crown fell onto my head was so that it may also fall upon yours. The kind yet fierce, loyal and brave, intelligent and beautiful Princess. The woman who was born to be a Queen," he murmured into your neck, goosebumps raising where his breath fanned across. "The sexiest woman in the world, the woman who owns my heart."

You practically whimpered in his arms. You were right, you most definitely would not survive lovemaking with him. He kept his metal hand firm on your lower stomach, dangerously close to your core, which sent heat directly towards it. You tensed, feeling his right hand at your rib, just a hair below your breast. "I promised not to try anything," he whispered softly, both hands freezing, "I just want to hold you."

His voice soothed you, and you relaxed against him. "I trust you, truly I do, I've just never... I haven't..." You fumbled for words. Your cultures were very different from each other. In the Southern Kingdom, practically every one of Noble birth waited until marriage, while in the North it wasn't expected of Nobles to do as such, in fact, most didn't.

"You've never had sex before. I understand, doll," he reassured softly. "I will wait for you. Whether it's on our wedding night or even afterward, I'll wait an eternity for you. I'll never push you to do something you don't want to."

You felt hot tears build up in your eyes, you quickly blinked them away, feeling nothing but absolutely loved. Every time you thought you were at the peak of your love for Bucky, he proved you wrong, you couldn't stop loving this man and he kept proving he absolutely adored you. "I want to, and I want you, wholly and fully. I just don't want my first time in a bathtub." You teased lightly, a yawn almost breaking your words. You nuzzled closer to him, your eyes suddenly feeling heavy.

He chuckled behind you, the vibrations sending warmth throughout your body. "Rest, My Love, I'll tuck you in bed, and we have tomorrow off, remember? All the sleep you want," he kissed your temple lovingly, reaching over and tugging the drain loose.

He stood, quickly grabbing a towel and wrapping it around you, picking you up bridal style. Your eyes closed, content in his arms, quickly approaching sleep. "What clothes would you like, My Love?" you hummed in acknowledgment but smiled playfully, tucking yourself deeper into his arms and not answering. He sighed softly, "You little troublemaker," he teased, slowly placing you under the covers of his bed. You whined when he pulled away, much to his amusement. He kissed your hair, smiling as he smelled your lavender shampoo, "I'll be right back, promise," he whispered softly.

He quickly dried off, tossing on a pair of boxers before joining you in bed. You quickly found his body warmth, snuggling closer to him, letting the blanket between you get pushed away. You weren't scared to be completely naked in his arms, fully trusting he wouldn't try anything, you just weren't quite ready (well frankly have the energy) to do anything tonight.

He pulled blankets and furs above the two of you, elated to wrap his arms around you. He kissed your temple, making you purr in your dazed state. He chuckled, thinking you looked positively adorable. "Goodnight and sweet dreams, My Northern Star," he whispered softly, his voice luring you into a restful sleep.

TAGS:

Frozen Heart Tags:

@jsmith509 / @lumar014 / @littlemissporter / @kaylaphantomhive

@damnbuckyishot / @aveatquevale- / @booksbeforebois

@marvelgirl7 / @minetticatinwonderland

Bucky Tags:

@cassandras-musings / @darkness-doughter / @novaddictx

(Striked out means it wouldn't tag you)

For a tag, just reply/comment, if I don’t see it, just message me. Tell me what you think! Literally, any comment makes me happy! Like, comment, reblog, interact <3

#Frozen Heart #bucky barnes x reader #Bucky Barnes #bucky x reader #princess!reader #king!bucky #royalty au #arranged marriage AU #childhood friends to lovers #My writing

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keepcalmimthecupcake · 5 years

Text

She’s From Boston part 6

Steve McGarrett x ofc

Word count: 2697

Warnings: Car crash

A/N: It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted on this story. If you want to catch up, you can find the other parts here: 1 2 3 4 5 Feedback is lovely and fuels my muse’s fire. If you enjoy my work and would like to buy me a coffee, you can do so here. If you want to read my other works, you can find those here. Special thanks to my lovely beta @fandomoniumflurry who kept me on track as best she could and helped me work through my block. <3

After a quick trip to the grocery store to buy some steaks and a few other items, Steve and Sophie made their way back home. She was totally relaxed now, even laughing heartily at Steve’s silly jokes. She had only known the commander for less than a week, yet it felt like she’d known him for years. She felt completely comfortable in his presence, which was something she never thought possible with anyone but Lydia and Michael. As the pair crossed through her mind, she made a mental note to call them and let them know everything was alright once she and Steve arrived home.

The grocery items were brought inside and Steve went up to shower while Sophie put things away and fired up the grill. As she waited for it to heat up, she picked up her phone and called her cousin. “Lyd, it was awful! I was so scared! Steve and Tani went inside! But everything turned out ok. Steve took them down.” Lydia could hear the pride in her younger cousin’s voice as she spoke about this hero named Steve McGarrett. The way Sophie spoke about him, the man seemed like he could walk on water.

They talked a little longer, then Sophie ended the call to begin cooking. Steve finished his shower then came downstairs to attempt to help with the grill, but his hand was promptly swatted away. “You’ve worked enough today, mister!” Sophie said. “Sit back and let me pamper you a little.” While the steaks were searing to perfection, she cubed up some potatoes, added a few garlic cloves and other spices, then wrapped the lot in some tin foil to throw on next to the meat.

Steve sat outside on a lawn chair sipping a beer and watching her work. He smiled as she moved about, curious about this potato recipe. When she brought the foil wrapped package out and placed it on the grill, he questioned her. “Where did you learn the potato thing?” She turned to him and smiled. “My dad taught me a thing or two about grilling. Actually he taught me a lot of things about cooking in general. My mom was a good cook, but my dad was a great one.”

The two talked about Sophie’s life growing up in New England as dinner cooked. She checked the food once in a while, then sat back down to answer his many questions. Why he was interested in her younger years, she didn’t know, but it felt nice to have someone interested in what her hopes and dreams and fears were. Some of the questions hit a nerve she wasn’t yet ready to pluck just yet, but Steve understood and did not pry.

When the meal was finished, she plated the food and set the dishes down on the small table between them. They ate in silence for a few moments, then she looked over at him. “What about you? Have you always lived in Hawaii?” Steve chuckled and went silent for a moment. “I was born here but I moved to the mainland when I was fifteen, after my mother passed. That’s a story for another time, though.” Sophie smiled and nodded, understanding that each probably needed to get to know the other better before such intimate details were spoken of.

Steve complimented her cooking skills several times as they ate, stating that she’d have to teach him her potato recipe. A comfortable silence set in for another few moments, then Steve looked over at her. “I’d like to hear some more about your childhood. What was one of your favorite things to do?” Sophie thought for a moment then smiled. “Well, autumn was a kind of big thing in my neighborhood. There were several people that had grand Halloween parties. Those were always fun, even if pretty spooky sometimes. The best haunted houses were there. But my favorite thing during that time was apple picking. I don’t know why I enjoyed it so much, but the apples always tasted better fresh off the trees.”

She paused and took another bite of her food, then laughed softly. “Of course, there was the time that I broke my arm at an orchard. I should have listened to my dad when he told me not to climb too high, but there was an apple that looked absolutely perfect and I was determined to make it mine. So I climbed higher and higher. ‘Sophie, I said don’t go too high! I’m not taking you to the hospital if you fall!’ he told me. But when I did inevitably fall, he was the first one at my side, followed closely by my mother. When we got home after the trip to the emergency room, he sat down with me. ‘I hope now you understand why I told you not to climb too high.’ he said and I just nodded. He often told me things and I didn’t always listen. I still wanted to try things. But if his warning came to pass, he would always make sure I understood why he had given his advice.” The silence once again sat in, Steve allowing her to get lost in her memories as they dined.

Once the food was finished, both fully satisfied, they cleaned up the table and moved to the living room. “It’s still your day, Princess Sophie. You pick a movie.” Steve said, a bright smile on his face. She blushed slightly and began to look through his movie collection. Most of them were action films. Though several were among some she enjoyed a lot, none were quite what she was in the mood for. “Ok you’re gonna think I’m silly, but I have a movie up in my room that I’d really like to watch right now.” Steve nodded his approval and she made her way to her room to search through her backpack, where she kept a few of her favorite movies that she’d brought with her.

After finding the film, she returned to the living room and turned on the dvd player. “Ok promise you won’t make fun of me for this? I used to watch this with my parents all the time. It’s one of my favorites ever and….” With the talk of her parents and her childhood, memories were flooding back to her and tears prickled her eyes. “I just kinda wanna watch this right now.”

Steve chuckled and sat down on the couch. “I promise I won’t make fun of you for it. ” Sophie pushed play then joined him on the couch. “It is considered a kids kind of movie but I think it’s for adults as well. It always makes me feel...I don’t know. I guess comfortable would be a good word? It brings back a lot of good memories for me. Dad would always pop us some popcorn and pour some apple juice for me. I probably drank an orchard’s worth of apple juice as a kid.” she said, laughing softly.

Both went silent then, watching the screen as the opening of the Wizard of Oz began to play on the screen. “Now this brings me back. I watched this with my parents a few times, too.” Steve stated simply, placing an arm on the back of the couch behind her. They settled in to watch the film, but when Steve looked over at her not more than a half hour after it began, he saw that she was asleep.

He chuckled and moved to pick her up. Carefully, he climbed the stairs and placed her gently on her bed. A blanket was draped over her, as the night was beginning to cool down and her window was open. When he went back downstairs, Junior was walking in the door. The younger man saw the film still playing on the screen and he raised a brow in question. “Sophie picked a movie to watch. She’s clearly had a long day, though. Passed out not long after it started.” Steve explained as Junior got himself some food, then sat on the couch.

She was back in her childhood home, fourteen years old once again. The gray autumn afternoon loomed over them, but the temperature was still rather warm. Rain had been threatening for days, but none had yet fallen. She was reading the newest book in her collection out under her favorite tree as her parents were packing up for a weekend trip to their cabin. She had decided she’d rather stay home and read, and her parents had agreed that she was old enough to stay on her own for a couple days. It probably had helped her case that her grandparents lived next door.

