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mermaidenisaacs · 3 years

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isaac is a soft warm husband pt. 2

isaac unwittingly becomes a househusband to his high-functioning workaholic wife. and he’s a little salty about it.

romance/humor

warnings: graphic sexual language

“You know, when this is over, we should really have angry sex.”

“Isaac,” I sighed. “You’re not listening to me.”

Isac reclined further back against the pillows on our bed and crossed his arms over his chest. “I am listening, honey. You’re upset. You’re upset because you think I’m trying to control you. Just because I said I wanted you to stop working so much, you think I’m trying to turn you into an obedient little housewife.”

“Stop saying ‘you think.’ It’s dismissive. I know these things to be facts.”

“Do you, love?” The corner of his mouth turned up in a subtle smirk. “I love it when you act like a little know-it-all. It’s such a turn on.”

“I-saac, stop flirting with me like we’re teenagers. I’m being serious. You knew when you married me that I wasn’t going to be a typical housewife for you. Now all of a sudden, you want me to stay home and stop working?”

Isaac shook his head. “That’s not what I meant, and I feel like you know that. Will you just come back to bed?”

It was a tempting offer. The covers were up to Isaac’s waist, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and normally I’d have zero reservations about climbing into bed with my husband, but he was trying to distract me and it was not going to work. Not this time.

“No,” I muttered, regretfully tearing my gaze from his sun-kissed chest and the light smattering of hair that covered the hard plane under his stomach, the treasure trail that led to happier places than this conversation. “I’m not getting back in bed until you apologize.”

I was standing at the foot of the mattress, my hands on my hips. I probably looked like a stern vice principal or something. I felt a little ridiculous but I had to hold my ground. This wasn’t about me. This was about feminism. This was about my right to live my life how I wanted. I was standing up for women everywhere. That’s what I told myself.

“What exactly do you want me to apologize for?” Isaac asked, too calmly for my liking. “Fine, I’m sorry for noticing that you're basically a workaholic. That you’re always tired and frustrated after you come home from work. Baby, all I did was suggest you should cut back on work, delegate some of your responsibilities to other people.”

I shook my head. “No, I can’t. I don’t want my boss to think I can’t handle all of it. He already makes sexist jokes about how I’m the first woman he’s ever promoted to my position. Besides, you said you wanted me to stay home, not work less.”

“That’s the same thing.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Okay, fine, it’s not. Is it so bad that I want to spend more time with my wife?”

“We spend time together...” I mumbled, sounding unconvincing even to myself.

Isaac laughed. “Oh yeah, I get to talk to you five minutes before bed because you pass out right when you get home from the office, which lately has been about 10 pm. Oh, and if I’m lucky I get to talk to you on the weekend in between your 15 minute breaks because you bring the office home with you.”

I groaned and paced to the other side of the room. “Well, what do you want me to do?! I’m sorry I care about my job!”

“I get that! I care about my job too, but at least I’m here. And you’re not. I feel like all I ever do is cook and clean and wait for you to get back, holding out some small hope that you might stay awake for just a minute longer so I can share maybe two words with you--that’s if you’re not too tired from crying into my shoulder because you had a bad day at work.”

“W-well,” I stammered, aimlessly grappling for another line of argument, “so, that’s what this is about? You’re tired of comforting me when I have bad days?”

“No, of course not--”

“So then, you’d rather I cook and clean, have the house spotless and dinner ready on the table when you get home from work?” Isaac didn’t say anything. A knowing grin spread across his face, accompanied by a playful twinkle in his eyes. He didn’t even have to say anything; at this point, his facial expressions were pissing me off. “Well? What the hell are you smiling about?”

“I’m not doing this with you anymore,” he said calmly. “I’m not engaging in this because we both know you instigate fights when you’re defensive. And you’re defensive because you know I’m right. You’re trying to spin this into a feminist issue, willfully ignoring my valid points. At this point, you’re just Fox News-ing soundbites to make me sound sexist.”

I snorted. “Fox News-ing soundbites? Really?”

“I thought I was talking to my wife, not Bill O’Reilly.”

“Wowww. You really just called me Bill O’Reilly to my face. Have fun sleeping on the couch tonight.”

Isaac chuckled.

I stared back, trying to appear unmoved, because it was at this moment that it occurred to me that I was kind of turned on. I was still angry, but now I was horny too. It was a biological response and completely out of my control. It was Isaac’s fault, the way he managed to keep a clear head and stay calm while calling out my bullshit. Not many people could do that.

It was why I married him. He could put me in my place. I needed that sometimes. Still, I didn’t like admitting I was wrong.

“You’re only hearing what you want to hear,” he continued. “You’re not listening to what I’m saying, so I’m not arguing with you anymore.”

“Fine, whatever. You’re the one who brought it up.” I threw my hands up in frustration and headed towards the bedroom door, stopping when he called out my name.

“Woah, slow down. Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he said.

I turned the knob and opened the door. “Um, I’m leaving? Since you don’t want to talk to me anymore?”

“This is true. I’m done talking, but you’re not going anywhere.” He tilted his head and looked me up and down. Five years married, I still hadn’t built up an immunity to The Look.

“Why’s that?” I challenged. My defenses were crumbling with each passing second, my skin burning each time his eyes raked over my body.

“Because darling, you’re really hot when you’re mad, and having it out with you always turns me on. And I know you’re turned on too, so why don’t we stop talking in circles, and fuck. Now.” A few moments passed and we stared each other down, both waiting for the other to make the next move. “Come on baby, I can almost taste you from over here. And you look so good standing over there in nothing but panties and my t-shirt. Please come get in this bed with me, Mrs. Lahey.”

Shit. He pulled out the last name card. He knew what that did to me.

“Dammit,” I muttered, and stormed angrily across our room. I crawled over the mattress to straddle him. I peeled off my t-shirt and his fingers wrapped around my throat, reeling me in for a kiss, gnashing together teeth and tongue.

“You really know how to get under my skin,” I murmured against his soft mouth, weaving my fingers through his hair to tug on his curls.

“That's exactly where I intend to be,” he said.

Isaac’s hands traveled up my thighs and cupped my ass. He roughly squeezed it, then swiftly smacked my ass. I yelped at the unexpected contact, then moaned as he rubbed the stinging area. He spread apart my cheeks and moved aside my underwear. Isaac slipped a finger into my folds and spread my wetness over my clit, circling the bundle of nerves slowly. Whiny little moans started tumbling from my lips. I was mewling and riding his hand.

“How about you ride my cock? Or are you still mad at me?” he mocked.

I rolled my eyes, removing the covers from his naked body and putting my fist around his shaft, holding it steady so I could spit on the tip. I spread the slick saliva all over his cock while he fucked my mouth with the fingers he just took out of my pussy. He knew I liked sucking on his fingers. They were long and elegant and pretty and I loved the way they reached the back of my throat.

I continued to stroke him, albeit needlessly. “Well, that didn't take long,” I observed out loud, staring at his very hard cock. “You must really like it when I'm mad. Do you just piss me off on purpose, honey?”

Isaac smirked. “Like you’re complaining. You like makeup sex as much as I do. So why don't you stop messing around,” Isaac continued, gently extracting my hand from his cock and lifting my hips so he was positioned at my entrance, “and take me where you really need me?”

I scoffed. “Me, need you? I think it’s the opposite way around.”

“Is that so?” He removed his hands from my body altogether, sat back, smirked, and crossed his arms over his chest. I stared back, unimpressed.

“Really.” I deadpanned. “You’re gonna stop now?”

Isaac shrugged. “It’s not like I need you.”

I glanced down. “Your raging boner suggests otherwise.”

“I can take care of that myself.”

“What, and pass this up? You like your hand more than my body?” Isaac remained unfazed, challenging me with one raised brow. “What was it you were saying earlier? Something about getting under my skin?” I wound my arms around his neck and kissed along his jawline. “Don’t you want to be inside me, baby?” Positioning myself on his thigh, I rode him the way I did the first time we fucked.

It was a while ago, but I still remembered our first time, the way Isaac’s mouth tasted like champagne and vanilla icing when I shoved him against his car, pulled him down by his tie, and kissed him.

“Remember the first time I rode you like this?” I asked. He grunted an affirmation. Isaac pressed his thumbs into my hip bones and guided my movements. His cocky pretense was gone, replaced by hazy lust. “It was right after Scott and Kira’s wedding. We fucked for the first time that night, and you made me come twice. In a fucking car.”

Isaac groaned. “You were incredible. I wanted you for so long and it finally happened.”

I let out a heady moan as my clit brushed against his leg in that perfect angle. “You felt so good inside me that night. I love the way you feel inside me, Isaac. Please, baby, I want you so bad, please fuck me...”

Isaac’s fingers weaved into my hair and he pulled me down to kiss me. “Are you fucking begging me?” In a flurry of movement, Isaac had me on my back, and positioned himself at my entrance. “This what you want?” He slid into me so fast and hard my eyes nearly rolled into the back of my head.

My back arched away from the mattress, and he wrapped his arm around my torso as he slammed into me relentlessly. “Fuck, how do you always feel so good?” He grunted into my shoulder. Suddenly, he stopped. A whiny little noise escaped my throat. “Turn over. Good girl, now stick your ass out.” He slapped my ass again, leaving it stinging and aching for more. “Higher, just like that. Wanna fuck you just like that...”

For the second time, Isaac entered me, sheathed hilt-deep in my pussy. Tthe new angle was making it hard to stay on my knees. He put his hand on my hip to hold me in place.

“Isaac, fuck,” I moaned, “I’m gonna come.”

He leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on my spine. “Good, me too,” he said.

Isaac snaked a hand around my hip and toyed with my clit. All the while he fucked me slow and deep, with his chest against my back, talking filth into my ear. My moans came out in silent mewls. Isaac’s pace was torturously slow.

“You hate it when I go slow like this, don’t you?” he muttered. “It’s too bad since I like taking my time with you.”

I could feel my orgasm bubbling up, so close to brimming over.

“Please, Isaac,” I moaned pathetically.

“Please, what?”

“Please let me come,” I whined.

“Shhh, baby, you’ll come soon enough. You’re just gonna have to be a little patient--oh, shit,” he said in response to me clenching around him. “Your pussy feels so fucking good, you’re so wet.” Isaac grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled, tugged sharply the way I liked it. “Is this what you wanted?” he muttered. He rubbed my clit in quick circles and rutted into me fast and deep. He came before me, and my walls milked out his orgasm before he sent me over the edge.

I dug my nails into Isaac’s shoulder as my body quivered. The jolts of pleasure continued for a good minute afterwards, and Isaac laid me on my side and cradled my body against him. He cupped my cheek and peppered soft little kisses all over my face.

“Shh, I got you,” he said softly.

When I finally came down from the high, in the clarity that followed, it occurred to me that I was no longer mad.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.

“Don’t be. I told you angry sex would be good.”

I chuckled. “No, I mean that you were right. About all of it. I’ve been working too much. We barely see each other.”

He kissed my forehead. “S’alright. I just get worried about you. You’re so stressed out all the time. And I miss you.” Isaac moved his fingertips against my back, tracing lazy, comforting circles.

“I miss you too.” I snuggled deeper into his chest. “I’ll cut back on work. Wanna spend more time with you.”

“Is that right? You’re actually gonna listen to me?” He feigned shock.

I giggled and lightly punched his arm. “Shut up.” I pressed a contented kiss against his chest, right above his beating heart. “Love you,” I mumbled as I dozed off. Isaac’s fingers combed gently through my hair, lulling me into slumber.

“Love you more.”

fin.

#isaac lahey #isaac lahey imagine #daniel sharman #daniel sharman imagine #stiles stilinski #stiles stilinski imagine #dylan o'brien #dylan o'brien imagine #isaac lahey smut #dylan o'brien smut #daniel sharman smut

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iliumheightnights · 3 years

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Baby’s First Spell | Nick Scratch x Male!Morningstar Reader x Harvey Kinkle

Fandom: The chilling adventures of Sabrina Pairing(s): Nick Scratch x Male!Morningstar Reader x Harvey Kinkle Summary: After a spell gone wrong Y/N finds himself turned into a baby and his boyfriends have to act as temporary dads to him...until his actual dad comes. Another cowrite with @inhumanshadows , I always love dad/parental acting stories so this was some great fluff haha. ...

You were reading one of the many spell books that your father had gifted you looking at all the different spells. "Anything interesting?" Harvey asked as he came up behind you.

"Nothing yet. I mean, yes there is, but nothing that catches MY eye you know."

Harvey nodded and Nick walked it. "Oh, we're looking at spells? There must be tons of fun ones in that book the dark lord gave you."

"Yeah. My dad sure does do a good job at giving gifts."

"Oh hey! Look at that, a youth spell. Makes you younger." Harvey pointed out.

"Harvey honey. Does it look like I need to get younger?" You said with some sarcasm.

Harvey shrugged. "I'm just trying to help."

You sigh. "I know you are. Sorry." You keep flipping the pages and huff. "Okay if I have to stare at another spell I will scream."

Nick takes the book away from you and fingers through it. "If it stresses you too much you'll age faster..."

"You just want me to do that age spell don't you?" You ask.

Nick smirks. "Guilty."

Harvey blushes. "You don't even have to go far, just like a couple years."

You let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine! Hand me the book Scratch."

Nick hands you the book and you recite the age spell. At first nothing happens then you feel as if you're getting smaller. "Is it working?"

"Yeah it's working." The boys answer.

Suddenly there's a small bang and a puff of smoke. When the smoke clears Nick and Harvey stare in shock. The book is on the ground and in your place was a baby.

"Oh praise the dark lord what happened??" Nick shouts.

You struggle and squirm around in your now over sized pile of clothes on the ground, crying.

"W-what happened!?" Harvey asked, staring down at you. "Is that him!?"

Nick was frozen speechless looking at you. "Yes, yes Kinkle I believe that is our boyfriend."

Harvey quickly sprung into action, picking you up and bouncing you in his arms trying to stop your crying. "Sshh, hey y/n. It's okay. It's going to be okay. We're here for you."

Nick came up besides him and gently grabbed your tiny arm. "Yeah, we'll get this figured out. Don't cry."

You're swimming in your shirt, Harvey using it as an impromptu blanket.

"Well?? What do we do?"

"Obviously something went wrong in the spell casting. But I don't know where..."

"Should we call his dad?"

"No!" Nick shouts, oddly enough not making you cry but giggle. "That is the nuclear option as you humans put it. Top priority is getting the little guy some clothes and diapers and food. Let's ask the Spellmans"

Something told Nick that your father might have known something was happening with you. He was the dark lord after all.

Harvey nodded. "Y-yeah. We really gotta make sure to clothe him before he does what babies do."

Nick nodded. "I'm not changing him when it does happen."

Harvey only glared at him causing Nick to put his hands up in surrender.

Nick didn't want to risk teleporting you in your current state so he held you while Harvey drove over to the mortuary.

Sabrina opens the door. "Hi guys... Harvey called saying you needed my aunties- is that a baby?"

"Long story, 'Brina. Where's your aunts?"

"Auntie Z is at the academy and Aunt Hilda is in the kitchen" She says, still confused.

"Thanks." Harvey and Nick don't wait to be invited in before storming past her and head towards the kitchen.

"Hilda! Please we need your help!"

"What's the matter b-is that a baby?" Hilda asked.

"It's Y/N. He accidentally turned himself into a baby and we don't know what to do. First we need to get him in diapers."

You cooed and giggled squirming a bit in Harvey's grasp.

"That's my half brother? Well at least he's a cute baby" Sabrina says walking into the kitchen.

"Sabrina? go get the extra diapers from upstairs. and Ambrose’s old baby clothes." Hilda delegates. "Now, Mr. Scratch? I assume you have the spellbook?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Should we give him a bath?" Harvey asks. "Or feed him first?"

"Feed him. He'll get dirty THEN you can give him a bath." Hilda said, her maternal figure coming out.

"Alright. Yeah sounds good." Harvey said.

Nick was looking nervous. "Can you-um, not tell his father about this?"

Hilda laughs to herself. "It's the Dark Lord my dears... he may very well already know. But I won't directly tell him, I promise. There's some jars of baby food in the fridge, Harvey. Will you be alright if I borrow Nick to look at a potential reversal for the spell?"

Harvey nods.

With that Hilda took Nick away, but not before Nick gave you a small peck on your forehead. "Don't worry dear you'll be okay."

Then Harvey got to work on feeding you. Pulling the baby food from the fridge and grabbing a small spoon he began feeding you. Harvey would be lying if he said he didn't do the whole 'here comes the airplane' stuff on you and it made both of you laugh.

After a bit and lots of baby food not reaching your mouth later, he finished feeding you. "There. See? Not so bad...but we're definitely going to have to get you cleaned now. You're filthy."

Nick and Hilda came back soon both looking rather calm. "Well there's no reversal for it immediately, but the good news is that the spell SHOULD wear off."

"Good how long?" Harvey asked.

Neither spoke. "We-don't know. But we think maybe a week."

Harvey's eyes widened. "A WEEK!? Our boyfriend's going to be a baby for a week?"

Nick smirked. "Well...you always did say you wanted to be a dad."

"True. But you're helping me!" Harvey points out, handing you to Nick. "Starting with a bath."

"Fine! How hard can it be?" Nick says, following Sabrina upstairs to what is technically Y/N's room.

"You three are more than welcome to stay here in Y/N's room. Probably better in case you dears need advice and in case something happens regarding the spell." Hilda says, patting Harvey on the shoulder.

"Thanks Hilda." Harvey says.

Her and Sabrina leave the three in the room. You google and squirm a bit in Harvey's arms getting the boys to smile.

"He IS rather adorable like this. Let's keep him." Nick jokes which causes Harvey to roll his eyes.

"Let's get him in a bath first."

They take you to the bathroom and because the bathtub is too large, they settle for the sink so they don't drown you. Making sure the water wasn't too hot or cold they gently sat you inside. "Alright. You clean him."

"What?" Nick asked. "Why do I have to clean him?"

"Because I fed him so you clean him...dad." Harvey jokes, sending a smirk to Nick.

"You're lucky I love both of you."

Nick got to work on washing you and as he did, the lights flickered on and off.

"Oh no. That's not good."

With another flicker Lucifer showed up in the bathroom. He looked...not pissed but rather amused. "Mr.Scratch, Mr.Kinkle. I'm looking for my son."

The boys say nothing; the silence broken by you splashing around in the sink.

"Looks like the jig is up Nick..." Harvey says.

"Oh it was up from the moment my dear son cast the spell. I am me after all." Lucifer says, pushing past the boys and picking you up, magically drying you off. "Oh my precious boy... what did you do?"

You only giggle and reach out grabbing onto your dad's face. He breaks into a smile before pestering your face with kisses.

"That's my little boy! Oh how I've missed you like this!"

Nick and Harvey are shocked at what they're seeing. They honestly didn't think the dark lord would be so...caring and loving.

Lucifer brought you into his chest and held onto you there. "I hope you don't mind. I think I'll be sticking around so I can have some bonding time with my baby boy." He gave them both a look telling them he would be staying and there were no objections.

Both boys nodded. "Of course sir." Nick said. Harvey was at a loss of words.

Lucifer laughs at them. "Bet you didn't expect to be raising your boyfriend did you boys?"

"No sir... I can honestly say we weren't" Harvey stiffly answers

"Boys relax. I'm not going to kill you or anything. Y/N would make me regret it. Besides, I should thank you. I've missed him like this so I'm grateful."

Lucifer turns back to you and tickles your tummy, walking off with you. "where's the dark prince?? There he is!!"

