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earthtooz · 1 year

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·˚ ༘ MIKAGE REO BF HEADCANONS

warnings: fluff with angst + argument scene, mostly fluff tho but reo grovels bcthat'sjusthowilikehim, swearing, cw for food and alcohol, making out, hickies, sfw tho :p, 4k+ word count, gn!reader and pro soccer player!reo

a/n: I AM SOOOOOO NORMAL ABOUT HIM GUYS I PROMISE HAHAHA WATCH ME. WATCH ME *proceeds to write 4k+ words of what it'd be like dating this man*. enjoy <3

💳💥💳💥 100/10 BOYFRIEND 💳💥💳💥 ARGUE WITH THE WALL.

sorry i just really love him (a lot).

anyways ! personally, i’ve always perceived a friends to lovers sort of situation with reo- friends. as in, he’s liked you from the get-go and was never shy about vocalising it. he often asked you out on dates and you’d kindly reject his offers.

despite your countless rejections, it never deterred him. lucky for reo that you didn’t seem to mind much, happy to spend time and be around him despite his blatant showcases of affection for you.

reo was fuelled even more when you constantly turned him down, loving the ‘push-and-pull’ relationship surrounding you. his whole attitude surrounding fighting for things he wasn’t handed to at birth hasn’t exactly dwindled with time, proving apparent even now as a pro-soccer player.

this meant that he loved how stubborn you were, declining his invites no matter how tempting the offer might have been. could have been a free meal- his treat, at a michelin star restaurant and you turned it down without hesitation.

to reo this only made you more worthwhile to chase because ever since he could remember, he's had the frustration of only being appealing to people because of his wealth. he got use to it after a while, coming to terms that his name would just be synonymous to money, but to have someone break this mould felt liberating.

selfishly enough, he wanted to be by your side forever.

(you were in love with him too but thought he was way out of your league) so yeah. ‘friends’.

when you finally accepted a date after so long, reo was ecstatic. couldn’t hide how enthused he was when he finally heard the word ‘yes’ slip through your mouth. literally picked you up and spun you around, stuck in his little world of delirium and happiness for a few moments as you laughed with him, admiring his expression of pure elation whilst trapped in his arms.

he was raised with proper gentlemanly etiquette so definitely a few dates before anything big happened with him.

reo is absolutely the kind of boyfriend to memorise milestones. i kid you not, he has the date you finally agreed to go out with him memorised. it’s on his phone’s calender- he will always gift you flowers on this day that serve as a little reminder. when you ask him what’s the occasion he’ll shrug and act all nonchalant. maybe he’ll come clean about it one day, but for now, reo will savour how happy you are every time you receive a beautiful bouquet from him.

he’s the definition of down bad and he’s not at all ashamed to let you know. you had his heart in a chokehold before you even started dating can you imagine him now… like yo… what spell did you put on him.

must be the water he drinks because not even you know how reo got to the point he is at now.

bf that opens door for you, bf that understands the sidewalk rule and won’t have it any other way, bf that carries things you might need around - chapstick, hairtie, reo even has a change of shoes for you in his car just in case. and clothes!

bf that looks at you as if you put all the stars in the sky. bf who wakes up a little earlier just so he gets the chance to hold you, especially with how busy reo is. bf who admires you openly and freely.

‘don’t go where i can’t follow’ bf (he’s so dramatic).

reo is a mix between clingy and independent - he’s always open to spend time with you, but if it’s space you want, he’s more than ready to give it to you.

has no problems entertaining himself and not worrying about whatever you might be doing. he's not controlling and in fact, loves a partner who is independent too!

100% a gentleman so expect a lot of gifts from him. never lets you pay- not that you’re complaining, but if you even think about fishing out your wallet, he’s grabbing both your wrists in one hand and tapping his card on the machine instead.

it’s a slow relationship, you’re both just trying to take your time to learn more about the other before things begin speeding up, and even though reo has been wanting you- wanting this for the longest time, he’s content with the pace. so long as he has you.

the photos of you two are INCREDIBLE. mirror selfies are a must, but you’re definitely the kind of relationship that’s more on the private side. reo makes sure that your face is hidden save for side-profiles, silhouettes, or ¾ angles, but it’s just for media peace of mind that he was taken.

that said, if you’re going to an event together, he absolutely loves showing you off. your ultimate hype man.

also loves bringing you up whenever he can. ‘how’s practice?’ ‘oh amazing, i love going home to y/n.’, ‘what’s your favourite cheat day meal?’ ‘one of y/n’s childhood favourite dishes, i have like five plates in one sitting’, ‘where’d you get this from? it’s nice’ ‘y/n saw it in a magazine’.

asks you to move in with him five months into the relationship when you both realise you’re over way too often. when there are too many trinkets of yours left around his penthouse that his heart aches at your absence, yearning for your presence through little things that are attached to you.

reo gets so ecstatic when you accept, practically scoops you into his arms, unable to contain his excitement and glee.

ABSOLUTELY the couple that’s like ‘your secret is safe with me… and my partner!’

gossip sessions are a weekly occurrence. every saturday you sit down and begin revealing everything. doesn’t matter if you have a party to attend to, you will be gossiping at the party or leaving early to have it at home. you could literally be having a shower and reo would join, seated atop the toilet seat whilst rambling and you’d listen intently.

nothing comes in between your gossip sessions!!! don't even think about interrupting. nagi is more than welcome to join, he knows quite a bit of tea himself so ;) the more the merrier in his case.

chigiri, bachira, and isagi are also all-time favourites. ALL THREE of them are nosy ass fuckers and cannot keep their mouths shut.

it’s like the second you walk into his apartment, he’s giving you a kiss in greeting before sitting you down on the couch, hands and legs pressed together and he begins with ‘i have more to tell you about otoya and his fling’.

and you immediately throw your stuff away and lean into his couch, ready to listen.

speaking of parties, you would absolutely be that couple. the ones who always look flawless and will never be caught lacking !!!!!!!

he’s so proud to be able to walk by your side; that he’s the one who gets to hold you and show you off. so proud in fact, that he never likes to stray too far from you.

could be doing shots with bachira and stumbles around to find you when he’s done. you have the time of your life filming him in this drunken state.

definitely had the ‘only my partner is allowed to touch me’ conversation with him once.

reo is the definition of all five love languages, there is not one of them that he does not like - words of affirmation? absolutely. a must. . physical touch? he’s not ashamed to be needy. gift giving? who do you think he is? acts of service? loves doing things for you and vice versa. quality time? can never get enough of it.

so yeah. sticking to his ‘thing’ about being a chameleon, he’s very adaptable and willing to listen to your needs.

(i’m going to throttle him he is so perfect)

also reo just really really adores taking care of you- those he loves in general too, but especially you because you’re at the top of his list of favourite people (suck it, nagi)

takes care of you and loves doing so too. whenever you’re sick, he’s at your beck and call 24/7. if he has a meeting or practice to attend, you have to literally force him out of the apartment, threatening him to go but as soon as he returns, he’s back at your side, probably came back with a bunch of things for you as well.

if you take care of him though? goodness he’s ready to pop the question even though you’ve never even discussed marriage.

suddenly cough medicine is a lot easier to drink if you’re the one offering it to him, and the soup you made him must have super healing properties because he thinks he can jump up and run a few hundred laps (goodness reo, please, sit your ass back down and rest).

OKAY HEAR ME OUT ON THIS ONE: reo never learnt how to drive because he’s always had a chauffeur, but since dating you, he’s had to get a licence lMFAOOOO let you pick out his car too xoxo such a considerate boyfriend 😣

he suggested as a joke to get a personalised number plate and even though he was clearly goofing around to make you laugh, you couldn’t help but sense there was some sort of truth in his statement… just a slither.

also reo’s definitely the slow-dance in the living room kind of guy like… not a lot can change my mind on this.

you could literally be putting away the dishes and he’d drag you by the wrist into the living room- he bought a vinyl player just so he could turn on some romantic songs and slow dance with the love of his life.

he’s not a good dancer btw.

HE LOVES SHOPPING WITH YOU. 1000/10 BOYFRIEND TO GO SHOPPING WITH, doesn’t mind being your personal coathanger when browsing and also doesn’t mind carrying any bags you may have.

it’s cause reo loves shopping too. loves it even more if you think about him whilst shopping. you could go buy some home appliances and if you returned with the silliest hat with bunny ears and he’d wear it for the next few hours.

return with (expensive) necklaces of each other’s initials and reo is never taking his off, proud to wear the letter of your name around his neck at all times.

takes it off during practice though because if he broke it then goodness is he going to go emo.

no date with him is a boring date! partly because he’s a considerate and thoughtful person who plans everything out, but also because reo’s company is a fun one to have. every moment with him is fun (except when he’s checking his stocks. you’re kinda left to just wait for him to finish).

(that’s also an ick- that he checks his stocks on dates but whatever 😒he still gives you attention though so it’s fine)

adores going out and staying in! prefers going out though just so he can show you off but also hates going out because he loves to see you dressed up only for him. he’s a perfect paradox.

speaking of staying in, off days with reo are very domestic. you both promise to use this as a work-free day, reo can’t check his business statistics or stock patterns and you’re not allowed to answer any calls or emails. he is allowed to workout though and you have quite a bit of fun blatantly admiring him. you're too comfortable with each other at this stage to get embarrassed.

but other than that, the day is just spent lounging around and doing nothing- a nice reset from how hectic both your lives are.

“there are still some chocolate chips left. wanna snack?” you ask once you put a tray of cookies in the oven, going over to see how many pieces were remaining in the bag.

reo hums, wrapping his arms around your figure, his sturdy chest meeting your back as he plays with the fabric of your shirt. “sure. might as well finish them.”

“bet you can’t catch 10 in a row with your mouth.”

“okay. bet.”

he ends up catching 12 successfully and the rest of the waiting time is spent with you throwing chips into his mouth. there’s a heap of chocolate on the floor but neither of you really mind when the home is warmed with laughter and giggles.

when you wait for the cookies to cool, you somehow end up on the counter with reo in between your legs, holding you closely to him whilst making out to pass the time. the cookies are cold when you get to them.

reo’s jealous. like very jealous. and a little (lot) possessive - do you see the way he is with nagi… c’mon.

but it comes from a place of good intentions, he's genuinely just in disbelief that he managed to bag someone like you (as if he's not a one in a million too)

he’s very into hickies ;> doesn’t matter if it’s on you or on him, it feeds into his possessiveness all the same. ok next headcanon.

reo’s got a little bit of an ego to him (he’s a leo. ofc he does) so he secretly loves it when people fawn over him, but not just exclusively you.

which has been the cause for quite a bit of arguments between you where you were uncomfortable because of the way someone was treating reo and he’d dismiss your concerns, stubbornly rooted in the belief that you knew that you were different. definitely thinks that his love and adoration for you makes it obvious that you’ll always be superior to anyone else. which, you are, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt when you don’t see him brush off anyone.

genuinely doesn’t see the issue with this, even when the media is being invasive and speculating too much.

it’s loud.

it’s so very loud, tormenting you as the hurricane of your thoughts can’t seem to quiet down, rattling even stronger as you keep scrolling through the ‘#reo mikage’ tag that was currently trending. each time you see the pictures, your chest constricts even more.

unbelievable how a bunch of pixels could have this much of an effect over you. how your phone mockingly presents several photos of reo and one of japan’s golden models spending time together at multiple events, the headlines only worsening rising assumptions. she’s all over him in each photo, whether it be decked out in formal gear at a promotional event, after a dior runway where reo was invited backstage by the creative director, or- most recently, at a brunch he was invited to by blue lock friends, she seems to love invading his personal space.

the worst part is that he doesn’t seem bothered at all by it.

you know reo and you know how much he valued your presence in his life. you know that before each event, he asked you how his outfit looked and if you approved. before each event, he threw a mini-tantrum over you're inability to accompany him to each one. that he only stopped whining when you promised that you’d be waiting for him after each one.

but you don't know the feeling of betrayal that settles in your gut and it terrifies you.

“y/n?” comes a voice from down the hallway, one that causes your breath to hitch in your throat, all words lodging themselves in your windpipe. reo’s head appears from behind the bedroom door frame and he smiles widely upon seeing you, immediately walking over so he could lean down and place a kiss on your forehead.

it doesn’t do much to stop the tornado in your brain.

“are we going to watch the latest episode or what?” asks the purple-haired, whose doe eyes are looking at you so innocently- so lovingly.

“we are,” you whisper, voice slightly broken and ragged, turmoil settling itself crystal clear in the heavy air of your shared bedroom.

reo notices your pained tone and immediately looks at you with concern gleaming in his eyes. “what’s wrong?”

so innocent. so ignorant. you wonder if it was appropriate to shatter his purity. but a relationship rooted in honesty will have more positives than negatives and even if it seems like being open with him will be detrimental, you should fix the cracks now before it worsens; splits apart too much to the point of it being unfixable.

“pictures of you and a model are circulating online,” you mutter, scouring through what’s left of your sanity to express what you’re feeling, but you can tell you’re already failing through the perplexed scrunch of his eyebrows. “and y’know, it just got me-”

“-why are you looking at them?”

you flinch at his defensiveness. “wh-what?”

“you know that they’re just some pictures, don’t you? it’s not that big of a deal.”

something’s telling you that this conversation won’t progress how you want it to so you give up, dropping your shoulders in defeat. “okay, sure.”

he’s not happy with your response. “what? what did i do?”

“it just feels so… horrible looking at these,” you mutter, dragging a hand over your face. “whatever. let’s just go watch the episode or something.”

“let’s not. are you seriously pissed right now? over some photos of me and someone else? i didn’t think you’d be this insecure.”

“i’m not insecure!”

“yes you are! you’re getting angry and upset over me being seen with someone else as if you know they’re nothing more than just a friend! am i not allowed to hangout and be seen with whoever i want?”

“it’s not a matter of being seen with them, reo! it’s about how okay you seem being that close with someone! she’s practically all up in your personal space and you’re okay with it!”

“why wouldn’t i be okay with it? you’re the only person i actually care about for it to mean something.”

“that’s not how it works!” you exclaim abruptly, curling your hands into fists. “it’s so disrespectful seeing this, it’s clear that she has no respect for our relationship and our status as a couple, can’t you see?”

“why should we care what she thinks? everyone else knows. ‘s all that matters.”

“sure, but she’s actively trying to pursue you! and you’re not doing anything to solidify any boundaries against it! do you know how demeaning that feels? especially against someone who is so well-known by your fans too.”

reo narrows his eyes. “so this is a conversation about insecurity-”

“you’re not listening to me!” you cut him off, trying to maintain your composure despite the way anger and frustration brewed freely in your stomach, threatening to spill over. “i’m not insecure! i’m upset because you’re not valuing our relationship publicly, and as a result, it’s stirring up so many unsolicited assumptions online!”

“you shouldn’t care about them because i only have eyes for you, fuck what the internet is saying.”

“no- that’s,” you ball your fists even tighter, “that’s not the solution to this problem!”

“then maybe you should just get over it!”

“is asking you to be a little more assertive about brushing off people like this too much?”

“it’s natural, y/n! these people just want me for my fame and reputation! there’s no point brushing them off when they’ll just continue this shit,” there’s a hint of insincerity in his tone, and from the way he’s evading your request makes your stomach churn.

rubbing your temples, you decide to surrender. “fine. if you just want people to fawn over you then they can. just, leave me out of the picture.”

swiftly standing up from where you were seated on the bed, you’re even faster brushing past the purple-haired, shutting the door behind you with a noncommittal slam.

realisation pours over him like cold water and he’s awoken into action. immediately, he turns to rip open the door and rushes into the hallway, panicked as fear strikes him like a lightning bolt. it’s like the rational side of him had finally woken up after a night of dormancy and he curses himself for its horrible timing as he prays he can make it to stop you in time.

reo feels stupid. so, so stupid.

you’re in the living room already when he catches up, phone in hand as you quickly try to make a beeline for your shoes before your boyfriend can stop you.

unfortunately for you, you’re too ambitious, and reo manages to step in front of you, hindering your exit. the anxiety he’s feeling is expressed clearly in his eyes and devastation is plastered all over his face, a sight that makes you stop in your tracks.

“where are you going?” he whimpers, no louder than a whisper.

you glance down at your phone to see the time. 10:41. “away. i need to cool my head.”

“you can do that here, can’t you?” he’s trying to sound sensible, really, he is, but the fear of losing you is too strong that his voice cracks. “i’m sorry, i’m really sorry, i was being stupid and i wasn’t listening to you, i realise that now-”

“-it’s too late for that,” you grumble, trying to sneak past him only to be stopped by a hand on your shoulder, one that you brush off. “don’t touch me!”

only a few, simple words yet they hurt reo like spears to his heart. his palms itch with the need to hold you because being able to feel you would remind him that you’re here, that you haven’t left just yet. that reo still has a chance to fix the mess he just created.

“i’m sorry, i’m really sorry, you're right.”

you probably don’t want to hear it, but he grovels nonetheless, contracting his fingers to stop them from reaching out to you. he doesn’t want to make you feel even more disrespected than he already has tonight, especially when you so clearly stated that you didn’t want to be touched.

“don’t go,” the purple-haired pleads weakly. “we can figure this out.”

“so now you want to talk about it?” you ask, all ounce of pettiness you had left melting into your tone. you to cross your arms. “i’m tired reo, and i need some time.”

“i’ll give you time, space, whatever you need, just please don’t leave.”

the penthouse is so quite and devoid of its usual vibrancy, the one that your relationship brings to the home.

reo doesn't want to think about what the place would be like if you leave. he doesn't want to think about what his life would be like if you leave, so he repeats 'please' over and over again, scrambled with some apologies here and there as he leans closer to you.

the urge to be as close as you'll allow him is irresistible.

the breath you exhale is shaky and you can’t look him in the eye as you think about what to do next, gnawing your lip in contemplation. what captures your attention is the feeling of his fingers ghosting over your hands, causing you to glance back at him with a surprised expression.

traces of love frame his expression and he’s looking at you like he’s savouring this moment, as if it'll be his last few with you, but he can only plead and pray that that's not the case. desperately, he succumbs to the force of his affection for you with the light thud of bone meeting floor. it’s a sound that makes you cringe briefly before reo experimentally takes your hands in his, waiting for a reaction.

there is none.

so he holds on to you like a lifeline and your resolve crumbles, fury and irritation melting away a lot quicker than you would have liked it to. it’s ridiculous what reo’s capable of.

“stay,” pleads the purple-haired, resting his forehead in your hands as he tightens his grip. “please.”

in front of you is a man on his knees. not just any man, but a world-class soccer player who came from 24k gold, real diamonds, and an unfathomable amount of trust funds. yet, something's telling you that he's willing to give it all up for you.