Once the car was packed, her parents walked over and gave her some last minute instructions and her father handed her some money so she could treat herself and order take out for dinner that night. They kissed her, hugged her and told her they loved her, and she returned their affection. She was anxious to be staying by herself, but she knew if she got too spooked, Nana and Papa would welcome her to stay with them. She smiled and waved as she watched her parents walk away. Her smile faltered a bit, though, when the first few drops of rain caressed her face. This meant she’d have to go inside now.

After settling herself in the rocking chair, she decided that she wanted to work on the crochet project she’d begun a few days before. Nana had taught her the craft and Sophie was excited to make her first blanket. Of course, it would be a Christmas gift for her parents. She didn’t know how much time had passed, but it was beginning to get dark and her stomach was rumbling.

She moved to the kitchen and looked in the drawer for the takeout menus, trying to decide what she wanted. Pizza was decided on and she called in an order for a large Hawaiian pizza. She settled back in now, the steady rain calming as she resumed her project. After some time, she heard a knock on the door. ‘Pizza got here quick’ she thought, but when she went to the door, it was not the pizza guy.

Lights from two police cars flashed in the darkness and two somber looking officers stood at the door. “Is this the home of Leonardo and Marilyn Russo?” the younger looking officer asked. Sophie’s heart thudded in her chest as she nodded. Her mouth was too dry to speak. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nana and Papa walking over. “Miss, is anyone here with you?” the second officer asked. Sophie shook her head, her voice raspy as she spoke. “No, but my grandparents are here.” she said, pointing to the elderly couple that had reached the bottom of the stairs.

“I’m so sorry to tell you this, but Leonardo and Marilyn were in a car crash about an hour ago. A drunk driver hit them head on.” the young officer said, his voice cracking slightly. “Neither of them survived. I’m sorry.” Sophie’s head began to spin. The lights made her even dizzier and she heard a scream in the distance. She didn’t realize it was her own scream until Papa’s arms were around her, catching her just before she hit the ground.

When the two men heard the scream from Sophie’s room, they both leapt to their feet and bounded up the stairs. She was sitting upright on her bed screaming and crying. She was confused for a moment, then realized where she was now, and whose arms were now around her. They weren’t Papa’s arms. He had died almost a year ago. They were Steve’s. “Hey. Hey I got you. We got you. What’s wrong?” he spoke softly, gently caressing her hair.

It took a moment before she was fully aware that she’d had a nightmare. It had been a long time since she’d dreamt of the worst night of her life. “Come on. Why don’t you come downstairs and we can talk about it if you want.” Steve practically carried her back down the stairs and sat her on the couch. “I…..I dreamt of the night my parents died. I hadn’t for a long time. I don’t know why I did tonight. I’m sorry for startling you guys.” Steve and Junior both frowned. “You don’t have to be sorry for that.” Junior stated. “We were just concerned is all.” He went to the kitchen and brought her back a bottle of water.

“It was probably my fault. I’m sorry for asking those questions earlier.” Steve stated. “No, it’s fine. I’ve talked about them before and didn’t have any nightmares. They haven’t happened for a long time.” she restated. “I like talking about them. Sometimes it makes me sad, but I want to like I don’t know….keep their memories alive. That was a really bad time for me. I was fourteen. I went to live with my Nana and Papa after that, but about a month after, we moved. It hurt us all too much to live next door to where my parents used to be.”

The next few hours were spent with Sophie telling the men tales of her youth. She told them about the time she and Lydia had nearly gotten arrested because her cousin had “borrowed” her parents’ car. What the older girl hadn’t said was that she hadn’t informed her parents that she was taking the car and they’d reported it stolen. The cop pulled them over and Lydia was in tears as she tried to explain that it was her parents’ car. This story earned a loud peal of laughter from both men.

Her eyes went slightly misty and a smile graced her face when she spoke about being the maid of honor at Lydia and Michael’s wedding. “Everything was perfect! It was supposed to rain that day, but the sun shone bright the whole ceremony. They wanted to get married in the place they met, which was on a beach in Maine. The rocky coast, ocean splashing behind us, birds chirping, the scent of the ocean and the many MANY flowers just…..” She trailed off for a moment then blushed slightly and chuckled. “Sorry. I got lost for a minute. Anyway, I owe them so much. They are the ones that got me here. Honestly, if it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t even be alive right now.” Several other tales of her adventures with Lydia were told, some sad, some happy, all helping to make the nightmare disappear as her thoughts focused on two of the most important people in her life.

After a while, Junior excused himself to go up to his room. Steve and Sophie stayed downstairs and finished the Wizard of Oz. When it was over, Sophie turned to him, her cheeks flushed slightly. “I have a request. It’s weird, I know. But I feel….safe with you. Would it be ok if I slept in your room tonight? Or at least for a little while. I’m still kinda shaken by that dream.” Steve smiled and nodded. “Of course you can. I’ll be your personal dream catcher. If anymore bad dreams want to get to you, they have to go through me first.”

The pair made their way upstairs and Sophie collapsed onto the bed, still in her clothes. She didn’t bother to get under the covers. The room felt rather warm tonight. She felt kind of odd being in Steve’s bed, but he didn’t seem to think anything of it. They were friends, after all, and he wanted to assure that she was able to sleep peacefully. He was glad that she felt safe with him. As she lay there, she wondered how many other people felt safe because Steve and his team were always on duty to serve and protect. Her eyes were starting to drift closed before Steve even got under the covers. “Good night, Princess Sophie.” he said. “G’night, Steve.” she mumbled in return before she fell into a deep sleep.

#she's from boston #Hawaii Five-0 #H50 #Steve McGarrett #junior reigns #boo writes

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moodring89 · 6 years

Text

CH.3 Down the Rabbit Hole

Pairing: Jeongguk x Reader / Side Yoonseok Chapter Rated: M Genre: Fantasy, Hybrid AU (Prince Bunkook. Sue me.), Royal AU, Cinderella / Labyrinth feels Summary: Yoongi’s sister buys two tickets to the Autumn ball held at the Meadows, a notorious city known for its hybrid inhabitants, where she hopes to meet a certain bunny princeling. Previous Chapters: 01, 02

He whispered the words, low, and intimate across her lips. “Beg for your prince.”