"Did our boyfriend get kidnapped?" Nick asks

"Well, technically it was by his dad?" Harvey retorts.

The boys walk back downstairs and sit at the table.

"Oh tea?" Hilda asks. "Wait... where's the little one?"

"With Lucifer" Harvey and Nick reply

Hilda nods continuing on like nothing matters. "Told you. You can't hide anything from him."

At the time the boys were having tea. Your dad had put you in a diaper finally and came carrying you back into your room. Sitting on your bed.

"Aw look at you. That's my special little boy. My little dark prince you."

You only giggle and played with his fingers.

"You know I wasn't sure about your boyfriends but they've been taking care of you so that puts them on my good side...for now."

Then you made a face and your dad knew exactly what happened. It happened many times when you were a baby originally. "Aw, someone needs a diaper change. Normally I would do it, but I think this is another test for your lovers."

“Oh boys!” Lucifer cheers descending the steps.

The boys scramble out of their seats.

“Time for a rite of passage for anyone raising a child: the first diaper change.”

Hilda laughs from the kitchen. “Oh my.”

Both boy's faces go pure white. All blood draining from their face.

"Not it!" both of them said at the same time.

Lucifer laughs. "Oh yes you will. You're his boyfriends and if I have to change him, I'll turn you both into his next diapers. I don't think anyone wants that." He smirks at their frightened faces from hearing that.

“And I’ll be here if you have questions. But it’s all very self explanatory.”

The boys grab the new diaper and wipes and head to the nearby bathroom.

Not a minute later Hilda and Lucifer hear.

“Satan in hell where does it all come from???”

Both adults bust out laughing, bent over as the chaos continues.

Not a couple minutes later they can hear a shower running.

Lucifer stood up. "I better make sure everything went smoothly."

Going into the bathroom, he found all three of you in the shower, Nick and Harvey trying to clean themselves up. The bathroom itself looked like it was safe from any mess though.

Lucifer gained a smirk. "I'm guessing it went a little rough?"

“Just a bit...” Harvey laughs.

“Well honestly you boys did about as well as I expected. Which isn’t a bad thing.”

Nick is under the water after handing you to Lucifer. “... how does one baby poop so much??!”

"He's also the dark prince, so he's expected to excel at everything he does Scratch."

Lucifer smirks as he takes in your boyfriend's naked appearances.

Harvey tries to cover himself up but Nick doesn't even bother.

“Well well. My son has good taste. You boys wash up and rest. I’ll go and play with this bundle of joy.” Lucifer leaves the boys.

“Well we see where Y/N’s personality comes from.” Harvey says.

"Careful what you say Kinkle, you'll never know what the dark lord will do to you."

Lucifer smiled from the other room as he heard that. He loved tormenting his son's lovers.

After a while the boys exited the bathroom dressed to find your dad holding a napping you in his arms.

"Aw, I see your done boys."

Lucifer stood up and handed you over to Harvey.

"I have to take care of something so I must leave him in your care for just a bit. Take care of my son or I'll make you suffer."

Both boys nodded and Lucifer was off.

"He's so cute."

"Yeah he is." Nick said, pressing a kiss to Harvey's cheek. "We'll make great dads."

"Bet it'll be better when he's also a dad with us."

...

The week passed rather quickly after that Lucifer returned and made sure to stay the entire time. The boys got used to feeding and changing you when need be while your dad just oggled after you, loving the time with his baby boy. At one point Harvey must have said something to tick off your dad and ended up being turned into your teddy bear for a day, Nick had to beg for him to be turned back but the entire time you just snuggled with the bear.

Eventually the week came to an end. Nick was carrying you to the sink to give you a bath when suddenly you started growing at an alarming rate and ended up your regular age wearing a diaper. You smiled at Nick and peppered a kiss. "Thanks for changing my diapers babe." You joked at him. "Yeah. Wait- you remember everything!?"

"Oh yeah I had my regular mind the entire time. I remember every single bit that happened. Including my dad cooing over me and Harvey being a teddy bear."

Nick huffed. "Unbelievable."

Lucifer and Harvey entered the bathroom, Harvey running to hug his boyfriend while your father rolled his eyes. "I'm guessing baby time is over."

You laughed. "It's alright dad. We can always turn YOU into a baby and see how you like it."

Your father seemed to be considering it too and you laughed before turning back to your boyfriends.

“I love you both so much! And if we ever become dads? We’re gonna rock!!”

The boys nod and kiss you.

“Well glad that you’re back to normal my boy. I shall be off.” Lucifer says, giving you a hug. “Mr. Scratch? Mr.Kinkle? Good job.”

And just like that, Lucifer was gone. You changed into normal clothes and laid in bed with your boyfriends, who passed out as soon as they hit the bed.

The next day you all woke up to the sound of a huff.

Sitting up you saw a rather familiar looking baby on your bed.

"Oh my Satan. Dad this wasn't an invitation for us to watch you!"

Nick and Harvey noped out of there so fast. "Nope, not again! You're watching him this time."

#the chilling adventures of sabrina #harvey kinkle x male reader #nick scratch x male reader #harvey kinkle x male!reader #nick scratch x male!reader #inhumanshadows

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starr-fall-knight-rise · 3 years

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HASO, “Perfect Timing.”

Alright everyone. I am beginning to realize that maybe expecting myself to write a story every week day with a job and trying to get into grad school and writing a second novel might be a bit..... excessive?

So I am going to try for three times a week. I hope you all stick around :)

And I hope you enjoy today’s story as well.

Adam stood with his hands behind his back, feet spread to shoulder width. He would never have noticed by himself, but the men and women around him stood a little straighter and stepped a little faster under his watchful eye. Once upon a time they might have only hastened their work if he directly asked them too, but just his mere presence these days could send his crew scurrying to do their work. He hadn’t really changed anything about the way he commanded his men. He was firm when he needed to be but allowed for brevity when it would suit the situation.

However, a few years and some tough lessons was slowly shaping him into the kind of man who could command thousands, sharp posture, calm confidence, and a keen eye.

But then again anyone who could appear professional while wearing high top heelies was a man to be reckoned with.

Sunny walked up next to him her pearlescent white armor glowing under the light as she leaned on the shade of her matching spear. Her head was held high like his. Where once she had been locked up, and defensive, she now stood with the calm confidence of someone who understood what control meant.

Together they had come a long way.

She tilted her head, “You really think he’s going to let you race this…. It’s a million dollar piece of military hardware, they don’t stand a chance.”

Adam didn’t move, hands still clasped behind his back as he stared up at the F-90 Darkfire he was preparing for the race, “I wouldn’t be so sure…. I’ll be lucky to come in last place.”

Sunny frowned confused, “I saw those shuttles, they were junk shows.”

He lifted his head as the F-90 was rolled across the deck.

“This is a race, it isn’t combat. She was built for dogfights which means she is going to be heavier than the others. Wing tip to wing tip she is also going to be a little longer than the other shuttles and jets making maneuvering around obstacles more difficult. Sure she likely has a more powerful engine, but that can be as much of a detriment as it is a leg up.” He gestured in the vague direction of the race course, “We are going to be racing through the planet’s smaller rocky ring. It has an unusual amount of larger, thick chunks which we are going to have to manuver around: the kind of conditions you might see in science fiction movies when they talk about an asteroid field. Asteroid fields are generally too far apart to cause any real issue, but here the rocks are dense, and my flying is going to have to be on pont, having a more powerful engine is going to make her more touchy, and my fitness on the controls is going to have to be absolute.”

Sunny tilted her head listening as he continued. She liked it when this side of him came out. There was something about the analytical, logical side of Adam she found….. Very appealing.

He walked forward to examine the jet himself, “Furthermore, I don’t know if you noticed, but there were a few jets there that weren’t exactly junk shows. A few of them were pretty top of the line, and most of them were built for racing. Lighter, sleeker, faster, and with more engine control than mine.

A lot of my maneuverability is lost out of the atmosphere. This isn’t about how well you can manipulate wind currents, this is going to be all about the very minute rotation of the rear and and wing engines. Their wings are smaller and closer in meaning they are going to rotate more easily than me.

She walked up with him and put a hand on his shoulder, “You forgot to fact in one thing.”

He frowned and looked up, “Oh, what did I miss.”

She smiled slightly, “The skill of the pilot, and I know for a fact that we have the best pilot this side of Andromeda. You can have the best plane in the world, but if you have a shit pilot, then a good pilot in a flying trash can has a chance of winning.”

He Smiled, “Thanks, I needed that.”

He stepped back, “Still it doesn't pay to be too cocky. I have a feeling these people have raced this before, they are going to know what they are dealing with, and I am going tinto this completely blind. This is a test to see if my instincts are better than their practice…. Who knows it could be a very close run thing.”

He moved forward to do an extra check on the outside of the ship despite having a whole team of people to do it for him. Adam had learned to delegate a lot of his responsibilities onto others to avoid burnout, but this was one thing he never left to other people. He came back after a thorough check of the ship and stopped next to her.

His head was tilted to one side as he looked at the machine sitting before him.

“It is missing something.”

Sunny turned her head to look at him, “What?”

He smiled, “Do we have anyone here who has experience with graffiti?”

***

Donavan Red met him when he entered the hanger, wearing his flight suit and holding his helmet under one arm. He had gone for some of his more simple equipment. Didn’t want to give the guy an excuse to blame his skill on technology.

Red looked him over.

“Nice suit, princess.”

Adam just smiled thinly looking around at the other pilots, “I see I might be under-dressed.”

To be far though, he wasn’t exactly sure what he would have described the dress code, if he had to put it on an invitation.

The most apt description seemed to have been.

Dress for Pissing contest.

The men and women wore their uniforms in the same way NASCAR drivers might, covered in logos and patterns. Some of them were clearly custom ordered with personal designs on the backs or the helmets, some sporting flames, others cartoon animals, one guy was just covered in black and white skulls.

The affect up close was ok, but from a distance he just looked like an over excited dalmatian, or maybe some kind of flamboyant cow.

A few of them went for color themes, neon red on black. Neon green on blue.

Most of them tried to coordinate with the matching colors on their ship, each trying to outdo the next.

Red smirked.

The docking bay light began to blink red as the airlock was engaged, and the all turned to watch as the doors opened, and Adam’s jet rolled into the docking bay. She was simultaneously both very impressive and very not impressive. She was an instrument of war, and he rockets lined up on either side of her wings said as much. Adam had once considered her rather sleek in comparison to other jets of the day, but looking at her now in comparison with the racing planes and he couldn’t help but compare her to a pitbull or a bulldog next to greyhounds or whippets.

She rolled up slowly and Red raised an eyebrow.

“A whose guy huh?”

Adam smirked, “I don’t know, I kind of like it.”

They both looked up as the F-90 stopped in place, and along her side in delicate blue cursive script was the name Cinderella. The man who had done the graffiti had even taken the time to add some stylized pink roses to the front and end of the word giving it a finished look.

Donavan seemed both amused and annoyed at the same time.

The men and women around him turned to look over ridicule dying on their lips as they saw the smirk on his face.

It was made pretty clear.

He was going to beat them, and when he beat them, he was going to have a princess logo on the side of his jet, never mind all of their cool paint jobs.

Donavan frowned but then turned to everyone, “Alright load up!.” Adam did as ordered, switching seats with the young pilot in the cockpit and strapping himself in. he adjusted his controls, did a quick once over, and then pulled some power from his engine. There was going to be an overwhelming desire to go fast, but he knew that speed wasn’t going to win him this race.

The jets began lining up next to each other, and to his surprise, one of the sleek racing models sidled up next to him, and when he looked over, he saw Donovan Red cambering into the cockpit.

That didn’t exactly bode well, but what was there to do about it.

He felt cool oxygen spilling onto his mouth and nose as the orange tinted visor dropped down over his eyes. He opted not to use the heads up display preferring to see everything around him as he was flying.

They were all in a line now, and up ahead a large projection appeared on the docking bay doors.

Red lights began to blink as the docking bay was cleared of everyone except for the jets.

The image of a woman appeared on the screen before them.

It was one of the women he had seen before in her cut off jean shorts and tight tank top.

“Ladies and gentlemen start - your - ENGINES!”

All around him the room was filled with a roar as the group of people pushed their engines to an idle.

He could feel the jet underneath him as it thrummed and whined vibrating into his gloves and down into his skin.

His very bones could feel the trembling.

“The course is simple, one lap around the rocky interior ring of the planet. Rules are only this, no leaving the ring, no weapons, and no teams, every man for himself. If the race moderators see any of this, you will be thrown from the race.”

She smiled and leaned back to reveal two green flags in either hand.

She began to wave them.

“On your mark!”

He took a deep calming breath forcing his hand to relax.

“Get set.”

He felt his heart beating hard against his ribcage, his stomach crawled up into his throat, and he felt the sudden and overwhelming need to pee.

“GO!”

THe airlock doors shot open faster than they should have been able, a clear sign someone had bypassed safety protocols. Caught off guard by this, Adam shot out of the gate slower than he would have liked. Already the racing jets streaked ahead, their quicker sleeker designs looking right at home against the blackness of space.

He had to remind himself that in space, without wind resistance, sleek didn’t mean shit.

If he was good enough he could have piloted a brick to win.

He gave more joice to the engine and shot forward. He cut under one of his other opponents and then cythed up next to a second.

He was there for only a moment when he saw something coming in from his right.

Instincts had him move fast, and he turned horizontal shooting upwards just as another jet tried to push him out. He was flying over the two of them now, and gave another burst shooting forward and past them.

This open stretch was the only time he was going to be able to use the power of his engine to his advantage, so he gave her a little more juice and shot forward catching up quickly with the racing models at the front. Two of them cut sideways attempting to block his path. He cursed, forced to fire his engines backwards so as not to go crashing into them.

The ring was approaching quickly now, and he could see very clearly that they had not been kidding. The belt was dense, less mate out of fine sand, and instead made up of billions of rocks some the size of him, others the size of cars, and even some the size of large houses. It was the strangest sort of formation he had ever seen around a planet, and he wondered idly how they stayed in orbit.

The two jets ahead of him cut right and then left as a rock came barreling towards him.

He shouted and rolled to the side barely avoiding a head on collision, his instincts saving him where his active brain could not.

He snarled.

“Pull it together.”

There was no time to be thinking, there was only time for flying.

WIth a practiced hand he toggled a switch on the side of his thumb, and his helmet was suddenly filled with the sound of music and drums. His brain focused inward and stopped thinking. He shot over and then under rolling between rocks just inches away on either side. Off to his right the planet below was glowing with the light of it’s star, a lightning blue halo around it where the atmosphere glowed.

He cut the left dove down and then rolled up.

He could see the other jets ahead of him cutting in and out through the rocks. His breathing grew even, his body relaxed, his brain heard nothing but the beat of the music and saw nothing but the obstacles ahead of him.

One of the jets pulled up next to him from behind recklessly rolling around one of the rocks. They were racing wing tip to wing tip now.

They cut right and left under and over he rolled left they rolled right. They were shaky just hanging on, but his flying was smooth.

Up ahead one of the other jets lit up with glowing orange as a set of flares broke from it’s back end shatting against the debris behind it. Rocks were thrown off their normal course and went smashing into each other turning the rock field ahead of them into a meat grinder. Adam shot forward and dived downward while rolling tight, behind him the racer was unable to replicate the move and a piece of rock caught their wing sending them spinning off to the side and out of the ring.

Adam dodged a piece of debris coming in from his left, flipped upside down and shot diving upward and then righting himself just under the jet up front.

He could see the leader now, and recognized it as Red himself .

The jet above him attempted to drop down and knock him out of position, but he gave a burst to the engine and shot forward.

The jet behind him punched downward and nearly collided into a rock before pulling back into the palace.

Adam took their place in second.

Red could see him coming.

Another set of flares was released.

He checked his forward momentum and rolled three or four times to his right. G forces tugged at his consciousness forcing blackness to the edge of his vision. He tightened the muscles of his chest and stomach forcing blood back up into his head as he breathed out in short controlled bursts.

A rock flew overhead, he cut low, bumped up and then executed a rolling turn over a massive rock pulling in behind red and just up to the right to avoid another burst of flares.

The two of them were fighting for the front now.

And red was good, he knew how to handle a jet, but so did Adam.

They roared past a field of rocks splitting apart as a massive chunk came between them. Adam roared forward, and panicked for a single moment as he saw an impenetrable wall of rock appear just before him. Then a crack appeared. He fired the forward engine and cut horizontal passing through an opening that left him only feet to spare. Rock rose up to meet him, and he rotated his engine up dropping vertically before cutting sideways and passing under a rock. Teeth gritted, he punched upward passing through a gap just as it closed behind him.

A yell of exertain escaped his lips as he pulled straight up cutting up the side of a massive mansion-sized rock before diving right back down into the thick of it.

Red was gone, he didn’t see him anymore.

Was he up front?

And then the sleek black jet dropped down from above cutting him off.

He cursed and swerved low past another rock forced to cut diagonal back into line.

He pulled up wing to wing with the men again.

They dove, they pulled up and they took a wide turn ac coordinated together as a military formation never more than four feet apart.

They were going faster than they probably should have reacted. second by second he rolled left Red went right. They both met in a dive rolling past each other, wings almost touching before cutting upwards mirroring each other in opposite directions. The sound of the music melded with the path of his flight.

They were racing side by side just as one of the other jets roared over them careening out of control in a desperate attempt t o reach front. They watched him dive pull up cut left, and then a rock rolled right into their path. The two of them barely had time to react as the rock hit their right wing and then sent them slamming into the next boulder. There was an eruption and a brief ball of fire as oxygen was consumed from inside the cockpit. Debris blossomed up around them in a miniature explosion.

Adam greeted his teeth, eyes wide .

What was once a race suddenly turned into a battlezone. He and Red dove together rolling around the debris desperately trying to avoid getting cut in two. At these speeds, one hit would be the death of them. His heart raced in his chest as he pulled forward cutting in the triangle made by three boulders side by side. Red mirrored him below.

A chunk of metal shot towards him, and he toggled his right wing burst just in time, lowering his left side just in time for the chunk to go flying past him. He pulled up with a gasp as a massive chunk of rock cut up before him. Red shot below and he rolled over the top coming into second place.

Up ahead a mining barge ascended through the line of rocks.

Adam roared with exertion as he pulled up and leveled out shooting right under the attached arm of the barge. Red lights erupted over it’s hull in a proximity warning as he went just inches overhead.

The barge driver, clearly spooked twisted to the side and the arm of the barge rolled with it, catching a boulder and sending it flying towards the grouping next to it, there was a sudden explosion of rock and again he was forced to roll to the side. Up down, over and under, cything between lines of rock.

He was almost hit once, then twice.

He toggled the forward engines, slowing himself down and then shooting straight up before continuing forward.

The rocks around him were rolling unpredictably colliding and then exploding into smaller pieces. There was no way he was making it through that alive.

He was rolling diving spinning twisting, and then, he felt it…. Something he had only felt on occasion. The world around him went silent, everything seemed to slow, and he was filled with…. With a feeling. It was like light, bursting out from his chest, rolling up through his skin and into his head.

He entered a moment of perfect execution. He cut into a tight roll his wings cything through the minute gaps between debris with timing so perfect it shouldn't have been humanly possible. Rocks passed by him at hundreds of miles an hour inches away from the glass of his canopy, one wrong move and he’d be dead. He cut through a gap that gave him inches on either side rolld right dove down, turned left, spun once and then twice, and made a completely vertical ascent. Rocks flew past him on his right and on his left.

Up ahead he could see a gap slowly closing before him. He opened up his engine and shot forward so fast everything was a blur.

