#please. she’d rather let them starve than actually be a MOTHER

[neilperrydeservedbetter1959]

idk i just really feel like the black brothers were iron deficient

#it would explain so much #pale as fuck? iron deficiency. #mood swings? iron deficiency. #irritability? iron deficiency. #anxiety and paranoia? iron deficiency. (other than their family trauma) #depression? iron deficiency definitely wasn’t helping. #psychological distress? iron deficiency. #other mental health problems and disorders such as ADHD? iron deficiency causes an increased risk in having them. #i mean come on #you know those kids weren’t given proper nutrition #like can you ​imagine walburga and kreacher with a food pyramid chart? #please. she’d rather let them starve than actually be a MOTHER #the black brothers #sirius black #regulus black #harry potter #the marauders #james & peter & remus & sirius #james potter #remus lupin #marauders #peter pettigrew #wolfstar #jegulus #walburga's a+ parenting

[augustinewrites]

for @missmeinyourbones bcs you always say kind things to me!! thank you <3

back when dabi was still touya, he loved watching romantic comedies. 

whenever her shitbag husband was out on an overnight mission, rei would put them on after she’d tucked them all into bed. …or at least she thought she did. because he and fuyumi would sneak out of bed, peeking into the living room from the hall anyway.

once in a while he thinks about it. thinks about the way his mother would let them sit with her, and the way he and fuyumi would giggle when the couple on the screen kissed, and no one reached around to cover their eyes. (but thinking about this brings back that dull ache between his ribs, which is why he doesn’t do it often.)

what he does think about often are the couples on the screen. about the awful clichés and predictable plots. the lovesick schmuck in a suit that’s fresh off a boring 9 to 5, flowers in hand to take his love interest to dinner. 

(thinking back, there was probably a reason for the genre his mom chose, but unpacking all of that would require the help of a shrink he didn’t have the dough to see).

he’s only been thinking about these couples often because of, well, you. if this were a movie, he’d say it was fate that led him to get stabbed and promptly pass out in an alley close to your hospital. you’d nurse him back to health in your cute apartment, saving his life and domesticating him in the process. 

but this wasn’t a movie. and even though you’d saved his life, all he'd done to repay you was bleed all over your rug and steal the change on your counter before jumping out the window. 

and you must have been all kinds of desperate, because when he put his hands into his coat pocket he'd found your number written on a slip of paper.

just in case, you'd written.

he stole a burner phone the next day and, like the couples on the tv say, the rest was history.

you were like a bad habit, because he swore every night he went to see you was supposed to be his last. you were so damn annoying, asking him shit like how his day went and if he'd eaten. offering to wash his clothes like some sort of pervert.

but then he’d tell you he was exhausted and starving from all the felonies he’d committed and you’d let him sleep on your couch. then he’d dip out the next morning with his clothes smelling like freesia or some shit he’d rather die than admit he kinda liked.

and eventually…he was okay with it. okay with you and this stupid love you’d dragged him into. you let him come and go as he pleased, the latch on your window always unlocked just for him, cause no matter what, he always came back. 

but everything is fucked. this city is fucked and this country is fucked, and dabi’s hiding out on the fire escape when you join him.

your shoulder brushes his as you sit next to him on the step, and he doesn’t have to look to know you’ve got that big frown downturning your lips. it’s far from the first fight the two of you have had since starting this…relationship, but it’s the first time he can safely say he’s not sure you’ll bother wanting to salvage it. 

(he thinks that after every fight, actually. but you seem to have this endless patience for him that he doesn’t understand nor deserve.)

hugging your knees to your chest, you ask, “are you going to leave?”

“yeah.” 

“are you coming back this time?” you ask quietly. 

“don’t know,” he shrugs.

you don’t say anything for a long while and neither does dabi. he should just leave, ditch you out on your fire escape and fuck off somewhere into the city. maybe he’d get shitfaced enough to crash at the league’s hideout, or maybe he’d blackmail birdbrain into letting him get shitfaced at his place then crash on his ridiculously expensive couch. he’ll figure it out later.

it’d certainly be easier to leave and figure it out if you yelled and swore, maybe even slapped him a little. 

you don’t do any of those things though, because anger isn’t embedded in your dna like it is in his. instead you give him a look that’s half-pity, half-disappointment, and it stings all the same.

“you always do this,” you sigh, staring straight ahead at the flickering city lights. “whenever this happens, you refuse to talk about it after. and– and when i try to give you space to figure your stuff out…you run.” 

you don’t say it angrily, like you’d be within your right to be. you say it…softly. tiredly. you’re not trying to antagonize him, just stating a fact, and it makes him feel shittier.

“well, ‘s not like ya need me around anyway,” he shrugs. 

you look at him this time, “of course i don’t need you.” 

dabi had said it first, but hearing you say it hurt, strangely. like a faint touch upon a fresh bruise. 

but you’re not done, listing things off on your fingers. “you don’t pay rent, you eat all my groceries, you track your dirty boots through my living room, and i don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but you are a wanted criminal, you know.” 

he chuckles at that. it’s only very slightly, but it makes you break into a smile. “jeez, babe. you sure know how to pick ‘em.” 

“i know,” you hum, nudging his knee with yours. “but that’s my point. i don’t need you. but we– i want you anyway.” 

you offer him your hand, palm upturned, and for a second he doesn’t want to run. he wants to take your hand and let you guide him back inside. wants to cuddle with you in your too-soft bed with all your blankets and the stuffed animals he'd stolen for you.

then he sees the recently patched up burn on your wrist and he’s reminded that he’s stupid. stupid for thinking he could ever have anything past…this with you. 

you follow his gaze, pulling your sleeve down quickly as you murmur, “it was an accident.” 

he’d been running hot. hot like he always did when you fought. then you’d turned away and he’d reached for you, forgetting.

it was an accident, yeah, but you don’t deserve it. 

you want him. but you deserve the schmuck in the suit  who can help you pay rent and buy groceries. 

so he decides that this is the last night. he lets you guide him to bed, and once you’ve fallen asleep, he eases his arm out from under your head to pull the covers up to your chin.  

sometimes his heart is so big that he can’t stand it. he’s letting you go. you’re better off without him—

but you catch his hand as he’s about to slip out of bed, unflinching as your thumb brushes across cool metal. 

“stay,” you murmur, eyes slowly blinking open to peer at him in the darkness. 

“i can’t,” he mutters, averting his gaze from yours.

“stay,” you say a little more firmly this time. “or i swear to god i’m going to call your mother.”

he rolls his eyes, choosing to indulge you one last time (he does not take your threat lightly, either). he lets you plant kisses up the column of his throat and rest you he’d on his chest. but it’s just until he’s sure your out cold, then he’s definitely gone. he’ll be out the window and out of your hair—

“i love you, touya,” you whisper. 

“yeah, whatever, you brat,” he grunts, but he places his hand over yours, turning his head to the side to press a kiss to your forehead before murmuring the words against your skin.

#bnha x reader #dabi x reader #dabi fic #dabi fluff #bnha x you

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Request: How ATLA and LOK characters act when you're cuddly and playful

Katara - Finds it sweet and blushes

 Katara loves any type of affection and kindness so she'd adore a partner who liked cuddles. The playful side she could take or leave but affection would really be her love language. She'd also be very reciprocating so if she sees her partner making an effort with her you best believe she's going to do the same back and shower them with love and care.

Also, our girl's been through some things and basically had to step up and be the support system of her family at the age of 8 due to general sexism so I think she'd really like not having to be the one doing all the caring in a relationship. She can just be looked after and allowed to be weak for once. I actually think it would be very therapeutic for her and she'd feel such a release to know she has someone who will carry all of that with her.  

Sokka - Mocks you for it

Sokka has this thing about acting older than he is right? So I think he'd call you childish for wanting to playfight or cuddle with him and he'd totally mock you anytime you asked him to ESPECIALLY if he was in front of the others. However when you're alone he'd slyly snuggle closer to you or sit practically on top of you until you noticed him and initiated contact in some way. Then of course you’d tease him back. 

"I thought you said it was babyish to want to cuddle huh? Not what established warriors do". 

"I know, I was wrong now please just spoon me woman!".

Then he’d just get to the stage where he admits he likes affection and there’s nothing unmanly about that. A full-on speech in front of everyone making it a bigger deal than it has to be and everyone’s just like “yeah we all like cuddles too” but you’re still proud of Sokka anyways. 

Azula - Pretends to hate it but loves it sm.

Similar to Sokka, Azula is not someone who would admit she likes affection. Due to her upbringing she just associates it with weakness and that instinct is hard to shake. With you she tries to keep this act up but it slips away very quickly. At first she’d very much resist any sort of physical affection because she doesn’t know how to say she likes it.

"Eugh you know it's the middle of the summer don't you? Why are you trying to cuddle me?" Azula groaned. 

“Because you’re so cute...but I can move away if you want”. 

“No you’ve already messed up my cushions so you might as well stay”. 

“No if you hate it so much I’ll just move” you smiled back teasingly when Azula catches your hand and sighed.

“Stay...please. I mean if you want...”.  

Then it quickly becomes her safe space. Given the lack of love and affection from her mother, father and uncle Azula is a lot more touch starved than Zuko so being held and physically affectionate would actually grow to be something she craves. She feels safe and loved in your arms and all her ego just melts away leaving the wonderful Princess Azula. She’d let herself be vulnerable with you and through this realises being weak isn’t actually a bad thing. 

Zuko - Would be terrified at first and then love it

Zuko is not the best person with words, we've all seen his "Zuko here" moment and the countless other times he said the wrong thing. So I think he'd secretly really like his partner being cuddly and playful because 1. it reassures him that you love and care for him which he needs after having Ozai as a parent. 2. because it gives him a way to non-verbally express how he feels. 

Instead of fumbling over his words to tell you how nice you look he can just take your hand instead. Rather than trying to explain how he worries he's not good enough he can just snuggle up against your side and close his eyes. 

Of course at first he’d just panic and go into overthinking Zuko mode wondering how much affection he’s supposed to show back, are his hands sweaty, is he making too much eye contact, is he making too little eye contact etc until one day it just clicks. 

From then on he would use it as his love language and he would LOVEEE that his partner is so comfortable with it and likes to initiate it. It would in turn give Zuko the confidence to initiate things and show physical signs of his affection. 

Basically I think Zuko would adore this which is made even more adorable due to his moody emotional persona. 

Mai - Hates it

There's no getting around this one. Mai is not a touchy, cuddly, playful kind of person and there’s nothing wrong with that! 

However I do think opposites attract so that's exactly the type of girlfriend she'd end up with (Ty lee anyone?). Therefore Mai would 100% know what she's getting herself into and honestly I think you'd find a balance with it. 

At first she'd be like why does she want to hold my hand every time we walk down the street but then she'd absentmindedly find herself reaching for you in a crowded party and enjoying the reassurance it brings her. 

Importantly you'd also change for her and learn to read Mai's body language and give her space when she's in her "nobody fucking touch me" mood. You’d be the type of couple with very healthy boundaries and independence. 

I also think because Mai is less playful having a cuddly partner would really bring out another side to her and soften her up a little. Man I'd love to see more soft Mai, we were robbed of perfection.

Ty lee - Is just playful and affectionate right back but x10 as much

So Ty lee is ripped right? I mean she's basically a professional gymnast so her core and muscles are no joke. Therefore I feel like whenever you're being playful with her or messing around she's used her skills against you and just love it. 

She could easily flip herself out of a hug so she was the big spoon or twirl out of your arms and tug you into hers. She'd love to do this just so she can make you laugh, smile or even better blush. Ty lee sometimes gets written off as being very childlike and innocent but I think she's got a cheekier side, I mean she did grow up with Mai and Azula!  

I also think Ty lee would know exactly how to hold someone based on her chi blocking experience. She'd know what pressure to apply to different parts of the body and how she could best make you comfortable so she'd be an excellent person to cuddle with.  

Suki - So sophisticated she always makes you melt

In my mind Suki just has life figured out so as a partner she'd be so smooth and always a few steps ahead of you. To the extent you actually make it your mission to try and make her blush at least one. You do this by surprising her at random moments with affection. Sneaking up to her and planting a kiss on her cheek or randomly tugging her into a hug. 

It doesn't go to plan. 

Suki either just kisses you properly or flirts with you making you a blushing mess unable to look her in the eye. Suki finds this adorable and so keeps doing it, when she finds out you'd been trying to floor her this whole time she finds it hilarious.

There’s simply no surprising a Kyoshi Warrior.

Korra - So So So So Sooooo excited

Korra loves when you get all cuddly with her because she adores being the big spoon! She'd just love to wrap her arms around you and have you safe and close against her chest. So much so actually tries to encourage it. 

She'd purposefully make the room temperature a little bit cooler when she knows your coming over and would suggest you watch a mover on the sofa together. She'd also conveniently place blankets on her side of the sofa and wait. Eventually you'd scoot closer and closer to her before asking if you could cuddle up under the blanket with her. Korra would try and play it cool, agreeing like it wasn't her master plan this whole time but she'd accept so fast she kind of gave it away. You'd just chuckle and smile because despite being the Avatar, Korra is her brilliant self first and you love her so much. Also just imagine Korra's big strong arms wrapped around you on a rainy or snowy night...

Asami - A little bit flustered

Asami is the put together queen but she'd become rather flustered to have a partner who is so openly playful and affectionate. 

At first she'd be taken aback and unsure of how to react...but we all saw my girl racing, she has a competitive side. So whenever you're in a playful mood she joins in because she likes to win. She is in totally unchartered water but that doesn't mean she's not going to try. Tickle fights are something I could see Asami getting really into. You'd both be squealing and laughing, hair askew, sweaty, clothes dishevelled...it'd be so unlike Asami to be messy but she loves it and adores that you bring this playful carefree side to her. It's in those moments that she forgets all her worries in the world and it hits her just how much she's in love with you.

Mako - Has no idea what to do, awkward af

Mako is very physically protective in public but not so much in private. So for example if you were in a crowd he'd immediately grab your hand and pull you close to him. That wouldn't bother him because he knew the situation. However if you just came into the living room one day and wrapped your arms around him, then he'd freeze. 

"Y/n...what are you doing?" Mako asked. 

"Hugging my boyfriend" you chuckled "is that okay?". 

Mako nodded "erm of course...do you want me to hug you back?". 

"Only if you want to" you shrugged and he nodded "okay" and wrapped you in a very awkward hug. 

I think it’d be hilarious because Mako actually looks like he’d be great to cuddle with. He’s tall, with broad shoulders and long limbs not to mention very attractive and pretty much always in a tank top. So it’d be very endearing for him to totally clam up and have no idea what to do when you hold him. Then like all my other faves with repressed trauma he’d love it and secretly request to be the little spoon in a very unsure and small voice. 

You’d of course indulge him and find a way to comfort the very tall firebender. 

Bolin - LOVES IT MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD.

So well all know that Bolin is basically a walking ball of affection right? He would go absolutely crazy if his partner wanted cuddles from him. 

If his partner was the type of person who is pretty affectionate 24/7 he'd still get excited every time and probably encourage it a lot like Korra. 

Whereas if his partner wasn't very affectionate I think he'd genuinely get emotional if you asked to cuddle him or even just grabbed his hand.

"Bolin are you crying?". 

"No I just have something in my eye...now come here!". 

Also I think Bolin would be the comfiest person to cuddle in the whole Avatar universe because he’d put so much effort into it. You're cold? He’d find as many blankets as he can and wrap you up in them. Your neck hurts? Pillow. You're tired? He doesn't care just fall asleep in his arms and he'll (easily) carry you to bed later. 

I also have a suspicion like his brother he'd lowkey love to be the little spoon and I can picture nothing cuter than shy Bolin asking his partner to hug him and his partner of course obliging him because who could say no to this adorable human being? 

Kuvira - Scary but softens when you get to know her

I love opposites attract tropes and so a cuddly playful partner for the great Uniter would be wonderful. Kind of like with Mai it would be a mix of different boundaries and personalities but because Kuvira is very strict I can imagine you'd have to have known her for a while before she’s affectionate towards you. 

Similarly she can be pretty intimidating to be around so you'd have to know her well to feel comfortable hugging her or acting playful around her. 

However I suspect because of this and everyone being scared of her Kuvira would like a partner who isn't afraid to initiate cuddles and admires your bravery. If there's one thing Kuvira doesn't like it's pushovers (looking at you Bataar Junior) so even if you are different as long as you're your authentic self she'd respect and love that.

_______

Done! I hope you liked it @captainblunder  

I didn’t do Toph and Aang because they’re children and even thought this is sfw it just felt weird writing about 12 year olds in this capacity. 

#katara #sokka #azula #zuko #mai #ty lee #suki #bolin #mako #korra #asami #kuvira #avatar #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla imagine #avatar imagines #legend of korra #lok #legend of korra imagine #lok imagine #katara x reader #sokka x reader #azula x reader #zuko x reader #mai x reader #ty lee x reader #suki x reader #bolin x reader #mako x reader

[scuttling]

Stay at Home DILF

Fandom: Criminal Minds Pairings: Aaron Hotchner/Female Reader Word Count: 5,863 Tags: 18+, NSFW, Dad Bod Hotch, Insecure Hotch, Oral sex, Fingering, Unprotected sex, A little angsty by accident Summary: Aaron retires from the BAU when the new baby is born, but a year later the lack of structure, sleep, and time for himself means changes to his body he's not very proud of. When the thought of having another child is brought up, how will he and his wife work through his insecurities to make the perfectly imperfect, happy family? *Requested by anon Link to A03 or read below! “Honey, I have to get going—do you need me to drop Jack off at school, or are you good?” Professor Hotchner slides her foot into a flesh-toned pump, leaning against the kitchen table for support and stealing a grape from Jack’s fruit salad. He narrows his eyes, then sticks out his tongue, and she does the same. “Do you want me to starve, Jackrabbit?”

“You won’t starve. Get your own grapes.” So full of sass, that one. Seven is such a fun age. She decides to blame the mixture of Aaron’s genes and Haley’s, and she pulls out her phone to send Haley a quick text.

Your son is a menace in the morning.

Haley: Gets that from his dad.

Aaron enters the kitchen, holding their one year old daughter Mia, and he sticks her in her highchair, puts her breakfast in front of her, and leans toward his wife.

“I’m good, I’ll take him,” he says, and kisses her lips. “Mia and I will take big brother Jack to school, won’t we?” Mia is obsessed with Jack—her first word was Jack, or rather, Ack, which was super cute—so she giggles happily, and her mother can’t help but smile. Their little family is absolutely perfect.

She leans in for another kiss from Aaron, and then another, and then maybe one more...

“You’re getting distracted,” Jack says, and she looks over at him with a raised eyebrow, then back to Aaron. He shrugs.

“It was on one of his vocabulary sheets.” Figures.

“Well, maybe I find my boys distracting. Let me give you kisses and we’ll find out!” She launches herself at him, kissing his head and his cheeks, and he laughs, and she knows she’s going to be late for work, but she can’t pass up moments like these, she just can’t.

She gives him a hug and tells him to have a good day, then she kisses Mia, and then she puts her arms around Aaron’s neck and kisses him goodbye. Before she pulls away, something comes over her—the warmth of this perfect morning, the overwhelming love for both of their sassy, silly kids, or maybe the fact that they’ve been too busy for sex lately and she’s constantly horny for him—and she looks up at him and whispers, “we should have another baby.”

Aaron grins immediately.

“Yeah we should.” They kiss a few more times, quickly, smiling against each other's lips, and he pats her hip because he knows she has to go. “We’ll talk more later, but yes. I want to. I love you.” He takes her face in his hands and kisses her deeply, and she sighs, grabs her bags, and heads out the door. Work is work; as the youngest professor in the English department, her schedule is jam packed with classes, lectures, morning office hours, but despite all that, it seems that Aaron is having the more difficult day.

They both love that he was able to retire from the BAU early to be a stay at home dad when Mia was born—he does consult for them occasionally, but has no official title, doesn’t have to travel—and he’s amazing at it, but she knows her baby can be a handful even on a good day. The texts she’s been getting all morning only solidify that knowledge.

Aaron: FYI - Mia hates bananas this week.

Aaron: What do they put in this applesauce, crack? She’s tearing around here like a bat out of hell.

Aaron: Okay, she’s your child, I officially renounce her. I put on The White Album and she started crying.

Maybe she prefers Abbey Road?

Aaron: No. Unlike her mother, she has taste.

You wound me, Hotchner.

She works through lunch, grading papers on The Call of the Wild, but when Aaron’s name lights up the display on her phone, she puts her pen down and smiles, puts it on speaker.

She’s sorry she did, because Mia is wailing in the background, and it’s very clearly her, I’m exhausted, asshole, leave me alone, cry, which makes her wonder why she’s not taking a nap. She knows she resists Aaron sometimes, doesn’t want him to leave her alone in her room, which is so sweet and also so, so annoying.

“Hi, sweetheart. Are you having a little trouble over there?” He takes a deep breath and sighs.

“She won’t go down, baby, even if I sit in the rocking chair beside her. It’s been twenty minutes.” Wow. He put up with it longer than she would have.

“Put her in her crib with Stuffy Bear and just let her cry; I know you hate that, but she’ll give up eventually.” He groans softly.

“I can’t; I feel so bad.”

She smiles. Her warm-hearted man.

“She does this because she knows you’ll give in and do whatever she wants. I promise you, she’ll be happier for it; she sounds miserable.”

“I don’t know…” he says, and she can tell he’s not going to do it. She picks up her pen and skims the paper she abandoned.

“Are you tired?” She doesn't wait for an answer, because she knows he is: Jack had a bad dream last night and woke them both up, and Aaron went to lay with him until he fell asleep because he knew she had an early morning. It was almost time for her alarm when he made it back to bed. “If you want to try to nap, she’s going to have to nap. Do it for her, yourself, me, a combination of the three of us. She won’t be mad at you; she won’t even remember.”

“What if I give her abandonment issues?” he presses, and she closes her eyes for a moment.

“Aaron, I love you so much. You’re such a great dad, and our kids are lucky to have you. But you have to loosen the reins just a little, especially if… if we are going to have another baby.” The thought makes her smile, and she can tell he’s smiling down the line, too.

“Right. Loosen the reins. Just put her in her crib,” she can hear that he does that, “and give her Stuffy Bear, and let her cry.” He blows out a breath, and she can hear the door click shut behind him as he leaves her room. She’s proud of him, but she also knows he’s going to sit in front of the video monitor and watch to make sure she falls asleep, and that he’ll probably work on laundry after that and not actually take a nap of his own.

He insists he’s doing fine when she brings it up, but the way he sacks out like a corpse when they get into bed doesn’t exactly have her convinced.

“I love you, and miss you,” he says when it’s slightly quieter, though she can faintly hear the cries through the monitor. “It made me really happy this morning when you said we should have another baby. We make perfect babies, have you noticed?” She hides her grin behind her hand, because if anyone walked by her office they’d think she’s insane with how widely she’s smiling.

“I have noticed, but since we only have the one and I can’t take any credit for Jack, I figured we should probably make another. Maybe the same way we made Mia…” They’re both convinced it was a weekend when Jack was at Haley’s and the two of them went to town on each other, true marathon sex where they only stopped for food and water and she coaxed him to hardness so many times she felt like a damn sex goddess.

“Hmm. I remember that with fondness, and would love to do that again. You know Haley said she’d take Mia on one of Jack’s weekends if we ever needed her to.”

Her life is pretty damn perfect, with her gorgeous, caring husband, and her two awesome kiddos, and a job she loves, but the most unexpectedly sweet part is that Haley is so comfortable with her, and that she and Aaron were able to get past the ugliness of their divorce to eventually become friends again. It’s not something they take for granted.

“Maybe we should take her up on it this weekend,” she says, trying to sound a little sultry. “We’ve both been so busy; it’s been a while since you pet my kitty.” For some reason, this particular phrase makes Aaron blush and get insanely horny, and she’s hoping to tease him so much the rest of the week that their weekend is one neither of them ever forget, so she’s pulling out the big guns.

“It’s been far too long, and I’m sorry. I can’t wait, baby. I’ll call her here in a few; I know you have to get to your next lecture.” She looks down at her watch, and it is about time to clean up and head over. She sighs happily down the line.

“Okay, I love and miss you; try to take a power nap. I promise, she’ll be fine.”

“I will.” He won’t. “Talk to you soon.” When she gets home, Aaron has dinner ready; she told him to hold off, that she’d help when she got there, but he has always been an overachiever.

Mia is already in her high-chair, waiting patiently for once in her little life; she kisses her forehead, breathes in her sweet baby smell, and then makes her way to her husband.

“Looks good, honey,” she says as he sets the table, and she leans up for a kiss, but when she presses her hand to his stomach like she always does, he pulls back a little. “Is everything okay? Did you have a bad afternoon?”

“No, it wasn’t bad after the nap fiasco,” he responds, but he sounds distracted. Maybe he was asked to look at a case, or something, and that’s still on his mind? She leans against his shoulder, puts a hand on his back and attempts to push up his t-shirt, to skim her hand up along his spine, which always comforts him, but again, he shifts away from her touch. She sighs and steps back.

“You're going to give me a complex, Aaron. If I did something to upset you, please tell me so I can apologize and try to make it better.” He turns to look at her face, and his formerly tense jaw softens a little; he presses his lips to hers, just a peck.

