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#it's not about you it's about honoring the struggles of those who came before you who helped you grow and become yourself
Save the Last Dance For Me
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Summary: you and Dick have been dating in secret, until at a party he’s forced by circumstances (coff George Luz coff) to set things straight
Notes: fluff, jealousy
Word count: 1068
“I don't believe you actually have a boyfriend. You were saying that just to throw me off” The brown-eyed soldier insisted in a mocking way.
I smiled to myself and glanced furtively behind me, more or less where I knew the man I was secretely dating must have been.
“Oh you better believe it, George” I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall, looking at him quite amused.
“Then who is it? Why is it such a secret?” He asked rolling his eyes.
“I'm really not sure you want to know” I smirked, and that was certainly no lie.
“Alright, alright” he raised his arms in surrender. “Tell you what, let's make a deal: I stop asking about this mysterious guy if you agree to dance with me.” The tone was hopeful: “Just one song” He specified, noticing my raised eyebrow.
I didn't see anything wrong with giving him one dance, so I agreed: “Okay, but I don't want to hear another word about it.” I warned him.
He flashed a toothy smile and offered me his hand, in such a funny and theatrical way that it made me burst out laughing. "You're an idiot"
“I know” He winked.
We began to move to the center of the wide room, where other couples were already dancing. He wasn't exactly a talented dancer and kept tripping over my feet, making us both laugh.
About a minute and a half into the song, we managed to find a slightly more synchronized rhythm. I looked up at his face and little by little his usual playful smile had disappeared, his eyes instead fixed on me with an unusually serious and intense look that left little room for misunderstandings.
Uh oh, I thought. This wasn’t good news. I had been too naive to think that accepting to dance with him wouldn’t send involuntary mixed signals.
“George…” I said, instinctively moving away to leave more space between our bodies.
The song we were dancing to came to an end just then. “One more song?” He half pleaded, his expression so hopeful that it broke my heart a little. I didn’t want to be the one to do this to him.
I looked at him gently. “I'm sorry, I can't” I started to take a step back, but he didn't let go of my left hand, still intertwined with his, almost as if he was struggling and fighting the urge to draw me back to him.
“George” I repeated, voice calm but with a hint of warning.
Before I could do or say anything else, I felt a slight shift of air and then a hand coming to rest lightly on my side. I didn't need to look to know who it belonged to.
George’s eyes widened and he immediately let go of my hand. “Major Winters!” He almost stood at attention. “I-I didn't see you there”
I finally allowed myself to shift my attention to Dick. His gaze was firmly fixated on George and he was barely blinking. I saw no trace of anger or irritation in it (though I knew he was quite good at disguising those), but a clear determination that spoke much louder than words.
“No need for formalities, private, this is a party. I trust that you're having fun?” His tone was calm and polite as usual, but for once almost unnaturally so. As a consequence, it came across as slightly menacing.
George must have sensed the trap, because he soon started babbling: “Yes, sir! I mean…a normal, regular amount of fun. Nothing special going on here. Just one dance” He really stressed the word one.
“I'm glad to hear that” Dick smiled, at last turning his attention towards me. “Because I was really looking forward to this next one. Can I have the honor, miss?”
My heart skipped a beat at that. Jealousy was a new but certainly rather good look on him.
“Of course you can, major” I decided to play along even though it was pretty clear, what he was doing.
When I looked to the side, George had already vanished into thin air. I gave a small chuckle. “You didn't need to terrorize him like that”
“I did no such thing” he said with a smirk, quickly intertwining our fingers, while his other hand was still firmly resting on my right side. The band began playing a slower tempo, romantic song and I gladly let him lead me into the music. He was a pretty good dancer. Then again, I was yet to find anything he couldn’t do well.
Both of my eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure? What happened to keeping secrecy above all?” I teased him.
“Well, it felt like the situation required that I come clean.” He whispered very close to my ear. “Besides, you didn't seem to mind all that much”
I felt a warm rush of adrenaline going through my body, and hoped I wasn't blushing outwardly as I was on the inside.
I recognized it as the effect only he had on me. Being in his arms felt so natural and right, it left no space for doubt in regards to my feelings for this man, and his for me. And I really didn't mind one bit.
“Who are you and what have you done to Dick Winters” I shook my head in disbelief, laughing.
“Does that mean that I should stop?” He inquired.
Without interrupting our slow swaying back and forth to the rhytmn, I placed both of my hands around his neck, bringing him closer, allowing myself to stare straight into his eyes. “Don't you dare”
I saw a brief flash of hesitation passing through those blue eyes, like an implicit request for permission, and I nodded, smiling.
“I've been waiting to do this all night” He gently cupped my face in his hands and kissed me, slowly but ardently, in front of everyone.
I could hear a few gasps and cheers in the background over the sound of the music playing, but when we turned around everybody had gone back to the party acting as if nothing happened.
“You know, major, your men will definitely talk after this” I jokingly protested.
I could feel his smile on my lips as he kissed me again: “Let them”
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chuwenjie · 10 months
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Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse comes out later today so I wanted to write a post reflecting on my journey and experience working on this movie. So many people have supported me through this and I am so thankful to each and every one of you!
Text version of this post under the cut:
Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse comes out tonight. It feels really weird to be typing that out right now. I worked on the movie as a visdev artist for the last 2.5 years, from 2020 to 2023. Long post incoming.
There are a lot of reasons why I'd consider this film to be one of the most ambitious animated films to ever be made. As artists, we were asked to push ourselves far beyond our comfort zones and do things that had never been done before in animation.
Every time we reached a point where most people would say "this must possibly be as creative and weird as it gets," our entire team of artists and animators would smash right through the ceiling. The driving direction for the visuals of the film was to push the limits of every single frame; to challenge audience expectations and make something truly original.
The best thing about this film was that there wasn't a single boring day working on this movie. The hardest thing about this film was also that there wasn't a single boring day working on this movie.
There were times while working on this where the imposter syndrome hit me hard. This was my first big movie, and what a hell of a first movie to get thrust into.
I came in only a few years out of school with absolutely no idea what the hell I was doing. I constantly feared that someone had made a mistake in bringing me onto this film, and I was going to let everyone down. There was a solid chunk of those 2.5 years where I wasn't sure if animation was the right path for me.
If there's anything I could tell my past self it would be this: there are so many people who love you and believe in you. There will be a time when you get to stand on the other side of it, look back on everything and see how far you came.
I'm still working on self-acceptance every day (it will be a lifelong struggle, I'm sure), but I'm glad I didn't give up on myself. I'm proud of myself and my contributions to this film, and I'm certain that this movie will continue to change and shape the animation landscape just as the first one did. That's truly a special feeling to have been a part of. I am so incredibly grateful to every single person who helped me along this journey.
Here come the thanks:
To the ENTIRE visdev & art crew- it's been an honor getting to work alongside each and every one of you. My jaw is literally still on the floor from seeing your incredible talent day after day.
I want to thank Tiffany and Felicia especially for being there for me through tough times- I admire and respect you both so much as artists, and even better than that, my life is greatly enriched for being able to call you my friends.
Thank you Patrick and Dean for taking chances on me, teaching me so much about art and what I'm capable of, and encouraging me along the way. To Aymeric, your art is one of the reasons I initially became interested in animation and you have been one of the kindest & most empathetic mentors I could ever have asked for.
I want to thank my wonderful parents for believing in me always and raising me into the person I am today: everything I do in life is to make you proud. To my brother Andrew who is perpetually awake at 3 AM when I need someone to talk to- thank you for always picking up the phone and making me laugh.
And finally to my partner Luke for making me grilled cheeses on all of the difficult days, for never getting sick of me even when all I would ever talk about was work, and for patiently and steadfastly loving me throughout this entire thing. I don't think I could've done it without you.
Starting tomorrow I will begin posting and sharing some of the art I made for this movie; I'm looking forward to sharing some of my personal favorites with you. I hope each and every one of you enjoys Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse when it hits theaters later today!
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freuleinanna · 5 months
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I'm still confused about Verna.. I thought she was a demon?? Because why would Death be going around making a bunch of deals with people? After Verna told Pym she decided to go "topside" I thought she was some kind of crossroads demon since it implies she came from below (hell)
Oh! I feel you, and I struggled with that a lot too. She does seem a lot like a demon. I'm not saying I'm 100% correct in my thinking either, but here's why I personally think she's Death. Kind of a long post, sorry. I hope I make myself clear, but feel free to follow up!
So, Verna. An anagram for Raven, that much is established. Ravens are wonderful - symmetrical even - creatures. Bringers of death in a wide understanding. Bringers of good luck in many cultures. The duality is amazing. To me, that also leans majorly into the theme of death being a concept of duality: an enemy for some, a friend for others. Each greets her differently. I'm not talking about the characters here, but people in general.
There's a proverb I came across a while ago that reads 'Death is a great leveller'. Meaning, everyone's equal before her. You have no leverage or buffer against death, and it doesn't matter if you're poor or blindly, feverishly, grotesquely rich (like our folks here). Everyone pays the last bill. For everyone, there's a day of reckoning. It's a major theme with the show, at least. Verna also says 'Buy now, pay the bill later' - although it can still read very demonic, I agree.
She's obviously ancient, and I was leaning toward the demon theory based on all of her talking. Yet - she also keeps ranting about Egypt and pyramids and Cleopatras and such. What's the one thing with Egyptians everyone knows of? They honored death. Death may have been a bigger part of their lives than life itself. The Usher Twins' obssession with all things Egyptian, antiquities, jewelry, swords and such, plays a nice parallel here too, because they're just collectors. They have no grain of honor for the real thing, for what these things are tied to. Kind of a nice thought, I guess.
Anyway, back to Verna. She says on multiple occasions how intrigued she is with us, 'adorable little things'. She saw the pyramids, the expeditions, and she wanted to see what else we do, she wanted to see what Roderick and Madeline will do (in her own words). It's all an experiment to her. She makes an offer just to see what we, people, do.
Here's where my beef with a demon theory comes in. No demonic creature I could think of, be it an actual demon, a trickster, or something else, is that sincerely intrigued. Something something death loving life something something.
Demons, in my understanding, are most interested in winning the deal. They come up with incredible challenges, they enjoy torture, emotional or physical, they never let anyone win. Verna has never once expressed this. Quite the opposite. She gives everyone a chance to step back. Even when the ink has dried and everything's decided, each Usher sibling is conditioned to make a choice: push forward, or step back. Neither of them steps back. Neither of them takes a long hard look at themselves (except Tamerlane, both literally haha and figuratively, as she's the only one to have realized how lost she was in her way - just at the end, when it didn't really matter anymore, but still). Verna is kind to those she takes (sincere pet names, regrets of having to do it this way, making sure they know it's not personal, etc). She grieves with them, just before. Grieving - 'The Raven' being about an expression of grief and trauma - ravens as synonyms for death... you get the gist. Oh! Except Freddie - cause Freddie struck a cord. Infuriated her. So he doesn't get an expressed choice. And he would've blown it like coke anyway, so meh.
And then Arthur Pym. Oh, Arthur Pym. I honestly couldn't imagine a demon kneeling and thanking someone who's refused them.
About Arthur Pym, by the way. It's the one story I hadn't reread, and I should have, it turns out! haha Anyway, a few notes about his travels:
In the story, Arthur Pym is expressedly afraid of white color (North Pole, yada yada, white being the absense of colors/life, and the absense of life is death).
Verna enumerates the moments she witnessed of his travels. Someone getting left in Sahara. Someone getting shot in the Arctic. Something bad that was done to an Inuit woman. Why would she follow Arthur so closely? She didn't know him, he wasn't her favorite. I think it's because she came to collect those deaths. If she is death, she would've been exactly there, where people died. She would have also seen Arthur not partaking.
Aaaaaaaand it makes her 'You saw me' line sound better, because he had sure seen death along his travels.
I think the part about a place of out-of-time, out-of-space creatures and hollow Earth was a bit unnecessary, BUT I can try and tie it in this way:
It showed us how Arthur might have coped with what he saw, and he 'saw a lot', even in his 70s it's difficult for him to recall, and it made him think of humanity as a virus, literally;
He might have thought up that ethereal realm simply because he was in an expedition? Exhaustive conditions for both body and spirit? Traumatic experiences? If he saw Death, he might have cloaked it in his mind to cope with it, thus came his stories;
Verna going 'topside' may just mean that she had to go take a look herself, actually be willingly present for the events - to see the brave little humans conquer the earth. 'Topside', as in, 'visible, present, participating'. If Death exists, I doubt it bothers with our boring human realm but lives downunder, among all threads that weave the world.
So that's that on Arthur Pym.
A few other references my mind is too exhausted to tie in nicely:
Death takes Lenore. THE Lenore from 'The Raven' (mostly) and 'Lenore' (secondary). That happened. Also, death talking to a child of life? Regretting having to take her? Not very demonic of dear ol' Verna, in my opinion.
Her mourning veil, her last toasts to the Ushers at the cemetery? Demons don't tend to grieve their players. Demons don't respect and love them enough, and 'what is grief, if not love persevering'?
Death is the last threshold. Before death, we look upon our legacy (major theme with the show), we remember our losses and loves (Annabel Lee!!!!! love the poem, brilliantly done), we get heavy with regrets. We face death as an enemy & fight, like Madeline did. As a friend, like Arthur did. We confess, like Roderick did. All that is too significant to me overall.
And the last thing. It's Edgar Allan Poe. The whole Death tribute is a giant, incredible, thought-through-to-the-bits hommage to his literature where Death, figuratively and literally, takes the throne.
I hope I managed to express myself alright there. Thanks if you read it through, and as I said before, feel free to follow up or elaborate on some ideas. There are oceans to discuss. <3
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seo--changbin · 3 months
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잘 먹겠습니다! (I Will Eat Well!)
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잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meokkessumnida) is roughly translated to 'I will eat well' and is usually said before eating meals.
PAIRINGS: kim seungmin x fem!reader
GENRE: angst and fluff
CONTAINS: established relationship, non-idol au, chubby/plus sized!reader
CONTENT WARNINGS: struggles with eating food, implied skipping meals, topics about food and food consumption in general, implied body insecurites, nakedness but not in a nsfw kind of way. If your triggers are food and ED (eating disorder) related, feel free to not read this post!
WORD COUNT: 659 words
A/N: this one is for the chubby/plus size girlies who struggle with eating. i hope one day, you'll wake up and eat one of the best meals you'll ever have and not feel guilty right after. we all deserve to eat guilt-free. just know that you are seen and you are heard and you are never alone. Also, my taglist is back! Yay!
Contrary to popular belief, Seungmin is quite observant. He knows that he could often strike as someone who’s stoic, mostly sarcastic with his snarky attitude, which can always lead to the assumption that he probably wouldn’t notice tiny and minute details about the people he’s around with, especially those he truly cares for. Don’t let his constant teasing fool you. 
He sees you, and I mean really sees you. Always has ever since you quite literally walked into his life, and he thanks whoever deity was responsible for making you bump into him that day. He may have broken his phone in the process but hey, what good would his crappy Iphone 10 with a shitty battery would do if he didn’t meet you? So in Seungmin’s perspective, it was worth it (though he would tease you about it from time to time, he swears that he’s never gonna live it down).
He made it a point to learn every possible thing about you since then. What did you like? What did you not like? What are you most afraid of? What are the things you loved? What were your quirks? Did you like your eggs scrambled or with the sunny side up? Do you put the toilet seat up or down?
It may sound so silly, but your honor he’s so in love! He may never show it in a conventional way, but boy is he really smitten about you.
He knows you like the back of his palm and he reads you so well like an open book, all too well for your liking, because there’s not a single day where all your slumps go unnoticed, which means that there’s no way to physically hide your feelings when something is bothering you. 
So yes, he notices it whenever you stare at your food before you eat with a glum expression all over your face, and notices how you’d pick at your food while you’re deep in thought. He sees the way your eyes seem to linger on your body whenever you look in the mirror, or how you seem to avoid pictures that involve getting your whole body into view like it’s the plague. 
He sees and he just knows. 
You didn’t need to hide your struggles from him, you didn’t need to shut yourself in the bathroom just to cry anymore. He sees it and he’s there almost immediately. And you feel him, like an anchor tugging at you and keeping you afloat. You feel his comforting squeeze on your hand, you feel his kisses at your temple that came from his heart. 
And most importantly, you feel safe enough to enjoy your meals with him. Skipping meals and unhealthy diets were no longer in your dictionary ever since you started dating him.
“Hey,”
The warmth of his arms that wrap around you was as warm as his voice, effectively pulling you out of your head.
“Look at me.”
Stood in front of the mirror with him behind you, his chin tucked on your shoulder and head resting against yours, he smiles the moment your eyes meet. And without hesitation, he says… 
“You look beautiful.” 
Days like this when he sees you running your hands all over your naked body as you check yourself out in front of the mirror, your fingers digging into the soft valleys of your flesh as you silently wish that you were a tad smaller with tears brimming your eyes, he makes sure to kiss every part of you that you can’t seem to love just for you, before making you your favorite meal straight from the heart.
As he places the steaming bowl of your favorite soup right in front of you, he kisses the top of your head. 
“Now, what do we say before we eat?” 
You beam at him, the delicious smell already making your mouth water and your worries dissipate into thin air. 
“I will eat well!” 
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TAGLIST: @ch4nb4ng, @iadorethemskz, @jaykyo, @operation-steal-chans-laptop, @biribarabiribbaem, @mixtape-racha, @abiaswreck, @skz1-4-3, @bangtancultspost
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sindar-princeling · 2 years
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The previous post made me think some more about the real life influences on LOTR, so because I’m down with a cold and have a lot of time to spare, I finally wanted to write a coherent post about those comments GRRM made about Aragorn and his tax policy.
For those who haven’t heard the actual quote, here it is:
Tolkien can say that Aragorn became king and reigned for a hundred years, and he was wise and good. But Tolkien doesn’t ask the question: What was Aragorn’s tax policy? Did he maintain a standing army? What did he do in times of flood and famine? And what about all these orcs? By the end of the war, Sauron is gone but all of the orcs aren’t gone – they’re in the mountains. Did Aragorn pursue a policy of systematic genocide and kill them? Even the little baby orcs, in their little orc cradles? In real life, real-life kings had real-life problems to deal with. Just being a good guy was not the answer.
And my god, do I have problems with this approach to Tolkien. It’s kind of like asking why Bilbo was unconscious for a lot of the battle of five armies, when we know it was a story Tolkien was telling his kids before sleep.
When looking at LOTR, I think you can’t not read it as an ultimate escapist fantasy - and what’s most important, Tolkien’s personal escapist fantasy.
He is Frodo - a man born into a middle class family, educated, well-read, with close friends coming from the same “social sphere”, like Merry and Pippin, who died in WWI. Sam is in a very literal sense the batmen Tolkien fought with, which he said he considered “so far superior to myself”.
Tolkien had a few batmen during the war, like the article from my previous post mentions. Most probably because he fought in a few different units, but also, he may have lost some of them to war.
And in LOTR, they all get a happy ending.
Of all four of them, Frodo is the only one who can’t return home, most probably mirroring Tolkien’s trauma. He’s the only one whose ending is grounded in trauma, PTSD, loss. The rest of the hobbits get happy endings - very simple and traditional in a way that after the war was nothing but good - they marry, they have kids, the kids marry each other, everyone is happy and lives long lives.
Sam, especially, gets the happiest ending of all in this sense - he marries a woman he grew up with, he has so many beautiful kids, he is mayor for like seven times and everyone loves him, the Shire thrives.
Tolkien was too traumatised after the war not to write Frodo as a mirror of his experiences. But then he took all the people who fought alongside him, who suffered alongside him, people who he lost, and gave them the happiest fairy tale endings he could think of. And it’s not that Merry, Pippin and Sam weren’t as traumatised - this ending is not meant to belittle their experiences - Tolkien is simply giving them the ending that real life didn’t give them.
Returning to the original point, to Aragorn - it’s just another version of the same mechanism. Gondor was struggling, Gongor had Mordor as their immediate neighbours and was heavily affected by the war as well. And then there came a just, good king, and everything was fine. The end. It’s a subplot of the same fantasy as the hobbits’ endings. It doesn’t matter how hard ruling is, we trust that Aragorn is a good king, because people of Gondor deserve a good king (the people of the real world deserved a good ruler who wouldn’t drag them to war), and we know that Aragorn is an honorable, just man.
Nothing about the LOTR ending - apart from Frodo’s trauma - is meant to be realistic. Why would Tolkien want to write WWI and the aftermath - this time fictional.
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hellfirenacht · 4 months
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Wing Man Part 6
Steve 'the Hair' Harrington is your best friend, and is constantly striking out. Sick of this, you two make a deal; you'll wing man for each other. Hooking Steve up with dates is easy, but he finds himself struggling to find you a date. At least, until Dustin starts talking about his new cool friend Eddie. (1 2 3 4 5)
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A/N: How are we feeling in a post-"Flight of Icarus" world, y'all? I knew from the beginning that I'd want to add some of the lore in and let me tell you, I LOVE Ronnie Ecker. For those of you who did not read the book, or haven't had a chance to, Ronnie is Eddie's best friend who ended up with a full scholarship to NYU. They're siblings, your honor.
Also if anyone can show me on this map where the plot is going, I'd really appreciate it.
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This late at night, the only sounds in the trailer park came from the occasional dog barking and the echoes of Eddie’s tapes blasting as he pulled up to Wayne’s trailer. His uncle was working tonight as usual, which would normally allow Eddie time to hog the tv before passing out for a few precious hours before he had to get up for school. 
Tonight however, his mind was buzzing with what had just happened less than an hour ago. He liked you, he wasn’t sure how much yet but he did. You were sharp and knew your stuff about metal. It helped that you were cute. Really cute. 
He liked seeing you in the passenger seat of his car, matching wits with his friends and ranting about Ozzy. He liked seeing you laughing and the way you watched him play. He really liked the way you had fiddled with the pick he’d thrown at you at the end of the set. 
Eddie had never done that before. He’d wanted to, but never had anyone’s attention like that before- no. That wasn’t true. There had been one other person who’d listened to him play like that, two years ago. 
Was he always gonna fold to the site of a pretty girl actually paying attention to his music? 
“Of course you are.” Ronnie’s voice echoed on the phone. “And I’m gonna laugh every time you do.” 
Eddie groaned, holding the receiver to his ear as his forehead pressed against the front of the fridge. He hadn’t planned on running to her with this, but he was nowhere near able to wind down. He hadn’t even expected Ronnie to pick up the phone this late at night with the time zone difference and the fact that it was a school night. He’d have to push his stash a bit harder to pay Wayne back for the long distance call. 
The past two years had been a slow crawl of building back trust up with Veronica Ecker. The two had gone almost a whole summer without talking before Eddie had basically groveled for forgiveness outside of Granny Ecker’s trailer before Ronnie left for New York. She had forgiven him enough to let him give her a ride to the airport. 
“Last time?” He’d asked. 
“Last time.” She’d repeated. 
“So why didn’t you shack up with her tonight?” Ronnie asked. “You got her into your van, and you dropped her off like a gentleman.” 
“I don’t know, I panicked.” Eddie sighed, bonking his head against the fridge a few times. “She was right there, and she was leaning in and all I saw was Paige leaning in-”
“You know not every girl who shares your taste in music is Paige, right?” Eddie could practically see Ronnie rolling her eyes on the other end of the line. 
“Any girl that shares my taste in music ends up fucking off to the opposite end of the country.” 
This made Ronnie laugh. “You’re an idiot. Paige fucked off back to her job and I fucked off to college.”
“Fucking off is fucking off.”
“Maybe you need to fuck off.”
“I tried, remember?” 
She remembered. Both of them remembered. 
“Look, stop being a dipshit.” Ronnie said after a moment of awkward silence. “You’re graduating this year, right?”
“Uhhh...”
“Eddie.”
“Yeah, yeah I’m working on it. I just need those last stupid two classes and then I’m home free.” Eddie confirmed. 
“You can’t stay in high school forever.” Ronnie said. “And you’re gonna realize that there’s life outside of Hawkins. Have you even talked to Paige since then?”
He hadn’t, and they both knew it. Eddie gave up two months after she’d bailed him out of jail. Two months of dead air silence. He got the hint. 
“No.”
“Then stop worrying about one girl from over two years ago!” Eddie could feel the phantom pain of Ronnie punching him in the arm like she always used to. “Get laid and graduate, Munson. You earned it.”
Eddie snorted, sliding down the fridge to sit on the cool floor. “Is that the only advice you got for me, Ecker?”
“It’s the only advice you need. Did you pass that test last week?” Ronnie asked. 
“By the skin of my teeth.” Eddie sighed, leaning his head back against the fridge. 
“Your new girl graduated, maybe she can help you study.”
“She’s not my girl. She’s a girl that I’ve met a handful of times-”
“That’s turning your brain to mush.” 
“She doesn’t even know who I am, Ronnie.” He fiddled with the chord in his hand, watching the spiral wind and unwind around his fingers. It was already stretched out pretty bad, with a few spirals already tangled beyond repair like his old slinky from when he was a kid. 
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Ronnie asked. “She doesn’t know you, that means she doesn’t feed into the bullshit of the rumor mill.” 
Ronnie had a point and he hated it, but that’s why he called her to begin with. Ronnie was the only person who could cut through his Munson bullshit and give it to him straight. He missed it. As much as he enjoyed the power he had to protect his little lost sheepies, they were all too intimidated to actually stand up to him and call him out the way that Ronnie would.
“Yeah, you’re right. As usual.” Eddie could hear her snort and he couldn’t stop himself from grinning. “So why the hell are you even awake right now? Up til 2 am on a school night, Ecker?”
“It’s barely past midnight, the time zone isn’t that off. I was studying for a test, but hearing you complain about your love life is a far more productive use of my time.” 
“You’re using me to slack off, aren’t you?” 
“If I have to look at my flashcards one more time tonight my eyes are gonna go square. How’s Granny doing?”
“She’s an empty nester and is determined to turn me into her replacement grandson until you visit again.” Eddie shook his head. “She threatened to give me a haircut the last time she dropped off a plate for Wayne.”
Ronnie had come back to visit a grand total of five times since she’d left, returning for holidays and summers to visit Granny Ecker and by extension Eddie. Each time she’d come back with stories of law school and how different New York is. 