The rocks collided behind him as they snapped shut, and he flew into the clear firing forward to slow himself, and then red was there too descending from above spinning and wobbling, almost out of control and careening directly towards a house sized boulder.

He panicked firing up and down at the same time and sending him into a spin.

He was heading directly towards the rock .

WIthout thinking Adam locked onto the rock, and fired. A rocket under his wing detached and shot forward exploding violently just in time for Red to pass through unharmed. Red jolted awkwardly and rolled to one side. Adam cut past under from right to left and rolled straight over red to avoid a rock.

There was a moment where the two of them were staring at each other through the clear canopy.

Eyes met for an instant, and Adam could see the wide eyed fear on the man’s face., Then Adam rolled ahead ducking under the last rock and then bursting out into space.

He let the F-90 have her moment, and completely opened the engine shooting forward and cutting through the finish line which flashed bright green. In that moment He was hit with such a sense of exhilaration and joy that he couldn't imagine anything better. Who needed drugs, who needed love, who needed any of that when you could fly.

Hed did a triumphant loop whooping the whole way.

Of course, a feeling like that can never last long and slowly began to fade away. THe reality of what he had just done was both terrifying and amazing to the point he felt his body begging to shake. The tension and fear he had been holding back exploded inside him just like that joy and he found his hands trembling on the joystick.

He let it overtake him. He had been like this since he was young and fighting it would only make things worse. Despite his shaking hands he flew back to the docking bay and landed his jet with the precision of a surgeon. Finally when the engine was off and the flood stable underneath him he slumped back in his seat shaking and racked with rolling tremors. He closed his eyes and breathed long and slow.

Behind him the others came limping in.

None of them were completely unscathed, at least one person was dead. His hands continued to shake as the airlock doors shut, and as soon as the room was pressurized, he opened the cockpit. As soon as it did, Sunny came running into the room and up the ladder. SHeleft her spear on the floor and helped him to climb out. His legs were shaking and he almost fell if it weren’t for her support.

She knew him too well, sitting him down on the lowest step and kneeling next to him.

“Are you ok?”

He grinned at her, “That was…. Holy shit.”

He held up his hand to watch the shaking, “I’m having an earthquake.”

It was just then that Red jumped out of his jet onto the floor. He staggered when he did but pushed away the men who tried to help, “What the ever loving FUCK just happened. The field had NEVER been like that. Jaz DIED out there, what the FUCK.”

The people milled around in confusion.

Red turned to him, eyes narrowing as he stalked over. Adam sighed and looked up as the man stopped to stand over him

“I’m sorry, I’ll get out of your hair.”

The man paused confused, “What?”

“I broke the rules. Means I forfeit.”

Red looked almost nonplussed, “What are you on about?”

Adam slowly took to his feet taking a few more deep wreaths to steady himself before drawing to his full height. He was stead now and looked down at Red with an unwavering gaze. He held out a hand, “I used weapons during the race, that was against the rules. These weren’t flares to move the rocks. I used a targeted missile during the race and that means I broke the rules.”

Red stared at him.

Then he snorted, “Damn the rules. You saved my ass.” he turned to look at his people, “I am more than man enough to acknowledge that.” HE turned back to Adam, “You saved my life you crazy bastard. I am not even sure how you are still alive ….. Because that flying…. That was….. Holy fuck.” He grinned and took Adam by the shoulder, “you shaking, man.” He held up his hand to show a tremor, “Me too, now let's go get some drinks and talk this out. I owe you after all.”

The two of them walked off through the forest of shaken pilots, “You are the kind of man I can see myself doing business with.”

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canyouhearthelight · 3 years

Text

The Miys, Ch. 125

I am so sorry that this is posting late today!! I didn’t realize my queue ran out, or that I didn’t load these in there.

Thank you, every day, to everyone who helped me hang in there as long as I’ve been lucky enough to write this story. As much fun as the weapons expo was, I swear we are working towards everything else that has changed in the time skip! I would love to hear what y’all are most excited to find out about.

Shoutouts always go to @baelpenrose, @charlylimph-blog, and @the-raven-fae for all your encouragement, plot bunnies, and beta-reading.

The day after the weapons exhibition, the air on the Ark was still crackling with excitement. Every time I overheard people chattering over a specific performance, I smiled to myself. That particular event had been the first that Parvati and Hannah planned without my help, and hearing the overwhelming approval for it was something I would be all too happy to convey back to them. They really had done a great job.

Sebastian ended up bowing out after the first year, because he was unable to balance the demands of the mentorship and the Undine. As the only one of the three who could not just change their job responsibilities, he had chosen his passion - which absolutely no one was upset about. Parvati had even joked that we had backup Councillors, but only one Undine.

The response I received from my mentees when I shared what I heard, however, was underwhelming. Hannah gave a small smile and nodded, while Parvati waved off the praise with a scoff. “We were essentially following a template,” she pointed out.

Hannah nodded at me with a rueful expression. “Unfortunately, she’s right. There wasn’t much of a challenge, there.”

Just as a full pout was settling into my chest, Alistair breezed in and took off his scarf - for once, I couldn’t tell myself it was just for dramatic effect, as the climate controls in public areas were phased in to mimic what was projected for seasonal changes on Von. Currently it was the cold season, and Alistair was miserable about it. “Of course it wasn’t a challenge,” he scowled. “You both have been assisting Madam Reid since the exhibitions began. However, it is profoundly rude to ignore the feedback you received.” He glared at Parvati and Hannah, who managed to look sheepish. “One of you will be Councillor one day, and your responsibility will be things just like this. You should be pleased with a job well done, not resting on your laurels.”

I nodded and didn’t bother hiding my grin. “He’s right, you know. Besides, don’t forget that this is when the hard part starts.”

Two sets of eyes widened at me, with Hannah adding a gasp of horror. “Oh gods. The feedback…”

“Yep.” I popped the last letter as I took my seat and the coffee that Alistair offered, noticing that he did not retrieve any for my mentees. Apparently he was really miffed by their attitudes before. “And, along with coordinating the event on your own…”

“Sophia, you’re joking,” Parvati glared.

“I am most certainly not,” I shook my head. “Every event, you have to read the feedback. You can filter it all you want, narrow down the categories, whatever. But I strongly recommend that you read all of the negative feedback if nothing else.”

“But you’ve always had help,” Hannah pointed out calmly.

“I did,” I admitted, “but that doesn’t mean I ignored or delegated the important parts. Having people who you trust to do a pulse check of what is being said unofficially is an extremely valuable tool. However, at the end of the day, the performance of the events, or the projects, or the staffing balances, comes right back to this office and only this office. I can listen to Tyche, or my partners, or other Councillors until my ears fall off. But if something went wrong, or could have been done better, I’m the one who catches fault for that. Which means, eventually, it will be one of you.”

With a deep breath, both women nodded and opened the files in question. After simply staring and scrolling for a few minutes, Parvati sat back and tapped the side of her chin. “Can we filter out all comments under five words and comments with only positive adjectives that do not contain a conditional statement?” She glanced at me and I nodded my approval.

That seemed to spark an idea in Hannah. “Prioritize comments including the words ‘dangerous’, ‘barbaric’, or synonyms of.” When her co-mentee gave her a quizzical look, she shrugged. “It’s good to have at least a count of people who object to the weapons exhibitions, and if they are just a small number at least there are guaranteed to be a few in there that are pretty funny.”

Parvati still looked like she wasn’t convinced, so Alistair spoke up. “If you do not enjoy the weapons exhibitions, why are you attending?”

“Ahhh,” she smiled. Clearly the thought had never occurred to her, which was entirely unsurprising. Parvati hadn’t dated Xiomara as long as she did by harboring a secret grudge against self-defense and proper applications of force.

Now that they found a starting point for weeding through the feedback, it was clear they were engrossed in gathering information. Periodically, I would hear one make a considering noise before jotting down a note to come back to later. I quietly moved to my desk and observed how differently they handled the process - When I went through feedback with Alistair, we shared it on the table emitter so both could see. Parvati and Hannah, however, sat across from each other, on their singular data pads, flicking particular pieces of information back and forth to each other without even glancing up. The partnership they had developed over the last four years of working with me was astounding to watch.

“What you are feeling now is exactly what it feels like to watch you and Tyche,” Alistair murmured, startling me out of my reverie. When I glanced at him, he simply lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head. “Even after working with you both for so long, there are moments where it is clear you both are working on some sort of wavelength the rest of us are not aware of.”

“Charly is pretty tuned in to it. And Arthur, when he wants to be.”

“Miss Harper is a force unto herself.” The corner of his mouth lifted in one of his rare, fond smiles. “As for Farro, I am beginning to believe that Reidish is one of the languages he learned for historical manuscripts.” Snark dripped from his tone out of old habit - if there had ever been any animosity between the two, it was long gone.

Although, apparently the hypothetical existence of ‘Reidish’ as a language was still bopping it’s merry way around the Ark.

“Noah,” I pointed out. “They understand us perfectly well.”

“Yes, let us all congratulate you two, not only on the fact that a mind-reading alien understands your communication better than your own species, but also on the fact that you have tainted them with your mannerisms.” The sarcasm would have stung, had he not felt the need to demonstrate by tipping his index finger and thumb over his eye in imitation of an eyebrow with one hand, while making a sock-puppet nod with the other - both of which were gestures Noah used as filler for human body language. The contrast between his words, the gestures, and the absolute deadpan expression on his face sent me into hysterics.

I didn’t realize we were being watched until Hannah’s voice broke through my laughter. “Derek actually taught them the eyebrow one. That wasn’t Sophia or Tyche. He started doing it because he can’t just lift one eyebrow, and Miys started mimicking him when they saw how useful it was to convey tone.” When Alistair only stared at her in disbelief, she huffed and turned to her datapad before flicking a recording to the table emitter.

Sure enough, there was Derek, adjusting Miys ‘fingers’ and repeating the gesture for them to imitate. After several adjustments of where the vomu was held, Derek seemed satisfied and flashed a double thumbs-up, which was returned in triplicate. As the recording ended, Hannah turned back with the smuggest expression I had ever seen on her gentle face.

“I’ll be damned.” Alistair’s voice was soft with surprise and a hint of admiration.

“Hannah, how do you have that?” I asked, concerned for Derek’s privacy.

She waved me off. “Zach was doing routine security sensor testing, found that in the process, and asked Derek if we could keep a copy of it. Derek said it was okay, and asked for a copy for himself.” She shrugged. “I’d never seen him voluntarily touch someone that much before, and even without that, it was adorable.”

“I’m glad he knows you have it,” I sighed in relief. “But yeah, it makes sense, honestly.” Hannah nodded in agreement, while Parvati and Alistair were clearly waiting for an explanation. I started ticking off reasons on my fingers. “Miys is very careful of personal space because they know how large they are, and Derek hates having his space invaded without permission. Miys is never ‘too loud’ for Derek, or touches without permission, or even speaks to him without Derek speaking first. There’s no pressure for eye contact, even just in Derek’s head, because Miys doesn’t have eyes.”

“Your mind is a strange and wonderful place,” Alistair stated drily before turning to Hannah and Parvati. “I hope you two have been taking notes on it. I happen to know what your next event is, and you’re going to need that level of insight.”

Arching an eyebrow at him, Parvati did not even look away to pull up her calendar, dragging it into her line of sight. Her eyes widened suddenly.

“You have three months,” I pointed out.

She reached out and shook Hannah’s arm vigorously. “Han.”

A quick glance and a second horrified expression looked at me from the table.

“Three months.”

“Sophia.”

“You’ve both helped me with it, for at least the last four years. And you said you wanted a challenge.”

They both groaned comically, but I struggled not to smile at their antics. I knew they weren’t really as worried as they pretended to be.

Alistair leaned over the whisper again. “I thought Tyche was the evil one.”

That did get me to smile.

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#the miys #humans are weird #found family #humans are space orcs #earth is space australia #survival #apocalypse #aliens #haw #hfy #humans are space fae #science fiction #scifi #original scifi #original writing #my writing

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firewoodfigs · 3 years

Note

For the WIP asks, could I pls know a lil bit more about the next few chapters of memento amare :,,,) I CRAVE (but also understand you're a superbusy superstar so I will await as patiently as I can!!!!)

heLLO you flatter me too much the only thing I am rn is a broke college student living on maccas and caffeine HAHAHAHA xD here’s a toast to us both!!! 🤠 but YES of course for you anything <3 and since you asked for the “next few chapters”... HERE WE GO

[POSSIBLE SPOILERS!! I tried to be all vague and whatnot, but vagueness is subjective and I’m half-asleep LOL]

For the next chapter, we’re gonna slide right back into the angst business, albeit with a few sprinkles of poorly-timed humour here and there and more snark. I suppose there’s also gonna be a wee bit of character / relationship analysis - a bit less action, but I kind of wanted to build up Roy & Riza’s relationship a little, and as [spoiler alert?] I hinted to in chapter 7, Ed’s gonna make another appearance, to Roy’s dismay and to Riza’s... uh... I’ll drop a little something here, if it helps xD

Amongst the three of them whom Riza had gotten reacquainted with - him, Rebecca and Edward - Mustang liked to think that he was the most skilled at concealing his emotions. Years of politicking around with sycophantic sleaze bags had certainly taught him how to keep his enemies close and his cards closer. Rebecca was naturally expressive, but she was also military, so she came a close second. But Edward… where did he even begin? The kid was exactly the kind of moron who’d go around proclaiming that he didn’t give a rat’s ass about anything or anyone, and then proceed to wear his entire heart on his sleeve. (Mustang sincerely hoped that becoming a professional poker player wasn’t in his list of alternative career options. He’d go bankrupt in a day.)

And Riza, ever perceptive, clearly hadn’t missed the haunted look in his wide, golden eyes.

One of the things I really enjoyed about FMA was also how every character had a vital role to play in the story. I hope to achieve that in memento amare as well, but it’s tough because I’m severely lacking Arakawa’s native genius 😂 even though the story is predominantly about Roy and Riza, I think Roy is smart enough to know that he can’t handle everything on his own (and tbh, he has a ton to deal with - inter alia, trying to reconstruct Ishval, dealing with the citizens’ rising suspicion and dimming faith in the government, the loss of his precious Lieutenant). A good leader knows when to delegate the work, or so I’ve been told 😆

SO [another possible spoiler] a dilemma I’ve been facing is whether to write from Ed’s POV to introduce another character in chapter 7. There are a few reasons why I was thinking of doing so, including but not limited to: (i) Ed’s natural guilt complex means that he must feel like crap over what happened to Riza too (in a sense, this sorta alludes to the summary - the ‘price’ she pays also refers to the relationships and the people around her who are suffering as a result) (ii) comparing the implications of the Promised Day on the city vs the countryside (iii) drawing similarities between two characters approx. 10 chapters or so down the road... hahaHAHA

For chapter 9, we’re gonna see (hopefully) a shift in Roy & Riza’s relationship, and also them vibin’, or not really, at their respective jobs 😆 I’m quite excited to write this chapter because of the impending hurt/comfort, and also the juxtapositions in the nature of their work? I can’t say too much, but I think it’ll be interesting to consider how Roy, despite working for an incumbent Fuhrer who knows and favours him, still has a limited sense of agency sans what he aspires to achieve because he’s working in a military institution, for a stratocratic government after all.

My personal head canon is also this: that Grumman was lucky enough to escape the Ishval extermination, and therefore would probably not be as invested in rebuilding Ishval or decentralising power to the people. So I reckon their ideologies would probably diverge at some points, but maybe they’ll agree to disagree?? We’ll see xD

[another possible spoiler]

Their ideologies converged insofar as a democracy was involved, but the divergence lay in their notion of power. Mustang knew that Grumman didn’t believe in a complete decentralisation of power. He wasn’t willing, nor was he about to relinquish all of his power and leave it in the citizens’ clammy, suspicious hands.

I don’t have a fixed outline for chapter 9 yet, though, so I might also just scrap the part about their jobs and focus more on their relationship for the time being :”)

“You have nothing to apologise for,” he reassured. “None of this is your fault.”

I’m sorry this turned out to be such a ridiculously long response, but THANKS FOR THE ASK and for giving me a chance to ramble on about all my random thoughts that I’m too tired to put into proper writing atm 😂 ILY FRIEND!! Hope your week is off to a good start!! <3

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queen-scribbles · 4 years

Text

I Would Never

Bry and Jonas took the “off-track” prompt @greyias sent me and ran away with it to the tune of 3.5k words. :D I apologize for nothing, I’ve missed these two. Set in my canon with Vica as Alliance Commander where Bry joined up somewhere during the KotXXs. (Vica, btw, is pronounced Vee-kah)

---

Vica looked frazzled.

It was an unusual enough sight it took a minute to register when Briyoni passed by a conference room and noted her sister inside. She didn’t know Jedi were allowed to look anything other then calm, serene, put-together, and on top of things at all times. (Which, she thought with a smirk, would’ve ruled Shan right out if the lack of a Force connection hadn’t done it.) It was enough of an oddity to make her backtrack a couple paces and lean against the doorway.

“Need help, Vic?” she asked with a grin as she crossed her arms.

Vica’s head came up, loose bits of hair dancing in front of her eyes, and she blinked as she shifted focus from her trio of datapads to Bry’s face. “No, it’s...” She wrinkled her nose and smoothed back the loose hair. “Thank you for offering, I do appreciate it, but’s nothing a little... creativity with assignments can’t fix.”

“You sure?” Bry arched a brow. “‘Cause not even worrying your boyfriend had turned traitor visibly broke that whole Jedi Serenity” --she waved a hand in a vague gesture-- “but this sure has.”

Vica rolled her eyes a little at Bry’s opening word choice but didn’t take the bait. “I’m sure. It’s-”

One of the datapads let out an angry squawk and she blanched when she looked at the screen.

“Oh, come on, really?” she groaned, sinking back into her chair.

Bry pushed off the wall and strode over. “What?”

“Two of the perimeter sensors went down,” Vica said with a sigh, nudging the datapad so Bry could see. “It’s probably just surge or something related to the security upgrade Theron and Lana talked me into doing, but on the off-chance it’s not...” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “And all the maintenance staff are working on the upgrades, and if it is dangerous-”

“I’ll take care of it,” Bry cut her off. “Haven’t had anything to do for awhile, and even if it’s nothing exciting, it’s a couple hours’ speeder ride. That part’ll be fun.”

Vica didn’t even protest, relief flickering in her eyes.”Take someone with you. Just in case.”

“Sure.” Bry grinned. “Maybe I’ll take your spy boy; make sure he knows what’ll happen if he even thinks about doing something that would hurt you again.”

“Briyoni, if there was any risk of that, I wouldn’t have married him,” Vica said tartly. “Anyway, you can’t take him; we have a meeting--”

“Sure ya do,” Bry teased, waggling her brows.

Vica shot her a withering look. “With Admiral Aygo and General Daeruun.” She toyed with another of the datapad and smiled mischievously. “Besides, wouldn’t you rather take your spy boy than mine?”

“Always, but he’s not he-” Bry narrowed her eyes. “What do you know that I don’t, Commander?”

Vica handed her the datapad. “The Republic delegation that arrived less than an hour ago.”

Bry’s heart leapt and she couldn’t keep from grinning when she found his name halfway down the list. “And he didn’t come find me? I’m hurt.”

“This is business, Briyoni,” Vica sighed.

“Stars, I know that,” Bry said with a laugh as she set down the datapad. “I’m teasin’, Vic. But I have always been a fan of mixing a little pleasure in there, so I’m gonna go find my husband, borrow a speeder bike, and we’ll take care of those sensors and be back in a few hours.”