“reo,” your call of his name is broken and entirely wobbly, but he looks up at you nonetheless, eye shining as he waits for your next move. waits for either a strike of the palm or an affectionate kiss, both of which he’d readily accept.

neither happen as you sink down to be eye-level with him, hoping to help him stand up but like a tidal wave, he consumes you, wrapping an arm around your waist with a strength that indicated he had no intention of letting up. “reo,” you delicately repeat, holding yours and his weight up with one hand whilst the other goes to play with his hair. “i’ll stay.”

the sigh of relief that he releases causes his whole body to shudder. “thank you,” he whispers.

you’ll talk about your problems soon, but for now? you'll continue holding him as he silently weeps, hands clutching your sides like you'll disappear and slip away from his grasp.

yeah. i think reo would be the type of person to get too overwhelmed by his own emotions and ego that he doesn’t consider the other party's feelings, but the moment that he realises he’s fucked up, it hits him like a truck.

has abandonment issues (from nagi) that he never addressed and as a result, has a huge fear of losing you.

that said, this argument ^ happened within the early stages of moving in together so this was probably the first big argument that really established how important communication is. sure reo may be confident and assured, but he’s self-aware and more than willing to change and constantly better himself, especially if it’s for you.

back to your regularly scheduled hc, reo doesn’t spend a lot of time on his phone, so he’s not very active on social media. he’s too busy attending to his stocks, reading business books, and spending time with you to care about the internet, so a lot of drama that circulates around online doesn’t reach him until two weeks later.

not that he cares LOL.

speaking of social media, here's what his private account looks like!

yourlocalfinancebroreo close up that the love of my life took

yn: smash ╰┈➤ epicgamerseishiroooh pls no horniness on the priv ╰┈➤ yourlocalfinancebroreo hmu cutie xx ╰┈➤ epicgamerseishiroooh guys pls ╰┈➤ yn nagi what the 😭😭

OH AND he’s so interested in all of your interests. listens intently and rambles passionately, he truly is just perfect :(

anyways, encourages anything you want to do and is often the one who helps you make the terrifying jump. reo supports you so much in your day-to-day and whatever achievements you accomplish, no matter how big or small, he wants to hear about it from you.

never shy away from being honest with him!!!!

also because the support you show him makes him so happy every time. whether it’s showing up to a soccer match and cheering him on to dropping off some tea and a platter of fruit when he’s stuck in front of his monitor for too long looking at big numbers, he wants to reciprocate this energy and make sure you know just how special you make him feel.

the whole world could be praising him yet none of it could compare to when you do it.

y/n and me vs the world forever type of beat when it comes to you two.

yeah. i think that’s all i have for now. so, to sum it up: PERFECT, INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, ALL YOU COULD EVER ASK FOR boyfriend. give it up for mikage reo everyone <3

#reo mikage x reader #reo x reader #mikage reo x reader #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #reo mikage #mikage reo #reo fluff #reo x reader fluff #blue lock

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lanymme · 7 months

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Think about how Saria spent years in betrayal and anger, driven for justice, searching out all of Rhine Lab’s wrongdoings, developing her philosophy on what science is for, all to right the course of the thing she build together with Kristen, who she dedicated her life to.

Kristen, the child of her idols. Kristen, her first love. Kristen, who she promised to protect.

Kristen, who betrayed her.

Kristen, who took advantage of her devotion.

Kristen, who designed a weapon against her, against the formula they came up with together.

Kristen, who is harming the very people they set out together to serve.

Kristen, who she’ll judge and bring back to the right path.

Kristen, who she never fully understood.

Kristen, whose plans she needs to stop. Kristen, who might bring the whole world tumbling down as she achieves her dream.

Kristen, who she slowly realizes is going to die in pursuit of her dream, just like her parents.

She tanks an anti-tank weapon to the head. She fights against an ancient caster and warrior. She fights the very people she trained, the knights that protect and serve Kristen. She saves her kid, finally. She learns to rely on others, to communicate. She reconciles with her partner. She flies a plane up, up into the upper atmosphere (just like the Wrights), through a combat zone, and docks it on a moving station. She learns to let go of her careful control of her every move, to act spontaneously, decisively.

All this to reach Kristen. To stop her.

But when she finally meets her… That’s her childhood friend. Her first love.

She fights her, endures her power, one last time, taking step by painful step toward her. She tells her she’s wrong about science, shares the philosophy and perspective she’s built over the years to stop her from harming people, to fight the culture that birthed them.

But really, she’s trying to talk Kristen down. You were wrong to do this. Give it up. Your dream is beautiful. Come with me. You finally achieved your parents’ dream. We can still survive this. I don’t doubt that this will affect the entire world. Watch it with me. I can still save you. The escape pods are gone? I’ll calcify us together—use the arts we developed together—and we’ll fall together; maybe we’ll survive, maybe we won’t. I’ll do everything I can, even if it’s doomed. Let me save you. Please. Please let me protect you.

And Kristen, who never lost faith in her, who knew Saria would reach her, who always wanted to share the truth, her moment of triumph, the fate she had chosen for herself with the woman she loves, who knew Saria would never leave her by choice and installed a trapdoor in her dreamer’s space pod so that she could live on… presses the button.

And Saria, after her long, long climb, falls. The final stage of the rocket to Kristen’s dream, falling away.

What must it be like, as she fell, to realize she spent her whole life helping Kristen assemble her space program? That when Kristen used to look up at the stars, she was not just seeing the past, her parents’ deaths, the legacy she has to uphold; she was seeing this future she had always planned for herself. That this was always the wish that Saria devoted herself to protecting.

And she kept her promise.

#i’ve been crying for like 18 hours now #and I’m not sure what I’m more worried about.#the possibility that I won’t stop.#or the possibility that I will.#i don’t know what to do with these feelings.#arknights #lone trail #kristen wright #saria

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lucrativesoul · 7 months

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Divine Beings

summary: your new job at the town's old mansion-museum is a dream, but it's even more so to be working within its centuries old library. this building is fueled by the ancient lore of the undead walking the halls. it's all just tales, right? your archive master and new boss, Leon, knows all about those divine beings.

pairing: leon kennedy x female reader

word count: 13.0k

warnings: smut, borderline public sex (no voyeurism), blood ingestion

a/n: i can't begin to tell you guys how excited i am to be posting this. consider this my halloween gift, but we all know the darker genres are not just for the season! I had so much fun writing this. diving head first into this has really helped me through this rough time in my life situationships are hell and if no one got me at least leon got me :') (and u guys ofc) thank you so much for stopping by and reading, i really really hope you enjoy, and I promise to be back soon with another one. <3

“It won’t be too much of a challenge.” The soft voice coming from the woman in front of you bounced off the walls and high ceilings, making her even harder to decipher than she was in the first place. “All questions about the archive can be redirected to the master archivist, and I’m sure sooner or later you will be retaining all of that important information.”

You said nothing as you followed her down the hall, the click of your heels ever prominent amongst the deserted expanse. For a mansion built hundreds of years ago, they did well to keep it tidy and up to standard. You were impressed.

At the end of the long hall, yellow from the lamps glittering in intervals in the hall, you could see a grand set of large mahogany doors, intricately carved with inlays that you can only imagine must have taken just as long to complete as the residence itself. The initial nerves of the morning were gone, and now you were just more excited than anything to be able to enter one of the oldest libraries in a hundred mile radius, and now you work here.

The smaller lady who was guiding you, whose name you have already forgotten, leaned all her weight on the doors and pushed both of them inward, the two slabs of wood swinging open revealing possibly your most anticipated sight of your life.

The entryway was one tiny landing, with large staircases birthing off the sides to your left and right, making a gentle curve to the main floor. The walls, well, simply put, there were no walls, rather everything that would have been a wall was lined floor to ceiling with bookshelves, each one packed with differing widths, heights, colors of books, paperback, leather, hardcover, fabric. In the middle of the room were more free standing shelves, still packed to the brim, and the occasional long wooden table with seats scattered about the room. Directly opposite the entryway was a large window, facing the front of the mansion, and it served as the main attractor to the building. Rectangular at the bottom, it shaped off at the top, nearly fifty feet high, in a gothic style pointed arch, nestled gently in between two, much skinnier, similarly shaped windows, which were fixed off at the top with stained glass, giving the brown room rays of color on the sunny days.

You stepped forward, and having seemingly expected this reaction, your guide didn’t say a word for a moment while you took in your grand view. You almost couldn’t speak. It was more than you were expecting. It was everything.

Though it was a sunny day, you already found yourself anticipating the oncoming bad weather, knowing the treacherous drive through the rain would be so worth it to be here on a rainy day.

“Let’s go down to the archive office.” The woman’s tone was gentle, knowing you most likely would not have moved from your spot if she didn’t push you along. You followed her down the left staircase.

There were a few stragglers in the grand room. The manion’s open hours were not near close yet, but you were surprised there weren’t more people here at this hour. You doubted that it had anything to do with the age old rumors about the estate, there was no way people truly kept away because of those tall tales.

After coming off the staircase, you craned your neck up high, reveling in the surrounding papers and scrolls adorning the walls. You tried your best to keep up with the woman while also having your attention diverted, but had to fully look down when she ducked into a corridor below the main landing.

This hallway was plain and simple, and you felt your resolve slowly crumble away as you remembered why you were here–a job.

“The furthest of my knowledge is to bring you into the archive office and wait for the master archivist to meet you here. If you want to take a seat, he should be here shortly. Welcome to the museum crew.” She smiled at you, and after a thank you, you pulled out the seat in front of the desk and sat down. Alone in the room now, you turned your head to look at the surroundings, trying to gauge what type of environment this would be.

Despite your history in the field, you were still surprised when you got a call back wanting to have an interview, and when that went well and you were hired a week later, shock still warmed your body, paired with the growing excitement when you realized you would be working in the epicenter of your old town’s rich history museum and archive, and the home of all the town’s tall tales.

With all your years of studying classic literature spinning the yarn of mythical creatures, it was a no brainer when you saw this opportunity present itself.

You jumped in your chair when your name was spoken in a low rasp. You turned around briskly.

“I’m sorry, you startled me.” You stood in an instant, extending your hand, ready to introduce yourself, but it appeared the stranger already knew who you were.

“It’s alright, many say I have that effect.” You sat down at his gesture to do so, and he walked around the opposite side of the bland, deep wooden desk. This man, instantly captivating, wore a simple white button down with a crisp black vest over top. He had a wiry pair of glasses tucked into the collar, where the top button lay opened. His hair was a dirty blonde, browning at the roots. The sharp contours of his face showed years of experience, and you caught no air of uncertainty from the way he presented himself. Intrigued would be an understatement.

“Did our lobby host introduce you well? I know one walk down the foyer isn’t nearly a fraction of the time needed to look around, but, maybe it gave a taste to what’s to come.”

You nodded gently, your eyes still trained on his face. “Oh, yes, she most definitely let me take it in for a moment. I can’t wait to know everything better.”

He nodded, shifting through a folder and some papers. You were almost embarrassed at how you couldn’t take your eyes away from him, not even for a second, hoping the staring would come second to whatever information he was about to share with you.

“What drew you here? It’s quite tucked away.” He was still not looking at you, so you made no move to avert your own gaze.

“Well,” You began, taking a second to form a proper sentence. “I’ve always wanted to work in a grand archive like this one. It is just so full of new opportunities, new experiences. I’ve always loved this place.”

He nodded. “I felt the same as well. I wish I could tell you how swelled I was when I walked in here the first time, but it was so long ago, I barely remember it. Anyway,” He studied the paper intensely, then looked back up at you. You felt heated suddenly. “You had a pretty extensive background in literary culture, criticism, and classic studies. You were with a publishing branch for a few years?”

You nodded. “It didn’t pan out to my hopes, and I jumped at this chance when I saw they were on the hunt for a new archivist.”

He hummed. “I was. I was looking for someone new. Our last had left us suddenly, we had a vacancy.” You nodded again, the innate curiosity taking over about the ex-archivist. “So, you understand the majority of your job title, yes?” Nodded again, but said nothing so he could continue. “Basically, working side by side with me, the better half of our tasks will unfortunately be rearranging once the public comes through, they tend to leave things everywhere, I’m sure you know, and the other half is once our doors are closed, we do many of the repairs on the classics, restocking our souvenir books, and the tedious paperwork that comes along with the museum establishment.”

For a final time, you nodded. “I’m greatly looking forward to it.”

Now, he looked into your eyes, and he tilted his head gently forward. “I’m greatly looking forward to you joining us. As of right now, it’s just me and one other, so now it’s three.”

You smiled, then it faltered a moment once you remembered something. “I’m sorry, I don’t know if you said your name.”

His lopsided grin painted a picture in your mind that you knew you would be seeing even when you closed your eyes. “Leon Kennedy. Master archivist.”

–

You hadn’t imagined you would live to see a day when you were looking forward to stepping into your place of work, but this had proven you wrong. You were motivated by the mere thought of being surrounded by all the books and pages, all the knowledge you could possibly dream about, learning something new every day.

But, you knew secretly since starting, you would be lying to yourself if you denied the effect that Leon had on your willingness to come in everyday. He greeted you with gentleness, and you couldn't help but always match his energy when you walked into the office in the morning hours. Always spotting the grin on his face at the sight of you as well. It grew to a blazing heat in your chest to see this reaction.

There was a routine you followed with great ease after only a week. It truly was the most of what Leon had said it would be, and to your own surprise, when curious visitors asked about the archive’s collections, you picked up on the correct answers faster than you had expected.

One of your favorite end of day tasks, oddly enough, was replacing the books that visitors had taken off the shelves to browse. It exposed you to so much literature and titles that you had or hadn’t heard of, and gave you a better idea of the archive itself, and its shelf locations. There was nothing more relaxing in your life than admiring the centuries of artform adoring these bookcases.

Here, you found yourself sliding leather bounds back into their places, reveling at every cover for as long as you could get away with, feeling the slick material slide under your fingers as you pushed them into their homes on the shelves. Taking two steps forward, looking down at the engraving in the cover, embossed in golden letters, you startle when you knock into something hard, grip hardening on the book so as not to drop or damage it.

“I’m so sorry, Leon. I didn’t even hear you coming. Very quiet.” He looked down at you, his deep black shirt sucking the color out of everything around him. An amused expression danced on his features.

“So people have told me. I was trying to find you earlier for a question, but you’ve eluded me for the last thirty minutes.”

You smiled gently, but had to avert your eyes down to the books you were still caressing, lest your eyes should wander over the fabric stretched thin over his upper arms. You did not need this mental image lasting with you for who knows how long.

“Sorry for that, but, here I am. What’s up?”

Leon, so you have come to the conclusion, is much different than any overseer of a job you have had in the past. HIs gentle authoritative style pushed you in the correct direction he wanted you to take as an archive employee, but he never became harsh or strict with any of his guidelines. In fact, the way he approached conversation felt much more like a casual coworker rather than a boss.

“I had an opportunity you may be interested in. Finish your tasks here, and come up to my office. We can discuss it, I think you’ll be intrigued.”

You nodded, but grabbed his attention quickly at the notice of a small piece of information. “Wait, Leon,” He turned around at the sound of his name. “Your office? I don’t know where that is, I don't think I have been there yet.”

He nodded slowly. “Of course, I forgot. I’ll wait over by the information desk for you to finish. Don’t rush.”

You nodded, though he had already turned around. You took an extra second to trace his path with your gaze, wondering what this tight, breathless feeling in your chest was every time he was in your presence.

With empty hands, you stalked over to the center of the room, finding Leon’s back to you, hands shuffling through a stack of folders. He disregarded them when he heard you approach.

“Follow me.” Then, with a small impressed gesture on his face, “Faster than I expected.”

You said nothing as you followed him through the library, watching his back intently as if something were going to happen any second. Surely he could feel the way you were staring, how could he not? If this were you, you would have felt someone looking all over you.

He presented you to a discreet door tucked into the back wall of the archive, a mere few feet away from the large windows, now letting the dying sunset light in to paint the room orange. He stepped aside to let you in first, but what you were expecting to see was nowhere in sight. Instead of an office, a room, even a closet with a desk, chair, and maybe even a computer, it was a staircase. A spiral staircase at that, and it looked like it went up at least thirty feet.

“Your office is up there?” You couldn't help but ponder out loud while staring listlessly, yet amazed, above. You heard him snicker behind you.

“It is. How could I not have taken that one when presented to me? Go on. They won’t get any shorter.”

You shook your head to snap yourself out of the sudden daze, and carefully took the steps. This location was painfully plain compared to the rest of the archive, and part of you understood why, but also wished you had something to look at on the way up.

The tall, dark, wooden door presented in front of you looked like an import from the homes of the finest wood slabs of ebony, intricate carvings on each of the inlays. Not even the doors of the archive looked like this, it seemed such a waste to be hidden up these stairs, guarding Leon's private office. Maybe he personally requested this door to be here. What an interesting design choice, if so.

You pushed it open, not waiting for further instruction as there would have been nothing else to do. This office held far more personality than the one you were used to seeing on the ground floor, and you were positive you could spend just as many hours dissecting the shelves in this little room as you could on the main exhibit.

It was clear this room was built out of what might have been a buttress back in the gothic ages, the ceiling was high, circular and pointed, raw wooden beams were exposed to support the cone roof above you. The shelves were rounded, contrasted with the straight edge ones below. Books that looked as old as the dawn of time were cluttered on these shelves, a thought that almost made you panic, the treatment of them would make their casings fall off their backs faster than usual.

Leon didn’t miss any of your observations. “These are from a collection that I couldn’t possibly put down on the main floor, obviously they have seen better days. They don’t need more of the public’s touch to wither them even further.”

You swallowed, and forced yourself to face him. He was taking a seat in a grand maroon velvet desk chair. Even that looked ornate. “Aren’t you worried handling them like this is even worse?”

He gestured at the seat in front of the desk, then shook his head. He spoke only when you sat down. “They have been with me for years, I know how they behave by now.”

You had nothing to say in return, so you simply affixed your gaze onto his, waiting to hear the reason he brought you up here.

“You’ve found a passion in this place, I can tell.” His voice was low, and it made you shiver. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone treat this place like a living entity.”

“It feels alive…” You started, but had no way to finish. He was drawing the words right from your mind.

“I do believe so as well. What brought you here? Besides what you studied making this a readily available opportunity.”

You looked down for a moment. Truthfully, it was a little childish why you were here. You knew that much and you could at least admit that to yourself. But, could you admit that to Leon? It had turned out that you loved this place as much as you would love a home you had been in for years, this place never became a burden to walk into, and you doubted that it would ever become that. You didn’t know what kind of answer he was expecting to hear from you, but Leon could be trusted. You knew that well enough by this point. He expressed his gratitude to your presence to the archive many times and surely, don’t you owe him the truth for that?

“To be honest with you…” You started tentatively. His face showed no shift in expression. “I have loved this place since I was a child. Something about it, maybe the aura, drew me to it. That’s why I think I feel it… why it feels so alive to me.” He nodded, not interrupting your thoughts. “This town’s folklore is something I loved for all my life.”

This time, he closed his eyes and nodded slowly, as if finally understanding why you had come here. And, he did, as that once sentence, you knew, would explain to any local why you chose this mansion. This archive.

“Maybe that’s silly of me,” You shook your head at yourself slightly. “But I think I owe it to the child who directed my path in life.”

He smiled at you, no sense of mockery on his face. “Let me ask you this, though,” You sat still, waiting. “Do you believe?”

You did not need to think this time. “Yes. I do.”

Leon leaned back in his chair and let his forearms lay on the armrests by his sides. “I think you are wise for that. Many choose to stop believing in folklore once they hit such an age where they know stories from historical recounts, but, don’t you think the two meld together at some point?”

You nodded. “I have always believed in that. And as soon as I stepped in here… the minute I came here to get this job, and even as a child, when I saw this place, I knew the stories were true. There’s no way that this place doesn’t have its hidden secrets.”

“Hidden in plain sight. Everyone talks of the vampire roaming the halls.” Leon added.

You quirked a smile– you couldn't help it. “What’s not to believe about that? I can feel it when I'm here.”

Leon nodded, his smile not fading. After this conversation, you knew you made the right choice in choosing to trust Leon. How could you not?

“People are drawn here on the idea that they will spot him somewhere, but look far too closely. They think every staff member could be him in disguise. They look down every dark hallway wishing to see him slinking around the corner, trying to hide. They look in every window from the outside, thinking he is hiding from the sun. But, there comes the melding, and the separating of truth and fiction. Why should he be doing those things, because they believe it to be true, or because they were told to believe it?”

You had nothing to say to this at first. You knew Leon would be holding a plethora of information on the mansion-museum’s lore as being home to the city's resident vampire from centuries ago. You couldn’t consume enough information on the idea, and yet, Leon still stunned you with what he had to say about it, simply because he had been here to see the behavior of those who believe in him. You wished he would keep talking about it, but knew that the premonition of a mythical being lurking the hallways was probably not the reason he brought you up here to talk about in the first place.