“No, you didn’t do anything. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.” He smiles softly, and she’s sure he is tired, but this seems like something more.

“You’d tell me if something else was bothering you, right? You know I’m here for you.”

“Of course I would, and of course I do. I love you,” he breathes against her mouth, and then he goes in for a longer kiss and she gets, as Jack said earlier, a little distracted. When the kiss breaks, she sighs happily.

“I love you. Missed those lips,” she murmurs, and then she runs a hand over his hair. “If the kids wake up again tonight, I’ll get them. You need to rest.” He shakes his head.

“You have another full day tomorrow,” he counters, and it’s so sweet that he keeps up with the schedule she has posted on the fridge, but still. She puts her hand on her hip.

“And you don’t? It’s my turn. Let me help.” He looks like he wants to argue, but she gives him the glare he knows means she will talk about this all night if he doesn’t agree; she’s not the sponsor of the university’s debate team for nothing, and even his prosecutorial ways have nothing on her.

“Okay,” he sighs, and she smiles and kisses him and then goes to get Jack and make sure he’s cleaned up for dinner.

That night when the two of them are getting ready for bed, she’s surprised as hell when he stops her from pulling one of his t-shirts—her typical sleepwear—over her head. She sets it down, arches her brow, and he guides her back onto the bed with a grin and puts his hands on her hips.

“What’s happening right now?” she asks, because before Mia, sure, Aaron would treat her to all manner of orgasm-inducing behavior at random, and she would do the same, but since Mia—especially in the last six months or so—their sexual encounters have been few and far between. It’s no one’s fault, and they’re both very clearly still attracted to each other; it’s just one of those things that falls by the wayside when you have a new baby and a hectic life and you don’t get enough sleep.

Needless to say, she is a little confused by this turn of events.

“I’m attempting to worship my gorgeous fucking wife,” he murmurs, and he leans up and kisses her stomach, licks a long line up from her belly button. Her breath hitches. “Gonna put another little baby in here—but it’s always beautiful.” He slowly moves his lips higher, over her ribcage, and holds her there. “You’re perfect, you know?”

“Aaron.” Her fingers come up to sweep through his hair; her heart aches with love and tenderness. He moves up, presses open-mouthed kisses to each of her breasts, then covers them with his hands and squeezes. She’s a panting, dripping mess, and more than anything she wants to strip him naked, pull him closer, get him inside her.

“I love you just as you are; I want you just as you are. Always have, always will.” He smooths his hands up over her throat, and brings her mouth to his for a deep, soulful kiss. She hadn’t even realized she’s been feeling repressed, but his touch tonight makes her feel so beautiful and special… It's incredible how close she is from only that.

“Make love to me,” she whispers, and he kisses her again, but then he slides back down her body.

“Want to taste you,” he says instead, and he gets his hands on her hips again and his mouth on her pussy, looks up at her while he licks and sucks like he’s gone without for ages—which he has, she figures, but it’s blowing her mind, her fingers scratching at the sheets, her neck arched. He massages her hips as his tongue works, as he grinds against the bed, and she comes with a whimper, because her body is so overwhelmed by how good she feels that she can’t even properly vocalize it.

Aaron comes up, just a little, rests his head on her stomach, and she smooths her hands over his hair and his shoulders, since that’s all she can reach.

“Come up and let me touch you—or you can come inside me.” She will happily take either option, but he just kisses her belly and shakes his head.

“No, I’m good. Just really tired.” She frowns, can’t recall a time in her life when they didn’t both get off during sex; he catches her expression and runs his hands up her body. “Really, I’m okay. I just wanted to do that before I passed out.” He smiles, and she doesn’t like it, but he climbs off of her and goes to the bathroom, and she pulls on the t-shirt and crawls into bed. Two days later, she’s sitting in her office grading tests when she hears a knock at the door. She looks up, and it’s Aaron, of course, looking so gorgeous in a black polo and jeans.

“Hey, what are you doing here? Where’s Mia?” she asks with a smile. He leans against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

“She’s with her Aunt Penelope for a few hours.”

“Why? Is everything okay?” Penelope is at work, she knows, because she texted her earlier about something unrelated and she’d mentioned that she and Spencer were having coffee and that he said hello.

“Everything‘s fine,” he assures her, and he enters the room fully, closes the door behind him… and locks it. “Can’t your husband come visit you during your super secret not-really-office-hours?” She raises an eyebrow, both at his question and the fact that he locked the door. What exactly is he planning to do, she wonders?

“You can, but you don’t. I guess I’m just surprised.”

“Well today I decided to. I missed you so much.” He walks around her desk and leans over her for a couple of kisses. “Have you missed me?” She rolls her eyes, smiles.

“Of course I missed you. I miss you every second I’m away from you.” She reaches out, wants to hug him, pull him closer, but he takes a step back and crooks his finger, encouraging her to follow him.

He’s being really weird, but he’s also being really hot. She decides to play along.

She stands, walks over to him, and he carefully clears a spot on her desk, knows she has a system and doesn’t like a mess; when she’s within reach, he puts his hands on her waist and lifts her up onto it, her ass where a stack of tests had just been. Fuck.

“I want to get this dress off of you,” he says, voice low, and he takes her face in his hands and kisses her, rough and deep. “Can I take it off, baby? Can I make you come?”

Everything is happening so fast her head is spinning—it’s not like him to just show up at her office, to try to have sex with her there, especially when their dry spell has been, up until recently, like the damn Sahara.

He must sense her confusion, her apprehension, because he kisses slowly along the side of her throat, down the v-neck of her dress, making her eyelids flutter.

“The door’s locked, and no one even knows we’re in here. Can I take it off?” She pants, thinks about this for a second, but then he slides a hand over her thigh, pushing her skirt up, and she gets a little distracted. She nods, and he kisses her hard and unties the sash of her wrap dress, pushes it off her shoulders. She’s glad she wore a matching set of bra and panties, because this is like prime fantasy material and she wants to try to remember every detail.

He kisses her mouth, soft and sweet, then tugs the straps of her bra down her shoulders, pulls the cups down so her breasts fall out of them. She moans, a little startled, and he dips his head to mouth at her nipples, rests one hand on her lower back and one on her stomach—probably because she looks like she’s about to slide off the desk and onto the floor like a blob of jelly. She knows that’s how she feels.

When he’s gotten her thoroughly worked up, almost trembling with the need for more, he pushes her panties aside and presses a finger into her, and she whimpers, wraps her hand around his neck for support when he starts to pump it deeply inside.

“What has gotten into you?” she breathes, and her hips chase the pleasure he brings; the hand on her back moves to her ass, squeezes it.

“I love you and I want you. I want to make you happy, I want you to feel good.”

“Me—me too,” she gasps as he moves faster, staring right into his eyes. “I love you, want you. Want to make you happy, feel good.” She cards her fingers through his hair and stretches for a desperate, eager kiss. “I want you so badly, baby, please.”

“I’m right here. You have me,” he murmurs, but that’s not what she means and he has to know it. Just in case he doesn’t, though, she makes herself loud and clear; relationships are all about communication, after all.

“I want you to put your cock in my pussy, I want you to come in me. I want you to fucking ruin me, Aaron, I want you to shove your dick in me and keep shoving.” She sounds unhinged, but she can’t stop.

He adds a second finger—not what she wants—and roughly gropes her breast—it feels so good, but it’s not what she wants. Why won’t he give her what she wants?

“Shh, just come on my hand, it’s okay. I’ll fuck you later, in our bed, baby,” he promises. “Just come now, okay? Right here, right now for me.”

She does, because even if he’s being unnecessarily aggravating, it’s still Aaron. She’s desperate for him, always has been, always will be. She comes loud and high and she clutches him tightly and he kisses her and coos words of love and affection into her ear. She gets cleaned up, and they go for lunch, and they can’t take their eyes off each other.

Something’s very wrong, and she can’t quite put her finger on it.

That evening when she gets home, Aaron is feeling guilty. She’s not sure why, but he’s executing all of his patented guilty trademark behaviors: he offers her a glass of wine, runs her a bath, rubs her feet, even though he’s been the one home with the baby all day. She’s tempted to ask if he’s cheating on her, as a joke, but that’s never funny, especially when she knows he’s being shifty and weird about something.

When they’re laying in bed, he sets down his book and looks over at her.

“I meant to tell you, Haley isn’t able to take Mia tomorrow. Maybe the weekend after, we can have our special alone time.” She won’t say she’s not disappointed, but she doesn’t want to inconvenience Haley, when she’s already being so great. She smiles softly, covers his hand with hers.

“That’s okay. It was short notice, anyway. I’ll still enjoy my weekend, with you and Mia.” He smiles too, but it doesn’t quite touch his eyes.

The kids sleep through the night, but she doesn’t. On Friday, she picks Jack up from school and takes him to Haley’s, who sends him to wash up so she can make him a snack. When he’s gone, she smiles warmly and invites her into the kitchen for coffee; she takes a cup, and they make pleasant small talk like they always do.

“Are you sure you don’t want to bring Mia over?” Haley asks after a few minutes. It sounds like she’s double checking. “It’s really no trouble.” She frowns, sets her cup down.

“I thought you weren’t able to watch Mia this weekend. I thought… I thought that’s what Aaron said. I must have misunderstood him.” That’s the only logical conclusion, because Aaron wouldn’t lie to her. He wouldn’t.

“He was being a little weird on the phone the other day. He asked me if I would watch her, and I said yes. He told me about your plans,” she says with raised eyebrows, “and then I told him, you know. That he better treat you right, because you just had a baby not that long ago and you might be a little self-conscious about jumping back into the sack like that; not that you should be, because you look amazing.” She racks her brain for the first time he started acting strangely, pulling away from her, and it would have been after his conversation with Haley. She asks, just to confirm.

“Is that when he got weird?”

“Actually yeah. He changed his mind, said you might not need me to watch her after all, but I told him the offer stood. He was pretty quick to get off the phone after that.” She would sip her coffee, but she’s pretty sure her hands are shaking. Why would he lie about that?

“You know, I should go. I’m sure Aaron’s pulling his hair out with her, she’s been a devil today. Tell Jack I love him and I’ll talk to him tonight, will you?”

“Of course. If you change your mind about Mia, just let me know,” Haley says, and she gets into her car with tears stinging her eyes.

When she gets home, Aaron is playing with Mia on the living room floor. He looks up at her with a smile that abruptly falls when he takes in her facial expression.

“What’s wrong?” She composes herself, takes a deep breath. They vowed a long time ago not to argue in front of Jack or Mia. She tries to sound conversational.

“You lied to me. You said Haley couldn’t take Mia this weekend.” He swallows and looks properly guilty. She’s not sure how he was able to lie to her in the first place; he’s never been any good at it.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have. I just didn’t know how to say it.” She looks up, shakes her head, wills her eyes not to water while she’s trying to have this conversation.

“You didn’t know how to say what? What is it that’s made you distance yourself from me?” She recalls him physically pulling away, then doing a complete 180 and initiating sex, but never penetrative sex, never letting her touch him or return the favor in any way. “Haley told me about your conversation. So do you think I’m unhappy with my body, or are you unhappy with my body?” He has the nerve to look confused, gets Mia set up with some toys she can play with safely on her own and stands up, comes close to her. She’s not sure she even wants his touch right now, which is saying something; when she’s unhappy, that’s usually all she wants.

“Neither of those things. I swear to god. I love you and I love your body; you’re so beautiful. Too beautiful for me, you always have been.” He’s looking down at her so seriously, and she wants so badly to believe him, but how could she, when faced with the evidence?

“Okay. If it’s neither of those things…” Her voice is small when she says the one option that hurts her most. “Did you change your mind? Do you not want to have another baby with me?” He sighs, deflates, and she takes a deep, shuddering breath.

“No, listen to me. It’s not that I don’t want that; I want that more than anything, but it will… further complicate, things...” He trails off, and she tries to follow what he’s saying. “The problem isn’t you in any way. It’s me.” She huffs, squeezes her eyes briefly shut.

“You? How can it be you, when you’ve been the only man to catch my eye for years? From the moment you set foot on my campus looking for your bad guy, I’ve been attracted to you, aroused by you, wrapped around your finger. You’re so perfect for me: perfect husband, perfect dad, perfect lover. My best friend. Never a day has gone by where I haven’t wanted you.” He wets his lips, sighs.

“Surely you’ve noticed that since I quit my job and started staying home with Mia, I… I don’t look the same. I’ve… let myself go.” His brows are deeply furrowed, and he’s clearly struggling with this; she reaches for him, no longer angry—at least for the time being—puts a hand on his arm.

“I’ve noticed that you don’t quite look the same. Doesn’t mean you’ve ‘let yourself go,’ or that I’m not still attracted to you; you just have a dad bod now instead of an ‘FBI guy who punches people for a living’ bod.” Her other hand hovers, then comes to rest on his stomach, and she smiles. “I’m actually really into the way you look now. I’ve been fantasizing about it for ages. I wish I’d known you were feeling self-conscious.”

“I’m not used to feeling… self-conscious, vulnerable,” he breathes, but he presses into her touch, so she considers that a good thing. “I didn’t know how to handle it.”

“I get that baby, I do, but this is me. I would have done anything I could to make you feel better. You didn’t have to hide it from me. You didn’t have to lie. We could have talked about it.” She moves the hand on his arm to his face, guides him down for a loving kiss. “We’re equally to blame, because I know you haven’t been getting good sleep, and I know you barely have time for yourself, and I didn’t step in; but you never let me help. If roles were reversed, and it was me staying home with Mia, you would never expect me to do all the cooking and cleaning and homework and bath time without your help. So you need to let me help, Aaron, please.” She looks up at him, eyes warm and sincere, and he nods, bends to press a kiss to her lips.

“I’m sorry. I still don’t feel great about… myself, but maybe I could. If I let you help. If I took some time for me.” She nods and wraps her arms around him—finally—for a hug.

“I love you so much. Just like this. Big, cuddly papa bear, taking care of our babies, making our home a safe and happy place for them. How could I not love the body that brings me so much happiness? That makes me excited to get in my car and come home at the end of every day?”

They kiss some more, deep, healing kisses and soft, sweet kisses, but she doesn’t get distracted by them. She’s very focused, caresses him and brushes loving fingertips over his chest and arms and sides. But speaking of distractions…

“Were you doing all those sexy things to try to distract me from wanting you to get all up on me?” she asks, pulling back, and at least he has the decency to flush.

“Kind of? I figured if it was sex you wanted, you’d be happy to get off however it happened; it was great for me too, don’t get me wrong, I just didn’t really want to be touched, feeling the way I felt.” She frowns, rests her head against his chest and holds him tighter.

“That makes me sad. What I wanted was an intimate moment with my husband, and while yes, what you did for me was great, because you’re super hot and very capable,” she says, leaning back in his embrace with a soft smile, “it’s not what I’ve been wanting. I want you all naked and sweaty and heavy on top of me, going to pound town.” He presses his lips together and raises his eyebrows.

“Pound town? What are you, twelve?” She grins, shoves his chest, and he laughs.

“I’m surrounded by college kids all day, please forgive me. I think it got my message across though.” She touches his cheek, looks up into his eyes, and sighs. “Can we take Mia over to Haley’s and give it a shot? I’ll do anything to make you feel happy and comfortable, any position that makes you feel better—though what I’d really like most, if you’ll trust me, is to suck your dick, and then hop on your dick, and then later when we’re ready to go again, we do the pound town thing and make another goddamn baby.”

She’s so serious, and he looks so serious, and then he kisses her and says yes and they pack up their kid and take her to his ex-wife’s so they can get it on, which sounds so much crazier than it actually is. She gets him out of his clothes, doesn’t move slow or spend lots of time focusing on what he thinks are flaws; instead, she proves how desirable he is by practically tearing his pants off and pushing him against the bed and swallowing around his dick just so she can hear all those delicious moans she’s been missing.

After that, she rides him hard, kisses him harder, plants her hands on his chest and stomach and moans and groans against his mouth. “So fucking hot, seriously so fucking hot, Aaron—if I saw you across the room today I wouldn’t change a goddamn thing, I would still pursue you, I’d make you blush like I did back then. I’d be so forward because I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about how good this would feel.”

She’s rocking his world, no doubt about that; it’s written all over his face, in the hardness of his hands on her hips as she grinds down on his cock, in the way his chest is heaving despite not actually doing any of the work at all. He comes first, and then rubs her clit while she continues to fuck him until she finds her own orgasm; she scratches her nails down his stomach, and he leans up and grabs her face for a rough, perfect kiss.

They take a break, cuddling and kissing and enjoying the feel of bare skin, comfy bed, soft lips. Aaron touches her cheek, tells her how much he loves and appreciates her.

“I’m so sorry I’ve been keeping this inside, and not being truthful. It’s hard, when you’re as perfect as the day I met you, and I’m…” She presses a finger to his lips, shushes him, kisses him.

“You’re as perfect as the day I met you, too. More perfect, even, because every day since then you’ve chosen me, and our family. I could not ask for a better man. Simply could not, Aaron. And if you want me to come home early so you can go to the park to run, or to the gym, then that’s what I'll do, but if you look like you do right now, forever, I’ll be happy with that too. Whatever makes you happy.”

They snuggle and kiss and talk and laugh, and then laughing becomes sex in that way everything becomes sex when you’re genuinely obsessed with the person in your bed.

He gets her on her back, kisses all over, teases her—“mmm, rubbing your kitty, baby, how does it feel?”—and then puts her legs over his shoulders, plants his hands, and fucks, taking every ounce of his pent-up frustration out on her, and it’s incredible.

“Yes, Aaron, yes, baby, oh, god.” Her head is thrown back, and she’s torn between laughing, because she’s been wanting this for months and it’s exactly as awesome as she’d dreamed it would be, and crying, because she fucking loves him, so much it puts a lump in her throat.

“Fuck, baby,” he groans, speeds up, sweaty and gorgeous and smiling. “You’re going to come with me—not just for me, but with me, so my come gets deep inside, so it works and we get another perfect baby who never lets us fucking sleep.” She nods frantically, presses her hips against his, and it’s not simultaneous, but it’s a near damn thing, when they both come groaning each other’s names. A little less than a year later, they have Mason. Aaron is at home in his dad bod, Mia doesn’t cry at naptime, Jack is still a menace in the mornings, and their perfect little family got a little more perfect. Taglist ❤️: @arsonhotchner @mrsh0tchner @ssahotchie @sleepyreaderreads @mintphoenix @meghannnnnn @disgruntledchowchow @azenpal @g-l-pierce @my-rosegold-soul

#aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner fanfic #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfic #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x female reader #hotch x female reader #hotch x reader #dad bod hotch

[thedragonnerd]

Rayaari headcanon - let's keep Disney magic with The Lion King AU

(inspired by this lovely anon)

To the people of Heart, Benja is their King, an admired ruler who is fair to his citizens and listens to their troubles. To Raya though, he is simply her father Ba, and one of her best friends.

Her mother passed away when Raya was young, but she has an uncle who lives at the palace. Raya can't actually remember his real name - his nickname has been 'Druun' for as long as she can remember.

The role of being a ruler does not particularly appeal to Raya at her young age. She much prefers to spend her time having adventures around Heart, much to the annoyance of her bodyguards.

Namaari is the Princess of Fang, Heart's neighbouring land and close ally. Raya has known her since they were babies, with Benja and Virana often holding diplomatic meetings. While these discussions are going on, Raya finds ways to drag Namaari into whatever important adventures she may find.

After one particularly chaotic visit to Fang, where Raya and Namaari had tried to climb out of the window in Namaari's room and ended up being caught on the roof instead, Benja wakes Raya early. He is determined to instill a sense of responsibility in her, and so he leads her up the great mountain in the darkness of the early morning. They arrive at the temple just as dawn is breaking, and together they watch the sun rise slowly across their lands.

'Over there is Fang,' he points to his right, and Raya peers into the distance. 'Everywhere the light touches is our land, Raya...our people of Heart. One day, the sun will set on my time here as leader, and rise with you as Queen instead. And you must be ready for it.'

Raya sweeps her gaze across the land of Heart, before it finally alights on a dark and shadowy speck on the horizon. 'What about that shadowy place?' she asks, intrigued. Benja grasps her shoulder tightly. 'That's beyond our borders, Raya, and into Spine territory. You must never go there.' The adventurous side of Raya can't help but be intrigued.

On her way back to the palace, Raya runs into her uncle, and can't help but mention this to him - interested to know if he'll share more information with her. 'Ah yes, the forests of Spine,' Druun mentions with a sneer. 'But your father is absolutely right! You must never go there, Raya. It's a beautiful land, covered with snow for much of the year, but only the most hardened of warriors can go there. It's far too dangerous for a little girl like you.'

Raya is both annoyed by the implication that she cannot face down a Spine warrior, and fascinated by the idea of the land's magical forests, which Heart children know only from stories.

Namaari and her mother are visiting Heart the following day, and Raya doesn't hesitate to grab her friend by the hand and drag her away from the adults. 'I have a really cool place to show you,' she whispers to Namaari.

They manage to evade their royal guards, and steal away after the midday meal, riding Namaari's serlot out to the borderland. When they slip across the boundary into a land of cold snow, tall trees, and a buzzing sense of magic in the air, Raya is entranced. She's so busy exploring her new surroundings that she doesn't notice the danger from three Spine warriors until Namaari tugs on her sleeve, an urgent 'Raya' hissed in her ear.

The Spine warriors are delighted to discover the children of their enemies standing right within their territory, and they attack before Raya and Namaari even have a chance to run. The two girls try to fight them off, but they don't have the skill to face down an entire group of adult warriors.

Suddenly, Benja and Virana arrive, alerted by an eagle-eyed scout, and fight back the Spine men with ease, dragging their daughters away. Once they are safely back in Heart territory, Benja turns his disappointment on Raya.

Virana takes Naamari back to Fang that very day, also angry at her own daughter. Raya feels terrible when she realizes Namaari could have gotten hurt or worse during their adventure, and can barely wave goodbye. Years later, she wishes she had hugged Namaari instead, not realizing it would be the last time she'd see her for a very long time.

A week later, Raya happens to cross paths with Druun, when he reaches out to stop her, sharp fingers digging into her shoulder. 'Your father's looking for you,' he says shortly. 'Something about wanting to train you to fight properly, after that Spine fiasco.' Raya is slightly hurt by the idea that she is a poor fighter, but she goes down to the empty training grounds to wait for her Ba.

Instead of Ba, she is set upon by an even larger group of Spine warriors, who have clearly entered Heart with deadly intent. She sprints back towards the palace, hearing their heavy breaths close behind her as she flees.

Benja flies past her in the other direction, sword already raised to meet them in combat. 'Raya, run!' he yells, and the fear in his voice makes her listen.

She turns back when she thinks she is at a safer distance, just in time to see Ba be kicked to the ground. One of the Spine warriors brings his blade swinging down, and she screams at the sight.

The invaders leave as soon as the deed is done, Benja lying prone on the ground. Raya stumbles over to him as fast as she can, ignoring the retreating backs of Spine for a moment. 'Ba?' she whispers, kneeling in the bloodied dirt beside him and grasping one of his hands. 'Ba? Please wake up.'

'Raya, what have you done?' Drunn says, appearing from behind her. 'Your little excursion into Spine must have brought them here for revenge. What will your people think...What will Fang think? You've just caused your father to be killed, and started a war.'

'I didn't mean to,' Raya sobs, dropping her forehead to rest on Benja's chest, with her fingers clenching at his clothes. 'What do I do?'

'Run,' Druun says. 'And never return.' Raya runs, still covered in her father's blood.

She can't bring herself to go to Fang; instead, she flees through Spine, narrowly avoiding their hunting parties, and then through Talon. It's only when she arrives in Tail, the farthest land she can be from Heart, that she can breathe properly. The heartbreak threatens to overwhelm her.

She's found in the midst of the Tail desert by Sisu, a loud but kind-hearted individual who immediately introduces Raya to the rest of her family, an eclectic group of outcasts in their own rights.

Years pass, and Raya makes herself a new home in Tail, alongside Sisu and the rest of her family. It's a simple life, and she does everything possible to forget her past, choosing to live always in the present instead.

During rare times where she does allow herself to reminisce, she can't help but miss Namaari fiercely as well as her Ba. She knows she will never see her friend again, but wishes they could have talked at least once more in life.

One day, Raya is out on a hunting trip, stalking her prey for a long time to find the perfect shot, when an arrow shoots out from behind her. Spinning around, she sees a beautiful young woman, carrying a crossbow.

'That was my dinner,' Raya says in annoyance, but the other woman just snorts. 'No way, binturi...this is all mine.'

The voice is so familiar, so Raya squints at her opponent for a second, before recognition suddenly springs to mind. '...'Maari?' she whispers, and she can see the moment Namaari recognizes her in return. She rushes to Namaari, who picks her up and spins her around before settling into an embrace, both of them talking excitedly over each other. 'I thought you were dead,' Namaari says, arms tight around Raya's waist.

Later, when they have calmed down, Namaari tells her she is on a mission to find food...and help. Heart is apparently in disarray, with Druun allowing Spine to bring in their own forces and use up many of the natural resources. Fang has held out against their desire for further expansion for now, but war between Heart/Spine and Fang is imminent.