“Be careful,” Vica called after her. “And try to bring the bike back relatively undamaged?”

“Do my best,” Bry returned in a sing-song and headed for the cantina.

---

Despite being, historically, the most likely place to find Jonas, there was neither hide nor hair of him in the cantina. More than a little surprised, Bry widened her search until she finally found him in the military hanger, perched at one end of a stack of smaller shipping crates and frowning at the datapad in his hands.

Bry sauntered up behind him and leaned against one of the crates so she could look over his shoulder. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Jonas only slightly flinched as his gaze shot up from the datapad. He was grinning even before they made eye contact. “Hey, gorgeous.”

“Hey, yourself, handsome.” She smirked. “I’m trying to decide how offended I am that I rank below datawork.”

“You’ve got that backwards, Bry,” Jonas countered, still grinning. “I’m getting the boring stuff out of the way first, so it’s not an interruption later. ‘Sides, you know how bureaucrats are about their datawork.”

“Nice save,” Bry chuckled, leaning over to give him an upside-down kiss. “If you want something other than datawork to do...” she waited til he arched a brow to continue. “...how does checking a couple perimeter sensors sound?”

Jonas wrinkled his nose. “’Bout as boring as th-”

“With me,” she elaborated, and couldn’t help snickering when his eyes lit up as he pushed to his feet.

“Well, that changes things,” he said, winking and leaning in for another kiss.

“Thought it might,” Bry said with a laugh as her fingers dug into his hair at the back of his neck. “You able to leave now, or need a few more minutes?”

“Oh, I’m all set,” he said, remaining a mere inch or two from her after pulling back from the kiss. “I was just about done.” He reached done without looking and tapped a key. “There. I’m all yours, gorgeous.”

“Mm, just what I like to hear,” Bry said playfully. She kissed the tip of his nose before stepping back. “I’m flying.”

A smirk pulled at Jonas’ lips. “In that case, I’ll need to update my will before we leave...”

She crossed her arms and stuck out one hip as she arched a brow. “You callin’ me a bad pilot, Jo?”

“I would never,” he said, tone dripping with mock offense, and placed a hand to his chest. “It’s just that you have a vastly different opinion than the rest of the galaxy what qualifies as safe parameters for piloting a speeder bike.”

“Blame it on my swoop racing youth,” Bry snarked, grinning at him. “B’sides, I thought you liked that I’m fast.”

Jonas rolled his eyes but chuckled. “That only applies to some things, gorgeous. Others it just makes me worry.”

“You don’t need to,” Bry said with a shrug, still grinning. “I’m real good.” And real lucky, she added to herself.

His eyes went serious for a minute even if his tone was still teasing. “Y’know, one day that bravado’s gonna catch up to you, Bry.”

“Maybe,” she shrugged. “‘Til that day comes, though, I’m flying.” She winked at him. “Look at it as me giving you an excuse to hold on even tighter.”

Jonas snorted and draped an arm around her shoulders as they headed out of the hanger. “When have I ever needed an excuse for that?”

---

All snark and bravado aside, Jonas’ arms stayed wrapped tight around Bry’s middle the whole way to the first sensor. He squeezed even tighter every time she didn’t slow down enough for a turn, or goosed the throttle for sections with a clear line of sight. Were it not for the wind tearing past, Bry was pretty sure she’d have felt his heartbeat pounding against her back. She took pity on him somewhere past the halfway mark and dropped their speed to something closer to generally acceptable levels.

They still reached the first sensor in far less time than your average pilot. Her own heart pounding from the glorious adrenaline rush, Bry hopped off the speeder soon as Jonas loosened his grip on her waist.

She tried--unsuccessfully--to bury her smirk when it took a few seconds for him to follow.

“You better not be laughing at me,” Jonas grumbled, but she could hear the (reluctant) smile in his voice.

“I would never.” She didn’t even bother trying to sound hurt; he wouldn’t buy it.

“Sure you wouldn’t,” he snorted. “Just like Jo wasn’t going to turn into a casual nickname, and we were going to save that bottle of Corellian whiskey for something special-”

“Hey, that was special,” Bry cut him off, wheeling around with a grin.

“Not that bottle,” Jonas smirked. “That was absolutely pretty damn special. The replacement.”

“Oh.” She wrinkled her nose as she backed into the sensor. “You mean the one I broke?”

“Against the wall,” he elaborated for her. “Yes, that one.”

“Hey, I was righteously pissed on your behalf, handsome,” Bry shrugged, but couldn’t keep a sheepish edge out of her smile. “I can replace it; Vica’s gotta have somethin’ comparable floatin’ around that big fancy base of hers...”

“I’ll hold you to that, but one thing at a time, gorgeous,” Jonas said with a chuckle. “Don’t we have a job to do first?”

“Right.” Bry turned from the banter to start prying off the maintenance panel for the sensor array.

Just as Vica had guessed, a surge had overloaded the dampeners and fried a pair of power conduits. It was a relatively easy fix, and Bry plunked down on a rock to get to it.

“Anything serious?” Jonas asked, leaning against the waist high casing to watch her work.

“Nah.” Bry raked her hair out of her eyes and glanced up at him. “Just gotta replace a couple wires. It’s a simple enough repair I can handle it; nothing serious.”

And it was. Fifteen minutes later she was flicking the sensor’s power on and sliding the maintenance panel back into place. She accepted the hand up Jonas offered, deliberately didn’t compensate momentum for the help so she stumbled into his chest.

“Oops,” she said with a wink as his arms settled around her back.

He laughed and stole a kiss. “Subtlety's never been your strong suit, Bry.”

“Never seen a point,” Bry countered impishly.She patted her hand against his chest and reluctantly stepped back. “C’mon, we have another sensor to check.”

After a last check that the sensor was functioning properly, the two of them mounted the speeder bike again. Bry barely waited for Jonas’ arms to settle around her waist before she gunned it and sent them rocketing forward along the planned path to sensor number two.

Jonas’ grip stiffened and she laughed as she backed off the speed ever so slightly.

“Sorry, Jo,” she hollered, hoping he could ear her over the wind.

He squeezed briefly tighter before his grip slacked to be more bearable, which she hoped meant apology accepted.

At least the slower pace meant she could risk occasional glances at the nav holo hanging between the speeder’s control grips. Another smile tugged Bry’s lips, though not of the ‘messing with my husband’ variety this time. When.the canyon they were following split, she went left.

“Get your left and right mixed up?” Jonas asked over the thrum of the speeder’s engine and wind in their ears.

“No, this way’s-”

“A shortcut?” he interrupted drolly.

“More fun,” she corrected with a grin.

Ahead of them, the canyon widened and the open space was dotted with rock pillars that rose to dizzying heights. She knew the exact moment the terrain and her comment clicked together in Jonas’ head because he pressed himself even closer against her back before she started throttling back up.

While the speeder wasn’t as versatile as some she’d flown, it handled well enough as Bry set it zigzagging between the pillars. Just as they approached the end of the route, she spotted a side cut. Quick glance at the nav holo showed that while it lead to a snarled maze of narrow canyons, it could be followed to their destination. She turned down it without hesitation--Jonas didn’t even protest this time--and cut her speed enough to make repeated glances at the holomap less dangerous. It still took quick reflexes to pick out the route they needed and make the turns in time.

A quarter of the way in was when she stopped trying to keep track of them, just let her instincts carry them forward.

Halfway in was when everything but the speeder’s engine quit working. Comms, the map, everything.

Running off adrenaline, Bry followed her gut through the next couple turns until they reached a clearing that seemed a safe enough place to stop. They sat on the speeder, both silent for the moment, the only sound the idling engine echoing off the canyon walls.

“Don’t suppose you know the way out of here?” Jonas finally said glibly, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Bry braced her wrists against the control grips and leaned forward slightly. “Not off the top of my head, no.”

“And I suppose it’s too much to hope you remember the way back?”

“I thought memorizing that was your job,” she teased. “I was too focused on not running into things or going down a dead end.”

“Fair. Maybe we should have clarified responsibilities before you went veering down the fun route....” he teased right back, hands sliding off her waist.

Bry chuckled, turning to face him and leaning against the control grips. “I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

“Oh, you think there’ll be a next time, huh?” Jonas’ eyes were laughing as he tried to look annoyed. (He may have also been that, too, but it was hardly his primary mood, she could tell.)

“Sure there will,” she said coyly. “You never have been good at telling me no.” Her weight shifted just enough with the attempt to look smug and seductive she started to slide into the gap between the grips.

Jonas let out an actual laugh as he grabbed her arm. “You got me there,” he admitted. “You alright?”

“Only damage is to my dignity,” Bry said with a huff of sheepish laughter as she righted herself.

“And that was a lost cause anyway,” he needled with a grin.

She pushed him off the speeder.

And remembered too late that he was holding her arm. Fortunately it wasn’t far to the ground, and she landed on top of him, so that softened her landing, at least.

“Ow,” Jonas groaned, then smirked at her. “Least the view’s good.”

Bry half-heartedly slapped his arm as she rolled off to sit next to him, a seat she only kept for a few seconds before pushing to her feet so she could power down the speeder. No sense wasting fuel. She offered Jonas a hand up, which he took. She was more than a little surprised when he caught his balance once upright instead of letting himself run into her. She’d kind of been expecting payback. “Not going to try and knock me off my feet, Agent Balkar?”

“Colonel Nerai, I would never.” His eyes twinkled over the solemn tone and he kissed the tip of her nose. “Besides, one of us has to be the bigger person.”

Bry arched a brow. “Mmhm. Well, Mr. Bigger-Person, any guesses what happened?”

Jonas thought for a minute, running his thumb contemplatively along his lower lip. “Are we far enough from the base for it to cause problems?”

She shook her head. “Don’t think so, they have a hell of a long range.Besides, the holo’s a separate function; distance wouldn’t kill that.”

“Right...Something wrong with the speeder?”

Another shake of her head as she leaned against the side of the bike. “Would have knocked out the engine, too, wouldn’t it?”

“Not necessarily...” Jonas pointed out, leaning against the speeder next to her. “Not if it’s electronics, that wouldn’t affect the mechanical aspects.”

“Wouldn’t affect the comms, either,” Bry sighed, dragging the toe of her boot through the dirt.

He tipped his head in silent concession before lifting his gaze to scan the surrounding cliffs. “What about the canyon?”

“Can’t rule it out,” Bry said thoughtfully. “Not deep enough to be blocking signals, but depending on the rock composition, that could mess with things...”

“Well, in that case, wouldn’t we just need to backtrack out of radius for things to work again?”

She huffed a sigh through her nose and watched a makrin amble along nearby. “Yeah, except I made... at least three turns after things went down, and those I was definitely too focused on not running into things to remember which way I went.”

“So...” Jonas turned to look at her and arched a brow. “We’re lost.”

“Yep,” Bry confirmed, then flashed a cheesy grin. “At least we couldn’t ask for better company, right?”

He laughed. “And it’s a really good way to get some time alone together.”

“Durasteel clad,” she said cheerfully.

“So perfect no one will believe it wasn’t on purpose,” he pointed out.

“Eh, speeder logs’ll back us up,” Bry countered, sidling closer. “And we are going to work on finding our way out...” She pivoted from where their sides now pressed together so they were chest to chest, Jonas caught between her and the bike. “Eventually.”

“But why waste an opportunity that’s been dropped in our laps?” he supplied with a chuckle as his hands settled on her hips.

“Exactly,” she grinned. “Knew you were smart, s’why I married you.”

“And here I thought it was because I’m roguishly handsome and ridiculously charming,” he deadpanned as her fingers curled around the lapels of his jacket and he leaned closer.

“Those were also factors,” Bry murmured in concession, and tugged him the final inch or so into a kiss.

By the time they got around to finding their way out, neither would have considered this a wasted opportunity.

---

It took an hour or two of trial and error with all the turn-offs, and more than one dead end, but the comms and nav holo did eventually prove Bry’s theory correct and fizzle back to life.

Just in time for an intensely worried “...riyoni?!” to crackle into her ear.

Bry arched both brows at Jonas as she answered. “Yeah, Vic?”

“Oh, thank the Force,” Vica’s voice swirled through the comm in a rush. “I’ve been trying to check in for... half an hour. What happened?”

“We, uh, ran into some technical difficulties exploring an alternate route,” Bry said. “There’s a section of canyon down here, fuzzed out comms and the map.” Silence answered for a long enough stretch to make her frown. “Vica?”

“I think I know where you’re talking about,” her sister said flatly. “Are you out of there?”

“Yeah...”Her frown pulled deeper.

“Good. Don’t go back.” There was a faint tension in Vica’s tone, of the ‘pfassk I don’t want to talk about’ variety, so Bry didn’t press.

“Yes, ma’am, Commander, ma’am,” she said instead, glibly as possible.

The desired snort of almost-laughter came back. “Finish your job, Briyoni.”

“That’s the plan. Get back on track, fix the sensor, be on our way home. See you in an hour or so, Vic.”

“See you then,” Vica confirmed, and the comm went silent.

“Well, now we’ve got my sister worrying about us, so no more distractions or detours,” Bry said to Jonas, running her fingers through her hair to check for forest detritus.

“You must be heartbroken,” he deadpanned.

“Absolutely crushed I have to behave myself,” she confirmed, kicking the bike up to a more fun speed. At least until we’re back at base...

They reached the second sensor without incident, found the same issue as the first--though this one bore claw marks from curious or hungry wildlife--and had it fixed up easily.

“All done and headin’ home,” Bry reported over comms.

“Good to know, see you soon,” Vica replied. “Thank you for taking care of this.”

“Not a problem.” She signed off and looked at Jonas. “Think we’ll manage to steal some time once we’re back?”

“We can but try,” he returned with a chuckle, kissing her forehead.

With that incentive hanging in the air, Bry put on extra speed for the ride back. Jonas maintained a death grip on her waist the whole way, and she wasn’t sure if the smile tugging her lips was from that or the adrenaline rush of flying.

“i think you gave me bruises, Jo,” she needled playfully when they stopped and he finally let go of her.

“I’ll just have to kiss them better,” he retorted, kissing the back of her head.

“No bruises there, handsome,” Bry giggled as she dismounted the speeder.

He slipped off right behind her and leaned close to whisper in her ear. “Really? That’s surprising.”

She refused to give him the satisfaction of making her blush, but she did bite her lip. “Shouldn’t be; you know I’m tougher than that,” she whispered back with a wink.

Jonas chuckled and hung a couple paces behind her as she checked the speeder bike back in. When that was done, she turned to find him looking at her with a smirk pulling one corner of his mouth upward.

“What?” she laughed.

Jonas shook his head slightly and stepped closer. “Whatever my opinion of you preferred flying style, I do have to admit this is a good look for you.”

Bry snorted and raked her fingers through her tousled hair. “Windblown?”

“Happy,” he corrected with a laugh, and pulled her in for a kiss she savored probably longer than she should’ve.

“I need to tell Vic we’re back,” she murmured, reluctantly stepping away. “Meet you in the cantina when I”m done?”

Jonas nodded and lightly tapped her nose “Don’t dilly-dally, gorgeous.”

“With you waiting for me, Jo?” Bry grinned. “I would never.”

#queens fic #nonverbal prompts #briyoni nerai #jonas balkar #vica nerai #otp: better company #brykar #i'm real tempted to write vica's side of this... (mis)adventure #not in the least bc it would mean actually getting to write her and theron :3 #but YAY that was the last nonverbal prompt

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beautyandthewarcanons · 3 years

Text

Echo's Beacon: Part One

[Beauty and the War & Don't Take This Risk characters belong to @poisonappletales ❤]

I gazed out the window, smiling to myself as I watched the landscape filtering in and out of view. Sixteen of us were crammed into the large van as the driver took us to our destination; a manor in the beautiful countryside, just opposite of a quaint little town. I needed the break from work, and the group of Virgo Islanders wanted to spend some time in the human world. I glanced over, Ambrosia's head resting against my shoulder as she slept. Just then, the driver called our attention to the manor just ahead. I craned my head, smiling as we approached.

"Ladies and 'gents... Echo's Beacon." The blue haired driver nodded toward the magnificent structure, and I marveled as the van was put in park.

"Finally, I can stretch my legs!" Viktor exclaimed, practically sprawling out the door. "Honestly Miss Kara, how do humans stay cramped up in these small spaces for so long?!"

"Finally, I don't have to be stuck in this thing with all of you." Wind muttered, exiting the vehicle and shaking himself off.

"Lady Ambrosia. Lady Ambrosia, will you wake and mind what I'm saying?" Jasmine shook her cousin, Ambrosia blinking her eyes open.

"The reason she fell asleep in the first place is probably BECAUSE she minded you, lady Jasmine." Rosemary rolled her eyes. "I'm hungry, there better be something to eat in there!"

"Just think of all the parties we could throw in here!" Bo Peep beamed.

"I'd love to host a banquet for my ruby." Barium tickled the underside of Bo's chin, making her giggle.

"Yeah, like we'd party with you losers." Wildfire scoffed. "None of you know what getting wild means."

"Ha! It's in the woman's name, after all." Brooks laughed.

"I beg to differ, ladies." Unknown, who was shockingly wearing some semblance of clothing, chimed in, his smirk never ceasing.

"Boy, I can't wait to see what that dirt path leads to!" Chase said, a skip in his step.

"I'm just glad to be out of prison... though, I hope I don't regret saying that." X rolled his eyes.

"I will do as the King has requested and begin moving everyone's belongings to the manor." Onyx said, and I watched as he effortlessly grabbed about half the bags in begin carrying them in a single trip. I cleared my throat, approaching the driver.

"Hey Dominic, thanks for everything." I took out my wallet, handing him some cash.

"You... know the invoice you paid included a tip, right?" He rose a brow.

"Believe me, listening to all the banter and not losing your mind earned you extra." I chuckled.

"Well, thanks boo." He nodded, tipping his hat to me. "Well, looks like the other guy's handling the rest of the bags. He nodded toward the van, and I looked to see Night carrying some. Ambrosia turned disdainfully from him, making her way toward me. "I'm gonna get going. I've got a date with a nice girl name Jo with my name on it to get ready for."

"Have fun on your date." I smiled.

"Have fun with your gang here." He was about to get back into the van, when he stopped, turning to look at me. "Hey, boo?"

"Yeah?" I answered.

"Do you get scared easily?"

"Uh... it depends. Why?"

"Nah, I don't want to ruin your vay cay."

"This place doesn't have rodents or anything, does it?" I asked, concerned.

"Nah. It doesn't have pests like that. Just... try to ignore certain noises and stuff. I think it's just a combination of old house creaking and pipes. They do a decent job keeping the place clean."

"Sure." I nodded. "Thanks again, Dominic."

"You got it. Hopefully I'll see you in a week." He got in the van then, the engine roaring before taking off.

I turned to look at the house, smiling. There was a bit of a haze upon the air, and I took my phone out to take a picture. Everyone had gone inside already, and as I began to move forward, I stopped as my gaze gravitated to a window some ways up. It appeared a bit different than the others, triangular in shape. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about this window drew me in. Was it the location on the hoise? The shape? The lighting? Was it-

"Hey, idiot." Wildfire snapped me out of my daze. "They're looking for you. Go daydream in there." She snickered, turning on her heel. I shook my head, following her inside.

---

"Okay." I said after finally getting everyone's attention. "First, thank you to Ambrosia for helping me look over and label the rooms."

"You're very welcome, Lady Kara." The Phoenix smiled.

"So one of the reasons I picked this place is because there are eight bedrooms. Being there are sixteen of us, simple math, two people to a bedroom. So..." I took out a piece of paper. "I made room arrangements."