“Your candor is appreciated here.” He held his smile, and his eyes were sincere along with his spoken words. The windows didn’t allow an incredible amount of light into the room, the lamp sitting by his side on the desk casting a yellow haze over the space, the red lampshade drenching everything above in a blood tint. Even through this distortion, you could see how blue his irises were. Icy. A tingle ran across the skin of your arms.

“Now, for what you are actually up here for.” He broke the gaze, and you involuntarily released a sigh of relief. Looking down at his desk, in nothing in particular, you noticed there was nothing of importance on its surface, he continued. “Every so often, for no reason other than to bring variety in, we have a few shelves in the center of the floor that we rearrange to bring in new displays, or to shift the attention to something else.” You nodded, and you were sure you knew he was going to ask for your assistance in moving everything. You didn't mind. “Right now the table has displays of books on the history of witchcraft and others of the sort, quite fitting for the upcoming season, but quite the insult to the monument they’ve decided to promote within.” He sighed. You couldn’t help but smile. “But, I think we can get even better.”

“I have ideas. I think I could help with this.”

Leon smiled wider. A gesture he doesn't often show to the general patronage. It made you feel warm. “That’s what I was hoping you would say. Now, though, an unfortunate part.” He sighed, and his smile disappeared. More shivers took place in your body of the heat. “I would prefer it to be done by the end of this week, and because the mighty institution is using the Halloween season to promote museum ticket sales,” Another sigh. “They’ve extended our opening hours. Now, we, as the archive, do have the liberty to close our area before they close the museum’s doors, but I've been strongly advised against doing so.”

You nodded again, listening. He shrugged, looking at you, as if waiting for an input you didn’t know you should give. You squeaked out an agreement.

“I would like to shift two days of your hours to overnight. Would that be a problem?”

“It’s not. This is my full time job now, so I'm at your expense.”

He chuckled softly at your words. “Not an expense, just… assistance.”

Nonetheless, even if Leon did agree to your words of expense, you would be agreeing. He told you the guidelines, don’t come in for the day shifts, just come in for the nighttime. He handed over a key, an old, brass one that he told you would unlock the large archive doors after hours. You agreed with no hesitation, of course.

You had discovered soon after this, that fear could exist in the same plane as excitement. Really, isn’t fear just an overwhelming excitement of something unknown? Standing in front of the mansion, you craned your neck as far back as your body would allow. The looming building was dark, save for a few spotlights, but other than that, it was as dead as the night around you. The suspicious lack of insect and animal life noises was eerie, but you swallowed that lump of nerves, and walked up to the front.

As Leon instructed you, flashing your badge to the night guards let you right through, and you followed the path you have come to know so well that led right to the archive doors.

It was a strange aura that surrounded you, one that made you hesitate briefly before unlocking, and relocking yourself inside. The air was so still, and that life you felt pulsing through the corridors on a daily basis was missing now. There was nothing, no one, no noise to fill your ears, so the blood pumping through was your only solace now. Before you could sit on this any longer and unease yourself further, you moved on.

The lock slid cleanly into place, and the resounding click that was heard resonated throughout the hall. You pushed the door open, wanting to get away from any undead lurking eyes that may be watching you.

Not turning to shut the door behind you, you stared out into the vast expanse of the dark archive. The shelves were still, though shadows flitted in between them as if dancing with the moonlight. Every time you blinked, dark figures appeared at the edge of your vision, teasing your brain, making a shudder do its rounds throughout your nervous system. Though you loved this place, the nighttime gave it a whole new personality you weren’t sure you were quite ready to uncover.

Turning to your right, you flipped the first two lightswitches, casting a spotlight down onto the center of the floor, and one at the door where you stood. You nearly jumped out of your skin when you turned back around.

“Leon!” You cried out.

Said man was in the center of the floor, as if coming out to greet you like it was the middle of the day. He had on a white button down, the first two loose around his neck, and his hair falling lazily over the left side of his forehead. It took even longer for your breath to still.

“You’re here?” You gasped out.

“Yes, I was wondering when you would get here. I guess you are right on schedule, though.” You carefully fled down the stairs, not taking your eyes off Leon, curious if he would disappear again.

“Here with all the lights off? How could you see?” He didn’t answer your question until you were now face to face with him, having placed your belongings on the staircase, figuring you would not be spending much time in the office.

He shrugged slowly. “You get used to it after a while. There’s something about this place at night, I don’t get many chances to enjoy it with only myself.” You said nothing to this, just trying to digest his logic. There was no point in arguing it.

“Well, we should probably get started then?” He smiled softly at your words and flung instructions at you, making the night go by as if you were asleep through it all.

With half of the display moved, Leon had stalked away to the main office, and you cleaned up the floor to pass until he let the both of you out. Standing next to the tall shelves, facing the window, you almost started to understand what Leon had said earlier. There is something about the place at night.

You had never thought you would get to experience that, though, of course. What other chance would you be wandering throughout these aisles all alone at night, with all the lights off? You were curious now, and jealous that Leon had been the one to experience that, and you might not ever.

You walked slowly towards the window, the lights behind you fading the further you went from them. Your fingertips grazed the edges of the shelves you walked along, as if picking up all the information held on them in one little touch. The night looked cold from where you stood, and you almost felt the temperature on your skin in that instant. The moon was full and bright, and it lit up your skin like the lights now behind you. Though these walls were thick and with plenty of objects in the room to muffle the sound, it could not drown out the roaring chorus of crickets perched in every branch right outside the glass. The chirps matched the beating of your heart, and soon the rush of blood was replaced by the insects' whispers, a cacophony of life, your vessel was the audience.

You saw yourself in the glass. Your skin lit up by the moon's graces, the hollows of your face carved out in deep shadows, you became painted into the history within these mansion walls, and you looked as if you always belonged. Eternal.

“The moon is bright.”

You gasped and startled again, turning swiftly to see Leon peering over your shoulder, looking at the same illusive mirror that you were. “You should stop doing that Leon, I’m going to have a heart attack one of these days.” You breathed out a laugh.

“I thought I was obvious enough, but I suppose not.” He looked past you back into the window again. “The moonlight makes you look marvelous.”

Your stomach twisted. You felt a blush rise to your cheeks, and couldn't help but turn back around to look again, and dare you say, you agreed. Your airbrushed skin, even flawless in the reflection of the glass, a gentle chiaroscuro against the vast emptiness behind you. Except for–

“Full moon nights are when I feel the most company here. I think she wants to be alive here as well.” You turned again, seeing Leon having unmoved from directly behind you. The cool blue light sitting atop his cheekbones, highlighting strands of blonde hair, contrasting the blaze of his hazel eyes, which were unrelenting on you. He, too, was a relief sculpture under the coalescence of the moon and the shadows. Where was his portrait to be viewed next to yours?

“Yeah, I… I agree now.” Though you felt a shiver crawl through you, you couldn’t make yourself turn around again to look. Your body was preventing you from doing so. Simply, you could only walk past Leon, back onto the main floor.

The ride home along in your car proved no more solace than you were hoping. You could see the silhouette of the mansion grow smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, and it felt like departing from a friend who did nothing but tell all their troubles. It was hard to believe how quickly your image of the place shifted, though, you still felt so drawn, and so attracted to the premises. And, not to mention, the man within its walls.

What you saw puzzled you. Simply, it had been a trick of the light. You knew that there was no way the light from the moon was able to reach every point of the floor, so he was standing in the shadow. But, how had he approached so silently? Leon was always so silent. This wasn’t the first time the man has snuck up on you. A few others have said he gives them a fright as well, but it seems to happen to you much more often.

Leon was an enigma, in more ways than one. He spoke in riddles, or it felt like it. You read plenty of classics in your time studying literature, and it was as if he had taken his vocabulary straight from works published a century ago. With a borderline transatlantic accent, it always took you a moment to decipher his sentences. It wasn’t as if he read too many of the classics, it was like he came from one.

As silly as the idea might sound to others, you believed it fully. It was just a tall tale from times past, warning people of a monster that didn’t exist. They kept the legend going to fuel tourism and sell museum tickets, but some still believed, and one of those some was you. You felt this answer in your heart fully and truly, and while it scared you to a degree, it awoke an excitement as never before felt in you. That almost scared you more.

There was no way that Leon wasn’t the vampire roaming the halls of the old mansion and archive.

His aura was one you had never felt in a person before. You have been attracted to people in the past, but you never felt someone so physically radiant that it was almost tangible. His gaze cut right through you like the sharpest knife, bringing a stinging trail along your skin as well as the burning desire to feel it again. It was undeniable, you had never felt such an insane attraction to someone you barely knew, yet, knowing that plus your newfound discovery, which you fully believed in, you wanted to dive headfirst into this unknown territory to explore.

All day this weighed on your mind. You couldn’t rid Leon’s image from your thoughts. You couldn’t deny, even without the personality that occupied your thoughts, he was one of the most handsome men you had ever seen. He was picturesque in form, a painting made by the most skilled hands. You were ashamed to admit, only slightly, that you were dying to know more about the maps of his body. He always hid under button up shirts, but none that were ever too big that you couldn’t tell he had large biceps, most of the time the sleeves rolled up so the veins in his forearm protruded with movement. The sight always made your mouth dry.

You had to assume, only based on these facts, that he must have been fit, and if he was, which you had no doubt of, paired with his stunning profile, you weren’t sure how you made it so far into this job without making an attempt to pass out in his arms.

As expected, you could think of nothing else leading up to the hours you had to join him back for the second overnight shift. You honestly forgot the whole purpose of you going at this time, all of that having been pushed to the side in favor of thinking of the man in charge of the place. You were nervous, yet anticipated your arrival, hoping to gain more clues to back up your (unwavering, in your mind) hypothesis.

The guards let you in without the flash of your badge. You slinked quietly through the main hall, footsteps bouncing off of every surface. There wasn’t a soul in sight, yet you felt life all over your body.

The key slid into the lock with ease, and the tell tale clink of the turn mechanism followed.

“Leon?” Your voice echoed through the archive as you shut the door behind you. The lights were off, once again.

You bound down the steps, dropping your belongings on the same stair as the previous night. This time, instead of heading right to the center of the floor to converge with Leon, you stood still on the last step.

“Leon?” You asked again after the man did not do his magical appearance trip at your entry. You felt a cold chill run over your skin. Now, you feel more alone than before. For the first time since becoming involved in the archive, the aisles and books were more sinister than inviting, and every dark corner had a spirit watching you.

You slowly left the stair you held solace on, and walked forward into the center of the room. It felt like every shelf and spine were staring at you with wide eyes, waiting for you to make a wrong move. You wanted to get to work, but you could barely will yourself back up the stairs to the lightswitch. You looked around again as if begging for help from a bystander who was not there.

There was a sudden shift in the air. You weren’t sure now if it was real or if you were hallucinating, but you felt a constricting sensation in your chest, and you felt not alone anymore. Leon was nowhere in sight, but you knew someone else was here.

Suddenly, you couldn’t take it anymore. The silence was enveloping you like a thick rope, and your breath was coming out sloppy. You had to leave.

You took one step backwards and hit a wall behind you. You yelped, not remembering stepping anywhere else besides the center of the room. You turned, and nearly jumped higher out of your body at the sight of what, or who, was behind you.

“You were down here with the lights off. Is something wrong or are you trying out my methods?”

Leon stood before you, in his usual uniform of a white button down shirt and black pants. His hair looked longer tonight, not pushed back with gel, but soft waves were falling across his face, pushed aside to let his sculpted face show through. Here, in the dark, he was much more brooding than he could have ever come across during your typical shifts. That gaze was not the friendly one you had seen in times past.

“No, no I just…” You swallowed, the words falling right out of your mouth. “I thought you would be here. Well, you are, now, but…” You gestured behind you, still feeling the presence of non-existent bodies.

Leon slowly nodded at your words, not moving towards you, but you felt his presence getting closer.

“I have been here. I was in the office.” He gestured behind him lazily, to the office you were used to frequenting as an employee. The door was closed.

You shook your head. “I didn’t hear you, though.” You looked again at the door, and when you looked back into his eyes, he knew what you were thinking. He was lying, and he knew you knew that.

“You know I’m quiet.” His tone felt like a surge straight from your head to your feet, rooting you into place no matter how much you urged your brain to send movement to your limbs.

“Well…” You pushed words out of your throat. “I guess let’s finish this, then.” You broke eye contact and finally felt your body moving forward, but you knew he was still looking at you. You could feel it.

The moon, if it were even possible, was even brighter this night. It’s full face projected into the windows like a spotlight, and once you were able to put your body into motion and further the project of moving book displays, you barely paid note of how Leon never turned the lights on for the both of you. Maybe he could see perfectly well.

It was nearing one in the morning at this point, and you had one last stack to move. You made gentle conversation with Leon throughout, refusing to put on a strange facade solely off of your own thoughts. He reverted back to his normal state, though normal is a generous word to use for a man like Leon.

You walked back to the table being used to house books while they are moved, and picked up the last stack. Bram Stoker, Dracula.

This made you snap your head up. You were sure this hadn’t been on the list set to display, yet, here it was. You looked around, trying to search out Leon to question him about this last minute addition. But, as expected, you realized, he was nowhere to be seen. In fact, you don't remember what he was doing last.

“Leon?” You looked back over to the office door, still closed. You would have heard if he went in there and closed it behind him. You put the stack of books down and walked (slowly, you now felt that desolate aloneness again) over to the back right corner, towards Leon’s private office.

You could not make yourself walk any quicker than the snail pace you currently set. It was odd, and you knew if you were afraid you should be walking faster, but for some reason, surrounded by these books and shelves, you felt as if the faster you moved, the quicker you would be caught. Caught by what? You couldn’t answer that question, yet the word suddenly appeared in your head to describe the situation.

You were distracted on the way to the back. You thought, again, you saw a drift of black smoke waft by as if it were another hallucination. You stopped in your tracks, heart in your throat. You shifted paths, only momentarily, you were now desperate to be back in the company of Leon, your supposed vampire master archivist.

The carpet below you muffled your footsteps, but still, you noticed they were loud enough to be heard, unlike how Leon had been appearing from behind you out of thin air. You almost had to squint as you walked by the windows, the moonlight a sudden burst of fireworks in contrast to the dim workspace you had been habiting. As expected, after leering around the corners, hoping to sneak up on the entity, there was nothing but empty space.

There was a light pattering at the window, and you turned your head to see the sky spitting down on you. The window, slowly becoming stained with raindrops, still held that brush stroked image of you, forever intertwined within the archive. It was a hypnotizing image, as if you no longer recognized yourself the more the rain came down. It was a comforting sound, the taps of the drops on the glass filling the void. It felt like another presence, and it calmed you down to a degree, as calm as you could allow yourself to get.

There was a creak from behind you, as if someone had opened a door, or stepped on a stair. You whipped back around, hoping to see Leon at this point, but still, he was nowhere to be seen. The room was still, everything untouched, but your eyes still scanned every crevice, convinced you were going to miss something if you weren’t careful.

The rain was still sounding off behind you, and you could see the bending of the light as it cast onto the floor. It was the only thing moving. You were far too on edge now.

You turned back to the window…

“Leon!” You took a step back, now more afraid than surprised at his sudden appearance. “Where did you come from? I’ve been looking for you.” You took a huff, trying to catch your breath from his genuinely scaring you. He was standing in front of the window, the moon behind him casting into a deep silhouette, face barely available.

“I’ve been here the whole time.” His voice was lower than before now, and you could barely piece together thoughts. He turned his head to the side, as if surveying the room that you were just inspecting. His eyes caught a glimpse of the light, and you saw the deep yellow in them. It sent a sudden pit to your stomach, and a memory to flash in front of your eyes.

The day he had taken you up to his office, and you spoke about the legends of the vampire, and why you were drawn to the house. You remember the look he gave you when he had said he appreciated your honesty.

Leon had blue eyes that day. That color was nowhere to be seen now.

You swallowed, trying to moisten your mouth in order to speak. “No… no you weren’t. I looked for you. You disappeared. And you just came out of nowhere. What is going on with you, Leon?” As hard as you tried to suppress it, you heard the trembling sounds that came out of your mouth. It was audible that you were panicking, and he knew it.

He stared at you for another moment. His arms were clasped behind his back. “What are you afraid of?”

The rumbling of his voice shot straight through you, to your dismay, and you forced all your composure together to face him without folding.

You gave him a once over, trying to find… something, that might give him away. What you were looking for exactly, you couldn’t say, but you couldn’t stare into his eyes any longer, especially having realized they were not the same eyes you saw a few days ago.

“You’re just… being odd, Leon.” You looked back into his eyes, or what you could see of them from underneath the shadows. Being this close to him, you felt like you were suffocating, and you needed air. “I would like to finish this now.”

You slowly side stepped him, Leon still unmoving in his position against the window. You sighed and turned your head, catching your rain-distorted reflection once again. It was you, a mirror image of someone suffering the same mystifying scenarios as you were in the present moment, standing ever alone against the bookshelves, not offering the comfort they usually do.

You stopped short in your tracks and did a double take. Now your body was fully turned toward the window.

Your reflection stared at you, looking just as perplexed as you did. Without shifting your eyes to the side, you saw the equally distorted reflection of the wooden shelves, illuminated under the lunar glow. You saw your empty hands, you saw the dark hallway behind you, and out of your peripheral vision you saw that Leon had not moved from his spot yet… yet you could not see him.

Leon was not present in the reflection.

You could do nothing but stare in shock and slight horror as you watched the whole scene unfold. A part of you was now realizing, though you had put two and two together in the comfort and safety of your own home, now in the presence of the man and seeing the evidence with your own two eyes, your veins ran cold, and you could not will yourself to move. Not until Leon did.

He shifted, you couldn’t even turn your head to watch. Now he was out of any point of view you had, but you felt his presence press himself against your back, staring into the same image you were. It was the most disorienting experience, feeling Leon’s body behind you, yet not seeing him peering over your shoulder. It didn’t take an expert for him to know how you were feeling in this moment, and you were also sure he knew exactly what conclusion you had just come to.

“What are you thinking?” His deep voice presented itself directly in your ear, and you felt the featherlight graze of his lips on the shell. You could feel the strands of his hanging blonde waves hit your cheek, and while your eyes stung like you wanted to cry, a blaze set itself alight within your body at his proximity.

You could only shake your head slowly at first. “You…” You fumbled over your words, unable to take your eyes off of the glass. The mysterious image of only you and not the person directly behind you will forever be burned into memory. “What are you?”

You heard him inhale slowly. You felt the heat from his face lift away from yours, but it only moved up a fraction, his mouth now pressing closely into your hairline.

“Don’t you know already? You’re a smart girl.” He was condescending with his words, most surely using what you had told him a few days ago against you now. All that talk you did about you believing the legend of the mansion’s vampire, yet here you were, standing right in front of him and refusing to say it out loud.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Your voice was barely louder than a tremble. “You let me run my mouth like a fool in your office, and you didn’t even tell me that I was right this whole time.” Your tongue was so dry, speaking became a task. Your fingers were growing numb, but you still found it hard to move.

He snickered, and you felt the air from his breath fan your face. “And ruin the surprise? I’d much rather see the look on your face after you put it together yourself than having told you right then and there. There’s nothing I love more than when I see someone realize the reality of their convictions. Quite especially someone like you.”

You closed your eyes. It was all you could stand to do at this moment. You shot them back open, however, when you felt his broad hand at your back, pushing you forward, closer to the glass.

Walking closer to the window with the rain now coming down steadily against it, he released where he had put his hand, but did not remove himself from your closeness.

“What do you see?”

He said nothing more, waiting for you to find the composure to be able to speak properly again. As hard as you tried to look past your bleary visage to the outside world, it was nearly impossible. It was dark as ever out there, the moon unrelenting in her radiance.