'I will not let our people kill each other for the whims of a mad king,' Namaari tells her passionately. 'They are starving and desperate, and we need to find a way to remove Spine's influence from Heart. But Raya, this is perfect. You can return and challenge your uncle...Take your place as rightful leader of Heart.'

Raya feels sick to her stomach at the idea of returning to Heart, wanting more than anything to avoid facing her past and the blame that lies at her feet. But Namaari is a shining beacon in front of her, burning with a righteous passion about saving everyone. Raya never could say no to Namaari.

Raya and Namaari return together, riding side by side into the desolate wasteland that has befallen Heart, with Sisu and her siblings following not far behind. It hurts to be back home, especially seeing it in this state, and as Raya marches up the stairs to the palace, she draws strength from her anger.

'Raya, what a surprise to see you...alive,' Druun says, when she bursts into the throne room. His eyes glance towards the Spine warriors at his side.

'Uncle, stop whatever madness that has you waging wars against our allies, whilst our enemies now take from our lands as they choose,' Raya says, trying to appear strong, but Druun merely gestures his hand in order to amass his Spine fighters around him.

'I should have killed you and Benja with my own hands, rather leaving it to these imbeciles to do it for me,' Druun snaps, and then he is upon her with his sword. Raya fights back with everything she has, white-hot rage fueling her as she realizes what he means by those words.

But Druun is a seasoned warrior, with strong backup, and soon Raya finds herself surrounded.

'FOR HEART!' a yell sounds, and then Heart soldiers are streaming into the palace, accompanied by hundreds of Fang warriors, led by Namaari.

Spine soldiers are pushed back towards their own borders, although Raya pays little attention when she has Druun at the end of her blade. 'I should execute you for what you did to my father,' she snarls, but relaxes when she feels Namaari gently touch her shoulder. She watches instead as he is dragged away to prison, to await proper justice.

Heart is almost in ruins, her people hungry, desperate and lost, but Raya feels as if she can breathe again properly for the first time in years, just by being back.

There is a warmth by her side, and then Namaari is there, smiling down at her. 'Welcome home, dep la,' she says, and Raya reaches out to hold her hand.

#rayaari #raya and the last dragon #ratld #raya and namaari #raya #namaari #raya x namaari #namaari might not be from Heart #but they are her allies #so she will be damned if Fang and Heart start to kill each other #Lion King AU #back to the headcanoooons

[dessarious]

How to Not Get a Date Pt11

AO3   Beginning   Previous   Next

A couple hours later the three of them were relaxing when there was a knock on the door. It wasn’t Nathalie’s sharp impatient one, or Adrien’s bodyguards heavy one. Chloe looked at Mari, but just got a shrug back. Well that was odd. When she opened the door it was to find a scowling Damian. Given that was his normal expression she had no clue if that was good or bad yet.

“Why haven’t you dealt with that insipid liar?” The words barely registered as he stormed past her and into the room.

“Hello to you too Damian, please come in.” Her dry tone got a giggle from Adrien and Marinette, bringing them to Damian’s attention. His scowl got deeper and he turned back to Chloe.

“Can we talk in private?” She motioned him to her bedroom and followed. She didn’t close the door, just because if he wanted privacy he needed to remember to keep his voice down. While the walls between regular rooms were soundproof, inside individual suites they had much less insulation. “How are you okay with your girlfriend fondling someone else in front of you?” Not the question she expected. She looked back around the door frame to figure out what he was talking about. Adrien and Mari were on the couch. Adrien had his head in her lap while she ran her fingers through his hair massaging his scalp. It took her a minute to figure out why Damian had an issue with it, but when she did she let out a huff.

“Okay, first if that’s what you consider fondling, we should have a talk. Second Adrien is extremely touch starved. His father treats him like a piece of furniture that’s usually in his way and other than people preparing him for shoots and models trying to hang off him to get closer to his father, he’s not really around anyone. Mari and I are about the only people he trusts enough to get close to him without an ulterior motive so we both give him as much physical affection as we can.” Yet another reason she wanted to maim Gabriel. She was seriously considering taking her complaints to her mother now that they were getting along better. Or she could just leak some of his treatment of Adrien to the press. Everyone loved Adrien and the few outside people who actually dealt with Gabriel on a regular basis would likely back up the story.

“I’ve only ever seen couples act that way.” She wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be an argument or an explanation. Either way she just shrugged.

“Everyone’s different Damian. Some people are used to expressing themselves through touch, like Mari. It’s how she calms people down or comforts them. Other people just don’t like being touched by anyone they aren’t extremely close to. There’s no one right way to act around friends. Given your standoffish nature I’d guess you’re basing your opinion almost entirely on how your family interacts but that’s a very small sample.” He gave a non committal hum and she figured it was the best she could hope for at the moment.  “No what did you come here to yell at me for in the first place?” That brought back his scowl.

“Well since all of you are here and apparently you’ve all been ignoring this issue I may as well address all of you.” He stalked back into the other room and she could only sigh as she followed him. That wasn’t going to go well. Mari shot her a confused look and she just rolled her eyes. “Why have none of you exposed this liar yet?”

“Well let’s see. When I tried I got expelled, Adrien managed to get me back in, but when he confronted his father about Lila and the way she acted, he threatened to lock him up except for photo shoots and has been protecting her as his model ever since.” Mari was using that overly sweet tone that sent shivers down her spine and Adrien shifted uncomfortably. She wasn’t sure if Damian didn’t catch it or chose to ignore it before turning to her.

“And you? I know neither the school nor your father scare you.” Chloe saw anger flash across her friends faces and made a calming motion even as her guilt surfaced. She’d let things go on for too long. If she’d done something at the beginning…

“Chloe it’s not your fault.” She and Mari had had this discussion so many times at this point the other girl knew exactly what was going through her head.

“Maybe not. But to answer your question Damian, if I’d been the one to expose her, it just would have helped her play the victim. I’m a well known bully and my going against her would have made people sympathize with her even more.” By the time she’d thought to go to her father, everything had spiraled. Lila had her mother wrapped around her finger and the woman had refused to switch her to a different school. Her father could have asked the embassy to find a different diplomat but he couldn’t afford to piss them off at the time and she would have made a huge fuss over being reassigned. The one time they’d try to threaten exposing her by calling all celebrities she’d lied about Gabriel himself had called the Mayor. Chloe had no idea what the man had on her father but she was told to drop it in no uncertain terms. She’d never seen him so scared.

“So you just gave up? You’re all just bowing to her will, it’s disgraceful.” She wanted to disagree with him, but no matter how many times they went through it and found no options, she always felt like she should have done more.

“It’s easy for you to judge when you have no context. There’s a lot more going on here than you’re aware of and you coming in here and insulting us because you think you know better is unnecessary, unhelpful, and unwanted.” Mari’s tone was downright hostile. Chloe really wanted them to get along but it seemed like the more time they spent together the worse things got. Adrien gave her a sympathetic look. They’d told him the truth of what happened, and after he’d stopped laughing he’d been very supportive.

“Mari’s right Wayne. You can’t just walk in and judge people for things you know nothing about. Maybe we didn’t handle things the right way, but assuming you do without all the information is rather pompous don’t you think?” Great, even Adrien was getting snarky. What a disaster.

AO3   Beginning   Previous    Next

Ko-Fi

Tag List

@peachedpocky @ladybug-182 @moonlightstar64

#chloedaminette #chloe bourgeois #Damian Wayne #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste

[bee-kathony]

positions | Eloise & Phillip 

“At night, he pounced upon her like a man possessed. A starving man, really. His energy seemed endless, and he was always trying new things, positioning her in new ways, teasing and tormenting until she was screaming and begging, never sure whether it was for him to stop or keep going.” - TSPWL, pg. 286-287

Eloise had thought about what it would be like to be married ever since she was but a small girl of six. Her elder sister, Daphne would play with dolls in their nursery, standing them at a homemade alter, saying the wedding vows for bride and groom respectively. Her thoughts first focused on what she would wear on her wedding day, and then when she reached the ripe old age of nine, Eloise declared that she would not be getting married… ever!

After all, she had three older brothers, and one younger, but Gregory was only four years old. Boys were annoying, sticky, and very loud little pests that Eloise wanted nothing to do with. There was much to be said about Eloise’s own volume, as she was not known for being a polite and quiet young lady. On the contrary, she was often lumped in with the boys, always ready to play a sport with them or go riding with them if their mother allowed.

But she knew she would never marry, because there was no way she would ever share a room with a boy. That’s what she overheard her brother Anthony talking about one day… sharing a room with a girl. Well, he said bed, but Eloise knew he obviously meant sharing a room, with both people having their own beds of course.

When Eloise turned sixteen, she rethought her declaration of never marrying. Her older brothers did have very handsome friends after all. And by now, she understood that kissing a boy could be quite a thrilling experience.

And when her sister Daphne married the Duke of Hastings just two years later, Eloise couldn’t help but admire the way Simon looked at her sister, with love and warmth. Perhaps marrying wouldn’t but such a bad thing.

With one daughter married however, Violet Bridgerton turned her focus to the rest of her children, her attempts at matchmaking doubled… no, tripled.

Over the next several years, Eloise shrugged off any potential suitors, until one day no one was asking her to marry them. She’d only had a handful of proposals, but soon there were none. A spinster she would be, and she didn’t mind one bit. As long as she had her best friend Penelope by her side, they could grow old together. That was all she really needed.

That is until Penelope, traitor that she was, left her on her own to marry Colin, Eloise’s own brother for heaven’s sake! That sharp stabbing pain in Eloise’s chest hurt more than she cared to admit. Of course, she was thrilled for her friend, and her brother. If Penelope was going to marry anyone, then she was glad it was Colin.

But now… now Eloise was well and truly all alone.

Alone, but with a pen pal; one Sir Phillip Crane that she’d never actually met.

It was writing those letters to him that saved her. For more than a year they had traded correspondence. Until finally, Eloise worked up the courage to meet him face to face. It had been an awkward meeting, one that she should have prepared him for.

Eloise had not lasted two days at Romney Hall before her four brothers came bursting in the room, and demanding that Sir Phillip either marry their sister for ruining her reputation or meet the end of a barrel.

The choice was made before Eloise could open her mouth. She and Sir Phillip were to marry, and that is how Eloise, the girl who had thought of her marriage since she was six years old found herself married to a man she barely knew.

If she was honest with herself, he wasn’t necessarily a stranger. They had gotten to know each other through their letters, and during the few days they had been together before her brothers rudely rushed in. Eloise thought it was impossible to fall in love with a man one barely knew, but here she was, three days into her marriage and her heart belonged to him.

There was no one she would rather lie next to every evening, and wake up to every morning. Even his two meddlesome children had captured her heart. What Phillip, Oliver, and Amanda really needed was someone to simply care for them, and show them that they were unconditionally loved, and Eloise thought herself up to the challenge.

Besides, her new husband was ravenous in the bedroom. His appetite knew no bounds, and Eloise found herself counting down the hours until they were joined in bed together at the end of a long day.

She was preparing for bed now, brushing her hair and splashing cold water on her face, when she heard Phillip’s steps pacing outside of the door. He had grown more impatient as the days went by, the time he allowed her for her toilette dwindling from twenty to five minutes.

Deciding that he had waited long enough, and honestly so had she, Eloise stood and opened the door. She was greeted by a large man, who picked her up at her waist and twirled her around in circles. Her feet lifted off the ground and she swung around, holding on for dear life, her arms hooked around his neck.

“Phillip!” She squealed, her stomach flying.

His lips met her neck, and she could feel him smiling against her skin. In the days since their marriage, Eloise had seen him smile more than all their time spent together.

“Please!” She laughed, clinging onto him. “I’m getting dizzy!”

Phillip spun her around one more time before gently depositing her onto the floor. Her head was spinning, and it continued to spin as Phillip crushed his lips to hers.

“What took you so long in there?” Phillip sighed, his hands settling on her waist.

“I was but a few minutes,” Eloise swiped at his chest playfully. “You are in need in a lesson on patience, husband.”

Husband. Oh how she loved to say that word.

“I cannot have patience when all I can think about is ridding you of your nightgown,” Phillip said softly, kissing her cheek, her jaw, her neck, all while his hands moved to cup and squeeze her bottom.

Since Eloise was but a virgin only four days ago, she allowed Phillip to take lead in the bedroom… for now. Already she had grown more confident, but she was still tentative in take matters into her own hands, literally speaking.

Besides, Phillip worked with his hands in his greenhouse all day, he was a man that knew what to do with them. He was surprisingly strong, his muscles lean and as he lifted her onto the bed, it seemed effortless.

Eloise kissed him fiercely, her heart pounding for what would come next.

They had made love six times already, but still she craved more. She craved to touch him, and see him, and memorize every bump and crevice on his body. She wanted to count every strand of hair on his head, and give them all names. Oh, she was a fool in love, that was positive.

Years ago, Francesca and Eloise had paid one of their house maids, Annie Mavel, to tell them what actually occurred in a marriage bed. So far Eloise had performed all of the acts Annie had spoken of, but also many she had not.

Eloise had never dreamed of so many different positions one could twist your body into to have sex. She thought the woman would simply lie down on the bed, and the man would cover her. They’d done that on their first night together, as Phillip said it would hurt for her first experience. But as soon as she assured him that it didn’t hurt anymore, Phillip had moved and positioned her body into all sorts of impossible ways.

At one point during their love making, Eloise sat atop him, her legs straddling him as she taken him fully inside of her. Just thinking about it now made her wet between her legs, so wet that she could smell her own arousal.

“What did you accomplish today in that greenhouse of yours?” Eloise asked as he climbed onto the bed.

“I touched plants,” Phillip stroked her arm from shoulder to wrist. “I cut flowers.” He twined their hands together. “I wrote in my journal.”

“Sounds very boring to me,” Eloise joked, moving to sit on her knees before him.

“It was,” he leaned in to kiss her. “My mind cannot focus on anything these days when all I want is to have you under me, on top of me,” he placed a wet kiss to her ear. “Anyway that I can have you, Eloise.”

“Then take me,” she closed her eyes, shuttering at the sensation of his touch.

This time, he did not push her to lie back, but he reached for her nightgown, pushing the sleeves down until they fell off her arms, exposing her breasts. Phillip’s eyes lingered on her already hard nipples a moment or two before he quickly rid himself of the rest of his clothing. Then his strong hands gathered the delicate material at her waist and lifted it above her head, leaving her naked before him.

“Come here,” he said softly, reaching for her hands.

Phillip sat in front of her, both of his legs spread wide. He took her hands and brought her closer, and as she sat in front of him, he brought one of his legs to rest over hers. They were now completely twisted together, and there was no way to know where one began and the other ended.

Face to face, Phillip trailed one hand along her back, his fingers softly stroking. Eloise could feel the calluses on his hands, the rough bits of skin he had earned from handling tools and tough greenery. Shivering, she brought both hands up to his face, letting her fingers explore the planes of his face.

Her breath hitched as he scooted closer, his heavy cock now resting against her thigh. Eloise could sit like this for hours, simply touching him and staring into his eyes. But her belly burned, and her body ached for him to be inside her.

Phillip reached between their bodies and took hold of his cock, stroking it one, two, three times before guiding it along her cleft. She was wet, and he slid along her opening, coating the head of his cock with her arousal.

“Lift up your hips,” Phillip instructed, licking his lips. He helped her by grabbing her bottom and lifting her, angling her until she had to place one hand behind her for leverage.

Eloise looked down at the place of their joining, her mouth open as she watched him enter her. Like butter takes a hot knife, he disappeared into her, sinking deeply. Their joint sighs mingled in the air between them.

“You feel heavenly,” Phillip squeezed her bottom, pushing her onto him, and urging her to move.

Pushing back against the bed, she began to rock her hips, sliding back and forth on his cock.

As much as she loved to talk, Eloise was often struck speechless as they made love. Words left her and she was overcome with emotions she could not describe. Instead, she showed him how he made her feel.

“Faster, please,” Eloise begged, reaching for his shoulder and pulling him closer. She claimed his lips, seeking entrance into his mouth. Flicking her tongue against his, Eloise moaned.

Both his hands grabbed her hips, helping to push her against him. With every snap, every twist, Eloise felt more of herself becoming one with him.

“Phillip,” Eloise cried out, burying her face into his neck.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and she knew she would never be as close to someone as she was with him, not only physically but spiritually.

“I need you, Eloise,” he kissed her shoulder sloppily, evidence of his own peak approaching. “I need you more than air,” he twisted his hand into her hair, bringing her face to his. “I need you now!”

Tears sprang to her eyes as she thrust against him, bouncing on his cock. She wanted to take him deeper, to allow him entrance into every hidden spot.

“Oh!”

Eloise clutched him, hands beginning to shake as waves of pleasure took over her body. She arched against him, and as she squeezed around him, she felt him explode inside of her. Phillip cradled her body against his, gently rocking back and forth.

“I need you,” he kept repeating softly, again and again as he stroked her hair.

Yes, he needed her, but not as much as Eloise needed him.

Later that night, after they had unwound themselves from one another, Eloise lay with her back against his chest. He had one arm tightly wrapped around her, his hand cupping her breast. She found this comforting, and pleasant. While they were passionate in bed, they were also gentle and tender.

“Do you really have to work in the greenhouse tomorrow?” Eloise asked to the dark, letting her hand rest upon his.

She felt him move against her, settling his chin on her head.

“I guess there is no rush,” he said.

“It is our honeymoon after all,” she smiled, even though he could not see. “Aren’t we supposed to lock ourselves in this room and not come out for a week?”

“I suppose you’re right,” he laughed. “However, I’m not sure Oliver or Amanda would allow that. They’re much to taken with you.”

Eloise scoffed. “I’m sure they are just plotting their next prank.”

“True,” Phillip couldn’t help but laugh. “But they do care for you. More than they would let you believe.”

“I know they do,” Eloise smiled, pulling his arm tighter. “And I care for them a great deal. Just as much as I care for you.”

Phillip was silent for a moment.

“You care for me the same amount as them?” His hand began to squeeze her breast gently.

Eloise bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. “Well, I guess you can say that I care for you a great deal more. In a different way of course. The feelings for you are… stronger.”

She did not want to be the first to say those three words… I love you.

While she felt them with all of her being for this man, she needed to give him time. He cared for her deeply, that much was plain. Phillip’s happiness radiated off of him, and anyone nearby was struck blind by its brightness.

“I feel the same for you,” Phillip said softly and her heart squeezed.

His fingers moved along the swell of her breast, then circled around her areola. She held her breath in anticipation as he pinched her nipple with his thumb and forefinger.

Eloise shifted, parting her legs as he quickly slid his leg between hers to hold her open. Since they had entered their bedchamber, she had not stopped being aroused. One look from him sent her into a burning inferno of wobbly knees and insides.

Phillip wasted no time in sliding his cock inside of her, but he held still, content to simply fill her.

His fingers did not stop moving on her nipple, gently flicking and bringing it to attention. Soft moans left her lips as he slowly bucked his hips. He was moving slow on purpose, dragging out her pleasure, torturing her.

“Phillip,” she tried to press back against him, but his other hand steadied her hip, and he continued his slow and steady pace.

He brought her to the edge with his fingers tweaking her nipple, his tongue sucking on her skin and his cock between her legs.

With a small cry, Phillip emptied his seed for the second time that night, and once he pulled out, he turned her to face his chest.

“Let’s stay in bed all day tomorrow,” he kissed her forehead. “Besides, I don’t think I’ll be able to stand on my own two feet after this.”

“Neither will I,” she laughed quietly and nuzzled against his warm embrace.

Eloise drifted to sleep, sated and feeling perfectly content. Marriage, she thought, suited her quite well after all. Phillip… suited her. He suited her more than she had ever allowed herself to dream.

#bridgerton #eloise x phillip #eloise bridgerton #phillip crane #to sir phillip with love #philloise #i love THEMMMMM #my fic #bridgerton fic #bridgerton fanfic

[katnissmellarkkk]

Okay, here we go! Imma do my liveblog of The Hunger Games, Chapter One, for #THGagain :

I’ll put my thoughts underneath the cut so I don’t clog up the dash 🥳

Okay but right off the bat, Katniss says her mattress cover is rough 🥺. I don’t know, this just made me sad all of a sudden.

So okay, but the fact that Prim had a bad dream and climbed in with their mother? I don’t know if that indicates that Prim still sees their mother as a source of comfort whereas Katniss can’t let herself feel the same way or if it’s just because she didn’t want to wake Katniss.

Maybe it’s supposed to be that Prim is too naive to understand that their mother is mentally fragile? Since in Mockingjay, she says “I know there’s only so much mother can hear,” or something like that, as a way to prove she’s not a little kid anymore sooo. I don’t know. Just some thoughts.

Katniss is shady towards mama right off the bat 🤣. Katniss is shady no matter what though. It’s what makes her narration sound like a teenage girl.

If Katniss is so anti-social though, who’s telling her her mother was once beautiful?

As a cat lover, I take offense to Katniss’ insults to the poor one eyed furball 😭.

So coal miners are also women? I suspected as much but I didn’t realize it was explicitly stated? So if Katniss’ life had gone differently, would she have become a coal miner?

So none of the houses in Twelve get electricity outside of a couple hours a night? Or just in the Seam?

I always forget that Katniss had nightmares even before the games 😔😔😔. Nightmares of her father “being blown to bits.” She has a vivid way with words.

Her father made her bow 🥺🥺. I knew that. I just thought I should mention it again. She uses the bow her father handmade throughout the series 🥺.

Also she says Peacekeepers turn a blind eye to “the few of them who hunt”. A few is more than two. Who else besides Katniss and Gale go hunting?

I like that she randomly starts mumbling to herself 🤣🤣🤣

Once upon a time, Katniss was outspoken apparently. But she mentions that she has to hold her tongue even at home because Prim may repeat her words. I don’t know why, but Prim seems immature for twelve years old. At twelve, in today’s society, you’re going into sixth grade. A sixth grader should know how to keep a secret or hold her tongue.

Gale says she never smiles but in the woods but isn’t that the only place they really spend time together? 🤣

“I kind of liked that lynx but I liked the money I got for it’s pelt more” 😂😂😂

An arrow inside bread. How fortuitous 😭😭😭

I do love that Katniss’ first introduction of Gale is “he could be my brother”

“But we’re at least not that closely related” 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

“Katniss, get off your cousin”

Even though the merchant class is smaller

Meaning they’re even more inbred

And Katniss is half merch-

Okay I’m done with this line of thinking 🤭😅

So backwoods 🤣

So did Mrs. Everdeen’s parents disown her? Or what? Do they still own that apothecary shop? Does Katniss occasionally walk by her grandparents in the town square? Like I’d like more context here, Suz 🙃

Aww, I always feel so bad for Katniss when she talks about her mother abandoning her 😭😩🥺

“But to be honest, I’m not the forgiving type” me either. Me either 🤧.

This may be why I so closely relate to her when she’s angry.

And why when people in the book say she needs to be more forgiving (ala Haymitch) I’m like “no”

I’m sorry but on second glance (more like 8th glance because I’ve read this chapter since I was 16) it’s so obvious Gale was hitting on her here 😅.

She’s oblivious 🤣🤣🤣

As she should be 😆

So later on, in the second book at least, Katniss definitely has some high respect for Hazelle Hawthorne. But here it seems to be like she’s implying Hazelle and her own mother are useless without her and Gale, and like they wouldn’t be able to provide for themselves. Maybe Hazelle just wasn’t fleshed out to Suzanne when she wrote the first book, the same way the love triangle you can tell if you look is sort of just tossed in there in the first book too? Anyways, just a thought.

That line about Prim being the only person Katniss is certain that she loves is sweet (it’s actually one of my favorite lines in the series) but it’s also so shady at the same time 😅😅😅. Like girl, you’re not sure if you love your mother or even your best friend (in a platonic way)?

Katniss makes a point in mentioning it took a long time for her and Gale to become friends. And I feel like that has been simplified a lot along the way, but it never really sounded to me like Katniss and Gale were besties for as long as most people think. The movies are a lot to blame for this, I know.

I don’t actually think Katniss is truly jealous here of the other girls wanting Gale? I feel like if she were she would have unconsciously insulted the school girls who were into him instead of just outright saying she was jealous, just not for romantic reasons. But who knows 🤷🏼‍♀️.

It was already mentioned earlier but I think Suzanne made a continuity error here, when Gale and Katniss mentioned fishing at the lake. The lake is a place Katniss explicitly mentioned in Catching Fire, to be private between her and her father. She even specially said she never took Gale there. I feel much better about my own writing continuity errors now.

Okay, both Katniss and Gale are so dumb. I would never prepare a feast for after the reaping. They’re just jinxing themselves. I have OCD really bad no one come for me.

I like how The Hob is a black market that’s literally just sitting in broad daylight 🤣🤣🤣.

Katniss just referenced being attacked by dogs... um I’m sorry, do we have no fear of rabies in this universe? 😭😭🙃🙃😐😐😅😅

Katniss : “me and the mayor’s daughter aren’t friends, we just hang out all the time at school, eat lunch together, sit by each other and are always partners. But weren’t not friends.” 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

I like the mention of hair ribbons for the rich girl. This is just the fic writer in me seeping into my reading.

Gale and Madge’s little dispute ...