It seemed impossible, everything that Ronnie had told him about going to college and about life outside their small town. She was playing Dungeons and Dragons still, having found a group that would play with her. According to her, being a rules lawyer for the game at a law school hit way different than it had their small Hellfire group in high school. No one even cared that they played outside of a few students who had better things to do than enact violence against a few nerds. 
Then again, in law school everyone was some sort of nerd. Eddie wondered if even a freak would be accepted there. Well, socially at least. He wasn’t delusional enough to think he’d be able to be accepted into law school with his grades. Ronnie had invited him up to visit a few times, but there was never time or money to do it. 
The two continued talking for another hour, catching up until Ronnie was scolding him for staying up so late on a school night. 
“Yeah? And what’s your excuse?” Eddie said. “It’s almost 4:20 am there.” 
“Ha. Ha. Again, ha.” Ronnie said. “Still not how timezones work. And my first class doesn’t start until noon.”
Right. In college you didn’t have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn every day. 
“Night, Ecker.”
“Night, Munson. Graduate and get laid.” 
“Does it matter the order?”
“Good night, Eddie.”
Talking to Ronnie had eased his nerves, but there was still something inside that wouldn’t let him lay down and go to sleep. It was late now, way later than he intended to stay up tonight. The night he played at the Hideout always had him up late, and his teacher already considered him more useless than usual on Wednesdays. It’s not like anyone would care if he slept in class, unless they were in a particularly foul mood. 
He made his way to a stack of books in his room rummaging through a pile or two until he found what he was looking for. Eddie’s copy of Lord of the RIngs was well loved at best, and completely trashed at worst. The cover of the paperback was nearly torn off, taped back together haphazardly over the years. Pages were dogeared, the spine was cracked, notes were scribbled in the margins, and his name was scribbled in messy cursive on the front page declaring that this book belonged to Eddie Munson and that he was in third grade.
Eddie stripped out of most of his clothes, tossing his jewelry on his nightstand, and hopped into bed. He turned on a small lamp and opened the book. He could probably recite the first chapter from memory if he tried, the words on the page a comfortable lullabye for his wound up mind. But tonight he flipped to a page near the end where his bookmark was. The flower made out of blue construction paper wasn’t nearly as old as the book, and only in better shape because it never left the safe pages of Tolkein’s writing. 
His eyes glanced at his arm again, your phone number a temporary tattoo on his skin until it washed off. Shit, it was going to wash off eventually. Eddie grabbed a pen from under his bed and added another scribble to the inside of the book before copying your number carefully onto the paper flower. At least this way he’d always know where it was. 
With that aside, Eddie didn’t make it through three pages of his book before he passed out with the light still on. 
Fall Semester, 1984
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The PrinciPAL’s office was just as interesting and inviting as it always was, which is to say not at all. Eddie was slumped back on a chair, watching as Janice sorted through paperwork, pretending to look busy so that she could avoid any small talk with ‘that Munson boy’. He had been waiting for Higgin’s to show up for almost fifteen minutes now, because why shouldn’t he waste Eddie’s time at this point? The worst that was going to happen today is that they’d do their little song and dance, Eddie would plead his case that the flyers were absolutely serious and that Chris Morrison had every intent to run for student council, and that it was all of the club that had made the posters, Higgins would shake his head and not believe Eddie for a second (which to be fair, this would be the first time that Eddie would admit privately that it was his fault), they’d go back and forth until Eddie got some form of detention or Saturday school. 
Honestly, the worst part would be rescheduling Hellfire if he wound up in detention. 
Eddie had counted out 13 paper clips that Janice had used in her papershifting before the door to the front office opened up again. He looked up, expecting to see Higgins walk in, ignore him for another five minutes, before Janice would let Eddie go in. 
He didn’t expect to see you, pale and shaken, clutching a teacher’s note in your hand. Eddie watched as you handed the note over to Janice who read it, shook her head, and pointed at the chair next to himself. Your eyes never left the floor as you sat next to him, staring at the cheap carpet as if you could somehow burn a hole in it and disappear. 
Trouble was no stranger to Eddie, and Eddie was no stranger to trouble. In Hawkins the name ‘Munson’ might as well be in the thesaurus next to the word. This wasn’t his first rodeo, and it would be far from his last as long as Higgins stayed the princiPAL. He’d walk away with a lecture and a sigh and then it would be business as normal. 
The look on your face though, that was far from the mild annoyance he felt. You look downright traumatized at the idea of having been sent here. Eddie glanced up at Janice who deigned to make eye contact with him now. Her eyes flicked between the two of you, a disapproving look behind her purple frames as if this was somehow Eddie’s fault that you had ended up here as well. But then, as far as any of the faculty from the office was concerned, even him being enrolled at this school was a death sentence to the rest of the poor student body. Eddie was a disease that they would try to contain until they had the cure to remove him. 
The shaking of your knee made your chair (and his chair by proxy) rattle slightly. The quiet of the office and the mundane shuffling of Janice’s papers only added to the tension that was radiating off you. 
“Janice, is Higgin’s gonna be long?” Eddie finally asked, and your bouncing knee stopped for just a moment before going back to its nervous movement. 
“He’s in a very important meeting.” Came the reply over a stack of papers, still not looking at Eddie. 
He sighed again and looked over at you, trying to place where he knew your face. Your eyes were a bit red, and you looked like you were on the verge of crying. Shit, he needed to do something before he had to ask Janice for the tissue box. 
“First time?” Eddie asked, and when you didn’t respond he nudged your knee with his. 
You jumped slightly, head snapping up. It was a wonder you didn’t give yourself whiplash and it would have been almost funny to Eddie had you not looked like a deer in the headlights looking at him. 
“I... Huh?” your voice cracked slightly. 
“What are ya in for?” Eddie did his best to give you a smile which he was sure made him look more like a serial killer than a comfort. It was rare he wished that he had his dad’s smile, but in cases like this he’d make an exception. 
You looked at the paper in your hand and swallowed. “Uh... skipped.” 
“Skipped school or just class?” Eddie prompted, trying to get you to talk more. If you were talking, then you weren’t crying. That’s what he hoped at least. 
“Class.” He didn’t think you’d say anymore but you surprised him. “US History.” Eddie caught the way your eyes darted to Janice again as if to make sure she wasn’t listening in, but Janice had better things to do than to eavesdrop on two delinquents. “I wasn’t... I had a bad day. I'm having a bad day. I felt like I was going to explode and I went to the library.” 
Eddie nodded, wondering what had happened today that made you need to duck out. It wasn’t his business, and frankly Higgin’s was going to grill you enough as it was. 
“Rookie mistake.” He said instead. 
“Rookie...?” 
Eddie kept his voice low and leaned in closer to you as if telling you a secret. “If you’re gonna skip, you can’t go to the library. You might as well have walked into the teacher’s lounge and announced that you were cutting class.”
You let out a sharp breath that he swore counted for a laugh. “Thanks for the heads up, can you tell me that a few hours ago?”
There was color returning to your face now and Eddie kept going. His brown eyes scanned your face, trying to place where he knew you from. Hawkins was a small town, and there was nothing about you that screamed ‘I’m new!’. 
He liked your sarcasm though, and his ‘comforting’ grin shifted into a genuine smile. “If you’re gonna ditch, you need to go to the bathroom or go outside.” He said. “Especially for last period. Go hide outside in the woods and you can slip into the parking lot seamlessly without anyone noticing. By the end of the day the teachers are barely taking attendance anyway.”
“Have you been in the girls rooms here?” you asked, shaking your head. “I think I’d rather take my chances here than stay in there longer than I’d have to.” Eddie wasn’t sure if you were trying to make a joke or if you were serious.
“Would you rather hide in the boys room?” he asked. “I swear it only smells like piss almost all of the time and you’d end up in the splash zone even if you were in a stall.”
That got a laugh out of you, a genuine one. Your shoulders were relaxing and you looked down at the paper again and took a deep breath that you exhaled with a sigh. 
“I’ve never been in trouble before.” you said, your hands starting to bend and fold the paper on your lap absently. “I’m not good at being in trouble.”
“Well, lucky for you I’m here.” Eddie nudged your knee again with his. “Being in trouble is kind of my job here at Hawkin’s High. I’m a professional, you know. If I wasn’t here taking up all of Principal Higgin’s time he might have to actually do his job.” 
That last part was louder, as he directed it to Janice who refused to take the bait and only reached for her lilac stapler instead. 
A small smack on his arm drew his attention back to you, you were smiling at him looking astonished. “You’re gonna get us in trouble!” you whispered at him. 
“We’re already in trouble.” Eddie reminded you, his smile never fading. “Look, you’ve never been in trouble before, right? You’re gonna be fine. Just give him a good sob story about being overwhelmed with school, or about a sick pet. If you can squeeze out some tears that’s even better. The worst that he’s gonna do is give you a slap on the wrist and maybe detention if he’s in a shit mood”
You take in his words, listening to him carefully and taking in every word he was saying as if this was life or death. Eddie admittedly, had purposefully slipped into his Dungeon Master voice. It was a skill that normally only worked on his little sheepies in his club, and that was after semesters of training his players to listen and pay attention to his words or else it would be life or death for their characters. 
Having someone else listen to him like that? It felt really good. 
Your mouth started to open to say something but then the office door opened again and Higgin’s stepped in, nodding to Janice and then looking at the two of you. There was an accusatory look in his eyes as he made eye contact with Eddie again, and it was clear what that look said. Leave her alone, don’t make things worse for her than they already are. 
“Munson.” Higgins said and it took everything in him to stay still and not flinch at his last name. He was used to the weight that came with his name, but he hadn’t wanted you to know who he was. Not after he just remembered where he knew you from, glancing down at the note that you had folded into a flower in a fit of nerves. 
“I heard you missed me, Sir.” Eddie forced his eyes to meet Higgin’s. “You really should just start saying hi in the hallways instead of inviting me to these little chats every week. You’re taking away valuable learning time from me, you know.” 
If the two of them had been alone, Higgins would have snapped back at Eddie about being a smartass. But you were there, and the color had drained from your face again, and there was a shine to your eyes that was threatening to spill over your waterline. Higgins looked at you and motioned for you to follow him into his office. 
Eddie wished that you would turn and look at him before disappearing into the PrincePAL’s office. He could imagine you turning to look at him for comfort, he’d give you a smile that would put you at ease and a thumbs up. You’d give him another smile and walk in feeling brave. 
Instead it was like you forgot he was there as your figure disappeared behind the heavy wood door that shut with a heavy click. 
Of course Higgins had you come in first, even though Eddie had already been sitting here since the beginning of the period when he’d been called in. 
He was tempted to go over to the door and press his ear up against it to listen in on what he was saying to you but even Janice would scold him for that. So there Eddie sat for another ten minutes as he waited for you to step out again. 
Higgin’s was the one to open the door and let you out of the office, as if he were some gentleman instead of Eddie’s own personal warden five days a week. You walked out and to Eddie’s surprise you gave him a nod and mouthed thank you as you slipped back out the door and into the hallway. 
Eddie’s eyes followed you until he couldn’t see you anymore and it took Higgin’s standing in front of him with folded arms and saying his full government name for Eddie to snap back to reality. 
“Munson. A word about your little flyers?”
“Well, I’d say a picture is worth a thousand words-”
“In my office.”
Eddie didn’t remember much else about that talk, only remembering the white paper flower that had been carelessly tossed into the trash next to Higgin’s desk. 
“He still hasn’t called you?” Steve asked as you, him, and Robin continued your closing routine. The day had been busy, with almost everyone in Hawkins coming to rent a movie for the weekend. Robin was stocking the candy while you wiped down the sticky counter where children had been touching all day. Who’s idea was it to leave out free suckers on the counter anyway?
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Oh right, that was your idea because you loved Halloween. 
“Nope.” you said, your voice a little tense. It had been almost two weeks since that night at the Hideout. You hadn’t returned to the dive bar, hoping that Eddie would call you and make the next move. Each passing day you had stayed as close to the phone as possible when you were home and you’d checked your voicemail every day when you got home for any sign that he’d attempted to reach out. 
Nothing. 
You shouldn’t feel this rejected but you did. It was far too early to tell if you had any feelings beyond initial attraction to the guy, but... you’d felt something. An enjoyment of bantering with him and an ease that came as naturally as your friendship with Robin and Steve. 
Plus, you had to admit it, he was really fucking hot. Seeing him play guitar two weeks ago had haunted your dreams and slipped into a few of your fantasies when you were alone. 
You kept that part to yourself though, that was the last thing that Steve or Robin needed to hear. Besides, that was Steve’s job to go far too into detail about his sex life. Steve had tried ribbing you about going home with Eddie but you’d told him that you were a complete gentleman with him. 
That night had left you feeling electrified, almost high as you danced around your room as you got ready for bed. Even as his odd parting rattled around your brain, you couldn’t help but to feel excited at the idea of seeing him again. 
Then a few days went by. Then a week. And now two weeks later you hadn’t heard from him. The kids hadn’t stopped by either so you couldn’t hassle them about Eddie either. Even if they had, you weren’t sure if you could ask about him, you didn’t want to come across as desperate. 
“Did you ever figure out what he meant by ‘five times?’” Robin asked, opening up a squished package of Reese's Cups. “Like, didn’t you say you didn’t know him?”
You threw your hands up before tossing the paper towels you were using to clean in the trash can. 
“I have no idea.” you said. “Either I’m bad at math, he’s bad at math, or maybe we’re both stupid.”
“He did get held back a few times.” Steve muttered to himself. 
“There’s a chance that you two have met before though.” said Robin, “I mean think about it, you’re both weirdos who went to the same school. Shouldn’t you both have bumped into each other before?” 
“You’d think so, but my group kind of kept to ourselves.” you said with a sigh. “We were private weirdos. When I DID try and make other friends-”
“Yeah, yeah, Chris Morrison shot you down.” Steve said, waving his hand. 
“Oh, you heard that story?” you laughed. “I didn’t think I mentioned it to you before.”
Steve gave you a blank stare that only made you laugh more. “I swear you keep talking about that guy more than Eddie. Maybe I should track him down and set you up on a blind date with him instead.” 
“Don’t you dare!” 
“Hey, that could be fun!” Robin added. “We’ll dress you up super hot, set you up with Chris, and then you can turn him down instead!” 
“Excuse you, Robin. I am always super hot.” you declared, straightening out your unflattering Family Video vest. “Who wouldn’t want a piece of this?”
You hadn’t done laundry in a week, and your hair had seen better days. The green polyester vest was wrinkled and if Keith saw you looking sloppy he’d probably have words about it. Not big words or even intimidating words, but words nonetheless. It was night and day compared to how you’d looked at the Hideout and the arcade earlier in the month. But it wasn’t like you had anyone to impress while you were at work anyway. 
“Hey, nerdy chicks can be hot.” Steve said. “I mean, Nancy’s an academic nerd and I was crazy about her.” 
You hummed thoughtfully and turned to Robin. “How about we get married instead?” you asked. “You, me, a fuck ton of cats, and a tax break. What do you say?”
Robin laughed and shook her head. “You aren’t my type.” Her eyes darted nervously to Steve for a split second and you sighed dramatically. 
“Guess it’s just me and the cats I’ll eventually adopt.” you said. “Not even a tax break.” 
“You know, Keith thinks you’re cute-”
“I am going to pretend that you did not just say that, Harrington.” you said firmly. “Nope, not happening. Uh-uh. Absolutely not.” 
“He’s not... that bad?” Robin said, but you could hear the pain in her voice through the laughter. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.” 
“The lady is trying not to think actually.” you laugh. “We’re closed, I’m actually done thinking. I just wanna finish cleaning up and go home. What’s left?”
“Rewinding the returns,-”
“Ugh.”
“Cleaning up the kids movies,-”
“Ugh.”
“And cleaning the bathroom.”
“UGHHHHHH.” 
“Would you rather clean up the porn room?” asked Robin. 
“Yes actually, I would.” You said. “Whatever they think about doing in that room is what they do end up doing in the bathroom.”
“Gross.”
Steve sighed “Okay, I’ll be the hero and save you ladies from cleaning the bathroom. Robin, you fix the kids section, and you can rewind the tapes.”
“I thought I was in charge here.” You crossed your arms. 
“Okay, did you have a better way to divide and conquer?”
“...No.”
“Then let’s hurry up and-”
Ding!
“Who didn’t lock the door?!” you asked. 
“It was Steve’s job to-” Robin started. 
“Oh, shit. Hi.” Steve was staring at the person who had just walked in. You turned around and your heart jumped in your chest and your stomach dropped. 
“Cursing in front of customers, Harrington?” Eddie said. “Now that’s not very professional of you.”
Robin’s eyes were darting so fast between you and Eddie that you were surprised she wasn’t giving herself vertigo. You tried to give her a pointed glare but your friend either didn’t get the hint or refused to. 
“Well, we’re closed. You can’t be a customer if you can’t pay.” Steve said, putting his hands on his hips. 
Eddie looked away from Steve and made eye contact with you. It had been two weeks since you’d seen him, and you glazed at his arm for a second, trying to see if the faded remains of your phone number were still stamped on his arm. Unfortunately for you he was wearing a heavy leather jacket and you had not yet developed x ray vision. Perhaps in another genre. 
“Do you want to get out of here?” Eddie asked and you, ignoring Steve who looked mildly offended. 
You stood there in shock for a second before Robin nudged you in the rib. 
“I- uh. I have to finish closing.” you said, snapping out of it. 
“Steve and I can handle the rest of closing!” Robin grabbed Steve and shook his shoulder. 
“Guys, I’m literally in charge of you both. I can’t leave before you.” You said, already reaching for your bag under the counter. 
“We can handle it!” Steve said. 
“And I can handle Steve!” Robin added. “We close without you and Keith all the time, remember?”
You could trust Robin, and as long as Steve didn’t knock down any displays then it wouldn’t take them more than another ten minutes to finish up. You were so tempted to turn them down, make Eddie wait as you had waited for him for the past two weeks. 
But you were already stepping behind the counter towards Eddie and tossing the keys to lock up to Robin. Keith would murder you and write you up (in that order) if he knew what you were doing but looking up at the roundest pair of brown eyes you’d ever seen had you in the mood to make questionable choices. 
You shrugged off your vest and tossed it at Steve, in an attempt to make yourself look like you hadn’t spent the whole day dealing with unruly customers and screaming kids. Part of you almost wished that you had agreed to bathroom duty, if only to give you an excuse to look in a mirror and straighten yourself out. 
“Thanks, guys.” you gave them a quick nod, catching sight of Robin’s knowing smirk and Steve shaking his head before walking out the door that Eddie was holding open for you. 
The last thing you heard was the scrambling of the entrance to Family Video being locked. 
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Part 7
Dividers by @strangergraphics
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teyamskxawng · 10 months
Text
Rite of Passage
Lo'ak Sully x Fem!Omatikaya!Reader
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The rundown: You and Lo'ak mutually agree to paint each other for your coming of age ceremony. Although you're both growing older, some things never change.
Warnings: language, Reader and Lo'ak being painfully oblivious, Reader swearing up and down that she hates Lo’ak’s hands but she really loves them, just lots of fluff and stupidity, characters are aged up
WC: 5.5k
A/N: This was my attempt at writing a light-hearted lil fic that I don’t feel obligated to stretch out into a series. It's basically word vomit idrk how I feel about it, but anyways!! Another one for the Lo’ak lovers (me) lol <333
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The highly anticipated season had finally come around once again—the annual, collective moment in which the entire Omaticaya clan came together to celebrate the time-honored induction of their youth into the world of adulthood. Over the course of several grueling months, the young Na'vi had been put through their paces, overcoming demanding rites of passage and thus earning their coveted standing within the tribe.
The lively and uproarious ceremony was more than just a celebration. It signified a crucial stepping stone in the journey toward becoming accomplished members of the Na'vi society. And this year, Lo’ak found himself among those transitioning from childhood into adulthood, moving one step closer to joining the ranks of his higher-ups.
He’d finally be treated like an adult, he’d finally get to exercise free will outside of his parents' strict and demanding orders. He’d get to celebrate with all of his warrior friends and probably consume way more drinks than he should, but that was all part of the adventure. He’d be a free man, and he couldn’t fucking wait. 
But as thrilling as the entire experience was panning out to be, there was this nagging sensation at the back of his mind—something that clouded his thoughts like a veil of unease.
It was customary for each young Na’vi to be adorned with intricate body paint before attending the celebration—a powerful symbol that represented their transformation from childhood into adulthood. It was akin to casting off one’s previous life and stepping into a new, mature version of themselves.
Each unique design would act as a shroud, allowing the individual to leave behind their former innocence and emerge reborn, strong and prepared for all of life’s challenges.
While most of his peers had already secured mentors, close friends, or even lovers to skillfully adorn their bodies with intricately painted designs for the ceremony weeks before its commencement, Lo’ak had nothing. Despite all his accomplishments thus far, he’d yet to find someone to help him present himself in a manner conducive to the age-old tradition. Which was a big problem.
Lo’ak had been struggling with the idea of asking you to paint him for the upcoming ceremony for weeks on end. It was something that weighed heavily on his mind, but he just couldn’t figure out how to approach such a delicate yet meaningful conversation with you. Embarrassingly, he found himself losing sleep over it all, tossing and turning in his hammock, replaying scenarios in his head, trying to find the right words that didn't seem to exist.
You and Lo’ak shared practically every experience and milestone throughout your lives together. You went through the same rites of passage as Lo’ak to be welcomed into the tribe as warriors. Given your close bond, it was natural that Lo’ak would want to be the one to paint you for the ceremony as well. Unfortunately, just as with asking you, he stumbled when it came to bringing up the actual topic. It was going beyond the casual interaction of friends—this was a formal event, steeped in tradition and significance. The whole situation left him feeling overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. 
But still, Lo’ak understood the weight of the tradition: it was all about deep connections and honoring those who had played an essential role in your life. Last year, he recalled watching Kiri as she painted Neteyam for his coming-of-age ceremony. As per tradition, this year Neteyam painted Kiri, a symbol of their familial bond and reciprocal support. It made sense, but at the same time, there went two of his potential options. Tuk was way too young to know what she was doing, and it’d just be straight-up embarrassing to have to ask either of his parents to do it for him. That would defeat the purpose of the entire ceremony; he was supposed to be an adult now, no longer reliant on his parents.
There was no doubt in Lo’ak’s mind that you’d be the perfect partner for the adornment process. You weren’t just a passing acquaintance; you were one of Lo’ak’s closest friends. Your friendship was strong enough to withstand the toughest storms. But still, Lo'ak couldn't shake the feeling that asking to paint each other would somehow cross a line between friendship and something much more intimate. It’d be embarrassing. And what if you had chosen someone else already? What if it was some other guy? Lo’ak’s stomach dropped at the thought.
And now, as the day of the ceremony had arrived, Lo’ak found that he still hadn’t mustered up the courage to ask you about the painting ritual. His anxiety mounted as time slipped through his fingers like sand. He was so screwed.
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As you approached the Sully family’s tent, the faint sound of metal slicing through the air caught your attention. A knot of unease tightened in your chest as you hesitantly pulled back the tent’s entrance, revealing Lo’ak sitting alone in the dimly lit space. He was cross-legged on the ground, wholly engrossed in spinning his dagger in circles on the floor, his quick fingers directing its every move. As used to his stupidly reckless behavior as you were from years of friendship, your eyes still narrowed at the sight. You swore he was two seconds away from slicing his finger off and bleeding out right there in front of you before the ceremony even began.
So much for his adulthood.
Lo’ak’s ears twitched, and his trance-like concentration suddenly broke as he sensed your presence, his focused expression softening as he turned his gaze to meet yours. Momentarily distracted from his dagger, he rose to greet you, meeting your eyes with a look of genuine confusion.
Lo’ak eyed you up and down before stating matter-of-factly, “You’re not painted for the ceremony yet?” He didn’t phrase it like a question—more like an observation. And that was a little unfair, because it wasn’t like he was dressed in his body paint either.
Feeling a tad defensive, you retorted, “Neither are you,” as you made your way deeper into the heart of the tent. As much as his words had sparked annoyance in you, a secret wave of relief washed over you as you realized that Lo’ak wasn’t ready for the ceremony either. That could mean good news: maybe he hadn’t found a partner for the painting ritual yet.
There was still hope.
For days, you’d been meaning to ask Lo’ak about the whole rite of passage painting thing, but every time an opportunity presented itself, you’d back out like a little bitch. You honestly didn’t even know why you hesitated. It shouldn’t have been difficult to approach him about it. Lo’ak had always been your closest friend—you’d trained together, learned to tame your ikran together, and even completed your Uniltaron one after the other. There was no doubt in your mind that he’d agree to be your partner for the significant culmination of everything you’d accomplished together. It was just that the entire ordeal of getting someone—a good friend or otherwise—to meticulously rub paint all over your body felt so… affectionate. You and Lo’ak weren’t affectionate. Just thinking about it made you feel like there was a cascade of woodsprites flurrying around in your stomach.
You shook your head, trying to get rid of those persistent thoughts, when Lo’ak’s voice invaded your musings.
“Yeah, I don’t know who’s gonna paint me. Haven’t had time to ask anyone yet,” he said nonchalantly while reaching down to retrieve and re-stow his dagger.
He was avoiding eye contact, his yellow eyes aimlessly darting around the tent. You found it hard not to roll your eyes at him because it was so obvious he was lying about being too busy. You’d literally just caught him goofing around with an entire weapon moments ago. However, it didn’t really come as a shock that Lo’ak hadn’t approached anyone about it yet. Social graces weren’t his strong suit, and mustering up the courage to ask anyone to play such a role in his rite of passage couldn’t have been easy for him.
But still. Either way, you made up your mind; it was clear that things needed to move forward somehow. Regardless of the situation and awkward challenges it presented, you couldn’t sit idly by anymore; both of you were running out of time, and it’d be stupid to continue dancing around the matter at hand.
Resolutely, you decided it was best just to be upfront about it and get the whole thing settled once and for all—for both of your sakes and for the sake of friendship. Maybe it wouldn’t be as awkward as it seemed.
“Okay. I’ll do you, and then you can do me,” you blurted out, the words tumbling from your lips without any real finesse. It was as if the sooner you could get those words out, the sooner you could escape the oncoming wave of embarrassment threatening to wash over you.
However, Lo’ak’s reaction caught you off guard.