After a few more seconds, “Myself.” You heard Leon hum from behind you.

“And?” He egged you on.

You shook your head. “That’s it. I can see the moon. The rain.” Your voice grew softer, body relaxing slowly, but for what cause, you weren’t able to find. You involuntarily let out a low sigh when you felt the tips of his fingers crawl up the right side of your neck, settling on your jaw. He pushed your head to the side, enough to expose the canvas of flesh in the reflection.

“Curious… Don’t you think?” His hand flitted lower, raising a trail of goosebumps along the tender skin. A finger pressed inward, right underneath the crook of your jaw, feeling the pulse of your bloodstream. “How much of yourself you can see, the first thing you always notice, for the living must look and be vain.”

Chills spread quickly throughout your body. His hand felt shockingly warm, the opposite of what you would have expected from the typical vampirical lore.

“You… you don’t know what you look like?” You whispered.

“How should I? I’m not able to unless someone lets me know, but even then, do I want to?”

You said nothing for a moment, trying to breathe through the weakness in your abdomen at his touch, which was still laid over the tender place on your throat.

“I’d like to think you still look the same as the day you stopped aging.” He hummed again at your words. Despite his remark of not knowing if he would like anyone to tell him what he looked like, he let you continue in your description. “You’re like a sculpture. Rough around the edges but so blended out, only made by hands whom the gods approved of.” His hand left your pulse, settling on the crook of your neck and shoulder, slightly squeezing. You couldn’t see, of course, but you felt that he still held his face close to yours. “You’d almost be better fitted walking the main halls as a work of art than hiding in these books.”

“That is very affirming to hear from a woman like you.” A breath of silence, then he continued. “You’ve always known, you always believed, and you know what I am. I’m quite drawn to you, I am long familiar with the feeling of someone who is covered in fear, it’s nowhere present on you.” He brought his lips down back to your ear, and you felt his left hand sneak around your waist. Your knees almost buckled. “You’re captivating… I cannot bring myself to keep things professional at all times.”

You were now, truly, at a loss for words, however he did not take your silence as resilience. The hand that was not around your waist was now pushing down the shoulder of your top, revealing the smooth skin. You shuddered again, letting your eyes close once more, and you gave in to the physical feelings over trying to rationalize anything verbally.

“I can’t stand here and deny myself from trying to get to you any longer. I have to know… I must know…” His voice was a borderline growl in your ear now, and you shocked yourself with the smallest whimper that poured over your lips. It only fueled him.

You were pushed forward by a sudden force from Leon, both hands coming up to brace yourself against the window. You were glad no one had ever turned the lights on, if any of the guards decided to walk the perimeter, surely you would have been seen.

Interestingly enough to you, despite being in the current position you were, you no longer felt any anxiety from being in the presence of your manifested form of Leon the vampire. Though he did stand there and confirm it all to you, no part of you felt like you needed to run away any longer. In fact, the contrast between the cold window and his warm body was all the convincing you needed to stay.

“I would never do this on an ordinary day, if it were anyone else I would fight these urges, but with you… I just find myself succumbing to something I wanted so suddenly.” His mouth moved against the skin of your neck, and you arched back into his body behind you. “I will not continue unless you tell me not to, but you should know I need more than just the one thing from you right now…”

The deep octaves of his voice had your thoughts swimming, and any rational mind had flown far out the window. There was nothing to argue with when there was nothing you felt the need to refuse.

“I…” A gasp from you, collecting breath you had not known you were holding. “I can’t let you do this then let you loose. This is too far beyond simplicity now.” Your breath fogged the window, and you couldn't help but notice once more how you could only see your bare shoulder in the glass, and not his large hand around the bone.

“I would never,” His lips were tucked up under your jawline, the vibrations from his voice being felt all over your body. A kiss would be less intimate. “You’re mine.”

At once, his hand on your waist tightened and he opened his mouth, his sharp fangs pierced the flesh right underneath your pulse and you gasped loudly, the pinch making you stiffen at first, then making your legs lose balance.

Leon’s hot mouth on your throat was like a painkiller compared to his teeth sunk into you, and his hand held you steady as you slowly felt the need to fall to your knees. He removed his right hand from your shoulder and wrapped it underneath your right arm, crossing over your chest to hold you steady against him, and the more you gasped and writhed at him feeding, the closer he pulled you into him.

He was groaning into your neck, his tongue swiping over the stinging wounds after he had retracted his fangs, and every time more blood pulsed out of the surface, he rocked his hips into you, and you could tell he was enjoying this in more ways than just the one. And, something you never would have believed you would get to admit, you were growing more excited with every passing second as well.

“Leon…” You whispered, unable to find strength to raise to your full voice. You clenched your eyelids shut, a burst of white filtering through the darkness. Your limbs started trembling. “Please…”

With a gasp from the man, he pulled his mouth off of your neck, the cold air stinging the once warm location. He pulled you close into his body. He was breathing heavily.

With his still low and raspy voice, he spoke again, his body twitching against yours from the rush of adrenaline. “With one taste now, I’m not sure I will ever be able to stay satiated without your blood again,” You tilted your head back, resting it on his. He held you up. “You remind me of a time when being alive meant something greater than just a state of being to me. For as long as I can…” He adjusted his head, and you felt the tip of his nose grace your jaw. It made you jump at first, afraid to feel those piercing teeth again, but he let you revel in the soft touch. “I cannot let another claim you to be theirs.”

Leon brought his left hand back upward on your body, caressing your face and directing it sideways to look at him. His eyes were burning bright with gold, and your hazy vision locked onto it like a target.

“Tell me yes,” He whispered now, his mouth grazing yours. You were barely hanging on, the blood loss creating more of a haziness than you were expecting, but you would have been able to say this answer even if you could barely speak. You had made your mind up about this with Leon a long time ago.

“Yes, Leon,” You breathily replied, and the grip on both of his hands intensified, capturing your body even closer to his if it was possible, and came down onto you in a heated kiss.

He held the side of your face to keep you upright, and it only made you melt further. His strong hands and arms were the sole reason you hadn't fallen to the floor by now, your mind was swimming and all of your nerves were aflame. You were barely paying any attention to the dull throbbing coming from the two pinpricks in your neck.

Leon, you could tell immediately, was a passionate lover. He made sure to keep you close to him at all times, afraid at any moment you could run away, from him, from this archive, from this experience. You knew you could never do that, not after such a bond had already been created by letting him feed off of you. His arms were solace in this moment, and his mouth a lifesaver, ironically.

He gently bit at your lips, and when he pulled away for you to catch your breath, you could taste blood. It was your own, you knew, but some sick inner part of you loved the thrill it sent through you. You wanted more.

His mouth was back on your skin in an instant, this time by your cheek, ear, down to your jaw and neck. You flinched when he landed on the bite mark, but he only trailed over it with a light kiss, he didn’t intend on reopening them. One of your hands came down off of the cold glass, now fogged from the heat from the two of you, to wrap around his wrist. You could barely stand, and wanted to stay in his embrace, but needed to look at him.

At your touch, he slowly let you go, and when there was enough space for movement, you turned carefully, purposefully not leaving his contact.

You shuddered at the cold window on your back, but felt heat flood your senses again when you looked into his eyes. Leon loomed over you, gaze full of lust, chest heaving with having spent energy on you, but you knew he had more to give. And you had more you could take.

You grabbed the front of his shirt by the middle and pulled him closer to you. He wasted no time in coming where you had beckoned him, hand slithering around your waist to draw you in again.

After a breath, you spoke, “I can’t… I don’t think I can stand for long,” Your eyes fluttered shut for a few seconds at a time, and you couldn’t help but to let them.

The other hand that hadn’t worked its way around your waist trailed down your side, over the curve of your hips and thighs, and took solace underneath.

“Don’t worry about that,” It took only a second at most for him to lift you, settling himself in between your legs, back still pressed against the window. Leon’s hand was gripping your thigh, and the other was still behind you. Your own arms wrapped around his neck suddenly, and it brought you face to face with him once again. “I’ve got you. I won’t drop you.”

You sighed at his words, thankful he was now holding you, as that surely would have been the breaking point, and you would have been in a puddle on the floor by now. You let your head roll back, hitting the window with a dull thud, but any pain that might have happened due to it was nowhere to be felt, with other sensations at the forefront of your nerve system.

Leon had pressed himself against you again, the hardness of his cock through his pants pressing incessantly against your heat, he reattached his lips to your throat, nipping and sucking at the soft skin, eliciting mewls from your mouth at his touch.

Your hands explored ceaselessly along his strong arms, his biceps flexing from holding you, from the excitement coursing through his own body, and you couldn’t help but arch back into him, trying to get even closer than possibly allowed. You felt him pull away again, and you wrapped one hair through his soft blonde locks and pulled him back, connecting your lips in fervor, kissing him like your life source was dependent on you staying alive.

HIs lips were soft and hot, you were addicted to the taste. The tang of your blood mixed on his tongue danced with the shared saliva between you, and with every kiss you wished you could get even closer to him. You tugged on his hair, but it was as if he couldn’t even feel it, he was too wrapped up in you.

His tongue roamed your mouth, both soon becoming slick with spit and sweat between your bodies, and you couldn’t take the heat anymore.

You pulled away, only by an inch but with enough space to whine out, “Leon, please,”

No more communication was needed, he understood your words. Maybe if you let it go on any longer, he would now just by whatever your body was telling him.

The arm he had around your waist snaked back to your side, and dipped down in between the two of you. Leon kissed your neck once, your head still relaxed against the window, unable to conjure the energy to move. You shivered with his touch along your thigh, the casual sweater dress you had on now becoming a good idea. You thanked your past self.

“If I continue will you let me,” He spoke into your neck, close enough to your ear for you to hear the low rumble of his voice. “I got a taste of you, but I know it won’t be enough.” His hand was already caressing the tender skin of your inner thigh, causing waves of chills and heat though your body and straight to your core. He was mere inches away from pulling aside your panties and running his fingers along your wetness, and you didn’t know if you could wait for that any longer.

“I need you Leon,” You whispered, and tried to turn your head to face him as best as you could. “I’ll let you forever.”

He sighed, but it was closer to a growl. He thrust his hips forward, creating a delicious friction in between the two of you, and you couldn't stop the moan that escaped. Your hand was still laced in his hair, and he inhaled sharply, in pleasure rather than pain, every time you pulled hard.

You whined out loud when he withdrew the hand that was so close to putting fingers inside of you, but you quickly quieted down when he utilized it instead to work apart the clasp of his belt and button of his pants. He had no intentions of wasting time, though this was a man that had all in the world.

You lifted your head with the surge of energy you found at the sound of this and attempted to look down, needing to feed your eyes before he fed your pussy. He caught you before you could make the move, smashing your lips together once again, but you didn’t mind the distraction, it was a better way to pass the time rather than have your mouth empty.

Leon wrigled himself around for a moment, attempting to pull himself out with one hand. He sighed after he accomplished this, pulling away from your mouth, but instantly was back on your neck. This time, he gave you what you wanted.

With his other hand still supporting your thigh, and showing no signs of getting tired of this action, he replaced his hand back inside your dress skirt, but skipping right over its previous position. Instead, he placed the pad of his thumb right onto the gusset of your panties, pressing with enough force to give you the friction you were desperate for. You gasped out loud, and he only continued this action to make you writhe against him.

The hand that was not tangled in his hair traveled down his chest, feeling the hard ridges of his muscles and bones, toying with the buttons of his shirt to pull them apart. When he felt your hand touch his bare chest, you could feel the muscles flex for a second.

He decided he had had enough of the teasing, though he was the one doing it to you. He roughly pulled aside your panties, and your mouth dried up at the action. Your breath hitched, and you knew what was coming.

He pulled away from your skin for a second to look into your eyes. You could feel yourself slowly slipping away, the dizziness from the blood loss slowly fading, but that strength was whisked away instantly by the arousal pooling in every crevice of your body. Leon’s eyes were half lidded, pupils blown, mouth slightly parted. You could tell just by looking at him that he barely had anything else on his mind. Just the few sips of your elixir gave him enough energy to last the whole night, most likely.

“I’m sorry if I get rough,” You felt the vibrations of his words through his chest, which you still had one hand firmly planted on. “Everything is heightened now and…” He swiped through your clothed pussy again, making you buck your hips forward. “You are irresistible, and it’s doing something to me… That I haven’t felt in a long time.”

You said nothing, or rather, didn’t have the time to, as after he concluded speaking, his fingers breached the threshold of your panties and he slipped a finger through your wet folds, making you inhale sharply and press yourself further against him. He leaned forward, pinning you fully against himself and the window, using his teeth to gently bite at your neck again.

He proceeded to stay buried in your neck for the next minute or so, his fingers going back and forth from teasing your entrance to applying pressure on your clit, making you whine and wiggle around in his hold. Every time you moaned breathily right next to his ear, he growled lowly.

The rain continued to pound on the window behind you, mirroring the feeling of your dripping heat, tightening around nothing as Leon continued to tease you, the feeling of his twitching head would occasionally press against you, and you desperately tried to rut forward to put it in, but he held you in place.

Finally, when he did decide to show mercy on your state, you whined so sharply your voice cut in and out of audibility, his thick fingers stretching you in a way that felt like bliss, no matter if any pain occurred. He thumbed your clit while slowly pumping his fingers in and out of you, feeling yourself grow slicker with every stroke, the movement becoming less and less resistant as he worked you open.

Surely he was able to feel your thighs trembling in his hand, your legs twitching with the feeling of his fingers, paired with the tongue against your pulse, the non-bitten side, you were almost at the edge without anything major happening.

He pulled away, putting himself once again in front of your face, searching you for signs that he shouldn’t continue. Tears were brimming on your lower lash line, though not from pain, but from the lack of pleasure. He saw this as it was, knowing what you were feeling in this moment, knowing you needed more, needed him.

Leon held one second of eye contact, then dipped into your mouth to kiss you chastely, and at the same time, sheathed himself inside of you. You gasped into the kiss, deepening it as you tried to thrust yourself forward to take more and more of him in. He held your hips firmly in place, not letting you take any of the control. Your fingers were tugging so harshly at his hair now, you would be surprised if you pulled away with no strands stuck between your fingers. He welcomed the sting of it though, pushing himself forward into you until he completely bottomed out, the feeling of his twitching cock in your walls made your whole body shiver, and you felt yourself pulsing around him, begging for some action to relieve your aching.

Your breath was stuck in your throat at this. The fullness you were experiencing made it difficult to inhale anything, and with Leon not only filling your insides, but still keeping his mouth connected to your neck, everything was making your head spin.

“Leon…” You breathed out, and you received a grunt in return. He pistoned his hips forward again, making you whine sharply, before pulling himself out and repeating the action. You quickly became loud.

There was nothing rough about the action. He was slow and thoughtful with every stroke, hands gripping your ass where he held you up, pushing bruises into the skin where his fingers made contact. He groaned with every other thrust, enjoying the feeling of you around him as you were of him inside of you.

You could barely make any more noise at this point, just heavy breathing was coming from the both of you, a whine occasionally making its way out from your throat, but too many sensations were happening at once, it was all so overstimulating.

Your hands were roaming, trying to find any surface on him possible to steady yourself. You were clawing at him desperately, feeling a little sorry for the marks you were creating along his chest, but every line of pain was being pushed into his performance, and he was not relenting on his power.

“Fuck,” Leon moaned into your ear, and he took one second to collect himself before resuming his pace. You could feel how wet the both of you had become, as well as hear it. “You feel amazing…” Your head rolled back once more and thudded against the rain stricken window, but it was not loud enough to drown out the incessant squelching happening. Leon began to pick his pace up slightly, most likely your sign that he was getting close.

He thrust hard and stayed seated inside of you, making your legs tense up, and pleasure shoot throughout your entire body. Your hand had finally let go of his hair at this, squeezing with as much strength as you could muster up in your body on his thick shoulder, where you could feel every muscle as he struggled to hold you up and keep himself together.

“You’re too much for me,” He gasped into your ear, “I can’t hold on much longer,”

You lifted your head off of the window and leaned down, he met you halfway and sealed his words with a deep kiss. Moving away from other spots on his body, your hands traveled back up and cupped both sides of his face, kissing him with passion as he tried to split focus between kissing you and fucking you.

You could feel his breath on your face as he began stuttering, and his sounds made your stomach tighten, and you clenched your walls around him, making it even harder for him to continue.

He pulled away by a mere centimeter, saliva stuck between you two in a string, the look in his eyes soft yet strong, he admired you in a way that made you forget he had seen a thousand other beautiful things in his lifetime. It made you feel like you topped the list. Sweat was beading on his forehead, it was catching the moonlight behind you, making his skin shine like silver. His eyes were blue again.

He furrowed his brow together, his hips losing its steady rhythm. “I–I can’t,” He almost whimpered, and you took pity on his state. It was arousing to see this man fall apart under you.

You tried your best to speak, voice cutting in between heavy breaths. “So don’t.” These words elicited a sob-like sound from the man in front of you. His mouth dropped open, eyelids scrunching together, letting the last of himself loose that he had been holding together barely at all.

With broken gasps and groans, you felt Leon push himself for just a moment more, the pleasure on his face driving you right to your orgasm, and the knot inside of you came loose. Solace was found on his chest again, and your nails dug into him as you rode it out, knowing the feeling was going to push Leon over as well.

You felt it before you saw it on his face. You felt the throb of his thick cock inside of you, his hips unable to do anything steadily at this point, and he let himself go inside of you.

He was looking down between the two of you, though you were sure his eyes were closed as you were still pressed together. He groaned once, twice, and when he eventually looked up, in between his panting lips and huffs for air, you saw his shining fangs that had come out to play again.

You almost invited him to bite you again. Surely it would have allowed him to continue.

You blinked and they were gone. His facial features softened as he looked at you, your skin was on fire from the warm air settling in around you two, and your lungs wouldn’t fill efficiently enough.

He gulped, trying to wet his mouth. You were experiencing the same. “Are you alright to stand?”

You removed your hands from his chest and placed them on one of the panes of the window. “I think I will be, maybe… eventually.”

He huffed a laugh. He gently maneuvered his hands to let your feet plant back onto the ground. After being held up for so long, your knees felt like jelly. You stumbled.

He still loomed over you after you had regained your balance. He discreetly put himself away while you were busy controlling the rush of blood back to your head, and now he was keeping a watchful eye, scared, like you were fragile.

“I’m just unsteady. I won’t break.” You remarked. You pulled the hem of your dress down.

Leon smiled. It warmed you. “Of course I know that. I just…” He looked away for a moment, as if ashamed. “I drank a lot more than I should have. And then proceeded to heighten your heart rate, which was not my best course of action, but at times, I tend to get ahead of myself.” You stared at him as he talked. You felt endeared by his worries.

“I feel fine, right now. But I was hazy. But…” You bit your lip, wondering if you should continue your train of thought. Why not, you concluded, the most intimate act was already water under the bridge. “I liked how it felt.”

You couldn’t help but smile, a slight difference to the tone of the moment, but you noticed his hair, which he hadn’t yet patted down from your fingers running wild in them. It made him look rugged, playful. Human.

“I…” Leon said nothing else for a few more seconds. You observed each other. Reveling in the events that just transpired, and exactly what this means moving forward. There was no more strictly professional relationship. You could feign it to the public, but you will always want him. He will always crave you.

He continued. “I meant what I said. I had a little too much just for a first taste, and it heightened every nerve ending in my body, you allowed me to continue, and I fear… Well, now I need to see where this takes our relations. I would like…” Another pause for humility. “I would like you to stay. Stay here, not for the building, but with me.”

You were the one to gulp this time. Even just his words had a sweeping effect like a wave, and you were desperately trying to breathe through the undertow.

You walked forward, grabbing his shirt by the half undone buttons and pulled him into a kiss. You let the passion take over in place for the lust a few minutes prior, and you could feel the difference all over your body. You knew your answer.