I see why they get shipped together 😅. They’re both just taking swipes at each other here.

Awww, Katniss sticking up for Madge, even though Madge is the privileged one 😭. Katniss has such a pure heart.

The entire point of the Madge/Gale interaction though was just to set up the class divide explanation in Katniss’ head to the reader.

But my Peeta centric heart also picks up on the comments in Katniss’ head of how unlikely it is to be chosen at the reaping when you’re a town kid.

In other words, Peeta had a slim to none chance of being chosen and still was.

Now I think of it, so was Prim...

That was just an unlucky reaping for the kids without tesserae 🙃

Also it reminds me of every fic I ever read that mentioned a conspiracy in the reapings and how the kids aren’t actually chosen at random but anyways I digress

I feel Gale though, with the whole idea of knowing something isn’t this person’s fault and there’s nothing they could do but still being so angry at them because it isn’t fair that you have to suffer and they don’t.

My anger issues are really showing 😅😅😅.

Honestly though, if Katniss is saying Gale on a normal day is rational about the class divide not being merchants faults, then clearly his issues with Peeta later on really were just of jealousy and not because he was a merchant vs Seam.

I just feel like I’ve seen that around and I’m not really convinced

In my interpretation of the character, Katniss’ reasons for not sharing in Gale’s rage comes from exhaustion after a lifetime of powerlessness. Some people (re: females more often) just get worn out about the things they cannot change and can’t even let it get inside their brain because there’s nothing they could do about it.

I mean, she is a more understanding person than Gale but I feel like so much of her character is already so tired right from chapter one.

Okay, just a pointless rambling thought

“Where something pretty” these children are so shady 🤣🤣🤣 that’s a line I would say though

The fact that her like 42 year old mother still fits in a dress she wore at like 20 is really a testament to how hungry they are 🤧🤧🤧

Okay but I’m not trying to pick on her mother, but when they were starving, why did either she or Katniss sell the fancy clothes from her apothecary days? I’m nitpicking I know. I’m a nitpicker.

Also good for Katniss trying to forgive her mother.

God knows how hard it is for me to try and forgive people.

Literally, God knows.

I like that Katniss didn’t disagree with Prim saying she’s beautiful, just that she doesn’t usually look this way 😂😂😂.

I just know my sister wouldn’t let me not take tesserae if this was us. She’d be like “you’ll be fine, four entries? Please. We can have more food for an entire year, don’t be selfish.” 😅😅😅

I feel like noting that Katniss and Prim’s age gap isn’t that significant? Four years? That’s not that large. Not even at 12 and 16.

They herd these children off like they’re .... pigs going to a slaughter... 🤭🤭🤭

Katniss casually stating “I could be shot on a daily basis” 😐😐😐

Katniss and Gale agreeing they’d rather be shot than starve is honestly so sad but lowkey sounds like something two teenagers would say. They should have put dialogue like this in the movies.

I didn’t even remember District 12 has 8,000 people.... why’d I think they only had 3,000????

I need to update some of my fics with this information

Katniss just said “televised by the state”. I’ve never heard her call any region a state before?

I like that Katniss calls Effie’s grin scary and white, because tons of people (i.e me) whiten our teeth in today’s society. And to Katniss and probably all of Twelve that’s creepy. I think it’s weird to Europeans too but l digress.

Also do the people in this district brush and floss, they never seem to mention it in the books, ya know?

Honestly the idea of the hunger games sounded cooler without Songbirds and Snakes telling us it was just some dumb guy’s idea that no one ever thought would come true.

Aww, sugar is a delicacy 🤧🤧🤧

I knew already that but lemme fully feel that sentiment for a moment okey

Umm I’m sorry, did Mayor Undersee just casually state Lucy Gray Baird’s name every year and we never knew it? Did Snow just allow this? Seems suspish

Also the idea of Katniss being her distant relative and hearing the name and not knowing the connection... and yeah, anyways. I got wayyyy ahead of myself and off track sorry

Why would Haymitch hug Effie? I’m sorry, but Hayffie having a secret affair at some point in all the years they worked together seems more likely than I thought.

I mean, Katniss never mentions Haymitch hugging anyone besides her and Peeta when they just almost died, are about to die or that one time Katniss was sobbing because she thought Peeta was gonna die.

You know what though? I like that at this moment, when the name is about to be announced, Katniss worried about herself. She spends so much time worrying for her sister, babying her sister, mothering her sister, she deserves ten seconds of worrying for her own safety.

Of course, said sister is the one chosen. Ironic considering the whole encounter with Madge.

Okay, I think that concludes my thoughts for chapter one of The Hunger Games!

#thgagain #I’m not tagging anything else because this is so long I’m so sorry if anyone tries to read this mess 😅😅😅😅😅🤧🤧🤧🤧

[jaskierswolf]

The Howling of Wolves pt.2/3

TW for the whole story: Angst with happy ending, kidnapping, mentioned previous child abuse, mentioned torture (but off page), Major character injury and recovery, canon typical violence

Previous

Jaskier gasped awake as a bucket of ice cold water was dumped over his head. “Oh bloody hell, fuck that’s cold.” He spluttered through mouthfuls of water.

His hands were bound in cuffs that were chained to the wall. The metal almost burnt his skin meaning they were laced with dimeritium. He was all too familiar with dimeritium handcuffs, they had been a staple of his childhood during the experiments of his youth. Just to be sure he tried to let out his magic and shift. It would be idiotic not to try, but sure enough he barely felt a ghost of his magic over his skin.

At least who ever had taken him had allowed him to keep his clothes.

There was an unsettling itch just below his skin which he hadn’t felt in months which was bothering him.

How long had it been since he shifted? Not since before Geralt had gone off on his werewolf hunt, perhaps even a few days before that. Not long enough for him to be feeling like this though. It was normally at least a couple of weeks before he started to feel cramped in his own skin.

Fuck. How long had he been unconscious…

Unless whatever was in that dart had messed with his magic more than he thought.

“Geralt?” It was a long shot but he had to ask, at the very least he could work out whether his boyfriend was in danger.

“Your witcher isn’t here, petal.”

Jaskier’s heart sank and he felt a dizzy panic hit him like a giant.

“No.” He whispered.

He couldn’t be here. Not now, not again.

“Now, is that anyway to greet your mother, Julian?” His mother stepped out of shadows, and people wondered where he got his flare for the dramatics.

“Well, I would say it’s lovely to see you, mother, but I am currently chained to the wall.” He held up his bound hands as if to prove his point. “So really I’d rather be on my way and out of your hair, if you don’t mind.”

She laughed. “Oh dear boy, the cuffs are for your own good.”

He snorted. “Oh yeah, heard that one before.” He muttered.

“If we can just work out how to cure you then everything will be ok. You don’t need to be a monster.” She cooed, the same shit that she’d been spewing for years before his escape.

“I am not a monster!” He snapped. “Geralt knows that.”

“That witcher is no better than the beasts he slays!” His mother shrieked. “I only ever loved you, darling. Why must you fight me?”

“Loved me?” Jaskier scoffed. “You hate my very existence, or do you just hate the reminder that you cheated on your husband, that you’re stuck in a loveless marriage?”

“Gag him!” His mother ordered and Jaskier’s chains were yanked hard. He fell back against the floor.

“Hmmph!” He protested as one of the servants tied something around his head.

“Now, shall we begin?” His mother knelt down and cupped his cheeks. He saw his own eyes reflected back at him. There had never been any doubt of who his mother had been. His eyes were the spitting image of hers.

It had taken him a long time to learn to love his eyes.

“Hmmph.” He grumbled and rolled his eyes at her, shaking the cuffs on his hands. He’d never been very good at keeping his hands still.

She stroked a finger along his cheek and he tried to turn away.

How had he ended back in this hell?

He just hoped Geralt would find him soon.

___________________________________

The witchers of Kaer Morhen had gathered in a dingy looking cave. Geralt was pacing irritably across the entrance of the cave. It had been weeks since Jaskier’s disappearance. He’d tried to track his partner on his own but whoever had taken him had been too good so he’d sent messages to his pack and waited, impatiently for them to arrive at a fairly central location.

Lambert had been the last to arrive. He’d turned up with another witcher in tow, a blond blue-eyed witcher from the School of Cat. On any other day Geralt would have teased his redheaded brother about finally finding a friend who could tolerate him… but today his focus was on Jaskier.

“Wolf, you are making us all seasick with all that pacing.” Vesemir said in a calm voice.

Geralt snarled at the oldest witcher. How could he be so calm when Jaskier was missing?

“Jaskier is missing, possibly dead, and you are worried about getting seasick!” Geralt snapped.

“Hey.” Eskel punched his arm. “You’re not finding anyone like this. Getting pissed at Vesemir won’t help Jaskier, Geralt.”

Geralt groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I need to find him.”

Eskel pulled him into a hug and he buried his face in his brother’s shoulder. “We’ll find him. They’ll regret taking one of our pack. I promise you.”

“I’m gonna fucking murder them all.” Lambert agreed.

Geralt looked at Lambert over Eskel’s shoulder and scowled. “No. Whoever did this, they are mine.”

Lambert laughed darkly and nodded. “Alright, White Wolf. You have a deal.”

“No.” Vesemir said firmly. “We do not take revenge. We get the pup and we get out.”

“But Vesemir!” Lambert whined.

“We kill to defend ourselves, nothing more.” Vesemir’s voice left no room for arguments.

Geralt scowled and picked up his swords. “Let’s get moving.”

“Do we actually know where we’re going?” The blond witcher drawled as he pushed himself off of the wall. “Because it seems like not one of you actually has a plan?”

Geralt glared at the newcomer and his fingers itched to reach for his sword. He wouldn’t hurt Lambert’s friend but normally they would greet new witchers by sparring or wrestling, especially if they were being welcomed into the pack of wolf school witchers. Jaskier had gotten a pass, partly because he wasn’t a witcher and partly because he could turn into a fucking dragon. It also helped that Geralt had vouched for him.

Lambert had vouched for Aiden but Lambert didn’t have a good history of choosing friends, and Geralt didn’t trust Aiden yet.

“Don’t even think about it, you bastard.” Lambert snarled.

“You gave Jaskier concussion.” Geralt pointed out.

Lambert had the audacity to laugh. “Fair point, sorry Aiden, he gets a free hit when all this is over.”

“Idiots.” The cat witcher muttered. “All of you. Remind me again why we’re friends?”

“Because I’m pretty?” Lambert suggest.

Eskel snorted.

“Oi!” Lambert growled.

“Can we please focus!” Geralt snapped. “Jaskier is missing! I don’t care if Lambert’s pretty or not.”

“Yeah but…” Lambert protested.

“You’re gorgeous, darling, but the White Wolf has a point.” Aiden winked at Lambert who spluttered and went bright red.

“Right. Yup. Ok.” He muttered and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“What did you say that man called him?” Aiden asked, peering at Geralt with cool blue eyes.

Geralt frowned. “Julian.”

Aiden nodded. “Then I think I can help you, if you’re willing to trust me, dog?”

Geralt glanced at Lambert. His cheeks still matched the colour of his hair and he was scowling angrily at the world, but he nodded. The nod was barely perceptible even to Geralt but it was enough. Lambert trusted this new witcher and he was Geralt’s only hope right now to finding Jaskier.

He reached out his hand and Aiden grasped it tightly as they shook on it. “Help me.” Geralt all but pleaded.

“Alright, listen up dogs.” Aiden grinned, his fangs shining in the firelight.

____________________

Jaskier groaned as he was pulled to his feet. How long had he been here now, stuck in his old bedroom as if he’d been sucked into one of his nightmares?

His skin itched, his bones ached and he felt like he was on fire. The metal cuffs cut into his skin and his once cream shirt was now yellow and covered in splatters of blood.

The last time he’d been here, his family’s attempts at ‘curing’ him had been based on working out the limits of his abilities and where they had come from. This time his mother, without the help of mages, had decided to starve his magic instead. He  woke up shivering each morning and it was instinctive to him to try and shift but every morning he let out a pitiful cry and fell to the ground sobbing.

He was stuck.

He couldn’t breathe.

He had begged his mother to take off the cuffs, to allow him to shift. He’d promised he wouldn’t shift into anything dangerous or try to escape but he needed.

Gods he needed.

He ached.

But his mother just pulled him to her chest and stroked his hair, whispering that it would pass and that he was just experiencing withdrawal following his time with the witchers.

The witchers.

Geralt.

Where was Geralt?

Why hadn’t he come?

He’d been sure that Geralt would find him.

And it all hurt so damned much.

“F-fuck!” He stammered and curled up into a ball on the floor.

At least before his room had at least tried to resemble a bedroom. Now it was just a stone cold prison.

He felt sick to his stomach. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could survive. He needed to shift. They knew that. They knew they were killing him in this crazy plan to cure him.

But he needed to survive.

He had to.

For Geralt.

For his pack. His family. His heart.

He had to survive.

____

Next

#the witcher #geraskier #geraskier fanfiction #shapeshifter!jaskier #lambert x aiden #lambert/aiden #geralt x jaskier #jaskier x geralt #geralt of rivia #jaskier pankratz #geralt/jaskier #shifter!jaskier #shifter au #the howling of wolves #wolfie's witcher writing #lambert #witcher lambert #witcher eskel #eskel #vesemir #witcher aiden #angst alert

[friendlyneighborhoodpsyop]

Quotes about Kaz Brekker:

Every act of violence was deliberate, and every favor came with enough strings attached to stage a puppy show.

The boy called Dirtyhands didn’t need a reason any more than he needed permission.

He was a collection of hard lines and tailored edges.

“Who’d deny a poor cripple his cane?” “If the cripple is you, then any man with sense.”

“I’m a business man,” he’d told her. “No more, no less.” “You’re a thief, Kaz.” “Isn’t that what I just said?”

“I’m not here for a taste. You want a war, I’ll make sure you eat your fill.”

The boy he’d been talking to had been cocky, reckless, easily amused, but not frightening—not really. Now the monster was here, dead-eyed and unafraid. Kaz Brekker was gone, and Dirtyhands had come to see the rough work done.

“You’ll get what’s coming to you one day, Brekker.” “I will,” said Kaz, “if there’s any justice in the world. And we all know how likely that is.”

“Well I’m the kind of bastard they only manufacture in the Barrel.”

Inej was always trying to wring little bits of decency from him. “When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”

“Greed is your god, Kaz.” He almost laughed at that. “No, Inej. Greed bows to me. It is my servant and my lever.” “And what god do you serve, then?” “Whichever will grant me good fortune.”

“What’s the difference wagering at the Crow Club and speculating on the floor of the Exchange?” “One is theft and the other is commerce.” “When a man loses his money, he may have trouble telling them apart.”

“You’re a blackmailer—“. “I broker information.” “A con artist—“. “I create opportunity.” “A bawd and a murderer—“. “I don’t run whores, and I kill for a cause.”

“You see, every man is a safe, a vault of secrets and longings. Now, there are those that take the brute’s way, but I prefer a gentler approach—the right pressure applied at the right moment, in the right place. It’s a delicate thing.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard the stories.” “Each more grotesque than the last.” Brekker’s hands were stained with blood. Brekker’s hands were covered in scars. Brekker had claws and not fingers because he was part demon. Brekker’s touch burned like brimstone—a single brush of bare skin caused your flesh to whither and die. “Pick one. They’re all true enough.”

Kaz was not a giddy boy smiling and making plans for a future with her. He was a dangerous player who was always working an angle.

“Please, my darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won’t you do me the honor of acquiring me a new hat?”

Brick by brick. It was a promise that let him sleep at night, the drove him everyday, that kept Jordie’s ghost at bay.

Kaz’s servant, greed, luring them South like a piper with a flute in hand.

“Being angry at Kaz for being ruthless is like being angry at a stove for being hot. You know what he is.”

“I wouldn’t trust you to tie my shoes without stealing the laces.”

Matthias knew monsters, and one glance at Kaz had told him this was a creature who had spent too long in the dark—he’d brought something back with him when he’d crawled into the light.

“The easiest way to steal a man’s wallet is to tell him you’re going to steal his watch. You take his attention and direct it where you want it to go.”

“You can’t spend his money if you’re dead.” “I’ll acquire expensive habits in the afterlife.”

“I don’t want to die.” “I’ll do my best to make other arrangements for you.”

“You came back for me.” “I protect my investments.” Investments. “I’m glad I’m bleeding all over your shirt.”

Matthias suspected that Brekker would drag the girl back from hell himself if he had to.

He’d gifted her her first blade, the one she called Sankt Petyr—not as pretty as wild geraniums, but more practical.

“Kaz told me...he said it was my choice, that he wouldn’t be the one to mark me again.”

Because I’ve been looking for an excuse to talk to your for two days.

He needed to know she believed in him.

“What to do you want, then?” The old answers came easily to mind. Money. Vengeance. Jordie’s voice in my head silenced forever. But a different reply roared to life inside him, loud, insistent, and unwelcome. You, Inej. You.

Kaz would always remember that moment, when he’d seen greed take hold of his brother, an invisible hand guiding him forward, the lever at work.

There could be no judgement from a boy known as Dirtyhands.

“Let’s say the mark is a tourist walking through the barrel. He’s heard it’s a good place to get rolled, so he keeps patting his wallet, making sure it’s there, congratulating himself on just how alert and cautious he’s being. No fool he. Of course every time he pats his back pocket or front of his coat, what’s he doing? He’s telling every thief on the Stave exactly where he keeps his scrub.”

It was because she was listening so closely that she knew the exact moment when Kaz Brekker, Dirtyhands, the bastard of the barrel and the deadliest boy in Ketterdam, fainted.

He’d heard there were sharks in these waters but they wouldn’t touch him. He was a monster now, too.

He’d imagined his death a thousand ways, but never sleeping through it.

It was as if once Kaz had seen her, he’d understood how to keep seeing her.

“If it were a trick, I’d promise you safety. I’d offer you happiness. I don’t know if that exists in the barrel, but you’ll find none of it with me.” Better terrible truths than kind lies.

He knew he was being reckless, selfish, but wasn’t that why they called him Dirtyhands? No job too risky. No deed too low. Dirtyhands would see the rough work done.

A good magician wasn’t much different than a proper thief.

She could see it took every last bit of his terrible will to remain still beneath her touch. And yet, he did not pull away. She knew it was the best he could offer. It was not enough.

“Some people see a magic trick and say, ‘Impossible!’ They clap their hands, turn over their money, and forget about it ten minutes later. Other people ask how it worked. They go home, get into bed, toss and turn, wondering how it was done. It takes them a good nights sleep to forget all about it. And then there are the ones who stay awake, running through the trick again and again, looking for the skip in perception, the crack in the illusion that will explain how their eyes got duped; they’re the kind who won’t rest until they’ve mastered that little bit of mystery for themselves. I’m that kind”

“You love trickery.” “I love puzzles. Trickery is just my native tongue.”

“Do you know the secret to gambling, Helvar? Cheat.”

There was no part of him that was not broken, that had not been healed wrong. There was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken.

Her eyes were shut, her oil-black lashes fanned over her cheeks. The harbor wind had lifted her dark hair, and for a moment Kaz was a boy again, sure that there was magic in the world. She’d laughed, and if he could have bottled the sound and gotten drunk on it every night, he would have. It terrified him.

You’ve cheated death too many times. Greed may do your bidding, but death serves no man.

He needed to tell her...what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn’t pull himself together into some semblance of a man for her.

“Saints, Kaz, you actually look happy.” “Don’t be ridiculous,” he snapped. But there was no mistaking it. Kaz Brekker was grinning like an idiot.

“I can hear the change in Kaz’s breathing whenever he looks at you.” “You...you can?” “It catches every time, like he’s never seen you before.”

“How will you have me? Fully clothed, gloves on, your head turned away so our lips can never touch? I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”

“I’m not big on bluffing, am I, Inej?” “Not as a rule.” “And why is that?” “Because he’d rather cheat.”

Inej wanted Kaz to become someone else, a better person, a gentler thief. But that boy had no place here. That boy ended up starving in an alley. He ended up dead. That boy couldn’t get her back. I’m going to get my money, and I’m going to get my girl.

“A proper thief is like a proper poison. He leaves no trace.”

There were no good men in Ketterdam, Kaz said. The climate didn’t agree with them.

“If you don’t care about money, Nina dear, call it by it’s other names.” “Kruge? Scrub? Kaz’s one true love?” “Freedom, security, retribution.”

“It’s pragmatic. If I were cruel, I’d give him a eulogy instead of a conversation.”

“You haven’t been alive long enough to rack up your share of sin.” “I’m a quick study.”

Patience, he reminded himself. He’d practiced it early and often. Patience would bring all his enemies to their knees in time.

“You’ve got the devil’s own blood in you, boy.”

Kaz was going to have to find a new language of suffering to teach that smug merch son of a bitch.

“I would come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we’d fight our way out together—knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.”

“My mother is Ketterdam. She birthed me in the harbor. My father is profit. I honor him daily.”

Desperate for some sign that he might open himself to her, that they could be more than two creatures united by their distrust of the world.

They could continue on with their armor intact. She would have her ship and he would have his city.

Sure, a lock was like a woman. It was also like a man and anyone or anything else—if you wanted to understand it, you had to take it apart and see how it worked. If you wanted to master it, you had to learn it so well you could put it back together.

He always liked returning to a home or business he’d had cause to visit before. It wasn’t just the familiarity. It was as if by returning, he laid claim to a place. We know each other’s secrets, the house seemed to say. Welcome back.

“When people see a cripple walking down the street, leaning on his cane, what do they feel? They feel pity. Now, what do they think when they see me coming?” “They think they’d better cross the street.”

“We can endure a lot of pain. It’s shame that eats men whole.”

“I don’t hold a grudge. I cradle it. I coddle it. I feed it fine cuts of meat and send it to the best schools. I nurture my grudges, Rollins.”

It was as if Kaz had a secret map of Ketterdam that showed the city’s forgotten spaces.

“I’ve taken knives, bullets, and too many punches to count, all for a little piece of this town. This is the city I bled for. And if Ketterdam has taught me anything, it’s that you can always bleed a little more.”

Was Johannus Rietveld meant to be his Jakob Hertzoon? Or had it been some way of resurrecting the family he’d lost? Did it even matter?

“I wreak all the havoc I can until my luck runs out, use our haul to build an empire.” “And after that?” “Who knows? Maybe I’ll burn it to the ground.”

Tell her to get out, a voice inside him demanded. Beg her to stay.

Kaz thought he knew the language of pain intimately, but this ache was new. It hurt to stand here like this, so close to the circle of her arms.

“These things don’t wash away with prayer, Wraith. There is no peace waiting for me, no forgiveness, not in this life, not in the next.”

Two of the deadliest people the barrel had to offer and they could barely touch each other without both keeling over.

A black glass boy of deadly edges.

A bit of entertainment, the dramatic end of Kaz Brekker, the humbling of Dirtyhands. But this was no cheap comedy. It was a bloody rite, and Per Haskell had let the congregation gather, never realizing the real performance had yet to begin. Kaz stood upon his pulpit, wounded, bruised, and ready to preach.

“You have two minutes to get out of my house, old man. This city’s price is blood, and I’m happy to pay with yours.”

“What is wrong with him,” Nina grumbled. “Same thing that’s always wrong with him. He’s Kaz Brekker.”

“Rich men want to believe they deserve every penny they’ve got, so they forget what they owe to chance. Smart men are always looking for loopholes. They want an opportunity to game the system. The toughest mark is an honest man. Thankfully, they’re always in short supply.”

“Well, Brekker, it’s obvious you only deal in half truths and outright lies, so you’re clearly the man for the job.”

“What do you think my forgiveness looks like, Jordie?” “Who’s Jordie?” “Someone I trusted. Someone I didn’t want to lose.”

He put his gloves back on and didn’t take them off. He became twice as ruthless, fought twice as hard. He stopped worrying about seeming normal, let people see a glimmer of the madness within him and let them guess at the rest.

The rage inside him burned on and he learned to despise people who complained, who begged, who claimed they’d suffered. Let me teach you what pain looks like, he would say, and then he’d paint a picture with his fists.

That was what destroyed you in the end: the longing for something you could never have.

“I will kill you, Brekker. I will kill everything you love.” “The trick is not to love anything.”

“Suffering is like anything else. Live with it long enough, you learn to like the taste.”

She smiled then, her eyes red, her cheeks scattered with some kind of dust. It’s a smile he thought he might die to earn again.

“He doesn’t say goodbye. He just lets go.”

“Ketterdam is made of monsters. I just happen to have the longest teeth.”

#soc #kaz brekker #quotes

[hunflowers]

MYTHOLOGY (I)

Word Count: 6.4k

Requested? Not exactly, but you always can here :)

A/N; OMGGG it’s finally here. I’m sorry for the long wait but I really hope you all enjoy the first part of demigod!Harry. And listen, I’m gonna be honest, this part is probably a little boring bc this is all about background/the past leading to the present, so pls bear with me because i promise it’ll be good! Anywho onwards to the story, have fun! *nose boops* 

tag list: @thicksniall @meetmeinfleetwood @afire-hes @pradaxstyles @c-h-e-r-r-y-y @gotmyhandonmyheart @burberryharold @harrymoncheri

Life is a funny thing.