"A sensible idea, Miss Kara." Arsenik shot a side glance at Wind when he grumbled to himself.

"Can't we just sleep where we want to, woman?" X asked.

"I would like some organization, and I don't think that's too much to ask."

"I believe such arrangements should be carried out by the King." Onyx spoke up.

"Well Onyx, I arranged and paid for this trip, so I think I'm entitled to take the reigns here."

"Mmm... I love bold women." Unknown mused.

"I think you like all women, Unknown." Chase said uneasily.

"Why shouldn't I?" Unknown replied.

"Onyx, I don't mind letting Kara making the arrangements. It's a nice break for me, actually... not having to delegate."

"Since when do you do any actual work?" Wind questioned.

"Sir Wind, lady Kara is trying to do something. We should listen to her."

"Thank you, Ambrosia." I heaved a sigh. "Okay. So like I said, the rooms are labeled to lessen confusion."

"So, perhaps I should change the numbers when no one is looking, hm?" Unknown chuckled.

"Unknown, you do that, and you'll be sleeping outside." I shook my head. "Why did I invite you again?"

"Because maybe you're turning a new leaf with me? Speaking of which, maybe if I sleep outside, we can sneak off to a nice, big pile of leaves, and I can turn you on-"

"Unknown, you'll not spend this entire venture speaking to the women in this house in such a gross manner. Otherwise, I may enforce miss Kara's previous sentiment." Arsenik snapped. "Please continue, Miss Kara."

"Finally... now. Here are the room assignments, so pay attention... Ambrosia, you and I will take room one."

"Mmm... sexy." Unknown smirked.

"Unknown, shut up." I shot him a look. "Room two will be Rosemary and Jasmine."

"Wonderful. I have to deal with her whining all night." Jasmine said flatly.

"Like you're any better!" Rosemary exclaimed.

"Both of you knock it off right now or I'll make you both sleep in the basement." I snapped. Rosemary gulped, clamming up. "Room three will be Arsenik and Viktor."

"Seems reasonable to me." Arsenik nodded.

"I have no problem with it either! I just hope the room in particular isn't too stuffy." Viktor said.

"Room four will be Chase and Wind." I continued.

"Neat! Roommates!" Chase beamed at Wind.

"No." The Imugi said flatly.

"Okay, then you can go to the basement." I said, raising my eyebrows in a no-nonsense manner. After a short lived staredown, in which Ambrosia nudged him lightly, he curled his lip.

"Fine." He hissed.

"Perfect." I smiled. "Room five, Wildfire and Brooks."

"Woo!" Brooks fist pumped the air.

"Least I'm not bunking with some losers I know." Wildfire scoffed at the Phoenix. She ignored my glare.

"Room six, as I'm sure neither of you mind, Bo Peep, along with you, your majesty." I nodded toward Barium.

"More like room sex..." Unknown laughed. I rolled my eyes.

"Yay! Sleepover with my sexy stud!" Bo Peep beamed.

Barium chuckled. "That's a perfectly fine arrangement. Thank you, Kara."

"Why does HE get to go to bed with a woman?!" X protested.

"Because he's the King, and I know that Bo Peep would at least consent to the arrangement."

"Listen lady, I'm a king too! King of the cage!" X sneered.

"You're going to be king of the basement if you keep this up." I rose a brow.

"Yeah? And how do you think you'll make me do anything, huh?" X smirked in my face.

"Ambrosia?" I said without diverting my gaze from X. He suddenly levitated in the air.

"Woah- princess, what do y'think you're doing?!" X exclaimed.

"Now Sir X, lady Kara put a great deal of thought into these room assignments. If you promise to cooperate, I'll let you down." She spoke gently as always.

"Alright, alright! Put me down!"

"Thank you, Sir X." Ambrosia smiled, lowering him back to the ground. I held out a hand, and Ambrosia high fived me.

"So next up is room seven, Night and Onyx." Night was about to respond; "I hope the room is interesting enough for you, Night." The tallest Vi closed his mouth at being cut off.

"I have no comments for this arrangement. It is acceptable." Onyx replied.

"That's fine, Onyx." I shook my head before moving on. "Last but not least, X, Unknown, you're in room eight."

"Are you serious?!" X threw his hands up. "Why am I with the creep?!"

"Sir X, must I make you airbound again?" Ambrosia asked.

"Because I don't trust Unknown as far as I can throw him and you're just the man to keep an eye on him and keep him in line."

"Hey, I don't want to babysit this guy for a whole week!"

"Oh, but that's precisely what you're going to do every night when it's lights out." I smiled, X glaring at me.

"You're so going to pay for this, lady." X grumbled.

"I'm not very pleased either... I'd rather be in a room with someone I can appreciate some triple X with..." Unknown pondered aloud.

"Unknown, you're lucky I'm not making you sleep out in the woods. Because believe me, I'm still considering it."

"Perhaps we can camp together, dearie... wouldn't that be romantic?"

"It would be a great place for me to hide your body." I narrowed my eyes. "Anyway... if you guys have any stuff, I guess now would be a good time to bring it to your room."

"Come on, Wind! Let's check out our room!" Chase chirped, snatching up his bag.

"Kill me now." Wind hissed out a sigh.

"Sir Wind, this vacation is going to be fun! I know you're going to just love it." Ambrosia encouraged.

"Miss Ambrosia, I'm inclined to think the Imugi is incapable of having fun with anything." Viktor scoffed.

"It doesn't help that I'm stuck here with all of you." Wind snapped. "I'm going outside."

"Miss Ambrosia, here. I'll help you with your things." Arsenik offered. I glanced over for a moment as his gloved hand took up Ambrosia's bag. I turned back, moving briskly down the hall to plop my bag in the room before going into the attached bathroom to wash up. As I ran my hands through the water, splashing it on my face, I paused for a moment. I tilted my head as it looked like traces of black mud and sand were falling from my hands and into the sink, swirling down the drain. I snapped out of it when Ambrosia approached me, glancing around.

"A lovely bath house- er, bath room, lady Kara. If you like, I can help you begin unpacking."

"Um... I think I'm okay. Going to wash up and then explore a bit. Thanks, Ambrosia." I glanced down. I couldn't see the dirt anymore. Ambrosia was quiet for a moment.

"Alright, lady Kara." She placed a hand on my shoulder briefly before going into the bedroom, opening the drapes.

To be continued...

#beautyandthewar #poisonappletales #beauty and the war x playing pieces #beauty and the war #donttakethisrisk #ambrosia #dont take this risk #arsenik #unknown #horror #fanficion

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magicterrence · 4 years

Text

BIG LEAGUES.

Type: Self-Para

Setting: Ministry of Magic, October 2020.

Premise: The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has a suspect for the Devon burglary. Unfortunately for Terry, that suspect happens to be a foreign protected person.

He’d been at his desk for so long, the chair beneath him had grown uncomfortable. While most men worked late for a few more hours of peace before returning to a house full of noise and demands from his wife and kids, Terrence preferred the company of bills, contracts, and trade deals to the empty home that awaited him at Eyot Green. Even if it did overlook the Thames.

A knock at the door breaks his concentration, “Come in.”

A junior attaché appeared. He stood half through the door and spoke with a stammer. “Sir, we have a problem.”

“Don’t we always?” Terrence says candidly, looking up from the document he was reading to find the attaché using the door as a shield. “Come in, Younger. Close the door behind you and sit down.”

The attaché nervously followed his instructions. Terrence wondered what mess had been made for him to clean up now. “Well?” He asked.

“It’s regarding the Bideford Burglary in Devon.” Younger states apprehensively, “Magical Law enforcement made some inquiries and they’ve got a few suspects...”

“Younger. Spit it out.”

“Among them was Nicholas Kessler.” Terrence eyes widened slightly at the name, “Seeker for the German National Quidditch team. He’s been drafted from the German league to ours this year, he’s playing for the Tutshill Tornados. Signed last year for 200,000 Galleons.”

Fuck.

Following the breaches to the Statue of Secrecy, International Magical Cooperation has never been more delicate for Britain. They couldn’t afford to anger the Germans, who had been strong allies in recent years. Especially not now, and not with this, as Quidditch season was due to start. Still. If he could find Kessler before Law Enforcement, Terrence could fix this before it went awry.

“And where is Kessler now?” Terry asks, with urgency in his voice.

“Downstairs. Aurors brought him in for questioning two hours ago. We were just alerted now. I don’t think anyone else knows.”

Fuck.

“Younger,” The anger bubbling up in his chest had found it’s way into his tone, “What evidence do they have on Kessler that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement thought to themselves, ‘Fuck it, let’s go question a foreign national of significance without consulting International Magical Cooperation’?” He says with a derisive laugh, “Well?”

“He was placed at the shop at Bideford by a witness a day before the robbery.” Younger slightly winced as the words came out of his mouth, “He was inquiring about an item that was later stolen.”

Fuck.

He took off his glasses, and tossed them on the desk. As he rubbed his eyes, Terrence’s mind raced; the consequences of a simple questioning could be so complicated, so diverse, that predicting what could happen next was challenging. One thing was certain, this would be an offence that the Germans could use to leverage. But so could he.

“Right, here’s what I want you do to, Younger.” Terry looks at his aide intensely, “You’re going to draft a letter addressing the German Delegation. It will say that we had their Seeker in for questioning as a person of interest in an active investigation. Due to him being a protected person, this information is not yet public and we acknowledge that he can evoke diplomatic immunity. However, it would be best if he was advised to cooperate with us instead as this is a matter of national security.” He pauses, collecting his thoughts, “And subtly imply it’s British Quidditch season soon and I’m sure they don’t want to have their Seeker’s name dragged through the mud just before his great debut here.”

“Are we allowed to do that?” The young attaché asks anxiously.

Terrence ignores his question, and gets up on his feet. “After you’ve done that I want you to pull all the intelligence we have on Nicholas Kessler and his acquaintances. I want to know about each and every one of them. Their families, their sympathies, where the Tornados train, what they had for fucking breakfast. Reach out to our contact at the Daily Prophet for information.” Terrence would make inquiries in his own circles too.

Younger nods, understanding his orders. Fuming, Terrence storms out his office for Level 2.

By the time he reaches the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, his anger conceded to his rational and logical nature. Terrence finds the floor empty with the exception of two aurors stood outside a room, discussing a matter in hushed whispers.

"Where’s Kessler?” Terrence demands.

“That was fast.” One of the aurors replies, "I didn’t know if anyone from International Magical Cooperation was still here, or I would have sent for you lot sooner.”

“You’ve brought the German National Quidditch team’s Seeker in for questioning about Dark Objects without consulting my office first.” Terrence’s demeanour was collected as always and his voice steady, but his eyes narrowed slightly with bitterness. “Two hours you’ve had him, until that courtesy was extended.” He takes a step closer, asserting himself, “Now, tell me, has he asked for immunity?”

“Boot, sometimes to do our efficiently jobs we need to bypass the red tape of bureaucracy.” The second auror speaks, defensively, “We couldn’t have him being tipped off and disappearing. You’re lucky we’ve kept it quiet and brought him after hours.”

Bolstered by his colleagues response, the first auror chimes in, “We’ve brought him in because we can. He’s playing in the British league so by nature of his employment here he’s will within our purview.”

“Gentlemen.” Terry lets out a sigh, looking at the two of them incredulously, “He’s a protected person. His employment doesn’t change that. You’ve violated protocol, and in doing so, created a problem you can’t even comprehend. So, I hope the information you’ve acquired in the last two hours of questioning was at least worth it.”

“Kessler was at the shop a day before the burglary, asking for an item that was taken. There’s two witnesses we have that placed him there. We thoroughly searched him and his premises, both were clean.”

“In other words, you’ve brought him in with no hard evidence.” Terry says, abruptly, “So, are you going to apologise in German or English? Or should we ask him what language he prefers?”

"He’s hiding something, Boot. He says he didn’t know it was a Dark Object. He won’t answer why he was looking for it either. It’s all highly suspicious and irregular. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be on our side?”

“That just means he’s not stupid enough to perjure himself.” Terry simply remarks. “I am on your side. Has he asked for immunity?”

The second auror nods, “Why do you think you’re here.”

“Cheers, gentlemen.” Terry scoffs, before entering the questioning room.

Kessler sat bored in his chair, his fingers steepled together. “Finally.” He speaks in a thick German accent, “You’re from International Cooperation, yes?”

“Good evening, Mr Kessler.” Terrence nods and sits opposite him and clears his throat, “I understand you’ve chosen to evoke diplomatic immunity over this particular matter.”

“Ja.” The Seeker says smugly, “Can I leave now?”

“We’re very grateful for your cooperation with us thus far.” Terry gives him a close-lipped smile, “You are free to leave, Mr Kessler. After all you are a protected person, but I’d advise you to stay.”

“Then I will be leaving.” Kessler says, standing from his seat and straightening his clothes.

Terry hums and purses his lips, “Shame. I was hoping we could talk Quidditch.”

Kessler shrugs, “Maybe another time, Herr...”

“Boot.” Terry finishes his sentence. “There’s no time like the present, Mr Kessler. You’re an impressive player, I myself have seen you in action. And now you’ve signed on to play in the British League. We’re lucky to have a man your exceptional talent play here. Even if it is for the Tutshill Tornados.”

“We’re a good team. Strong players this year.” Kessler states, rather proudly. He angles his body towards the door and takes a step in its direction.

“I’m more of Montrose Magpie man, myself.” Terrence lamely explained. “So Tutshill being a man down is in my favour I suppose.”

Kessler’s brows furrow and his eyes narrow at Terrence, “What do you mean?”

“You told my two colleagues that you didn’t know the item you sought was a Dark Object.” Terry continues, in his certain clear voice, “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Kessler replies, sharply.

“Which is innocence enough, don’t you think?” Terrence asks, “If we were to have a look at your memories or dose you with Veritaserum, we wouldn’t find anything that would incriminate you. Instead, it would exonerate you. We’d never bother you again, and the Tutshill Tornados would even stand a chance to win the league.”

“But you can’t.” Kessler asserts, “I’m protected.”

“Yes, indeed, as we have established.” Terry exhales sharply, “But what bothers me Mr Kessler, is that you can waive your diplomatic immunity and clear your name. What we find would be kept strictly confidential as a courtesy to your for your compliance. You’re a public figure, that would benefit you greatly.” He pauses, shortly, “But you haven’t. Which tells me either you knew about it being a Dark Object, or there’s something even worse you are hiding.”

Kessler visibly stiffened. “Maybe, I just don’t want to be involved”

“We will find out the nature of your involvement, make no mistake Mr Kessler. Your status as a protected person only means your case will be tried according to International Law, where the punishments are arguably worse if found guilty.” He says sternly. Terrence stands up and joins Kessler near the door, his tone now turns warm, “Help us solve this matter. Answer our questions. We have no desire to see a promising athlete such as yourself being caught up in scandal like this.” Terrence pulls the door open for Kessler to leave, “You’re free to go. Sleep on my words. If you feel differently, my office is on Level 5, ask for Terrence Boot.”

Nicholas Kessler leaves without another word. Terry hopes he has a change of heart, it would make his life that much easier.

He returns to his office, in hope Younger had done exactly as he asked. “Is that letter ready?”

“Yes.” Younger replies, thrusting it into Terrence’s hands.

He glosses over it, and signs the bottom of the parchment. “Good. Send it off.”

“And here’s what I’ve got on Kessler so far.” He hands Terry a file, “It’s not a lot but there’s some things in there I think we can use.”

Terrence flicks through the file. He raises a brow impressed, “Good work.” He mumbles, “Keep being informative and proactive, and you’ll make Senior Legal Attaché in no time.” Closing the file, he hands it back to Younger. “Let’s see what you’ve got. Formulate a strategy, a contingency plan with this. Report back to me tomorrow afternoon with your thoughts.” Terry smiles, and begins to walk away, “But for now, go home. I sure as hell am.”

#self para #location: ministry of magic #self para: big leagues #lmao the OCs i have conjured out of THIN air

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breanime · 5 years

Text

Patience

Requested by @thel0stpr1ncess: my dude, can I get a fic where logan is being incredibly annoying because he wants your attention but you're busy trying to do some work? And something along the lines of this happens "if you loved me, you'd pay attention to meee!" And reader says in a deadpan voice, but also jokingly "guess i dont love you then." Cue logan pouting and whimpering like a sad puppy? Thank yooouu! -propertyofpoeandbucky

I had every intention of making this cute and sweet, but then it turned steamy because I am Horny and Depressed, hope you enjoy! WARNING: steamy!

*gif not mine*

“Baby.”

You ignored Logan and continued staring down at your laptop.

“Sweetheart.”

You clicked a few keys, adding something to the document that helped bring it all together.

“Princess?”

You moved a graph; it was in the wrong section.

“I’m cold,” Logan whined from his spot on the couch, “Come over here and warm me up.”

“Can’t. Working.” You said, eyes not leaving your computer.

“You’ve been working all day,” he sighed, “Why don’t you take a break? Come sit on Daddy’s lap.”

You rolled your eyes with a chuckle. This wasn’t the first invitation you’d gotten from him since you’d come home. But you had to work—Logan was lucky enough to be in a position where he could make his own hours and delegate to those below him. You were not as fortunate. Really, the fact that you were even at home was a compromise you’d made with him. You could have been at the office, where the distractions were few, but Logan had given you those big puppy-dog eyes, and you’d agreed to work at home so you two could be together. Except now he was calling for you every five seconds and disrupting your concentration. “I’m almost done.”

“You said that three hours ago,” he said, slumping against the couch, “Why don’t you just call it a day, huh?”

“Because I’m not done yet,” you said back, clicking the keys with unnecessary force, “Why don’t you call Juliet and see if she wants to hang out for a few hours?”

“A few—I thought you were almost done!”

“Well, it’s hard to tell because I have to keep stopping to fight you off,” you said back.

He scoffed, sitting up and glaring at you. “Well, excuse me for wanting to spend time with my girlfriend.”

“I’d be able to spend time with you if you would just, y’know, shut up for half an hour and let me work,” you quipped back.

Logan’s mouth fell open, offended. “I thought you loved me!” He gasped.

You laughed, turning to look at your dramatic boyfriend. He was both glaring and pouting at you from over the couch, dark hair impeccable even though he hadn’t done anything but annoy you all day. “If I didn’t love you, would I have given you three ‘pay attention to me’ breaks in one day?”

“Three wasn’t enough,” he pouted.

You turned back to your work, shaking your head. You knew Logan was needy on a good day, which is why you gave him three chances to have your undivided attention. Of course, he had the patience of…something without patience, so he’d used them all right away. You smiled to yourself, punching the keys as you remembered the breaks…one was spent with Logan’s dick in your mouth, then the next with you bent over the kitchen table, and the third was a nice, slow round of lovemaking on the bed followed by a nap that you really couldn’t afford to take. Which was why you had to push through your work and make up for lost time. “Well, three is all you’re gonna get.”

“Baby, I’m hard.”

“You’re always hard,” you closed a tab on your computer, satisfied with that part of the job, “Go to the bedroom and take care of yourself.”

“You wanna watch?” Logan smirked.

You licked your lips, hands hovering over your keyboard. You…definitely wanted to watch. Hell—you wanted to help. But you were really close to being done… “Can’t,” you said, taking a breath, “Working.”

“Baaaaaaaaaby,” he whined, “c’mon, I need you. I miss you.”

“How can you miss me? I’m right here.” You didn’t look up from your computer.

“Pay attention to me, I’m horny!” He demanded, stomping his foot.