His eyes widened in surprise and his eyebrows shot upward as he averted his gaze from yours. He couldn’t seem to look at you, his attention inexplicably drawn to an unremarkable spot on the ground near your feet. You scrunched your face up in confusion as you tried to make sense of his bizarre reaction. It wasn’t until you gave yourself a moment to process and then reprocess the words that had spilled from your lips, that you realized how they might have sounded to Lo’ak’s stupid teenage boy brain.
Trying to push away your own mortification and distract the both of you from the burning color that you were sure was spreading across your face, you acted on instinct, reaching over and smacking Lo’ak upside the back of his head. It was a necessary move to kill the dreadful silence that engulfed the tent.
“Ow! The fuck?” Lo’ak screeched, nursing the spot where you struck him as if he had genuinely been injured. He had always been overly dramatic.
“Just sit down,” you told him, trying your best to maintain a casual demeanor.
Despite the twinge of awkwardness still lingering in the air between both of you, you firmly gripped Lo’ak’s arm and pulled him back down into a sitting position on the floor. With Lo’ak seated and somewhat calmer now—even if he was still rubbing at the supposed wound on his head—you made your way deeper into the tent to rummage for the supplies needed for the body paint.
Jake and Neytiri were always well-prepared, making sure they had an ample supply of materials for when the time came to don their traditional war paint. Thanks to the countless hours you spent with the Sully children, navigating their tent was like second nature to you, and locating the necessary items was a breeze.
With a mortar and pestle full of bright white pigment in one hand and a bowl of water in the other, you re-approached Lo’ak, who was sitting patiently, waiting for your return. As you stood there, you studied Lo’ak’s face and allowed your gaze to wander down his frame, trying to visualize the patterns and symbols that’d complement his warrior spirit. Eventually, feeling inspired, you took your place in front of him.
Making yourself comfortable, you positioned yourself on your knees, making use of the extra bit of height, before you reached for the mortar and pestle and meticulously ground the white pigment into a fine powder. You drizzled in a small amount of water to create a smooth paste that would soon adorn Lo’ak’s face and body.
As you mixed the paste, your thoughts began to wander. Despite your focus on the task at hand, you couldn’t ignore Lo’ak’s piercing gaze. It seemed to bore right through you.
It still baffled you just how much Lo’ak had grown in such a short amount of time—it seemed almost sudden. For as long as you could remember, you and Lo’ak had been virtually the same height. There was even a brief period during your early childhood when you stood a bit taller than him, and you never let him forget it, teasing him about it every chance you got. But now? Things were so different.
It was like Lo’ak had shot up overnight. Not only was he growing taller by the day, but he was growing stronger as well. There was no denying the obvious changes in his physique. And it wasn’t like you were trying to notice the changes. It was impossible not to see the way his arms had filled out, the way his shoulders had broadened, the way in which even the slightest movement would cause the muscles in his stomach to ripple.
Just like they were at that very moment, as Lo’ak nervously shifted under your intense scrutiny, self-consciously crossing his arms over his chest.
Right, because you were definitely staring at him. You mentally chided yourself for letting your focus wander so far off course.
Swallowing hard, you turned your focus back to the task at hand. As you stirred the paint, pouring all your effort into getting the consistency just right, you tried to ignore the fact that the once-casual atmosphere between you and Lo’ak was now laced with an undeniable undercurrent of tension.
Out of nowhere, Lo’ak abruptly asked, “Is it gonna be cold?” His question caught your attention, and in a way, you were grateful for the sudden interruption. Your mind had been racing with thoughts of how you’d manage to paint any area below Lo’ak’s shoulders. But you decided to cross that bridge when you reached it.
“You tell me,” you quipped in response, placing the mortar filled with paint on the ground beside you. You dipped each of the fingers on your left hand into the paint, discovering that it was indeed really cold. You did the same with your right hand before lifting both sets of paint-covered fingers toward Lo’ak’s waiting face, wondering how the hell you were supposed to begin.
Truthfully, you hadn’t come up with any elaborate painting patterns or designs in preparation for the moment, which was somewhat concerning. The entire ceremony was meant to be personal and special, something that required contemplation and reflection for at least a few days before actually starting the painting process. Yet there you were, just 30 minutes away from the start of the ceremony, and not a single thought in your brain.
Despite your lack of planning, Lo’ak was calmly sitting right in front of you with his full trust placed squarely in your hands. So, without any further hesitation or delay, you decided to just dive in and let inspiration (and the trust of Eywa) guide your hands.
Taking a deep breath, you gently pressed your fingers to the edges of Lo’ak’s eyebrows before slowly trailing them across his forehead and then swooping them down along the bridge of his nose. You tried very hard not to laugh at the way Lo’ak flinched from the sensation of the cold paint touching his skin.
Momentarily, you took a step back to assess your progress and decided that it didn’t look half bad. The realization fueled your enthusiasm enough to continue painting. Coating your fingers in the paint once more, you continued to glide them confidently over the smooth contours of Lo��ak’s cheeks in swift strokes.
As you neared completion, you observed that all that remained unpainted on his face were his lips. They looked strangely bare. You weren’t really sure whether they were supposed to be painted or not. But the idea of touching Lo’ak’s lips, even just with your fingers, caused your heart to pound erratically within your chest. It was so bad that you were contemplating just backing out and moving on to the next part.
But just when you were about to give up and move on, unintentionally, your eyes met Lo’ak’s. It seemed as though he was reading your mind; he knew exactly what you were thinking as he studied you intently. There was no turning back; he had already noticed your hesitation.
Trying to maintain focus on the art and not let yourself become overwhelmed by how close you were seated across from Lo’ak proved challenging. You could practically feel the soft warmth of his exhaled breaths as they caressed your face. It made your spine tingle and caused goosebumps to rise across your arms.
“Close your mouth,” you ordered firmly, hoping to alleviate some of the tension in the air. He obeyed, immediately pressing his lips together with exaggerated swiftness. With a soft smile, you slowly raised both of your hands to his mouth. You gently placed two painted fingers on his mouth and traced them down his lips. From there, your fingers continued their journey along the curve of his jawline.
Taking another dip in the paint, you allowed your gaze to wander across the entirety of Lo’ak’s unpainted body. With your internal pep talk in place, you decided to just dive in. Maybe if you did it casually enough, everything would be fine. You softly nudged Lo’ak’s crossed arms apart with the backs of your hands. Your fingertips began their descent from the sides of his neck and moved deliberately across the broad expanse of his shoulders.
Silently reassuring yourself that it was nothing more than your overactive imagination when Lo’ak ever-so-slightly shivered under your touch, you diligently tried to make things move along as quickly as possible. Dipping your fingers into the paint once more, you adorned his shoulders with bold, white swirls that seemed to dance and move on their own.
Gradually moving further along his muscular form, you traced delicate lines that wrapped around each sculpted bulge of his biceps and along the contours of his forearms.
As your focus moved even lower, you took note of your favorite part of his body: Lo’ak’s uniquely impressive four-fingered hands. Upon reaching each digit one at a time, you spread long white lines down their length with seemingly natural precision. You let your instincts take over as you continued to create patterns and shapes on his skin, fully immersed in the fluidity of your motions.
You decided to save his chest for the very end, knowing just how awkward that part of the process was going to be—and truth be told, you really wanted to delay the moment for as long as possible. The silence within the tent was almost deafening, and you couldn’t help but send a silent prayer to Eywa, hoping with all your might that your hands would remain steady and not betray your mounting anxiety.
Dipping your fingers into the paint once more, you hesitantly approached Lo’ak’s chest. You were doing everything in your power to avoid making eye contact and ignore how tense his entire body was. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to steady your nerves, you quickly drew a series of intricate loops across each of his pectorals and then traced symmetrical lines down the center of his chest. Those lines continued, gracefully curving around the sides of his ribcage.
With every passing moment, it felt like the two of you were collectively holding your breath, neither wanting to break the fragile bubble of silence that had formed around you. 
Concerned for both your well-being and your sanity, you decided it’d be best to wrap up that part of the painting process as quickly as possible. It wasn’t until then that you finally allowed yourself to exhale. You exchanged an awkward glance with Lo’ak, silently affirming the palpable tension surrounding you.
“Okay. I’m done,” you announced, gently sliding the container of paint toward Lo’ak. You dipped your fingers into the nearby bowl of water, absentmindedly scrubbing away traces of the drying paint, which turned the water a cloudy shade of white. Your words acted like an instant wake-up call, abruptly jolting Lo’ak back to reality from his trance.
His focus had been so intense while you painted patterns across his chest that he inadvertently stopped breathing altogether. The sudden, sharp inhale that followed the sound of your voice served as evidence of that fact. That realization was enough to make you lose your own composure—just a tad.
You made a half-assed attempt at suppressing the grin that threatened to break past your lips, so you weren’t really surprised when Lo’ak extended his arm and slowly began to tug the bowl of paint toward him with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
The seemingly innocent yet still very suspicious act instantly put you on high alert. All you could do was watch in horror as Lo’ak suddenly immersed his entire hand into the paint. Your eyes widened in fear as he slowly lifted his paint-covered hand and began to edge closer to you, moving the dripping monstrosity in the direction of your face.
“Wait. Lo’ak, wait!” you warned, frantically shaking your head in an attempt to dissuade him from what you already knew would be an outrageously idiotic plan.
A glob of paint dripped from his saturated hand onto the floor between the two of you. You warily watched its continued pooling descent, leaving a bright splatter of paint on the ground that Neytiri would definitely kill you both for making.
“Just trust me, y/n,” Lo’ak insisted, the stupid grin on his face somehow both charming and alarming at the same time. It was more of the latter. You absolutely didn’t trust him.
“Lo’ak. Don’t you dare...” you began, your voice wavering and your ears flattening against your skull in weary anticipation.
But Lo’ak was undeterred by your protests. They only motivated him further. Barely giving you enough time to shut your eyes and mouth, he guided his entire paint-coated hand onto your face. The combination of the cold paint and the warmth from his hand sent shivers down your spine. Instinctively, you pressed your hands on the ground beside you, every fiber of your being screaming for you to get up and run. Far, far away from him.
However, Lo’ak wasn’t about to let that happen so easily. Somehow anticipating your attempt to recoil away from him, he brought up his other hand to secure the back of your head, making sure that you weren’t going anywhere. You sputtered loudly at the sensation of being literally smothered, and of course, nothing on Pandora could’ve stopped Lo’ak from laughing uproariously at your suffering.
“Stop moving! You’re gonna ruin it,” Lo’ak tried to sternly warn you while unsuccessfully stifling his laughter. He clearly found it all very amusing.
You couldn’t fucking breathe. You tried to communicate as much to Lo’ak, but you were sure your words sounded like nothing more than a strangled garble of sounds.
Eventually, Lo’ak seemed to take pity on you and lifted his paint-covered hand away from your face. You instantly gasped for air, finally unencumbered by his prolonged attempt at suffocating you to death. However, your relief was short-lived as you tasted the bitter, acrid flavor of paint on your tongue.
“You got it in my mouth, dumbass!” You complained with a groan, making sure not to swallow anything. Your disdainful tone only seemed to delight Lo’ak further.
“No one told you to eat it,” Lo’ak retorted with a dismissive snort. He was walking that thin line between playful banter and genuine ire. You could seriously kill him.
You narrowed your eyes at the little shit in front of you and desperately tried to rid yourself of the unpleasant taste by frantically licking at your arm. You probably looked completely unhinged, but you couldn't find it in yourself to care. Lo’ak made a face at your display, crinkling his nose in disgust.
Left with no other option, you did what any sane person who was minutes away from being welcomed into adulthood would do—stick your now paint-covered and saliva-slicked arm out toward Lo’ak’s incredulous face. His shock and horror at the development were priceless.
Lo’ak barely had time to react as you swiftly thrust your arm toward him, but his lightning-fast reflexes won out in the end. Always one step ahead, Lo’ak knew you and all of your little tricks too well. It was like he could read your mind. In the blink of an eye, he was already crossing half of the tent in a mad dash. He backed away from you with his hands raised defensively in front of him, like someone facing an untamed beast.
“Chill…we don’t have to do this,” Lo’ak cautiously pleaded with a slow shake of his head, his tone dripping in a mix of seriousness and amusement.
But you were undeterred. “Yes we do,” you deadpanned determinedly and slowly continued advancing on Lo’ak, coercing him to move toward the back of the tent. Your eyes never left his, maintaining a fierce stare as the situation continued to escalate.
Without warning, you lunged at him like a predator going for its prey, stretching your arm out in eager anticipation. It was so close—just inches away from Lo’ak’s face—but he was quick to react once more. He grabbed hold of your biceps with an iron grip, effectively stopping you in your tracks. You couldn’t help but hiss at him in frustration, feeling utterly defeated by the massive strength disparity between the two of you.
Lo’ak’s eyes locked onto yours for a split second before focusing on another target: your mouth. His expression changed from one of caution to sheer amusement as he caught sight of something peculiar—and apparently hilarious—about the sight.
His grin stretched ear to ear, nearly swallowing his entire face, as he blurted out, “Oh shit. Your entire tongue is white!”
His words hit you like a ton of bricks, and your eyes immediately widened with alarm. Because it definitely couldn’t be safe to consume paint. There could’ve been poison coursing through your veins at that very moment, making every passing second one closer to your tragic demise, all thanks to Lo’ak and his stupid hand. 
But despite your mounting panic, Lo'ak remained utterly unfazed. He obviously found the situation amusing, as evidenced by the way he wasn’t even trying to suppress his unbridled laughter.
“One night,” you vowed through gritted teeth, “I swear I’m going to sneak into your tent and cut every single braid off of your head in your sleep.” The more you thought about it, the more serious the idea became in your mind.
Lo’ak merely tilted his head, and an annoyingly attractive grin stretched across his face. “Oh, yeah?” He taunted, vehemently nodding his head along with what he knew was just another one of your faux threats. “And then what are you gonna do?”
As he spoke, Lo’ak tightened his grip on your arms—a bittersweet reminder that he was well aware you weren’t going to do shit to him in his sleep.
You eyed the unpainted underside of Lo’ak’s forearm, which rested directly in front of your face, and a childishly impulsive urge overwhelmed you. Without giving it much thought, you leaned in and licked a long, wet, white stripe along the length of his arm. The unexpected action elicited a shrieked “Bro!” from Lo’ak, who could only blink at the sight of your tongue, still pressed to his now-slobbery arm, in disbelief. You reveled in his reaction to your sudden move, despite how immature it might’ve been. He deserved it, and you had no regrets.
However, as fate would have it, the impromptu moment coincided precisely with the return of the entire Sully family to their home as they prepared for the upcoming ceremony. Jake and Neytiri led the way in, followed closely by Neteyam, Kiri, and Tuk. All of them. The five family members entered the tent one by one, each grinding to a halt as they caught sight of you and Lo’ak’s odd exchange in the far corner.
A few beats passed as everyone’s eyes darted back and forth between you two. The silence was palpable, and the tension continued to rise like an invisible fog that filled every corner of the tent. It finally dawned on you that it'd probably be a good idea to remove your tongue from Lo’ak’s arm.
Taking matters into your own hands—or, more accurately, your tongue—you gingerly began to distance yourself from Lo’ak. You took a cautious step sideways, followed by another one, making sure there was a healthy amount of space between you both. You hoped that would somewhat defuse the situation while also giving off the impression that nothing out of the ordinary had transpired—though it was clear you weren’t fooling anyone present.
The awkwardness still hung heavily in the air as each second felt like an eternity passing by. You could only imagine what thoughts and judgments must be running through everyone’s minds.
The silence in the tent was so profound that you could probably make out the gentle sound of a leaf falling from a tree outside if you really tried. The quiet was unsettling. It made your fingers itch. You found yourself tucking your hair behind your ears, trying to find some purpose for your idle hands instead of having them dangle awkwardly at your sides.
Opposite you, Kiri tried to conceal her knowing grin behind one of her hands. As to what she knew that you didn’t, you were utterly clueless. Regardless, you couldn’t help but feel unnerved by her expression. Similarly, Neteyam chewing on the inside of his cheek in an uncharacteristic effort to maintain his composure did little to alleviate your discomfort.
It wasn’t long before Tuk broke the silence with a question, curiosity twinkling in her eyes. “Is that a handprint on your face?” she innocently asked, pointing a tiny finger at what was definitely a handprint on your face.
Five sets of curious yellow eyes darted back and forth between your face, Lo’ak’s conspicuously stained white hand, and the matching white handprint wrapped entirely around your arm. Feeling their collective gaze upon you, you decided that you weren’t even going to try to talk your way out of the situation. “Yeah. It is.”
Without missing a beat, Neytiri swiftly turned her attention towards her youngest son as she hissed out his name: “Lo’ak.”
And thank Eywa for that. At least somebody had your back.
Lo’ak’s voice tended to reach an almost comical high-pitched tone whenever he was aware that he had done something wrong, and this occasion proved to be no exception. He glanced over at you with equal parts guilt and defensiveness in his wide eyes.
“It looks cool, though!” He insisted, trying to justify his actions. He waved his hand close to your face, as if the gesture held the power to magnify his point and erase any doubt you might have had. You squinted at the offending white hand hovering in front of your face before hastily swatting it away as if it were an annoying little bug.
Lo’ak grinned in delight at your visibly pissed-off demeanor, which only seemed to fuel his determination to get under your skin. He appeared to forget all about the looming presence of his entire family as he defiantly stuck his hand back in front of your face. And you were not about to let that happen again. You were probably going to have nightmares about his hand. Pivoting toward Lo’ak, you shoved him away from you, probably a little harder than necessary, judging by the way he stumbled a few steps to the side from the force of it all. But he was laughing as he re-straightened, not at all deterred by your outward hostility.
It was mostly feigned, anyway.
Neytiri watched the exchange between you two with amused exasperation, her eyes twinkling despite her best efforts to remain stern. She let out a soft ‘tsk’ as she shook her head, unable to fully suppress the tiny smile that crept onto her face. She reached down to gently grasp Tuk’s hand before leading the child further into the tent.
“Jesus,” Jake muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly struggling to maintain what little patience he had left. Jake would always throw that foreign word around whenever you and Lo’ak were together, but you still had no idea what it actually meant. “Just—finish up, alright?” He threw an exasperated look toward you and Lo’ak. “No more shenanigans. We’re leaving in ten.”
“Yes sir,” Lo’ak mumbled, his expression a mixture of mischief and feigned seriousness. He waited until Jake and the rest of his family were out of earshot before turning back to you.
“It looks cool,” he said again, his face breaking into a genuine, broad smile as he stepped back to take in the masterpiece he had just created. He couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the intricate design of his handprint that adorned your face. Giving himself a little nod of satisfaction, he crouched down to pick up the paint once more, eager to continue where he had left off.
You couldn’t see your own face, of course. But secretly, you had to agree that it probably did look kind of cool. You’d never openly admit that to him, though. There was no need to inflate his ego any further. Still, deep down, you knew you'd be proudly sporting your best friend's four-fingered handprint at the coming-of-age ceremony that evening. To you, it symbolized the unbreakable bond you both shared.
From his seated position on the floor, Lo’ak’s eyes rose to your face, a single brow raising in amused confusion at your idle form. Dismissing his reaction with a shake of your head, you couldn't prevent the warm smile from stretching across your lips as you settled back down in front of Lo'ak.
end
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vickyvicarious · 7 months
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Good observation that Dracula's great grimness at informing Jonathan that they must part soon changing to his usual smoothness when Jonathan refuses to return to his room as dictated. Or gives Dracula the pleasure to go "before we part and before you become one of us let's play one more time, lets see you walk back into my arms from danger once more, for good this time". Maybe he even expected this small rebellion from Jonathan, knowing him. Especially after he dared scale his walls. It's more satisfying to "earn" Jonathan's submission. An unbreakable will bending to his is sweeter.
I think Dracula absolutely loves Jonathan's stubbornness... but only with the caveat that he is in control of the situation and can prey upon it. This response is extremely belated, but I kind of like answering it now because I think Dracula's treatment of Renfield so far, as opposed to Jonathan, is so revealing. He's ignoring Renfield completely. He has no interest in him at all. Because Renfield wants to be with Dracula. And Dracula doesn't care to spend his time with people who want to be around him; he's only interested in forcing his company upon those who don't want it. It's a huge part of the fun for him.
If someone like... Seward, for example, had been sent to Castle Dracula, he wouldn't have lasted anywhere near as long. Because I think he would be too enticed/interested in the vampires, and thus he'd bore Dracula a lot faster by being too willing or even eager to play along. Then again, someone who refused to play along at all would get boring very quickly too - if they don't submit and play his game he'll force them into submission with violence and that'll be the end of it. Jonathan managed to thread the needle perfectly with playing along on the surface while still constantly trying to resist behind the scenes. It was interesting and fun, a challenge that never made Dracula feel truly threatened. (Of course, he didn't realize the full extent of Jonathan's resistance/that he did have cause to be threatened...)
And he loved it! He was having so much fun! He got to genuinely enjoy Jonathan's company, but also enjoy how little Jonathan enjoyed his company and how he couldn't do anything about that. He got to keep pushing and pushing and pushing him and watch Jonathan almost break again and again but still just keep bending. To tempt him into disobeying and then punish him for it. To force him to rely on Dracula himself for protection and thus stick even closer the more endangered he gets. He gets to work for it, while at the same time never actually facing real risk other than losing his new toy (and Jonathan always settled down in the end, always let the game continue). ...And then he had to call it quits, because he had a schedule to keep. Yeah, I think he was genuinely kind of upset about that. And so when he got the idea for the wolves, he cheered way up again.
Because Dracula was able to offer Jonathan exactly what he claimed he wanted, but in such a way that they both knew he would never accept it. Instead, he forced Jonathan into a situation where he was forced to "choose" Dracula instead, one last time and more definitively than ever before. It was the perfect way to end their time together. Well, except one final victory - 'rewarding' Jonathan's choice by honoring it with one last night together, with delaying no longer and finally drinking from him.
Contrast all of that to Dracula's complete disinterest in Renfield, despite his avowed goal of conquering England and spreading vampirism here. You'd think a servant who willingly came to him would be helpful for that. But no, because Renfield came to him truly willingly, wanted to enter freely and of his own accord.
Dracula likes the kind of person who enters freely and of their own accord... because they're alone in the wilderness with wolves at their back. He likes those who stay because doing otherwise would be their certain death. He likes those who don't want this (who struggle and struggle, who have an unbreakable will) and yet are forced by him into accepting anyway.
An unbreakable will who bends at his command - that's how Dracula saw Jonathan, and he loved him for it. Right up until the point he decided he was finished, and acted to break him once and for all anyway.
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horanghaejamjam · 1 year
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Vampire Kisses - {WJH}
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↪   Summary: He is the head of the Wen family, the highest ranking family of vampires in the country. You are a mere human sold to them for the purpose of being his mate and bride. Jun is determined to win your heart before you wed, and perhaps a few playful kisses are the key to doing that.
↪   Pairings:  Vampire lord Jun x Human female reader
↪   Rating: M 18+
↪   Genre: Vampire Au / Slight rivals to lovers / Smut / Fluff 
↪   Word Count: 16.3k
↪ Warnings/Contents: Smut, Blood and blood drinking, Biting, Jun being super flirty and teasing, Arranged marriage, Virgin!reader,  Unprotected sex, Body Worship, Oral (male receiving),  Praise, Soft bondage (Jun ties/blindfolds reader with silk), Fingering, Talks about impregnation. Mostly just very fluffy and soft with Jun being whipped for reader. 
↪ Side Notes: My first post of 2023! This also turned out way longer than I was expecting so I guess I got carried away lol. A few of the other svt members also make cameos in this story. It is implied that reader is younger than Jun.
↪ Huge thank you to the lovely @xiubaek-13​ for betaing and editing this fic for me!
↪ Click here to see my other Seventeen stories
↪ Click here for other kpop masterlists
↪ Click here to join my fic taglist
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Growing up, your mom always told you stories about marriage and weddings. How a woman's wedding was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, a once in a lifetime moment. Ever since the first story, you dreamed about the day you would get that moment, planning your dream wedding down to the very last detail. As a child, you imagined a royal ceremony in a grand castle, wearing the most beautiful and lavish dress you could ever imagine. Your husband would be royalty for sure, a man who would love and cherish you for as long as you both shall live. You would be happy together, have the perfect family, and live beautifully in your life of luxury. Looking back at those memories, you realized that you should have been careful about what you wished for. You were getting that wedding you always wanted, but it would not be under your terms. The other thing you learned young was that the world you lived in was not simple, in fact one may consider it the merging of two separate worlds. Two dominant races ran this world and fought for power, similar enough to coexist but different enough to segregate them to keep the world in balance. 
For centuries, humans were the dominant race on Earth. The knowledge of others existed, but their numbers were far too small to be considered a challenge, so humans called the shots. Then, overtime, vampires became a much more prominent presence, easily taking over and claiming areas for themselves. Regions quickly became divided as vampires took control of certain areas, forcing humans to either fight back or surrender to the change. This caused a conflict for many years until leaders on both sides met and finally came to an agreement. They would coexist and operate together, with humans during the day and vampires at night. The agreement was sealed with a marriage of the royal families that united both sides. From that moment forward, it had become customary for the most powerful vampire families to marry one of their kin to a human as a way to honor the unity. The marriage would be sealed by the vampire claiming their spouse by taking their blood on their wedding day, and from there the human could choose if they wished to stay that way or transition to a vampire by drinking the blood of their mate. 
You were born a human, raised in a lower class family who often struggled to make ends meet. You were an only child, and your parents did the best they could to make sure you had everything you needed growing up. You did your best in school and worked a part time job at a local bakery. Overall, you felt that you were pretty average but nothing special, especially not someone that any royal family would set their eyes on. Hell, you never even recalled meeting a vampire so you couldn’t imagine you would catch one's attention, but somehow you did. 
Your whole world changed on the night of your 23rd birthday, being awoken to a knock at your door. Standing there, dressed in a black and red suit with a devilish smile, was one of the most ethereal beings you had ever laid your eyes on. He was tall, with piercing eyes and an almost dark aura to him, his fangs undeniably poking out against his lip as he smiled. You didn’t know what you expected vampires to look like, but it certainly was not this. He bowed and introduced himself as Mingyu, the head servant of the Wen family. He then explained that they had been observing you for quite some time and wanted to ask for your hand in marriage to their eldest son. You had been too stunned to speak, staring at Mingyu as if he had two heads while your parents argued against the idea. You had wanted to refuse also, not wanting to marry someone you had never met, let alone a vampire. However, they had promised protection and financial stability for you and your family as long as you stayed mated to him and provided an eventual heir to the bloodline. As much as you hated the idea, you knew deep down that it was what was best for your family, and so you said yes and prepared to move into the Wen family estate, where you now resided. 