Everyone thinks they know who they are and how their life is going to pan out. There’s a meticulous planning to life that people try to control; a plan that decides where they end up, who they end up with, and how happy they end up. But it’s so far out of everyone’s control, and not a single person could claim they were successful.

Calista thought for once she was in control, that maybe if she took matters into her own hands, everything was going to go the way she wanted.

And everything was starting to look up.

From birth to present, her life has always been one filled with uncertainty. Uncertain about where she was going to live, if she was going to eat, if she’d ever find a family that would love her. All her life she wished for something to go her way, for something to go right instead of left.

When she hit the turning age of eighteen, things did start to look up for her. All her life she’s been on the lower level standards of society, grazing by, by the skin of her teeth. She figured her life was doomed from the start considering she never really had a true family, or a true support system.

As a baby she was left on the doorstep of some random woman’s house, and then that woman handed her over to the nearest orphanage, which then turned her over to the foster care system. From the moment she was born she hadn’t been wanted by anyone, not even her own parents, and all her childhood was between homes and ignorant foster parents who hardly ever cared for her existence, but rather the check she brought in for them.

A person’s childhood is meant to represent the happiest portion of their life. Being able to look back on memories that last forever, memories that weld nostalgia, and memories that you’ll forever hold close to your heart. 

This wasn’t Calista’s case. 

For Cal, all she can remember is the constant bullying from foster siblings because of her innate ability to be a good student; The constant slaps and kicks and punches thrown her way because she was too slow to stop them; The never ending verbal abuse of being alone with no friends.

Every day she went to school and wished she could never leave, because at school people at least left her alone. No one cared to talk to her so that meant she didn’t have to deal with anyone, and she liked that more than anything. It was going home that was the problem. There were plenty of times she contemplated running away, finding a home that would accept her, but she always talked herself down, saying one day these people will be nice to her. She had high hopes and tried to see the best of every situation, but time after time she was let down when she was pushed into a wall or tripped on the sidewalk.

The last home she was in before she turned eighteen had been the worst of them all. Every night she cried herself to sleep, and prayed to whoever would listen that she needed to be saved, that she shouldn’t have to live her life like this and that hopefully one day, things will start to look up. Then they did, and it was incredibly shocking. Cal was awarded a full ride scholarship to the University of Cambridge, a goal she’d never think she would achieve. The moment she got the news she made sure to put in extra hours at work and even get a second job so the moment she graduated high school she could leave, and head straight for England.

She had been tempted to tell her foster parents, to see if maybe they would be happy for her, but every time she tried, they shot her down and forced her to do work around the house or banished her to her room for the night and left her starving. No words could ever properly convey how excited she was to put this part of her life behind her, to start somewhere new, and to hopefully make better memories along the way.

So, her eighteenth birthday passed and high school graduation flew by, and before she knew it, she was packing up without a word to anyone, and moved away. She didn’t really have a plan as to what she would do once she got there, but anything was going to be better than her old life.

Calista had bounced around a few motel rooms over the course of a couple months before she moved into her dorm room, keeping herself busy with a few different jobs to try and save up a bit of money. Even here it was difficult trying to stand on solid ground, and she can’t say she expected much else with the cards she’s been dealt in life, but with this new start she figured it would be at least a little better than life back over the ocean.

Then the unexpected happened.

She made a friend at the restaurant she had been working at.

Trinity Kim, the bestest friend Calista could ever ask for. Usually, when people talk of soulmates, they talk of significant others. If anyone were to ask Cal who her soulmate was, she’d say Trinity, Trin for short. 

It’s almost as if they were destined to be friends. They were alike in every way possible, but they were also so different which kept things interesting. For example, they both had lived pretty tough lives before meeting one another. Though Trin wasn’t in foster care her whole life, her father and step-mom had been involved in her life so little that she nearly forgot they ever existed. Their biggest connection had been that they never had met their birth mothers, which at first was oddly coincidental, but now, a few years later, it was strangely comforting for them to have something so deep in common. It’s hard to relate to people who have stable homes, because for Calista, well, she doesn’t; And not that she wants people to feel the way she does, but for some reason, when she found out Trin had a bit of a messed up life too, it helped her feel not so alone in this scary reality.

Then they found out they’re actually going to the same University, and that’s when they knew they’d be inseparable. Because what’re the odds of that? 

Adapting to this new lifestyle was a rollercoaster for Calista, not that she expected any different, but three years later, she still found life a little overwhelming from time to time. Though this life was infinitely better than her one back in the states, it didn’t stop her underlying insecurities of not fitting in anywhere. She has Trin, and the few other friends she’s made over the years, but no matter where she was she never felt this sense of… belonging.

A lot of people she knew at school were business majors, looking to go into finance and everything else associated with the program, because they were trying to build stable careers. Calista on the other hand invested her life into the classical studies program, because for some reason she had this weird fascination with ancient life ever since she was a little girl, finding Greek and Roman life to be so interesting. It wasn’t a popular major, and people she told always tried to bring her down because of it, claiming she’d never get anywhere in life knowing stuff about mythological gods that never existed.

She’s learned to grow a tough exterior, not letting people and their dumb criticisms get in her way anymore. She’s a blooming adult, and she’s learned the hard way that sometimes people are just mean for the sake of being mean, so she’s put on her big girl pants and sticks up for herself now, never giving anyone the chance to walk all over her anymore.

Trinity has also helped Calista in boosting her self-confidence, giving her that little push to bite back at people that bark. There was one time they were at a party, and a girl came up to Calista, claiming she had been flirting with her boyfriend - and truth is, she had been, but she wouldn’t have if she knew he had a girlfriend - and when she starting calling her names, Calista spat right back at her, telling her to get a better boyfriend if this one was flirting with other women, and that maybe she should get a better taste in men.

Normally, Cal would’ve just apologized and moved on, but she’s so sick of people thinking they could just say or do whatever they want to her.

That’s why on one special night, Calista’s life changed forever.

She had been coming home from work with Trin, their job only a few streets away from their shared apartment, so they walked. It had been a nice night out, the moon in its crescent phase, glistening in the indigo sky, accompanied by a few scattered stars. It was a night just like every other one, until it wasn’t.

“Trin, I’m telling you, Niall likes you.”

“Please! He likes you, I know he does.”

“How could he like me, if he’s told me himself that he likes you?” 

Trinity paused in her steps, halting Calista a few steps ahead of her, looking over her shoulder with a confused look. Trinity was looking around, as if she saw something Calista didn’t, a worrisome face etched into her features. “Trin?”

The situation wasn’t helped by the fact they were in a more remote part of the city, no cars or people around at this time of night. They were both too poor to afford a car, hardly getting by with their rent money, and this is when that lack of money would bite them in the ass. The weird part was, Trin didn’t really seem unnerved about her surroundings or anything, she just looked confused. That’s when Calista saw something move in the corner of her eye, or someone actually. They appeared from the alley a few feet away, as if that wasn’t creepy at all, and stood beneath the streetlamp that hovered above them, illuminating a dull golden glow around them. 

There were two people, a boy and a girl watching the two friends, hands at their sides, holding some sort of… weaponry. It was hard to tell, but from a distance it almost looked like they were holding swords. All Calista could think about, rather than her fear of being killed, is who uses a sword anymore?

Their faces seemed oddly recognizable even though she’s pretty sure she’s never seen them before. Yet, she felt like she knew them. Though, it seems Trin does when she speaks nonchalantly to them, shoulders relaxed in relief of it not being some crazed serial killer. “What the fuck do you guys want?”

The girl ignored her, keeping her dark eyes fixated on Calista, skimming the length of her body in disgust, a grimace resting on her features as she rolls her eyes at Calista just simply standing there. “We were told to relay a message to you.”

“And this had to be done at ten at night, next to an alley?” Trin deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest. Cal stood off to the side, lost out of her mind as the three bickered back and forth for some odd seconds, wondering what in the hell was going on. She still couldn’t even pinpoint where she knew these people from.

Not to mention, she was still beyond confused about why they had fucking swords.

The boy caught her eyeing the metal, pushing the material of his jacket back a little bit so the silver shined under the streetlamp, either showing it off or trying to taunt her. Yet, her only response to that was an eye roll and a tap of her foot as she continued to ache from her six hour shift. It was weird how she didn’t feel at all threatened in this situation, but something in the back of her mind told her that if it were to go south, she’d be okay. Maybe not, she’s hardly ever been violent in her life, usually taking pain but never giving it.

“Tell her yet?” The girl jutted her head in Calista’s direction, again eyes raking her body with a look of disgust written on her lips.

“No, they said not to,” Trin replied, side glancing to Cal quickly, praying in her mind the curly haired girl didn’t ask questions when they left. 

The thing about Trinity is that although to Calista, her appearance in her life seemed completely natural and as if they bonded purely on their backgrounds, that wasn’t completely true. For three years Trinity has been keeping the biggest secret of her best friend’s life and it’s been eating her alive ever since the small age of thirteen. When she was younger, she was told about how her future was meant to unfold with the mystery girl from across the atlantic, and how she was sworn to secrecy because it could end both of their lives if any wrong person found out the truth.

It was a lot for a thirteen year old to take in, but Trin knew she had to be strong.

But, when word got around that Calista was making her way over, that’s when Trinity was told to ease the girl as slowly and painlessly as possible into her righteous lifestyle. Trinity though, couldn’t grow the balls to ever do that, always fearing that she’d cause pain to her newfound friend and that -- from personal experience -- finding out the truth can be very, very difficult. So she hasn’t told her about her true history, and she’s felt awful about it.

Though, due to Cal’s impeccable speed, she beat her friend to the answer of that question,  “Tell me what?”

The short blonde girl looked to her opposer, a smirk sliding across her lips before she glanced up to the guy, nudging his arm with her elbow. “This is gonna be good.”

“Can someone tell me what’s going on right now, or?” Calista pressed, looking at all three of them, no one jumping to give her the answer she had been looking for, for the past five minutes.

Trinity looked nervous, gnawing at her bottom lip as she seemed to be in pain with whatever was going around inside her mind. Her lack of talking spoke volumes louder, though; Because her silence meant she was keeping a secret. It was hard to gauge whether or not the impact this secret would have, but a secret was a secret, and Calista hates secrets.

Her whole life had been nothing but a secret considering she had no idea who even birthed her, or if she had any family that was maybe looking for her, or what day she was even born on. Her declared date of birth was the day the woman found her on her porch. She had secrets up the wazoo, and anymore was just bound to break her.

Again, Trinity wasn’t the one to speak up, as now the guy decided to open his mouth, “What do you know about Greek mythology?”

Calista was taken aback by the question, stumbling around in her mind how that was at all relevant. It was also oddly concerning a question so random held so much relevance in her life considering her studies focused around this area of history. “Uh… why?”

“Don’t listen to them, Lis,” Trin interjected, taking a small step forward between her friend at the two a few paces away.

“Well, if you’re not going to, we will,” the girl retorted, now taking her own step forward. From the looks of it from Calista’s point of view, any more hostility verbally, those weird fucking swords of theirs were going to come in handy. And even though she had the slight fear of being impaled to death, something inside of her sparked some sense of nobility, going to stand next to a frustrated Trinity.

“I think someone should tell me something soon before I lose my mind.”

“Well, c’mon then Trinity, tell her. Mr. Cirillo said you have twelve hours, or we’re coming back and doing it ourselves; That’s why we’re here,” the girl shrugged, picking at the chipped black nail polish on her thumb.

Trinity scoffed, rolling her eyes, “Why wouldn’t he just tell me himself?”

“Because he’s tired of telling you and you not listening,” she spat back. “Look, I’d rather her not know either, because I don’t need any more competition for my title, but there’s apparently been a threat, and we need all the hands we can get in case a war breaks out. Plus, it’s unfair for her to keep living a lie. Twelve hours.” And then they walked back into the alley, and disappeared as if they hadn’t been there in the first place.

Calista’s mind was swirling down a very long drain to say the least. A war?Living a lie? Competition for a title? None of it made sense and she wasn’t sure if it ever would. Silence fell upon them the moment they started their journey back home again, not that she knew what to say. She had so many questions buzzing around her brain that she didn’t even know where to begin. Who even were those two? 

And what the fuck was Trinity keeping from her?

The second they stepped through the door of their apartment, Calista flopped herself down on the couch, clutching her head as a migraine began to seep its way into her problems for the night. She didn’t want to be the one the break the thin ice they’d been itching their way across for the past fifteen minutes, but as Trinity paced around, biting at the tip of her thumb, clearly lost in her own thoughts, Cal figured she’d better be the first to speak before she bursts at the seams from anticipation. “Trin, help a girl out, what the hell is going on?”

She stopped her walking, head snapping to the side as her eyes frantically observed the sitting girl that was pushing her sweaty hair back from off her forehead. Whenever everything was dealt with, they seriously had to talk to their landlord about the excessive heating in their flat. It was as if they still had the heat on even when it was blazing outside. 

Trinity took a breath, closing her eyes shut for a brief moment before collecting herself and sitting down on the available leather cushion. “I need to start this off by saying I’m sorry.”

“For wha--”

“Please… just let me finish.”

Calista nodded her head, silently agreeing to let her continue, slowly bracing herself for whatever was bound to be revealed. This deep pit nestled in her stomach, gravity weighing her down as anxiety built up inside pouring out of her as she continuously carded her fingers through the ends of her knotty hair.

“I’m so fucking sorry for lying t’you, and for keeping shit a secret -- even though I was told to -- and I need you to know that it has been my fault for you not knowing any sooner than tonight.“

“You’re really sca--”

Trin gave her a pointed look, causing her to shut her mouth nearly immediately. “Do you… remember when Damien, uh, the guy from before, asked you about Greek mythology?” Calista nodded her head in remembrance, choosing to keep her mouth shut in fear of being told to shut up again.

“The reason he asked you is because, well, it’s not exactly a myth. It’s quite real and well, you’re a part of it. And by that I mean uh… you’re the daughter of the goddess Athena.”

❊ ❊

Calista couldn’t fall asleep that night. 

She laid in bed, covers pulled up to her chest as she stared up at the ceiling, hands resting on her chest as the last of her tears dried on her skin. Her mind hasn’t given her a moment to calm down, thought after thought popping up as question after question runs around, giving her feeling after feeling of all different types of emotions.

She wasn’t happy, that much was for certain given the circumstances. I don’t think anyone can have their life flipped upside down so drastically and be happy about it. But, she wasn’t exactly sad about it either. It’s not everyday someone finds out they’re a literal demigod. Truth is, she doesn’t really know how to feel, because how does one feel when they find out why her life turned out the way it had?

When she came to college, this wasn’t the Greek life she imagined herself joining.

Her mother, Athena, goddess of wisdom, warfare, and handicraft met her father twenty-one years ago. Her father wanted nothing to do with her and well, Athena couldn’t exactly be a proper mother with her god duties and such, so Calista was left alone. It’s said that her mother watches over her everyday, but if that were true why would she allow her daughter to lead such an awful life?

When Calista was thirteen, supposedly people had come to her house to take her to her awaited lifestyle, something she never knew happened. But, her foster mother at the time told them she didn’t want to go with them and that she was happy where she was -- which was a complete lie, because that woman most likely slapped her five minutes prior. Conveniently, not even two weeks later Calista was transferred to a different home because the woman couldn’t take care of her anymore. 

This explains her interest in classical studies, considering she’s technically part of those studies, but her choice to Cambridge was a complete chance, in Trin’s words. But, when news spread that she was coming over seas, that’s when these people felt it was finally time to reel her in. Calista isn’t exactly sure who these people are, because Trinity was pretty vague in her explanations, but from what she can gather, they’re other demigods and mythological creatures and whatever else that are part of this life.

Aside from this whole new truth being exposed to her, the thing battling with her most is what she’s gonna do about Trinity. She’s her best friend, she loves her more than she loves herself, but she can’t put aside the fact that she literally kept the biggest secret of her life from her, because she wasn’t ready to tell her. Trinity was being selfish, and Calista doesn’t know what to do.

All her life she’s dealt with people being the worst to her, and for once she thought someone was different. Turns out, everyone is a liar and chooses to be the worst possible person in front of her. It’s this constant tug of war going on in her brain, that she’ll never be good enough for anything or anyone, and the moment she accepted that, she got Trin. But of course, that was ripped right from her, just like everything else.

Fuck, she’s not even good enough to be a demigod.

The following few days they had hardly spoken to one another. Calista because she was still holding this frustrated anger within her that she’s not exactly certain how to express without blowing her top; And Trin, afraid to get her head chewed off with a promising breakdown following on her part. They were walking on eggshells around one another, to the point they sort of avoided each other to the best of their abilities in their small apartment.

The first time they genuinely spoke was when Trinity said she had to bring Cal to a discreet location where she’ll get more answers from people that know just a little bit more. It was explained though that this is where Trinity ventured off to in the summertime when she went away on “vacation.” Vacation just simply meaning travelling to this camp/school site where she trains and learns more about her true heritage.

It’s hard for Calista to understand what exactly she’s training for, but she guesses that’s why this little trip to this place is necessary.

When they arrived, she was in pure awe at the inspiration of old Greek architecture, noticing the ionic columns lining the front of the big building. Μυθολογία was nestled into the marble, the translation from Greek meaning Mythology, which Trin had mentioned at some point that the name of this place was simply named Mythology because that’s what all of this is supposed to be.

A myth.

“This is where everyone basically sleeps and where we train if it’s raining. There are also a few offices for like, the ancients, so,” Trinity explained, walking them up the set of steps that led them to the main door.

Calista could hardly pay attention to what her friend was saying as she gawked at the intricate and beautiful layout of the foyer in front of her, admiring the various statues and paintings that contained her… mother. “She’s a beautiful woman, isn’t she?” A voice spoke behind her, causing her to whip her head around, coming face to face with an older man that had greying hair and a few wrinkles lining his face.

Oh, and one eye.

“Stunning,” she replied, taking one more look at the goddess before giving her full attention to the man.

“I’m Mr. Cirillo. It’s an honor to meet you, Calista,” he stuck his hand out, which she grasped in her own, shaking it firmly, trying not to stare too hard at the fact that he has one eye but she also doesn’t want to be rude and not give eye contact.

She gulped, taking a look at Trin who was busy on her phone, before smiling softly back up at the tall man. “I’m sorry… I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of this,” she apologized, taking in a deep breath and looking at the few people that walked by them in the foyer, making an awkward eye contact as they started whispering to themselves about her.

Great, even when she’s meant to fit in, she still can’t.

“Believe me, it would be more concerning if it wasn’t a lot to take in. I’m not going to overload you just yet, Trinity will be showing you where you’ll be staying and then head to the cafeteria, you must be hungry from the ride here,” he suggested, placing his hand on hers and Trin’s shoulders, guiding them in the direction they were meant to be.

Then, Trinity was taking her hand, leading her up the grand staircase in front of them, leading them down endless hallways to finally get to their shared room. It was a decently sized room, half of it clearly inhabited by Trin as it was messy and had a few of her signature posters lining the wall. The other half however was very empty, only adorned by the full size bed and wardrobe and small nightstand table. “You’ve been set as my roommate since I first moved in,” Trinity spoke quietly, picking at her fingernails as she sat on the edge of her own bed.

Calista nodded her head, setting her suitcase down next to her bed. Walking over to the window seat, sitting herself down on the soft blue cushion, overlooking what must be a courtyard as across from her just seemed to be more rooms that were down a different hallway. They both sat in silence for some odd minutes before Calista took the plunge and said, “I just wish you told me.”

Nearly immediately Trinity responded, jumping up from her seat and padding over to her friend, standing a couple feet away. “I’m so sorry, Lis. I have no good reason to explain why I didn’t, but I regret it so fucking much. I shouldn’t have been selfish and I need you to know I’m just so, so sorry. I probably screwed up your trust in me, but I’m going to do whatever I can to fix this.”

Both of their eyes watered, emotions flooding through both of them as they wind up in a few more moments of silence. They’ve never not talked or hardly ever got in fights, and by this point, they were both just sick of the never ending silence and wished everything could just go back to the way it was. But, it can’t, though they’ll both do everything they can to resume some sort of normalcy and hopefully repair this strained relationship.

Calista looked to her friend, nodding her head in a silent acknowledgement that she knows she’s going to try hard, and stands up to bring her in for a hug. It was the most awkward hug of their life, but it definitely was a start. They both cried a bit, but when they separated they raised their hands and wiped away each other’s tears, laughing a bit to themselves.

Sniffling, Trin stood straighter, gesturing around the room, “Alright, well this is our lovely humble abode. You can do whatever you want to your side and uh… Oh! These small little statues,” she pointed to the small sculptures that were in little cubbies by the window, “are our mothers. So, y’know, Athena is on your side and Artemis is on mine. As if we don’t see their faces around here enough, but honestly I think it’s so no funny business can go down in our rooms because, well, our parents are watching which is weird.”

“Trinity Kim, has any funny business gone down in this room?” Calista questions, raising her eyebrow at her friend. She immediately turned red at the inquiry, turning hot on her heel and over to the door. “C’mon, let’s get some food before it’s all eaten.”

Calista gasped at her blatant avoidal of the question, “Trin!”

❊ ❊

There were a lot of people around. A lot more than Calista could expect.

And surprisingly, aside from when she first entered and people were whispering about her, a lot of people were completely welcoming. She was the talk of the town apparently, everyone knowing who she was and crowding around her to introduce themselves. She felt bad since she had not a clue who any of them were but it seems none of them cared.

The thing that surprised her most was to see Niall, another friend of hers and Trin’s that went to school with them, here. It makes her wonder who else she knows from school that’s here.

And apparently Niall is the son of Poseidon? Which is pretty fucking cool, and explains a lot about him, like his obsession with pool sports. Or, just water in general. 

But, now that she knows Niall’s here, she wonders if he’s who’s been in her room with Trin. She tried to pry it out of her friend before, and she was so close to getting an answer, but then Niall came over to them and she immediately shut up. 

She also saw those two people from the other night, Damien and Wren, that sat by themselves in the corner of the grand room, seeming completely uninterested in anything that involved everyone else. Trinity had explained that they think they’re better than everyone else here so they hardly take time out of their day to engage with others. 

Damien’s Zeus’ son, so because his father is Mr. Almighty, he basically thinks he holds that same title, when in reality he’s just a dickhead. He’s mediocre at best at combat, with or without weapons, and is just plain rude and egotistical. Wren is the daughter of Ares, so she thinks she’s something special because she’s the best female fighter this place has ever seen. Which, it’s pretty cool to be the best, but that doesn’t mean she has to be a bitch about it.

Their whole dinner, Trin and Niall tried giving her the scoop of everyone deemed necessary -- their words -- but one person in particular stood out to her. He was on the opposite side of the room, and even though he’s sitting at a table, it looks like everyone sitting with him, is there just because he is. Calista could admit it is difficult to not pay attention to him, his vibrant smile and glowing aura drawing anyone to him.

His name’s Harry, and according to Niall, he’s the best male soldier this place has ever seen. It was hard for Niall to admit it, but he can’t avoid the truth. Unlike Damien who despised Harry for it, them two supposedly always going head to head about who was better. “Damien can never get the hint that he, well, sucks ass,” Niall digressed, sipping on his drink, raising his eyebrows in an ‘I’m not wrong’ manner.

It also doesn’t help Damien’s case that Harry is a genuinely nice guy. Aside from the battle field, Harry will go out of his way to help anyone, bringing joy and happiness to everyone around him. He’s the son of Apollo, god of the sun which makes sense since this guy basically radiates energy like he himself is the sun.

He was definitely someone she wanted to befriend, and she’s a little saddened he was part of the masses that had introduced themselves to her earlier.

“He’s right. A lot of people wish they were as good as Harry, but it sort of just comes, uh, natural to him,” Trin shrugs in agreement. Calista looks past her friends to take a look at him one more time, noticing he’s no longer sat at his table anymore.

But, then a voice speaks from right next to her, startling her and causing her to jump in her seat as she notices the guy suddenly sitting next to her. “You always know how to warm my heart Trin,” he smiles, placing his hand on his chest over where his beating muscle lies, before extending it out to the new girl.

“Hi, I’m Harry.”

Never mind, she’s happy again.

Calista takes his hand now, shaking it with a response of her name, all but falling in love with him immediately on the spot. How is someone allowed to be this good looking? It surely must be a crime.

“How’re you liking things so far?” He asked, keeping his eyes locked on hers and a small smile on his face, as if he was always such a happy person.

Calista swallowed, “I’m adjusting.”

“Understandable. It’s easy getting used to though, especially since you already have some friends here,” he smiled kindly, bringing his hand up to brush through the few fallen strands of hair that adorned his forehead.

“Well, look who finally showed up,” another person spoke from behind her, everyone’s eyes snapping towards the direction it came from. Wren stood at the end of their table, a cynical smirk plastered on her face as a bored looking Damien stood behind her. “Nice to see you again, Newbie.”

Though the tone in her voice suggested otherwise. So, Calista called her out on it, “Is it?”

Wren scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically as a drawn out groan escaped her mouth. “Let me guess, they told you how I’m the biggest bitch around and that all I care about is staying at the top.”

Calista looked around at her silent friends, nodding her head in agreement, “Mm, yup.”

“Good, then we have an understanding. Don’t get in my way, and I won’t get in yours,” she grinned, placing the palms of her hands flat on the table as she leaned forward, her face about a foot away from Calista’s.