“Something’s off with these numbers,” you said, determined to block him out.

“Baby, I need you to come over here and help me,” he pleaded.

“Oh… I see what happened. Someone in accounting messed up.” You shrugged. “S’okay… It’s easily fixed.”

“You know what’s not easily fixed? The tent in my pants,” Logan chirped, humping upwards into the air, “You see that? That’s something only you can fix.”

You ignored him, clicking a few keys before sitting back. Technically, your part of the project was done. There was still more that needed to be edited, but your job was finished. You could give Logan the attention he so desperately needed, or…you could tease him a bit more. “You know what,” you said, clicking random keys, “this might take longer than I thought. Maybe I should go back to the office.”

“What?” Logan was standing on the couch when you looked back. “No—you promised we’d stay in all day!”

“Yeah,” you turned back to the computer, “but this is starting to look worse than I thought. I need to give this my full attention.”

“If you loved me, you’d pay attention to meeeee!” He cried.

You rolled your eyes, turning around with a deadpan look on your face. “Guess I don’t love you then.”

You watched Logan deflate in a matter of seconds. He plopped back down on the couch, big dark eyes wide and hurt. He didn’t say anything, just turned and curled up on the couch, back to you.

“Logan?” You stood, concern clear in your voice. “Hey, come on, baby, I didn’t mean it.” He didn’t say anything back. You walked over to him and frowned when you saw the sad look on his face. “Baby?” You sat down next to him and put a hand in his hair.

Logan looked back up at you with the saddest pout on his sweet face. “You don’t love me?” He whimpered.

You felt a pang in your heart, and you ran your fingers through his thick hair just the way you knew he liked. “I was joking,” you explained softly, “I’m sorry, baby.” You leaned down and kissed his forehead. “You know I love you.”

Logan looked up at you, mouth still set in an adorable frown. “That’s not a good joke, princess.” He muttered. “Don’t stop,” he adding, grabbing your hand and putting it back in his hair.

“I know,” you agreed easily, pulling lightly on the strands, “I’m sorry, baby. How can I make it up to you?” You saw the wheels turning in his head and smiled. “How can I show you I love you?”

He sat up quickly, fighting to keep a smirk off his face. “I don’t know…” He murmured. “Maybe a kiss?”

You crawled into his lap and but both arms around his shoulders, holding him close. You could feel his hard-on beneath you, and you wiggled on top of him a bit, making him groan. “My sweet Logan,” you sang, rubbing his nose with yours, “I love you so, so much…” You kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry I ignored you, baby.” You pecked him on the lips, quick and light. “Let me make it all better…” You kissed him again, much slower. He hummed happily as you slipped your tongue in his mouth. His hands went down to grip your ass, and you smiled as you pulled back, eyes on his. “Better?”

“Worse,” he answered, voice husky and eyes low, “I’m hard as a rock, baby.”

“Hm,” you said, reaching down to unzip his jeans, “I think I can help with that…” You slipped your hand inside his briefs, gripping his hard cock. You both groaned at the feeling; he was so hot and hard in your hand, you kissed him again as your hand moved up and down between you.

“That’s good, princess,” he whispered into your mouth, “Really good…” He lowered his mouth and sucked on your neck, making you moan as his tongue and teeth grazed your skin. You felt one of his hands crawl up your back and underneath your shirt, unclasping your bra and caressing your back sweetly. He kissed your neck, and you wiggled closer to him.

“I’m not done,” you said with a smile. You gave him another lingering kiss before getting off of his lap and lowering yourself to your knees. Logan watched you greedily, licking his lips as he grinned down at you. You made a show of pulling his pants down, and he lifted himself up to give you aid. You kept one hand on him, pumping him slowly, before you finally leaned down and kissed the tip of his cock, eyes still on his. “I,” you kissed it again, “love,” you licked around the head, closing your eyes at the exquisite taste of him, “you.”

“I love you, too,” he huffed out, staring down at you. You could see—and feel—how excited he was, and you clenched your thighs together. Without another word, you lowered your mouth on him and took as much of him in your mouth as you could. You moaned when he put a hand in your hair, pushing you further down on his cock. “Fuuuuuck,” he sighed, leaning his head back, “so good, princess, so good…”

You hummed happily. You swallowed around him, making sure to make the wet noises that you knew he adored, and wrapped a hand around his cock, running it up and down as you sucked him off. Your other hand went between your legs, and you heard Logan chuckle when he saw what you were doing.

“That’s it, baby,” he instructed gently, “Touch yourself for me.” You obliged happily. “Mm,” he went on, “add another finger in. And move your panties down, let me see what you’re doing.” You followed his directions, shifting slightly so he could see your hand lodged between your legs. You groaned on his cock as you slid another finger inside yourself, and Logan moaned in response. You watched him reach up and pull his shirt off, and you stared up at his broad, bare chest as it heaved at your actions below him. He pulled your head back by your hair, keeping your mouth on his cock, but making it so he could look into your eyes. “Very good,” he praised you, “You’re doing… such a good job, sweetheart.”

You pulled back, taking a breath as you twisted his cock in your hand. “Baby,” you breathed out, “I need more.”

His grin was all teeth. “Come and get it.”

You climbed back on top of him after tossing your pants and underwear to the side. Logan lifted your shirt off of you and threw it. He removed your bra with his teeth. You threw your head back as his teeth grazed your breasts, and you gripped his hair as his beard brushed against your sensitive skin.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Logan cooed as he stuck three fingers in you at once, making your back arch, “I love you so much,” he peppered kisses down the side of your neck as you moaned and gasped. His long fingers curled in and out of you quickly, and the friction was driving you insane. You pulled on Logan’s thick hair and scratched at his back, silently begging him to keep going. “I know,” he said, smiling into the juncture between your neck and collarbone, “You’re so close, baby. But what if I just stopped…” His fingers froze inside you.

You stared down at him, eyes wide. “Logan…” You said slowly, a warning in your voice.

“I mean,” he buried his face inside your neck again, “it’s only fair. You ignored me…”

You rolled your hips, and you felt his fingers twitch inside you. “Logan!” You hissed, digging your nails into his shoulders. “Come on!”

He pulled back and looked at you, dark eyes glittering with mischievous. “Ask nicely.”

Now it was your turn to pout. You put your arms around his shoulders and played with his hair. “Please, Logan,” you said softly, jutting out your lower lip, “Love of my life, my sweet Logan, please let me cum.” You kissed him. “I’m begging you.”

He grinned. “No need to beg,” he said lightly, “Of course I’ll give you want you want, princess.” And with that, he thrust up in you, making you scream with pleasurable surprise. You threw your head back, gripping his shoulders again, as he pounded upwards into you, laughing the whole way. Logan leaned his head down and bit you between your collarbone, lapping at the sweat that was gathering there as his hips continued humping up into you. You closed your eyes and rolled your hips, moving in time with him.

You pulled at his hair and kissed him, keeping his mouth on yours as you both moved together, wrapped up in each other with only the sounds of heavy breathing and skin-on-skin passing between you. You wanted to tease him. You wanted to tell him you loved him, you wanted to say he was doing a good job, but all you could do was moan and cry out as he hit you in all the spots that made you shiver.

“You’re close,” he whispered into your mouth, eyes and smile wide, “aren’t you, baby?”

“Yes,” you moaned out.

Logan’s hands both went to your hips, pushing you down on him just as he was thrusting up. You screamed as his cock hit you perfectly. “This is better than work, isn’t it, princess?”

“Yes!”

“You want me to make you cum?”

“Yes, Logan, yes!”

He chuckled before gritting his teeth. Logan pushed up into you with new purpose, and all you could do was moan and scream as he pounded into you. You held him close, buying his head against your chest as you bounced on top of him, letting him fill you to the brim. Your legs quivered as you wrapped them around his waist, wanting him even closer, and you bit your lip as you felt that familiar feeling deep in your stomach… You called his name as you came, and Logan, feeling you twitch and pulsate around him, came closely after, spilling himself inside of you with a gleeful laugh and harsh groan.

You collapsed against him as he shifted below you, pulling out and laying you down in his lap so he was rocking you like a baby. Logan bent down and kissed you sweetly, and you smiled into the kiss. “I love you,” you said into his neck, “even though you’re an annoying brat.”

He chuckled, rubbing your back with his hand. “Love you too, princess,” he said back, kissing the side of your head. There was a moment of comfortable silence where he just held you, and you felt your body grow tired in the comfort of his touch. “Do you need to get back to work?” He asked softly.

“No,” you said back, smiling up at him, “I’m all done.”

“Good,” he kissed you, “Now I can have you all to myself again.”

“When do you not have me?” You chuckled, caressing his bearded cheek with your hand. “I’m yours, Logan. All yours.”

He grinned. “Let’s go to bed,” he said, “you need to rest up.”

“Okay,” you agreed as he picked you up and carried you to the bedroom, “But don’t let me sleep too long.”

“I won’t,” he promised, “If you sleep too late, I’ll wake you up.”

“With sex?” You asked as he laid you onto the bed.

Logan smiled, kissing you on the nose. “With sex,” he answered, “So hurry up and go to sleep so I can wake you up.”

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Tagging @propertyofpoeandbucky as well! Thanks for the request!

Taglist: @floralpeaceofmind @delicatelilyflower @dylanobrusso@ladyblablabla@banditthewriter @something-tofightfor @starsfragments@blackcoffeeandgreenteaforme@hisgirlwednesdayaddams@fictionwillneverdie @maria-beretta @sadnessxvodka@ymariejp @sunnycolors @moonlightsay @its-all-o-kay @damagelove @keyeluh @itsmylife98 @funerals-with-cake @littlemermaidprobz@teacuplotus @king4thesirens@mrsjaxtellerfan @thebabblingbook @tartelette-aux-fraises @madamrogers @charlylama @iaintnofurry @k-buggz2001@whitewolfslittlesilverfox @drinix @elanor-of-imladris @blah-blah-fuckit-shit @julliiaaq@holamor @ymariejp@shadowhunterscloset@songtoyou @anabella-baby @sssilverssserpent @heyitslexy @luminex3@sithskywalkers

#logan delos #logan delos x reader #ben barnes

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levyfiles · 4 years

Note

27 for the end of year asks?

#27. Have you done anything that scared you?

Ooof Ok. A little backstory then. Warning: this is a long little personal irl tale and hopefully interesting enough to be worth sharing so I’ll put it under a cut.

Before I got my promotion in January, I had spent all of last year already doing the work for less of the pay because my manager trained me to do all the paperwork and accounting for her on Wednesday so she could focus on other stuff. I was fully trained to run the accounting on the full slot count every day but there were no shifts available for me to be supervisor because a guy (let’s call him R) who had worked there much longer than I had taken on more shifts earlier last year. I was patient and worked full time, I even covered for anyone who was sick, did my time until said guy moved on to another department.

Suddenly the shifts opened up and unfortunately at the same time, another guy (we’ll call him B) who had the Saturday supervising shift took some time off because of an injury and of course, like I said in an earlier ask, a really shitty worker quit. I was, from the end of February and all of March and April, running the department from Thursday to Sunday with 3 brand new workers who I had to train at the same time as do the job I had to. It was hard, the hours were longer, and there were times I really felt so drained I thought I’d never get my regular life back.

B quit permanently because he couldn’t do the more physical aspects of our work which involve hauling 1 tonne iron carts full of over 500 slot machine casettes full of money across the casino and then opening said casettes one by one to count and sort the cash. The job involves a lot of repetitive hand-intensive tasks and for all the math and stacks of cash and electrical sorters, the hardest part of the job is getting the money off the floor at hours between 2am - 4am or at earliest 6am. It takes a toll on people and the body. I’m lucky enough that I’ve always been nocturnal so the hours are me at my sharpest and strongest.

At some juncture in May, R who had gone to tables to be a dealer wanted to come back. The hours were shit and guests who play poker are too often assholes to the card dealers. I learned the news second hand from a guest service manager that my manager had already agreed to reschedule him to come back.immediately. I confronted R who had neither told me he was leaving to begin with and didn’t tell me he had plans to come back. He told me everything I heard was true and worse. I was terrified because a) what I had had to go through to train the new crew b) the large amount of time I’d spent waiting for this promotion.

It hurt all the more because R happens to be one of my really good friends. I called my manager that morning to ask her about it. I’ll always think about that phone call and what it taught me about how people are in positions of authority even when they tell you ‘you can talk to me about anything’. Her first reaction was to act like she didn’t know what I was talking about and she flip-switched the moment I told her who told me about it. That I had asked R personally and he told me his return date, that he’d been guaranteed by higher management that he could come back and that everything would be the same; that his stint on the dealing tables was just a trial to see if he would like it given that the dealing department was short (for obvious reasons). She sighed and switched up her tack, suddenly it was “no one was supposed to know” and other crap. Finally I was able to work up the nerve to ask her, “After all we’ve been through, me and the new crew; am I going to lose my position so R can come back and have his old one?” She seemed surprised by the question and the entire conversation in general, but she guaranteed that there was a miscommunication; that R’s return would only impact the new girls. My position was safe.

This bothered me. It bothered me because my manager, before news of R’s coming back had dropped, had started training one of these new girls (let’s call her S) to cover my position if I was ever sick or injured (very normal thing to do) so now there would be 3 people on the crew who could do the job I was doing. Before R wanted back in, I was relieved that maybe S would get a supervising shift so I wouldn’t be so overwhelmed.

Now this is where it gets complicated. The schedule was all over the place. S was now fully trained to cover for anyone who didn’t show, got sick, or injured is great at her job; we all love her. She fits right in. and is always willing to cover shifts and has since become my movie-night buddy. A week after she was trained, my manager sends me an email saying that we’ve got the new crew cemented, she’s got the new schedule all worked out. She keeps me on Thursdays and Fridays, gives R Saturdays, and then S takes Sunday because, according to my manager “Everyone who’s trained to supervise and do the accounting needs to have a regular shift. It’s only fair.”

So just a reminder, the whole of last year I was put on call, working under two adolescent dudes who I had to push myself to my physical limit to be as good as all while waiting and wondering if a shift would ever open up; if I’d ever be able to actually get paid for the job I was already doing for my manager on Wednesdays. That whole time it had never seemed to occur to her to give me one of R or B’s shifts, but now suddenly she has someone new on that’s not me, it’s all about being fair and delegating out shifts fairly. I was really hurt. It was that all my hard work this past two years would mean nothing and to speak up would mean I’d be ruining S’s chance, have her waiting as long as I did or maybe longer to earn a shift. Usual me would do nothing, just take what I had got and never really speak about how mad and hurt I was about being passed over for a year and only given a promotion when my manager had lost two of her staff. I was mad that a guy could leap between departments and still be guaranteed everything and It made me concerned that if I hadn’t called her that morning, would she have bothered to preserve my position. Would it have been a no communication, silent demotion where I check the schedule and everything’s back to what it was last year. It’s hard watching that happen, hard not to think when you’re the one mixed-race black girl in a small predominately white run casino that being treated like crap feels equated to something a little more deep-seated than just coincidence or circumstance.

First I talked to S. I just asked her how she felt about the job, about the trial by fire she went through in her first months working with us and she had been hinting a lot lately about how she felt a little bit of resentment for R because with his return, she was worried her and I wouldn’t be as close. That was a whole other thing we would later need to work out. The conclusion we got to was she didn’t want a supervising shift because she was working part time in maintenance outdoors and she liked it that way. I on the other hand, only have the department we were in.

I made the decision not to be usual me. It was mid-June and I invited my manager out for breakfast after work one day and I sat with her over eggs at Denny’s and I told her how the past year had felt, how it had looked when she made the decision to cut my shifts in the fashion of fairness when I had waiting a year and some months since being trained to get a chance at a regular supervising shift, that when i finally did get the promotion, it was like being abandoned because it was only after R and B were gone. I was terrified the whole time I gave my little speech because I didn’t want to appear angry or overly emotional in any capacity because if she was doing this on purpose, my reaction could easily be taken as aggressive and then I would definitely lose it all.

I was surprised. She apologised to me, said that the thought had never occurred to her that I had been waiting, that she wished I had said something before. Feels strange now. She could easily have been lying to me, but ultimately it doesn’t matter. Now R, S, and I work together and we have a lot of fun at work and we help one another. I still keep all my supervising shifts and R (who turns out is a part time streamer on Twitch) wanted more time off anyway so there’s been no bad blood at all. Weirdly enough, in August, we all went to R’s wedding and celebrated with him until they packed up the venue, and just yesterday, we had a dinner together with R and his wife, S, me and another one of our coworkers. We feel like family most days and that is worth the terror and the fear I had going into the job to start with and speaking up for myself. Sometimes shit like that works out and I don’t think I’m going to be too meek or afraid to take a leap like that where my job’s concerned anymore.

(bravo if you made it to the end of this weird little story

#personal #ask game #sequencefairy

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taehyungiestummy · 4 years

Text

Lucky -- Yeowool Ending

Masterlist Previous

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2205

It’s been a while since my reason to live left me. All the days blur together, and I have lost the ability to care. I don’t care about the fight for king. I don’t care about the fight for king. I don’t care about leaving Hwarang. I don’t care that Master Wihwa was in limbo with his job as leader of Hwarang. I don’t care what is going on with Ahro. I just don’t care. Even though I know I should.

I sniffle, curling further into myself.

I’ve returned home to mourn the loss of Hansung. I didn’t even attend the funeral that Master Wihwa held because I was such a wreck. I cried for many days, and just recently start to eat again.

The Hwarang called for me at first, talking about how strong I am, and how if I left, a hole would form among them. That I have proven myself to be just like them, so why would I throw it all away? I could hear Master Wihwa pleading with me, with Star Eyes, to return. But I couldn’t.

“It hurts too much,” I whimper.

The sounds of footsteps that seem to stop in front of my door, and then mumbles fill my ears. After all this time alone, with only my father or Yeseul bringing me food, I don’t want someone to come and visit me.

The door to my room slowly opens, and then moment later is quietly closes. My body tenses as I wait for whoever has entered to speak.

“Ara,” Yeowool’s soft voice helps me relax. “I know there is nothing that I can say that will help you. He was your best friend, and even though I though of him as a rascal, I hope that he knew that I was teasing because I liked him.”

I open my mouth to answer, but I find that my through is raw from my bawling.

“It’s been a while, and so much has happened, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

I groan, forcing myself to uncurl, and then I push into a sitting position to look at Yeowool. “Been better,” I choke out.

“Ara,” he gasps, rushing to sit next to me. His hands gently cup my face. “Your eyes are so red and puffy. Did you cry today?”

“No, I don’t think so,” I whisper, so I don’t hurt my throat.

“You are still beautiful like this. I didn’t know if it was possible, but it’s true.”

“What about you?”

“Me?” He chuckles. “I’m ugly when I cry. The only time that I am ever ugly.”

I barely smile, “Why are you here? For real.”

“Jidwi, well, Jinheung became King, the Queen has died, and Hwarang will do as the King wants. I’ll have to leave soon for some delegation or whatever, but I needed to come see you. Are you done fighting?”

I nod, push his hands off my face. “Hwarang was fun, but I ran away. I can’t go back.”

“I’m sure if you asked Jinheung, he would consider it.”

“I don’t want to,” I sigh. “It’s not my destiny. My father would have a fit.”

“He seems like a nice man, your father. He loves you, and wants you to get out of the house.”

“To do what? Go back to being taunted as lucky? To be reminded that I am alone? Or maybe be teased for being a possible half-breed?”

“You will always be the Hwarang Princess to me, and bone rank means nothing anymore. At least, it is working out to be that way. Everyone has a chance at a nice, happy healthy life.”