You had been living here for a few years now and never found adjusting any easier. Your wedding to Wen Junhui was set to take place within the next month, falling on the first full moon after your birthday. You didn’t quite understand how everything worked but you remember Mingyu explaining to you that this would be the time where the energy was highest and you were both at your prime. There was a chance for mating bonds to go wrong so this was the best chance of eliminating that risk. You had tried to ask what happened when it went wrong but all Mingyu did was pat your head and tell you not to worry about it. 
That time had been spent allowing you to learn about the family and adjust to what your new life would be. Mr. and Mrs. Wen had met you almost immediately upon your arrival, giving you a once over before welcoming you with open arms. You learned a lot about the family, and about vampires in general from them, helping you to adjust more to your new life. Mr. Wen was born into the family and had been around for many hundred, if not almost a thousand years despite the fact that he didn’t even look 50. Mrs. Wen had been a human when she married into the family, making the decision to transition and stay with her husband when she was in her late 20s. Though she had also explained that she had only been turned after her 30th birthday so she was, technically, significantly younger than her husband. This made you question how age worked with vampires, especially the aging. All you were told was the brief explanation that aging was slower and it took many years for them to age the way a human would in one or two. There was also something about blood slowing down the process but you decided to tune that part out for your own sanity. 
You were also informed about the family line, and how the head of the family would change every couple hundred years to keep up with the changing times, though the original head will often stick around for a while before moving on. The family had two known sons, with Jun being the oldest and only bred vampire which gave him the title by birth right. In human years, he would have just turned 26 making him a few years your senior, when in reality he was slowly nearing 300 years old which was the prime age for a vampire, if not still a bit young. He also had a younger brother, Minghao, who was a transitioned vampire. The human born son of one of the servants that Mr. Wen took in and claimed as his own child. The two brothers, despite not being blood related, were very close and did almost everything together. They had been traveling together at that time, so you hadn’t been able to meet either until a while later. 
It had been during dinner (or breakfast for the family), when the two brothers finally returned. Polar opposites in style and personality, but both striking in their own way. Minghao was more delicate but striking in his features, jet black hair falling over his face in messy locks and dressed in an all black trench coat that hid most of his frame. He did not speak much around you, but when he did his voice was soft and his words were sharp and to the point, he had almost reminded you of one of your highschool professors. He acknowledged you briefly with a calm smile before excusing himself to his study, leaving you to finally turn and acknowledge your soon to be husband. 
You would have been lying if you said Junhui wasn’t one of the most gorgeous men you’d ever seen. Immediately you could tell he was taller and had a larger build than his younger brother. His gaze was softer but still had an alluring touch to it, almost as if he looked bored. His hair was longer, practically touching his shoulders with a striking blonde color. Most of it was slicked back but a few strands fell in front of his eyes. He had been wearing a slick black button down with the top three buttons undone, tucked into fitted pants that suited him nicely. You were immediately attracted to, if not very intimidated by the man standing in front of you, even when he gave you a gentle smile and sat beside you. “Y/N,” he had muttered softly, taking your hand and kissing it, “I am so happy to finally meet you.” His voice was soft, and even a bit higher pitched than you had been expecting, and he seemed more than eager to get to know you. 
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From that moment forward, it seemed like Junhui, or Jun as he preferred you to call him, would not leave you alone. He was always following you around, attempting to talk to you or get you to acknowledge him. Whether it be genuine questions, teasing you over the smallest things, or even flirty advances, it seemed that no matter where you went Jun was there. You gave into him occasionally, but for the most part you found his presence to be quite annoying. Yeah you knew you were being forced to marry him but you hadn’t expected him to be all over you the second you met him. You figured, or more like hoped, that the two of you would stay acquaintances at most and just keep the formalities when his family was around, but it seemed like Jun had different ideas. 
You tried your best to tolerate him, but as your wedding drew closer you found the whole thing weighing on you more and more. The situation became too real for your liking and suddenly you were questioning if this was really a good idea. You were marrying a complete stranger, someone who was infatuated with you but you wanted nothing to do with. You were expected to spend your life with this man and eventually have children with him and you didn’t know him, let alone love him. The thought alone made your skin crawl, trying to suppress the thoughts of what would happen on your wedding night, all for the family to stay in power. Unfortunately there was no way for you to change your mind, knowing that your family would suffer if you tried to back out was the only thing keeping you from running away. Instead you developed a new routine, sleeping through the night while they were up and taking advantage of the daytime to sneak out and enjoy the last few days of your freedom. Today was no exception, with you waking up early and pacing around your room, waiting for the day to arrive so you could sneak out and meet up with your friends. 
Looking out the window, you saw the sun slowly starting to peak out over the horizon, just enough to paint the sky with a purple hue. Within the next hour or so it would be light out and, if your calculations were correct, the family would be asleep by then. Mr and Mrs Wen specifically were likely already in bed by now, the older vampires having no desire to wait for the sun. They were much more sensitive to the light as you had learned, keeping their curtains drawn hours before the sun even thought of rising. They were easy to sneak around, often following the same schedule so you knew where they would be at what time. Minghao was a bit trickier, the man not following a set schedule and often staying up way past when his peers had gone to bed. However, you also learned that he was a bit of a recluse, preferring to stay in his room or study whenever possible. Even when he did catch you, he seemed to either understand your feelings or not care enough to stop you, simply giving you a nod and a knowing look as you made your way out the door. You made a mental note to thank him one of these days for not stopping you or ratting you out to his parents. 
Jun, on the other hand, was not as easy as his family. You weren’t sure if he liked the thrill of being up when it was day or he just didn’t trust you but he would be up for hours before finally resting. Sometimes you found him in his study working on who knows what and other times you had run into him chatting with one of the servants in the kitchen as if that was a normal occurrence for him. Well, technically it was, but that didn’t mean you liked it any more. Day time was the only time you ever had to yourself, enjoying the quiet and freedom before you would be forced to adapt to the nightlife. Though it seemed your soon to be husband didn’t like the idea of leaving you alone, always knowing where you were and sneaking up on you like the two of you were playing a twisted game of hide and seek.
“Enjoying the view Sweetheart?” speak of the devil, you nearly jumped out of your skin when you heard his voice behind you. You hadn’t even heard him enter your room so you had no idea how long he had been there. Jun chuckled at your obvious shock as he walked up behind you, reaching out to close the curtain before the rays of the sun could peak out and threaten him. Glancing at him over your shoulder, you saw that he had ditched his usual suit and jewels for his pajamas, a simple white shirt and baggy pants, giving you hope that this visit would be short.
“I thought you would be in bed,” you muttered as you turned to face him fully.
“Without saying goodnight?” he questioned, “I would never! You should know that by now.” He hummed in thought for a moment as he glanced down at you, bottom lip finding its way between his teeth, “Though judging by the way you’re dressed I’m assuming you’re staying up again. I don’t understand why though, it’s so lonely when everyone's asleep isn’t it?”
“I like being alone, and I’m not ready to give up my life just yet for the sake of your family,” you argued, making the male wince as if your words burned him.
“You really don’t like me do you?” he asked, or more like whined which made you roll your eyes. Surely the fact that an all powerful vampire such as himself was pouting at you like a kicked puppy was pitiful. Still, it seemed to have a bit of an effect on you as you sighed softly. 
“It’s not that I don’t like you,” you started to explain, “I mean come on we’re practically strangers and I’m supposed to give myself up to you completely in a few weeks time, do you really expect me to be happy about that?” You watched Juns eyes shift around the room for a moment, clicking his tongue as he processed what you said. His slender frame leaned against the support of your bed with his arms crossed over his chest as he looked back at you. 
“We wouldn’t be strangers if you gave me a chance you know?” he pointed out. You opened your mouth to argue but he cut you off with a single lift of his finger, “From the moment I came home to you I’ve been trying to get close to you and every time you push me away. I like to think I’m a patient man Y/N but your actions hurt me you know? So do tell me how am I supposed to get close to you when you constantly keep me at arm's length?”  You froze, eyes widening and mouth hanging slightly open as you tried to defend yourself. Even though you knew that Jun was right, the prideful part of you didn’t want to admit that fact. Just like you didn’t want to admit that you were too scared to let him get close to you. You weren’t sure if Jun read your mind, or he was just that observant, but you were snapped out of your little daze when you heard him chuckle. “So that’s how you want to play it then? You want to keep me as a stranger despite everything?” 
“Is there something so wrong with that?” you challenged, mirroring his position. Juns eyes scaled your form for a moment before sighing and glancing away. 
“I am trying you know,” he argued, “I wouldn’t have chosen you to be my bride if I didn’t see something special in you and you won’t even let me prove myself to you. That’s quite cold hearted you know.” You paused for a moment at his confession, not realizing he was the one who chose you but also never seeing him this sincere before. 
“What do you mean you chose me? You never even met me before that night?” you questioned, though it seemed Jun was back to his normal self as he merely clicked his tongue. 
“That is a story for another time my dear, you still haven’t answered my question?” he urged. Jun adjusted slightly and hardened his gaze as he looked back at you, making you feel tiny compared to him. You bit the tip of your tongue as you tried to think of a way out of this but it was clear he wasn’t leaving without an answer. 
“I guess I don’t know what I want,” you admitted sheepishly. Jun hummed in thought and you could have sworn you saw a smirk ghost across his lips before he was hardening his gaze again. 
“Well, let's think about it this way then, I want to get you close to me and you are afraid of opening up and letting me do that correct?” you wanted to protest but he shook his head, “It’s a yes or no question Y/N.” 
“I suppose,” you whispered, though it seemed he heard you anyway. 
“Well clearly neither of us are going to get what we want with how things are now, so why don’t we try something new? If you are willing to put that hard front of yours aside for a minute I have a deal for you,” he proposed, effectively catching you off guard. 
“What kind of deal exactly?” 
“It’s a simple deal really,” he assured, “one that I think both of us will benefit from. How it works is you give me a chance every day to win your heart. If I succeed, I get to give you a kiss. If I fail, that's a day you get to go out.” Your eyes widened as you processed his words. It seemed like it would be easy for you given how you avoided him thus far, but you knew this also meant he would be trying harder to win your attention. “Of course,” he continued after a moment, “this means you will also have to adapt to my schedule in order to be fair, but I’m sure you’d have just as much fun in the night life.” You nodded and took a moment to think it over, having the sinking feeling that there was more to this agreement than he was letting on. 
“What’s the catch?” you asked. 
“There’s no catch, it’s as straightforward as I can possibly make it. Our wedding is in three weeks, yes? That gives me ample time to prove myself to you, and if I don’t that’s more free time for you before you end up stuck with me, no?” The more you thought about it, the more you realized he had a point. 
“I suppose you’re right, but why are you so insistent on this deal?“ Jun let out an almost annoyed chuckle, but his expression didn’t falter. 
“We are destined to be together, you know. Not only is this a chance to be close to you but it’s also a fun build up to the main event where I finally get to kiss you where I want.” His words made you internally cringe, shaking your head to regain your composure. 
“This is a terrible idea!” you finally exclaimed, causing Jun to scoff.
“What’s the matter, doll? Are you afraid you’ll fall in love with me?” he raised his eyebrow in a teasing manner. You were sure if you tried to roll your eyes any harder, they would end up stuck in the back of your head. 
“I highly doubt I’d ever fall in love with you,” Jun visibly deflated a bit at your words, but regained his composure before you could fully process it. 
“Then there’s nothing for you to lose, might as well humor me and prove me wrong no?” It was getting increasingly harder to argue with him, and at this point you just wanted him to go to bed and leave you alone so you reluctantly gave in. 
“Okay, fine, you have yourself a deal,” you muttered, “are you happy now?” 
“Once you finalize the deal, yes I will be,” Jun agreed, standing up and walking over to you with his arm outstretched, offering his hand to you. You gave him a look of ‘Are you serious?’ before groaning and reaching out to shake his hand. His skin was cool at first, but quickly warmed up with your heat and you also took note of how soft his hand was. He firmly gripped your hand for a moment with a smile before letting go and slipping his hands into the pockets of his pajama pants. “Alright we have a deal, try not to have too much fun out there darling, tomorrow night is when the fun starts,” with that he turned and left your room, the door closing behind him with a gentle click. You stared at the spot he just stood for a minute before sighing and collapsing back down on your bed. Your head spun as you processed the mess you just got yourself into, suddenly no longer feeling like going out. 
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The first week following your agreement went by painfully slow. Most of it was you trying miserably to adjust to the nocturnal life, meaning you were way too tired to acknowledge any of Juns advances. He didn’t seem to mind too much though, giving you space and allowing you to enjoy your victory, though you only left the house maybe once the whole time. The rest of the time you were busy staring off into space or reading whatever book you could get your hands on in the study to keep from passing out. Minghao had actually been a great help during this time, giving you story suggestions and even suggesting a certain tea he drank often that could help you stay awake. He also introduced you to Wonwoo, another one of the prominent workers at the manor. Wonwoo had spent most of his life as a scholar so he showed you all the best stories both hardcover and digital. You also learned he had quite a knack for video games and showed you how to access them on one of the computers in the main study. After that, you found it very easy to stay up during the hours of the night, something Jun immediately took notice of. 
“Good Morning Starlight,” you jumped at the sound of his voice as you stepped into the kitchen, turning to see Jun perched up against the counter. He wasn’t as dressed up as he normally was, wearing only a thin shirt and leather pants with the familiar family jewels adorning his fingers and ears. His hair also wasn’t slicked back like it normally was, merely brushed to keep his bangs out of his eyes. He also didn’t appear to have any makeup on, the familiar black shadow from his eyes all but gone. You hated how attractive he looked even when he didn’t seem to be trying. Though the main thing that caught your attention was his lips, stained red from the thick red liquid he was swirling in a glass. Every few moments he would sip at it as if the drink were a fine red wine, though you knew better than to try and trick yourself. “It’s cows blood, don’t worry,” he muttered when he noticed your hesitation, “we only really need to drink blood maybe once or twice a week to keep up our strength. The supply is donated to us from the local butcher and lasts quite a while. We never feed from humans, unless they offer themselves to us of course.” You blinked a bit as you processed his explanation, again watching the liquid slosh around as he spun the glass between his fingers. 
“I take it you don’t get offers very often?” you questioned, not really sure you wanted to know the answer. 
“You’d be surprised,” he responded, “a lot of humans get curious. They come to us asking just for just a quick bite, allowing them to know the sensation. There’s a rumor going around that a bite from a vampire can be quite pleasurable and they want to know if it’s true so they basically throw themselves at us. It’s kind of funny if you ask me.” You raised an eyebrow at him as he answered the question, addressing the topic like it was the most simple thing in the world. Though you also noticed the underlying tone in his voice when he mentioned pleasure, knowing immediately what he was implying. 
“Does it taste different then?” you asked, and this time it was his turn to raise an eyebrow. 
“Is this really something you’re interested in or are you just trying to make conversation?” when you shrugged he chuckled, “well in a way yes it does. I can’t really describe it to you but the different proteins and types change the flavor.” He quickly finished his drink and set the glass to the side, wiping his lips with his sleeve. “I’m flattered you’re actually taking interest in me though, it means a lot,” he teased as he walked over to you, “enough about me though, I’m guessing you’re hungry right? How about I get you breakfast and then we go through a walk around the manor.” You nodded softly and he smiled, patting your shoulder and motioning for you to take a seat. Jun hummed softly as he roamed around the kitchen, grabbing an assortment of different items and setting them down in front of you before taking a seat himself. 
“Did you just grab the whole kitchen?” you asked, slowly beginning to pick at the food in front of you. 
“I’m not too sure what you like so figured I’d just grab what we had. You’re also the only one who requires food to survive so we don’t have much at the moment,” he confessed. 
“You mean to tell me you guys only drink blood?” you exclaimed, making him laugh. 
“No of course not,” he replied with a chuckle, “we still like to drink and have meals but it’s just for the fun and taste of it. We don’t really get any sustenance from meals like this.” To prove his point he snatched a grape from one of the bowls in front of you, rolling it between his fingers before popping it delicately into his mouth. You hummed in thought as you copied his action, letting the flavors rest on your tongue for a moment before grabbing a roll. There was a silence that fell over the both of you, you focused on eating and Jun watching you intently. Normally this would make you shy away from him but something about this reaction was oddly domestic and quite comfortable. You tried not to overthink this change though, telling yourself you were just used to his presence now that you had spent a week with him. 
“You said you wanted to go for a walk after this?” you remembered as you finished up your breakfast, “doesn’t that seem kind of boring though?” Jun tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at you which made you shrug, “I mean, I’ve pretty much seen everything here already so what’s the point?” This made him chuckle a bit, leaning back in his chair without taking his eyes off of you. 
“I can assure you that you haven’t seen everything, so I figured I’d show you a few fun places you haven’t seen yet,” he explained. 
“Places like what?” you asked.
“Well for starters, do you really expect to stay in a guest room after we’re married?” he answered your question with one of his own, “we’re going to be sharing a lot so I figured I’d show you where you’d be staying after. There are also a few special places that are technically for family only but I don’t think they will mind if I show you a bit early.” You had to admit, now you were intrigued to find out what was being hidden from you. Jun noticed and smiled at your eagerness, standing up and walking over to where you were still seated, “Once you finish eating I’d recommend grabbing a jacket, it gets a bit chilly at this time. I’ll meet you by the staircase when you’re ready.” With that he patted your shoulder softly and exited the room. You turned your head just enough to watch him leave before sighing and returning your attention to the food. 
“He’s planning something, I just know it,” you mutter to yourself, finishing the roll you had been snacking on and putting everything back where you thought it belonged. With that out of the way you ran upstairs to your room and rummaged through your closet for something warm you could put on. It wasn’t that cold in the manor itself so you didn't want to wear anything too heavy, but you assumed based on what Jun said that you would end up outside at some point so you wanted to be prepared. It took a minute for you to finally just settle on a sweater that you could throw over your top, thick enough to keep you warm but not enough to make you overheat. 
When you left your room you saw Jun standing by the staircase as promised, though his back was turned to you as he conversed with two individuals you had never seen before. Two other males, one dressed in all black with his hair slicked back and the other in all white with his hair down, almost as long as Juns but not quite. They dressed like polar opposites yet seemed like they belonged together as you watched them talk with your fiance. They were laughing at something, the one in all white even reaching out to hit at Juns arm. You were curious as to what they were talking about, but didn’t want to be rude and interrupt so you stayed put. The other male noticed you after a second, pointing in your direction which made Jun turn to face you. 
“Ah there you are, don’t be shy come and join us,” he urged you over. You stayed put for a moment before doing as you were told, silently walking to stand beside Jun with a shy smile. “Y/N meet Joshua and Jeonghan, they have been close friends of the family since even before I was born,” he introduced you, both males bowing their heads to you. 
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Joshua greeted, “though I’m sure we’ll get to know each other very soon.”
“We work very closely with Jun and his family so we were summoned in to help with the wedding, specifically to help you,” Jeonghan explained. You shrunk a little bit in realization, nodding and forcing a smile so as to not be rude. 
“Ah I see, then I guess we will get close won’t we?” you muttered. 
“I hope so, it would be nice to have a friend that’s normal,” Joshua teased.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jun whined, “I am normal!”
“Suuure you are,” Jeonghan stated with amusement. The three went back and forth for a minute which made you laugh softly, finding the interaction similar to you and your friends. It didn’t last long though as Jun quickly regained himself, clearing his throat and placing his hand on your shoulder. 
“Anyways, I promised this one I’d show her around so we should probably get on that, I’ll see you too before bed though,” with that he was guiding you past the two males, pausing only long enough for you to wave goodbye. 
“They seem fun,” you commented as you walked with Jun down the hall. 
“They’re a pain but I love them,” Jun agreed, “everyone here is like a big family if you haven’t noticed already.” In reality you had noticed, having seen the way the family interacted with each other and their staff. Of course there was mutual respect but it never seemed like a boss and employee type situation, more like a friendship if anything. 
“Is that because of how long everyone's been here?” you asked. 
“Perhaps that may be part of it but I wouldn’t say that’s the reason,” Jun replied, “We may all work together but everyone here has a different story for how they got here. For certain people like Joshua and Jeonghan our families ran together so we were raised together. Then you have people like Mingyu or Wonwoo who came from lower class families and grew to bond with us. Or, on the complete opposite side you have my brother, we’re not related by blood and he was born a human but we took him in and I love him just as much as I would if he were born into the family.” Jun paused for a moment before shaking his head with a soft laugh, “I’m rambling now but my point is that it doesn’t matter where you come from or how long you’ve been around someone, it’s all about the bond you build with them.” You sighed as you processed his words, casting your gaze down to the floor. He talked about bonding with someone as if it was the easiest thing in the world and yet here you were, making things more difficult by avoiding him. You never cared about getting to know him before so why did you feel so guilty all of the sudden? If Jun noticed your shift in mood he didn’t say anything, continuing to walk a bit before stopping in front of a door. 
“Enough of that though, I’m here to show you what your life will look like with me. This should be an exciting moment,” he gave your shoulder a reassuring squeeze and opened the door, gently nudging you inside. You couldn’t help but gasp as you walked in and looked around the room. Juns bedroom was nearly twice the size of yours, the walls mostly the same white color as the rest of the manor but with red accents that gave it an almost romantic glow. The wall opposite you had large window like doors that opened to a small balcony overlooking the outside of the manor, dark red curtains pulled back to let the moonlight seep into the room. The light hit his bed perfectly, centered in the middle of the room like a centerpiece. Delicately carved wooden frames accented with the same red curtains and satin sheets in the same color. The walls were decorated with a few paintings, one of Jun, another of the family, and the last you couldn’t quite make out but the rest was bare. Cautiously you stepped further into the room, feeling the soft rug tickle at your ankles as you walked to the bed, Jun stayed quiet as he watched you. His figure leaned against the doorway with an amused grin as he watched you explore, touching things so gently as if you were worried they would break. 
“Don’t be shy,” he spoke up after a moment, “this will be your room soon enough so don’t be afraid to get used to it.” He closed the door and walked over to where you were, falling back onto the bed and laying with his back against the headboard so he could watch you. 
“This room is amazing,” you said in awe, moving away from his bed and walking over to the balcony. 
“It’s a bit old fashioned for my taste but it is nice,” Jun remarked. 
“Old fashioned?” you asked, to which he nodded softly. 
“This original manor was built by my great grandfather when he was elected into power,” Jun explained, “my grandfather and dad made a few changes to the decor to match the changing times but a lot of it is still the same as when it was first built.” Vampire age was still a concept you were confused by, but given how old Mr. Wen was you could only assume the manor was over a couple thousand years old, which was shocking because it looked brand new. “If you’re wondering why it’s in such good condition, it’s gradually rebuilt and redecorated whenever a new head takes over,” he added. You couldn’t help but scoff a bit at how easily he seemed to read your mind, or maybe he was just that used to these questions. 
“So do you plan on renovating when you take over?” you asked, brushing your hands across the curtain. 
“I have a few ideas, I won’t change much but it would be nice to modernize everything a bit,” he explained, “it would be nice to have a TV in here don’t you think? Maybe a few more computers since I’ve noticed a lot of people here like playing games.” He glanced over at you as he said this, making you smile shyly. 
“There was nothing else to do and Wonwoo showed me how to play so...” he cut you off before you could finish explaining. 
“It doesn’t bother me at all, I want you to be comfortable here,” he promised. You nodded and glanced back outside, having to focus to see outside through your own reflection. Your fingers brushed against the cool railing, searching for the handle to open the door when you heard footsteps behind you. You could almost feel Jun press against you as he reached up to undo the latch and swing the doors open. “It may be a bit high for you to reach,” he teased, patting your head and brushing past you to walk onto the balcony. You quickly followed, shivering a bit at the cold. The balcony wasn’t large, just big enough for the two of you to stand on it comfortably. Over the railing you could see out into the back gardens, a vast maze of different flowers and other plants illuminated by the moon. In the middle stood what appeared to be a fountain, though you couldn’t make out its shape, and in the distance you thought you spotted a greenhouse. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” 
“It is,” you agreed, looking at the vast array of flowers, “I didn’t even know we had a back garden.”
“There’s only really one way to access it and it’s kind of hidden by the study so it makes sense you didn’t know,” Jun said with a chuckle, “do you want to see it up close?” You eagerly nodded, an action he repeated with a smile, “Alright then, shall we?” He gestured for you to go back into the room, closing the door behind him before offering his arm to you. You hesitated slightly but gave in and wrapped your arm around his, allowing him to guide you out of his room and down the hall. The general study was a place you were familiar with, a large room decorated with multiple wooden desks and bookshelves. The main room branched off into two smaller studies, one that Minghao used as a personal art studio and the other that belonged to Jun, though you’d never seen the older brother use his. 
Jun led you through the room to a back area that had previously been concealed by one of the large bookshelves. Had he not led you right to it, you wouldn’t have even noticed that it was there. 
“Wow this is hidden,” you commented, Jun nodding and letting go of your arm to open the door. 
“There’s quite a few rare plants out here with very special properties. We keep the entrance hidden from guests to keep people from abusing them,” he explained as he opened the door and nudged you through. This time you were prepared for the chill that attacked you as you stepped outside, pulling your sweater closer to your body. Almost immediately your senses picked up on the scents of the various flowers surrounding you. It was almost overpowering but you found it quite pleasurable. Jun wrapped his arm around your shoulders and led you through the rows of flowers and into the clearing. You stopped a few times to glance at certain ones that caught your eye, careful not to get too close and ruin them. Jun didn’t have the best knowledge of all the flowers, but he told you the brief information he did know, such as names or where they were from. You had to give him credit for trying, making it clear that he was trying to impress you, and perhaps it was working.  
When you finally made it to the middle of the garden you gasped. You hadn’t been able to make out the full view from the balcony but now you could see everything. The area was outlined with various shrubs and trees that blocked it off from the rest of the garden, though there was an opening that allowed the moon to shine through. There were a few benches nestled into the corner, and in the middle was the fountain you saw earlier. Carved marble base leading up to the silhouette of an angel, the vase she was holding being the part of the fountain that water spilled out of in addition to small jets around the base. 