A/N: Hello! Sorry for the long wait, but my friend ended up staying a bit longer, and then all of those performances happened, and I had to record some stuff. I did work on it every night. Extra: I’ll be giving away some mediheal facemasks and photocards on my YT channel for reaching 100 subscribers in the next upcoming days. I’ll also be unboxing BTS albums in order and raffling off the photocard for each one (granted, if I don’t need it, although I have most of them already). International participants welcomed. Chapter Three: House of Rabbits The room whirled on her, as though she were being swept across the floor still. She’d yet to physically move, a panic keeping her rooted to the spot. A new song had begun, couples dancing through the tension filled space between them – her, as well as the hybrid she’d assumed to be the prince. The fact that he didn’t even try to deny it, his expression steeled into one of easy composure, it made her believe it all the more. It was in the smallest of details; the description of his dark, yet charming doe-eyed stare written from one of her favorite articles, the warm smell of chai that still clung to her skin, with all of those terrible fucking facts that had never been brought to light. He tilted his head at her then, a faint smile touching the curve of his lips. Why though? Why even share all of those intimate details? He took a graceful step into the crowd, disappearing from her line of sight, there and gone like a goddamn phantom. Soon the tip of a shiny dress shoe was nudging her. It was Yoongi, who appeared to look perplexed by her position, “So like, are you waiting to be dubbed? Why are you there on the ground?” She grabbed onto his hand when he’d offered it, “I met the prince.” “That was him…? He had too much leg if you ask me. Tall guys, they uh, just don’t add up. Maybe he’d be willing to donate some inches to charity?” She sighed, “Doubt it.” The moment Yoongi wanted to protect her from ended up happening anyway. That’s just wonderful, isn’t it? He frowned deeply in annoyance, “Was he not the generous prince you thought him to be? Short or not, I’ll knock him on his royal, pampered ass. Tell me what he said to you.” Oh, how she’d love to accuse the hybrid of popping every single one of her last bubbles, but there would be no justification for saying it. It was her fault for assuming his intentions from the start. “Nothing he said was wrong, really. It was just disappointing.” “See, that’s enough to piss me off, especially since I knew that this would happen. I knew it and yet I still played dumb. I allowed you to drag us here, thus going against our father’s wishes, which bee-tee-dub, not fucking cool. I’m going to be arranging fucking sunflowers and daisies for the rest of my life if he ever found out about this…” Yoongi paused, giving her a look of genuine concern. “Serious talk though, do you think I have a quiet rage problem?” She refused to answer his ridiculous question, asking, “Where did Jimin and Taehyung go?” “They left me, muttering something about being on time. That fairy is a pr-et-ty weird character. He told me to go save you from your curtsey, before the dance even ended, and then there you were, looking like a child who’d just had their chocolate milk slapped out of their hand.” The music stopped, followed by a sharp, loud chime of a bell. It drew everyone’s attention towards the back of the room, where all but one royal had remained seated. It was the hybrid she’d danced with, standing there in his fitted black three piece suit, infuriatingly handsome – she tried not dwell on it too much, however Yoongi’s comment about his long legs hadn’t helped. She was now appreciating how thick his thighs were in those tight slacks. Ridiculous. “I’d like to thank you all for attending my Coming of Age party,” Jeongguk started, bringing a hand up to untie the knot of his mask. “I could say that I’ve gathered you all here to celebrate you and me, us – humans and hybrids, but there was another reason.” Yoongi scoffed, not at all impressed, “This should be good.” She inched closer to her brother, “This guy is a real piece of work, cryptic until the very end.” All the times the scantily clad rabbit hybrids walked by, tall and slender – encompassing model-esque beauty with their arms poised to hold up trays of wine she’d kept rejecting. This next time around, she’d made sure to grab two glasses for herself, ignoring Yoongi when he reached for one. “Get your own.” Jeongguk lowered his head, removing his mask in one fluid motion. The dark, silky strands of his hair fell forward into his face. “The underlining reason, which I am hoping that you will all understand, and forgive me for, was to find my wife.” Gasps of surprise filled the room, hushing into a similar whisper of, ‘who is she?’ High from dancing with the prince, disappointed once she’d learned the truth, and she was hurt now, because of course. Of course Prince Jeongguk had himself a princess. Nothing felt true for her anymore, even the present reality, once so tangible, and absolute felt far from her reach. “This kid is fucking married? He looks two,” Yoongi mused, voice practically dripping with sarcasm, doing his best to lighten the mood, because he knew. He knew that it must be a whole new level of suck for her. It was easy to tell how affected she was by the tense line of her back, the way her chest fell with every short, quick breath. Instead of reacting like everyone else was doing, she remained oddly silent. The prince exposed the rest of his handsome, royal hybrid features, as he lifted his face towards his guests. A set of rabbit ears the color of snow pointed upwards, ticking periodically. She could see the pale scar curved along his cheek, the straight bridge of his nose, the freckles marking his smooth, golden skin. Pieces fell into place, as she matched his eyes and lips with the rest of him, determining that Jeongguk was a daydream turned dark – a daydream personified. She was forced to look away, focusing on literally anything but Jeongguk, when Taehyung caught her attention, stepping out from the autumn gold tapestry that was hanging like a backdrop behind the royal family. Jimin followed him closely with a smudge in the glitter that had been brushed on his cheek. There was a glow to the fae’s skin that she’d rather not think too much about, instead wondering why the hell they were allowed to stand there all casually – so comfortably, and familiar. “When I was a child, I received a gift from the fae realm, one of their own, a fae-born who was blessed with the sight, capable of seeing into my future. In fact, he saw this very night. A night of which, we could not so readily believe in at first.” Jeongguk surveyed the crowd, assessing them with a long, critical stare. “He said that I would meet my princess at a ball that united the two major kingdoms, on a night where humans and hybrids joined in the Dance of the Meadows.” Yoongi rolled his eyes, closing his thumb to his fingers in mock-talk. “Blah, blah, blah, pre-destined fate, blah! I don’t believe in this shit. Let’s just go.” She slowly shook her head, “Not yet. Please.” Jeongguk placed his mask down in front of his father, before returning to the countless eyes on him. “I was told that my intended was to be human.” Yoongi nudged her, “Wife, princess, his intended, what, is he gonna say betrothed next?” The prince’s eyes flashed darkly, meeting the exquisite look of desperation on her face, watching as she grabbed hold of her brother’s sleeve. There was a moment between herself and Jeongguk that was severe in contrast, so completely opposite. Her deeply horrified moment of, ‘oh, no’ to his smug, unyielding, ‘oh, yes’. The rabbit hybrid’s body language exuded confidence, tongue shoved to the side of his cheek, feeling heated, and challenged. He dared her to prevent this, to stop this... She shook her head at him, pleading, but he remained resolute in his decision. “The fae told me that I would receive a gift from my betrothed. He said…” Yoongi took a moment to pat himself on the back, “Nailed it.” “…that she would give me her first dance.” “Bitch probably didn’t know that it would be her last,” her brother snorted from beside her, when he noticed how quickly her skin had paled. Wait. He followed the heavy, meaningful stare that the prince was currently casting – the creepy motherfucker. He’d lined it up and traced it back to the person standing beside him, his sister who had gone very still. A human girl with zero dance experience – oh, sweet heavenly fuck, he was going to be a florist with a fox fetish. Her fingers felt numb, she couldn’t feel anything, “Yoongi, I…” The guests parted for the royal guards, their heavy boots scuffing the floors, heavy armor clinking with every bit of movement. The room had yet to stop its awful spin and she found herself falling backwards, her hand slipping from Yoongi’s jacket. The blonde turned with the motion, grappling for her when she was caught in a pair of steady arms. Yoongi blinked up, an eyebrow twitching at the familiar fox, overcome with worry, and fear. Hoseok spoke into the small, clear microphone by his mouth, maintaining eye-contact with the cat-like human. “The princess has been secured.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “You don’t have to be so angry,” Jimin started, watching as Yoongi paced from one end of the hallway to the other. Angry? He was fucking livid. His sister collapsed right before him and there was nothing that he could do, other than to watch as Hoseok carried her away like some goddamn hero – the only thing missing was the white horse, and a silky half-unbuttoned shirt. Yoongi had followed after the fox, inwardly panicking all the way to the infirmary, where the door was promptly shut in his face. Jimin tried to reason with him, “At least I was able to see it before it happened. I was the one who asked Hoseok to catch her. You should be thanking me, human.” “Oh, don’t…” Yoongi stopped short to glare daggers over at the orange haired fae. Even with all the soft, warm mochi vibes that Jimin fully encompassed, nothing and no one was safe from the brother’s wrath. “Don’t pull that ‘human’ shit with me.” The hand on Jimin’s thigh twitched, Taehyung’s canines setting firmly. The wolf hybrid tried to search his sanity for a, ‘how to not growl in a human’s face, before biting it off 101’ guide, and was coming up short. Jimin tried again, “Your sister is going to be fine. Please, I…” The blonde snapped, “Why? Because you can see it? Did you also see the part where I shove your wigs up your sparkly ass –” Taehyung barked out a humorless laugh, “If he did, I’m sure he would have also seen my rebuttal, followed by your funeral.” ‘Hyung, baby, angel, sweetie, my precious faeling…’ Jimin looked over at his hybrid, listening to his loud, clear thoughts. ‘I promised you that I would not harm humans. I might break that promise.’ The fairy held Taehyung’s hand, smoothing his thumb over the top of it. “I know you’re upset, Yoongi and I wished that you were able to see what I can, because then you’d realize that we’re your friends. Close friends at that and your sister will be happy. You’ll both be…” Yoongi merely scoffed at his words, continuing on with his routine. Jimin carefully added, “You never do become a florist, by the way.” He paused at that, turning to regard the fairy, “Well, why the fuck not? It’s my father’s dream, therefore it’s my burden.” “Because that is not your fate. You are brother to the Princess of the Meadows. There is no turning back from here, there never was…” Not that Hoseok would have allowed such a ridiculous thing. Jimin tried to think of a scenario where Yoongi would leave and choose to never return. Or a situation where Hoseok would be okay with it, but both seemed highly unlikely. Maybe Jimin had shared too much, overestimated what kind of information humans could handle. The doors to the infirmary hissed when they parted, the doctor from earlier stepping out into the hall, hands tucked inside his lab coat. He nodded towards Jimin and Taehyung, somewhat lazily, “Tae, Jiminie.” “Seokjin-hyung,” the wolf hybrid greeted back, a bright, boxy smile beaming up at him. The elder didn’t know what to do with it, to be honest. The physician then looked over at Yoongi, who was visibly incensed and worn, pale hands clenched into tight fists. It was like the kid was ready to throw down. Seokjin adjusted his glasses, “You’re the girl’s brother I take it? Your sister is going to be alright. She woke up a few moments ago asking for you. You should go in and see her.” Yoongi didn’t need to be told twice, as he walked briskly through the doors without so much as a thank you. “He looked ready to hit me. Glasses and all,” Seokjin said, finding that he was amused, despite the rather violent scenario. “I probably would have let him. My life needs the excitement. No one ever gets sick or injured around here.” Jimin hit the doctor’s arm, playfully, “That’s kinda dark, hyung-nim.” “What is my life, really? I could be on Lunar or at Star’s End, saving people.” Seokjin grew animated, throwing his hands about, practically shouting. “But, no! Instead, I’m stuck here, taking care of young maidens with fainting spells.” “Happily married to Namjoon,” the king’s admiral reminded him, raising an inquisitive brow at his husband. Oh, how Seokjin loved to loathe him. The deep timbre of Namjoon’s voice surrounded the royal physician, when he teased, “So excitable this evening. Care to extend the same amount of enthusiasm in the bedroom?” Taehyung covered his eyes with both his hands, not that it would at all save him from what his ears were currently hearing. The sight was somehow worse to him, than the words. Jimin’s skin glowed prettily, especially whenever he saw Namjoon and Seokjin in the same room together. It was a form of energy for him. He slipped his fingers through Taehyung’s and felt as the wolf’s heat engulfed the cool temperature of the fairy’s skin. “You conceited prick.” Seokjin lowered his voice, as he stepped closer towards the admiral. “Do you really think I’m that easy?” “I don’t think it, baby,” Namjoon said, dimples on full display, and eyes alit with a familiar hunger. “I know it.” Taehyung groaned loudly, as he hid himself into the crook of Jimin’s neck and shoulder, placing small bites there, one bite in particular causing the fairy to squeak. He couldn’t resist. ‘Do they have to fucking do this right here? Right now?’ Seokjin crossed his arms, thoroughly annoyed then, “Why the hell are you even here? Shouldn’t you be scrubbing the king’s boots to a shine or ironing the prince’s royal uniform?” The admiral’s long, fluffy tail swished, patiently, “The prince is inquiring about the state of his bride.” Seokjin practically snorted, finding the reasoning weak, and offensive towards the girl in the other room. “Well, if he’s that pressed about it, maybe he should come and see her for himself.” The physician went to turn away, when the cat hybrid grabbed his arm, preventing him from leaving. Namjoon gave a slow shake of his head, “You know that’s not an answer I can return with, sweetheart.” He removed his husband’s hand, fixing him with a heated glare. “Sounds like you’re shit out of luck, then, pumpkin.” The side of Namjoon’s mouth twitched into a smirk, the short puff of laughter he emitted was close enough to reach the doctor’s skin. So close, too close. Namjoon and Seokjin, the cat and dog hybrids, opposites who attract, married for three long, confusing years – night and day, yet complimented each other so well, stuck somewhere between overwhelming love, and hate. “What a nuisance,” Seokjin sighed. He was finally able to breathe once the cat hybrid was gone, having taken the hint. “That’s Jeongguk’s princess?” Jimin nodded, happily, “She’s pretty, isn’t she?” The physician shrugged, “She seemed nice enough. Not that it’ll do her any favors. The prince doesn’t play well with anything soft or nice. At least, maybe now I can look forward to a pregnancy.” “Christ, you’re a bitter biscuit this evening,” Taehyung muttered, distastefully, as he uncurled himself from Jimin, to instead take the fairy’s hand, and pulled him up. They helped each other stand with most of Taehyung’s weight settling against the small fae. “I’m taking Jimin away from you people.” “You people?” Seokjin laughed. “Like you’ve never had a bad day.” Taehyung nodded, agreeing with him, “Sure I have, hyung, but you’re having a bad life.” Seokjin didn’t feel that it was necessary to argue against the truth. “Isn’t it nice being in love, Seokjin-hyung?” Jimin smiled, eyes arched into two crescents of happiness. In was during the couple’s haste to leave, that the fae-born left behind traces of his magic, sparkling particles gleaming back like diamonds behind each step. Yoongi stepped inside the room to see that his sister was already up on her feet, folding the blankets that she’d been resting on. It was a nervous habit of hers. “Look at you all conscious and whatnot,” he said, taking in bold décor of white, wild alpaca with gold trimmings. It was a bit too elaborate, even for the royal medical wing. “You’ve always had bouts of anxiety, but you’ve never passed out before. Are you alright?” She shrugged, unwillingly to look at him, “I don’t know, really. The ridiculously handsome doctor said that I’d be fine, but I just found out that I’m the uh, the thing, the princess thing.” “You’re not though,” Yoongi insisted, not wanting her to be afraid, or stressed out over it. At least, not more than she already was. “You’re not getting married. You’re not a princess. You don’t have to do anything, just because that asshole said that it was meant to be. Haven’t you watched the recent Disney movies? Princes aren’t even the male leads anymore. The second leads triumph these days.” “I kinda felt this way since the moment I heard about the prince. Like, on the radio, on TV, or reading those stupid articles. I always felt drawn to him, like I’d end up here somehow, and now I am. Drifting, not going anywhere, doing anything, almost like I was waiting for it this entire time.” She took note that even though Yoongi was shaking his head, he also wasn’t denying it. “Tonight he told me things that should make me hate him and all of the good things I thought about him were reversed, yet I can’t be too angry with him. The moment he started talking about his princess, I knew. I knew that it was me.” The doors suddenly opened, Seokjin stepping back inside his office. He picked up his medical pad, scribbling something down, before he asked, “Reunited, have you?” A short brown tail wagged beneath his lab coat, matching the smooth dog ears atop his head. The dog hybrid punched at a sore muscle in his back, wincing. He’d ask Namjoon to use him as a scratching post later, maybe get a massage out of it. He continued when the siblings didn’t respond, having broken up a tense moment, “Hoseok should be here to escort you to your chambers or so I’ve been informed, though honestly,” Seokjin walked closer to them. “I feel like they should let you go home, let you think on it a bit, so that you can formally accept or decline Prince Jeongguk’s…” Yoongi raised a brow at him, “Decline what, exactly? He didn’t even ask for her permission. No, he’d practically announced to both kingdoms that she already belonged to him, as though it were fact, like she’d accepted it. Done deal.” Believe it or not, Seokjin sympathized, “That’s because of Jimin’s gift, I’m afraid. So, even if she wasn’t prepared for it her whole life, the prince was, and has been for a long, long time now.” It gave her the fucking chills – hearing that last bit, trying to digest it. All that she could think about were those set of dark eyes and Jeongguk’s glossed, red lips. The way he stared her down, confessing, and informing her that she was his, all hot and accusatory. There was no way she’d be able to engage in more ‘conversations’ with him. Hoseok knocked before entering, deciding not to skimp out on his manners, despite several long years of friendship. The fox hybrid bowed to the physician, again to Yoongi, and once more to the princess. “Oh, stop bowing to me, goddamn it,” Seokjin cursed, tossing his pad onto his desk. “We’ve been over this!” Hoseok gave a slow blink, lips falling into a visible frown. “Holy fuck, you’re testy, hyung.” Seokjin cocked his hip, irritably, “Yeah, well, what else is new?” Yoongi felt as his entire world shifted off its axis, he was a fucking mess, a mess – because Hoseok was wearing a mask the first and second time they’d met, but now he wasn’t. The fox hybrid looked even more ethereal at the present, as Yoongi dared to trace the line of Hoseok’s petite nose, the crease of his eyes, the smallest hint of double-lids. Hoseok’s face was honestly exceeding Yoongi’s expectations, especially when – fuck – he smiled, two dimples awaiting him. The human was convinced that the fox wouldn’t think twice about eating him whole, with his too big teeth, sharp and pristine. Yoongi would allow it. “Yoongi…” The blonde’s name rolled off Hoseok’s tongue in such a way, that both men found it mutually enjoyable, but for two separate reasons. “I wanted to apologize to you for earlier.” It was time for petty Yoongi, which was something that could not be helped, even if he’d actively tried. “Oh, you mean for running off with my sister without saying a word to me? Or how about when you left me in the hallway, lost, and sick with worry?” Hoseok narrowed his eyes a fraction, invested in the way Yoongi’s slick, pink mouth formed into a pout whenever he spoke. It was a goddamn distraction. “Are you trying to upset me?” The blonde was taken aback for a moment. He swallowed, thickly, “Uhm…maybe?” “I’ll show you to your rooms,” Hoseok tone was glacial, as he dismissed their conversation. This time the fox had made it a point not to bow to Seokjin, leading the siblings down the vast, wide hallway. He filled them in along the way, “The princess will sleep in the Queen’s quarters. Yoongi, you’ll be expected to sleep in the King’s quarters.” “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t fucking know you,” Yoongi said, as he tried keeping up pace with the hybrid, who’d even made walking look graceful, even in all of his armor. “I’d rather not be separated from my sister, in a place that is unfamiliar.” “Brother or not, no man is allowed to enter the Queen’s quarters, unless he is one of my guards or a royal, which you are not.” Hoseok stopped for a moment, doing a rather obvious sweep down the length of Yoongi’s body, before resting upon the blonde’s newly flushed skin. The fox offered, “Unless you would like to join me on my patrol this evening? I’ve been tasked to stand outside the princess’s chambers.” “Doesn’t sound like I have much of a choice,” Yoongi said, as though it wasn’t something he utterly yearned for. The shameful things he’d do just for two more seconds with Hoseok. Beside him, his sister took in the art that lined the walls, “All these pieces are beautiful. Is it from the same artist?” “Taehyung has painted dozens for her majesty,” Hoseok said, bringing them down another corridor. The lights were becoming warmer, a woodsy and floral scent hitting their noses in pleasant wafts. “Every year for her birthday, he paints her something new. That’s why the art fluctuates in skill. Taehyung was a mere boy when he started the tradition.” The blonde pointed to the framed art, skeptical, “The wolf hybrid drew these?” She nudged her brother with her elbow, teasing him, “Wolves or foxes, Yoongi? You and Taehyung talked about it forever. What did you decide on?” Hoseok tilted his head at him, curiously. “Wolves or foxes?” Yoongi tried not to look completely mortified, as he was rudely put on the spot, “I only wished to know the difference between the two.” The fox stared, expectantly, “And what did you learn?” “Uhm, nothing really. I mean, foxes like to eat fruits and meats. Wolves are bigger and foxes have smaller snouts and uhm,” Yoongi felt his skin becoming increasingly hot, flustered by his lack of informational intake, and ashamed by the purpose of it in the first place. He’d wanted to learn more about Hoseok. If he’d known the hybrid’s horoscope or blood type, he would have dug into that shit, too. “I forgot all of what Taehyung said, honestly. He was too busy nibbling on his fairy and my sister turned into a curtsey statue, so...” Hoseok grinned broadly at him, which unsettled the blonde – greatly, not knowing what the hell it was for, or why it was the sexiest thing – ever. It made his head feel all dizzy. They stopped in front of the two guards that were currently stationed in front of one of the many bedrooms. Both hybrids greeted the fox their highest respects. “Here we are…” Hoseok said, gesturing towards Yoongi’s sister. “We’ve expanded the general duties of the Queen’s ladies in waiting. You only need ask and we will send them to assist you. Sleep garments, as well as bath preparations have all been prepared for your stay.” She shyly looked at him. “Thank you…” Hoseok bowed his head, wild red hair falling with it, “Princess.” She didn’t have it in her to be rude and tell Hoseok to shove off with the formalities (much like Seokjin had), that she wasn’t, in fact a princess. There was a terrible look of concern written on Yoongi’s face. It was a look that she’d probably never stop receiving, for as long as she was alive. And even though it warmed her heart, she didn’t want him to worry. “Stop looking so glum, chum. I’m fine, really, like, I’m kinda digging this.” She spoke the next bit quietly. “Seriously, tug on that tail. Do you see how fluffy and cute it is?” He squinted at her. “What in the fuck are you on about?” “Good night,” she said, sending a wink Hoseok’s way. The fox wasn’t as nearly rude to her as her brother, as he sent one back. Once the door closed behind her, Yoongi felt the heat returning to his face again, stifled by fox’s obvious attention, “When is your birthday?” Hoseok relieved the two guards with a flick of his wrist, waiting until they left to answer Yoongi’s question, “I’m younger than you. So, do you mind if I call you, ‘hyung’?” The tops of Yoongi’s cheeks were practically the color of rogue, deep and noticeable given his pale complexion. He nodded, “How do you know that I’m older?” Hoseok brought his hand up, stopping just out of reach of the human’s face, intending to touch – to feel if Yoongi was as warm as he looked right then. But then the blonde had closed his eyes shut, preparing himself for it. It was fucking adorable, so the fox dropped his arm down, “Jimin told me.” Yoongi grit his teeth, “That fucking fairy, with his stupid sight.” “Mm,” Hoseok hummed, utterly enamored, “That fucking fairy, hyung.” Jimin had told him to beware of the human with the cat-like eyes, pouty mouth, and shitty attitude. Beware he did, but he wasn’t prepared for Min Yoongi. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The room was brighter than she was expecting, since the décor had reflected nature thus far, dark woods, and autumn. Now she was confronted by pastel purple and white oak furnishings. The light switch had a dial, which she’d lowered for the sake of her eyes. She approached the queen sized bed, unsure of what to do with all of its space. She’d never had a bed this big before, still using the twin mattress from when she and Yoongi had bunk beds. There were outfits strewn across the quilt, all of which were dresses. They were far too delicate, too rich in the material, certain colors picked out to compliment the season. She was almost afraid to touch them. Would they all fit? Were they seriously, like seriously all for her? She doubted the likeliness that they were hand-me-downs. These people were royals – she was in a freakin’ castle, but nothing felt real to her yet. There was a nightgown at the very end of the bed. It was made up of a sheer, silky fabric. These were pajamas? The hell… What the hell was she doing here? Her heart seemed to have already accepted what her mind couldn’t, apparently. All of these things felt right, yet undeserved; Jimin’s friendship, Taehyung’s art, Seokjin’s underlining, albeit bitter concern, the awkward, yet strong flirtation between Yoongi and Hoseok, but most importantly, the dark stare that followed her every movement – the implication that she belonged to Prince Jeongguk. She picked up the pair of satin panties spread neatly atop the gown, frowning at them. The style would be the only difficult part about this, probably. She brought the sleepwear to the adjoined bathroom, once again visually assaulted by how spacious, bright, and gorgeous – white rabbits against purple pasley patterns, white marbled floors, and a porcelain clawfoot tub that could accommodate five, easy – what in the fuck. She was half-tempted to step outside her room and demand her brother go get the measuring tape. He should have chosen to rest for the night, since he was clearly missing out. It took awhile for the bath to fill up, so she decided to look through the bath oils, immediately snatching up the lavender, and pouring it into the running water. Turning off the faucet, she removed her clothes, and sank down into the tub. Her toes poked out from above the warm water and she could already see the blisters beginning to form. Taking off those heels was the smartest thing she’d done all day. Everything else had been off. She’d thought of other possible responses that she could have, should have said to the prince. Or maybe she shouldn’t have passed out in the middle of having a staring contest? She also should have known that it was him sooner, the way he’d looked at her, the way he spoke, and carried himself. It always seemed like the articles exposed so much, but they didn’t do Jeongguk any justice. It was safe to assume that the articles were false anyway, given the information he’d supplied her with earlier. After dwelling on it for a bit more, she went through the ritual of drying off, and changed into set of the silk and satin nightmares, wanting to cringe at her reflection. She stepped out into her bedroom, where it was freezing cold upon her damp skin. The wick of an old lantern faded dully, as its fire burned out. It’d been set down by the twin doors to the balcony, the same doors that had been left ajar, although she couldn’t recall opening them in the first place. Despite her better judgment, she chose to walk closer towards the open draft. There was a soft hum flowing through the wind, and she knew it was him, had felt him there, before confirming it with her own eyes. A long, white bunny ear twitched when he picked up on her steps coming closer, turning away from the sky to face her. The prince was dressed in a white silk button up, the fabric much like her own sleepwear. Perhaps the intention was to match one another. She took in the hard, exposed lines of his chest, sinking her teeth into her lower lip. There was a thick choker wrapped around his neck, the white material standing out against the beautiful golden color of his skin. “Princess.” “I’m not a princess,” she said, deciding that it would be wise not to step any closer to him. He shook his head, “No, not yet.” ‘Soon,’ he thought. “Maybe not ever, your highness.” He smirked at her then, eyes dancing with amusement, all red cherry lips and precious bunny teeth. “Jeongguk is fine behind closed doors.” She tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear, “How about, ‘lying scumbag’? Does that work for you, too?” “That mouth of yours,” he breathed, indulging himself with the thought of destroying her. He’d make her beg for it. “Runs in the family,” she said, hating how much she enjoyed the banter, and how it excited her. “I also love this whole, gonna sneak into her chambers while she’s taking a bath thing you have going on. Not creepy at all. Quality husband material right there.” “That – well, I wasn’t particularly interested in having a confrontation with your brother right at the moment.” Not that Yoongi would be able to take him on, physically, anyway. “Good. You should be afraid of him.” The hybrid took slow, presaging steps towards her, “Do you have any idea how difficult it was, waiting over a decade for you, knowing who you were the moment I first saw you.” It was with each word that the distance between them continued to dwindle. “Being so close, finally able to touch you?” She shook her head, backing away at the same steady pace that he was coming forward. “You know that I don’t know what that’s like. Who would?” He waved a finger at her, insisting, “But you do to some extent, though. You wanted to see me tonight, did you not? You’ve read all the articles on me, enough to form quite the biased opinion. You even went as far as to defend me.” “Yeah and it was against yourself, which is just ridiculous,” she said, jumping when her back met the bedpost. He was already there in her space, curling his hand around the wooden pole behind her head, and using it as leverage. “See, I’ve lived as though I belonged to someone, and I’ve had so many opportunities to misbehave myself...” Jeongguk pressed the length of his body against her own. “Now that you’re finally here, I can stop feeling so guilty, and I can’t stop waiting.” He cupped the side of her face into his palm, dragging his thumb across her plush bottom lip. The prince paused, until their eyes were leveled, and spoke the next sentence very seriously, “I’m going to ruin you.” “Yoongi is…” she murmured, intending to call for her brother, but her voice was so faint, like her heart wasn’t in it. In truth, she didn’t want them to be interrupted. The prince was intriguing. He was a goddamn enigma, so beautiful, and enchanting – so very fucking wrong, in so many ways. This was fate working its hand, twisting her from the inside out, and tying them together in some neat, fucked up bow. “This mouth never knows the right things to say, now does it?” It was more of a statement, than a question. Jeongguk closed his thumb and pointer finger down on her lip, pulling gently. “You need a lesson in basic manners.” “Me? What about you. I’ve never been touched so freely in my life and that’s coming from a commoner. This is a very direct, indecent way of going about things between us. Besides, I hardly know you, or at least, the real you. And just because we’re destined to be together, does not mean that it’s going to absolutely happen.” There it was. It was that spark – that beautiful, wonderful spark that had Jeongguk so fixated and smitten with her earlier. There was much for her to learn, especially about fae-borns, and the sight. Her naivety and innocence was a charm all of its own, but that fire was something else. It was a potent dose of eroticism, igniting every dominant impulse the hybrid possessed. “You’re mine, human. You already know it,” he said, releasing her lip to press the full weight of his body against her, heavy, yet comfortable. The prince was so close now, that she could smell a pleasant mixture of the cologne he’d bought from Star’s End and the mint from his breath. She could see the scar upon his cheek, pale against his golden skin, a dark freckle here and there along the opposite side of his face, and beneath his lower lip. The tip of his nose was a soft pink, the same flushed hue around his darkening eyes. And it was positively daunting, to be so wound up on the inside, to want, and crave the touch of another being so badly. The smug look on his face made it obvious that he knew of her dilemma, that it was only a matter of time. “Yes,” she agreed with a sense of finality, releasing a shuddering breath, “But I’m also old fashioned.” “There were too many people hovering around you tonight. If I don’t scent you, I’m going to lose it.” Jeongguk sniffed at her audibly, filling his lungs with the more prominent smells still lingering on her skin. “It’s muddled any traces of me.” He leaned back to look her in the eye, “Give me your permission. Tell me that I can do it.” “And here I thought you were going to be a complete monster, taking whatever you wanted,” she said, a small smile touching her lips. “What if I say no?” “Then you’ll get to witness one of the rare luxuries of seeing me do the begging.” “And if I still say no?” “I’d rather you didn’t, princess.” She grew still, shoulders tense, “Don’t call me that. I don’t like it.” He decided against advising her to get used to it. “Now say the words.” “You have my consent.” “Good human,” he’d practically purred out, voice becoming thick. Before she even had the chance to reply, he was pressing her more firmly against the bedpost, the wood digging into her skin. The hybrid’s fingers were in her hair, moving it all to one side with the strands curled between his knuckles. He used the tight grip to tilt her head back and to the side, exposing the soft line of her throat. There were only a couple of times Jeongguk could remember being this territorial. One of which, was when he’d received his precious fae-born. His childhood friend, Taehyung had taken a liking to his fae, leaving kisses on the fairy’s cheek, smudging up the glitter. The same glitter that would end up stuck to Taehyung’s face. The prince had spent long afternoons cuddled up with the both of them, visibly pouting, and nosing at their necks. Then there was now, this very moment, making him feel so stilted and broken. Jeongguk wasn’t used to needing anything, from anyone. The faint smell of lavender and Hoseok, even Seokjin was on her skin, even after she’d washed for the evening. It made him feel possessive on a level that was out-of-fucking-control, and foreign. He wasn’t used to feeling so unhinged by someone, his fingertips burning until he’d been allowed to properly touch her. He let go – curling himself into her, bending her with the shape of his body, ready to claim and suffocate her in a manner that only hybrids would truly know and comprehend. He buried his nose behind her ear. The reaction was immediate, a startled gasp, followed by her small fists closing into his shirt. He traced over her skin, lips slowly dragging whenever he inhaled, becoming familiar. Intimacy was different for humans and she would need more reassurance, than he would. He brought a hand to her waist, kneading the skin there none too gently. The moment she tensed up was when he’d made a noise deep from within his chest, so pleased by her complacency, the way she tasted on his tongue, felt beneath his fingers. Her thighs closed tightly together, the action painfully obvious given the fact that they were flush against one another. The heady scent of her arousal saturated his senses, pupils dilating. He pulled them away from the bedpost, the back of her legs meeting the side of the mattress, until she fell against it. The firm, full press of his body had her pinned to the surface, his arms caging her in. He watched her with a quiet calm, eyes darker than they were before – if possible. It was like staring into pools of black, depthless, and intimidating. Her hands slipped away from his back, resting them beside her head in an act of submission. “But I’m also old fashioned,” Jeongguk mocked, using her words on her, in the same tone. She turned her face to the side in an attempt to escape the heat that was currently swallowing her whole. What an asshole. The satin panties were well on their way to being ruined, her lower stomach aching the moment he resumed teasing his mouth along the side of her neck. The sharp graze of his teeth against her skin made her sigh out a sweet, blissful sound that went straight to his hardening cock. It made him more eager, more desperate for her, as he slowly left bruises along her neck, marking her carelessly. Her legs fell apart when he pushed a thick, strong thigh between them, one of her own captured – he could feel it, nestled against his length – and heard her gasp, as though she’d just discovered it. He gave an experimental rock of his hips. The rough fabric of his slacks could still be felt beneath the layers of her gown, her eyelashes fluttering. “You’re perfect,” he breathed, teasing his lips along the line of her jaw, out of reach from what the hybrid wanted to consume next. She gained chills when he curled his hand around the front of her throat, a gentle pressure pulling her closer to him, bringing her mouth inches away from his own. “I’ll give you the stars if you beg me for them. All you have to say is, ‘please’.” He whispered the words, low, and intimate across her lips. “Beg for your prince.” She raised her head a fraction, pressing her neck further into his grip. It caused their mouths to brush, hot and purposeful, eyes watching one another. She released a shaky exhale, “No.” He thumbed over the soft skin of her cheek, pulling her in for a kiss – keeping their mouths firmly sealed. She reached up, hands tangled in his hair, traveling upward to something much, much softer, and velvety. He reared back with a gasp, the length of his rabbit ears slipping through her fingers. Dark brown eyes stared down at her accusingly. “I didn’t know you were – I mean, you’re so sensitive. I’d say I’m sorry, but –” He cut her short, taking her bottom lip between his teeth, tugging gently, before running his tongue across it. The hybrid settled more of his weight on top of her, as he brought his other hand to the hem of her gown, adjusting the fabric so that it wasn’t in the way. Every touch felt like fire that was steadily melting her through, her hips moving against his thigh in earnest. The hand that was at her neck went to her wrists then, easily pinning them both above her head, and down to the mattress, while the other slid to the curve of her ass, better helping her move in rhythm with him, grinding into her slow and hard at first. The seam of his slacks dug into her sensitive skin, the flimsy material of her panties doing little to separate them, the friction maddening. “Say it…” He pulled back far enough to look at her lips, all red and swollen, then back to her eyes, defiant and heated when she said it again, “No.” “No,” he echoed, before leaning down and slipping his tongue past her lips, filling her up with warmth, and sweetness, before it was all gone. The mattress sank under his weight, when he got off the bed. Her heart was racing, watching as he adjusted the choker around his neck, tucking in the shirt that had come out of his pants, which – holy, fuck, he was big – the thick length of his cock straining against the tight fabric. There was a dull ache in her stomach. She could practically feel her arousal soaking through her panties, yet he was distancing himself. He was distancing himself all because she wouldn’t beg him for it. It was with a cocky smirk, that he tilted his head at her, “Come to me when you’re ready.” This time he took the door leading out into the hallway, where the guards would be waiting, along with her brother. He cared not at the moment. The grim look on the prince’s face was enough to silence Hoseok, who’d been readied to ask him an entire list of questions. Resting against the fox hybrid’s shoulder was Min Yoongi. He was in a deep slumber with Hoseok’s cloak resting just under his chin. The prince merely raised a brow, before wobbling down the corridor, unashamed. The shower would be scorching hot, the running water loud enough to muffle her name rolling off his tongue. He’d slick himself up with oil and come hard into his fist, picking up from where they’d left off, envisioning the way she’d beg, and cry so sweetly for him. Desperate for him… Just like he’d been desperate for her all these years.