“I’m still alone,” I look away.

“No, you’re not. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Until you leave.”

“But I will come back. Every time I leave, I will come back to see you. I can promise you that. We’ll be pretty together for the rest of our lives. If you want, that is.”

I look back to see Yeowool is looking away as his cheeks are dusted with red. “After all the time you made me blush, now you are the one blushing. Yeowool, who has never been bashful, is now shy from something he said.”

“I’m hitting on a girl in pain,” he slowly turns his head to look back at me. “I feel a bit bad.”

“Don’t,” I reach out to place a hand on his hand. “I need to move on at some point. Hansung would hate to see me like this, but I was just trapped in grief. If you hadn’t showed up, I would have just stayed in my bed for who knows how much longer. Thank you, Yeowool.”

He smiles, nodding a few times. “I want to help you. I know you probably don’t feel well enough to go out today, but I plan to come over as often as possible. To talk about whatever you want. Maybe have meals with you like the old times. Then we can take little walks, and eventually we’ll leave the house to show the people how pretty the two of us are together. I don’t know if this will lead us anywhere, and I don’t know if you want it to lead anywhere. I want to be there for you, though. I like you, Ara.” He looks down at our hands.

“Yeowool, I consider you a close friend. There’s no doubt about that,” I wrap my fingers around his hand. “You’ve always made me smile with your sweet comments, and I feel safe knowing you are around. I want to like you as more than a friend, I just need to know you for longer.”

“I’ll do whatever I need to do to make you more comfortable. I don’t want to force you into anything. You tell me when you are ready to do anything,” he slowly lifts his head up. “I know your heart will never be the same again, but I want to help piece it back together.”

“I appreciate that,” I let out a slow breath. “Do you have to go do Hwarang things now?”

“I’m nod done with you, though,” he leans forward to press a kiss to my forehead. “I can ask for tea, or I can do your hair, or I can think of something else.”

I shake my head, “I just want to sit here and talk. I don’t want to do anything more. Is that okay?”

“If that’s what you want to do, then it is more than okay.”

********

“What about this one?” I hold up a flower pin for Yeowool to see.

It’s been almost a year since he first came to my home to comfort me. It was a slow process to get me to where I am today, smiling like I sued to and walking around the capital. There were hard times when Yeowool had to go off with the Hwarang, and I would worry about him until he returned. He’s my new reason to keep on going. To not let Hansung’s death be the end of me.

“Anything will look amazing on you,” Yeowool lovingly smiles. “Pick anything you are even slightly drawn to.”

“But then I would just keep picking you,” I goofily smile.

“You rascal,” he grabs the pin from me, setting it on the table so he can pull me into a hug. “You are too cute for your own good.”

I giggle, “Only for you.”

He releases me from his hold, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the store. “You don’t need any new pins anyway. I like the butterfly one that you are wearing.”

“Hansung helped me pick it out,” I happily sigh as the sun hits my skin. “It helps me keep him close to my heart.”

“That’s good,” Yeowool gives my hand a squeeze. “I think about him when I can’t be with you, and I know he’s watching over you for me.”

“Can we go to the bookstore?” I glance up at Yeowool.

“Today is your day, so lead the way,” he nods.

I pull us through the streets until we end up in front of my bookstore. The bookstore that Hansung and I would always go to, but I can’t let the hold me back now. I can’t cry out here in the street.

“Are you okay, Ara?” Yeowool runs his thumb over my knuckles. “Does this place hold memories that hurt?”

I take a deep breath, “I can’t let them hurt me forever. I need new books, so I have to go in.”

“You are strong, so you can do this,” he uses his free hand to tilt my head to look up at him. “I believe in you. With how far you have come, I know you can do this.” He leans down to press a kiss gently to my lips. “Wow, I will never get used to the fact that I get to kiss a girl as beautiful as you.”

I smile, pushing onto my toes, so I can press my lips to his. “It makes my heart flutter.”

“You are adorable,” he presses his lips to my cheek. “Come on, we need to get you some books.”

We separate, with smiles on our faces, and enter the bookstore. Yeowool is silent as I lead us around, picking up any book that I know I have not read and handing them to Yeowool to carry.

It seems like we are in the store for a while, but I feel at peace. Another part of me has returned to normal, and my heart is as healed as it is going to get. Life continues after a death. It takes work, but life must go on.

“I know you love to read, but this is a lot of books,” Yeowool chuckles, awkwardly holding all the books in his arms as we exit the store.

“I didn’t read for a while after his death, so I got behind,” I take a few books off the top of the stack. “We should go back to my house to put them away.”

“At least you can have something to do the next time I leave.”

I get us on the path that will lead us back to my house. “That’s why I got so many. I don’t want my mind to wonder like it has been when you are gone. That kind of worrying only makes me sick.”

“I wish I didn’t have to leave your side,” he sighs. “I miss you a lot when we are out there far from home.”

I nibble on my bottom lip, trying to think of a response.

I want to tell Yeowool how much my heart hurts when he leaves on Hwarang trips. That I worry he won’t come back, but I also worry that he’ll meet someone better than me. I’ve been such a hassle recently, and I know it. I want to tell Yeowool that I think I’m in love with him.

“I’d ask you to show me to your room, but I know the way now,” Yeowool chuckles, stepping in front of me.

I watch as he walks the halls of my house with confidence. He spent so many days here helping me get though mourning, and I can never thank him enough.

He slips into my room, and I walk faster to catch up.

I enter as he places the books near my bed.

“I didn’t know where you wanted them,” Yeowool nervously grins, scratching the back of his neck.

“That’s perfect,” I smile, walking over to place the books I am carrying on the pile. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. It is a pleasure, and you are my girlfriend.”

“Thank you for everything you have done for me, Yeowool,” I look up at him. “You’ve done so much for me over this past year, and I wanted to properly thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Ara,” he grabs my hands. “I didn’t do it for the praise, though. I did it to help a friend, and to make sure she never gave up.”

“You did it, then. I never gave up because you were there.”

“Ara,” he takes a deep breath. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but if I don’t tell you that I am in love with you right now, I may go crazy.”

I rapidly blink in surprise, but then smile as big as I can. “Good, because I think I am in love with you.”

He lets out a breath, “Thank the stars. I was so scared that I would say it too soon and ruin everything.”

“Just shut up and kiss me, pretty boy,” I place my arms on his shoulders.

“Sure thing, princess,” he grins, cupping my face and connecting our lips.

All my life I have gone through people taunting me because of who I am. I have always been put down for being lucky, but I have always pushed to prove myself to people. Now, I don’t have to prove anything to Yeowool. He likes me for more than my past or what people think of me. And I guess I can say that I got a little lucky with him.

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

Well, that is Yeowool’s ending. I really liked writing this fluff, and I hope you enjoyed reading it! If you want to see more Ara and Yeowool, feel free to request them doing something! I am happy to keep writing for these characters, as I love them. Thanks for reading! :D

#Hwarang #Hwarang x OC #Hwarang imagine #Hwarang fanfiction #Yeowool x OC #Yeowool imagine #My OC

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consortofkings · 6 years

Text

‘THE HOBBIT’ FIC RECOMMENDATIONS - My Personal Favorites

I couldn’t think of a way to better enjoy Hobbit Day than to pay a little tribute to just a small sample of some of the amazing stories this fandom is lucky enough to be gifted with. There are many fics I’ve left out and will be adding to this list many times over before I’m done with it. Please feel free to let me know of any of your favorites that you think I might’ve missed as well!

It would not be impertinent to say this is less of fic rec post and more a love letter to this fandom.

NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY by perkynurples

Summary: Bilbo Baggins led a rather peaceful life, thank you very much, until an old acquaintance decided to turn it upside down, and he found himself agreeing to take a job that’s… let’s say not exactly up his alley, and might eventually cost him a little more than his treasured cozy lifestyle. Who would have thought tutoring a slightly menacing monarch’s more than slightly overbearing nephew could prove to be such an adventure? Bagginshield. Modern AU. King and I overtones. Novel-Length.

Thoughts: This was either the second or third Hobbit fic I ever read, and I honestly couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve re-read it. It was the first fic I ever added to my ebook reader just so I could read it whenever I wanted, and honestly, I could write an essay. The world building, the character study, the plot: it’s out of this world. I’ve read published novels that only had me a quarter as impressed as this story, and I wish I could pay money for it because I would buy multiple copies.

THE NAMING OF HOBBITS by Margo_Kim

Summary: There's a certain point where you can no longer ask someone what their name is. Thorin isn't sure exactly when that point is, but he knows that it's probably some time before the person in question saves your life. On the far side of the Misty Mountains, Thorin realizes that he never quite caught the first part of Mr. Baggins' name, and he finds that it's astonishingly harder to learn than he would have thought. Fili, Kili, and Dwalin are no help whatsoever. Bagginshield. Humor.

Thoughts: This is not a long drawn out romance, but rather a short humorous getting together story and honest to god it is unfathomable how many times I have read and re-read it at this point. I could almost quote it word for word.

THE ROAD DELIVERED US HOME by keelywolfe

Summary: In the years since Bilbo left Erebor, he has lost his respectability, gained a nephew, and gotten on with life at Bag End. He'd left aside adventure for the comforts and peace of his little Hobbit hole, and for the love of a child who needed him. Though perhaps, adventures can yet find him. Bagginshield. Cannon-ish compliant. Shire courting.

Thoughts: One of the first Bagginshield fics I ever read and most definitely one of the first to make me fall in love with the pairing. A tinge of angst sprinkled upon piles and piles of fluffiness like you’ve never seen before. The pining is above and beyond and the conclusion is so satisfying it’ll leave you feeling smug for days afterward.

A MOST SENSIBLE IDEA by HildyJ

Summary: Bilbo Baggins isn't sure about this. Not one bit.

Frodo is definitely too young to enter into an arranged marriage with a dwarven king called Thorin Oakenshield. It's a good thing that Bilbo is there to chaperone him through their courtship.

After all, there's no chance that a fussy hobbit bachelor would ever catch the eye of a king. Bagginshield. AU. Erebor Courting.

Thoughts: In my slightly snobby opinion, very few Bagginshield fics get Frodo right. This is not one of those stories. The juxtaposition of Thorin and Frodo’s relationship with Thorin and Bilbo’s is fantastic, and the way they just can’t not be intrigued with each other makes this one of my favorite Bagginshield stories.

MY FAIR HOBBIT by Erinye

Summary: Take a dragon and get rid of it, take a Kingdom under the Mountain and let it thrive under Thráin’s rule, take the King’s eldest son - as proud and arrogant as you can picture him - and then send him to the Shire in order to refine his diplomatic skills. Or, as his sister puts it: to grow them at last. Now, throw in the Master of Bag End playing host for the dwarf prince: you’ll get a clash of cultures, an ill-advised bet about educating a certain hobbit in the dwarf-lore, and all the pride and prejudice business you could hope for, plus Khuzdul.

A retelling inspired by My Fair Lady. Bagginshield. AU. Shire & Erebor love. Novel length.

Thoughts: Thorin is such a shit in this story, and you can’t help but love him. The way they come together is slow and fraught but so believable and it romances me every time I re-read it. Great story to read if you love fleshed out characters who you want to hit over the head and smoosh their faces together at the same time.

UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED by mortuus_lingua

Summary: "My dear Mr. Baggins," she replied, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of one of these unmarried king or princes marrying at least one of our Bagginses, and why not my Bilbo? He’s the prime of the lot."Smaug is defeated without the recruitment of a burglar, and several delegations, including one from the Shire, are invited to Thorin's public, official coronation. Bilbo, scribe, and bachelor, travel to Erebor with fourteen other Hobbits, embarking on an adventure that will change not only his destiny but those of many in Middle-earth. Or, the attempted Hobbit / Pride and Prejudice mashup that nobody asked for. Not to worry, knowledge of the plot of Pride and Prejudice is not necessary to understand this story. Bagginshield. AU. Courting Fic. Erebor Courting Fic. Lots of Hobbits.

Thoughts: I was very leery of this fic at first because I thought it might be just a standard Pride and Prejudice remake. To paraphrase a certain dwarf, I had never been so wrong in all my life. It blends the Regency life so well with the world of Tolkien that I was swooning. It seems to hit every single one of my favorite tropes of the bagginshield fandom (Bamf!Bilbo, enemiesToFriends, fleshed out OC’s, and MadBofurRespect, etc) but in a new and lovely light. It’s very Hobbit dense as well, which was refreshing and fun to read. I just can’t recommend this story enough.

COMES AROUND AGAIN by scarletjedi

Summary: Gimli closes his eyes, an old Dwarf on the brink of death in the home he had built with his husband in the Undying Lands, and opens them again as a young Dwarf in his childhood home in Ered Luin. He's returned to the tumultuous week before The Company set out to recruit their Burglar from his cosy hobbit hole. Gimli, once again an impetuous teen in the eyes of his family, must get into that Company--the lives of his loved ones, and the very fate of Middle Earth--depends on it. Gimli/Legolas. Bilbo/Thorin. TimeTravel-fix it.

Thoughts: I’m a big sucker for retellings of cannon, and this one is just lovely. I’m always leery of established relationship tags, but this story does the pining so well it feels like you get both for the price of one. Scarletjedi is also one of those authors who I would recommend reading through their entire catalog as well because there is not a dud amongst them.

A REMOVER OF OBSTACLES by MistakenMagic

Summary: "Dis often chided her older brother for being a misanthropist. She did it so often it had become a term of endearment. It was true that Thorin struggled with people; he struggled to form and maintain relationships. Dr. Grey had diagnosed him with this and Thorin hadn’t the heart to tell him this wasn’t a symptom of his PTSD, it was a symptom of his personality. He exercised a sense of apathy with almost everyone he met… But Bilbo was different. Thorin actually found himself wanting to know more about him." Bagginshield. Novel Length 300k+. Modern AU.

Thoughts: A long story, that is going take up a week or two of your life, beat you up and wring you out, and you’re going to enjoy every minute of it.

A PASSION FOR MUSHROOMS by Chrononautical

Summary: There are many trials for a hobbit attempting to make a life among dwarves. A hobbit wants a garden. A hobbit wants to eat regular meals. A hobbit wants friends, good books, and comfortable chairs. Bilbo does his best to carve out a little hobbit life for himself in the mountain. If only there were not one final obstacle. For a hobbit heart wants love, and among dwarves that is a sticky subject. Bagginshield. Post BOFTA-fix it. Erebor Courting.

Thoughts: Oblivious pining idiots? Misunderstood courting? A fleshed out post-Bofta Erebor? Mushrooms?? What more could you want?

OAK AND MISTLETOE by HildyJ

Summary: After a life dominated by a strange form of sickness, Thorin is sent to the Shire to seek a cure only Bilbo Baggins can offer. Bagginshield. AU. Shire.

Thoughts: Pretty much all of HildyJ’s stories are a must read, but ‘Oak and Mistletoe’ remains’ my favorite. It’s a perfect rainy day read, that I’ve read so many times it’s become almost a habit. It’s a very deep character study into both Bilbo and Thorin and it’s impossible to not fall in love with both of them each time I read it.

SECOND CHANCES by authoressjean

Summary: Sebastian Moran can't pull the trigger on John Watson to save his own hide, and what the hell is it with the doctor, anyway? Then Gandalf shows up, meddlesome wizard, and reminds him none too gently of his past life: as Thorin Oakenshield, leader of a company that had once included a small hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. One that looked decidedly like John Watson. And this would be the perfect chance to make things right with Bilbo the way he really hadn't been able to before he died, and that's when Gandalf tells him John doesn't remember being Bilbo, and to leave him alone.

Right. Like that's going to happen. Bagginshield. Modern AU/Sherlock crossover.

Thoughts: I’ve never in all my 15+ years of fandom, ever, enjoyed crossover fics. It’s just not my bag. Which is why my love of this story completely caught me off guard. Even if you’re like me and you can’t stand the thought of it, I still recommend you give this a shot.

BURNED TO CINDER by ferretbaby

Summary: A Cinderella-esque AU. Bilbo, a lonely hobbit of the Shire in the valley outside Erebor, gets a job as a cook in the dwarf kingdom to pass the time and keep himself occupied after his mother’s death. One day he meets a regal dwarf, who he thinks is a thief and trespasser, and throws an apple at his head, never knowing he’s just assaulted the dwarven Prince. Thus begins the antagonistic and somewhat odd courtship of a hobbit and the next King of Erebor. Bagginshield. Cinderella AU. Erebor & Shire courting. Hidden Identity.

Thoughts: Unf. Just a superbly fun little AU that cannot be skipped over. The last chapter is missing but you really don’t need it to still feel satisfied at the ending. Has some extremely hot moments and some extremely lovely ones as well. Thorin is an absolute cad, but he eventually comes into his own.

AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT by Wizards_Pupil

Summary: ““This is a trinket I was given at your birth. I have never shown you it as the time was not right before now.” Thrain opened his palm to reveal a golden band. It was smoothed by touch and unadorned. Not spectacular, but Thrain would hardly hold onto such a trinket if it was not worth something.

“The wizard who gave it to me was quite adamant that you should have it when you were of age.” The king held it out to Thorin. The metal was cool to the touch, but quickly warmed up in the heat of his hand. He ran his fingers along it and nearly shuddered. He could feel it throbbing, nearly vibrating with a strange sort of energy.

“This ring is not meant for you to wear, of course. It is too small for you. This ring is made to fit only the person that will be your Sanzeuh. You have thirty days in which to find him.”Thirty days. Thirty days to find something as ridiculous as true love, or he'd have to marry a beardless, nagging dwarrowdame. Thorin Oakenshield didn't think it could happen.

And then Bilbo Baggins popped into his life. Though, Thorin could have done without the cats, shoes, and girly bits. Still, the course of true love never has run smooth. And the peppers were delightful.” Bagginshield. AU. Erebor Courting.

Thoughts: Such a fantastic courting story. I’m always initially leery of AU’s but this keeps them so close to their actual personalities to make it exciting and new while still letting you bask in their familiarness. It’s such an original idea touching so close to the tip of so many other cliche’s while missing them enough to be something totally new on it’s own. Not to mention, Bilbo’s and Thorin’s flirting is top notch in this. Can’t recommend enough!

THE DEEPEST SECRET by Wizards_Pupil

Summary: Bilbo Baggins was a desperate Hobbit.

Well, he was several things. Short, funny, hungry, and tired for starts. Desperate was at the forefront of his mind at the moment.

He would never be at Oakenshield Manor otherwise. Still, they needed a gardener, and as much as he didn'tknow about dwarves, he did know about plants.

Bilbo expected it to be difficult. Dwarves were hardly known to be the most accepting and open of races after all. He expected the garden to be in terrible shape, the dwarves to be loud, and secretive.

He could never have expected Thorin. Bagginshield. AU.

Thoughts: While the author has stated that this was not specifically a Jane eyre-Au it definitely has a similar feel. It’s just as haunting and just as lovely. There are constant surprises to keep you on your toes, and Thorin and Bilbo are both absolutely delicious in this. I’ve re-read it an untold amount of times.

LOVE-IN-IDLENESS by perkynurples

Summary: Taking Bilbo Baggins, a successful movie actor who is only just getting used to the perks and intricacies of becoming A Face People Want To See, and putting him together with Thorin Oakenshield, with his very traditional (read: slightly backwards) ideas about what constitutes Real Art and Real Talent, might very well be viewed as just some clothead’s idea of a joke. But there are jokes, and then there are carefully calculated risks the size of controversial reproductions of classic Shakespearean plays - for Bilbo, it is the chance of a lifetime to prove himself to all those who have ever deemed him too one-dimensional to even attempt stage, while Thorin has the opportunity to get out of the rut that’s been hindering his career for so long now, and shine in a role worthy of his talent once again. That is if the two learn how to share the same space for more than ten minutes without wanting to tear each other’s hair out. The course of true love never did run smooth, after all… Bagginshield. Modern Au. Novel Length.