“This is beautiful,” you mused, walking over to take a seat on the fountain. There were a few stray water drops that sprayed you but you paid no mind, closing your eyes and listening to the sound of the water. Jun stayed in his spot the whole time, smiling to himself as he watched you, enjoying the first peaceful moment between the two of you. 
“It really is, isn’t it?” he agreed, though he wasn’t exactly talking about the fountain. He couldn’t stop his eyes from trailing across your frame, taking in every detail while you were peacefully unaware of what he was doing. Eventually he got tired of watching you though, moving to take a seat beside you. Your eyes opened as you felt his leg brush against yours, glancing over to see Jun looking up at the sky. Now it was your turn to admire him, taking note of the way his long hair framed his face, and how he seemed to glow under the moonlight. You wondered, if he hadn’t been immortal, would he still be this beautiful? “Like what you see?” he asked without looking away from his spot, making you shy away from him. 
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you tried to argue, “I was just enjoying the view of the garden.”
“I take it I am part of the garden then? You’ve been staring at me for at least the past five minutes.”
“Does my staring bother you?” you questioned. 
“No not at all,” he assured, finally looking down at you, “in fact I actually find it quite comforting. It means that there’s at least some part of you that’s drawn to me.” You wanted to argue but opted against it, knowing there was no winning with Jun. He smirked at you before glancing at the sky one last time, “Damn, time really does fly by fast doesn’t it. The sun should be coming up soon.” 
“Wow already?” you exclaimed, glancing up but not seeing any sign of the sky getting brighter. 
“You learn new tricks to tell time when you need to avoid the sun,” he said, “I’d rather go in early than be caught off guard otherwise I would take you to see the greenhouse. If you’re impressed by this I can imagine what you’ll think of it.”
“What happens if you stay out in the sun?” you asked, causing him to side eye you for a moment. 
“We don’t burst into flames or anything if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said with a slight hint of amusement, “It does burn us pretty badly though, like think of the feeling you’d get if you kept your hand on a hot stove or even a flame. For purebloods like myself, if we didn’t get inside within a few hours we would likely succumb to the heat and burn. Though some half bred vampires aren’t fully developed so they can go out if they wish.” You let out a soft “oh” before looking away, not even wanting to imagine that pain. Jun gave your shoulder an assuring pat and urged you to look at him, “Don’t worry about me though, I don’t plan on letting myself get hurt anytime soon,” he smiled softly at you, squeezing your shoulder until you smiled back, “there we go I like it better when you smile. You’re more than welcome to stay out here if you wish, but I really should get inside before the sun comes up.” He squeezed your shoulder one last time and was about to get up before he stopped himself, “Oh but before I go, I do believe I get a prize for today, no?” You were confused and about to ask what he meant before remembering the deal you made with him. 
“Alright I guess you do win for today,” you gave in. Jun smiled and grabbed your hand, playing with your fingers for a moment before placing a soft kiss on the back of your palm. His lips were soft and slightly cooler in texture, much like the rest of him, but you couldn’t help feeling your body heat up at the contact. 
“One of hopefully many,” Jun whispered, his breath and lips tickling your skin, “until tomorrow my love.” He placed your hand back into your lap and stood up, adjusting his shirt as he walked out of the garden, slow enough for you to follow if you wished but not pressuring you. You watched him leave before returning your attention to the fountain with a sigh, glancing down at your reflection in the water. Without Jun beside you, it suddenly felt much colder, the breeze blowing the water onto you like a harsh mist. Still you didn’t move for quite a while, even as the sun rose and you felt exhaustion creep into you, you didn’t want to move. You hated how lonely it suddenly felt without Jun beside you, and you hated the way your hand still tingled where he kissed you. Though you told yourself it was just being flustered and touch starved. Jun was still a stranger to you, and there was no way you could ever see yourself falling for a vampire. You kept telling yourself that as you finally stood up and slowly made your way inside, even as you changed and tucked yourself into bed the words repeated. 
You could never fall in love with Wen Junhui. 
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Unfortunately for you, fate seemed to have other ideas for what you wanted. Jun, encouraged by getting his first kiss, seemed to only up his game as the days went by. Meal dates, going for walks, performing a song for you, even taking you out into town to give you an idea of what the nightlife was like. You quickly learned that things didn’t operate much differently when vampires were running things and most were more than welcoming to you. Jun had taken you to all of his favorite stops, including his favorite restaurant and an arcade he went to with his friends a lot growing up. You also learned a lot more about him during that time. Jun explained to you how his family line is actually from China and they weren’t always as powerful. The Wen name grew with his great grandfather, who had moved in search of business opportunities and ended up in the right place at the right time. Because of their heritage, the family was in charge of many international affairs. You also learned that Jun was multilingual, practically begging for him to say something to you in Chinese when you heard that. Lastly you learned that Jun was a man of many talents, especially when it came to singing or dancing. It felt like you were meeting him for the first time, and every time you learned something new about him you found yourself falling for him more. No matter how hard you tried to deny it, or to distance yourself from him, he always made his way back with a kiss right before the sun rose. After your hand it was your wrist, then the top of your head, then your forehead, and, most recently, your cheek. Every kiss made you tingle and crave more of him, as if there was some type of love potion on his lips that he applied to you with each one. You supposed that wasn’t entirely out of the question but you doubted that Jun would be desperate enough to try a stunt like that. 
Not everyday was a victory for Jun though, there had been a few where you weren’t in the mood for his antics or something happened that pulled his attention away from you. Those days he would sigh and tell you to enjoy your night out with a semi forced smile, making sure you knew to call him if something went wrong. You tried to enjoy going out alone those days, and to be fair you did have fun exploring the new shops that were usually closed in the day, but you always felt slightly guilty. Every time you left you saw Juns disappointed expression in your mind and you ended up dragging yourself back to the manor way earlier than you intended. Most of the time he would be busy with something work or wedding related and wouldn’t realize you were home until much later. One time, however, you caught him working in his study, smiling at your presence and inviting you to sit with him as he worked. You ended up staying there for hours talking about whatever came to mind. 
Unfortunately, there was a new issue presenting itself that threatened to drive a wedge between the two of you. That issue being the fact that your wedding was now only a few days away. Meaning that not only was Jun being dragged away, but you were as well. The realization of everything happening weighed on you like a million bricks and suddenly it felt like you were back to where you started when you first moved in. You were nervous, on edge, and it seemed like all progress being made with Jun was starting to go backwards. You never saw him anymore, and when you did he was too busy to acknowledge you. The most you ever got was a hello or him telling you how gorgeous you looked before he was being dragged off again to who knows where. 
You didn’t even know why the distance upset you so much when not even two weeks ago all you wanted was for him to leave you alone. You did your best to convince yourself that you were just lonely without him, occupying your time by hanging out with any servant you could find or even Minghao. The younger vampire was clearly put off by your sudden attachment to him, but he allowed you to keep him company anyways. You would read with him or sit in his study/studio with him while he worked on a new painting until Jun or a worker came to find you. Minghao definitely wasn’t one for words but you learned quickly that he was good with advice and listening. Whenever he saw that frustrated look on your face he would offer you a glass of tea or wine and listen to you as you vented your frustrations. Depending on your mood he would either then offer you advice or distract you with something else like picking out colors for the wedding. You also quickly learned the younger vampire had quite the eye for color and fashion, so much so that you swear he lit up when you asked him to help you with your wedding dress. 
That was exactly what the two of you were doing now, with the assistance of Joshua and Jeonghan. You had been standing in the middle of your room modeling every style, color, and fabric known to man. Jeonghan and Joshua seemed happy with most of the designs, but Minghao still hadn’t found anything he had liked. 
“This one’s too long.”
“This one's too short.”
“Neckline on this one isn’t flattering.”
“The dress shape hides your figure too much.”
“This color doesn’t match your complexion at all.”
“This color is cute but the style is all wrong.”
By what easily felt like the millionth try on, you were frustrated and about ready to throw a pillow at Minghao. The male in question was humming softly to himself as he circled around you, clicking his tongue in disapproval. 
“Hao, is all of this really necessary?” you whined, struggling to stand up straight as you felt something poking your side. 
“Of course it is!” he replied, “you want to look perfect for your wedding right? We should not settle for anything less than perfect.” He circled around you one more time before shaking his head, “We’re getting closer but no this one is still off, next.” You couldn’t help but groan, half tempted to slam your head into the nearest wall when Joshua spoke up. 
“I think that’s the last one we have right now and I think Y/N is getting tired,” he stated softly. Minghao sighed and shook his head, muttering something under his breath as Joshua spoke again. 
“How about we just sit down and discuss what we did and didn’t like about all of them, so you can narrow down the list and we can find something.” You had half the mind to run over and kiss Joshua for the idea, nodding eagerly when Minghao glanced at you. 
“Very well,” he agreed, “go get changed Y/N and we can discuss this, we need to get this done soon so we can find the dress before the wedding day.” You wanted to roll your eyes at the mention of the wedding. Honestly you didn’t care for your dream wedding at this point, you felt like you weren’t getting a say in much and you were so stressed that you just wanted everything to be over. 
Nonetheless, you sat down with all three boys and discussed your ideas until you had designed a dress that everyone agreed on. It would be slightly form fitting to flatter your figure, but also allow you to move around freely, with a neckline that was not modest but not too revealing either. The same red, white, and black color scheme that the rest of the family seemed to love, and a few lace accents to make it elegant. You would decide on your accessories and veil later, but Minghao seemed satisfied with the design and ran off to get working, Joshua and Jeonghan hesitantly following after apologizing to you for the younger's attitude. 
Exhausted and beyond frustrated, you found yourself leaving your room and going to the one place you knew people would leave you alone, the garden. Tucking yourself away on one of the farthest benches, you sighed and buried your head in your knees. The sound of the fountain and the wind rustling the leaves brought you great comfort as you tried to clear your mind. No more stress about the wedding, no more stress about Jun, no more stress about anything. Why couldn’t your life just go back to the way it was before? Why did you have to be stuck here, getting married to a vampire to help your family? Even worse, why were you actually starting to fall in love with him? Why couldn’t you have just stayed strangers and just used the wedding for show? Part of you wished you never met Jun until your wedding day, then all of this would have been significantly easier. 
“There you are,” lifting your head, you locked eyes with the one man who occupied your mind. Jun looked exhausted, his shirt messily unbuttoned under his vest which also wasn’t fastened properly. His eyeshadow was smudged, making it look like he hadn’t slept in years, and his hair was messy as if he just rolled out of bed. He was a mess, and yet you still found him unbelievably gorgeous. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he confessed as he sat down beside you, “Jeonghan told me you were in a pretty bad mood earlier.”
“I suppose you could stay that,” you muttered, “what about you though, you look like a mess.”
“Thanks I tried my best,” he replied sarcastically, though his expression quickly softened, “I just have a lot to do, that's all. My parents have been preparing me for the wedding and taking over the family so I guess I’ve been stretched pretty thin.”
“So I’ve noticed,” you whispered to yourself, Jun heard it though as you felt his arm wrap around you. 
“Awe don’t tell me my sweet girl missed me?” he teased, “I’m sorry I haven’t been giving you much attention, will you ever forgive me.”
“Shut up!” you groaned as you nudged him off of you, “who said I missed you?”
“Your actions are worth a million words, you know?” he pointed out. When you didn't respond he huffed and leaned closer as if telling you a secret, “Also you should know that word gets around quickly in this family.” It took you a second to realize what he meant, internally groaning as you realized his brother probably told him everything. 
“Remind me to kill Minghao next time I see him,” you hissed which made Jun laugh. 
“You can’t kill what’s already dead My Love. Also don’t be mad at him, he’s only trying to help.” You bit your bottom lip and cast your gaze down, watching the grass sway beneath your feet for a moment. Jun quickly dropped the teasing and cleared his throat, tapping your shoulder to get your attention, “Seriously though Y/N, I know I haven’t been around much recently and I’m sorry. I can’t make up for that but I am here now so talk to me, what’s bothering you?” You debated answering for a moment, gnawing at your lip and curling up more. Jun waited patiently for you to collect your thoughts, not taking his gaze off of you as you finally sat up properly and looked at him. 
“It’s stupid but this isn’t what I wanted,” you confessed, “I always dreamed about having this royal and lavish wedding and now I’m getting it but not how I wanted. I don’t know anything about how vampire weddings work and I haven’t gotten a single say in anything. I didn’t get to choose who I marry, when, how, hell I barely even got a say in my own dress. It hurts even worse because I’ve been so confused about my feelings for you and now I don’t know what to do.” You took a deep breath after speaking, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off of you. Jun stayed silent for a second, his occasional blinking the only sign that he hadn’t completely frozen. Then, before you had time to react, he was pulling you against him in a tight hug. You gasped, needing a moment to process the contact before giving in and hugging him back. Your arms wrapped tightly around his waist and your head buried into his chest, ignoring the lack of a heartbeat and instead focusing on his scent. Of course you had been close to Jun before but not like this. His scent was very floral, but there was also a hint that reminded you of herbal tea, it was refreshing and very much him. 
“I’m sorry,” Jun muttered into your hair, pulling away from you just enough so that he could look at you, “this is all my fault. I’m the one that dragged you here, and I’m the one that kept you in the dark. I should have told you everything from the beginning.”
“Can you tell me now?” you asked, looking up at him. 
“What do you want to know?” he answered you with his own question. 
“Everything, why did you choose me? Also what is going to happen at our wedding and what happens after? I want to know so I can prepare.” Jun exhaled harshly but nodded, keeping one hand on your arm while the other moved to run through his still messy hair. 
“Well to start, I chose you because I saw something special in you. Families like mine always married off their next in line to a human, that’s an agreement to keep things fair on both sides. I am the oldest son and so I knew when the time came I would need to find someone to marry, my parents knew this too so they often sent me out during the day. I was disguised of course and protected from the sun, so I think I did a good job blending in. You probably don’t even remember that you’ve met me before, I stopped by your work one day with a friend. I don’t know why but something about you was different, special, I knew that exact moment that you were the one. So I asked my friend to get to know you and everything he told me only proved to me that I made the right decision.” You tried your hardest to remember ever getting close to someone that would know Jun, or even when you saw him before but your mind was coming up blank. 
“What was your friend's name?” you asked, desperate to know who it was he was talking about. 
 “Kwon Soonyoung, but he often had people call him Hoshi,” your eyes widened at the name, recognizing it as one of your old coworkers. He started working there about a month after you and you two became friends almost immediately, you had no idea that he had any connection to someone like Jun. 
“Him, really?” you asked. 
“What, didn’t expect that I could befriend a human?” he questioned. 
“No no not that it’s just, how did I have no idea?” Jun smiled and patted your head playfully, laughing as it messed up your hair. 
“You not knowing means he did his job well, but yeah I learned about you through him, and then when I was told it was time, I sent Mingyu to get you. The timing wasn’t the best though as Hao and I had to return back to China to deal with a few personal matters, which is why you spent the first year with just my parents,” he explained. You were both silent for a moment as you processed the information, then Jun spoke again, “as for the wedding, it will probably be a bit different than you’re expecting. Everything will still happen that does at a normal wedding, but there is also the business element and the mating ritual that goes along with it. All our friends and family will be there, but so will the main political powers on both sides to ensure that the wedding is official, so it may be a bit more crowded than you’re used to. Though it is your wedding as much as it is mine so if you would like to join me in planning things I would love to have you with me.” You nodded and smiled, glad he was giving you the chance to be involved, though your smile quickly dropped as you remembered the mating part. 
“What exactly is the mating ritual?” you asked, albeit a bit hesitant. Jun sighed, almost looking like he didn’t want you to ask.  
“Divorce isn’t really a thing in our life,” he started, “so vampires are known to ‘mate’ for life I guess you could say. When we marry the bond between us is shared by a blood exchange, it will keep me connected to you, allow me to know what you’re feeling and be close to you even if not physically.”
“A blood exchange, that means that...” you trailed off. 
“I will have to bite you,” he answered your question for you, “but it will be quick I promise and you can choose where you want me to do it.”
“Will it hurt?” 
“It shouldn’t, remember I said most people even say it’s pleasurable. You’ll feel a little prick and then after that it should just feel warm,” he explained. 
“I don’t have to drink your blood though, right?” you asked. 
“Not unless you want to become a vampire yourself,” he responded with a chuckle, “but you don’t have to decide that now.” You nodded softly, looking down and feeling your cheeks heat up as another question entered your mind. 
“Umm, what about the wedding night?” you immediately regretted the question as you saw a mischievous glint in Juns eye. 
“Why are you that excited for what’s going to happen?” when he saw you blush harder he snickered and patted your shoulder, “relax Qinqin I’m just teasing you. Eventually my parents are going to expect an heir to the Wen family, but if you’re not ready on our wedding night we can just share a drink and relax.” 
“What if I am ready?” you asked yourself outloud, not really thinking about it until you saw Juns expression. 
“Are you ready?” he pushed, you quickly felt shy and looked away, but he placed his fingers under your chin to make you look at him. 
“Yes? No? I mean...I don’t know I don’t even know how I feel about you,” you confessed. Jun hummed in thought and you could have sworn you saw him blushing a bit himself. 
“I think you do know and you’re lying to yourself,” he whispered. Your eyes widened as he drew slightly closer, barely inches away from you. His dark eyes were blown and piercing as they stared at you, your own glancing down on his lips then back at his eyes. “Just admit it Y/N,” he whispered, “I won, you’re falling for me.” Your breath hitched, wanting to turn away but feeling like you were frozen in place. Jun huffed and leaned forward, placing a kiss to the side of your lips, just enough to tease you. Your eyes fluttered for a moment at the contact before opening again and looking up at him in confusion. “That’s how I know you do feel something for me,” he pointed out, placing another kiss to your forehead before pulling away, “don’t worry my dear, you’ll get the real thing in a few days, just be patient.” You didn’t know whether you wanted to hit him at that moment or pull him close to you and kiss him. He didn’t give you the option though as he was standing up and excusing himself, letting you know that he would be in his room if you needed company. You whined to yourself as you were quickly up on your feet and rushing after him, not wanting to be alone just yet. 
“I’ll get you back for that Wen Jun!”
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You definitely took Jun up on his offer to join him in wedding planning, getting a say in everything from the decor to the catering. You also got a glance into the life Jun lived, watching as he handled different affairs and communicated with different workers. It was honestly endearing watching him in his element, though you did your best to stay out of his way. Whenever he wasn’t too busy though you guys were enjoying your time together, oftentimes with him having his arm around you while you looked at decor ideas for the manor or holding your hand as you organized seating for the wedding. That domestic feeling returned and this time you didn’t fight it, actually finding yourself excited for your wedding. 
It felt like only a minute before the day in question came, you were woken up early when Minghao, Joshua, and Mrs. Wen burst into your room. The sun hadn’t even set completely, as you could see the rays poking out through a crack in your curtains. Minghao quickly rushed to pull them fully closed though as Mrs. Wen placed a tray with fruit and tea on your nightstand. 
“Rise and shine my dear,” she urged, “it’s time to get you ready for your big day!” 
“Already?” you asked, rubbing the sleep from your eyes, “it’s so early.” 
“Yes but there’s a lot to do,” the older woman reminded, “we need to get you fed and dressed, do your hair and makeup, and then get the final preparations ready. Our guests will start arriving in a few hours so we need to make sure everything is done now.” You groaned softly but nodded, taking the tea from the tray and sipping at it as you woke up, Mrs. Wen fretting over your health and complexing as Minghao and Joshua focused on getting your dress. “You look a little pale my dear, do you need anything? I can go get you some medicine.”
“I’m fine I promise, just a bit nervous,” you assured. 
“Mom, relax, I’m sure you remember how nervous you were when you got married,” Minghao argued, making a few last minute adjustments on your dress. 
“You shouldn’t listen to everything your father says, you weren’t even there,” the woman argued, though Minghao only giggled as he focused on his work. You also laughed a bit at the family's banter before finally giving in and getting out of bed. 
“Alright what do you need me to do?” you asked. 
“You go wash up and then I’ll help you get dressed, just call when you’re ready for me. Then the boys and I will help make sure everything is in place and do your hair and makeup. By then it should be almost time to start so you can rest,” Mrs. Wen explained. You nodded and made your way to the bathroom, quickly showering and brushing your teeth before calling for help with your dress. It was simple enough that you were mostly able to get it on yourself, but you still needed help with the zipper and the layers. You couldn’t help but look at yourself in the mirror as the older woman helped you out, tearing up at the sight of you in the dress. You hadn’t been the most fond of the idea at first, but seeing yourself in it made you realize how gorgeous it actually was. It seemed your soon to be mother in law agreed as she stared at you in awe. “You look gorgeous Darling,” she praised, adjusting the bodice and allowing you to glance at yourself. 
“Thank you, I feel gorgeous,” you agreed. She clapped in excitement before helping you back out to your room where the two males were waiting. Minghao was holding various sewing supplies and Joshua was holding your veil and a few other accessories. Behind them on the bed was a kit which you assumed was for your hair and makeup. Both males smiled as they saw you, Minghao clapping softly as he walked over to you. 
“I told you this would be perfect,” he boasted, getting a gentle whack on the back of his head from his mom. He didn’t acknowledge it though as he looked over you to see if there were any needed adjustments. “I’m sorry if this is awkward to ask but,” he said nervously, “but have you decided where you want your…mating bite to be?” The room went awkwardly silent, you stiffening and looking at him which made him rub the back of his neck. “I’m only asking to know if I need to adjust the dress at all so Jun can access it, that’s all.” The room went silent again, all the attention on you as they waited for a reaction. 
“It’s fine if you don’t know yet,” Mrs. Wen assured but you shook your head. 
“No no it’s fine,” you promised, “I guess I haven’t really thought about it, what would you suggest?”
“Well,” she trailed off as she thought about it, “I personally chose my neck, it’s a bit more intimate than your wrist but it would be easier for him to reach and the mark is easier to hide.” You nodded, placing your finger on your pulse point as you thought about it. 
“If you want to consider both options I was bitten on my wrist when I turned,” Minghao said, showing you his wrist where you could clearly see the scar, “it doesn’t hurt but it does feel tingly and if he bites your wrist it may take a bit longer.” You reached out to gently grab the male's wrist, which he allowed, tracing your thumb over the two bite marks then letting him go. 
“I guess I’ll go with my neck, it seems easier,” you decided. 
“Good choice,” Joshua muttered from his spot on the bed. Minghao nodded and moved to adjust your sleeve, pinning it down a bit so that your neck was exposed. 
“That should stay put,” he commented, “all you have to do when it’s time is tilt your head back a bit.” He mimicked the action and you nodded in understanding, not wanting to question how he knew what to do. 
“Now then,” Mrs Wen quickly spoke up, “we still have a lot to do, go ahead and have a seat and we’ll finish getting you ready.”
The next three hours were spent making sure everything was absolutely perfect, eventually Minghao had to excuse himself to help Jun and get ready himself but Joshua and Mrs. Wen stayed with you to keep you company. Apparently there was also a moment where Jun tried to sneak in and see you but he was promptly dragged away. To pass the time the two told you stories about the past, specifically stories they knew would embarrass Jun. Moments like him dancing around with his arms behind his back, failing miserably at sports, or just randomly running up to a mirror and saying how handsome he was before running away. Every story made you laugh more as you imagined the Jun you knew doing all these things. Before long you got a knock on your door, one of the female staff poking her head to let you know it was time. Joshua quickly took his leave after giving you a reassuring smile, leaving you with Mrs. Wen. The woman glanced at you to silently ask if you were ready, handing you your bouquet before linking your arms and leading you out of your room and to the stairs. 
The manor was set up so that the main room was turned into a ballroom type setting, all of the guests sitting with their backs towards you. At the front of the room, stood by the now decorated front door, was Jun. He was wearing a perfectly pressed white shirt under a black vest with red accents and a matching red tie. His makeup was sharp but toned back a bit, enough to make his eyes look piercing and his lips stand out more. His shoulder length hair was also slicked back, the top layer tied up in a half ponytail. Minghao, Joshua, and Wonwoo were standing behind him, all dressed up in matching suits. At the announcement of your arrival, all the guests immediately turned to face you. Many of them were faces you didn’t recognize, but you could see your close friends and family towards the front, all smiling up at you. Mrs. Wen gave your arm a gentle squeeze before walking you down the stairs and towards the front, your eyes locking onto Juns from behind your veil. He couldn’t see you properly yet, but you swore you’d be able to see his smile from a mile away. 
Mrs. Wen bowed her head to the officiant before handing you over to her son and moving to take her seat beside her husband. Jun took your flowers and handed them to Joshua behind him, lifting your veil and running a finger across your cheek. 
“You look breathtaking,” he whispered. 
“So do you,” you replied. He chuckled softly and grabbed your hand, both of you turning to face the officiant. The majority of the ceremony went by in a blur for you, mainly because you were more focused on the way Jun was looking at you and the way he was holding your hand. Your warmth seeped into him and warmed his skin, and you could feel his thumb rubbing on the back of your palm. You only snapped back into reality when it was time for the rings, Jun slipping a black band with his family's crest engraved on it onto your ring finger, you doing the same for him. With that the officiant closed their book with a satisfied smile. 
“It is my honor to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Wen, you may claim your bride.” Jun could no longer hide the mischievous glint in his eye as he looked at you. 
“Finally the moment I’ve been waiting for,” he whispered. 
“Yeah, me too,” you teased, cupping his cheeks and pulling him down to kiss him. Jun gasped in shock but quickly melted into you, wrapping one arm around your waist and the other cupping your cheek. The room was silent and for a moment it was just the two of you, finally sharing every emotion that you had been hiding from yourselves and each other. Though the moment couldn’t last forever as you had to pull away from each other. Your eyes were glazed over as you looked up at Jun, the male smiling down at you as if you were the most precious thing he’d ever laid his eyes on. Though you remembered that it wasn’t over as you felt him brush your hair away from your neck. You stiffened a bit which he noticed, the hand on your waist rubbing soothing circles into your side. 
“Deep breath okay, it’ll be over before you know it,” he promised, “are you ready?” You did what he said and took a deep breath, closing your eyes and leaning your head back like how Minghao had told you. 
“I’m ready,” you whispered after a moment, though you didn’t dare open your eyes. Jun didn’t say another word, but you felt his fingers tracing your neck, followed by his lips. You felt him kiss your neck once, then twice, then you felt his fangs poke your skin. You gasped as you felt a sharp prick against your skin, the pain only lasting a second though before you felt a warm tingling sensation. The feeling was hard to place, but it almost felt like your body was going numb despite your senses being heightened. Jun hummed against your neck, sucking for a moment before pulling away and swiping his tongue across the bite. His hand that had been on your shoulder moved to rest against your back to support you. 