It was clear she was trying to be intimidating, her stern face probably scaring away anyone she laid her eyes on. Though, just like a few nights ago, Cal was far from scared. Something about this girl was far from threatening, so without a second thought, Calista leaned her face a bit closer, a small smirk of her own forming on her mouth. 

She didn’t like bullies, and she was tired of running away from them.

“And if I do?”

Wren’s eyes lowered into slits, her smirk dropping as her upper lip nearly raised into a snarl, clearly not enjoying the fact that someone wasn’t intimidated by her. 

“You’ll wish you didn’t.” And with that, she stood back up, skimming her eyes over Calista again before walking away, grabbing Damien by the wrist dragging him away from his little glare-off with Harry.

“Wow…” Niall, spoke up, looking around to his friends, “I hate them.”

“Oh my gods!” Trin gasped, pulling on her friend’s hands, tugging her nearly halfway across the table. “Lis, we’ve got Leaderships in a few weeks, you’re gonna beat her.”

Calista looked to her Trinity in confusion, scrunching her eyebrows together as to what the fuck she was talking about. “Um, what’s Leaderships?”

“It’s basically just ranking everybody in order of first line of defense to last,” Niall explained. 

“So, Harry here is the best male, and Wren takes pride in being the best female, but, I think with a couple weeks of good training, you can knock her right off that fucking pedestal of hers,” Trin continued, smiling with excitement and shaking Calista’s hands vigorously. 

It was a tempting offer. Being new and being the best sure had its perks. But, even though she can’t stand the girl, Calista can’t see herself surpassing Wren. That girl has probably trained her whole life to be where she is, there’s no way a new girl, who didn’t even know this place existed a couple days ago, can sweep in after a few weeks and take that position.

It was tempting, but it was near impossible.

“Trin, I don’t think that’s gonna be possib--”

“A few days ago you didn’t even think this was possible, yet here we are. Anything is possible, plus with help from us, and the fact you’re mother is the goddess of battle strategy, you’re destined to be the best. Right guys?” she turned to the two guys who were caught up in their own conversation, not paying attention to a thing she said.

Niall yelped in pain, his shin burning from the ferocious kick Trin delivered to him. “Wha’ was that for?!”

“Trin, why don’t you just beat her?”

She scoffed at the question in return, “I’ve tried. The bitch is a fucking cheater though, nearly sliced my achilles tendon in two.”

“So--”

“But, it’s time someone else takes a hold of that precious title of hers,” Trin finished, letting go of her friend’s hands now. 

“She’s right,” Harry spoke from beside them, looking away from them and to the corner the couple had resided back into. “Both of them think they run the fucking world, and it’s getting t’be a bit sickening.”

Looking back at the curly haired girl, he smirked, sitting up just a bit straighter, “Whaddya say, love, wanna be the best?”

The first thought that popped into Calista’s mind though, was how the fuck did her life change so much?

#HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED! #mythology series #harry styles series #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles one shot #harry styles au #harry styles x ofc #harry styles writing #harry styles smut #harry styles blurb #harry styles soft #1d fanfiction #1d fanfic #one direction fanfiction #harry styles

[rumpledgoldenweaver]

A Weekend Away

Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling February prompt “I think we’re lost”. Also @fluffapalooza if it’s still open :) Read it on my blog: https://earlyrisingwriting.home.blog/2021/02/14/a-weekend-away/

An opportunity arises for the Gold Boys to spend time together away from Storybrooke’s prying eyes.

Malcolm Gold – he’d adopted his son’s cursed surname, Stiltskin didn’t seem right, it only served to remind him of the anger he’d felt when naming his baby boy. He didn’t want anything to do with the name Peter Pan any more, Gold was a fresh start – was beginning to rue the day he’d agreed to joining his rapidly expanding family for a weekend at Rumple’s forest cabin. It’s like the tree houses in Neverland Neal had explained but on the ground. It’ll be fun Papa, his son had told him through obviously gritted teeth, Malcolm hadn’t missed the discreet elbow to the ribs Rumple had taken from Belle as she’d added that it would be an opportunity to talk away from the scrutiny of the towns folk. Henry had kept a commendable straight face at that remark considering she was referring to at least half of his family. Malcolm liked Belle. She was honest, trusting but not to be crossed. Just what his son needed to keep him in line. It was mainly because of her he’d agreed to come along.  

Malcolm had also been grateful to Belle for her advice regarding clothing in this new land. Although Rumple’s suits looked sharp, he didn’t want that many layers. Neal’s clothes were a bit too casual so he settled on trousers Henry had called Chinos, shirts with buttons, thin jumpers and boots called Timberland. Today he was particularly glad of the boots. Rumple had used magic to transport all the necessary clothes, food etc to the cabin, leaving Malcolm, Neal and Henry free to arrive on foot. Henry had been so excited at the thought of a hike through the forest with his Dad, no one had the heart to object.

“I think we’re lost” Malcolm tried to get his bearings however the trees all looked the same, he had no idea how far into the the forest they were.

“Lost Boys” sniggered Neal. Henry snorted which made his father laugh even more.

“Following the leader, the leader, the leader” sang Henry “We’re following the leader…”

“Wherever he may go” Neal joined in, the two of them dancing round in a circle.

“Very funny”

“You have no idea” laughed Neal “Have you seen the Disney film about Peter Pan yet?”

“The what?” Malcolm was still bemused by the popular cultures of the world he now lived in even though he’d got a better grasp of how it actually worked.

Henry grinned the kind of wicked grin Rumple would have been proud of “You’ll love it Gramps, especially Hook”

Neal’s eyebrows rose at the use of Gramps in relation to Malcolm

“What? I call Rumple Grandpa and Malcolm didn’t like Great Grandpa so Mum suggested Gramps”

“Which Mum?” though Neal had his suspicions

Henry didn’t answer but the glint in his eye was enough. Emma had an evil sense of humour.

“One of you must have been to this cabin before?”

“Neal shook his head “I arrived in town not long before the trip to Neverland but Papa and I weren’t exactly on friendly terms back then”

“I haven’t been either, I didn’t know Grandpa was my Grandpa and my mums weren’t about to let me hang out with The Dark One”

“Wonderful”

Neal looked around for minute or two, then as if some secret signal had been given he made an abrupt turn and set off down a path “Come on. It’s this way”

~

“Rumple will you please stop fussing. We have enough food to survive a small siege. There is no need to summon more”

“Have you ever fed a twelve year old boy? If his appetite is anything like Bae’s at that age then…” he felt a lump rise in his throat.

“Rumple?”

“Then I want to make sure there’s plenty”

“Oh Rumple” she hugged him hoping to both reassure and pull him out of this melancholy. He pulled her closer, nuzzling her hair, whispering a thank you sweetheart. Belle moved to kiss him and for the next couple of minutes there was a feeling of peace between them.

“Hi Grandpa Hi Belle sorry we’re.. oh…” Henry looked embarrassed at interrupting.  Belle giggled, Rumple never even turned round as he replied “Hi Henry”

“Are they here?” Neal’s voice carried through the door.

“Er...yes…they are.. here…”

“Is something up?” Neal strode into the living room and stopped dead “Oh for pities sake you two get a room!”

Rumple did turn this time “This is my cabin Bae and my room”

“Not in front of the wee ones eh Laddie?” Malcolm chuckled.

“Indeed”

“Rumple..” there was a warning tone to Belle’s voice “remember what we talked about”

“Hmm”

Ever the diplomat Henry piped up “Is there anything to eat? I’m starving”

“Yes of course Henry” smiled Belle “in the kitchen”

The young boy disappeared, returning within five minutes carrying a plate loaded with burger, fries, onion rings, various dips and salad. Rumple gave Belle a told you so look.

“He obviously appreciates his food” Malcolm watched in amusement at Henry giving the burger his full attention.

“Takes after his father” Rumple nodded towards Neal as he too went to the kitchen and brought back a plate piled high.

Conversation remained light hearted as they ate, comments about both Neal and Henry having hollow legs because of their hearty appetites. Rumple found he was nearly enjoying himself. Nearly being better than not at all as Belle reminded him earlier.

“Where on earth did all the food come from anyway?” Malcolm asked as he debated which of the many desserts to try.

“I summoned it” Rumple replied reaching for a cupcake.

“Magic” Neal raised a suspicions eyebrow.

“Only to bring it here. It’s not magic food. I’ve paid Granny’s chef triple his wages to cook a steady supply especially for us”

“Fair enough” Neal took a satisfied mouthful of cake.

“More tea anyone?” Belle stood up and began collecting the various cups and mugs strewn around the room

“Coffee if you have it please”

“Of course Bae, I’ll put the pot on. Coffee has it’s own magic Dearie” he twirled his arms, turned on his heel and practically skipped out after Belle.

The expression on Henry’s face was priceless.

~

When everyone had eaten their fill, plates, cups and cutlery washed, dried and put away by hand not magic Rumple keenly pointed out, Henry suggested they watch a film. Malcolm being particularly interested in the idea of a a “moving book” being shown on something called a TV screen. Then began the debate over which one to put on. Whilst there wasn’t a great deal of choice amongst the DVD’s at the cabin, Rumple would be happy to summon whichever was decided on. Mostly it was left to Neal and Henry as they had the widest knowledge of such things. It seemed to Malcolm to be a very complicated process.

“Nothing over a PG”

“Awww Dad! I’m twelve! I can watch..”

“No. Your Mothers would find a hundred ways to kill me, bring me back to life and kill me all over again if they found out you’d watched anything remotely inappropriate”

“Grandpa would protect you”

“Oh no no no” laughed Rumple “Do not bring me into this. I argued with both of them over many things but even I have limits”

“What about that.. Disney thing you mentioned on the way here? Would that be allowable?”

All eyes turned to Malcolm.

“You mean Peter Pan?” Henry looked sceptical.

“Yeah.. that. I’d like to see it”

Rumple and Belle exchanged a look before he got up and went into the main bedroom. There followed the sound of keys turning in locks and a safe being opened.

“You keep Disney DVD’s in a vault Papa?”

“Along with a few other items I was unsure about at first yes”

“Such as?”

“Such as none of your business son” he walked back into the living room brandishing the disc “You can do the honours Bae”

It could, Belle mused to herself long after everyone else had retired for the night, have gone a lot worse.  For instance everyone agreed that the physical resemblance between the cartoon and the person was actually rather accurate. They had all laughed like drains at Captain Hook. Belle honestly thought she’d have to give medical attention to Rumple and Malcolm as their hysterics gave way to mighty coughing fits. Neal and Henry sang along with the songs, Never Smile At A Crocodile didn’t go down very well with Rumple at first but he saw the funny side in the end. When it came to Following The Leader, the youngest father and son immediately leapt to their feet and began dancing round the room in a repeat of their antics in the forest earlier.

“So that’s where that song came from” groused Malcolm.

There seemed to be an unspoken agreement to not discuss certain details regarding film versus real life, for that Belle was grateful. She knew the relationships in that room were complicated, messy, quite possibly very unhealthy and could keep Archie Hopper on Rumple’s pay roll for decades. Whilst she believed talking about these issues was healthy, this weekend was not the time or the place. For once no one was arguing, for once certain townsfolk weren’t around to stick their well intentioned (or otherwise) noses in. She wondered if inviting her own father for a weekend here might help ease tensions between him and her boyfriend. Maybe leave it a month or so before she suggested that.

“What are you smirking at?” Rumple came from the en suite,  pulled the bed covers back and climbed in bed beside her. Her eyes gleamed with mischief.

“Don’t you dare Belle” he warned, which was the wrong thing to say because of course she dared.

“Never smile at a crocodile..”

“I’m warning you young lady”

“No you can’t get friendly with a crocodile…” she sang between giggles.

“Right then”

And he proceeded to show her how friendly crocodiles could be when they wanted to.

#a monthly rumbelling #fluffapalooza 2021 #february prompt #gold family fic #gold boys fic

[therainbowwillow]

Oh yeah, here’s part 3: https://therainbowwillow.tumblr.com/post/640227062984130560/therainbowwillow

I’m tired of school, so I’m going to write now. This is part 4/?? of my Hadestown AU.

Here’s the premise/what happened last time so you don’t have to read it all: Hades is having a midlife crisis about the fact that his wife would rather be hungover than speak with him. Instead of getting a therapist, he decides murdering a very tired teenager is a far better coping mechanism. Hermes is so tired of his travel companions, Dionysus and Apollo, he gets hella drunk. Orpheus is blaming himself for the difficulty of their journey. He’s kinda losing it. He feels terrible that he let Eurydice die and now he must ask her to drag him out of Hadestown, given that he was shot in the leg by a would-be assasin. Eurydice is trying to keep Orpheus motivated to get out of Hadestown. It is going about as well as the rest of their escape attempt. Achilles is worrying about Patroclus, who was shot in the shoulder while defending Orpheus. Patroclus is trying to get him to shut up. The workers are taking sides. (Which must be fun because their choices are losing-it Hades or losing-it Orpheus. Then again, Hades wants to murder a kid and Orpheus just wants to not get murdered.)

Here we go:

“Orpheus, how are you doing?” Eurydice asks again. They hadn’t made it very far. In fact, the greenhouses were still in sight. She tries to ignore this fact.

He looks up at her with sunken eyes. “Please... can we... can we rest soon?”

“A little farther,” Eurydice tells him. “How’s your leg?”

“It hurts. Please, Eurydice... can we sit down?”

“Soon, baby, soon.” She’s afraid that if he sits, he won’t stand again.

“I’m so tired, Eurydice. My stomach hurts. I can’t remember the last time I ate. Explain again why I can’t eat with you? I can’t remember what you told me.”

She sighs. “The living can’t eat the food of the dead because they’ll end up stuck down here.”

He swallows. “I... I don’t care.” His legs buckle under him and Eurydice catches him before he falls. “I’ll work for Hades. I’ll do anything. Just something to eat. Please...” he implores her.

“Hold up,” Eurydice calls to Persephone. “We can sit, Orpheus.” She lowers him to the ground. He winces. “Please don’t talk like that. I can’t lose you down here, love.”

“I can’t do this.” She pulls him into her arms.

“We’ll do it together, step by step.”

He shakes his head against her chest. “I... I can’t. I can’t. Every step is torture. I just want to close my eyes and...” he sighs softly. “Never... open them... again.” His voice trails off.

“I know it’s hard, but you can’t give up now! You came all this way!”

“I’m too tired to walk any more. Let me sleep... please...” His eyelids are heavy. So heavy... he closes his eyes.

———————————————

Orpheus blinks. He’s laying on a cold stone floor. Eurydice is nowhere in sight. He calls out to her.

‘Eurydice... Eurydice... Eurydice.’ The walls echo.

“Hello?”

‘Hello? Hello? hello...’

“Orpheus.”

Orpheus shudders at the sound of the cruel, almost harmonic voice. It doesn’t echo as his does. “Who’s there?”

“Who’s there! Who’s there? who’s there...’

“There is no escape.” His breaths are slow and strained. The air is rancid. It smells of death. And his leg hurts. Gods, his whole body hurts. “You belong to Hades now.”

“I’m not dead!” Orpheus begs.

‘I’m not dead! I’m not dead. I’m not dead...’ his echo mocks.

“The King of the Underworld will see you now.”

The door to Orpheus’s cell creaks open. He tries to scramble backwards, but his wrists are shackled to the ground. Hades stands in the doorframe. He smirks. “You failed.”

Orpheus shakes his head. “No... no... I don’t understand! I didn’t break your rules! I didn’t sing.”

Hades strides to his side and takes a knee. He lifts Orpheus’s head to face him. “What don’t you understand? No one leaves Hadestown.”

“Please...”

“Your little muse watched you turn to dust. Must’ve broken her heart.”

Orpheus buries his head in his hands. He lets tears streak down his cheeks as he curls up on the floor. “Let me go. I’m not dead. I’m not dead!” He shouts.

“The girl, Eurydice. And your protectors, Achilles, Patroclus, my wife, they’ve still got a chance. I could call off my shades, boy, if only you’ll agree to my terms.”

“Don’t hurt them. Don’t hurt them... please...” he moans.

“That’s up to you, Orpheus.”

“Let me out of here!” He wails.

“Enough!”

Orpheus clutches his head. “Argh!” he cries.

“Do you want to be agreeable, or do you prefer this?”

Orpheus rolls onto his side. His head feels like it’s going to explode. “S-stop...” he groans. The pain fades.

“Do we have a deal or don’t we?” Hades growls.

Orpheus gasps for breath. “What... terms?” he chokes.

“You,” Hades presses a finder into his chest. “Help me get this place under control. Your song’s powerful, boy.”

“H-how?”

“Write a song for the shades. Make them listen to you. And I’ll let your friends go.”

Orpheus shakes his head. “Why should I trust you? You gave me one rule. I didn’t break it, so you killed me.”

“Because if you don’t, Eurydice is mine. Patroclus and Achilles will never see each other again. And Persephone will be left all alone. She’ll be forced to return to me.”

“I’m not yours to control. The workers aren’t yours to control!” Orpheus sits upright. His head spins. “Let me go.”

Hades smiles. “Fool.” He rises and slams the cell door behind him.

“Wait!” He shouts. There’s no reply.

Orpheus strains against his chains. His ankles are bound, and his wrists. He tries to pull the shackles off over his hands, but to no avail. He sinks to the ground. Every breath burns his lungs. He feels like he’s suffocating. The cell is dark as pitch and he can’t see an inch in front of him. The bandages around his leg had been torn off at some point. He feels his blood pooling under him. He wraps his hands over his head and sobs. He rocks back and forth against the icy floor until he has no more tears to cry.

————————————

“Orpheus?” Patroclus places a finger against the poet’s neck. “I can feel his pulse. It’s slow. He’s barely breathing.”

“Unconscious?” Achilles asks.

“I... don’t know. He’s not getting in enough air to keep his heart beating, but he’s not dead.”

“What do we do?” Eurydice whispers. “He can’t die now... not after all he’s gone through.”

“We carry him?” Patroclus suggests. “I don’t see what else we can do.”

“With haste.” Persephone adds, “Like the plants in my greenhouse, he can’t hang on forever.”

“Where do we take him? We won’t be allowed across the Styx,” Achilles says.

“Away from Hades,” Persephone responds. “Hermes can help us get him home, if that message is to be trusted. Regardless, we can deal with the Styx once we get there. It’s a week’s walk. Longer, carrying Orpheus.”

“Can he hold on that long?” Eurydice asks.

Persephone sighs. “I hope so.” She lays out a blanket. “This’ll do for a stretcher until we find something better.” She lifts Orpheus onto it. She takes one end of the blanket and Achilles takes the other. “Eurydice, watch Orpheus. If anything changes, speak up. Patroclus, keep look out.”

——————————————

Hermes stumbles along the road, a much more bearable journey while drunk. Really drunk. So drunk that Apollo’s poetry brings tears to his eyes where normally, he’d probably want to throw himself off a cliff by this point, envying Hephaestus.

He half-remembers what he’s doing. Finding Orpheus. Where had the kid gone? He isn’t sure. He feels bad to come home drunk, though. Orpheus had always hated the scent of alcohol on his breath. The boy’s mother, Calliope, had smelled of wine last he’d seen her. A painful reminder of his childhood abandonment. Of course, Hermes didn’t blame the muse for leaving the boy behind. A single mother, all alone in the rain and storms, with Apollo as the boy’s father? It had been for Orpheus’s good that she’d given him up. Protection from Apollo’s unpredictably.

“Hey, Hermes! We’re here.” Dionysus says, waving a hand in front of Hermes’s face.

He blinks and his intoxication melts away. The railroad stretches out before them, spanning far beyond the horizon. A line of mortals stands along the track, slowly boarding the train. Thanatos takes their tickets. “I ask you again, Hermes, can’t you get out of those damn meetings?” He calls.

Hermes smiles. “I wish I could. Tickets for three, Thanatos.”

“Ah Dionysus, come to see your mother. Say hello to Hypnos for me, if you see him. I’ve been busy lately. And you, Apollo?”

“Working for Demeter,” Apollo says, “Persephone’s late again and she’s tired of waiting. Looks like I’m the only expendable Olympian these days.”

Thanatos nods. “If you plan of convincing Hades to send her back... well, best of luck to you. I wouldn’t cross him like this.”

“What’s happened?” Hermes asks.

“You don’t know?” Thanatos inquires. “Isn’t Orpheus your kid?”

“Mine, actually,” Apollo interrupts.

“Yes, I raised the boy,” Hermes explains. “Is he alright?” He already knows the answer.

“Listen, I’m sure you knew he was going to look for her. He almost made it but... Hermes, we should speak. Alone.”

Hermes nods. Dionysus takes over ticket collection, grinning at the shades.

Thanatos glances over his shoulder. “I’m not supposed to tell you anything, but you’ve done me plenty of favors. Don’t tell Hades, alright?”

“Of course,” Hermes agrees. “What happened?”

“Orpheus made it to the throne hall,” Thanatos begins. “He sang a song. I’d never heard anything like it. Hermes, flowers bloomed. Flowers. In Hadestown. Hades seemed moved by the boy’s melody. The poor kid was half-starved though. And I’ve never seen someone so exhausted. He passed out. It broke the charm of his song. He woke pretty quickly, but not fast enough. Hades told him he could leave, but his terms were meant to be impossible. Orpheus wouldn’t be allowed to look at his lover, nor touch her. And he couldn’t sing until he’d made it out.”

Thanatos sighs. “Poor boy. He didn’t have a choice. He was far too weary to stand on his own. He was leaned up against the girl. Hades called he deal broken and... I’ve never heard someone scream like that. Persephone talked him down and Orpheus escaped with his life, only singing was forbidden. Persephone left with him.”

“The order went out the day before last: kill him. To every shade in Hadestown, after I refused to do it myself. And yesterday... I wasn’t granted a second choice. It was kill Orpheus, or lose my home. Funny, I thought I commanded a little more respect than that. But I couldn’t refuse so I went and found the poor kid. I saw how desperate he looked, staring up at his lover.” Thanatos pauses for a second. “I gave Hades his soul, but I didn’t end the boy’s life. His mind is locked up in a cell somewhere, but his body is still breathing. I guess he’s somewhere between life and death. I don’t know how else to explain it. Gods, Hermes, I’m sorry. I live with my brother though, and his wife. Hypnos and Pasithea shouldn’t have to reestablish their lives somewhere else, not because of me.”

“That’s worse than I could’ve expected,” Hermes mutters. “Hades cared once. For his wife, for his realm, for his people.”

“I’ll get you as close as I can to your boy,” Thanatos promises. “Hades will eventually notice that he isn’t really dead. You need to move quickly. Apollo’s medical abilities should be enough to return him to life.”

Hermes nods. “Thank you, Thanatos.”

“Now, let’s get going. These shades can wait.”

———————————

Orpheus opens his eyes. It hardly matters. His cell is too dark to see a thing, eyes closed or open. His wrists are rubbed bloody by his repeated attempts at escape. His throat burns with his every breath of the awful underworld air. It’s more smog and death than it is oxygen.

His mind is hazy. He remembers a long walk. He’d been looking for someone. Further details are lost to the fog of the Lethe.

The first night, he’d desperately tried to escape his cage, Orpheus remembers. The second, he’d sang until he couldn’t make a sound. The third, he’d heard voices. He’d begged for food or a sip of water. He’d received nothing. Was this the fourth or the fifth? He couldn’t remember.

He’d forgotten his song, note by note. He’d scratched it into the floor with the edge of his chains, but when he draws his fingers across the lines of his music now, he finds it means nothing to him. Dots and lines, not notes. To think that it had once been a language to him... he vaguely remembers sitting by a fire, scribbling down those very same lines for the hundredth time on crumpled papers, soft from being folded.

This is his eternity, Orpheus knows. He’d given up hope of escape or rescue. Hades would keep him here, alone and in pain forever. No food, no water, his restless sleep woken by the echoing screams of his fellow prisoners. Hades. The only name he remembers. His prison warden.

What had he done wrong? Orpheus wonders. How had he ended up here? What great cruelty had he committed?

“Eternity.” Orpheus rasps.

‘Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity.’ The echo of his voice bounces down the hall.

He shivers. Sweat beads his forehead. His shuddering breaths are heard only by the stones. He lays there a moment, silent and unmoving.

Light washes across his cheeks. He shields his eyes. “You.” The voice that greets him is gravelly and cold.

“Who am I?” Orpheus whispers, desperately.

The man smiles. “A shade like any other.”

“No... I am someone.” Orpheus takes in a shaky breath. “Or... I was.”

“Now you are mine,” Hades states.

“All of those shades were people once.”

Hades nods. “And now they are mine.”

Orpheus blinks. The light spilling in through the doorway is blinding. His eyes slowly adjust to the new brightness. He recognizes his visitor now, Hades, king of shadows, king of shades, a red carnation in his front pocket.

His memories flood back to him suddenly. His song. He sits up, weakly, but he lifts his head and... “King of shadows,” he croaks, “King of shades. Hades is king of the underworld.”

Anxiety flutters through the god’s eyes. “You...”

“He fell in love with a beautiful lady. Who walked up above, in her mother’s green fields.” His voice cannot reach as high as it once did, but still he sings, quietly, in a lower tone. “He fell in love with Persephone, who was gathering flowers in the light of the sun.”