#jeongguk x reader #jungkook x reader #down the rabbit hole #Noonanet #smut #fanfiction #bts fanfiction

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manascoundrel · 7 years

Text

Trophy- Chapter 12

by Yarking Fandom: Dragon Age (general) Summery: Two troubled children meet at the Minrathous Circle. One is a magister’s heir, groomed to be the blood mage general of Seheron, without fear or mercy. Hopefully, that will keep people from noticing how very much an elf he is. The other is last born, least loved and most of his emotions involve academics and cadavers. They love each other, even if they’re not terribly good at it. Warnings for this chapter: references to past trauma (non-graphic) Special thanks beta, Autumn <3 AO3: here

Tertius pointed as the approached the stables, pride bubbling over. "That's her! That's her right there, they turned her out for the day already, it looks like."

Stardust grazed placidly in the open fields, ignoring a bay horse that seemed intent on getting her attention. At Tertius' voice, she raised her delicate head and trotted, the picture of elegance, to where Tertius and Cato stood at the pasture's fencing. As Stardust approached, Cato took a step back, face froggish as Stardust lifted her head over the fence and politely requested Tertius' attention.

"That's a pony?" Cato asked, unsure.

"Well it's not a dragon."

"No, I mean," Cato began, edging closer as he watched Stardust's whiskers tickle over the palm of Tertius' hand. "She's big. She's a pony, so I just... expected her to be smaller. Like those little ponies that pull the half-carts."

"Oh, no, those are Anderfel Mountain Ponies. Yeah, those do stay that small. But I couldn't ride those! Stardust is a Tevene Riding Pony. My mom's family made the breed, special. Aren't they pretty?"

"She sure is a pony," Cato said, evasively. When Tertius turned and frowned at him, hurt, he was pressed to continue. "Horses and ponies and things like that are a little spooky, aren't they? Look at their faces. They're so long. Why are their faces so darn long?"

Tertius snorted at his friend's suspicion. "Stardust is really nice, you don't have to worry about her."

"But she's so big, too! Bigger than me by lots. Bigger than you. You're not worried she'll step on you or anything?"

"She already stepped on me," Tertius said, enjoying Cato's alarm.

"Didn't that hurt?" he asked. He edged away more, putting Tertius between him and the pony.

"Well, yeah. She's a pony so she is pretty heavy, but it was just an accident and I pushed her off right away. It didn't even break my foot or anything; it was just sore for a couple of hours." Tertius looked over his shoulder at where Cato was very nearly cowering. His fear was losing some of its humor, though, and Tertius began to wish they could just get on with each other. "If you're really that scared, you don't have to be here. I can just meet up with you at the library at sundown."

"B-but, you really like Stardust. This is special," Cato argued, inching forward to the pony's soft grey muzzle.

"Yeah, but you don't have to really like her too, you just got to not be mean to her or rude or think she's bad," Tertius assured him. Even as he said it, he felt distantly sad that his two best friends might not get along.

Cato, however, seemed to take this as he often did- as a challenge. He tugged on Tertius' riding shirt and asked, "D'you have any more sugar cubes?"

"No, but there are carrots in the barn if you want to try giving her a treat," Tertius said, lighting up at the prospect. Cato nodded and scampered off, returning after a short while with two carrots, one in each hand while Stardust's eyes shut in peaceful contentment at Tertius' scritching. When she saw the carrots, she lifted her head and took a few slow paces closer to Cato, and when she was not immediately rewarded she gave a small nicker.

"Don't be spoiled," Tertius chided her, petting down her neck as Cato broke the carrot in half.

"So how do I do this?"

"Lay your hand real flat and just put in on your palm and reach out. But you have to keep your fingers flat, or she might accidentally chomp on them trying to get the carrot."

Cato made a distressed noise high in his throat even as he placed the carrot as he was instructed. He reached forward, mumbling, "So, do I tell her to- Oh!"

Stardust gobbled up the carrot without ceremony and nuzzled her velvety muzzle against Cato's palm afterwards, as if thanking him for the gift. Or, more likely for how pampered she was, asking for more.

"Aw, she likes you!" Tertius said, delighted. He knew she would, but it was still nice to be right.

"Did you see that? She just munched it right up, right out of my hand!" Cato crowed, beaming over to Tertius. "I didn't think she'd hork it up like that in one big bite, ha!"

Tertius stomped. "Stardust is a lady pony. She didn't 'hork' anything up. Ponies are just a lot bigger than us, so that was a regular normal bite-size handful of carrot for her."

"Alright, alright. That's fair, I'm sorry."

"Better be," Tertius mumbled, still pouting and sore from the insult to Stardust's honor. To think of her as anything less than a majestic princess!

"Your mom did a really good job breeding her," Cato said, carefully stroking over the soft skin over Stardust's nose. He smiled sheepishly, as if he realized Tertius was not pleased. "She's not nearly as scary as she first looks. She's real sweet."

"My mom didn't breed her, her family did. That was awhile ago. There are lots of Tevene Riding Ponies now; but they're still really special and pretty and good. Everyone wants one just like her, but they can't have her because she's mine!" Tertius asserted, patting Stardust's side. "And we make a really good team! My riding teacher is going to let me jump pretty soon."

"That sounds scary. Is she fast? Do they jump high?"

"Yes and yeah! But I've been riding for a really long time, as long as I can remember, so I'm ready. And Stardust won't let me fall, will you, Dusty?"

Stardust remained silent, her eyes closed in placid relaxation at all the attention and treats. "Did your mom teach you how to ride?" Cato asked.

Tertius smile faltered, twisting slightly bitter. "She did, a little. Before she got sick."

"Aw, sorry 'bout your mom," Cato commiserated, shoulders dropping. "I hope she gets better."

"She died."

"Oh." For some time, the two of them were silent. Cato seemed to sense beyond the wisdom of his years that there was nothing to say to that, no way to make it better, reading the stiff way Tertius braced for empty platitudes or unwelcome sympathy. Wanting to hear none of it. Then, with a lopsided smile, he asked, "Do you want to show me how you ride Stardust? I could run alongside you and see how much faster she is, because I bet she's really fast."

Tertius, heart aching and eyes stinging, managed to smile. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

It took some time for them to get Stardust out to the paddock. Cato was very curious, asking a constant stream of questions about the brush and blanket and saddle and bridle all throughout the process of getting Stardust ready to go out. Tertius was about half sure he was doing it to help keep his mind off his mother, but was grateful. Part of the reason he groomed her and put on her tack himself instead of just letting a slave do it was for the same reason, the other being that he liked spending the time with Stardust, and he liked answering Cato's questions. It made him feel good to be able to answer most of them and hear Cato's impressed hums.

Tertius mounted, checked his stirrups, and pressed his calves into Stardust's side gently. He loosened the reins, asking her forward into her sedated, elegant walk. Cato trailed alongside, giving Stardust a wide berth but loped along at a jog to keep up with her long legs.