“How do you feel?” he asked, keeping his grip tight on you just in case you got dizzy. It took a moment for your feelings to return to normal, you relaxing a bit in his arms before opening your eyes and looking up at him.
“I’m okay,” you assured. Jun smiled and nodded, pulling you against him for a moment to kiss the top of your head before turning to face the crowd. The proof of a successful bond had the room erupting into loud clapping and cheer, almost loud enough to be deafening. Jun chuckled a bit as you winced away from the noise, wrapping his arm around you and leading you to the kitchen where a banquet was already prepared. 
You stayed beside your husband the whole time, practically hiding behind him as hundreds of people came to greet you. They all congratulated you both and would introduce themselves to you as family friends or business partners or whatever else. You didn’t care enough to remember all of their names, knowing that you likely wouldn’t see them again for a long time. Jun did all the talking for the two of you, allowing you to hide behind him as he made pleasantries with all of the guests. Though you did stray away from him long enough to greet your parents. Your mother was already in tears when she approached you, pulling you into her arms and crying about how grown up you were. It took everything in your power not to cry yourself as you embraced her, promising that you were fine and happy with Jun. You stayed holding her for a moment, letting go to hug your dad before deciding that it would be best for them to go. Every other human guest had excused themselves at this point and you knew your parents would be working again in the morning so you bid them goodnight with one last hug and a kiss from your mother. After they left you returned back to Jun, the male glancing over at you with a smile before returning his attention to his guests. It was fine at first, and you tried to interact with as many guests as possible, but after about an hour of still meeting new people you quickly got bored. Not only did you want to get away from the crowd but you were also desperate to finally be alone with your husband. It finally got to a point where you decided to take matters into your own hand, tugging at Juns arm to get his attention. 
“As nice as this is, I would love to go get used to my new bedroom now,” you whispered when he finally looked at you. Jun immediately caught on to what you were implying, smirking down at you and licking his lips. 
“You’re a scandalous little thing aren’t you?” he teased, but still he quickly excused the both of you for the night. He used the excuse that you were tired and still getting used to the change in schedule to anyone who asked as he escorted you out of the kitchen and up the stairs. No one even gave you a second glance as you followed Jun into his room, quietly closing and locking the door behind you. 
ღ ღ ღ ღ ღ
The second the door locked you were all over Jun, gripping his vest and smashing your lips together in a desperate kiss. The male eagerly returned the kiss, removing your veil so he could tangle his hands into your hair. Your tongues battled each other, lips remaining locked as you started exploring each other's bodies. Your hands made quick work of undoing his vest while he fumbled with unzipping your dress. You pulled away once you felt him pull the zipper down, his lips attacking your neck as he pulled your dress down your body. Due to the shape of the dress you had opted not to wear a bra underneath exposing your breasts to the cool air once your dress was off. Jun took advantage of this, gripping at your breasts and pinching your nipples between his fingers. You moaned softly at the feeling, growing louder as you felt his fangs graze against your neck, kicking your dress off as he pulled you close to him. 
“You have no idea how good you taste,” he muttered against your neck, “it’s almost addicting.” 
“You can have another taste if you want,” you gasped out, he paused long enough to glance up at you, making sure you were serious. You smiled and ran your fingers through his hair as a silent confirmation. Jun took the hint and trailed his lips back to where he originally bit you, running his tongue across the area once before biting down again. This time you moaned at the sting, tightening your grip on his hair and throwing your head back as the same warm feeling returned. This time Jun groaned into your neck, sucking harder and pressing your bodies together. His hands gripped at your hips desperately, grinding them against his own as he continued sucking at your neck. Though he pulled away out of fear of making you dizzy. Jun placed one last kiss on your neck before lifting his head and licking his lips. 
“Yep, very addicting indeed,” he groaned. You took a deep breath and chuckled softly, pulling away from him slightly so you could loosen his tie. Jun watched in amusement as you undid his tie and the first few buttons of his shirt, pushing him back until he fell back on the bed. 
“I think it’s my turn to have a taste,” you cooed. Jun leaned back and watched in amusement as you climbed on the bed to straddle him. He grunted softly as you trailed kisses down his neck and chest, slowly undoing the buttons of his shirt as you went. You had known Jun was slightly muscular but you hadn’t realized how much until now as you felt the outline of his muscles. 
“Like what you see?” he teased once he realized you stopped your actions. 
“A lot actually,” you teased back, Jun chuckled and licked his lips as you trailed more kisses down his stomach until you reached his belt. You made quick work of undoing the belt and popping open his button. Jun lifted his hips just enough to allow you to pull his pants and boxers down, revealing his already semi hard length. You could already tell his length was more than you expected and suddenly you were frozen. In fact, you actually had no idea what you were doing so seeing him exposed for you was a lot to handle. Jun noticed this and adjusted a bit to look up at you. “Are you okay doll?” he asked, reaching a hand out to stroke your cheek. 
“Yeah I just…I don’t really know what to do,” you confessed. Jun had to keep himself from chuckling at your adorableness. 
“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” he told you. 
“No I want to!” you whined. 
“Very well, want me to tell you what to do then?” he asked, to which you nodded, “okay then, grip it gently and start by stroking it.” You hesitantly did as you were told, Jun immediately gasping and falling back against the bed at your touch. You stroked him softly for a minute, feeling him twitch in your hand and rubbing at his tip for a second before gaining your confidence back and leaning down to place kitten licks along his head. Jun twitched at the contact, groaning softly and throwing his head back as you licked across his length before finally taking his tip into your mouth. “There you go, just like that,” he urged. His hand that had been on your cheek returned to grip softly at your hair, tugging it softly and brushing it out of your face so he could see you. You looked up to meet his gaze and moaned softly at the sight of him. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly opened as he panted, his muscles were tensing from the pleasure and his hair was now out of its bond and falling messily into his face. His grip on your hair tightened more as you took him deeper, an audible groan leaving his throat, “Good girl, treating me so well.” The praise got to you and had you rubbing your thighs together, taking him as deep as you could and using your hand to stroke what wouldn’t fit in your mouth. You continued your actions for a few more minutes, enjoying the way Juns groans got louder and more desperate, but he quickly tugged on your hair to pull you away. “As good as your mouth feels baby girl, I’m getting close and I would rather finish inside you.” You felt your cheeks heat up at his comment but you nodded and allowed him to flip you both over. 
Jun took a moment to rid himself of his shirt as you got comfortable on the bed. He stepped away for a moment to grab something from the dresser before returning to you, with something hidden behind his back. “You trust me right?” he asked as he crawled on the bed with you. 
“Of course,” you replied with a soft smile. Jun returned the action and gently pushed you to lay down fully. 
“Good, now relax and put your hands above your head,” you immediately did as you were told, feeling the smooth silk run over your wrists before tightening around them. “Is that too tight?” he asked, watching you shake your head and nodding as he carefully tied your wrists to the headboard. He tugged on the knot for a moment to make sure it was sturdy before grabbing another silk tie and draping it over your eyes. “Still doing okay?’ he asked as he tied the silk behind your head. 
“Yeah I’m fine,” you assured, squirming softly at your now loss of vision. 
“Good, just let me know if it gets uncomfortable,” with that his hands were back to roaming your body. His large hands kneaded your breasts before moving down to play with your hips and thighs. You continued to squirm and moan at the contact, tugging lightly on your restraints. “You are so gorgeous,” he whispered, trailing kisses from your neck down to your breasts, “I always knew you were beautiful but your body is so perfect.” He placed kisses along your breasts before taking one of your nipples into his mouth. You shivered as you felt his fangs brush against your skin, his tongue swirling around your nipple as he sucked softly. Soft moans left you as he continued, gripping into your thighs as he switched to the other nipple. 
“Jun,” you whined out, making him hum against your skin. 
“Yeah baby? Do you need something?” there was a teasing edge to his voice that made you whine more.
“More, please touch me,” you begged. He chuckled softly and removed himself from your breasts.
“As you wish,” he muttered, one of his hands left your thigh to run a finger across your clothed core. You shivered at the feeling, grinding your hip into his hand to get more friction. “Shit, you are so wet for me,” he groaned as he pressed his finger harder against you. 
“Stop teasing me please!” you whined, desperate to feel more of his touch. 
“Fine, fine, because you’re being so good to me,” he agreed, slipping your panties off and spreading your thighs so he could get access to you. His finger trailed against your slit, gathering your wetness before pressing his finger into you. You moaned and squirmed softly, not used to the intrusion.  “Just relax,” Jun cooed, “it’ll feel weird at first but I promise it’ll be worth it.” You nodded and did your best to relax, squirming and gasping as you felt his finger move inside of you. Jun pressed a kiss to your thigh as he continued, curling his finger and making you whine as he hit that special spot inside of you. “Found it,” he muttered, continuing to hit that spot and watching as you squirmed and moaned at the feeling. Slowly he urged another finger into you, curling them and making a scissoring motion to help stretch you out. The sting burned a bit but that was quickly washed out by the pleasure he was bringing you, constantly hitting your G spot and his thumb moving to rub at your clit. “How are you feeling Y/N?” he asked, not slowing down his motion. 
“So good, it feels so good!” you moaned out, arching your back and pulling at your restraints. 
“Good,” Jun muttered as he pulled his fingers out, “are you ready for more then?” You didn’t hesitate to nod, practically shaking in anticipation as you felt him line up with your entrance. You arched your back and groaned as you felt him slowly enter you, his hands gripping your waist and soft pants leaving him. Jun stilled once he bottomed out, kissing you and muttering praises while massaging your hips to distract you from the pain. It took a moment to adjust to the stretch, but the second you felt it fade you were nodding at him to continue. His thrusts started off slow, simply letting you get used to the feeling before picking up the pace. You couldn’t hold back your moans as you felt him inside you, wrapping your legs around him to hold him closer to you. Juns grip on you tightened and he groaned as his thrusts continued. “You are so tight, you feel so good,” he grunted as his head dropped to rest against your neck. With each thrust you felt a tightening in your stomach, whining and squirming more as you realized you wouldn’t last much longer. 
“Jun I’m gonna..” you couldn’t find your words as you lost your breath. Jun seemed to understand though as you felt him nod against your neck. Without slowing his thrusts, he reached up with one hand and undid your blindfold, brushing your hair out of your eyes as you blinked up at him. 
“Go ahead and cum for me baby,” he groaned, that was the approval you needed to finally let go. You tightened around Jun and arched your back with a soft cry as your orgasm washed over you. Jun slowed down for a moment before continuing his movements, making you whimper from overstimulation. “Hold on for me just a little bit longer okay?” he urged, “I won’t last much longer. You’re going to be good for me though right? You’re going to let me give you my heir?” You couldn’t verbally reply, simply nodding and whining. Jun thrusted a few more times before stilling inside of you, a low groan left him as he reached his climax. 
You both panted softly as you came down from your high,  Jun carefully pulling out and leaving gentle kisses across your face and neck. “How are you feeling?” he asked as he untied you, massaging the soft red marks on your wrists as you sighed. 
“That was amazing,” you gasped out, staring up at Jun with a tired smile, “but I’m exhausted now.” He smiled and laughed softly, kissing your head as he climbed off the bed. 
“You stay here, I’m going to grab something to clean up with and then we can rest okay?” you gave him a hum of confirmation and closed your eyes. Jun disappeared into the bathroom for a moment before returning with a wet cloth. He hovered over you and gently wiped down your neck and chest before folding it and gently pressing it against your core. You sighed at the cool feeling against your sore body, letting Jun clean you with no hesitation. Once you were clean he quickly cleaned himself off before setting the rag aside and crawling into bed with you. You immediately crawled under the covers and snuggled up against Jun, with your head on his chest and his arm over you. “You’ll probably be pretty sore tomorrow, so if you want to stay in bed I’m not opposed,” he mused, chuckling when you weakly hit his chest. 
“We’ll see,” you muttered, “right now though I just want to sleep.”
“As you wish,” he agreed, kissing your head as he snuggled up with you. 
“I love your kisses by the way,” you whispered, placing a kiss on his heart before closing your eyes. 
“I’m glad,” he hummed, “it took a lot of effort for me to get them, you know?”
“I know, and you will still need that effort,” you teased, hearing him scoff. 
“We’ll see about that,” he placed one last kiss on your head before closing his eyes, “rest well my love.”
“Goodnight Qinqin.”
At this point it was safe to say, you had fallen in love with Wen Junhui. 
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↪ Vampire Kisses Release Taglist: @eli-ljkh @foxdaisy @honeyhuii @kpxpseoul @knucklesdeepmingi @kmoon  @woohoney @kimsabinaskzlover @meowjunhui @blizzardfluffykpop @d-noona​ 
↪ Authors Notes: Qinqin means dear one or kiss 
Also I’ve been considering doing a spinoff of this story where reader ends up with Minghao instead of Jun, would anyone be interested in that? 
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Cowboy Like Me - Part 6
Azriel x Reader
Reader and Elain are forced to spend a little one on one time together. Mor whisks reader out for a night on the town. Azriel loses his shit during an incident at Rita’s and comforts reader afterward. A new boundary is crossed between Azriel and reader.
A/n: We’re coming into the home stretch with this story! It will only have a couple more chapters.
Part 5
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Warnings: Alcohol, Language, mild violence, seizure, poisoning, mention (kind of) of drugging via alcohol
Elain’s garden was lovely. A labor of love that only countless hours of tending and getting hands dirty could cultivate. Her tension eased slightly as she shared details of the various flora blooming throughout.
Truthfully, I had no interest in gardening and most of the plant names went in one of my ears and out the other but her passion was captivating. There was something about listening to someone speak of their interests that I couldn’t get enough of.
As if she were a demure flower that came into bloom when she entered her space, she went from uncomfortable with me to genuine. I could see why Azriel had interest in her.
As we finished her tour of the garden, nobody had come to collect us and the awkwardness once returned.
Finally Elain looked to her feet and then back to me. “You and Azriel are a lovely pair.”
I started. “Oh no, we’re not together. It’s just an assignment.”
Elain thought for a moment beginning to say something but holding herself back.
And because I was nothing if not incurably nosey I blurted out. “It’s okay. You can say whatever it is you’re holding back. It won’t hurt me, Elain.”
“It’s not like that.” She spoke softly. “Just be careful. Not with him, he is a good, honorable male. But I am a seer. It was one of the powers thrust upon me by the cauldron and I’ve seen something that I don’t understand. A mangled skeleton in a tunnel with you…. And threads of gold flowing from the opposite direction.”
I paled. What an ominous thing to say. “My visions are strange and I don’t understand how to decipher them just yet. I don’t want to alarm you. Please,” she took my hand earnestly, “just be careful.”
I squeezed her hand in return. Who was I to make the female before me feel uncomfortable for sharing something she clearly still struggled to speak about. She had no reason to be kind to me. I was a stranger, a spy, in close proximity to someone she had or perhaps still did have feelings for. And yet, I could feel she was being genuine. So I met her eyes sincerely, “Thank you, Elain. I’m happy to have met you.”
We chatted for a few more minutes, nothing of substance, just contented small talk.
Eventually Rhysand came to the garden, Azriel behind him looking uncomfortable. “Thank you for your patience, ladies. Amren can get rather cranky when she hasn’t had her nap. Please excuse her…. brazen ways. It makes her a great second, but an occasional pain in the ass at dinner.”
He gestured to the female beside me, “Thank you for showing our guest your garden, Elain.” before turning to me. “Y/N, please join Azriel, Cassian, and I in my office.”
Rhysand turned back toward the house, Azriel lingering behind to wait for me. I felt his gaze as we wandered through a corridor of the massive estate. I felt awkward after the earlier encounter, not quite sure what to say. It was Azriel who broke the silence as he slowed his pace. “Y/N…”
I looked up to the male towering over me. His wings were tucked in tightly behind him as his shadows whirled around our feet. “You look so much more than nice. You’re resplendent.”
My face heated in a blush and a flicker sparked in those hazel eyes. Oh, he knew that effected me and was proud of recovering from his earlier stumble.
“Thank you, Azriel.” I reached toward his tunic. “You clean up quite well yourself.”
It was his turn to blush now. I jerked my head toward the High Lord now several yards ahead of us. “We best catch up with him.”
“Yes, of course.” He extended his arm as I looped mine through it.
Rhysand’s office was less of an office and more of a library. In fact, I am pretty sure that I’ve seen smaller libraries in my travels to the Day Court. “What an impressive collection” I marveled at the grand room surrounding us that was both warm and elegant. A lovely painting of the High Lady hung behind his desk. I wondered if she painted it.
“She did.” Rhys spoke into my head. “Lovely, isn’t she?”
“The loveliest” I mused wistfully. She truly was. “Hey, now get out of my head.”
He held his hands up in a show of innocence before mentally replying “No mind reading here. It was easy enough to read on your face, little spy. Nice to know all I need to break a spy is my beautiful mate.”
I only giggled in return. I liked him. I had heard rumors that he was a much more benevolent ruler than he let the world see but hearing it versus experiencing were two totally different things.
Azriel’s low voice interrupted and brought me back to reality “I’d love to be included in whatever you two are going on about.”
Whoops. Busted.
“Yeah, guys.” Cassian’s booming voice came from the doorway. “Secrets don’t make friends.”
“They do keep my pockets lined though.” I replied without thinking. Probably not in my best interest to make such jokes after Amren’s display at dinner.
To both my surprise and lack of it, Cassian laughed. “Touché, little spy.”
Rhys placed his palms on the desk, eyes fixating on a letter before lifting his head back to us. “We have new information on the infiltrated shipments. A trace amount of the same poison that had laced the spices imported to the Summer Court were detected in one of Beron’s vaults. Not enough to damn him but enough to suggest we are looking in the right direction.”
“Who relayed this intel?” Azriel asked.
“Who do you think?” Cassian goaded, earning an eye roll from his brother.
I cut in “It was Eris, right? Are you sure he can be trusted?”
“I trust him far more than Beron and he hasn’t led us astray yet.” Rhys replied. “I see no reason not to believe him at this point in time.”
“Now,” Rhys continued. “Here’s where things get interesting. Beron will be attending the ball next week. Eris will be there as well and I’ve contacted Lucien. He was hesitant to show given his history with his father but with Elain in attendance he plans to join.”
Azriel gave no response, physical or verbal, to the mention of Elain. He only continued listening intently. “Lucien was concerned about Elain given Beron being there but she has made it abundantly clear to Feyre and I that it is her choice to go.”
“Is it necessary for her to attend?” Cassian asked.
“Once again, it is her choice. She had a vision leading me to believe Beron has something planned and that was before Eris confirmed that Beron is attending the ball and of the traces of poison he had discovered.”
“Shit.” Cassian muttered.
“Azriel, I need you and Y/N to stay here in the event that anything urgent comes up. Y/N, would you be comfortable staying in Velaris for the time being? You can stay at the House of Wind with Nesta, Cassian, and Azriel and train with Nesta in the mornings.”
As if I would be sad to stay in a gorgeous city and not in a giant palace in the middle of nowhere with only one grumpy Shadowsinger for company. Okay, the last part wasn’t so bad. He wasn’t that grumpy… and he was rather pleasant to look at it.
Rhys waited patiently for an answer. “I am at your disposal, High Lord.”
———————
Upon reentering the main living area, I was greeted by an eager Mor. “What would an evening together be without a little Amren drama?” She clung to my arm guiding me toward a liquor cart, pouring us each a glass of Cognac served neat. “Cheers to surviving your first family dinner!”
Azriel only huffed. “We should get to the House of Wind. It’s late and we have to train in the morning.”
“Oh no you don’t.” Mor gripped my arm tightly.
“Don’t even think about it, Mor.” Azriel warned.
“My gift is truth. And the truth is that Y/N has not experienced Velaris until she’s had a night out at Rita’s.”
Azriel kept his stance. “Well she’ll be here for at least a week longer. We’re going to stay at the House of Wind until the ball.”
Mor squealed. “Oh, we are going to have so much fun!”
“She’s still here for work, Mor.” He reprimanded
Her brows knit together “And? What does that have to do with anything? There’s plenty of time for work. Now, let’s play.”
I wasn’t about to get into this battle of wills between Mor and Az but the idea of a night out was appealing. I’ve never had a night out for just fun. It was always for work, always. I wanted to feel music and lose my myself for a bit, but… Azriel did have a point. It was getting late and we did have to train tomorrow.
The blonde waived a hand dismissively. “Azriel. You work too hard. You’ve been wound tight for months now. You need this just as much.”
He scoffed. “My idea of an enjoyable night out isn’t babysitting my belligerent best friend and one of my spies.”
“Excuse me?” I chimed in. “One: you don’t have to babysit me. Two: I’m a spy for hire, not one of your spies.”
And with that, I could have sworn hurt flickered across his stoic features before regaining his composure. “Do what you want then. I’m not going out.”
“Fine.” I stated. “I’m going with Mor.”
“For fucks sake.” He muttered under his breath.
Mor again squealed. “Come on! Let’s change.”
———————-
I wasn’t sure why Mor insisted on changing when the dress I had been wearing was perfectly suitable for a night out, but who was I to fight the determined female? I saw how far it got Azriel who had known her for 500 years. There was no way that I would win that battle with her.
So, I found myself at Rita’s a lively bar with even livelier music in a much too short, skin tight dress, high heels, and an obscene amount of cleavage.
Cassian and Nesta came along as Nesta loved the music though she did not drink.
And Az thought he would have to babysit when Nesta was right there?
I would obey any command the silver eyed female gave me. Any command. Cassian was a very lucky male.
Rita’s was far more lively than I anticipated, nothing like the taverns I had frequented where a sole piano collected dust until a passing bard came through to warm the keys for tips. No, this bar had a stage dedicated for instrumentals and singers with sultry voices. The drinks were far from the stale and shitty varieties of ale I was used to. While there were plenty of bottom shelf options, Mor ordered everything from the top, and I gladly indulged.
We did several rounds of shots before Mor pulled me onto the dance floor. Nesta following with Cassian in tow. Round of drinks were served to us in between sets and I completely lost myself to the music. I took turns writhing against Mor and Nesta, which Cassian did not mind ogling in the slightest. Nesta only gave him a sultry smirk before losing herself to the music again.
A few males tried getting close to us but Cassian’s big scary “Lord of Bloodshed” face drove them off. Fortunately for them.
I had a feeling that if they slipped past his harrowing gaze, Nesta would happily eat them alive. Just to reiterate, Cassian is a very lucky male.
The liquor continued flowing and my head felt light in the best of ways. A lightness I’d experienced so few times over the years. I knew I was a sight, we all were. Nesta’s curves were stunning in anything, and Mor and I… well we had enough on display for anyone to appreciate.
Eventually Rhys and Feyre came into the bar, seemingly having left Nyx with Elain for the rest of the night. They were a sight together, the moon and stars, so effortlessly captivating.
Feyre joined us out on the dance floor as tendrils of darkness swirled around the booth Rhysand sat at, his white teeth shining through as an amused grin crossed his face.
Maybe if I’d looked closer I would have noticed that those weren’t tendrils of darkness at all but shadow that surrounded the booth.
Mor was drawn into dance with a beautiful female as Cassian took reprieve to visit Rhys in his booth and Nesta and Feyre took to chatting with eachother in a corner. The perfect moment to sneak away and indulge in one more drink.
I approached the bar, fighting through a crowd of bystanders to place another order. After three attempts to catch the bartenders attention, a pretty male appeared next to me with that classic High Fae beauty and he was so, so tall. “What do you want?” He asked. “I’ve got you.” And in a normal circumstances would have insisted I am a strong, independent female perfectly calable to order my own drink but honestly…. My inhibitions were low enough that I was happy to accept the feat of a beautiful male buying me a drink.
I yelled my drink order to him over the crowd to which he raised an eyebrow then threw a long arm up in the air with two fingers and a gold mark. Ah, money, great attention getter. It was only a moment before the bartender made his way over to take his order. The bartender opened a new bottle of the liquor from the shelf. Not a high end liquor but not totally bottom of the barrel either. Something that said I’m a classy lady but also considerate of the fact that someone else is paying for my drink.
The bartender slid the drinks over to which the male handed me mine, gave a cheers, and invited me for a dance.
One dance wouldn’t hurt.
He stayed close to me but remained respectful. His hands not drifting anywhere above or below mid-waist and keeping a few centimeters of space between our bodies.
As I became more comfortable with the stranger and the music became a bit more seductive, I leaned back into his warm chest. It was nice, comfortable, but my eyes began to grow heavy and my limbs a bit more lucid. My motions became slower and I felt myself slumping a bit. The male noticed too because he peered around me. “Hey. Hey, are you-“ and suddenly shadows surrounded us and a low, gravely voice spoke. “Step away from my lady.”
I heard the male gasp beginning to speak, letting go of me as Azriel’s large, strong hands caught me, not letting go until I steadied. “Wait, I wasn’t-“ he didn’t finish the sentence before Azriel’s fist met the males face, hard.
“Fuck!” The male shouted as Azriel shoved him further away from me and it was then that I fell to the floor, darkness overtaking me.
——————
When I came to it, I was in an unfamiliar bed. A warm fire glowed in a large stone fireplace before me and a few stars still interés in the sky outside. Pain radiated through me shooting from my stomach and throughout the rest of my body. I tried to sit up but immediately needed to throw up.
Suddenly a scarred hand passed a bucket to me. “Here, here take this.” I gripped my hands onto it and heaved. A warm hand helped keep me sitting upright, thumb running soft strokes over my back as another held my hair back.
“Holy shit.” I gasped before heaving again. “I’m never drinking again.”
“Not a bad idea.” Azriel spoke, no hint of amusement in his voice. “But drinking wasn’t the sole factor.”
Pain radiated through my skull. “What do you mean?”
Then a flashback ran through my mind of shadow and Azriel’s fist meeting a males face.
Fuck, how could I have been so stupid! “That male. He…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. “Did he-?”
Azriel looked down to his feet before taking the bucket back and handing me a cup of ginger tea.
“Look, I…” shame darkened his features. “My shadows sensed something was wrong. I saw you slumping in his arms and I acted before realizing.”
My brows furrowed, lips drawing into a straight line. “I still don’t understand. What do you mean, Azriel?”