Thoughts: I feel like every fandom in the world has that one Modern AU that boils down that pairing to its very essence and then wraps it up into an entirely new package and delivers it gift wrapped to you. This is that story. It has nothing to do with Tolkein’s world, but instead gives you an entirely new plot set in the real relatable world. Still, the characters, their motivations, and even the plot are so close to the real story that it feels like an honor getting to read it.

A DRAGON’S TALE by vtforpedro

Summary: Bilbo Baggins has been a hobbit for many long years and he should very much like to keep it that way, thank you very much.

An old friend drops by Bag End with the offer of an adventure and despite Bilbo's refusal, the idea of only thirteen dwarves and a wizard facing a dragon may just convince him yet. After all, he has experience with the Great Dragons of the North. Once upon a time, he was one. Bagginshield. AU. BilboIsADragon!

Thoughts: First Dragon!Bilbo story and still one that I re-read again and again.

TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE FUTURE by authoressjean

Summary: "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." - Galadriel

In an attempt to get the Arkenstone back for Thorin, Bilbo discovers the ring he's been using is the One Ring. Seized by a need to destroy gold, especially gold with the ability to ensnare creature and king alike, he sets out alone for Mordor. Anything to forget about the love that gold cost him. What he doesn't know is that Thorin is no longer under the thrall of gold, and is desperately racing to catch up with him to keep him safe. They may have just started on another adventure, but this one may not end as well as their first quest. Bagginshield. Post Bofta-Fix it. Lotr re-imagining. Novel Length.

Thoughts: These boys break my heart in this story with their palpable pining, but it’s so worth it to see their romance drawn out from the small words of Erebor and the Shire and basically become this grand epic love story that spreads all across Middle Earth.

THE RIVEN CROWN by The_Kingmaker

Summary: ‘We may have won the battle, but I fear the war with winter is just beginning.’

The aftermath of war is no laughing matter. Those who died must be honored, those who are wounded must be healed, and those who remain need food and clothing, peace and sanctuary. With Thorin's life hanging in the balance, it is up to Bilbo and the rest of the Company to rule the rag-tag remnants of Erebor in his place.

Then there is the matter of the gold...

Can Bilbo save both king and kingdom, or is Erebor destined to fall deeper into ruin? Bagginshield. Post-BOFTA. FakeMarriage. Novel Length.

Thoughts: This story really hits all my spots. Pretend Marriage, politics, in-depth story, oblivious and pining idiots. It’s my go-to read after finishing BOFTA to help heal the suffering and give me hope. I love the way they fully utilize the entire cannon world to tell a truly epic romance. Please read this if you get a chance.

LAY YOUR TROUBLES DOWN by Avelera

Summary: An extended version of "the acorn scene." Bilbo sees his chance to snap Thorin out of his madness, and takes it. Bagginshield. BOFTA-fix it.

Thoughts: This was one of the most emotional porns I’ve ever read and I loved every second of it.

SOMETHING BLUE by Lapin

Summary: Thorin marries Bilbo after the Battle of Five Armies, a marriage of convenience, not love. Slowly, they must come to make the best of it, Bilbo resolves. After all, he's a Hobbit. They make the best of things. Bagginshield. Post-Bofta. Pretend Marriage.

Thoughts: Short read and an absolute classic that’s undoubtedly included on every rec list, but I couldn’t not include it. The obliviousness and mutual pining are so delicious you could put in a plate and charge $100 to eat it, and you wouldn’t regret it a bit.

KING, COME RED AT MORNING by Tawabids

Summary: Bilbo has heard fairytales of the lost prince of the dwarves, Thorin son of Thrain, who disappeared the day Smaug attacked the Lonely Mountain. But he does not believe in fairy tales until he comes across the dwarf sleeping in the depths of Erebor, and kisses him back to life.

Now Thorin - a hundred and fifty years out of his time - has to confront a world in which his city is empty, his people scattered, his baby brother Frerin is king, two nephews he's never met are missing in action, and a war is brewing right on his doorstep.

And as if that wasn't complicated enough he's trapped in the body of an old man and falling stupidly in love with a gossipy, grudging little hobbit. Bagginshield. AU. Novel Length. Battle of the Five Armies retelling. Angst.

Thoughts: I put this one off for a while, but it lived up to every promise that the summary and multiple recs had made for it. Young Thorin is definitely a joy to read, and both his and Bilbo’s struggles never stop being so very painfully relatable. Prepare yourself for the angst though, as it’s almost palpable, but it’s definitely a must read.

PRAYERS TO BROKEN STONE by Avelera

Summary: Twisted by the effects of dragon sickness, Thorin banishes not only Bilbo but the entire company from Erebor. Days pass with no word from their missing leader and, fearing the effects the gold may have on the other dwarves, Bilbo decides to enter the mountain alone in search of Thorin.

What he finds may not be Thorin for much longer.

Or: In which the dragon sickness is slowly transforming Thorin into a dragon, and Bilbo must save him before it is too late. Bagginshield. BOFTA-Fix it. Angst.

Thoughts: This fic was made to hurt me when I need it the most. If I could draw, the cover of this story would just be Thorin stabbing me over and over again in the chest. It also has inspired me so much I ended up writing an entire DnD campaign because of it. Please read it if you have not.

GARDENING by The Feels Whale (miscellea)

Summary: Bilbo Baggins arrived home late one afternoon in the middle of the week and the entire west Farthing is still talking about it.

Poor Mister Baggins. He was doomed to be a nine-days wonder no matter what and is it any wonder after a year-long adventure? Even the Tooks haven’t the influence to hush that up, but Mad Baggins seems to have managed to silence every tongue in the Shire on that subject which would be awe-inspiring ...if not for the way he decided to go about it.

OR: That one where Middle Earth seems to be unclear about where baby Hobbits come from. Bagginshield. M-Preg-ish.

Thoughts: To say that I’m not a fan of M-preg is a bit of an understatement, but the way this story handles it never squicked me out once. It’s heartwarming and angsty all in one and I enjoy it every time I re-read it.

Tamâmebrulu Id-Mudtu (Lullabies of the Heart) by rutobuka

Summary: As it turns out, even kings catch colds. After the reclamation of Erebor, Thorin finds himself confined to his bed. Luckily, his dear friend Bilbo Baggins is on hand to ensure he complies with Óin's strict orders for rest. (A multi-chapter Bagginshield comic). Bagginshield. Comic.

Thoughts: I doubt there is anyone in the Bagginshield fandom who has not seen ruto’s art or stories, but just in case you need to go check out everything of her’s right the heck now. Her art is basically Bagginshield cannon, and her fem!Bagginshield stories are the best ever written.

OF WARM IMPERMANENCE by Avelera

Summary: Thorin realizes he has gained weight since moving to the Shire, and tries to hide it from Bilbo out of shame and uncertainty of whether it will damage their relationship.Of course Bilbo finds out and, far from disappointed, he’s fairly certain he’s never been so turned on in his life. Bagginshield. Smut. Shire living.

Thoughts: I’m not sure is ruto’s art or this story were the beginning of my obsession with Chubby Thorin, but it definitely had a hand it.

BLESS YOUR SOLES by freakylemurcat

Summary: Feet were sacred to dwarves, and Thorin had always done his best to adhere to the rules and keep his feet to himself. And then comes along Bilbo Baggins with his ever bare feet, and Thorin suddenly finds he can't think of anything else. Bagginshield. Smut.

Thoughts: Just the best little smutty store that we all need but don’t deserve.

LADY IN RED by windchijmes

Summary: Dwalin and Thorin are traveling together, and they find themselves in a ridiculous situation where Thorin has to disguise himself as a woman at a tavern. The effect is more interesting than they both expect - Thorin is openly leered at and propositioned and he fumes about it, while Dwalin enjoys himself playing the big, bad protector of his lady's innocence. But of course, the tension gets too much, and Dwalin drags Thorin away, hikes up his skirt, and fucks him against a tree. Thwalin. Pre-Journey. Smut.

Thoughts: Lovely little Thwalin smut fic that I can’t get enough of. Short, less than 10k, but I bookmarked for a damn good reason, and that reason is that it’s HOT and you should definitely give it a read.

THE EMPTY BELLIES DINING SOCIETY by sam_ptarmigan

Summary: Bilbo and Dwalin have two things in common: an appreciation for good meals and a case of unrequited love for a certain oblivious king. The only sensible thing to do is form a supper club. Bilbo/Thorin/Dwalin. Short.

Thoughts: After reading a thousand bagginshield fics there was nothing that I craved more than a good, solid, OT3 fics with these three and this one always hits the spot. The pining is on point, and Dwalin is so fantastically done. Even if you’re leary of reading an OT3 you should still give this bad boy a chance. And then hopefully you’ll fall in love with this pairing and write it because good god I need some more of it.

SMELL THE SEA AND FEEL THE SKY by Thorinsmut

Summary: Captain Dwalin - a privateer for the Crown - is in love with beautiful, sweet, innocent Lady Norine.

His main rival (whom he is most definitely not in lust with) is the cockiest little man he ever met - Captain Vulpes, a pirate with a fast mongrel of a ship and a bad habit of stealing his targets out from under his nose

....it's going to take him a while to realize they're the same genderfluid person.

Thoughts: If this story doesn’t make you fall in love Nori/Dwalin, you’re just absolutely doing something wrong with your life.

LITTLE INDULGENCES by sam_ptarmigan

Summary: Dwalin is not entirely certain how he ended up propped up against a tree with his trousers down and Dori kneeling in front of him, but he's pretty sure good things are about to happen. Dwalin/Dori. SMUT

Thoughts: To call this a rare-pair is pretty self-evident but the porn is 11/10 and deserves to be read by everybody.

AND OF COURSE...

SANSUKH by determamfidd

Summary: The battle was over, and Thorin Oakenshield awoke, naked and shivering, in the Halls of his Ancestors. The novelty of being dead fades quickly, and watching over his companions soon fills him with grief and guilt. Oddly, a faint flicker of hope arises in the form of his youngest kinsman, a Dwarf of Durin's line with bright red hair. (Follows the story of the War of the Ring). Bagginshield. Gigolas. Cannon Compliant. LOTR retelling. 500k+. Not finished.

Thoughts: I don’t know what I could say about Sansukh that hasn’t been said a million times before but I just can’t repeat enough how much this story needs to be read. I know that seeing 500K words and WIP is going to scare a lot of people off - as it did me for a long time - but you’re just gonna have to put on your big girl panties and dive on in anyway and you will not regret a second of it. It will honestly raise your standard of what you think fanfiction can be for the rest of your life and this is not a bad thing. If you’re still not convinced, here’s a very impassioned post that will help give you that final push: here.

#bagginshield #bagginshield recs #hobbit recs #recs

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wizardsnwookies · 6 years

Text

POTA092418 - Lost and Found

It was an uneasy sleep. The monks’ sleeping chambers were surprisingly decent for those who follow a simplistic life. It was not for lack of comfort that made Aviate toss and turn in his slumber. No, it was the utter confusion and frustration at the current path they were walking. Not so long ago he had a clear goal, a point in which he could focus. The strange dreams and visions were nought but a distraction in his mind. Yet, here he found himself trying to sleep off a rather hard few days of battle to rescue a handful of delegates to which had no relation to the man who had scuttled his ship.

Drenaris was also a concern. The fulfillment of her own path to vengeance had made her cocky, reckless. The risks being taken were becoming more and more hazardous to all three of them, not just her. If she wanted to go get herself killed, that was fine with him, but he wasn’t about to let his life come to an end without watching the life die in the eyes of the man who had taken everything from him.

“WATCH.” A harsh shaking woke Aviate from his half sleep. Staring up into the darkness he saw the vague silhouette of Poh looming over him. The sun was not yet up, and wouldn��t be for a while. It was his turn to keep an eye on the barricaded door and ensure no surprises while the others rested.

“Yeah...just give me a minute.” He righted himself, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and groaning at the ache from half healed wounds. “Can I ask you something?”

Poh shrugged.

“What are we doing here?”

“DELEGATES.”

“Yeah, I know. But I mean, why do we care? I’ve got my own business to deal with, so do you.”

Poh nodded slowly, understanding his meaning now. There was a slight pause as his black orbs gazed off into the void, thinking. “NO LEADS...NEED MONEY.”

“Fair enough.” His own investigations had hit a dead end, and while they weren’t hurting for cash at the moment, traveling expenses could get fairly steep quite quickly. If they were to be prepared for a break, any break at all, the did need some extra coin.

“So why this job? We’ve already bit off more than we can chew here. Clearly there’s more going on than a bunch of kidnapped stuffed shirts. I don’t know about you, but that’s not something I feel worth dying over.”

“NO.” Poh agreed quite quickly, almost stepping over Aviate’s words. “CULTS NUISANCE...TIRED OF BEING INTERRUPTED.”

“That’s also fair. Whatever is going on has been a pain in our ass since the beginning. Still, I’m starting to think this place is a bit more than we can handle at the moment.”

“TRY...TELLING HER...THAT.” Poh nodded his head in the direction of the slumbering Teifling, sprawled out awkwardly like an animal in its cage.

“I swear, that woman is going to get us killed at this rate.”

“MAYBE...MAYBE NOT. SHE’S STRONG.”

“Is she strong enough is the question.”

---

The Umber Hulk was foaming at the mouth now, the wounds caused by Drenaris’s blade bit deep once it had gotten past the carapice. It was already weakened, tortured and forced to stand guard at the bottom of the stairs. This cult was not like the Followers of the Crushing Wave. These monks were more resourceful, were able to gather more powerful allies to protect their home. They were also far more cruel. although Aviate had no love for the creature, it did pity the thing for what life it was forced to endure. Slave in the deep earth, hands removed, and long sharp blades driven into the stumps. This made it a formidable foe, but it also proved to be its downfall.

Remembering the sonnet of flame he recited around the campfire, what felt like ages ago, the pirate reached out with his magic and touched the iron swords and kissed them with a powerful heat. It took a moment for the Hulk to acknowledge the pain over what I’m sure was already a tortuous existence of perpetual agony. The iron started to glow red. Heat waves rippled the air. It was the smell, though. That awful acrid stench of burning insects that came form the things arms. The sounds it made echoed through the chambers, creating a chorus of horrid pitches and moans. It slumped over dead, arms no more than a bubbling, dripping mass of melted flesh. Once again, the room fell silent.

“This is getting rather tiresome.” Aviate brushed the sweat from his brow, casting a glance to each of the iron doors within the room. One to the West, one to the East.

“Oh, come on. That was fun. I was getting tired of slaying monks.” Drenaris shouldered her weapon and broke off a piece of the hulk’s exoskeleton, tucking it away to be fashioned into a charm for her trophy collection.

“This is no game woman. We’re literally forcing our way upstream to meet the bear in his own cave. Ever setback like this drains us for the next inevitable encounter.”

“What happened to you Captain? Lose your nerve?”

“I’m just trying to keep us alive.”

“WHICH WAY?” Poh broke the bickering out of nothing more than sheer annoyance. He was tired of the same back and forth over and over again.

“West.” Aviate spoke confidently, equally eager to drop the subject. The iron door was unlocked, but screeched in protest as it was pushed open on rusty hinges. The smell of dirt filled their noses as stone walls gave way to a twisting labyrinth of mined tunnels.

For the minotaurs, he though was most likely. As the pressed forward Aviate examined the walls with passing glances. This system was not native to the abandoned structure. No dwarf would be this sloppy. The walls were lumpy and uneven, the spacing of bracers seemed to be placed at arbitrary intervals, and the miners filth was left where it dropped. No, these miners were a more foul race.

They wandered for what felt like hours. It was so hard to tell how long it had been since they first assaulted the Monastery. Was the storm still raging above their heads? They had slept twice, but that meant nothing as it was more out of battle fatigue than exhaustion. After what felt like an eternity, Poh called for a silent halt by raising a single feathered fist into the air. Everyone froze in place and strained to hear the faintest of murmuring from around the next bend.

“What language are they speaking? Can you tell?” Drenaris looked to her captain, brow furrowed in confusion.

“Sounds like a bunch of jibberish to me.” Aviate shrugged. The voices were deep and gravely, and spoke a vulgar language of guttural eruptions that could very well be confused with indigestion. “How many?”

“FIVE.” Poh mimicked confidently. His ears more finely tuned to subtle distinctions of sound.

“That’s good enough for me.” Grabbing her sword, Drenaris roared a mighty war cry and ran full tilt down the tunnel coming to face four strange looking creatures that roughly resembled Orcs commanding a towering Ogre as it dug its hands into the earth.

Shaking his head, Aviate straightened from his crouch and strolled into the fray. Before any move could be made he sang a suggestion to the tune of some happy diddy, thrusting a finger in the Ogre’s direction.

All good children lay down their heads All good children go to bed While the grown ups toil upon their feet All good children will get their sweets

“Sweets!“ The lumbering simpleton dropped the large boulder it had fished out of the earth and happily waddled to one corner. Aviate could have sworn he felt shift under its girth as it sat down. And there it remained, watching patiently as the four strange Orcs were fought desperately for their lives. Blood spilled upon the earth and sank into the dirt, steaming in the chilly tunnels. Screams echoed off the walls. When there was but one left standing, Drenaris stayed her hand, yet kept the blade poised at the neck.

“Where are the delegates?”

Poh recognized this creature, an Orog, from his journeys through the Underdark. They were very much like their cousins the Orcs, which was fortunate. He would take a simple and cowardly opponent over the crafty and bullheaded foe any day.

“I’m not going to ask again. Where are the delegates?”

The Orog shook its head furiously. “Just ordered to dig.”

“By who?” Aviate stepped in, crouching down to meet eye to eye.

“Garbo...holy man. He gives us slaves, tells us to dig. We dig.”

“Slaves? What kind of slaves?”

“All kind of slaves.” The Orog shrugged, obviously not one who knew the finer differences between races. “Me show you.”

“Yes, please do.”

It was a short walk to the slave chambers, only a few turns away. The Orog navigated through them easily, yet Aviate would be hard pressed to find himself back if he had to. It was a small chamber, just barely enough to hold half a dozen medium sized creatures in cells with room to sit up but not much else. They were mostly peseants, the occasional traveling merchant, but in one cell to the east of the room sat a sharply dressed dwarve with a very sour demeanor about him.

“It’s about time someone came.” His voice was higher pitched than would be expected, and when he stood his knees trembled slightly with age. “Don’t tell me this is it?”

“We’re enough.” Drenaris smirked. “You with the caravan?”

“Aye, I am Rodenthar of the North. My colleges and I were taken on the road by these strange monks accompanied by a company of Hobgoblin mercenaries.” He spat these words with contempt and anger, obviously indignant that he would be taken by such a band. “Fools could take us, and yet they couldn’t protect themselves on the return journey.”

“How so?”

“About a day from here we were attacked by some bandits on what looked like flying vultures or some sort. Flew off with Deseyna of Waterdeep.”

The three exchanged a look of frustration before Aviate took a deep sigh. “Let me guess, they wore White and Blue robes?”

Rodenthar furrowed his brow. “Yes...how did you know?”

“Lucky guess.” At this point, Aviate felt far from lucky.

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#Dungeons and Dragons #princes of the apocalypse #role playing games #campaign diary

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