“Enough!” Hades snaps.

Orpheus continues. “And I know how it was because...” he remembers her face. Eurydice, the love of his life. “He was like me. A man... in love with a woman.”

Hades glares at him, but the god doesn’t move, he doesn’t react, so Orpheus doesn’t hesitate. “Singing... la la la la la la la.” He stops singing, smiling ever so slightly. More than he had for days. “You still love her.”

Hades nods.

“Why then, do you take everything from her?”

He is silent.

“Her wedding ring is as heavy as shackles around her wrists.”

Hades opens his mouth, as if to speak. No sound comes out.

The words fall from Orpheus’s mouth before he has a chance to consider them. “Let her go.”

“She would flee.”

“Perhaps.”

“I would be confined to the underworld. An eternity without solace,” Hades says.

“Maybe. But love is... love is doing what’s right. Even if it hurts.” He thinks of his walk to Hadestown. His long, long walk.

“There is no love if she is not by my side.”

“If you care so deeply for her, give her what she desires: freedom. Hades, she doesn’t want to be locked up, the only key around your neck.”

Hades says nothing.

“You do everything for her. You give her everything.” Hades nods. “Except for what she needs. She loved you because she had a choice. What became of your love, King Hades? What became of her choice?”

“She promised me eternity.”

“And you promised her six months up above. Promises are breakable. Now Persephone’s just another slave to your electric city.”

“You know nothing of my wife, boy,” Hades growls.

Orpheus sighs. “I know of your workers,” he rasps. “How they toil endlessly for no reward. Meager rations, and worse pay. They have nothing and you have everything. They flock to your wife because she is a light in the dark. The darkness you created. What happened to justice? Fair contracts? The man Persephone loved is gone,” he finishes. He sinks back to the ground, one hand laid across the music inscribed on the dusty floor.

Hades rises. The door clangs shut behind him.

#hadestown au #hadestown fanfic #hadestown #therainbowwrites

[abloomntime]

A Bloom In Time Ch16 Poppy’s Spaceship Tour And Meeting Cooking Cat P2

She was starting to feel MUCH better now! Honestly all the dirt and grim leaving her body was very relieving. She felt like a new woman! But there still was one problem. Cookie had been nice enough to take care of her clothes and wash them up for her. The problem was that there was rips and tears in the dress near the bottom making it look like someone took a weed wacker to the bottom of the once nice blue dress. Oh well. The important thing was that it was clean and so was she at last. Her wrist felt better as well. Cookie was also kind enough to look over Poppy's injury and thankfully no signs of swelling were there just some scrapes that could use a few bandaids. If she had to guess, it must've been whatever herbal bath the cat made for her, really did work like those healing herbs her mother used to grow, the pain had stopped by a bunch to where she could move it and grab things without feeling pain, and all that was left was a dull soreness like a bee sting. She also felt mentally better, as if a heavy rock was lifted off her back, which is why the smile on her face was placed there as she dried off her long hair.

"I knew there was a peach under that dirt," Cookie complimented as Poppy smiled and pulled the towel off her head, letting her still slightly wet hair fall down her back. "Now there. Such a pretty shade of red. Like a lovely rose."

"Oh please. You're too kind. It's nothing that's uncommon. You're actually very fairly pretty yourself!," Poppy complimented back which got a wave from Cookie.

"Believe it or not my fur color is actually a rare color where I'm from." She walked over to where Poppy stood holding up the heavy duty leather apron she usually wore when gardening now also cleaned as well.

"Oh really? Uh..Thank you." She grabbed the apron from Cookie with a smile.

She nodded. "Most of the cats where I'm from are all black or light grey. It's another reason I wanted to leave, I like being around people more colorful like me. But enough about me, what's it like where you're from?" That one sentence made Poppy fully stop folding the apron for a solid ten seconds, before that smile slowly turned back into a frown as she continued to fold the apron before slowly putting it under her arm silently. Cookie's look softening. "Oh. I'm sorry. I knew you said you-..Im sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's....ok. I-...I can't go back there anyways. I-It's...It's gone."

The cat placed a paw on her gently. "I know it ain't none of my business, but what happened?"

.......No. She didn't want to tell another person her burdens and sorrows, and reliving it again by talking about it so she sighed and shook her head. "It's...A-Actually gone. A...." What was she supposed to call being cursed for a thousand years before being woken up by accident? She settled on- "A v-very bad ...winter froze everything and destroyed it. A-As far as I know I'm the only one left alive to speak of it." True. After all that Snatcher fellow certainly wasn't alive after all being a ghost.

Cookie gave a small gasp, her paws coming to cover her mouth for a moment in shock. "Oh my goodness. You poor thing. Oh, no wonder you were so distressed."

"Thank you. B-But you don't really have to feel sorry for me. I'm...I'm still working it out, b-but I'm sure I'll be fine with his help."

"His? His who?"

"Snatcher. The ghost the children hang around with." Cookie gave her a look over confused as to why her answer was that making Poppy feel criticized. "...What?"

"Nothing. I'm just surprised that old ghosty's offered to be some kind of use instead of sitting on that pillow stack reading some kind of book complaining 'bout somethin' or stealing my bacon. But then again I don't know him too well, so it's awefully nice of him to offer his help to you. " Shaking her head she turned around towards the exit and motioned for Poppy to follow her. "C'mon now. Let's get you some food. I bet you're just starving."

"Yeah. Hungry.".....Cookie knew Snatcher. The thought made her look back up at Cookie who by now had stood back in the exit waiting patiently for her to come over and she did. "Hey. You met Snatcher before right? What's he usually like?"

She shrugged. "Like I said I don't know him all too well. Just that he steals food and acts like Conductor if Conductor was less yell-y and always had his nose stuck in a book all the time."

Poppy didn't know who Conductor was but she'd take Cookie's word for it. Pressing the red button on the side again, they ascended back up to the chilly storage room. From there the red head followed the small calico as she happily walked towards the ladder to climb back up it. Even though the hurt hand was better, Poppy thought she had better stay off it for the time being until all the soreness left it, so for now she'd have to climb the ladder and crawl through the small hallway painfully slowly like before....Which took a LONG time, but she was glad to get out of that chilly room none the less. And before she knew it, she was standing on the other side of that tiny hallway stretching her back out and sighing as she walk around normally for the most part now. The girls were there too, giggling as they watched a funny picture show on the tv showing a cartoon Moon Penguin chasing a mouse who stole it's fish, only for the penguin to trip over his own flippers and land face first into a pie randomly on the floor. Both girls giggling at the funny sight. Next to them were empty plates and forks obviously from whatever Cookie had made them. Said cat walked on over to the young girls who briefly looked up to her as she picked up the plates and patted each on the head before both young ladies turned back to their entertainment on screen.

Cookie gestured Poppy to follow her before turning to the ramp. "Come on. I'll show you where the kitchen is."

With that she turned and began her way back up the ramp, stepping over Rumbi casually sweeping a path down it. Poppy blinked, but followed none the less. She just hoped the kitchen wasn't a teeny space as well. Walking past the girls, they giggled again at something goofy the penguin did and she smiled at their adorable child giggles before walking past them and up the ramp, taking a GIANT step around Rumbi and giving the robot vacum cleaner a suspicious look before walking the rest of the way up there. As she walked, poppy glanced at everything she passes. The screen that had the number 1000 on it plus a picture of an hourglass, a giant vault that looked a lot like the bank's old vault, and then finally over to the two double doors which was to her relief and surprise her size. Pushing one of the door slowly opened, the lady slowly poked her head in. A rug of more blue gears under her feet.......and a surprisingly normal kitchen is what greeted her. A stove was in the far corner, with a sink, fridge, counter, cabinets and a shelf full of plates, cups, and other dishes. The kitchen was actually rather non-alien compared to the other rooms she's seen so far with the checkered floor, and soft blue walls. There was a few paintings on the wall and a small plant in the corner to add to the calm atmosphere. The only really strange thing about it would be the giant telescope sitting in the middle of the room. Cookie was busy putting the dirty dishes in the sink before she smiled from her place standing on a chair and turned back to Poppy.

"Well, don't be shy. Come on in and I'll grab you you're plate." Poppy did noticing there really wasn't any table to eat at as Cookie hopped off the chair with a small thud and walked on over to the fridge in the corner. Didn't look like the kind of fridge she had back when she was a kid. She watched in slight amazement as Cookie opened it and reached into one of shelves her height to pull out a small plate. "I hope you don't mind cold food."

"What is it?," she asked as Cookie walked over to her, closing the fridge with her foot holding the plate up.

"Just a drumstick and some mashed potatoes. Sorry if it's not enough. Those little tykes eat more than you think." The cat held the plate up to her and true to her word there was a small drumstick and mashed potatoes on it which Poppy graciously took.

"N-no. It's plenty. You've done more than enough for me. Thank you." OH GOSH. It smelt so good even though it was cold, her stomach rumbled again and in an instant her mouth watered. Forgetting about her thick leather apron, she let it drop to the ground in favor of grabbing that fork and eating....

....

.......HOLY PECK!!

It was delicious! The potatoes were so creamy and well smashed and put together! And she'd never tasted gravy quite like this before! It was delicious! It was...it was....a flavor she couldn't explain because she'd never tasted it before! And the bird...OH! The roasted bird was GLORIOUS!! She had bird before but never like this! It was tender yet juicy with bread crumbs and seasoning mixing in giving it that extra flavoring caused by spices. Cookie chuckled at the sight, already used to the reactions people had to her food by now and turned around to go back to the counter as Poppy ate with a happy hum and sparkly wide eyes to her heart's content. The growling in her stomach finally being cured from her dilema of being hungry. Cookie after a moment of standing on the chair again to get to the counter managed to fill up a glass of water before hopping off back onto the floor and walked her way over to the woman currently smiling at the food and stopped mid bite at the cat's chuckling.

"My, my. Such a healthy appetite."

Poppy immediately straightened up and gave a sheepish smile. "Um..S-Sorry. I guess I was just so hungry. And this is SO good! I've never tasted anything like it."

She chuckled again holding up the water to her. "I'm glad you think so. Here. Take this. You'll be needing something to wash it down with."

"Oh. Thank you." As she bent down to take the water, Cookie symaltaniously took the plate that was nothing but crumbs and a drumstick bone by now and made a turn to go back to the sink. "Y-You're a really good cook. I'm surprised no one ever gave you a job before."

She shrugged hopping back up to the counter and sink, placing the dirty dishes within. "I'll take all of that as a compliment, and no need to thank me, Sugar. I'm always happy to hear such nice words for my simple dishes......OH!! I nearly forgot!" She turned back to Poppy. "I think I found something of yours." Reaching her paw into a pocket, Cookie pulled out a shiny golden bracelet that got Poppy's eyes widening and she briefly choked on her water. "It fell out of one of your apron pocket's all dirty like. So I cleaned it up for ya."

"M-My bracelet!" In an instant Poppy rushed over, glass cup abandoned on the counter in favor for her to latch both hands around the bracelet and look at it. Her reflection staring back up at her in wonder before looking back at Poppy. "Y-Yes. It is. T-Thank you."

The cat smiled and went to answer-

DING!! DING!! DING!!

Poppy jumped and both turned their heads to a wall plastered onto the far side of the wall singing as the start of a new hour had begun and Cookie gave a small gasp to the time. "Oh goodness! Eight already? Oh no. I must've lost track of time." With a quick jump from the chair, the cat paddled her way over towards the kitchen doors. Poppy blinked but followed non the less as she still muttered. "Silly me. Count on me to forget things so easily. Muriel's going to be so worried about me the poor sugarcude." She muttered to herself as she exited the doors making both children below pause from their current cartoon and look up towards the two ladies exiting the kitchen.

"D-Does that mean you're leaving?," Poppy asked behind her.

Cookie momentarily stopped and turned to give her an apologetic look. "I'm afraid so. I'm really sorry to leave so sudden like this, but I have to get up real early if I wanna make it to my breakfast cooking show tomorrow and I have a gal at home who won't sleep unless I tell her to. And I need some kind of sleep tonight-"

Poppy held up her hands. "No, no. It's perfectly fine. You must be busy being a mother and having a job. My mother was the same way."

"So understanding. Than you so much."

"Oh w-wait a minute." Poppy looked back over to the window and outerspace behind it. "H-How are you doing to get home? Are they going to teleport you with their magic umbrellas?"

Cookie gave a laugh and shook her head. "No need." Her paw reached over to her sleeve to pull it down and reveal a watch?? "I can use my teleporter to go back to Mr. Grooves's moon studio and catch a bus back to the planet."

"Are you leaving now?," Bow stood up yawning and looked up at the cat who continued down the ramp and gave a sad smile to the two children.

"Yes. I'm afraid so, Honeypie. But don't worry. Ya'll can see me tomorrow on my morning show." Both young girls awed in disappointment but got up as she got down to the bottom of the ramp and stopped by the giant Tv to hold out her arms to hug the girls good bye. "Oh there there," she cooed motherly and smiled brightly, "You'll see me again, but I have grown up stuff to do. What you all can do is take care of that friend of yours alright?" Both agreed and reluctant let go of her, Cookie patting each of them on the head before turning her attention to Poppy and waving a paw. "You take care too now ya hear. And don't go treading through any more swamp water without an extra dress."

Poppy didn't get a chance to get anymore than a wave good bye as Cookie already pressed a button on her watch and in a flash of sparkles the cat was gone. She stopped and stared at the empty space the cat was by the children for a moment before shivering. She'd NEVER get used to the act of everyone disappearing and reappearing at will in front of her, but those sparkly blue eyes soon turned there direction down towards the shimmer and shine of the gold bracelet still protectively held within her hands, her blue eyes and messy red hair staring back at her. For a moment she could remember the soft brown eyes and the kind smile of the friend who gave it to her. Silly insisting she'd take it as payment for a simple bouquet of wild rainbow daises. ....The last thing she had to remember him by outside of memories. A small sad feeling came over her but was interrupted by the sounds of Bow yawning and stretching her body out which was followed by another loud yawn by Hattie. Oh yeah. Cookie did say something about it being eight p.m.. That would be pretty late by child standards, so it would probably be best if they slept for the night. Plus isn't she supposed to be helping out these little two until that Snatcher ghosts gets finished with whatever business he had? Yeah. Better get these tykes to sleep now.

"Kids. I know I don't have much authority probably but I think it's best you get to sleep." Both girls looked up at her as she walked down the ramp towards them both.

As expected Hattie gave a small whine. "One more Cheesy Penguin episode. PLEEEAAASE!!," she pleaded give Poppy big eyes that honestly melted her heart and she MIGHT have said yes if Bow hadn't grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the hallway toward the bathroom downstairs.

"Hattie! No more trouble today, and I'm tired. I wanna sleep."

Her friend groaned throwing her head back. "Fffffiiiiine. But I won't like it!"

Poppy gave a small smile and giggle at their antics. they acted more like sisters than friends..Well she guessed they were if Snatcher adopted the both of them. "Nice choice. Now go wash up for bed."

".....Wait." Hattie looked back up to Poppy with a confused look. "Where are YOU gonna sleep?"

"She can sleep on the pillow pile?," Bow suggested.

Poppy honestly stopped for a moment and gave the kids a blank look. That...That was a fairly good point. Where WAS she supposed to sleep on this space ship? All the rooms were thankfully big enough for her to stand up in(well all the rooms she's seen so far), but she'd have to crawl on her hands and knees to get to them. Looking back to her hand with the bracelet, she moved it a lil bit. The scrapes and sore muscles didn't hurt her anymore but a small dull soreness but it would be best to stay off it at least until tomorrow for the time being. So for now she wouldn't be crawling around so that meant she was probably bunking here or in the kitchen for the night, her blue eyes scowled at Rumbi as he still swept around casually. She still didn't trust that thing so in the kitchen it was. Wasn't very appealing but she'd have to make due with what she had.

"I can sleep in the kitchen tonight. I really don't mind."

Hattie made a face like she was crazy. "No you can't. whoever heard of sleeping in a kitchen? That's funny."

"Well, I'm certainly not in any mood to be crawling around anymore small hallways. I'd rather sleep somewhere I'd be able to move around easier in without having to crawl around on my wrist." She held up her hand before pointing to Rumbi. "And n-no offense but I don't really exactly trust that thing yet."

"Hey! Rumbi's a cleaner not a thing!" Hattie yawned again before wiping at her face again. "........What about the attic? It's really big."

"....Your spaceship has an attic?"

"Yeah! I'll show you!" As if the tiredness had left her completely for the excitement of showing Poppy even more of her ship, Hattie jumped to her feet and ran up to the ramp and Poppy. Who yelped and stumbled back from the small girl grabbing her hand as she ran by and yanked her back up the ramp towards an orange ramp going up and down. Gosh her grip was strong for a small child wasn't it? "It's up there!" She pointed up to an opening in the ceiling and Poppy rose a brow at it all. Since when did a spaceship have an attic? Well she's never been on one before either so maybe they naturally came with one. But that unsure uneasy feeling in her stomach returned when that orange pad came all the way back to the ground again and with a yank and yelp from Poppy Hattie pulled her right onto the elevator thing.

"Uh...Maybe I'll just sleep on the flOOR-" The sudden movement under her feet made her gasp and lean forward, almost tettering on the edge of falling off, waving her arms aroundfor something to grab as Bow made a gasp from below. Panic filled her being for a brief moment but at the last second the strong willed child managed to grab her dress and yank her back into a standing position. Poppy still wobbling around but thankfully missing the ceiling as they went up through the hole in the ceiling.....But fell down face first onto the attic floor with what followed by a ripping sound as something gave way. "OOF!!"

Hattie stood there for a moment before she blinked and hopped off the platform before it went back down, a small piece of blue fabric in her hands. She looked down to the blue piece of the dress in her hands before looking over to Poppy who coughed and pushed herself halfway up off the floor, most of the dress was still in tact thankfully but a bigger piece of the bottom of her dress was missing and that missing piece happened to be the same piece in the child's hands. ......Who quickly hid it behind her back when Poppy looked up and blew the long red hair outta her face and stared at her with a sigh.

"Uh...Oops?" She slowly pulled her hand from behind her back and Poppy sighed again before pushing herself up her to her knees. The room was fairly dark but she could see everything from the giant chandelier on the ceiling and the candle holders on the wall. She froze blue eyes slowly up towards the tall ceiling above them both. Stylish wood adorened the floor and walls, though there was some cobwebs and dust scattered about. Quiet ticked by in the room except for the actual ticking coming from an old grandfather clock in the far end of the room. There was a few other things as well like a crate here n there and a couple chests. Two dressers, a wardrobe, red chair, globe on the fair side, and a carpet leading all the way over towards the giant three windows. From there she had a pretty good view of the black space and beautiful twinkling stars beyond the glass. Hattie bounded a few steps across the carpet kicking up some dust from the old carpet and stopped, beaming at Poppy and throwing her hands out. "See? Is it ok?"

Poppy stayed on her knees for a moment before slowly rising to her feet. Her head still swiveling around to look at everything in the room taking it all in, surprised such a big room existed in a seemingly tiny ship. Then again she should really stop being surprised at this point. As she blinked and slowly looked back to Hattie. "Uh...Y-Yeah. This would be really ok."

"Oh good! I can let you borrow a pillow or two but the blankets are mine." The child yawned again as she went towards the exit mostly tired by now but Poppy was only half listening as she still looked around the place.

"Uh....Y-Yeah. It's fine." She looked down and had to do a double take as Hattie ran right past her and towards the exit. "H-Hey! Where are you going?"

"To get that pillow. I'll be right back promise!" She smiled tiredly before literally jumping down the hold making Poppy give a light gasp and reach out for her......But considering they were already used to this sort of thing she just sighed and pulled her arm back to her side and gave another look around the giant place. Ending it with a sigh.

Sleep would not come easy for her tonight.

#ABloomInTime #a hat in time snatcher #a hat in time florist #The Florist #A hat in time the florist #Florist #florist x snatcher #snatcher x florist #flowercrown

[heyyyharry]

Chapter 4: Hope, Love, Family

(from ‘The Conman and the Maid’ Series)

…in which they make a new friend and Harry receives bad news from home.

Word count: 4.8k

AU: princess!y/n, prisoner!harry, conartist!harry.

Series description: Y/N is a princess and Harry is a prisoner in her castle. With his help, she escapes from her arranged marriage in search of a happy ending, if there is one.

Wattpad link (original character: Reyna as Y/N)

.

“I’m hungry.”

“You’ll be fine. A human can go for more than three weeks without food.”

Y/N stopped Thunder as soon as she heard, giving Harry no choice but to stop beside her and wait for a reaction.

“We’re going to starve until we get to Theros?!” she finally asked, her face twisted, making him chuckle.

“If you want to eat, you should’ve brought some food when you broke me out of prison.”

The smirk on his face drove her up the wall. She made Thunder walk faster to catch up with him. “Well, I thought we were going to take the main road and buy food and water on the way.”

“You can’t kill a bunch of people and wander off into town, sweet Peach.” He scoffed without giving her a single glance. “You’re a criminal on the run, not a princess on an excursion.”

A princess on the run, actually, Y/N thought to herself but she didn’t have any energy left to start another argument.

“What about water then?” she persisted. “A normal person can only last a week without water. You’ve drunk all of our wine.”

“Thirst won’t be a problem. We can produce water.”

As Y/N scrunched up her face in disgust, Harry tossed his head back, laughing loudly. “You’re not in the castle anymore, my lady. You must do whatever it takes to survive.”

“Tell me you’re joking.” Her expression dulled, but he completely ignored it and stopped Lightning to get off the horse’s back.

It was only when Y/N saw him head towards the nearest tree that she shouted with horror, “no, no, no! You’re not going to do it here!”

He turned his head and shot her a grin. “No one’s here but you, me, and the horses. But feel free to look. I don’t mind.”

“You’re disgusting!” she fussed and quickly looked away. Her face turned scarlet as she heard his hearty laughter from the distance.

“Come here and help me!”

“Are you insane?!” she exclaimed, her eyes squeezed shut. “I’d rather die than let you talk me into this.”

“Okay then.”

For the next minute, all she heard was the sighing of the wind and the sound of her partner digging through the snow. Despite being disgusted by the thought of what he might do, Y/N was curious, and eventually, decided to take a look.

Harry was on his knees as he pulled a big leather sack out of his newly dug hole. Shock transformed Y/N’s face as she uttered, “is that...food?”

“And water, which is frozen already but it’ll melt.” He grinned when her eyes lit up with joy. “I buried it here when I came to Isolde in case I might need it later. This should be enough for the three of us to last for a couple more days.”

“Three?” The princess hopped off her horse and marched toward him.

“Me, Thunder and Lightning. You said you’d rather die, didn’t you?”

“I despise you,” Y/N glowered at him.

With a lopsided grin, Harry handed her a loaf of bread.

.

.

.

They continued their journey after the meal and walked for the entire day without stopping. By the time the sun was going down, the two had reached the foot of the mountain where they stayed to save their energy for tomorrow.

Y/N tied Thunder to a tree and lay down on the snow to watch the sunset at the mountain top. With both hands resting on her stomach, she admired the radiant pink sky and allowed herself to be transported into a beautiful daydream. It felt good to be taken away from the depressing reality, even if only for a short-lived moment.

“I don’t remember the last time I watched sunset outside the curtain walls,” she said and closed her eyes.

Harry tied Lightning next to Thunder and also lay down beside the girl. Neither of them exchanged a single word for a whole minute.

“Why did you run away?” was the question that broke the silence.

It was then that Y/N opened her eyes and looked at Harry. She’d never seen his features so tender. This magnificent view must have also affected him the same way it had done her.

“Did the princess mistreat you?” he asked when she didn’t speak.

“No, the princess was the sweetest lady I’d ever met.” She smiled, mostly amused because he was clueless. “But the prince was a terrible person. I had to leave before he became our king.”

Doubtful still, Harry puckered up his lips. “How could the princess be a good person when her father and brother were bad people?”

“Her mother, Queen Meira was a good person. She was kind and wise and the people adored her, but...she passed away four years ago,” Y/N lowered her voice to almost a whisper and broke the gaze with him to look at the sky. “A plague killed most of the people in Isolde that year, and she was one of them.”

“Your mo—” Harry stopped himself before he could finish that word. He instantly felt bad for almost bringing up her mother who had also died four years ago. Little did he knew, Y/N had never felt comfortable enough to talk about the queen until today.

“My mother was also a victim.” She pressed her lips into a small smile, turning back to him. “But I know she’d be proud of me. She always wanted to leave the kingdom. Now I’m doing it for her.”

“I feel like she would never have let you leave with someone like me.”

“Why?” She chuckled when he gave a shrug and sat up, so she did too.

“Because I’m a bad person.” He hung his head, exhaling sharply. “I-I’ve killed people.”

Harry flinched when her hand touched his shoulder. He didn’t expect it, and neither did she. But as their eyes met again, time seemed to be frozen, and they held each other’s gaze for as long as they could hold their breath. The pink light cast upon Y/N’s face hid her blushing so well but Harry could still see it, and his mouth spread into a wide grin.

“You did it to save that girl,” she whispered. “I would’ve done the same thing.”

Those words left Harry temporarily speechless. “H-How did you know about the girl?”