You pulled away, both of you slightly dazed. You whispered into his lips, “That was already my plan.”

The moonlight hugged you both goodnight.

#leon kennedy #resident evil #resident evil fanfiction #leon kennedy fanfiction #leon kennedy x reader #fanfiction #leon s kennedy #resident evil 4 #resident evil 2 #leon kennedy smut #vampires #vampire fiction #vampire smut

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weeb-polls-with-pip · 5 months

Text

Autistic Anime Boys Prelims - Propaganda Division - Group 10

Propaganda:

Mycroft -

"We don't know as much about Mycroft canonically, except that he makes a club whose whole premise is parallel play with talking forbidden, and that he is more than willing to let someone he barely knows start MI6 with the promise to deal with the socializing. Also that he is THE organization behind the British Government. As in, he serves as a planner and God knows what else. He tracks more in his head than a spreadsheet. He's adorkable too, he shoots his brother in the head with a paint gun to get his attention and tell him to beware of women, and then starts infodumping about the origins of the gun and all the cool stuff it can do. And he is truly kind, sending letters to Albert in jail and generally being really good at supporting his team, even if he hates to talk."

Londrekia -

"When it comes to things that don't interest him at all, Londrekia acts aloof and uncaring, but if something or someone catches his attention, he will immediately gain an interest, often not taking personal space into consideration. He's very stubborn and will often disobey orders from his organization if they don't match his sense of justice. Also his special ability is cryomancy and he makes a lot of ice puns that counts for something right."

Hikaru -

"Hikaru is one of the main characters in a manga explicitly about autism, and because we get to see him from birth to a young age, we get a good sense of how autism manifests in young children, which is pretty rare in Japanese media. To be honest I kinda felt like I ought to submit him because I read this manga when I was young and quite liked it, even though he's not the type of character who will make it far in this kind of tournament."

Raidou -

"a lot of the comedy from the show comes from him completely misunderstanding the other lead (who is also very autistic coded) and doing absolutely insane wacky things because he thinks that's what she wants to do. there's also an entire episode where him and the other lead get obsessed with fidget spinners."

Takt -

"Has a special interest in music and does reckless things because of it."

Asuka -

"to actually play him (he's a character in a fighting game), you have to play a card game (the most autistic game genre) while avoiding confrontation (he will die). he talks about observing people and collecting data in a way that really just seems autistic too? idk i think he's wonderful."

Yuu -

"He’s like if an emo programmer boy was also completely unhinged and also had a tragic backstory."

Soujuurou -

"My man grew up in the woods, has never seen a telephone in his life. Does not understand a single thing that's going on around him at all times and just thinks "well this must be what the city is like". Doesn't understand how to talk to other people, doesn't understand when other people are trying to make fun of him. He's doing his best to make ends meet but he specifically has a hard time with the unspoken rules of society no one ever taught him."

Emerald -

"Look at him."

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man-down-in-hatchet-town · 7 months

Text

Theory: Hannah's Birth Led to Steph's Mom Dying

Okay, this is a bit of a wild journey, but I promise it's at least somewhat thought-out if you're willing to bear with me for a bit. (Theory under the cut!)

I'm endlessly fascinated by the absence of the Church of the Starry Children (not a random opener, I promise). We're told multiple that times that "nothing that dies in Waylon Hall ever truly dies," and we learn that the Waylons put a spell in place to essentially resurrect anyone killed on the house's property. We also learn that the Waylons and their followers all died in the house in 1979. So... where are they? Max was a singular teenager, and within two weeks he had the entirety of Hatchetfield whipped into a panicked frenzy. Surely an entire cult of evil zealots brought back from the dead and imbued with insatiable bloodlust would be even more noticeable. At the very least, their Number 1 Fan Roman and remaining widow Sheila would know that they were still out there, which is clearly not the case. So it's pretty undeniable that, despite their safety-measures, the Waylons and their followers are no longer around.

There are multiple potential reasons for this. The Hatchetmen have experience with such people. Perhaps they got around the spell by taking the Cult's bodies to the Witchwood and burying them there, though that doesn't seem hugely likely. Or maybe Miss Holloway took care of the Waylons back in the 80s. That timeline arguably kinda' sorta' works--Miss Holloway gave up her life as a pop star to become an immortal witch just a handful of years after the Waylons' deaths.

But then we have Solomon in Nerdy Prudes Must Die, who has the Black Book, but says that he will never touch it "ever again." This statement heavily implies that Solomon once summoned the Lords in Black, and the absence of Steph's mother implies that she was the price he paid. (Nick and Matt also give A LOT of credence to that theory in the Hatchetfield Halloween livestream.) Solomon also knows A LOT about Max, the spell that created him, and how to put an end to it. And sure, this could be second-hand knowledge passed down from previous mayors or Miss Holloway. But what if it's not? What if, in an eerie foreshadowing of his own daughter's future actions, Solomon Lauter was the one to summon the Lords in the Black and sacrifice the love of his life to stop the resurrected Waylons?

There's an obvious problem with this theory--the timeline. Judging by Max, it's likely that a whole cult of monstrous and monstrously powerful ghosts on the loose for 25 years would have been Apocalyptic long before the timelines had the chance to shatter.

So what if they weren't around? What if the Waylons' spell was not automatically triggered upon their deaths, but instead required activation? Perhaps, in their cult-y arrogance, Mathias and Agatha never imagined that every single one of their followers would be wiped out alongside them. Maybe the Starry Children were supposed to return to the Hall upon the Waylons' deaths and activate the magic. With the Cult massacred, there was no one left with the knowledge to complete the ritual and resurrect the dead, leaving them in limbo.

And then Hannah enters the scene, born the same year that Solomon performs his Summoning. We know from Wilbur that Hannah is basically a nuclear power plant. What if her birth, together with the massive burst of energy as Lex activated her powers to save her sister, (and also maybe PEIP's portal playing whatever role it played,) was enough to do for the Waylons as Hannah would later do for Willabella Muckwab? What if Hannah's nuclear battery existence automatically served to complete the Waylons' spell, activate the house (leaving it primed for Max's return from the grave), and release the Waylons onto the unsuspecting town? Leaving Solomon, town Mayor, sentinel at the gates of hell, to work alongside Miss Holloway and her Black Book, discover the truth of the Waylons, and summon the Lords in Black for help. And maybe Miss Holloway, still in the middle of her own deal, was unable to make another, separate one, leaving Solomon to give up what he treasured most...and murder Steph's mother.

(And maybe the little girl she left behind is nothing but a reminder of his loss and his guilt.)

(Update: lmao @thatdelusionalnerd just described this as "far-fetched but still makes quite a bit of sense" and I just wanted to acknowledge that because I feel like that's my sweet spot with Hatchetfield theories. Arguments that are absolutely bananas and almost definitely not true, but to my own consternation kinda' work nonetheless.)

#solomon lauter #miss holloway #steph lauter #hatchetfield #hatchetfield theory #hatchetfield theories #hannah foster #lex foster #the church of the starry children #mathias waylon #agatha waylon #starkid #nerdy prudes must die #npmd #npmd spoilers #nerdy prudes must die spoilers

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goodnightmemes · 9 months

Text

THE TUDORS SEASON TWO SENTENCE STARTERS (PART ONE)

s02e01 - s02e05

❛ Although I have given sufficient proof of my loyalty to the king I must do nothing to provoke suspicion. ❜

❛ If you betray us...I will destroy your entire family. ❜

❛ You're incapable of fidelity. You always have been. ❜

❛ I shall never forget that we were once true friends. ❜

❛ Some people will blame her for everything! They will blame her if it rains or if the rains fail. They'll blame her for the wind that destroys our crops and the storms that sink our ships. It's all the fault of [name]. ❜

❛ Who gave you the poison? ❜

❛ You're a fool. And you will die for it. ❜

❛ You told me there was nothing intimate between you anymore. ❜

❛ You can't have three people in a marriage. Why can't you see that? ❜

❛ Let us stop this and mind our own business. Do you understand me? ❜

❛ She's a witch who deserves no other fate than to be dispatched to hell. ❜

❛ Here is a book of prophecy. This is the King, this is the Queen... and this is myself, with my head cut off. ❜

❛ If I could weep, I would weep tears of blood. ❜

❛ I have no intention of becoming your mistress. Nor anyone else's, for that matter. ❜

❛ My love, you have no reason to be suspicious. Nor will ever have. ❜

❛ We fought, and we failed. All I want now is to be left in peace. ❜

❛ I love you with my every breath. With every fibre of my being. I love you and I am yours. ❜

❛ I would never betray the secrets of a woman, especially a beautiful woman, who must naturally have a great many. ❜

❛ The fact is, the station you will be asked to occupy is not an easy one...especially to those not born to it. ❜

❛If I had not been born to be King, I would certainly not have wished that fate upon myself. ❜

❛ You dishonour the [name] family whom you serve. ❜

❛ Everything in life is ridiculous. And to suppose otherwise is human vanity. ❜

❛ We want to please the king. We want to make him beholden to us. ❜

❛ If I had to choose between extreme happiness and extreme sorrow, I would always choose sorrow. For when you are happy, you forget. You forget about spiritual things. you forget about God. But in your sorrow...he is always with you. ❜

❛ I want the people to love their new queen as I love her. ❜

❛ Store up your knowledge and your anger. Don't act impulsively, it's always a mistake. ❜

❛ There was an assassination attempt, either upon you or upon the queen. ❜

❛ I was sure his reign would be a golden age. I had such high hopes. ❜

❛ This is a new beginning. For me. For you. ❜

❛ I know of no Queen of England save my mother. And I will accept no other queen except my mother. ❜

❛ Please forgive me again, I am not very used to visitors anymore. They are mostly forbidden to me. ❜

❛ Your Majesty has given birth to a very healthy baby girl. ❜

❛ You and I are both young and by God's grace, boys will follow. ❜

❛ I am told that the lady is much dismayed at having given birth to a daughter and not the son she promised. ❜

❛ I think....I believe with all my heart that he still loves and cares for me. ❜

❛ Real life is raw and difficult. And you must face up to that fact. ❜

❛ If I were you, I'd be more careful about poking fun at those who have the power to hurt you. ❜

❛ How did you suppose no one would find out your secret? ❜

❛ Leave court. Go back to your family. See if they will have you. ❜

❛ I am here in kindness. I would welcome you back to court and reconcile you with your father...if you will only accept me as queen. ❜

❛ I recognize no queen but my mother. But if the king's mistress would intercede with the king on my behalf then I would be grateful. ❜

❛ I would rather lose my own son than to see any hurt come to you. ❜

❛ Do you not suppose they would conspire to plot against me? ❜

❛ You must be good to each other and to everyone else. Or if you cannot be good, be the least bad you can be. ❜

❛ He does nothing out of malice...but only the imperative of his conscience. ❜

❛ I know all about his conscience. He's been wearing it on his sleeve for years. ❜

❛You were always plain-speaking. It's one of the attributes I admire you for. ❜

❛ I do not willingly seek martyrdom. ❜

❛Say you are not angry with me. Please. If you left, and I thought so, I would feel-- I'd feel even more lonely than before. ❜

❛ I am not angry with you. But I am frightened. So very frightened. ❜

❛ I lost the baby. ❜

❛ From now on we must all be careful, you especially, not to lose the king's love. Or everything is lost. ❜

❛ You married him in secret and without asking our approval. He is such a nothing we could never have given our permission. ❜

❛ Since you acted brazenly and in spite of me, I shall cut off your allowance. ❜

❛ You and your fine, honest young man can rot in hell as far as I am concerned. ❜

❛ Indeed, I think myself fortunate to have found [name] and to be loved by him. ❜

❛ Do I have to ask your permission to fall in love? ❜

❛ Now we are royalty. Everything is different. ❜

❛ There really is no difference between us except that I shall die today and you tomorrow. ❜

❛ I am sorry for many things that are occurring in this kingdom. The good seem to suffer, and the wicked to prosper. ❜

❛ You're a free spirit. I love that. Everyone else constrains me. No one understands. ❜

❛ But the king can change his mind. He can do whatever he wills now. He has absolute power. You know that. ❜

❛ What he has given, he can take away. And what taken away, he can give back. ❜

❛ This is all I know of [name]. That she is my death...and I am hers. ❜

❛ Please. For the love I know you bear us...don't do this to us. ❜

❛ I love him. And I hate him. I hate in equal measure to my love. ❜

❛ Do you still have a passion for me? ❜

❛ Don't weep, my own darling. It's all right. Everything is going to be all right. ❜

#rp meme #sentence starter meme #sentence starters #inbox memes #roleplay prompts #roleplay meme #rp prompt #royalty meme #period drama meme #*tv #*tudors

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emmasether · 6 days

Text

lazarus (1)

fem!oc x feyd-rautha

words: 991

archiveofourown

CHAPTERHOUSE, THE BENE

GESSERIT SCHOOL, 10,191

Anastacia didn't come to know her parentage until she was twenty years old, and told herself she felt no particular connection to it. When you are a daughter adopted by the bene gesserit you're loyalty lies with the sisterhood and the enlightened path of humanity. Bloodlines help cultivate higher potential in breeding humans, they do not help in direction after birth.

But it is important to feign connections, that is what she's learned. Outside of political relationships such as marriages, stewardships and alliances, there still remained more intimate connections to construct. The vast majority of people cannot survive in prolonged emotional solitude, and it's more effective to pretend to be like they are, dependent and yearning, when you need to blend in or fake allegiance to get something in return.

She supposed that's why the Reverend Mother promised her to the Harkonnens. They who lived on a depressing planet void of beauty, under the violent leadership of their Baron, might be more prone to emotional vulnerability if they are exploited correctly, and with enough time.

They're a people with only the false idea of love in worshipping their idol of a Baron. They are loyal to the Emperor only as long as their lord is. And with that love and obsession clouding their vision they come under the false impression that love is returned. Servants always meet their death with widened, dumbfounded eyes. Always thinking if they play their cards right they will be chosen, they'll be kept. But House Harkonnen does not share the sentiment that human life—which already finds itself in danger of future extinction from war—is beyond value.

That's where she would be going eventually. And some day down the line, that was to be her home. A wave of nausea unsettled her and she focused on her breathing to suppress it. It was pointless to fear. Fear would bring her nothing but distraction in the face of danger. What was done, was done and what will happen, will happen. She only has to survive it.

Her ancestry was both a great advantage and risk. Granddaughter of the late Earl Dominic Vernius. Had her kin not gone renegade, she would now hold the title Princess.

It didn't matter now.

She was reviewing passages from the OC Bible. Knowledge is pitiless. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she twinged. A little girl just beginning her training still existed there, though she tried to bury her. A girl who was always wondering when someone would come and take her away from the school, somewhere relaxed where she might not be forced into such a rigid, calculating, serious attitude all the time. Where she didn't have to always be at least partially on guard.

Instead they had escaped for themselves. She doesn't know the circumstances of her being left behind, whether it was by choice or by force, only that they had gone and she had not gone with them. Knowledge was pitiless indeed.

It was her last day on the planet she spent her entire life on, only travelling offworld a handful of times for educational purposes. She had never been to Giedi Prime before, but she's studied it relentlessly and gathered enough information from the other sisters who had served there. It was more dangerous than serving at the Imperial Court, and only her status as pupil of the Reverend Mother would keep the animalistic lieutenants and soldiers at bay. If that layer of protection were to fail, she still had her own skills and training to fall back on.

"Do not allow it to come to that," Gaius Helen Mohiam had told her a few days before when she announced the arrangement she'd made. "Violence and The Voice is a last resort. You must charm, persuade... you must influence if things are to go smoothly."

"I understand." She had said, but really she was nearly overcome with terror, imagining herself as a lamb thrown into the wolves den.

"Stop that!" The Reverend Mother snapped, voice curt. "Do not forget yourself Anastacia. They are at your mercy, you are not at theirs. Only they don't know it. Ignorance and arrogance in a target is a great advantage, do not squander it."

She nodded sharply and tried to pull herself together, but the Mother saw through her as if she was made of glass.

"Poor child." She took her hand in a rare moment of affection. Although incredibly strict and cruel at times, Gaius was not without kindness, she gave warmth when she thought it necessary. "It's only two days, and then you will be moved to Kaitain for some time. I've already spoken to the Count and arranged for one of his daughters to accompany you. Her own mother was a Sister, you will not be alone there."

That had given her more strength to cope with the situation, but the fact did not change that she would eventually be forced to reside in Giedi Prime for the rest of her life.

She thought of another passage, Fate and Hope only rarely speak the same language.

She began to pack the the rest of her belongings from the dormitory. She had very little to her name, only her clothing and school books, and a dainty neckless with a small emerald. A parting gift from the Reverend Mother.

Soon enough she would be without the protection of her school, a stranger in a strange land tasked with building relations with a house and man too abrasive to be called real humans.

She did not pray often, and usually felt stupid doing it. But she sent out a prayer then, to whatever higher power may be listening, and hoped it was kinder than the people she was heading towards.

—

a/n: i'm thinking shorter chapters for this and quicker updates. kinda just going with the flow. hope you enjoyed!

emma out ୨୧

—

chapter 2

table of contents

#feyd rautha fic #feyd rautha fanfic #dune fanfiction

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aita-blorbos · 3 months

Note

aita for hundreds if not thousands of people truly as well as potentionally - that is, if a certain set of actions were set into motion and successfully performed - met their ends at my hands?

human life, as it is, is a frail thing - though this does not diminish its meaning. this is obvious to anyone alive, however dull they may be, with the exception of those that simply disagree. as a means to an end, however, one could argue, however correctly or incorrectly you the viewer may believe it to be, that lives need to be lost for the greater good. this is a common enough trope in many stories, crusades, political ideologies - something that comes to mind is, even, armageddon, but this bears little importance to the overall theme of what i (m, i will not share my age) have to say here.

this appears quite negatively and most certainly does not make for a beneficial start to my story, but ive yet to exit stage left and ask for further attention to my situation. namely - i have a condition that does not allow for my body to be awake, with the danger of overloading my brain due to my unusually high intelligence. although my power stems from the sleeping world, the realm of dreams, effectively placing no limit on my abilities, my sister (12f) does not share this connection to the real world, a fact that pains me greatly. though i spent a fraction of my life awake, she was never given this opportunity in the entire duration of my raising her more or less from birth. in order for me to give her the chance to live as any normal human, the creation of an absolute world is in order, a project that will certainly ask a high toll for both myself, as well as the world currently in place. namely, it will ask that i kill, and that lives will be lost. in this world, at least.

another point to be made lies in my collaboration with the pope, and the promises she has made to me regarding our project. she shares a goal with me - namely, creating a perfect world - and has pitched a highly plausible modus operandi, which, again, requires a high number of sacrifices. however, as i have concluded, if i were to accurately remember the names and faces of every life i take, i will be able to bring them back to life in our perfect world, so effectively, no lives will actually be lost.

i also spoke with a brit about this.

so, aita?

for additional information, yes, i am aware that the concept of murder is, morally, wrong, to a certain extent. it certainly serves the purpose of causing a great deal of pain to those affected by it, but then again, it is an inherent part of life, too. without life, there is no death, and a life without death one day becomes meaningless - is, for this reason, not the concept of it a mercy? the loss of life is a topic of intrinsic value to the human experience, present in every good story - is there even one of shakespeares works that does not revolve around it? arguably, death is the driving force for every person on earth - an especially prevalent example of this must be none other than his production hamlet, a riveting tale of death and grief as told by the titular character hamlet, a man whose father the king was murdered by his brother - hamlets uncle - to seize th

#aita #am i the asshole #unreality

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dilemmaontwolegs · 1 year

Text

Running from the Flames {6}

Pairing: Pierre Gasly x OFC Warnings: 18+ only, kissing, a punch is thrown - this is a work of fiction and the events are not based on reality. Chapter: One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six || Seven || Eight || Nine || Ten || Eleven* || under construction

“Pierre, the rumours are that you are now dating Brianna Vowles. That must be quite the change from the models you have been romantically linked to in the past.”