“No, he didn’t do anything wrong. For what it’s worth, he seems like a decent male. But after you fell, I ran to you. I shouldn’t have stepped away from you in the first place. You began seizing, Y/N. It fucking terrified me. Cassian apprehended him before the same thing happened to the male. He lost his steadiness, fell to the ground, and began seizing as well.
I immediately took you to Madja who examined you, induced vomiting and provided tonics to counteract the symptoms. “What happened to me?”
Rage. Icy rage crossed his features. “You were poisoned. Mor came and stayed by your side while Madja worked on you. Rhys, Cassian, and I were able to question several people at Rita’s. It turns out that soon after you fell ill, a few others came down with the same symptoms. It was the liquor that had been poisoned. We spoke with the owner of Rita’s who checked their logs and the bottle of liquor you were last served from had been imported around the time that the rogue shipment landed in the summer court.”
“Fuuuck.” I whispered. “I’m so sorry, Y/N. I overreacted. I thought he hurt you. And when i considered his intentions….”
His hands flexed and a light hint of silver lined his eyes. “Fuck, I just lost it.”
“Is he okay?” I asked. “Yes, once the tonic took effect for him. I was able to apologize and he was forgiving. Very decent of him given that if the roles were reversed… I didn’t deserve the forgiveness.”
“What about the other patrons who were poisoned?” I asked. “Is everyone okay?”
Azriel’s shadows whirred angrily. “Fortunately. Madja and her staff were quick and everyone will recover.”
His hazel eyes met mine sympathetically, “but it may take a full day for the effects to fully clear from your system. It won’t be a pleasant process.”
Given the pain and nausea within me, I was dreading the next several hours. Looking down, I saw that I’d been changed into an oversized t-shirt and men’s boxer briefs. I looked to Azriel with a raised eyebrow. “Your doing?”
The male blushed, blushed for the second time in less than twelve hours, and I couldn’t repress the small grin that came to my lips. “Nesta helped you into these. Your dress was covered in vomit. And Nesta may dress somewhat modestly in public but she has preferences in her nightly attire so it was either my clothes or a night gown that left very little to the imagination.
Mor is going to bring you some of the clothes you bought yesterday and some of hers after she gets a few hours of sleep. I’ll retrieve clothes from the Moonstone Palace once you’re better.”
Had he forgotten that I was only wearing clothes from the guest armoire there? “I know they aren’t yours but they suited you. Night Court attire suits you.”
I remembered the cobalt blue outfits I wore around the palace. Cobalt blue like…. Oh my gods, his siphons.
It was my turn to blush.
“You should get some more rest, Y/N.”
“Fine.” I sighed. A fevered chill running through me that even the warm bed and fire couldn’t suppress.
He started as he saw the shivers overtake me, goosebumps appearing on my arms.
“Azriel?”
“Yes?” He asked cautiously.
“Will you lay with me? I’m cold.”
And that was the first night I slept in the arms of the Shadowsinger.
———————
Azriel
He sat beside her bed for hours, heart lurching at any stir in her sleep. Had he just gone out with them in the first place, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe it would have been him holding her against his chest on the dance floor, maybe she wouldn’t have wandered off for that last drink.
When she seized on the floor, he felt his soul leave his body. He’d never known such panic in his life, not when his brothers held fire to his hands, not when he saw Mor in that field, not even when Elain had been captured by Hybern. He was always able to master himself in times of distress. But he knew that this time was different and if it weren’t for the adrenaline rush that overtook his senses in rushing her to Madja, he would have been hyperventilating on the floor next to her, he was certain of it.
So when she finally awoke and asked meekly if he’d sleep with her, there was no other option. She felt so right in his arms. As her breathing evened out, sleep once again overtaking her, he quietly whispered into the night, to himself, to her sleeping form, to the gods, anyone who would listen. “Never again.”
His shadows hummed in agreement.
Never again would he leave her when he knew she wanted his company. No, she didn’t say it out loud, but he felt it somewhere deep within his chest. Never again would he let someone bring harm to her, and if they did, he wouldn’t let them get away with it. Never again would his little spy feel alone in this world.
With that he softly brushed his lips across her temple. A seal of a vow. A silent show of adoration.
And he could have sworn he felt a little flutter in his chest as her lip quirked upward in her dream state.
————————————————
Tags: @fxckmiup @saltedcoffeescotch @minnieoo @dr4g0ngirl @thebeautifulmysteriesoflife
Sorry for the delay with this chapter!
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fuckyeahisawthat · 18 days
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thank you so much for that excellent chani post. i've seen some annoying takes on twitter about how not making her totally devoted and subservient to paul makes her 'unlikeable' and i'm like. buddy. i think that speaks more to how you see women. than anything about her. this chani is very dynamic and interesting to me.
i'll be honest and say i've not read the books. this is me speaking from what i've seen of summaries, but i think giving her a real cause to fight for yet also genuinely loving paul gives her an interesting struggle, and also plays into how the portrayal of the fremen (seems to me to be) more diverse and nuanced. as in, the fremen themselves seem to have more of a push-and-pull to them. the clarification of how different fremen believe differently (the south being more fundamentalist) is a very important thing to include in a movie where you can run into the danger of saying that all adherents to a foreign, islam-adjacent (in coding) religion are all fundamentalists. that can (in less nuanced hands) be a pretty irresponsible thing. so showing that there's also more secular/pragmatic/less dogmatic sectors of the culture seems a pretty good counterweight.
so yeah. this is how i processed it as a movie-goer. and having chani represent that aspect (believing in people over prophecy, action over religion) and having stilgar as the humanized face of the southern peoples (showing that yknow, regardless of being fundamenist beliefs, theyre still PEOPLE with the capacity for love, friendship, honor) makes total logical sense. you're not just "telling" us that there's different aspects to fremen culture, you're SHOWING us by showing different characters who represent those aspects, without demonizing either or turning either into a one-note stereotype.
Thank you! I'm not someone who was a long-term fan of the books before the movie came out (I tried reading Dune as a teenager when I was reading a lot of classic sci-fi but found it too boring) but I did read Dune and Dune Messiah after the first movie came out, both because I wanted to know what happened next and because I wanted to have an opinion on how the movies worked as adaptations.
(book and movie spoilers below and also I basically ended up writing a whole essay in response to this)
My single biggest frustration with the book is that after they arrive at Sietch Tabr and Jessica drinks the Water of Life and becomes Reverend Mother...the book up and skips two years of the story and when we next see Paul he's already got Fremen followers who are ready to die for him and he's in an established relationship with Chani. Oh I was SO MAD when I got to this part. I was like FRANK. FRANK!!!! Did you seriously just skip two years of the most interesting part of your own story???
The thing is, even though I know that Frank Herbert's intention was to write a critique of the idea that oppressed people need an enlightened external (white) savior to liberate them...if you don't provide an alternate explanation for what's happening then you end up falling into some Orientalist tropes anyway. And because, in the book, we don't see the process of how your average background fedaykin comes to trust Paul as a military and political leader, there is nothing in the text to counter the idea that the Fremen are a bunch of unquestioning religious fanatics easily swayed to do violence by belief in a prophecy.
My second biggest frustration with the book is that we're given no reason at all why Chani would fall in love with Paul. While she has some memorable scenes, she doesn't have a lot to do as a character in the book, and she's missing from a whole chunk of the end...because she's in the south...because she and Paul have a baby, Leto II, who's then killed off-page when the sardaukar attack the south. (I'm honestly really glad they cut this from the film, because it never seemed to be given the narrative weight it deserved in the book.)
So you can imagine how happy I was when the Villeneuve movies figured out how to address both these frustrations by tying them together. The fedaykin don't just blindly accept Paul because of some prophecy. They come to trust him because he proves himself as a fighter, and because he starts out from a place of genuine solidarity and humility--which it is possible for him to do because he has no structural power over them at that point. And Chani falls in love with him for the same reason, in that heady environment of fighting side by side for a political cause, and maybe for the first time in a while starting to believe that you can win.
I think the Villeneuve movies improve a lot on what's in the book in terms of how the Fremen are portrayed...when we're with the fedaykin and/or Chani and Stilgar. There we see political debates and discussion and the fact that not all the Fremen think the same way. And we also see little humanizing moments of folks just hanging out, celebrating after a victory in battle and just shooting the shit and being friends.
I do wish the movie had extended this to more parts of Fremen society. If there's one thing I could have added, it would be seeing more of daily life in Sietch Tabr. It makes sense that when we're seeing things from Jessica's POV, she is more distant from and suspicious of the Fremen, seeing them as a force to be manipulated, but I wish we had even one or two scenes of people just being people in the sietch. It felt kind of weirdly empty and not particularly lived-in as a place, and I think they could've easily countered this, with scenes from Chani, Stilgar or Paul's POV, and that would have made it hit even harder when the sietch is attacked.
If there were two things I could have added, I wanted more exploration of the people of the south. Why are they more fundamentalist than the Fremen who live in the north? (We get one line about how "nothing can survive [in the south] without faith" but I wanted more than that.) While I think the movie did a fantastic job of humanizing and differentiating the Fremen we see around Paul, when we get to the south it does backslide a little into "undifferentiated mass of fanatics." Surely the people of the south also have some diversity of political views.
I think there are some interesting threads they could have pulled on in terms of how proximity to direct colonial violence shapes people's ideology. Sietch Tabr is one of the closest Fremen communities to Arrakeen, the seat of colonial control. They have probably had to mount some kind of armed resistance for generations just to keep from being wiped out. I can see that producing skepticism of the prophecy ("well I can't sit around waiting for a messiah but I do have this rocket launcher") as well as resentment at the idea of someone swooping in and taking credit for a struggle that you've put your life on the line for, and probably a lot of people you know have died for. There seem to be some generational differences, too, where young people of Chani's generation put less stock in the prophecy, while the true believers are mostly older. I can see faith in the prophecy coming out of despair--when you've been fighting for decades with no change, maybe you draw the conclusion that only an outside power coming to your aid will make a difference. While the people of the south are still under colonial rule, maybe being generally outside the reach of direct Harkonnen violence (the Harkonnens don't even know they're there) makes the concepts of both oppression and liberation feel more abstract and more receptive to being filled in with Bene Gesserit mysticism. It seems absurd to want more from a movie that's nearly three hours long already...but I wanted more of this.
Still, I do think they managed to improve on a lot of things that frustrated me or are simply dated about the book, while keeping the political thriller/war drama/epic tragedy elements that I think are the heart of the story, and in some cases drawing them out more clearly and effectively than the book did. The best kind of book-to-film adaptation imo is one that has a strong point of view in terms of what the story is About, on a large-scale thematic level, and is not afraid to change individual elements of canon in service of telling that story the most effective way possible in a cinematic medium. While there are always things I want more of, I feel like Denis Villeneuve really, really understood the assignment in terms of the overarching themes of the the story and he delivered so fucking well.
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Text
Once upon a time when employees are being interviewed at SI:
.
.
Interviewer: So what is it like working for Iron Man?
Employee A: Oh! Easy question. I like that. It is an honor, you know. It's what I thought when I joined, and it still is now. But also, I did not expect that SI is a place where we are allowed to prioritize things like family. Like last time, I left my phone on silent at my desk cause I had to go to a meeting. My kid at home was having an emergency and I couldn't be reached. But apparently, Friday, Mr. Stark's AI, keeps track of phone vibrations so she made the report and someone came to notify me. I didn't even know there was a protocol for that. Turns out my daughter was having her period for the first time! And I'm a single father so I had no idea what to do and I was panicking. Next thing I know, an SI nurse came and apparently she was sent by Mr. Stark to walk me through how to help. Apparently, Fri also caught my panic rumblings and triggered 'YOU ARE NOT ALONE PROTOCOL' or something. (*laughing*) The next week, we received an official email introducing a new department called Human Care. They encourage everyone to reach out if we ever find ourselves out of our depths on non company emergency matters.
.
.
Interviewer: How long have you been working here?
Employee B: Eight years, two months, six days and counting.
Interviewer: What's the weirdest thing you've witnessed here?
Employee B: (blanks out)
Employee B (struggling to think): Ahm. Really? Just one? Er- That's a tough one. Maybe that one time they set up a room for everyone to try lifting Thor's hammer? Or wait, no, maybe that time there when flying roombas were everywhere following Mr. Stark and reminding him to eat? Or when a villain came via the vents but before he could come down, Hawkeye accidentally hit him with pepper spray? I don't know, man. Weird things happen a lot. We're used to it by now.
.
.
Interviewer: Do you feel safe working here?
Employee C: Yeah. The avengers live here. But to tell you the truth, I think Happy Hogan and his black tux team of agents scare all the potential bad guys away. I heard rumors that Black Widow personally trains them. Like, I know two of them. Jake, for instance. He's like a giant, and he is intimidating but I saw him crying one time and when I asked him why, he just said Mr. Hogan.
.
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Interviewer: Which avenger have you met?
Employee D: Oh, I've met two of them. Captain America and Thor. It was odd but one time, they were in the cafeteria and carrying trays of food and I do not mean just one each. Nope. Like, a ton! Like they're feeding an army. But it makes sense. Can you imagine the workout? With bodies like theirs? And the battles they go to? Man, if I have to save the world from aliens, I'll probably need the same nutrition.
.
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Interviewer: Which avenger is the kindest?
Employee E: Ahm...We all know they're all badass. But kindest, I think Spider-Man. Last Thursday, it was raining, and then Spidey suddenly came all wet and holding a box and I'm gonna quote him now. He said, "Friday, can you please ask Mr. Sam Wilson Falcon sir to come down? The shelter is close and I have a box of puppies and I really, really want to bring them up but Mr. Stark is gonna ban me from the lab again."
Interviewer: Aww. So what happened next? What did they do with the puppies?
Employee E (grinning): Falcon came down, alright. But he came with Iron Man who zoomed past everyone to drag Spidey to the penthouse. I am not sure what I heard but he was muttering about oven toasters and frozen spiderlings? In the end, aome employees volunteered to take care of them. But I believe two of them are at the avengers' floor. We saw Mr. Stark ranting about puppy paw paint marks on his armani.
Interviewer (gasps): Oh my. Was he mad?
Employee E (ends up laughing): Mad? Try grunting fondly? Peter really likes those puppies. Mr. Stark tried to act like he hates them but really, he adores everything about the kid, puppies included. He even had custom made collars with avengers logo made for them.
.
.
Interviewer: I'm sorry? The Winter Soldier was asking directions to where?
Employee F: The Lego Store.
.
.
Interviewer: How would you describe the workload? Do you still get work life balance?
Employee G: I guess it depends. I work in R&D and we're all nerds there. So like, we're typically busy but it's play for us. Some days, we're really cramped with work, mostly when deadlines are nearing or sometimes, we're just really in the zone, we do not want to stop. Peter activated 'NIGHT NIGHT PROTOCOL' for that. Had Fri lock us out of the lab and we had no choice but to go home or nap at the sleep wing. And would you believe? After the product launch, we got emails on mandatory vacation leaves with bonus to spend! Like, who does that? So yeah, it's cool working here.
.
.
And then, there was this:
Interviewer: How does it feel to be the heir of a multibillion dollar top green tech company?
Peter (stares quizzically, dumb-founded): Uhhh-....Look, sorry, I think I'm in the wrong room. I'm not- Maybe you got the wrong questionnaire? I'm just an intern-
Interviewer: Oh. Wait. Is it top secret then? Sorry, I was told of your identity as Mr. Stark's kid so I thought I could ask. But if you're not comfortable-
Peter: WHAT!?? Who said that? They're probably just joking.
Interviewer (chuckles nervously): Ms. Potts did actually.
Peter (freezes): Oh.
Suddenly the door opens and Tony walks in.
Tony: Hey kid, and Ms. Carrenland. How's the interview going? Thought I'd drop by for moral support, you know.
Peter (looks torn, but excuses himself to go to Tony): Uhm, Mr. Stark, can I talk to you for a second? Look, sir, ahm, I think there's been a misunderstanding. The interviewer asks me how it feels to be your heir. Like that's real. I don't-
Tony (has his brows rising to his hairline): Kid. Peter. Breathe.
Peter (groans and sighs embarrassingly): I just didn't want to lie! They mistook me for someone else. It was a misunderstanding!
Tony (smirking): It's really not.
Peter: What?
Tony: Kiddo, I was the one who gave Pep the approval to sign the questions. And really, you've been managing the R&D department and shadowing Pep at management for a year now. You never wondered why I make you do that?
Peter: Oh.
Tony: Yup. Genius child here.
Peter: I just wanted to help. You seem stressed out with the Avengers' work and dealing with the government. I thought I could lend a hand. I didn't- I don't expect you to- I'm not worth that, Mr. Stark.
Tony (scoffs): I beg to differ. Look, I'll be honest with you. Even if you aren't interested in the company, it's still gonna be yours. Look around you, kid. Do you think I let just anyone go around with a free pass at my tower? You have a room at my home. This place is your home, as where as everywhere else that I own. Plus, it's another motivation for you to take care of yourself when you go out as Spidey. Imagine all our employees. They need you, kiddo.
Peter (mumbling softly): I'm just Peter Parker.
Tony (smiles and pats his shoulder): And that is why I chose you.
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tsireyafilms · 1 year
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SULLY FAMILY HEADCANONS!!!
what if the sully family lived on earth?
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A/N: this was inspired by the people on tiktok that make those slideshows if u know what I’m talking about 😭 pls do not interpret this as something to be taken seriously I’m just having fun
summary: misc hcs of what the sully family would be like on earth doing silly human things etc
Warnings: none
NETEYAM
the golden child, just like in pandora
the most sane driver out of the family. passed his permit test with a 30/30. the dmv LOVES him
makes the best grades to impress jake. his ass has never gotten a grade below a B in his life. takes all AP classes and graduates with an honors diploma
tutors struggling students on the weekends
cleanest room ever
he is the mom friend. buys everything for everyone when hanging out, never expecting anything in return
he plans his outfits everyday before school and uses pinterest as inspo
drives the kids to school
works at mcdonalds (star employee, just trying to get the job done)
^ one time kiri came to visit him and made an absolute joke out of it “uhmmm you didn’t make this right..you are about to lose a customer!” neteyam got really embarrassed
LO’AK
opposite of neteyam
his only good grade is in p.e
neteyam caught him with a vape once and threw it out of a second story window
lo’ak tried to retrieve said vape and it did not work out
always getting himself involved in shit
one time jake had to escort him out of Walmart because he built a toilet paper fort and tried to stay there — he was not happy about that
has tsireyas name in his phone as “My Pookie Bear 😍😘” — entered that in ironically at first but now he’s not so sure
listens to childish gambino and tyler, the creator
works at subway (gets complaints at least once a week, on thin ice)
^ totally says “time to play Sandwich simulator” before clocking in
KIRI
shes a k-pop girlie (she told me herself)
loves plants. her room is filled with them
had a raging astrology phase in middle school (we are the same person)
has a letterboxd account - her favorite movie is juno
makes fun of lo’ak and tsireya in a lighthearted way .. “you guys are embarrassing”
avid fiona apple listener
has a crystal collection, does not let anyone else touch them
uses a pendulum to decide her test answers
wants to major in environmental science or psychology
works at earthbound
always rolls her eyes at teachers - however, has a soft spot for her english teachers
book reader - currently in a hunger games phase
TUK
constantly plays adopt me on roblox and scams the other players
tsireya lets her play around with snap filters and it’s so cute
loves caprisun
strictly watches Cartoon Network, loves the amazing world of gumball
the most popular girl in first grade
trades pop-its and other misc fidget toys with the kids in her class
LOVES 5-Below
NEYTIRI
wine mom
loves reality tv
has Facebook drama with ronal
^ has ronal BLOCKED
posts her kids accomplishments on fb “My sweet baby boy Neteyam made all A’s on his report card. Mom and dad are so proud ☺️💐❤️”
has a planet fitness membership and utilizes it every single day
she is an avid sade listener
forces the sullys to go on family walks every weekend
loves taking tuk to the zoo
JAKE
probably owns a truck. terrible road rage
enforces his kids to get jobs by the time they reach the age of 14
has an apron that says “kiss the cook 😘”
him and tonowari debate on who is better at grilling
country music fan :(
watches football
listens to podcasts while he drives and does not let anyone touch the radio
falls asleep on the recliner with his mouth open, tv BLASTING
if anyone wants a metkayina family version lmk !!
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coltermorning · 9 months
Text
Where Stubbornness Leads Pt. 1 (RDR2 Fanfic, Arthur Morgan x F!Reader, 18+)
Summary: Arthur has found himself offering his help to you time and again, even if you’re too proud to accept it. When Hosea sends the two of you on a score pretending to be a married couple, the reason for Arthur’s helping hand is revealed.
Author’s Notes: Part one of two. This one’s straight pining and fluff and can be read as a stand-alone piece if you prefer that over its more devious part two ;) Told from Arthur’s pov and takes place during chapter two in game.
Tags: Arthur Morgan x reader, high honor Arthur Morgan, mutual pining, fluff, eventual smut
AO3 Link
~
Where Stubbornness Leads
Word count: 5226
Part One
“Let me help.”
You glared at Arthur. He realized too late he was doing it again, offering a hand where it wasn’t wanted. He couldn’t help it—you were only a few weeks into joining the gang, and unlike all the other women who had joined, you had a tendency to take to chores that were better left to the men. Or so he thought.
“No,” you told him firmly, struggling to carry a hay bale to the horses. “I told you, I don’t need help.”
You were always claiming that. But there you were, carrying the thing by the strings because you couldn’t lift it from underneath. He knew how sharp those strings cut in from the weight of the bales and was willing to bet your hands were killing you. You ignored your pain anyway, choosing to spite him in favor of admitting defeat.
You reached the nearby trees and threw the bale down, lurching forward from the sudden loss of weight, catching yourself on the hay. Arthur felt a smile turn the corner of his mouth at your grit—the hulking thing had to be half your size.
You turned and eyed him, like you hoped he hadn’t seen that. “What are you looking at?”
He kept himself from smiling wider, only just. “Someone too stubborn for her own good.”
“I’m not stubborn,” you shot back, standing tall. Well, as tall as you could be considered. The effect was like a bunny standing its ground.
“You realize just saying that is stubborn, right?” He was unable to keep the smile at bay now.
“Why are you needling me? I’m only trying to help, and there you are at every turn, acting like I’m fragile as a bird, telling me I’m stubborn-”
“Because you are,” he added.
“Yeah, well so are you,” you shot back. That, he couldn’t well deny. He knew better, especially to try and deny it in front of you. So he let you be, resisting the urge to go get the second bale before you could reach it just to see what you would do about it.
“Fair enough,” he mumbled, keeping his laugh held in, heading back into camp.
This had all started when you tried carrying two heavy saddles over to their respective mounts at once on only your second day in camp. Arthur had stepped in to help, and your quick refusal had his amusement gluing him to the spot, watching you fumble them onto the horses all on your own. From then on, he felt it was his duty to offer his help on the off chance you felt overworked. He didn’t want all the chores to scare you off. But it had turned into a bit of a game with the pair of you, you doing things you and he both knew were too much for you, him nearly forcing whatever it was from your grip. You had stood your ground relentlessly, and he soon came to realize you would never take his help. Whether for pride or spite he wasn’t sure, but he found himself trying anyway. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe it had to do with the challenge in your eyes, the gleam in them every time he approached you. Whatever the cause, he found himself trailing you around camp more often than not. And it was this that got Hosea’s attention.
“Arthur!” he called out, waving him over. “I’ve found a lead, Arthur. And I need you and Y/N to work it together.”
“Y/N?” he responded, not liking bringing you into the line of fire so soon. “Why her?”
“You seem to have gotten to know her better than the rest of us, and I need an unfamiliar face for this job. A woman at that. You said you already took the other women into town a few days ago.”
“Not Molly,” Arthur offered. “Or Abigail.” Or Sadie. But Sadie was still in mourning, and he didn’t like the idea of bringing her on a score anymore than he did you.
“Yes, but Abigail needs to be here with Jack, and you remember what happened the last time you and Molly worked something together.” Arthur scowled, recalling when Molly had nearly blown their cover, too busy going on about Dutch.
“Yes,” Arthur muttered.
“Then Y/N it is. About time to test her grit, I say.”
“What is it? Ain’t too dangerous?”
Hosea’s face curved into a knowing smile. “Not unless you’re as terrible at cards as everyone seems to think you are.”
“Cards?”
“A poker tournament in Valentine. Stakes are high. I say we take a little of the winnings for ourselves.”
“Hosea, I just beat a man half to death in that town. Don’t think they’ll take too kindly to me forcing my way into a game.”
“That’s exactly why it has to be you. They won’t refuse you after winning a fight like the one I heard about. We need you, and someone holding you accountable.”
“I can handle a game of poker,” he said flatly.
“Sure,” Hosea said. “But, for sake of appearances, I think it best if you had a woman on your hip. Less chance for things to get heated.”
On his hip?
“And who knows? Maybe she’ll prove better at cards than you. That would certainly help our chances.” He laughed that wheezing laugh of his.
Arthur scoffed. “You really want my help or just felt like annoying me?”
“Why not both?” he said, and for the life of him, Arthur couldn’t help but snicker right back.
Hosea suggested Arthur let you in on the plan, but he quickly shot that down, not wanting to have to tell you what role you would be playing alongside him. He had a feeling you would refuse. So, Hosea let you in on it instead, and Arthur watched from afar as you eagerly agreed. You soon ambled up to him, looking smug.
“Seems I’m to be taken out on my first score,” you told him, crossing your arms in a taunt.
“I wouldn’t call it a score,” Arthur said. “Just a clean game of cards. That’s what you’re there to make sure of anyway.”
“Is it?” Your smile widened, a wicked-looking thing. “And here I thought I was to play wife so you keep your head.”
“Wife? Is that what Hosea told you?”
You snorted a laugh. “At least act like you know how to relation a woman.”
He felt his face heat, his embarrassment turning to anger. “I ain’t concerned with that,” he spat. “I’m concerned you’ll give us away.”
That wiped your smile away. “I can act the part just fine. It’s you that seems to have a problem with it.”
“Only because I know how you are. You can’t stand me being around you, so how the hell are we supposed to play married?”
“What did you think I was going to do, stand there and look pretty? Why would I be needed if that was the case?” That was a good point. He didn’t quite know what he had expected you to be doing. And before he could think of what to say to this, you interrupted with another snide smile. “Look sharp. I’ll be ready at seven, dear husband.”
He went red again, annoyed at himself over it. He was going to have to make a better show of this if it was going to be remotely believable.