“I heard a guard talk to the prince. Why did you think I came to you if you were really a cold-blooded murderer?”

“For I was the only Southerner in that dungeon and you were really desperate?” he said, making her giggle. Still, happiness didn’t last too long on his face. “But...murder is still murder. I had a reason to do it, but it didn’t make it right.”

“Well,” she breathed and let him go, pressing her knees to her chest, “if you feel bad about it, then you’re still a good person. I think the one thing that we have in common is that we’re both good people who have done bad things.”

“You haven’t done anything bad,” he chuckled.

“You don’t know me,” she replied.

Seeing the smile on his face, she assumed he thought she was joking. But Harry wasn’t there when she told her sick father that her mother would kill herself if she’d seen him like that. Y/N didn’t say it to make the king a better person. She’d said it because she knew it could have killed him. She had wanted to kill him. And using love with the intention of hurting someone was the cruellest crime of all.

Before Harry could ask, Y/N shrugged off those dark thoughts and plastered a smile on her face. “My mother used to say the most valuable things a person could possess were hope, love, and family. So as long as you still have at least one of those three, there’s still a reason for you to keep moving forward. I have hope, and when I meet my uncle again, I’ll have a family, and if I’m lucky, I’ll fall in love and get the happy ending I’ve always wanted.”

The princess wasn’t sure why she’d said all those things aloud. She had never been this open to anyone since her mother’s death, not even Jo. So she supposed those were the words she needed to hear, to remind herself of the reason why she’d risked everything to run away. But maybe there was something about sunset and those green eyes that made her walls come crumbling down.

“You’ve never been in love?” Harry asked. For the first time, he sounded genuinely curious and not sarcastic at all.

With a shrug, she said, “I will when I meet the right person at the right time. You’re lucky you’ve got all three valuable things. Hold on to them.”

“I will.” Harry nodded, biting his lip to not smile so wide. “Tell me,” he changed the subject, “is it true that the princess is the most beautiful girl you’ve ever seen?”

“Yes,” Y/N said without a second thought. “The most beautiful lady in this world, actually.”

Harry scoffed and stuck out his bottom lip. “Well, my Kenny is the prettiest lady in this world for me.”

“That’s because you look at her through a lover’s eyes. Your opinion is subjective and therefore meaningless.”

Her response made him chortle. “Why are you so defensive? Are you in love with the princess?”

Y/N froze for a second as her mouth fell open, but then he cracked up and poked her cheekbone with a finger. “You’re always so serious, Peach. It’s hilarious.”

“Shut up.” She pushed his hand away and lay back down, looking at the sky which was turning dark. “Just let me enjoy this beautiful view in peace, please?”

“Okay,” he said, still gazing at her.

.

.

.

It took them a week to cross that mountain. They would travel during the day and stop to rest when night fell. The way down was the most challenging part as the trail was full of debris and sharp rocks. Lightning was not as well-trained as Thunder, so when they reached the foot of the mountain, she was suffering from lacerations to one of her legs. Harry had to tear a piece of his cloak to bandage her wounds and get on Thunder to ride with Y/N. Fortunately, they didn’t have to walk for too long until they found a village in the forest.

“Who are these people, and what kingdom do they belong to?” Y/N asked when they went through a small market. The villagers were staring at them, but only because they were strangers, not because they recognised her.

“None.” Harry shrugged. “They moved out of their old kingdom to live here. They formed their own community and don’t depend on any king and queen for protection and money, but they don’t have to deal with politics and meaningless wars.”

“They seem happy.”

“That’s because they are.”

“Hands.”

Harry immediately removed his hands from her waist as she looked over her shoulder to shoot him a glare.

“Sorry. I thought I was going to fall.”

“Touch me again and you’ll definitely fall.”

“All right, grouchy Peach.” He smirked, pointing ahead. “There. That’s my friend’s house. We can stay with him until Lightning gets better.”

.

.

.

“Crow!”

“Crow?” Y/N stood beside Thunder, raising an eyebrow at Harry and his friend as they shared a tight hug. It seemed like they had known each other for so long. But why did he call Harry ‘Crow’? And why was that nickname so familiar to her?

She was trying to remember when Harry’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts, “this is Stefan, my childhood friend,” he said before turning back to Stefan, “this is Rain. I call her Peach, but only I get to call her that.”

Y/N punched Harry’s shoulder, making him laugh, but Stefan had long forgotten about Harry the second he laid eyes on her. The stranger came up to Y/N as he shyly wiped his palms on his thighs, took her hand and gave it a kiss.

Though Stefan wasn’t exceptionally handsome, Y/N thought he was quite lovely. He didn’t look like the type of guy who would be sent into battles to fight against the enemies, but more like the one who would carry weapons to the battlefield. If he and Harry were in a fistfight, he wouldn’t stand a chance. He seemed soft and fragile. Apart from that, Y/N thought he was friendly and pleasant to be around.

“I used to live in Theros but I moved here when there was a war,” Stefan said, making Y/N’s eyes go around.

“A war?” she asked, looking at Harry, who didn’t seem surprised, so she assumed he already knew.

“Willem tried to invade Theros last year but failed,” Stefan told her.

Her face turned pallid in an instant. She felt so stupid to have believed her father would never invade Theros just because he loved her mother.

Sucking in a breath, she asked, “were a lot of people harmed in that war?”

“A few, but not too many. Isolde lost. They were outnumbered.”

“And King Edgar?”

“King Edgar was well. He went to war like a real man but that coward Willem didn’t even show his face.”

Y/N said nothing, only nodding her head. As much as she hated to think about her father betraying her mother like that, she felt relieved to know that her uncle was safe.

“Peach is from Isolde but her family is in Theros,” Harry spoke to change the atmosphere. “I’m taking her home. We’re partners in crime now, right, Peach?”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she elbowed him hard, causing him to stumble back, hugging his stomach and groaning in pain. Stefan, however, had not taken his eyes off her for even a second.

“Thank you for letting us stay,” she said, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with a genuine smile.

“My pleasure. You may stay as long as you’d like.”

.

.

.

After dinner, Stefan prepared a warm bath for Y/N and even borrowed the clothes from the nice old lady next door for her to get changed. She assumed he treated her this way because she was a guest and a lady. Still, she felt quite uncomfortable to take a bath in someone else’s home.

She used to have many servants to give her warm baths and help her get dressed afterwards, but since she hadn’t been treated like a princess for days, this just felt very strange.

Now left alone, Y/N made sure the door was shut as she loosened her corset and untied the bow at the back. That was when Harry knocked on the door, causing her to flinch.

“I’ll be here if you need me, yeah?” he said from the outside.

“Why would I need you, Harry?” she shouted back, smirking when she heard his laughter.

“I’m still staying here,” he asserted.

She rolled her eyes but felt much safer knowing Harry was guarding the door. She should be concerned with how much she trusted this man, and yet she didn’t hesitate to remove her corset and the rest of her clothes to get into the tub fully naked.

Holding the rim on both sides, she slid down into the water and let it block out all the noises. She wished the tub would expand and turn into a summer lake, even a river so she could go swimming. She couldn’t swim, but she would love to get soaked like she used to on the hot summer days in the South.

All of a sudden, memories of that one afternoon flashed through her mind and she sat up straight, gasping for air. She’d seen herself drowning. She’d seen the sun blinding her eyes. She’d seen a boy and heard him call--

“Peach? Are you okay in there?!”

‘Her name is Kenny. She’s pretty like you, but much nicer.’

“Peach? Answer me!”

‘Is she your betrothed?’ ‘What is a betrothed?’ ‘Someone you’ll marry when you’re older.’

“If you don’t answer, I’m coming in!”

‘Crow? Your name is Crow?’

“Why did Stefan call you Crow?”

Her sudden question stopped Harry at the door. It fell shut as soon as it creaked open.

“What happened to you?” he asked from the outside, but she didn’t answer.

“Why did Stefan call you Crow?” she repeated the question as if he hadn’t heard her already.

He laughed a little and said, “my father was a blacksmith and I used to work in his shop when I was little so my clothes were always black and dirty. Some kids said I looked like a crow, and then all the other kids in the village started calling me that.”

Y/N was right. She knew the name Kenny was so familiar because she had heard it before, same as the nickname Crow. Harry was that boy she’d met when she was eight. The boy who had saved her life.

She sat in the tub, completely paralysed as she did not know what to say next. Should she tell him? Did he remember her still? She had always wanted to see him again to thank him for what he’d said to her that day. If it hadn’t been for him, she would never have known it was a choice to not settle for someone she didn’t love, even if it was her betrothed, and kids should be allowed to be kids, and boys weren’t all terrible.

But before the princess could come up with something to say, Harry broke the silence, “I met Kenny when I was five. She heard the other kids call me Crow, and she came up to me and told me that she liked the nickname. She thought those birds were lovely and she always fed the ones that came to her window every morning. She always chose to see the best in me when no one could. That’s what I love most about her.”

As Harry finished, Y/N swallowed all the words she was about to say. She didn’t want to tell him she was the girl he’d saved from drowning when he was ten, as it probably didn’t matter to him.

But disappointment wasn’t the only thing she felt. There was also this heavy feeling inside her chest, as if her lungs were being crushed and she had never experienced anything like this before. Y/N rested her head back on the rim of the tub, staring at the ceiling and wondering why she only felt this way when Harry told her about Kenny.

.

.

.

The next morning, Y/N woke up before sunrise. She couldn’t sleep and kept having nightmares about her father finding out where she was. In the end, he killed Harry and locked her up in a tower, and she woke up with sweat soaking through her shirt only to find Harry sleeping soundly right nearby. She’d been having so many dreams about her own death that it didn’t worry her as much as the first time. But seeing Harry die because of her was something she hadn’t got used to and probably never would.

She went outside when Harry and Stefan were still asleep and found an empty field behind the house. She didn’t know how much time had passed since she got there, but Harry soon found her practising alone with her sword.

“Hello early bird!” he shouted to grab her attention. She instantly lowered her blade, beaming at him. “Why didn’t you wake me up to practise with you?”

“I normally do this alone,” she said, pointing the tip of her sword to his face so he couldn’t step closer. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially you.”

The way she stuck up her nose made him laugh as he gently pushed the blade away with his two fingers.

“You cannot hurt me, sweet Peach,” he said, drawing out the sword strapped to his waist. She knew what he was about to do so she stepped back, smirking and holding up her weapon.

“Didn’t you see what I did to those guards?”

Harry seemed unfazed by her playful warning. “I’m not one of those guards.”

“Then I won’t be nice.”

She charged at him with her shiny blade upheld, going for her foreswing and following it with a backswing. Harry dodged the first one and met the second with his sword, his strong force sent her a few steps back. His next swing was so swift she almost couldn’t see it. It sliced the fabric of her shirt at the chest, yet missing the flesh behind it by perhaps an inch.

Shocked, she quickly covered herself and dodged his blade at the same time she fell and hit the ground. She propped herself up on her elbows and the tip of his sword was the first thing that she saw.

“I surrender,” Y/N huffed, glaring at Harry.

A corner of his mouth lifted, he put the sword back to his side and offered her a hand. But instead of staying true to her words, she kicked him hard in the knees. He collapsed on his back and she quickly climbed on top of him, holding her blade at his neck, smiling mischievously.

“You played dirty.” He smirked, his chest was heaving up and down as his eyes glinted when they met hers.

“There’s no rule. And you just lost.”

“I saw your breasts twice so I still won.”

Y/N slapped him across the face and quickly pulled up her shirt. Her distraction gave him a chance to flip them over. She dropped her sword and he kicked it far out of her reach. He pinned her hands down next to her head, grinning from ear to ear as she shut her eyes and cursed at him.

“You get distracted so easily, Peach.”

“Eyes up here!”

“Sorry.” He chuckled and got back on his feet, pulling her up with him. “Did I hurt you? If I did, I’m sorry.”

She pulled her hand away from his and came to pick up her sword so he couldn’t see how red her face was.

“It’s okay. I slapped you. But you kind of deserved it,” she murmured when he approached. She could feel his presence right behind her. Slowly, she turned around, arms covering her chest, their eyes meeting again. And just like that moment before sunset, they couldn’t look away.

Who knew how long they would continue to stare at each other if Stefan hadn’t shown up?

“Harry!” His voice broke the two apart. They both turned and saw him waving both hands in the air. “I got a letter from Kenny!”

Still panting heavily, Harry took one last look at Y/N before running after Stefan back to the house.

She could see a glimpse of confusion in his eyes as he couldn’t explain the moment they’d shared before. Neither could she. And once both of them had left, she put on her big coat and sat down on a rock, gripping her heart to stop it from pounding.

.

.

.

When Y/N returned to the house, Harry was gone, and so was Thunder. She was terrified for she thought he’d taken her horse and left her behind to reunite with his lover. Fortunately, Stefan came back right before she could make the worst assumption.

“He’ll be back. He just needs to be alone.”

“What happened?”

Stefan took a long pause before he said, “Kennedy’s getting married.”

“What?” Y/N almost choked on the word. She was hoping this was a stupid prank and they were both in this together to mess with her. But it could not be. She hadn’t seen Stefan so serious since she met him.

“Her family wanted her to marry a rich man.”

“And she said yes?” Her eyebrows furrowed as she clenched her fists.

Stefan shoved his fingers in his hair, inhaling deeply. “She assumed he was dead. She heard the news that he was captured and was about to be executed.”

“But he’s not! He’s alive! Tell him to write back to her!”

“Rain! Rain!” Stefan caught Y/N’s arms to stop her from running off to find Harry.

She looked at him while trying to catch her breath. She didn’t know why she was angry, but she truly was. Her chest might explode if she didn’t do something to help Harry.

But then Stefan let go of a sigh and said, “he can’t write back to her, the wedding is today. She’s probably someone else’s wife now.”

Y/N felt a big lump in her throat as Stefan told her to leave Harry alone for now. She knew it was Kenny’s choice to move on, but she couldn’t help but feel like it was partially her fault. That moment they had shared this morning felt so wrong now that she recalled it. But if she was honest, it was the most real thing she’d felt in so long.

.

.

.

Harry came back after sunset. Stefan had gone out to deliver the vegetables he’d grown and Y/N was home alone and waiting for Harry by the fireplace. He stepped in, shut the door, and stayed there until she broke the silence with a simple, “hi.”

“Hi.” He smiled back, hung up his coat and made his way to the table where she sat. As he pulled out a chair to sit down next to her and stared at the fireplace, her eyes fixated on him.

“Stefan told you?” he asked.

“Hmm.” She nodded. This time, when she touched his shoulder, he didn’t flinch. “Are you all right? It’s...it’s okay to say no.”

“I’ve been worse,” was his answer. He assumed she didn’t know what it meant, but she didn’t ask for she was fidgeting with her fingers like she had something more important to say.

“Hey, I’ve been thinking…” Y/N bit her lip, looking attentively at the fire as if pondering whether or not she should say it. Eventually, she did, “maybe I should go alone from here.”

Harry was tongue-tied. He parted his lips before his mouth clamped shut, and it took him two more seconds to gather his thoughts. “Don’t be ridiculous, Peach. You can’t go alone.”

“I can. There’s another village nearby and I’ll ask for directions from there. You’ve seen me handle those skilled swordsmen. I can protect myself.”

He held her gaze, wanting to tell her his biggest fear wasn’t that she couldn’t take care of herself, but instead he asked, “but why? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s just…” She batted her eyelashes innocently. “I don’t want to make you go back to Theros after...you know...”

“I still have to return to my family, Peach,” he said, giving her a small smile. “But even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t leave you either. I gave you my word and I’d take you home safely. All right?”

She thought for a moment before smiling back. “All right.”

Neither of them said another word for the next five minutes. Neither moved either. She held his shoulder as he held her hand on his shoulder. Both continued to stare at the fireplace.

“Hey,” her voice was so tender it made goosebumps pimple his skin. He turned back and their eyes locked. She spoke quietly, “I’ve never been in love, so...so I don’t know how you’re feeling right now. But you’ll find love again. You still have hope and a family, so you’ll be fine.”

Harry wasn’t sure that the smoke had clouded his mind or it was the scent of pine trees and wildflowers that lingered on her clothes. But dear god, he was hypnotised.

His mind was blank when he leaned in a little closer until their foreheads were touching. She didn’t even question. The next thing he knew was his lips brushing hers. He hadn’t kissed anyone in so long and this kiss was surely different. She had never kissed anyone before. She was shy, but she wasn’t afraid to be wrong. The kiss was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words could never describe.

His hand rested below her ear as his thumb caressed her cheek. As she finally found the courage to run her fingers down his spine to pull him closer, he snapped out of it and pushed her away.

“We shouldn’t,” he blurted. The horrified look on her face hit him harder than the slap she’d given him that morning.

“But you...you kissed me,” she stuttered, her trembling fingers touching her lips.

He didn’t know what to say next, so he said the only thing he could, “I’m sorry. That was wrong.”

“That was...m-my first kiss…”

“Peach…” He swallowed, reaching out his hands, but she instantly backed away, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Peach. Just let me—Peach!”

“Woah! What’s wrong?!” Stefan asked when Y/N burst through the door and pushed right past him.

“Fuck!”

“Where is she going?!”

Harry said nothing as he chased after her. He didn’t know how but he knew exactly where she was headed. He ran to the stable, Stefan followed right behind him. But from a distance, they saw Thunder fly right through the gate with Y/N on his back and run straight into the woods, disappearing into the misty night.

“What happened?!”

Harry ignored his friend and rushed into the stable to get Lightning out of her stall.

“I’m coming with you,” Stefan said when Harry mounted his horse.

“There’s no need to—”

“I’ll bring my bow and arrows. We have to get her before the wolves.”

“Wolves?!”

“I’ll bring your sword too,” was all Stefan said before he ran back to the house.

Now pale with fright, Harry whispered to Lightning, “if something happens to Peach, please throw me off a cliff.” 

#tctm series #princess!y/n #harry styles writing #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfics #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfictions #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles series #harry styles x reader #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst

[itmighthavebeenintentional]

Walk Me Home - Ch 2

Summary: Twenty-four years ago, Kimberly Harper met a boy who changed the course of her entire life before up and leaving one night. She spent years moving past the memories, building a stable, satisfying career as professor of folklore and mythology at the local university. Then the accidents start, and she’s forced to seek help among her hunter contacts. All it takes is a knock on her office door to send Kimber’s carefully built emotional walls crumbling to the ground.

Featuring: Teen Winchesters, high school romance, reunions, misunderstandings, high intensity emotional turmoil, Dean’s love of pie, Dean being adorable, Sam being adorable and maybe a bit nosy eventually, much group adorkable-ness, show-style investigation, mention of our favorite werewolf, gratuitous and obvious love of fall, DID I MENTION ROMANCE, fluff, smut, tension. 

Warnings: Show level violence, show level parental neglect (let’s not John bash, I’m just saying), show-style witchcraft, show-level mental manipulation, stalking, bit of angst, sexual content (higher than show level),swearing, general yearning

Word Count: 1149

Author’s Note: Mega thanks to @mskathywriteswords​ , @fangirlxwritesx67​, and @cracksinthewalls​ for editing, revision, flailing, and generally knocking sense into me when I’m being stubborn. You all made this story way better than it started it, and I love you. Thanks to everyone who read/reblogged/liked the first chapter. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I do. For @thoughtslikeaminefield​ ; apparently, you’re my muse. : )

Keep in Mind: There are a lot of flashbacks. I tried to write current events in present tense and flashbacks in past tense. Here’s hoping I got everything right!

Please read/heed the warnings. 18+ ONLY. 

In Case You Missed It: Ch 1 ItMightHaveBeenIntentional’s Masterlist

Chapter 2

Rather than walking, they ride to her house together in his sleek Impala, the same one that carried him out of her life all those years ago. She runs her fingers reverently over the smooth interior, glancing back at the full bench backseat. The seventeen-year-old deep inside begins to whisper ideas to her that bring a pink tinge to her cheeks, and she scrupulously avoids looking at Dean for the entire fifteen minute car ride.

“This the route you normally walk home?” Dean asks, eyes flicking up and down the streets they glide by. She’s grateful for the ride; much like the night he left, the autumn air has turned crisp, and thick rain clouds block the stars from view.

“Not exactly,” she says, glancing down an empty side street. “There’s a park we passed a couple of blocks back that I use the walking path to cut through, saves me a good fifteen, twenty minutes.

“And before you say anything,” she adds, feeling the weight of his side-eyed glance, “it’s a clear path, not a woodsy trail. I carry a pocket knife and pepper spray, and all my jewelry is silver. And I take a self-defense class every Thursday night. They don’t teach me anything you didn’t already show me, but it keeps me limber and vaguely social.”

He licks his lips reflexively, tucking his tongue behind his teeth before finally allowing himself to smile, just a little. The atmosphere in the car brightens perceptibly, and by the time they reach her house a few blocks over, she’s feeling a little lighter as she leads Dean up the steps, unlocks the front door, and invites him into her one-bedroom cottage.

That lightness lasts until the moment she opens the door to her bedroom, intending to change out of her office clothes, and sees the doll, crafted to look eerily like her, with a slit throat and something red splashed all around.

...

“What about Europe?” Kimber asked Dean, threading her fingers through his. “Come on, everybody wants to go to Europe.”

The afternoon sun filtered down through the branches of the trees, leaves of brilliant orange and red fluttering occasionally around them. They’d skipped seventh period physics to take a walk on one of the trails near the public park, and Kimberly couldn’t imagine a more perfect day. 

Dean had shrugged out of his jacket and offered it to her before she even realized she was cold, and they’d been strolling for nearly an hour now, feeling like they were the only two people in the world, even for just a little while.

“Nah,” he said, swinging their arms a little. He flashed her the grin he knew made her knees weak, and her heart fluttered. “Hate planes. More of a Mexico kind of guy, I think. Always wanted to go to a beach; never really had the time before. Wanna get away for spring break?”

But the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, even with his light-hearted offer hanging in the air between them. He’d be gone by then, he’d already explained. His dad’s work carried them all over the country, and they hadn’t stayed anywhere longer than two months, according to Dean. 

She considered not believing him, but something about the off-hand, flippant way he delivered the news made doubting him impossible. He avoided talking about his family most of time (except to complain-brag about his brother), and Kimber didn’t push. She invited him over for dinner at the end of the first week, and her parents liked his company so much they didn’t question when he began showing up every other night as an expected attendee.

“Told you I’d make a good impression,” he’d said later that night as they sat together on the floor of her old tree house. She snuck some soda and pie out after everyone in the house was supposed to be asleep, and they watched the stars make their way across the sky as they talked about everything and nothing.

He told her she tasted of cherry-cola every time they kissed after that night, and she couldn’t help blushing.

He’d been in town for three solid weeks when they stepped onto the trail on a singularly perfect autumn day, and Kimber had never been happier in her life. She refused to think of the future, wouldn’t even consider spring break, and she could see his good mood begin to fade with each moment she left the half-joking invitation hanging in the air between them.

“I can’t even think about spring yet,” she said finally, unable to meet his eyes. “I love fall so much, I just want to enjoy it...while I can.”

He slid a calloused finger under her chin, tilted her face to meet his, and offered her a small, sad smile that nearly split her heart.

“Plenty to enjoy about the fall. You look damned cute in my jacket, for one.” He brushed his lips across hers once, twice, before deepening the kiss for a long, perfect moment. Even the wind died down a little, the silence of the woods thick and heavy around them.

He pulled back, his eyes moving quickly over their surroundings. She had to take a longer pause to regain her bearings, even as Dean took her hand more firmly, turning on his heel to lead them back the way they came.

“Sun’s goin’ down, let’s get you home. What’s your mom making for dinner tonight? I’m starved.”

She shoved down the immediate urge to protest, wanting to stay out there with Dean for as long as they possibly could. She resigned herself to ask him later in the treehouse. When the wind picked up again, licking at her exposed ankles, she reconsidered, thinking she’d sneak him into her room instead. Much warmer.

“I dunno about dinner, but she said something about baking that Sara Lee pumpkin pie that’s in the freezer.”

He rounded on her suddenly, a delighted grin splashed across his face, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“You keep these things from me on purpose, I swear!” He kissed her quickly one last time, then tugged her hand until they were running down the path, sunlight flashing off the leaves kicked up into the air by their passing feet.

She never did ask him that night, nor any other, why they’d left the woods so quickly. Many years down the road, once she’d learned more about the invisible world everyone lived in unwittingly, and she’d figured out what Dean’s mysterious family business actually was, she’d actually lost some sleep wondering what his hunter instincts had picked up that afternoon.

But he’d acted on those instincts, gotten them safely to her house well before dinner, in plenty of time to charm her mother into baking the pie after all, and Kimber was glad to her soul she hadn’t argued.

…

Chapter 3

#SPN #spn fic #spn fanfic #spn fanfiction #supernatural #supernatural fanfiction #Supernatural fanfic #supernatural fic #dean winchester #Sam Winchester #original character #original female character #teen winchesters #teen dean #teen sam #autumn #fall #romance #gratuitous hand holding #mentions of pie #bit of melancholy #dean is too old for his age #someone please hug him and feed him pie #i mean #kimber can do that #too #but i think he needs as much as we can give him #sam too #but he's not in the story yet #so save a hug for sam