This was the beginning. The very first reporter.

Paulo looked at me and gave an apologetic smile.

“What do you have to say?” the reporter probed when Pierre said nothing.

“I’m sorry, was there a question in there?”

The crowd laughed and the tension evaporated as they moved on to the next reporter with a reminder to keep the questions in relation to the teams and race day.

I thought we had gotten away lightly but the last reporter didn’t care about the rules as much as the others who had asked about tactics and confidence levels going into the race. He held up a picture of a birth certificate and I leaned closer as I recognised both him and the name on the certificate.

“What the fuck?” I growled as I rose to my feet and sat Addie down on the chair. “Can you watch her?”

I didn’t wait for an answer as I stormed my way through the paddock to where the interviews were. I never heard the question he asked but a silence fell over the crowd as I rounded the corner in time to see Pierre vault off the stage and into the media area.

“Pierre!” I screamed trying to get his attention but he was busy making his way to Trent Gordon who was still holding a copy of Adelaide’s birth certificate. A few cameras turned my way as I followed but most were still focused on Pierre and the angry words he was having with Trent.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Pierre growled as he shoved Trent.

“No problem here,” Trent laughed as he kept the paper up high for all the cameras to photograph. “I just want to expose the truth. See this line, it says Father: Unknown.”

I finally made it through the crowd and ripped the page from his hands. “There’s a permanent restraining order forbidding you from coming near me or my family, Trent. Get the hell out of here before I call the police.”

He scoffed and looked innocently at the people around him. “Maybe we should call them, tell them what a liar you are. You do know it’s illegal to lie on government documents, right. And we both know that Adelaide Mirabella Vowles’ father is Erik Sorensen.”

I felt sick as he publicly announced something that had been kept quiet for almost three years. Erik may have fathered a child but I never wanted him to know about it, not after what he did. And now the news would spread like wildfire, no doubt reaching Brixton Penitentiary where Erik was serving his 10 year sentence.

My hands clenched into fists as the man in front of me smiled and all the rage I had thought had disappeared over the years came back in a tidal wave. I didn’t even feel the impact or see my hands move, but I heard the collective gasp as my fist broke Trent’s nose before I was whisked away.

“Fuck, fuck, are you okay, ma cherie?” Pierre asked as he picked me up when my feet refused to walk and I wrapped my legs around his waist, burying my face in his neck.

“I just wanted to keep her safe from that monster.” The tears spilled over as I realised I failed her. “I can’t let him ruin her too.”

“You’re not ruined,” he promised as he brushed my hair back and wiped my tears away. “Hear me, you’re not ruined.”

He carefully set me down on a bench and I looked around to see we were in the drivers room. Otmar filled the doorway behind him, a sheen of sweat on his face like he had run from his principal interview.

“Can you watch Addie please? I just need a few minutes.”

He nodded, his worry increasing at the catch in my voice. “Your dad’s already on his way.”

The door closed silently behind him and I looked at my shaking fist. I had never actually punched someone before and I never wanted to again. I hadn’t been able to control the rage that had come over me and I wondered if that made me as bad as Erik.

I was fixated on my knuckles, the bruise and swelling quickly forming before my eyes. Then the pain began, a worsening throb that spread across my hand and tore a whimper from my lips.

Pierre gently uncurled my fingers and saw the swelling, swearing under his breath before he tore his shirt over his head. The ripple of muscles distracted me and I watched as he opened a wheelie bin to see it was full of ice water. He scooped out a handful of cubes and wrapped them in his shirt before taking my hand and placing it carefully on top.

“That was one hell of a right hook,” he said softly, but there was definitely a sense of pride in his words.

“I shouldn’t have done that, I’m already going to be in enough trouble.”

“He deserved it, and more, for what he's done.”

Pierre stepped between my legs so he could wrap his arms around me and I was lost to the comfort of his embrace as well as the rich tones of his cologne. It was an all encompassing feeling of security when he held me like this and I knew at that moment that I wanted more from him.

I peered up at him from under my lashes. “Are you sure you want to get tangled in all this drama? I mean, you should be concentrating on your race but instead you’re charging into the media like a damn white knight to my rescue.”

From the sparkle in his eyes he took pride in the title and dropped a lopsided grin. “It won’t always be like this, the reporters get bored and things settle down. But, I like you, Bri, and I’m already invested in seeing where this goes. So, unless that’s not what you want…”

“I want it,” I rushed before biting my lip and willing my racing heart to relax and repeated it a little more calmly. “I want this, Pierre.”

I ran my hands over the hard planes of his chest, feeling the soft curls beneath my palms and he stilled, barely breathing, as he let me take my time and explore him. His heart was a steady thrum against my hand but the pulse at his neck raced the higher I reached.

I followed the curve of his collarbone and draped my arms around his neck so I could run my fingers through the strands of his hair, marvelling at how soft it was. With the courage I lacked only two days ago, I pulled him closer and his eyes traced over my face, silently asking if I was ready.

I nodded and closed the distance.

His lips had to be a drug because with one taste I was addicted. I no longer needed air, I would happily just breathe him in. My lips parted for him and my fingers tangled in his hair as I welcomed the kiss that chased away the pain in my hand and set my body on fire.

“Just friends, huh?”

“Putain de merde,” Pierre swore as he spun around to face the intruder only to blanche at the sight.

“Dad!” I dropped my hands from Pierre and cleared my throat. “Um, I’m assuming you two know each other.”

“Monsieur Vowles,” Pierre recovered and held out his hand to my dad.

“Pierre,” dad said coldly, shaking it once before crossing his arms again. “May I have a moment with my daughter?”

“Uh, yeah, of course.” He went to a narrow door along the wall and grabbed a fresh shirt out, quickly pulling it over his head before squeezing through the doorway that my dad didn’t move from with an apology.

“A bit childish don’t you think?” I muttered as dad finally stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

He didn’t even give me a small chuckle, letting me know what kind of mood he was in. “Did you forget our little chat this morning?”

“No.”

“This isn’t being careful,” he said with a pointed finger at my icepack. “There’s only so much I can do in the FIA but there were fans and we can’t stop them from posting what happened out there.”

“I know, I wasn’t thinking straight. I just saw that asshole and snapped, and possibly broke something. Fuck, my hand hurts.”

His eyes softened and he lifted Pierre’s wet shirt away to see the purple bruise spreading. “You should get this looked at.”

I shot him an incredulous look. “I’m not going to miss the race. I’ll take some painkillers and see how I feel after the podium. How did Trent get in anyway?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted sullenly. “The pass he scanned wasn’t his so we are tracking the owner down. It’s likely he flew in this morning after seeing the photos from last night, wanting to get the spotlight while the attention on you was fresh.”

“It feels personal and I don’t get why he hates me.”

“Well the fact that he went bankrupt after the court case probably didn’t help.” Dad frowned at the confusion on my face. “Honey, where did you think the reparation payout came from?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted with a shrug. “Money wasn’t exactly my focus when I was laid up in bed recovering and then back at Uni.”

“He was an independent journalist, it came from his own back pocket.”

Shit, that would explain the hatred radiating from him and why he was hell bent on making my life miserable.

“Look, I have to get back but I’ll let you know if I hear anything more.” His words pulled me from my thoughts and I gave him a quick hug, thanking him for the update.

“Pierre won’t get in trouble will he?” I asked as I walked him to the door.

“He’s not the one who threw the punch,” he said with a shake of his head as he murmured, “but I might like him a bit more if it was him.”

“Cut it out, please, he makes me happy.”

Dad rolled his eyes and sighed, “fine, but if he fucks up then I don’t care that he’s on Otmar’s team, I’ll penalise his ass until he’s 20th on the grid.”

The gusto made me laugh and I gave him a hug. “No you won’t but it’s nice to hear you have my back.”

“Siempre.”

“Ay, mama will be pleased,” I teased as I opened the door. “30 years of marriage and you’re finally learning some Español.”

“I know plenty, mija,” he fired back. “It’s just for her ears only.”

“Uh, disgusting.” My face screwed up and I tossed Pierre’s wet shirt at him but he was already gone, his laugh fading as he left Alpine’s area.

Since I was in a better space of mind I went in search of Addie, hoping it hadn’t been too much to ask for Otmar to watch her at such an important time but when I found him she wasn’t there. Panic began to creep in as I looked around the crews and didn’t see her but Otmar waved me over and placed a calming hand on my shoulder.

“She’s in the car,” he said as he pointed to the adjoining room where Pierre’s race car was waiting. “I’m a little hurt that she didn’t want to stay with me when your beau came out.”

“You’ll always be her Poppa,” I assured him. “Pierre’s just her shiny new toy and he spoils her with attention.”

“That makes me feel much better,” he said sarcastically before his assistant handed him more paperwork to check over while I left him to it.

The race car was on its stand with the tyres yet to be put on. They were being kept warm under insulation wraps and would only be attached when it was time to head to the track. Even without them on I could see the axle turning and when I was close enough to see into the driver's seat I found Addie pretending to drive from Pierre’s lap.

“I’m going brrrrrmmm so fast,” she declared with a toothy smile when she spotted me.

“So fast your wheels came off,” I gasped and pointed to the metal bar that they joined to.

She turned wide eyed to Pierre and smooshed his cheeks in her hands. “Woah, did you see that?”

He played along effortlessly, appearing equally as shocked until she burst out in a fit of laughter. Her pure joy had me smiling and the worry I had that she had seen what happened during the interview faded. She was happy and content, too young to understand the weight of the world, just like you hoped she would remain for as long as possible.

“Thank you,” I mouthed to Pierre as I lifted her out of the car so he could follow.

His body brushed mine as he stepped down and my heart skipped a beat as I remembered the feel of his skin under my hands. “My pleasure.”

The moment was broken by the pit crew arriving to start warming the oil for the car and I knew it was almost time. Pierre was already being called to go and get his fireproofs on but I stopped him and pulled the necklace my mother had given me when Addie was born. “She brings good luck and protection,” I said as he ducked his head so I could put it around his neck.

He picked up the gold pendant and studied the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I wasn’t overly religious, only going to church when it was expected of me and that was mostly when we went to Acapulco to visit my abuela, but I always wore the necklace.

“Are you sure?” he asked and I nodded with certainty. “Merci.”

He kissed the pendant before leaning forward and kissing my forehead too and the warmth of his lips spread like liquid across my body. I could have stayed feeling that way all day, like I had my own personal sun to bask in, but Addie had other ideas as she squirmed forward in my arms, shoving her face between us and patting her forehead.

“Jealous, princesse,” he said with a smile before giving her the kiss on her forehead she was wanting. “Where’s her earmuffs? It’s about to get loud in here.”

His concern for her endeared me all the more as I reached into my handbag and pulled the pair out for her before reminding him of his own wellbeing. “You should use some more Bonjela before you get in the car too.”

Pierre placed his hand over his heart as he backed away towards his impatient team waiting. “What would I do without you, mon ange.”

I didn’t have a response as he disappeared into the mass of people waiting to get him suited up, stretched and ready for the big event. I was still relearning how to breathe after hearing him call me his angel.

So much for taking things slow.

Click here for chapter seven.

Tagging: @my-only-way-tocooperatewithlife

#pierre gasly #pierre gasly fanfic #pierre gasly x poc!oc #pierre gasly x oc #formula one fanfiction #f1 fanfic #running from the flames

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just-someone-who-likes-to-write · 1 year

Text

... Long Story Imgine...

(( This is based on my dear friend @tokoyamisstuff story "Scandal", which is a "Loki x Reader" Story. She stopped writing it because of horrible people who pressured to continue writing. I think the idea is really amazing and I had a different approach for it.))

((Alot of OOC, and screw Odin he can never be redeemed in my eyes))

Loki was madly in love with one of the ladies of the court, Lady (Y/n). She was the daughter of the not so known Nobel family who roamed around the castle now and then to serve the Royal family.

The first time he met her was by coincidence, as she had sneaked into the library, which is only for the Royal family, but Loki being the "Understanding" person he is, he agreed to keep her secret, in hopes of using this information to blackmail her to do his bedding. But the more time he spent with her, the more his feelings changed towards her, he saw as a friend, then a partner in crime, then finally he fell in love hard.

Loki no longer felt jealousy towards Thor because he had all the attention and friendship he could want from Lady (Y/n). He no longer desired the throne of Asgard because he had the whole world in his arms when he wrapped them around his beloved. Nothing and no one else nattered as he took care of his Lady-wife throughout her pregnancy, making many promises on how he would be a great father for their child, talking of the many things he would teach them, and assuring his wife that he would "Never" teach their child how to prank, which they both know is not true.

The second Prince had everything he ever wanted and would need, his world was perfect, but it all came crushing down the day of the birth.

He refused to leave the room as his wife gave birth, wanting to add her through it. He did not expect the scream of terror that the midwife let out as she held the babe, almost dropping it, and as he looked upon the newborn, he understood why. The baby boy has blue skin and red eyes, the appearance of a frost giant. Shock went through him as he left the room, ignoring the calls of his wife, who pleaded him to come back, his mother who waited outside took his place in, confused by her son who ignored her as he left them.

Loki went to their shared room, where he finally allowed his emotions to get out and trash everything, tears of anger poured from his eyes as realisation settle in, that Lady (Y/n), his best friend, his love, had betrayed him him with a frost giant, he doesn't know how or when, but the evidence he saw coming out of her womb was proof enough.

Meanwhile, (Y/n) was confused, scared, and sad. He doesn't understand why he child is a frost giant. She thought maybe her babe was cursed or maybe she ate something that she shouldn't have, but she couldn't ignore that the fact is still there, that this blue crying babe in her arms was her son. She called for Loki, wanting to see him to talk to him to assure him that she didn't commit the great sin of betraying her beloved husband. But the only one who came forward was Queen Frigga, who put magic around the babe so that (Y/n) can touch them without being harmed by his ice powers.

"I did not betray Loki, I swear it! Queen mother, please believe me! I love Loki too much to commit such a thing!"

"Don't worry, my child, I believe you."

When (Y/n) heard those words, she was a bit calm, confident that the Queen would find her husband and talk to him to come back to her so they can discuss what happened to their son. She didn't expect that the next time she would see Loki would be in a courst room, standing in front of Odin and other members of the Court, in a trial to judge her her for her "Betrayal" of not only her husband who was the second Prince of Asgard but also of the "Betrayal" of Asgard itself for if she was able to meet a frost giant to commit such sin, she must have been able to betray them in other ways.

"You are here by sentenced to be exiled from Asgard permanently."

"No! I did not betray anyone! Please, Loki, look at me! I never did that!" Loki looked away, his eyes filled with pain, she turned to Frigga. "Queen mother, please, you belive me-"

But Frigga only gave her a sorrowful look as she averted her eyes away in guilt. The only person who stood by her was Thor.

"Father, we have known Lady (Y/n) for centuries before she met my brother. She has always been a loyal and devoted subject of Asgard. I can not accept even the possibility of her betraying us. There must be another reason for the child to be-"

"SILENCE!" Odin booming voice, echoed throughout Asgard. "It is not up for discussion, for it is clear that she can not be trusted, not anymore."

"Then please punish me, not my son. He is but a babe and holds no blame."

"Don't worry, for you and your babe shall go to where you belong... in jotunheim."

"NO! PLEASE!!... LOKI!! LOKI PLEASE! YOU KNOW I WOULD NEVER DO SICH A THING TO YOU!! PLEASE! HE IS OUT SON-"

Her words were cut off as Loki left the courtroom, refusing to meet her eyes as she was being dragged away by gaurds. The only person who wanted to act was Thor, who was held back by his mother. In the Bifrost bridge, Thor was able to wrap around her a heavy coat, hopping that it would keep her warm enough for they didn't even give her a chance to wear anything proper before her sentence.

In jotunheim, (Y/n) wondered for hours, walking around in hopes of finding anything or anyone that could help them. Hiding behind rocks when seeing beasts hunting. During that, almost half her fast as well ass her left arm was numb from frost bites she was sure parts of her skin broke from the heavy cold but she did not care as long as her son was safe. She was exhausted and just wanted to lay down and sleep, but she refused to succumb to it, but it wasn't until she saw a frost giant coming her away that his weapon held up at her demanding how and why she was there. The only thing she could do with her left eye now completely shut is to lift her son to him with her left arm shaking, barley being able to move it.

"P ..please.....mmm...m....my...my son...."

Then everything turned black.

When (Y/n) woke again, she felt warm, slolwy looking around she saw how she was covered in heavy furr, and in the middle of the room there was large controlled fire that kept the room warm. She was still in a daze that it took a while for her to realise that her body was bandaged, but when she came to her senses, the first thing she asked for was her son. Luckily, in the room with her, she was a female frost giant who looked a bit smaller and different than the first one she met. She assured her she was safe and even ordered to bring the child from nursery so she could hold him to calm her further. (Y/n) cried in relief as she saw her son sleeping peacefully.

She was so focused on her son that she didn't notice when Laufey came into the room to speak with her and know the origin of the babe in her arms.

"Now, tell me little one, how did you come here, and more importantly, where did you get him?" He said pointing to your son.

(Y/n) would be lying if she said she wasn't afraid, but looking around her and at herself, she assured herself that he doesn't want to harm her, so she speaks. She speaks of her punishment, the reason behind it, of her husband, who turned her back on her.

"The Queen Frigga did nothing."

"Yes, she kept assuring me that my child was Loki's, but during the trial, she said nothing."

"Well, of course, Frigga does have a good heart, but she would hide away if it meant aiding her coward husband."

"What ... what do you mean?"

"Oh, you poor thing, of course you don't know the truth, nor does your husband know of his true origin. For your see, Loki is my son."

Seeing the confused and shocked look, the king explained and revealed the truth. Centuries ago, during the great was between Asgard and Jotunheim, his beloved Queen, who was from a tribe of smaller frost giants, was giving birth to their son, but unfortunately, she died during child birth. Consumed and blinded by his grief, the king left the child in an abandoned temple. However, when he came back to his senses and returned for the babe, he found the temple had fallen, and he assumed that his son had died in it.

"I never forgave myself, and refused to take another after her, I was just waiting for the time when I would go and meet them in the afterlife. But now here you are in front of me, holding a jotunheim babe, claiming it's your husband's who is the second prince."

"Are you....are you saying that...that Odin..."

"Odin probably found Loki when he was a babe, and instead of returning him to me, he kept him claiming him as his son."

"B... But why?!...why would he do that?? Why would he hide his origin from him?... Why would... my child...he was ready to kill me and my child to hide this secret. What would he do when Loki finds the truth, was he planning to keep it a secret his entire life?!"

"You have the right to feel this outrage towards him, Odin always puts his own interest before others. Unfortunately, I also don't know his reasons."

"......what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"What will you do? Now that you know that....that your son is alive and that he lives on Asgard, not knowing the truth....That you have his wife...previous wife...with you here with his son, your grandson. What will you do?"

"....I heard stories of the woman who stole the heart of the god of mischief. I believe that he might come here searching for you."

"You mean for my corpse?" She replied bitterly. "He turned his back on me."

"He didn't know the truth."

"He didn't even give me a chance to speak to him. Even when Odin gave the sentence, he didn't even dare to show a hint of remorse or hesitation or even attempt for a lighter the sentence. He abandoned me... if he abandoned me like this without a question, that means he has always doubted me..."

"... if he did come for you, what would you want to happen?"

(Y/n) was shocked that Laufey was even giving her the free option on what to do, to the son he thought he lost no less. But she was still grateful that at least this king was giving her a chance, unlike Odin, who she followed blindly.

"I don't want to see him... Even if he found out the truth... he made his choices."