Night eventually fell, and seven came sooner than Arthur was prepared for. How to act married to someone who only ever fought him at every turn? He was starting to think Hosea had done this on purpose just to distract him from poker, for he could act as sweet on you as was needed, but he had a feeling all it would do was annoy you. Dressed and heading for the horses, he wondered if the pair of you could even last an hour doing this. Ten minutes, even. It looked hopeless as it stood.
“Well, don’t you clean up nice,” said a voice at his back. He turned to see you wearing a dress that made him double take. You usually wore pants, the occasional dress here or there. This was neither. His gaze hung on the curves of it, how it hugged your body. Nothing like he had ever seen you in. “What do you think?” you said, turning so the deep red skirts spun back and forth.
“It uh…suits you.”
You stopping spinning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, give it a rest, will you?” he said, grinning. Your face gave way to the same.
Arthur made sure all was in order with the horses and wagon, and the pair of you were soon atop it, riding out of Horseshoe Overlook. You discussed a bit of strategy on the way, namely your backstory to be sure you were on the same page. The town of Valentine soon came into view, more crowded than usual, most people walking toward the saloon on the main road. Finding a good spot to park the wagon, Arthur brought it to a stop. He was a little nervous if he was being honest with himself. A good score he could handle, a long night of poker too, but he never was very good at acting a part. And yet, he found himself doing it time and again, Hosea always finding a way to swindle him into it. The only thing that kept him from thinking the night would be a total disaster was the town knowing his face after his fight with that big brute in the saloon. That tended to keep most people from asking too many questions.
After helping you down, letting you take his arm as you walked, Arthur noticed nearly everyone he passed turning their heads. He wasn’t sure if it was due to his bare-knuckle reputation or you on his arm. What a sight the pair of you likely made, him a trussed-up fool stuffed into somewhat decent clothing for once, you looking like something out of a storybook. In fact, the more he walked, the more he was sure it was both things turning heads—folk wondering how a man rough as him had ever won something with such refined grace. The irony of it wasn’t lost on him.
Stepping into the saloon, Arthur knew Hosea had planned this perfectly. For those who immediately took notice of him cleared out of the way, some whispering behind hands, a few muttering outright what state he had left Tommy in. It grated on his nerves a little, but it had the effect he was hoping for. When he stepped up to one of the tables now converted to a poker table in the back of the room, a seat was immediately offered to him.
“Here, sir,” a scrawny-looking man said, having trouble meeting his eye. The others already seated at the table glared at the man, like they wished he had offered the chair to anyone else. But Arthur sat, remembering his manners, letting you step behind him as another woman with her husband did across the table.
They all eyed him, the man to his left finding the courage to confront him. “You the man left Tommy in a right state?”
“Hey, he started it. And it ain’t no cause for worry besides. I can play nice.” He leaned in close to the man and said lowly, “Or my wife’ll have my head.”
This seemed to calm him some, but Arthur knew it would take convincing for these men to trust he wouldn’t beat them half to death over a bad hand.
Hosea was right again thinking having a woman with him would help. And you did well, not drawing too much attention to yourself but keeping a pleasant air about the table. When the game started and a few rounds came and went, he was surprised to feel your hands sliding over his shoulders, to hear your whispering voice in his ear. “He’s bluffing.”
Arthur kept his surprise at bay, daring a look at the only other man who hadn’t folded. He wanted to ask how you knew but couldn’t give himself away, so he took a chance and made a bigger bet. Cards were laid out, and it paid off. He won.
He turned to where you still hovered by his ear and muttered, “Thanks, darlin’.” You gave his shoulders a small squeeze, and Arthur felt his heart give a happy kick in return. He ignored it, knowing this was all for show and reminding his heartbeat of the same.
You didn’t pitch in often, but what little advice you had was always spot on, and Arthur’s pile of chips was soon building high. Lucky Hosea had thought to bring you in, really. He was only ever average at best playing poker, bets too big and bluffs too noticeable. He soon realized that was the flaw in his strategy—he played for himself when he should have been watching the other men at the table like you were. When two men busted out, leaving three others and Arthur, he started leaning into you for advice every hand, losing very few when he did.
“Hey, you play your own game or sit her at the table,” one of the men said bitterly, his pile of chips running pitifully low. Arthur only had to shoot him a sharp look to shut him right up.
The night wore on, and Arthur was soon left with only one opponent, the money he had won substantial. The only problem was that he was beginning to lose it, the other man either very good or very lucky. Even your advice wasn’t helping to win, only to keep from losing too much. Finally, when you whispered, “Call it,” Arthur knew you weren’t talking about matching a bet. He wouldn’t have ever thought of leaving the table if you hadn’t been there, would have just kept on playing until he busted. He knew then Hosea had been right in thinking you would help him keep his head.
He hesitated, wanting to win one more hand.
“Arthur,” you warned. But he did it anyway, matching a particularly high bet. You brought your hands away, obviously annoyed, and he hoped like hell the cards would land in his favor for it. The turn proved unhelpful and the river even worse—he didn’t have a thing. “Fold,” you hissed, as his opponent had raised the bet even higher. Arthur debated it. You could obviously read the man well, but how was he to win and get a seat in the next game, the game where all the money was, if he folded now?
He raised the bet and placed his cards face-up. He thought he heard you curse under your breath behind him. The other man smiled and matched the bet, showing his cards—he had a straight.
“Damn it,” Arthur said, slamming his fist on the table enough to make the chips shake. He had just lost twenty dollars. Watching the other man rake in his winnings, avoiding his eye after his small bout of violence, Arthur finally heeded your advice. He stood. “I’m taking my money and my pride while I still got some.”
“Probably for the best, dear,” he heard, your hand finding his arm and giving him a reassuring squeeze. He looked to you and again felt his gaze catch—he was standing close enough now to notice the red on your lips, the slight color high on your cheekbones. You had really leaned into your role, looking the part so well that he found himself unable to tear his eyes away.
“Here’s your money, sir,” said a voice from behind him. He hesitated a moment too long, you raising an eyebrow at the way he stared.
“Uh, thanks,” he said, rounding quickly to cover his blunder. He had still won a fair amount, knowing Hosea would be happy with him and even happier with you for not allowing him to lose it all.
With that, he offered his arm to you again. “Back home then?”
You shot him a smirk and took his arm, pulling him to the bar. “May as well enjoy ourselves a little. Home can wait.”
You were soon making him buy you whiskey with his winnings, eating through a few bucks with ease when he joined you in it. When you asked for yet another shot, it was him raising his eyebrow this time. “You trying to drown out the thought of being married to me?” he asked with a grin.
“The thought of your stubbornness, more like, losing that last hand.” The next glass was set down in front of you and you threw it back without hesitation.
“Yes, I’m a proper fool. But take it easy or you’ll blow our cover.”
You set the glass down, staring at it a moment. “Ain’t so proper for a married woman to be doing this, is it?”
Arthur shrugged. “Maybe. I ain’t quite the right man to ask.”
You laughed lowly. “I guess not.” Then, “Let’s go home, take the long way around. I need some time away.”
His gaze had fallen to your mouth again. Luckily, you didn’t notice, too busy straightening the lapels of his coat. It was an intimate gesture, domestic enough to make his chest hitch at the feeling that ran through him—longing for that life. For someone to care enough to straighten his clothes. The thought of settling down often plagued him, what with all that business with Mary and what he could have given Eliza and Isaac. But it hadn’t worked before and it wouldn’t work now, and your hands were soon falling away, and the moment was gone before it even began. Nothing but a facade, like looking in on someone else’s life through the outside window, never his to grasp.
Realizing he was still staring at your mouth through his moment of longing, he met your eyes and turned away just as fast, knowing he had shown you a part of himself he hadn’t meant to by the way you stared just as frankly.
“Come on then,” he mumbled, letting you loop your arm through his and leading you out.
Thankfully, you were silent for the walk back to the wagon. He helped you up, his hands on your hips making him feel something he didn’t know how to feel. Not now. It was only when he was back on the wagon pulling the horses into the street that you spoke, bringing him out of his reverie.
“I think I did okay, don’t you? Gonna put in a good word for me with Hosea?”
There it was—the truth that it had all been a ruse to you. That what he had felt when he was so near you didn’t hold weight, didn’t matter.
“Sure,” he said, trying hard to keep his feelings out of his voice. Then, to get back to something resembling normal with you, “And where’s all this compliance been the whole time? Here I thought you couldn’t go two minutes without an argument.”
“Oh, hush. Just be glad I chose not to. Some wives argue just as much with their husbands as I do with you, you know.”
He felt one side of his mouth tug upward at the comparison. “I guess so. Just seems you’re going against your nature, not running your mouth at me.”
“Trust me, there were plenty of times I wanted to,” you shot back. “Who knew you were such shit at cards?”
He turned to argue, but you were smiling so devilishly at him that he knew better than to reply. He instead settled in his seat, keeping the horses pointed toward the path out of town, dead silent.
“Oh, real mature,” you teased, giving him a small shove. “Admit it, Arthur. You love arguing just as much as I do.”
“I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t wrong so often.” You hit him this time. “It’s true,” he said on a laugh. “You’re too stubborn to accept that I’m right more often than not.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am.” He was grinning now, especially when he saw how worked up you were getting.
You turned away, making a point to cross your arms and turn your nose up.
“Now who’s mature?” he asked, poking you in the side. You jerked away and swatted at him, smiling despite yourself.
“You- big- annoying- bastard,” you said between swats.
“You know you love me.” He said the words before he could think to stop himself.
Hoping this hadn’t come on as too strong, he peeked at you to gauge your reaction. You were turned around again, arms crossed once more. Thank the lord. That is, until you mumbled, “I do, and it makes me hate you even more.”
Arthur’s heart started racing. Surely he hadn’t heard that right. “What was that?” he asked, playful but careful.
“You heard me,” you snapped, still turned away.
“Sorry, I didn’t.”
You spun on the wagon seat with enough force to send the thing rocking. “I said I do like you, but it makes me so mad that I do because of that stupid, smug look on your face.”
“That’s not what you said.”
“Excuse me?”
Arthur’s grin was wide, his heart still kicking a wild pace as he taunted, “You said you love me.”
To his shock, you blushed so deep he could see it in the moonlight. Then, sputtering, “I don’t- I didn’t-”
“Oh yes you did.”
You threw your hands up in defeat. “You’re impossible!” And he couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped him, nor the feeling that bloomed in his chest when you turned silent again, never denying it.
The pair of you remained in silence as he took the long way like you suggested, down by the river. You were still fuming, refusing to look at him as he took in the nighttime scenery. It was pleasant and peaceful, but he couldn’t stop stealing glances at you. He suddenly wanted to know your innermost thoughts with a desperation that ate at him. He was consumed by the thought of you feeling anything remotely friendly toward him, much less anything that made you blush like that. He had never seen that out of you. And he started going over every interaction between you in his head, wondering if there was something he had missed. Maybe you had been seeking out his company on purpose, doing chores you knew would draw his attention. Maybe that constant challenge in your eye wasn’t what drew him but something much, much deeper, and he had been too much of a fool to see it.
“Fine night,” he said, breaking the silence. A pointless thing to say, really, but his thoughts were driving him insane. He needed something to cling onto besides the thought of you.
You gave a high, “Hm,” with nose still upturned.
He snickered. “You still mad then? Over me winning an argument?”
“You didn’t win-” You turned to him and saw the smile lighting his face. “Oh, for god’s sake.”
“What?” he pushed.
“You!”
“What about me?”
You huffed out a breath in annoyance. “You’re just trying to get a rise out of me. I won’t fall for it.”
“I ain’t trying to get a rise out of you.”
“Yes you are! It’s all you ever do, following me around camp all day, treating me like a wisp of a thing.”
“That’s not why I-”
“Really?” you interrupted. “Tell me then, why do you do it? Why treat me like I can’t do anything myself?”
The answer to that had just occurred to him, and it most certainly wasn’t something he was willing to speak aloud just yet. He hesitated.
“See?” you said. “Even you know deep down, that’s what you’re doing.”
“No it ain’t.”
“Then what?” You rounded on him, your usual temper taking hold. Only, he didn’t know what to say now that wouldn’t give him away.
He cleared his throat. “I just want to help. You’re new is all.”
“See, that’s what you’re always claiming. I don’t believe it for a second.”
“Why?” he said, trying desperately to cover up what he really felt.
“Because of the way you look at me when you walk up all smug, like you think it’s so damn funny I’m trying to do whatever it is I’m doing.”
“That’s not what-” He stopped himself. This was getting dangerously close to what he didn’t want to admit.
His sudden silence drew your attention. And, your voice changing to that of amused curiosity, “What is it, Arthur?”
“Ain’t nothing,” he mumbled, giving the reins a switch. He needed to be back in camp, out from under this conversation. The sooner the better.
“Tell me,” you insisted.
He shook his head. “What part of ‘ain’t nothing’ don’t you understand?”
He dared a glance at you. Your smile was feline. “Why’s your face all red then?”
Shit. He didn’t realize—didn’t have his hat to hide behind.
“Don’t know what you’re talking ‘bout,” he muttered.
“Big, tough Arthur, all flustered.”
“Shut up,” he said, and with a laugh, you nudged against his shoulder with your own. But to his amazement, you dropped it, not saying another word.
Quickly taking you up on the respite, he changed the subject. “How’d you like your first outing then? As a Van der Linde?”
“It was fun,” you admitted. “Glad to get to play cards and get under your skin all at once.” He felt his face heat this time, remembering how you had caught him staring back in the saloon. Twice.
“Of course you are,” he muttered.
Going on about some of the hands he’d gotten in poker, you carried the conversation. He was glad for it. He couldn’t very well focus when his thoughts were on your mouth again.
Finally, thankfully, the path back to camp gave way to the familiar woods hiding the overlook. Arthur was moments away from escaping you, being able to breathe again and get his mind right, when you placed a hand on his chest.
“Stop here.”
Confused, he hesitated a moment then pulled up short, the horses stopping obediently. He looked down at you, wondering why you’d asked such a thing. You seemed…nervous. It made Arthur’s heart race, and he was wholly glad you had just taken your hand away from his chest lest you feel it pounding beneath your fingers.
“I…” you started, not meeting his eye. “I wanted to ask…”
You hesitated so long he spoke. “What is it?”
You shook your head and let out a small laugh. “I may be completely mistaken but…” Each word was slow, pulled apart like you were forcing yourself to utter them. You looked at him then, open and honest for the first time, entirely too close to him. “Back in the saloon. You’re either damn good at playing husband or…”
Arthur knew where this was going. He felt his heart pick up its pace more still.
“Or that look you gave me meant what I think it did,” you finished, staring at him. Your breathing had quickened. So had his. He debated whether to admit what he felt or not. He wanted to. Christ, did he want to. But he didn’t know how it would be received.
He took the look you were giving him now to mean the same as his in the saloon had and responded lowly, “And if it did?”
You stared, your eyes flicking back and forth between his. He was holding his breath now, his heart thundering. He thought of kissing you but didn’t, wanting to know how you felt. So he sat there silently until, finally, in a voice so quiet he could barely hear the words, “Then I’d say we’re both stubborn fools.”
Your gaze landed on his mouth. And, doing what he had wanted to do for longer than he cared to admit, Arthur leaned over and kissed you.
All thought of you not wanting him like this melted away the second your lips met—you were gentle yet sure against him. Perfect. Everything he had dreamed. His mind went blank a moment before he remembered himself and his manners. Though it took everything in him to do it, he pulled away.
He watched a small smile light your face before you looked down at your hands, nervous once more. It was a strange-looking thing on you—he only ever knew smugness or stubbornness aimed at him. Not this. He certainly hadn’t expected this.
“That…what you want?” he asked quietly, like any louder would shatter the moment.
You nodded. “Wanted it for a while. I thought it was pity keeping you around though, not this. Then I saw how you looked at me tonight and figured I had to try.”
His chest felt like it would cave in at the thought of you believing he only sought you out for pity. And the timid look on your face now, the nerves he could see plain as day…he couldn’t have that. He placed his hand under you chin and lifted your face to look at him.
“Sweetheart, it weren’t pity. It weren’t ever pity.” You gave him a smile so genuine it made the side of his own mouth tug upward in return. “Just took me too long to admit it to myself.”
He leaned in and kissed you again, unable to resist. Slower this time, reveling in the fact that you felt this way toward him.
You pulled away after a moment, that usual spark back in your eye. “So it was your stubbornness keeping this from happening?”
He smirked. “You said it yourself, we were both stubborn fools. Blind idiots.”
“You calling me an idiot?”
His kissed the grin right off your mouth before pulling away, taking the reins back in both hands, urging the horses forward again.
“Now I know how to shut you up.”
You swatted him and laughed, the sound a pretty thing in the night. “Maybe I’ll argue more often then, see what it gets me.”
Arthur felt the heat cross his face but chuckled anyway, happy like he hadn’t been in a long time.
The pair of you got back and parted ways with knowing looks and matching grins. When Arthur was almost back to his tent, Hosea called over to him.
“How’d it go?”
After what had just happened, Arthur had clean forgotten about the poker game.
“It uh, went well. Got enough money to make it all worth it.”
“And Y/N?”
Arthur looked over at you where you had sat with the other girls, talking animatedly, no doubt describing his poor poker skills. He tried his best to keep the smile off his face. To no avail.
“She’ll fit in just fine. Kept me in line, at least.”
“That’s saying something,” Hosea said. And when Arthur met his eye, the gleam in them, he wondered for the first time whether Hosea had recognized something that made him send the pair of you off together in the first place, playing married. Arthur shook his head in amused disbelief, making for his wagon. The damn conniving sneak.
_________
Part two is here.
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Arthur Morgan x Reader angst
Reader does not know where they belong amongst the gang. Or at all, really.
Warnings: super angsty, Micah Bell, reader is genuinely miserable, Arthur x reader if u squint, outlaws n shit!!! Ambiguous gender, reader falls for Micah's assholery, Micah is sexist asf,
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listen while you read?:
Whenever Arthur rushed to his tent, you always knew it was because he'd received a special little letter. You haven't run with the gang for long, but you've been there long enough to know that the sulky man was only ever excited by one of two things: a big fish and Mary Linton. You didn't blame him, honestly. Serving as the camp's workhorse, he had little time to himself. When he did have time, he'd go on some love-struck search for his missing half. Though it'd been years since she'd sent him a letter, it seemed like she'd find some way to follow them everywhere. It was impossible, of course, since she had no way of knowing where they'd move, but she always managed to show up close to camp. At least close enough to get him to drop his workload and come to her aid.
You knew all this solely because you had a habit of watching. It wasn't really a bad habit, considering that you'd never dared to take a peek at anyone in their tent. It was just that—a habit. Or, perhaps, a part of your nature. It was something comfortable that you did even before your time in the gang. As a teenager, you'd sit outside the general store and just observe. You were too old to go to school yet too young to go inside any of the stores on your own, so you busied yourself with pretending to be a viewer. You'd spot many things: a man riding in with a bounty, a pair of women talking about the latest perfumes, or a dog jumping around in the mud. You'd always wanted to do those things, too, but never had the courage to get out of your spot.
Then came Dutch Van Der Linde, a man who'd seen that, despite your inactivity, you were far more capable than you let on. Though you weren't a great shot like his right-hand man, you weren't utterly terrible like Sean. Your words were clumsy and awkward, but you always finished your sentences. That was one thing he seemed to like about you: that you would always finish what you started, regardless of how badly you'd mess up.
Or maybe he just liked that you were a follower, regardless of how things ended up.
Nonetheless, he allowed you to stick around his gang, and you'd get things done. Though not without struggle at first, one of which would always embarrass you no matter how many times anyone thanked you for your effort. Even if you managed to feel good about your work, one back-handed compliment from Micah would send you right back to your tent with a shameful feeling in your gut. You'd often end up watching Arthur, your usual savior, spit some venomous words on your behalf, like he'd been the berated one. That's what made Arthur a saint in your eyes. Despite being a murderer, he managed to be good and do good things when he could. Even if he denied such things, it made him all the better in your eyes. It showed that he did not do good things for praise, but because he could.
You'd never be like Arthur, no matter how many times you'd observe him and try to pick apart the things that he did. He was a rare kind of man. Maybe he wasn't even a man at all, but perhaps an angel who fell from heaven. That was considerably more plausible to you since no other man had yet to even reach his near-impossible status of honorable degeneracy. So, you settled for just watching him. Listening to him. Living through him. Wanting him and wanting to be him.
Arthur, unsurprisingly, wasn't the only person to catch your eye. There were many like-minded men and women in camp who agreed with and admired Arthur, just like yourself. Though, unlike you, they'd actually work for his attention. Young Lenny was often Arthur's first choice of partner. You didn't understand why, considering that Lenny spent the majority of his time reading, until you'd actually had the opportunity to see him in action. He fought hard and got the job done, like a true outlaw.
He was a no-nonsense kind of kid, which Arthur seemed to value. Not long after Colter did they become closer. Brothers. Not brothers, as in two boys growing up together or being related biologically, but brothers who learn from each other. You'd always wanted to be as effortlessly balanced as Lenny. Sophisticated in your own right, but willing to get your hands dirty with no fuss. A perfect brother. You were anything but that. It was true that you, too, would get things done. However, you possessed a far less methodical mind. You were too scatterbrained to finish things in one go and too finicky to be a perfect brother. Far too abnormal to amount to being anything like Lenny Summers, and yet you were older than him.
Age didn't seem to matter when it concerned your abilities, though. No matter how young or old you were, there would always be someone better. Whether it were being better at being thirteen or thirty-two, they'd beat you in a heartbeat no matter your true age.
Abigail Roberts was your favorite example to bring up. She'd always been a very mature woman, even in the face of her husband, John Marston, a grown man who acted like a fifteen-year-old boy when faced with the consequences of his own actions. While there were many women in unfortunate circumstances like her, she did what she could to make life good for her son. Many, including her stubborn husband, considered her a camp leech now that she was no longer of use. Which you despised. Abigail was so much more than people let on. Beautiful, graceful, smart, and most importantly, a loving mother.
She's had her ups and downs and continues to, but the most impactful thing she ever achieved in life was Jack. A sweet, curious little boy with a newfound obsession for the Knights of the Round Table. He was, in every way, the soft spot of the camp. It's ridiculous to admit, but you were envious of both of them. You wanted to be a virtuous parent like Abigail, too. To be able to cultivate your legacy in a purely determined manner and retain your glory despite having given life only four years ago. However, you also wanted the reboot given to little Jack, too. A fresh start to a new life. The funny little possibility of growing up to be the first great knight of West Elizabeth.
You'd never amount to anything close, though. And you knew it. Even Micah Bell, an utterly disgusting and hateful excuse for a man, achieved far greater than you. So much so that he felt like your presence at camp was the most useless of them all. Below the women, who he claimed were just mouths to feed and fuck; below the drunkards, who acted as breathing furniture; and below little Jack, a child so defenseless that he could be lured away in the middle of the night and nobody would be any wiser.
You never truly discouraged him because he was the only one to tell the truth about you. Unlike everyone else in camp, who had so much ahead of them and so many tales for future generations of children to play pretend with, you would not be remembered in a jovial manner. Your life would never, no matter how hard you tried, be anything other than an allegory of shame and failure.
A/N: I just woke up and wrote this for some obscure reason that I don't even know. 😋 I hope yall like it, tho. Let me know if yall like the 'listen while you read' !!
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deathmetalunicorn1 · 8 months
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If you don't mind Can i request a yandere RoR with a fighter reader that ate the luck luck fruit? Its featured in a one piece movie and it basically steals a person's luck. What would the characters both gods and humans react if the reader who just stand there while the god that they are fighting flails due to the fact that they stole their luck and is basically failing to attack them
Had to look this one up since it wasn’t a part of the actual series but in one of the movies, as I don’t really know the movies :P
-When you were alive you had the great luck of eating the actual Luck-Luck Fruit, which gave you the ability of stealing and blessing luck from those you deemed worthy, even increasing your own luck.
-You lived a lavish life, thanks to a couple of lucky wins in lotteries, never having to struggle to survive and you helped others, giving those who needed it, like money and supplies.
-You had a strong honor code, being a fighter, having been training since you were a child, and you were a powerful warrior before you ate your Devil Fruit, so you became even stronger when you used your abilities to train without getting hurt.
-You died willingly, choosing to die for another, a young mother and her child, leaving your wealth to them so they could live happy and safe lives.
-In Valhalla, many didn’t believe you were a warrior, until you kicked their asses, doing so without your abilities, just to prove a point and you gained not only the respect but the admiration of many others who were impressed with your combat skills.
-Not many knew of your ability to take luck from others, but you could give it back just as easily, you usually did it to humble cocky warriors and gods, letting them get humbled before giving their luck back.
-Brunnhilde asked you to fight for humanity and you agreed, planning on a mostly fair fight, giving yourself a boost on your luck, but when you walked out and your opponent was a cocky god, saying you and other humans were beneath him and that he would spare you if you got on your hands and knees and kissed his boots.
-Your hands began to glow, your anger very apparent and he was stunned when nothing happened when you touched him with your glowing hands. He was a bit confused, wanting to know what you had done before he tripped over his own two feet, landing face first in the dirt.
-Many laughed at him, and when he got up to put you in your place, he couldn’t touch you, his weapons broke, his pants ripped in the ass, he fell multiple times, and nobody could understand why he was so unlucky now!!
-You smirked as he shouted at you, realizing he had done something and you smirked, your hands glowing brightly, “It’s amazing what can happen with just a little luck~”
-Heimdall was then able to tell what you had done, as you used your, very legal as you came to Valhalla with it, Devil Fruit ability, outing your skill that you had stolen this bastard’s luck.
-You won easily, walking away while flicking his luck back on to him as he was disappearing, “I didn’t need it- I was going to win anyway- you’re too cocky!”
-Your other warrior friends like Hercules and Lu Bu were in awe of your skills, asking if you used your abilities when you fought against them but you just grinned, “Nope! I like to fight fair- especially in exciting fights! I only use it when dealing with assholes like that!”
-They both roared with laughter before inviting you to join the party the former fighters, most of them, were enjoying together, as nobody had died, just losing and being sent to the infirmary.
-You greeted the others who all celebrated your win, taking a mug of ale from Thor who asked you about your abilities and you grinned, happy to explain them- as it was more fun when others underestimated you in combat, wanting more of a challenge in your future battles.
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