"Wait until we get into the field to start running, okay?" Tertius asked. "I don't want you to scare her on accident running too close while we're still near the stables."

"Me? Scare her?" Cato wondered.

Stardust continued serenely, her pale eyelashes fluttering as she blinked. "Uh huh!" Tertius nodded. "Horses and ponies have a lot of animals that want to eat them in the wild, so they get scared really easily. I've heard of horses getting scared for lots of silly reasons, like seeing a leaf they didn't expect, or a bush rustling, or your hat falling off. Stardust is pretty calm most of the time, but I still don't want to make her upset, even if she is really brave."

Cato tilted his head, considering that. "What does a horse do if they're scared?"

"A lot of the time they can start running really, really fast. Faster than I'm allowed to go, and I'd probably fall off and get hurt. Stardust could get hurt too! It's really easy for them to hurt themselves when they go really fast because they're scared."

"So don't scare her on purpose as a joke, got it."

"Cato Fen'Rhea, if you even think about it, I'm gonna-!"

"I said I wouldn't! I don't want you or her to get hurt, that wouldn't be funny," Cato reassured, waving his hand in dismissal. "But if they really do scare that easy, you sure you're gonna be safe?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty good at riding. My teacher wouldn't let me start jumping if I wasn't, because that can be real dangerous too," Tertius explained.

Cato made a grumble of distress. "Okay. If you're sure. You gotta be careful though, because if something happened to my best friend I'd be really upset and angry. I would never, ever forgive Stardust, even if she is really nice and didn't mean to."

"I'll be okay," Tertius promised, privately bursting in joy that his best-best friend would be sad if something happened to him. Cato might be the only one who would.

Cato was, predictably, very impressed with Stardust's speed. Tertius only trotted when racing, not really supposed to go faster without someone there to chaperone, and the stablehands were keeping an eye out, but Tertius wasn't sure that counted, since they were just there to tell on him if he did go too fast or do something stupid.

They still had plenty of fun running over the grasses, Cato sprinting on foot and Stardust easily overtaking him until Cato was heaving for breath and ended up lying down, reminding Tertius constantly not to accidentally trample him while he stood with Stardust plenty of paces away.

After that, they ended up playing a game where Cato would sit and call directions, and Tertius would seamlessly follow them with Stardust, to Cato's simple delight.

"How are you doing that even? Is it magic?" he had asked, not being able to tell when Tertius pressed lightly on Stardust's side or noticing when he gently moved the reins. Cato's mystification equally delighted Tertius, amused by how his friend took his skill for wizardry.

Later, when Tertius had brought Stardust over to the pond to drink and take a break, Cato had uprooted one of the long, thin reeds near the pond's edge. He showed it to Tertius proudly.

"You wanna play cavalry?" he asked.

"I don't know how..." Tertius said, tilting his head at the reed. It ended in a little brown bulb- a cattail.

Cato puffed out his chest. "I just made it up! After Stardust is finished drinking, you get on her and try to hit me with the brown thing on this, like you're part of the cavalry and you're trying to stick me with your spear."

"Why do you always want to play games that hurt?" Tertius complained, but took the switch and inspected it further. When Cato made a noise of confusion, Tertius explained further. "When you wanted to play pretend, you wanted to pretend to eat me. You were gonna scare Stardust as a joke, and you want me to hit you with this now. You even joked about sending assassins when we were gonna play chess!"

"Hey, I was gonna send assassins for Sternhalma, not chess," Cato corrected him, but seeing Tertius' scrunched, displeased face, he dropped the teasing. "I... I dunno. I just think it's fun. I've always wrestled with Aun and pretended to spar with sticks and stuff. Tamas says it's good because it teaches me to not be afraid of fighting."

"Because Seheron?" Tertius asked.

"Because Seheron, yeah."

Tertius didn't understand. "You're not going to be able to go to Seheron for ages and ages though. That's years away! Why do you have to start fighting now?"

"Well," Cato mumbled, looking over to the surface of the pond. He folded his knees and sat, looking out as he picked the grass. Nearby, Stardust continued to graze. "Seheron is supposed to be really dangerous and scary. So I have to start now so I have the best shot of coming back, because I'm supposed to be a magister, too. And... it's not like Seheron's the only place I got to fight, anyway."

Tertius sat beside him, knees knocking as he pulled grass alongside him. "Where else do you got to fight?"

Cato looked at him, frowning. "If I was bigger and stronger, I could have maybe fought the apprentices who took me. Maybe I could have at least ran away, or said something back when they said things. Maybe if I was good enough they wouldn't have got me to begin with, maybe they'd be too scared."

"I don't know," Tertius said, skeptically, surprised and afraid now that Cato was talking about what happened. He didn't want to say the wrong thing. But he wasn't sure what the right thing to say would be, so he decided to just be honest. "There were a lot of them, and they were older, too. I don't think you could have scared them off or fought better. They've been at the Circle a long time, haven't they? They probably learned a lot of stuff from the enchanters that we haven't yet, stuff we can't know yet because we're just not as big."

"But I have to be able to do something!" Cato said in dismay. He picked up a rock and lobbed it into the water, watching it hit and sink with a 'plunk'. "There's got to be something I can do, so I can do it if they try to get me again. No one else will. I mean, you'll call for help, which is really nice, but I don't want you trying to fight them and getting hurt because of me."

"You have your knife," Tertius pointed out. He followed Cato's lead, picking out and throwing a rock. It landed short, plopping in the mud near the pond's edge.

"That's true, yeah."

They sat in the long grass for some time, Cato stretching out and soaking up the warm autumn sun and Tertius watching him bask and Stardust munch daintily on grass. After some time, Stardust wandered over to where they sat, her lips nibbling toothlessly at Tertius' ponytail. He scratched the spot on her forehead where her coat whorled, and the direction of the fur went in everywhere, and she gave a cute, blustery snort.

"Did you bring your knife out here?" Tertius asked, the thought just occurring to him.

"Nah," Cato said. He didn't open his eyes.

"Why not? You're not afraid?"

"Apprentices aren't allowed to use magic out here, like in the library. And yeah, they could just catch me and drag me someplace where they can," Cato said, before popping open one eye and giving a mischievous smile. "But first they'd have to catch me. I may not ride as well as you but I'd bet you'd let me ride away if I really needed to."

"I'm pretty sure Stardust could carry us both," Tertius agreed. She was very strong, after all. And, perhaps more to the point, they were very small. "We can try us both riding at the same time right now if you want. Just to practice your escape!"

"Uhh," Cato offered dimly, looking suddenly unsure. "That... er, uh. That's okay. I should really wear my boots when we do, unless it's a real emergency. Since that's how you use the dangly feet things, right?"

Tertius looked down at his friend, suspecting that his footwear wasn't really the issue. "The stirrups. And yeah, but we both can't use the stirrups at the same time anyway, so you can just hold on."

"Well... I mean, don't you think you should be the one who just holds on? You're a better rider than me, after all. That just seems to make sense," Cato reasoned, his voice pitched higher than normal.

"You can just say you're scared," Tertius teased.

"I'm not scared! I just don't want to get hurt, because I've only ever ridden those little cart ponies when I was smaller. And riding on Miss Stardust seems like it would take a... a very advanced rider, seeing how she's so fast, right?"

"You're scared."

"Am not!"

"You aren't even a little?" Tertius weedled. "Because I get scared sometimes when she goes faster than I expected, and I'm a really good rider, so it seems weird that you wouldn't be scared at all, not even a little."

"I'm... a little concerned," Cato said in compromise, eyes shut as he sat up with a dignified jut to his chin. "That there could be an accident. That's not the same as being scared. That's being smart."

"Well, we don't have to try it today. There's always next time." Tertius stood, brushing off the pulled up grass on his lap while Stardust huffed. He paused. "Well, if you want to come back."

"Yeah, this is nice! Even if I don't ride, we can always play games, like earlier. Or I can sit out here and read for the enchanters while you ride around; the willow looks like a really place to read or even just take a nap. I've got so much sleep I need to catch up on."

Tertius looked out past the still pond, trying to judge when the sky would start to go golden. That was when he really needed to bring Stardust in if he wanted to make it back before dark. It was getting late, but he didn't want to stop playing. It was so nice out here. He could hear Cato even better without the voices, and the details of his voice became apparent. Tertius liked it. He liked how it was a little scratchy, and he liked how his friend laughed.

"There's some daylight left. D'you want to try playing 'cavalry?'"

"Huh?" Cato asked, surprised and then delighted. "You want to try it? I didn't think you liked that stuff."

"I do! Just not all the time. Besides, it does kind of sound like it could be fun," Tertius said. It was a little bit of a fib- Tertius thought it still sounded needlessly mean when he could just as soon lean over and tag Cato- but he liked Cato, and he liked Stardust, and he especially liked being able to play with both of them together. Since he enjoyed it so much, he needed to do something to try and get Cato to come back again. Sure Cato said he liked it too, but just to be safe.

Cato leapt to his feet, pinwheeling his arms when the sudden jump made him almost lose his balance. He righted himself and beamed. "Alright! Mount up, commander!"

Tertius and Cato walked back to the Circle proper shoulder to shoulder, stopping only for Tertius to wave back at Stardust, who was rolling around in the pasture's dirt, seemingly pleased that her saddle was finally off. He turned back around, and checked Cato playfully.

Their attempts to pretend at being cavalry had failed pretty thoroughly. Whenever Stardust galloped (trotted) at full tilt towards the enemy (Cato, making grunting noises and pretending to have horns), she would always slow down, first to a walk, and then when she was close enough to nuzzle Cato, she stopped altogether, and no amount of kissy noises or flicking the reins would get her to budge forward and trample the nefarious Qunari threat (Cato's words).

That's not to say he didn't end up getting Cato. When he came up to Stardust's side to tell Tertius he didn't think this was going to work after all, Tertius had taken a risk and swatted Cato on his shoulder with the reed. Cato had gave a short, bitten-off scream and leapt back with such drama that Stardust took a few lazy steps away from him. Of course, Tertius panicked, worried that he'd gone too far and that this was it, this was the end. It was nice while it lasted.