(Y/n)'s emotions were running high after giving birth, and immediately going through what she did would force her to make hasty action. But as she looked down at her son, whose skin changed colour after she touched him, she assumed it was Frigga's magic so she could touch her son without being affected, she understood that this was no longer about what's good for Loki but what is good for her son, and if it means to stay in Jotunheim to keep him safe from the horrors of Asgard so be it. She is no longer the wife of Loki Odinson but the mother of Liam Crown Prince of Jotunheim.

It was a month after the trial that Loki No longer could stand the hole that was left by his Lady-wife. He was too attached to her. He loved her so much. At first, he tried to force himself to forget her,reminding himself again and again of her infidelity, but then he didn't even care if she betrayed him or not, the sound of her cries for him hunted him every second of his existence, her tearful eyes hunted his dreams. He wanted her back. Even if it meant to be exiled with her, he did not care he just wanted his beloved (Y/n).

That's how he found himself standing in front of Laufey after being dragged by frost giants who found him roaming around their territory, looking for her.

"You have come a long way, Asgardian."

"Where is she?" Loki demanded not being intimidated by the Jotunheim king.

"Where is who?"

"My wife! She was here with an infant, where is she!"

"Ah, you mean the woman whom you left for death? No, I haven't. "

His words triggered Loki as he used his magic to teleport himself to be near Laufey enough to press his dagger against his neck.

"If you did as much as harm a hair on her head I will-"

His angry words were cut off as Laufey took hold of his wrist, and instead of his arm freezing to the bone, it was only his clothes that good shattered, but his arm was fine, that wasn't the only thing that shocked him as he saw his skin turn blue. When Loki pulled his arm away, the king let him go, and he watched as his blue skin slowly turned back. The Prince still looked shocked as his eyes looked from his arm back to Laufey.

"What kind of magic-"

"It is no magic of mine, but rather the magic of Asgard." Loki looked at him confused. "If you seek answers, I advise you to go to the all father for them."

Back on Asgard Loki goes immediately to the Vault to where the Casket is, not noticing that behind him was Odin, who knew of Loki's travel to Jotunheim and hurried after him after knowing of his return. Seeing him near the Casket terrified, he tried to stop him, but it was too late. Loki found the truth.

"Why? You were knee-deep in Jotun blood. Why would you take me??

"You were an innocent child-"

"Oh, don't act like you care for the fate of an innocent infant now. You took me for a purpose. What was it?"

When Odin doesn't answer, Loki lost it.

"TELL ME!!"

"I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about an alliance, bring about a permanent peace... through you. But those plans no longer matter."

"So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me."

"Why do you twist my words?"

"You could have told me what I was from the beginning. Why didn't you?"

"You are my son. My blood. I wanted only to protect you from the truth."

"Protect me? By hiding who i am from me, by allowing me to marry an amazing woman who you knew our children would be like me, and instead of telling me the truth then you decided to stay quite and tell lies of her being untrustworthy and disloyal to keep your image in front of your people. Why?because I am the monster parents tell their children about at night? You don't want Asgard to know you have a monster for a son?"

"Don't-"

"It all makes sense now. Why you favoured Thor all these years."

"Listen-"

"Because no matter how much you claim to "love" me, you could never have a Frost Giant for a son, or having his offspring running around and forced to claim them as grandchildren ,or even the chance of one of them sitting on the Throne of Asgard!"

During Odin's sleep, Loki was so consumed with rage and hatred that he planned to kill Thor so his "parents" could feel the same pain he felt. So he constructed a plan, he tricks Thor into taking the challenge of living as a Midgardian, leaving his hammer in Asgard to assure he won't cheat. And Thor does, and during his time there, after meeting jane and the others, Loki sends assassins and killer tools to end Thor.

In the end, Thor was safe. Seeing he is unable to kill, Thor Loki goes to try and Kill Odin himself, but he gets caught by his mother, who used her powers to stop him.

"Why would you do all this to your family, brother?"

"I am not your brother, and you are no family of mine, not after you tried to kill my own."

Thor was confused by everything, but Frigga understood, and she cried as she apologized profusely to Loki. But it was for no use as he escaped Asgard completely. After Odin was awake, he tried to swipe everything under the rug and claim that Loki simply went mad after the betrayal of his wife, but Frigga puts her foot down and tells the truth to everyone, of what happened, or Loki's origin, and how Lady (Y/n) was innocent.

After the news spread wide, Odin tried to save face by sending soldiers along with Thor to bring her back, only to be met with Laufey and his own soldiers trying to chase them away from Jotunheim. But Thor wouldn't budge, not after learning that she was with Laufey.

"Return who you took Laufey or else!"

"...."Who I took?"...if I remember correctly, it was you Asgardians who banished her and her newborn to my realm in the hopes for her and her child's end." He mocked the Prince, which only made him lift his hammer to fight until a voice called.

"Please do not taunt the prince your majesty, for he has short temper and might start a new war."

It was (Y/n) who came out from where she was hiding with handmaidens following shortly. But her face was covered with a hood, but it didn't make Thor any less happy to see and hear her again. He tried to come close, but the frost giants stopped him and (Y/n) allowed it.

"I'm not coming back to Asgard."

"...But ...but why?"

"Are you truly asking me why? After everything I went through?"

(Y/n) revealed her face and the sight hurt Thor. There were scars from the frostbites littering the left side of her face. Her left eye was stuck, being half lidded while the right eye could open and close normally.

"If it wasn't for King Laufey who added me in time, I would have died a long time ago along with my son. I know you mean well Thor, after all, you were the only one who came to my defence against your own father, but will not return to the king who punished me for a crime he knew I didn't commit, to a queen who turned a blind eye for the sake of her king.... and to a husband who turned his back on me on the first sign of doubt."

"Loki still loves you! He never forgot you!"

"He should because I hold no love for him anymore."

"...you...you don't mean that."

".....goodbye Thor." She turned and left, ignoring Thor's calls for her.

(( After the events of the Avengers and Loki being captured))

The only reason Loki took control of Thanos army is because he wanted to build a new world for (Y/n) and their son. A kingdom just for them, away from anyone that could harm them, a haven for his beloved family. It was all delusions caused by his time being tortured under the mad titan.

After his capture, Odin wanted nothing more than to just imprison Loki away but Frigga and Thor were there defending him.

"He tried to kill me."

"And you tried to kill (Y/n) along with thier son."

It was Thor who spoke this time. And reluctantly, Odin allowed loki to meet his mother and brother during his imprisonment. He didn't react to them at first at their attempt to speak with him. Even when his mother provided him with comfort he did not react, it wasn't until Thor mentioned (Y/n) that Loki finally not only looked at him but also spoke.

"You saw her?"

"Yes, I did"

"Where was she? Is she hurt? How is my son?" He threw one question after another.

He explained to him that she was in Jotunheim under King Laufey's protection, that she was well, aside from the scares, which he could see Loki physically flinch at the mention of them, feeling guilt that his love was hurt because of his rash actions.

"I need to see her."

"I'm afraid you can't brother."

"Then bring her to me, tell her that everyone knows now that doesn't need to hide away among the Jotunheims."

"You don't understand, brother. She is aware that everyone on Asgard knows the truth, including you... She just refused to return her, not after everything, including returning to you."

This broke Loki.

He refused to believe that she gave up on him, so he wrote a letter with many oages and gave it to Thor to give it to her personally. Only for his brother to return with the letter back not even opened. He tried again and again, not only letters but also sent Symbolic gifts that he hoped would ignite her love for him again and remind her of what they had.

The last gift he sent were Heliotrope flowers, the same flowers he gave her the day he asked for her hand. It was their thing to communicate through flower language, giving each other one flower that could explain their deepest feelings without having to speak it.

Loki prayed to the gods that she would accept it, but his hopes were shattered when Thor returned again, but this time, his head was down in shame, as he showed him the flowers but they weren't returned as they were like the previous gifts but were torn.

"She got really angry, and Laufey banished me out of Jotunheim. I can not return there even if I wanted to, I'm sorry, brother."

Meanwhile, (Y/n) was crying angry tears. The last gift felt like an insult. How dare he try to proclaim his "Eternal love" to her after hurting her so much. It hurt her receiving those gifts that only pained her as she remembered each memory they held in them, her memories when her and Loki were blindly in love, but the flowers were the last straw that broke her for they held the memory of what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.

Laufey was enraged when he saw her cry, he come to care for (Y/n) as the daughter he never had. He first cared for only only because she was the mother of his grandson, but with time, she became more than just that, even declared her a princess of Jotunheim. So the princes to try and use those gifts to guilt trip her into returning was unforgivable.

And by his words, Asgard was completely cut off from Jotunheim.

For years, Loki was depressed. Dark thoughts filled his mind as he came to the realisation that he had lost everything. Thor and Frugga tried to cheer him up. They even went as far as forcing Odin to set him free to return to his old life, back to his freedom, but it only worsened his condition as people in the court started looking at him even more wearily than before becoming of his origin, his day to day life felt empty, and even his room who he used to hide in for comfort felt cold for the one who always comforted him was (Y/n) and she was gone.

One day, Haiemdal cane into the courtroom, saying how Laufey sent a massage. The mention of the King caught the attention of the royal family, especially Loki, who stood face to face to him.

"He said that he hopes that we will accept to renew the treaty between Asgard and Jotunheim."

"For what reason?" It was Odin who asked, and as much as everyone wanted to scold him for doubting a peace offering, they also we curious of the reason.

"It appears that the crown prince Liam wishes to know his father."

Those words made Loki cry with joy. His son wanted to meet and come to him. Such news made everyone at high alert. Many preparations were done to welcome the prince. They prepared a room filled with everything a boy his age might enjoy. They prepared a feast just for him, and many more things that the prince might find enjoyable. A bug celebration just for him.

Loki, Thor, and Frigga were in the middle of the rainbow bridge waiting patiently. Loki wanted to wait inside the bifrost by Frigga, which forced him against it, for they didn't know what reaction they would get. Once the bifrost stopped working, they could see coming out of it were few frost giants who stood gaurd as they shielded who was coming behind them. Loki was nervous as he knew very well who they were shielding. He fixed himself and stood straight as the gaurds finally came to a stop and moved away to make way for another frost giant who was smaller than them, but this one was special as he carried none other than princess (Y/n), whose face was covered with a heavy hood. The frost giant knelt down so she would be able to come down.

"Welcome, (Y/n), I am happy to see you well again."

"...Queen Frigga." She replied simply with a nod, her voice nonchalant.

Hearing her voice again made Loki weak on the knees. He wanted nothing more than to run to her and hold her in his arms as he apologized against and again, begging her to return to him. But he stayed quite not trusting his voice.

"Sister! I'm really happy to see you again! Please come we made quite the feast for you both, come and let me tell you of my adventures in midgard."

"That won't be necessary as I will not be staying here."

"You won't?" Asked Frigga with sorrowful look.

"No, I won't." (Y/n) started. "As I said last time, I won't be stepping in Asgard ever again. The only reason I am here to see MY son off and to assure his safety."

Loki flinched at the emphasis.

"M..my love-"

"Don't you even dare."

That made Loki flinched again at her harsh tone.

"I am no longer an Asgardian... nor am I your wife..."

"No, you will always be much more than that."

At those words (Y/n), finally let down her hood, allowing Loki and Frigga to see the scars that Thor spoke them off and that made guilt erupt in Loki as he unknowingly moved forward wanting to examine the scars, to kiss them and comfort his beloved, only to be blocked by frost giants who used his weapon to stop him. But (Y/n) was still visible, and he could see the deep frown she had as she looked at him before turning away.

"Liam, you can come now sweetheart."

From the back, a small figure came forward, and Odin's family eyes widened in awe at what they saw. Standing there was a boy who looked 12 years of age, he looked at the spitting image of Loki aside from a few features of (Y/n).

Liam looked at them with equal awe, but his eyes focused on the prince in green. When he was young, he was always curious about who his father was. He never lacked a father figure as his grandfather filled that role perfectly, but there was always something that he longed for. So a few months ago, when he finally asked his mother of who his father was, (Y/n) didn't want to make the same mistake that Odin made and told him everything.

"I might not hold the same feelings I had in the past... but I know that he still cares for you deeply, so don't let our reasons for separation hold you back to what you want. If you wish to meet him, then I am all for it."

Liam was hesitant at first, but after a conversation with his grandfather, Liam decided that he wanted to meet Loki, so that he can decide whether he wants to continue to have him in his life or cut him off like his mother did.

Liam ran to his mother and hugged her, causing her to giggle as she hugged him back. Loki's heart melted at the scene, wanting to join the hug. Liam turned to Loki and walked up to him, forna second Loki thought that his son wanted to hug him too only to be met with a raised hand.

"Hello, my name is Liam (Y/n)son, crown prince of Jotunheim, and from what I am told your son."

He chuckled at his own joke, making Loki smile proudly at him as he held his hand for a shake. When their hands touched, their skin started to change to blue. Loki was silently horrified as he never accepted his Jotunheim self, unlike Liam, who only chuckled as he let go of his father's hand.

"Sorry, the spell always breaks when I touch other Jotunheims."

Loki's skin turned back to normal, but Liam's stayed the same, which confused not only Loki but also Frigga and Thor. So (Y/n) stepped in to explain as she wrapped her around around her son.

"Liam has control over his appearance. He can switch from Asgardian to Jotunheim."

"My Asgardian appearance is just an illusion. I will always be a Jotunheim."

Liam proclaimed proudly, having no issues with his Jotunheim appearance, unlike Loki, who gave a weary look, not knowing how he should feel.

"Liam, why don't you go and .ake sure you have everything." When her son left back to his luggage (Y/n) to Loki and gave his a warning. "The only reason I am allowing this is because Liam deserves to make his own decisions, and I'll support him through. But I'm warning you, Odinson, and to those who hear me that if ANY harm comes to my son from ANYONE or ANYTHING, I will personally make you regret your existence. Am I understood?"

"O..Of course my lov- I mean your highness." He corrected himself when he saw her frown deepen.

Before leaving, (Y/n) hugged her son goodbye before going back to the frost giant who carried and left, leaving 2 frost giant gaurds to protect the crown prince, proving further that she doesn't trust them.

"Why is the frost Giant carrying her everywhere?" Asked Thor.

"My mother can't walk long distances." Liam hesitantly explained. "Because she was in Jotunheim's cold, not properly protected her muscles and bones aren't that strong, the healer says the only reason she is still able to walk was because she kept moving."

Images of (Y/n) fighting the cold weather with their son in her arms hunted Loki, imagining all the worst ways that she might have suffered because of him, feeling dread creeping on him as his breaths quickened slowly and so did his heart rate. But hearing his son call him pulled him out before it can consume him again.

As he looked down at Liam, Loki swore that not only would he be a great father to him but also to try and win (Y/n)'s heart again so his son may get the loving family that he deserves. As they made their way to Asgard, he started thinking of all those ways that he could tempt Liam with to stay more with him and hoping it would also persuade (Y/n) to come back.

....

I couldn't sleep until I could write this. This is one of my long imagines. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'm sorry that the timeliness doesn't make sense.

#loki x reader #jotun loki x reader #loki x y/n #loki x f!reader #loki x female reader #I wrote this instead of sleeping

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mariacallous · 3 months

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NEW YORK — Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced Thursday that transgender athletes are no longer allowed to compete in sports aligned with their gender identity at county-run facilities.

Blakeman, a Republican, said the executive order prohibits organizations with trans athletes in their teams “from playing at any of our 100 county facilities.”

The order is the first of its kind enacted by a local government, according to Blakeman, who announced it Thursday morning at a ceremony in Mineola.

According to the order, which did not have to pass the legislature and took effect immediately, “any sports, leagues, organizations, teams, programs, or sports entities” must assign athletes to one of three categories based on their gender assigned at birth when applying for a permit to use Nassau County Parks property.

The categories are “males, men, or boys,” “females, women, or girls” or “coed or mixed, including both males and females,” which excludes transgender athletes.

The ban appears to be a blatant violation of New York State anti-bias laws, which bar discrimination from public accommodations on the basis of “gender identity or expression.”

Attorney General Letitia James said her office is “reviewing (its) legal options,” calling the order “transphobic and deeply dangerous.”

“My office is charged with enforcing and upholding (anti-discrimination) laws, and we stand up to those who violate them and trespass on the rights of marginalized communities,” she said.

Blakeman’s announcement was also slammed by LGBTQ and legal rights advocates who vowed to fight back against the county executive’s “illegal” and “cynical” executive order.

“We will consider all options to stop it,” Bobby Hodgson, director of LGBTQ rights litigation with the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), told The News in an email.

The order is just an “attempt to shut trans people out of public spaces,” Hodgson said. “Requiring girls who are trans to compete on boys’ teams effectively bars them from sports altogether,” he added.

Dr. David Kilmnick, president and founder of the New York LGBT Network, a family of nonprofits serving the LGBTQ community of Long Island and Queens, said the “discriminatory move not only undermines the principles of inclusivity and fairness but also perpetuates harmful stereotypes and exclusion.”

Additionally, the order is “fundamentally flawed,” he said, noting New York state law “explicitly protects the rights of transgender individuals, ensuring their equal participation in all aspects of life, including sports.”

On Thursday, when signing his fifth executive order since taking office in January 2022, Blakeman maintained the order was not discriminatory, but simply a matter of fairness.

“It is an unfair advantage for (a trans girl or woman) to compete against (a cisgender girl or woman), he said in a speech filled with terms widely considered offensive to trans people, while surrounded by elementary school students holding pink signs that read “Protect women’s sports.”

“I view it as a form of bullying and it will not be tolerated,” he added.

Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti, a Democrat who represents parts of Nassau County, said Blakeman was not issuing the order to protect anyone, but instead to “grab headlines” that could lead to a “culture of hate towards transgender children.”

“Directing vitriol toward children should not and can never be tolerated,” she said in a statement to The News.

Nassau County Legislature’s Democratic Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton criticized the county executive for “legislating little leagues” with the order.

Instead of giving Nassau County residents “falsely promised tax cuts and a fairer property assessment system,” Blakeman has instead been more interested in “self-promotion by spending public money on private golf outings, swanky galas, and unrelated press conferences” — such as the one announcing today’s transgender sports ban, “which has nothing to do with his responsibilities.”

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inuhiime · 5 months

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╭┈┈┈┈ ₊˚ෆ 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ! ╰ ♡⸝⸝ 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 ; 𝐩𝐭. 𝐢𝐯

' you think it's only a matter of time before this lie gets exposed, but the truth is, i don't need to gain anyone's trust. '

' i know the cold, dark path under your feet. i've traveled along that same path. '

' don't drift with the current. don't let fate push you around. '

' through birth, we meet death ; through parting, we encounter. '

' those who stand alone... are they wild creatures or divine beings? '

' nobody gave us justice, so we can only seek justice ourselves. '

' there must be some fairness in the world, right? '

' revenge is about giving your all. you know that best, don't you? '

' even if i'm the only one on that dark and lonesome path, i'll keep going till i die. '

' how can you, who have nothing, win against me? '

' when you're ready to die for your justice, let me know in advance. '

' you're an abandoned dog that does nothing but bark blindly. '

' without a heart, can a machine truly come to life? '

' even on the darkest night, there are stars. i've found mine. one day, you'll find yours too. '

' you died for nothing. they've taken away the meaning of your death. '

' you've forgotten who you are. i'll tell you who you are. '

' in the end, you've avenged no one and achieved nothing. '

' i'm not dying anytime soon. rest assured. '

' whatever happens, keep moving and don't look back. '

' thank you for keeping your promise. i won't let you down. '

' we all fail from time to time. all we have to do is try again. '

' the soil, the air, the sun, and the rain... they'll all love you. this time, please thrive. '

' how lucky you are, to know what you want. i should be the envious one. '

' who are you? a human being? a guide? or a lost soul? '

' this is your last chance. leave or stay? '

' you haven't quite seemed yourself lately. is everything okay? '

' you can't see the light, nor can you fall into the darkness. you've been struggling alone all these years. '

' challenge me with your true self, then i might be able to expect something from you. '

' your heart has been trapped in the dark all along. '

' because the world is so dark, justice doesn't exist, so it's okay for us to cross the line. '

' don't gloss over the bad things you've done. you're just as immoral. '

' i've told you before, stop caring about others so much. '

' you don't have the ability to take revenge on this world on your own, so you cling to the most hollow things as a lifeline. '

' people like you are the easiest to deceive, the dumbest, and the weakest. '

' everything that demands submission in the name of love and nobility is a filthy lie. '

' run, don't die on the way. '

' the show's not over yet, i'm waiting for you to help raise the curtain. '

' if justice exists, where is it now? why doesn't it show itself? '

' if i was killed one day, would you kill for me? '

' everything's fine now. you're still by my side. '

' fate can break you, but it can never destroy you. '

' what's taken away from me, i must take back. even if it turns into ruins, it must return to me. '

' do you think you can easily toy with people's lives? '

' this time, even vengeance can't save you. '

' your ruins can't be reborn. you know this better than i do. '

' i won't sacrifice for anyone. i won't serve anyone. every minute, every second, i will live freely. '

' i'll take pleasure in my revenge. '

' no matter what happens, i refuse to accept that the world is inherently bad. '

' stop it before it destroys you. don't give it the chance to trample on you. don't let it take away what's important to you. '

' dare to lie to me, and i'll make sure the entire world goes down with you. '

#rp meme #rp starter #sentence prompts #sentence starters #sentence starter meme #⪩⪨ ･･･ games

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wanderingmind867 · 2 months

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My Interpretation of the Justice League Pt. 2

Post-Crisis: Since Barry Allen was erased from time after dying during the crisis, the original Justice League never had the flash as a team member. No, instead Hawkman takes his place as a founder of the Justice League. So the founders post crisis are Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman. Besides this change though, everything stays very much the same.

Well, besides the Martian Manhunter's backstory (and how the justice league disbands, but that's a topic for another paragraph). New Mars does exist, but Ma'alefa'ak destroys it. He remembers the crisis (one of the rare few with a willpower strong enough to remember the world pre-crisis) and it drove him insane. He's now convinced he must kill his fellow martians to save them from the return of the anti-monitor, and so he sets fire to the whole colony of New Mars. Martian Manhunter returns just in time to see his family and community be taken from him once again. New Mars is gone, his wife and kids are all dead, and his brother has gone insane. He's lost everything.

But besides the Martian Manhunter's backstory, everything else remains the same. The Martian Manhunter leaves the team in 1971. He stays in space until 1983 (except this time, he stayed in space solely to guard his brother), until the other justice league members summon him to save them.

Then the Justice League disbands, and Martian Manhunter founds the Justice League Detroit. But two big differences occur here. The first difference is how the league disbands. Originally (pre-crisis) the league disbanded because a bunch of supervillians broke onto their watchtower, destroyed it and took all the league members hostage.

But here, the team falls apart to internal dissent. A civil war is brewing on the team. Batman is leading an open rebellion against the league, supposedly in resistance to the team having so many super powerful beings. And he's recruited people to his side. The Atom, Green Arrow and Zatanna were persuaded to his side (Green Arrow was tricked into it, promised a looser team hierarchy, while Zatanna did it because she owed a family debt to Bruce and The Atom did it because he was emotionally unstable at that time). Then he kidnapped and forcibly reprogrammed the Red Tornado to serve him too In short, the factions are:

Batman's side: Batman, The Atom, Green Arrow, Red Tornado and Zatanna.

The League: Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Black Canary, Elongated Man and Firestorm.

The two factions tear each apart and batman kidnaps the rest of the league. Martian Manhunter has to come back and save them (and pretty much snap Bruce out of it). After saving them, the team breaks up (and Batman, The Atom, Elongated Man and Zatanna are suspended from the team, although Red Tornado gets amnesty) and Martian Manhunter founds the Justice League Detroit.

The other difference here is that the Martian Manhunter brings Ma'alefa'ak with him when he comes to earth, and makes him join the Justice League Detroit too. So the Justice League Detroit has six members this time.

Post-Crisis II: Justice League… Ottawa? and the birth of the Justice League International: Around 1988 or 1989, The Justice League Detroit gets a mission in Canada.

The New Justice League Canada has seven founding members, too: Martian Manhunter and seven other members I can't think of right now. But I want whoever's added to be Canadian. Whether they be original characters or old characters retconned to be Canadian, I don't really care.

Anyways, the Justice League moves up to Canada. They still serve America too, but their headquarters are in Ottawa now. This also makes Martian Manhunter realize that each continent probably needs it's own justice league, since there's so many countries and peoples that need helping all over. Thus is born the Justice League Europe, as well as the Justice League Asia, Justice League Africa, Justice League Oceania and Justice League South America. The Canadian team works for all of North America.

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one-of-the-wanderers-who-is-lost · 3 months

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Writerblr Intro

About me:

Y'all can call me Cat or Wanderer.

I'm 18 years and several months.

I jump from project to project, so you can expect a lot of different content. Hopefully, it will be all writing stuff, but with a brain like mine, you can never know what will happen.

I am more than happy to be included in tag/ask games. I'll do my best to respond to them but again, I can't make any promises.

WIPS:

The most recent ones... as I said... I jump around a lot...

Mei goes Home.

A story about a world jumper who gets knocked off course and wakes up in a foreign land. She has to figure out how to get back to her home world while at the same time avoiding being embroiled in the political war that is simmering in the foreign land.

A Bloody Anti-hero

An illegal weapon dealer, Vasily, gets picked up off the streets to be sacrificed to a nearby nation's gods in an attempt to avoid war. He avoids this fate only to end up serving his country's prince. He quickly figures out that something is off about the royal family and learns the dark history behind the prince's birth. But is the prince really the monster or is there someone else behind the witchcraft? Vasily must find the truth before he becomes the villain's next victim.

Robbery and Rebellion

A sci-fi story about a bunch of aliens (and one human) who must restore the government from the chaos that was caused by a rebellion. To do this, they must: Rob the most powerful slaver market in the galaxy; find a kid they didn't know was lost; crown a king who doesn't want to rule; and avoid loosing more limbs than necessary.

Creepstake Tony

The main character finds herself caught in the mess that is the life of Tony, a strange boy with a even stranger history. Unfortunately, Tony likes her, a lot. And the people that Tony likes have a bad habit of dying. So, Tony treats her like trash in an attempt to avoid this. And she tries to befriend him so that he'll stop treating her badly. And in the end...

That's all about me for the moment. I'm happy to be a part of the community!

#writeblr #intro post #writerblr intro #my writing #wips #creative writing #writers on tumblr #writing #side blog

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cfs-melkire · 8 months

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The Ground Upon Which You Stand, pt. 5

"I came to Eorzea by way of Thavnair, from Radz-at-Han: the place of my birth.”

The gate guard took a few moments to look over the wax seal, and took a few moments more to unfurl the letter. He frowned at the contents, and for good reason. Foreigners were not forbidden access to the city, but it was a rare occasion indeed for an outsider to seek entry when they had no wares to sell, no intention to trade, no family or friends to visit, but were instead looking to visit for the sole purpose of….

Well, the contents weren't clear on the purpose. This was, however, an authentic letter of recommendation. There was no mistaking it, and there was no chance that it was a forgery. It was written in the usual mode, and met all of the long-standing requirements of the Radiant Host for such things.

He looked up to consider again the foreigner in question. Hyuran, on the short side, shoulder length hair, scarred visage. The fellow's garments were strange in that they possessed a passing resemblance to local fashions, but they were obviously of a cut, make, and style from elsewhere; the clothes were a uniform of sorts, perhaps that of a religious institution or monastic order.

"I must ask, who gave you this?"

"Hari Nurani, known as Horus of the Reeds to his friends."

That name was not familiar to him. "Al-amal al-a'zam?"

Apparently someone had prepared the foreigner, but not well enough. They frowned and said, "No, I don't know that phrase. Kimiya, I was told."

The guard nodded, satisfied. "Very well. You may pass. Behind me is Gajasimha Bridge. You will take this to the Gate of First Sight, and passing through you will come to Alzadaal's Peace, a great fountain. Turn to the right and keep to the wall on a straight path past the aetheryte plaza. You will find there the High Crucible, and the people there to whom you are to be introduced."

The foreigner bowed, placing one fist in the other hand in a gesture that was one part gratitude and one part farewell. The guard stepped aside and watched them go.

“A promising student, my instructors would have told you, with much to teach and so much to learn. There came an opportunity, and so I went abroad. An exchange of ideas. I was not alone; there were many of us, and we were sent to every corner, every city, every realm with their own culture and wisdom to share."

The city was quiet and not at all its usual bustling self. There was a troubled air to the place; people walked the streets, aye, and the stranger marveled at them: men and women of the Matanga, Raen who were not of Sui-no-Sato, and a mixed community of Hyur. They all seemed to get on well, and everyone he spoke with was not only cooperative but inclined to be helpful, if they had the time and energy to spare. Many did not; clearly, the appearance of the tower was taking a toll even here and not just in port towns such as Yedlihmad.

"I was sent to Sharlayan first. Old alliances, you know. There is much knowledge to be found in Sharlayan. Remember Noumenon, if ever you have cause to go. I studied there, for a time, and learned a great deal. Astronomy, astrology, aetherology, and more. But as much as I would have enjoyed spending the rest of my days in that peaceful place, my services were needed elsewhere. So it was that I sailed to Vylbrand, to the great port city of Limsa Lominsa."

Radz-at-Han itself was a marvel. It called to mind Eorzea's Jewel of the Desert, but whereas the majesty and grandeur of that place served to highlight the disparities between the well-off and the have-nots, here in Thavnair those same qualities spoke well of both the populace and their governance. Glittering tiles, colorful fabrics, open courtyards and fountains, an abundance of landscapes… it was not perfect and could not have been expected to be, given the contrast with the coastal villages, but within these walls was a growing society that appeared far more egalitarian than not. It was not even a matter of expense, necessarily: the Thavnairians cultivated joy of life with simple pleasures by surrounding themselves with vibrancy. This was evident even in the markets, and he could not help but smile at the sight.

"Thavnairian alchemists were in great demand when I was young. This is still the case today, but less so. I met some of my fellow exchange students there, and we learned something of arcanima while we plied our trade for the benefit of the three great pirate powers. Our task, you see, was to make ourselves indispensable to foreign peoples. To ingratiate, yes, but more to demonstrate that there was so much mutual benefit to be had in open trade. We were missionaries of a sort, sent out by our elders and with the blessing of our satrap… that is to say, one of our great leaders… to engender good will."

Nuhashir looked up from the unfurled scroll. The stranger looked distracted, and little wonder as to why: this place thrummed with noise. Great apparatus were at work as they boiled, mixed, or otherwise refined various elixirs according to specific formulae. Here, too, was activity on a scale not found elsewhere in the city at present; there was work to be done and a great many people toiling for good cause.

"Welcome to the High Crucible of Al-Kimiya," she said, "which others name alchemy. This is… quite the letter."

"My grandfather is… quite the individual," the stranger replied as he turned back to her. "He sends his apologies; he could not come himself, for he's in convalescence, 'n' so he bade me come in his stead."

"His apologies are welcome, but not necessary. We were not expecting to hear from such a decorated alumnus, as you might call them, especially not after so long," she explained. "But you must forgive me; I am but a record keeper here, and knew not your grandfather. He was before my time. That said, one of his peers is still hard at work here. If you would please follow me, I will take you to him."

He nodded, and she stepped out from behind the table to lead him to the northwest, where they would descend the staircase to the large chamber below.

"We spent a little time in Limsa, but it was a stepping stone. From there, we diverged and spread across Eorzea, across Aldenard. No few of my friends were sent to Ul'dah, and there begat that jewel's own tradition of alchemy. Others were sent north to Ishgard and to Ala Mhigo, but I myself journeyed to Gridania. I need not tell you of the Twelveswood's peoples, but they came to trust me through coming to trust our products. Potions, elixirs, poultices, many such things and more. In return, they taught me much concerning herbs and natural remedies: that is to say practical skills and application, whereas Sharlayan had but given me the theory."

The Matanga leaned forward and squinted at the stranger from behind his spectacles. The beastman, as the stranger was struggling to not think of him as, differed from other members of his race in small but subtle ways. His tusks were perhaps a little longer on average, his worn skin a duller and less vibrant shade that tended more towards grey than blue, the stole hanging over his shoulders an unusual affectation, and he seemed to rely heavily upon his glasses.

“Yes, I knew your grandfather. We were admitted here at the same time, and we saw each other often during the course of both work and study. My name is Murtaza. I am pleased to meet you…?”

“Osric,” said the stranger, “Osric Melkire.”

He paused for a moment, and then stuck out a hand. Amused, Murtaza accepted; the Matanga’s thumb and index finger more or less engulfed the Hyur’s hand, but the shake was a gentle one.

“Sorry, not used t’, errr… I’ve been to the Azim Steppe, y’see, and–”

“The Gajasura. You need not say more on the subject; there is an adjustment period, naturally, and while our young men and women might take offense at times, we who have known decades have made peace with that fact. Not every person from outside Thavnair can be expected to have met those of the Arkasodara first. I ask only that you do your best to set aside prejudice and preconception.”

“Of course.”

“Now tell me, how does my old friend fare?”

“None of this has anythin’ t’do with me or with my family. Get to the point. I've half a mind to pick m'arse up off this bank t'give you another thrashing, otherwise.”

“It is context. Please indulge me a little while longer. It matters a great deal. Who I was influenced the decisions that I made.”

Osric reached into his belt pouch and produced an envelope, the prodigious size of which now made a great deal more sense to him. He held it out. “He asked me t’deliver this, and t’assist in whatever manner I could for as long as I wished, should that be acceptable to those in charge.”

Murtaza accepted the envelope, and stared for a few moments at its wax seal. “Horus was never a forgetful one, but I must say, it is impressive that he has not misplaced his stamp after all this time.”

He opened the envelope and withdrew its contents: several sheets of paper. Murtaza held them up to the light and adjusted his spectacles.

“Ahhhhh. Recommendations… ingredients, reagents… much of these look foreign, but Hari my dear, so thoughtful to include a list of local substitutes and equivalents! Very good, very good. More foraging expeditions are in order. There is much to gather before we can send such products to the Great Work. You are welcome to assist, Osric, but I must ask,” he said, looking back down to the midlander, “why he has sent us his grandson when anyone could have delivered this for him. Your help will be appreciated, of course, but would I be mistaken in thinking this is not the only reason for your visit?”

Osric folded his arms and shook his head. “You’ve the right of it. He said that I would be needed ‘ere in his stead and refused t’explain further.”

A few moments passed in silence.

“You sound frustrated with him. So was I, many times when we were young men together. I take it you are… working through some difficulties.”

The midlander barked a laugh. “That’s a pleasant way o’ puttin’ it. We’re… a work in progress, but we’re tryin’.”

Something in the eyes, in the sudden hitch of the ears, and in the general shift of Murtaza’s face suggested he was smiling. “That is good. Welcome, Osric grandson of Hari. There is much to be done.”

Murtaza thanked Nuhashir, who took her leave of them. Then the old Matanga beckoned Osric over to one of the tables nearby and set about explaining the present circumstances.

“I took to conjury like a swan to water. To the Padjali and to those at Stillglade Fane, I owe a great debt for the introduction. Magic was like a new language to me, and conjury yet another tool for healing, another means by which the lives of others could be improved and safeguarded. Walking the Twelveswood brought me greater understanding, better control, and more strength with each passing sun. I might have remained there for the rest of my days, but a missive came to me from Gyr Abania: one of my fellow students, Jamshid, stood accused of a crime, and I was needed to speak to his character.”

The foraging expeditions were a welcome change from his usual jobs. The work was easy, he learned a great deal, and the alchemists were a social bunch, eager to exchange not just ideas but stories. He was not much help in the actual foraging at first, but they found in him a competent escort: he often stood guard against the local wildlife while others saw to the gathering of his grandfather's recommended herbs and reagents.

They paid him well, too, but that was something he marvelled at only in the late hours of the night, when he could not muster the anima for another round trip home and stayed instead at Murtaza's. The old Matanga was insistent, and he was a gracious host: tea was ever-flowing, so too biscuits, and Osric did not want for anything while he was a guest there, save only the warmth and the smile of his wife.

“You met my grandmother there.”

“Yes, I did. Miluda Redwolfe was her name, and she was the love of my life. But we stood apart at first; her father had levied the accusations against my colleague, and I was a stranger in a strange land. It took time to argue our case, and a great deal of misadventure. By the time my associate was cleared of the charges, we were well-respected in Ala Mhigo and we had come in turn to respect them and their ways. Miluda and I had become fast friends, though her parents disapproved. They did not care for their daughter's dalliance with a sorcerer of the woods, you see, and would have preferred her to show interest in another of their order."

Not everyone could make themselves understood to him, so Osric took on the task of learning Hannish, or as much as he could of it during his stay. It was a daunting task but he applied himself and made steady, if slow, progress. His best assistants in this regard were his two most frequent companions, Firouzeh and Sudarshan. As alchemists of the High Crucible, they were tasked with the foraging, with taking inventory, and with preparing for the eventual deliveries.

He did his best to follow their conversation; once they noticed him listening, Firouzeh took it upon herself to translate. In this way he learned the numbers and numerals, and also many basic words not just for their work but also for common use: greetings, questions for necessities, and the like. There was plenty of opportunity to practice in Radz-at-Han, and out at Palaka’s Stand, too.

Sudarshan, for his part, taught Osric place names. The Shroud of The Samgha, where Osric made his keep; they visited Agama Temple in the north and Purusa in the south. Vanaspati, the sacred jungle to the north of Radz-at-Han, was also a wilderness which demanded caution, no matter the pockets of civilization that were its villages and temples. There was the Perfumed Rise, too, less dangerous save only for the pisacas which roamed there. Kadjaya’s Footsteps in particular fascinated the monk, and Sudarshan struggled to answer the man’s questions as quickly as they came.

"Their order?"

"They were of the warrior-priests. Do not look so surprised; they were not so rare in those days. Your grandmother was not so ascetic as they, and joined the ranks of Ala Mhigan cavalry at an early age rather than remain a studious fixture of the temples. That was how she came to chance upon Jamshid who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and how her father came to accuse him of wrongdoing."

It was some time before the reason behind Horace’s insistence became evident. The foreigner went from being a stranger to becoming a fixture. He was not always available; he visited home as often as he could, given the circumstances. He embraced the work, though, and would not have risen to taunts of “errand boy” had there been anyone so rude and tactless to hurl them his way. Radz-at-Han… and Thavnair in general… was a pleasant place, marred only by the trepidation that came with the ever looming presence of the tower. Trade floundered and, while those within the city were less impacted than the people without, the effects were pernicious. Still, the men and women of the High Crucible, of Ruveydah’s Fibers, of Nilopala Nourishments, and of Mehryde’s Meyhane were always pleased to see him.

He was at Balshahn Bazaar when it happened.

"... go on."

"We were happy. Jamshid returned to Thavnair, and I sent my findings and reports with him. Miluda and I were bonded, and we took the name Windwhistle: for me, because the wind ever rose at my beck and call; for her, because Ala Mhigan cavalry were griffin riders, and she had such a passion for flying through the skies. She rose through the ranks, and I… I was recognized for my insights, for knowledge beyond most men, and for remedies, so it was only natural that I soon became a fixture at court."

"What went wrong?"

"...I did."

#story #rp #osric melkire #horace windwhistle #miluda redwolfe #balmung #crystal #ffxiv

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