Cato just inspected the welt, biting his lip, and after a long beat between the two of them, he gave a breathless laugh.

"Oh yeah, that was a nice one, you got me good!" he said cheerfully, inspecting the thin line of blood that began to bead up from where the long red stripe rose up highest. He poked at it gingerly, hissing and flinching when he pressed too hard.

Tertius hovered, hands pawed over his chest fretfully. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do it that hard, I didn't think it would-"

"No, no, you did good!" Cato had assured him, before they decided to turn Stardust in for the evening, since she obviously didn't much care for this game. "That just surprised me. My tamas gets me worse when I'm playing where I'm not supposed to."

He had licked his fingers and wiped away the blood, and that was that, motioning for an unsure Tertius to bring Stardust in. Tertius had gathered the reins and lead Stardust behind him, watching the blood bead up again sluggishly from the cut.

"I got assessed for my magic," Tertius confessed as they neared the gate to the Circle's grounds.

"I can cast enough that I get to be in the class with all the other casters next semester."

"Really? That's great! We'll have it together then!"

"You think?"

"There's not enough other apprentices our age to split us all up. Nobody else in my group can cast yet, and I don't think they'll put us in with older kids. I hope they don't, at least," Cato added as an afterthought, his voice lowering with his mood.

Tertius agreed, "Yeah, they probably wouldn't. I just want to do it now. The break takes too long. I don't even want to go home."

"You don't miss your brothers or papa?" Cato asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

Tertius snorted. "My brothers are a lot older, so they're not usually around. Palermo is in the Navy, so he's never home. Hey, you know, you might like him since he's fighting the Qunari actually. Cyprian is working with someone from the circle a little north of Minrathous. I don't really understand what he does, but he only comes home to go with papa to the Magisterium. He was certified by the Circle before I was born, so he's not much fun, not like it sounds like... 'Aun' is. 'Aun', right? Is that his name?"

"His name's Aunny. Well, his name's really Aunnriel, but everyone but Tamas calls him Aunny, and I call him Aun," Cato explained.

"That sounds complicated."

"Your papa?"

"Huh? Oh... n-no, I don't really miss him. He's mostly busy anyway. Being a magister, right? I like reading and drawing and I can do that by myself."

"I guess."

"Honest? I'm glad he's not around a lot," Tertius confessed, throwing himself back to fight the fall winds that pinned the Circle's doors closed. "He's not fun, and he's honestly really scary. Maybe I should be like you and want him to be around more because he's scary, so I'll get better, but I don't think I'm brave like you."

"You think I'm brave?" Cato asked, looking at him with wonder.

"Well, yeah. You're going to go out and fight all the Qunari on Seheron. You said it was really dangerous and you could get hurt, but you're going to do it anyway."

"Yeah but that's ages from now, you said yourself!"

"And you wanted to play cavalry, which mean Stardust was supposed to come running at you-"

"But she didn't."

"But she was supposed to come running at you, and you were afraid of her already."

"Concerned," Cato corrected him, nose turned up. "I was concerned of her. Er, about her."

"Fine then," Tertius finally said, annoyed at Cato's constant rejection. "You're not brave. Happy?"

They reached the library just as Cato puffed his chest out in victory, and then deflated. "No?"

Tertius' laugh was cut off by a withering look from the librarian. He nodded his head in a bow, a silent apology, and ducked down his bookshelf aisle with Cato, waiting until they were certainly out of earshot before whispering again. "What about you?"

Cato shrugged. "I want to see Aun again, sure. I miss playing with him."

Tertius paused, worried that that was an indication that Cato wasn't happy just playing with him. He set the uneasy thought aside and asked, "Your tamas isn't around much either?"

"No, she is. And I do need to ask her about the knife. If she gave me the wrong one or it got enchanted wrong or something. But I'm afraid she's still mad at me for what happened."

"Wait, she's angry at you?"

"Yeah," Cato admitted, his voice cracking as his face crumpled. "I'm supposed to not, uh, not let that stuff happen. It makes my family look bad, and that can be really dangerous. Not just here but in the Senate too. If people think they can hurt me then they might threaten to do stuff to me to make Tamas vote their way or something. And just- it lets people know they can do that stuff, so they'll try it again."

"Oh," Tertius said, dimly. Tertius himself wasn't important enough in his family's hierarchy to worry about, he was pretty sure, but he wondered if this was something Cyprian had to worry about. Perhaps there were downsides to being the house heir. "Sorry. It's not like you wanted it to happen, though."

Cato just shrugged, looking a shade of miserable as they stopped in front of the bookshelf. "Doesn't matter. End's the same."

"I guess. Are you worried about them going after Aunny because of it?" Tertius asked offhand. He didn't notice Cato's reaction immediately as he focused on shifting his heavy bookbag to the ground.

When he didn't get a word either way from Cato, he looked up to check on him and realized his friend was not okay. His eyes were unblinking and looking at nothing, and his breathing was working up like how it had gone funny last time before he suddenly went to sleep.

"Cato?" Tertius asked nervously, not wanting his friend to sleep again. If he did, Tertius would have to pull him in their secret spot himself so he wasn't just lying in the middle of the library, since that sounded dangerous for an elf. That sounded like a lot of work, and they risked someone noticing and finding their spot. He poked his friend on the shoulder experimentally. "You should stop that, I think."

Cato started and looked at Tertius as if he just noticed him there. The little jump he gave in surprise made tears spill over onto his cheeks, and he hastily palmed them away. "Sorry. I was just thinking. I hadn't thought of that but now that you mention it, yeah. I have to figure out how to make sure he's going to be safe."

"Oh. Sorry," Tertius apologized, not wanting to make him worry.

"Naw, it's good that you reminded me. I can start figuring that stuff out now so by the time he's here it'll be okay," Cato assured him, looking the utmost serious and determined with his new plan. "And I think I know where I want to start."

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh. You go ahead. I have someone I gotta talk to, but I'll be back soon, promise."

Tertius squinted at him suspiciously, but nodded and watched as he sprung off like a halla. He hoped he came back soon.

Calpernius looked down at Cato with narrowed eyes. "I thought I told you not to-"

"No. I don't want to play this game. This isn't funny. I need to talk to you."

At that, Calpernius reared his head in surprise before cackling. The laugh cut off abruptly, his face falling into flat irritation. When he spoke, his words were sharp, his teeth bare. "I don't think you get it. I'm not joking. I don't give a fuck about you-"

"No," Cato snapped. He stepped forward and, despite only reaching just past Calpernius' waist, matched the boy's vicious face and then some. Cato pointed his finger at Calpernius, jabbing it into his chest with the kind of authority only learned from a lineage of ruling. "You don't get it. This isn't about me. My brother is gonna come to the Circle next year, and I heard that... that the thing that happened to me might happen to him, too."

"My sympathies," Calpernius sneered. His lip curled as he swatted away Cato's finger, but he did not push past Cato like he had feared.

"How do I make it not happen?" Cato demanded.

Calpernius laughed again, this time less false and more helpless. "You can't. What happened to you? Happens to every elf that comes to the Minrathous Circle. Has for years. Happened to me. Happened to every poor fucking rat I've seen here. It's going to happen to you again, until you wise up and transfer to someplace less prestigious, or apply for remote classes."

"We can't do that. We got to go here."

"Then I'm so sorry for your miserable future. Best wishes that you manage not to kill yourself like the last rat that came through here," Calpernius said sarcastically.

"They killed themselves?" Cato asked. Something in him stilled, and his voice trembled- this was new. He didn't... he wasn't prepared for that. "People do that? How many... do that?"

"I don't fucking know," Calpernius grumbled, throwing his hand up. When pressed by Cato's sharp frown, he hissed. "Six- no, seven since I've been here, at least. There's been at a few dozen that's transferred since then, though."

"Seven?"

"Yeah, and it's as likely as not that I'm talking to number eight, so if you'll fuck off-"

"I need to help Aun."

Calpernius groaned, visibly grinding his teeth now in frustration. "This is why butchers don't name their beef cattle."

"Huh?"

"I don't want to know your brother's name! I don't want to know your name, I don't want to be your friend, I don't want to be your little mentor or whatever fantasy is running through your stupid little head. I can't believe I'm even entertaining you right now. You want my advice? Leave the Circle. I don't know why you haven't done that already! There are correspondence classes. I know your mother is a magister, so you could transfer to any other major Circle in the entire Imperium. Fuck, you could probably afford to hire tutors that would give you a better education if you really wanted to."

"I can't leave," Cato insisted.

"Well, then you're an idiot."

"If I'm an idiot for staying and it's so easy to transfer or do any of that other stuff, then why do you stay here, huh?"

Cato hadn't expected the reaction he got. Calpernius' mouth shut instantly and his head reared as if someone had yanked back his reins. Sensing something there, something with give, Cato persisted, his words coming careful as he puzzled them out. "Why are you staying? You don't want to be here, it's not about Minrathous being the best. 'Titus' isn't a magisterial name, so it's not because important magisters always come from the Minrathous Circle. It's not because it's close to the Senate either, so it's not about distance..."

"Rot in the Void," Calpurnius swore, but Cato could tell he was hitting something.

"Is it? If you have to be here- if you have to be in Minrathous... it has to be for some reason."

"Fuck off, this is none of your business."

Cato's voice cracked as he spoke. "I can find out, you know. I can ask my tamas to look you up and-"

"Fine! Fine, whatever you want. Ask away. Whatever the fuck you want to know, and then you leave me alone, right?" Calpernius wagered. The urgency in his voice piqued Cato's interest.

"Well, now I'm kind of curious."

"Do you want my help or not?" Calpernius asked. "I like my privacy; you have your offer. Keep your nose out of other people's fucking business and I'll help."

"I want to know everything."

"Fine."

"All your tricks. You've been here for years and-"

"I said fine! Meet me back here tomorrow, same time. I'll have everything written out for you."

"How do I know you aren't going to send them for me?"

This time, Calpernius recoiled not in fury but... offense? It was a moment before he replied, as if he had to find his words again. "I wouldn't do that," Calpernius said, face set. "Would you?"

#dragon age #trophy #yarking writes #abuse tw

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