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junetuesday · 4 years

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sweetener - [thirteen]

Good Vibes and Good Times

Pairing: Tom Holland x Female Reader - uni AU

Word Count: 5338

Warnings: alcohol, smut (fun stuff that i dont want to spoil by putting a warning for lmao), more alcohol, food, cuteness, fluff

A/N: not to toot my own horn but another update within a month???? who is she??? lemme know what you think of this chapter there’s some stuff in here i’ve never written before (and i kinda went off on a tangent oops) so im interested to hear your thoughts! as always thank you for the love on the last chapter and this series in general, it really means the world to me!

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Updates: stay tuned....tentatively scheduled for march 1st?

As far as you were concerned, Refreshers Week was off to a great start. Though it was supposed to be a repeat of the first week of the academic year (aka Freshers Week), filled with nights out, drinking, and yet more nights out, you were taking a slightly different route this time.

You’d woken up from your post-Nandos nap on Friday to Liv knocking on your door telling you to get up and start getting ready after she’d gotten no reply to her text messages. You and Tom had slept a little longer than you’d intended, but you supposed that was your own fault for not setting an alarm. After speedily getting ready, you both joined the girls and Jack and a few of Liv’s friends downstairs for predrinks and a few rounds of Ring of Fire. The night got a bit blurry after the dirty pint you had to down hit you in the taxi on the way to the SU, but from what you did remember you had a good night, and the rest of the weekend was spent hungover, snoozing, eating junk food, and just generally enjoying your new found freedom.

Come Monday night, you and Tom were curled up together on the sofa in your living room. There was a “special guest” at the union, which meant they were charging £25 a ticket for some DJ you had never heard of, so both of you had decided to stay in and have some drinks at home instead. Madison and Liv had gone out and gone to predrinks elsewhere, so you had the house to yourselves - which meant you could watch a movie downstairs on the TV instead of in your room on your laptop. It also meant that instead of being squished together on your bed you were lounging on the sofa (not that you minded being squished, but still). You had your back to the arm of the sofa, your legs laying across Tom’s lap while he sat with his feet propped up on the coffee table, a blanket covering your both your legs.

“Can I ask you something?” he said after taking a sip of his drink, lowering his glass to rest on your blanket-covered thigh as you nodded. “What’s going on in this film?”

A valid question - one you weren’t sure anyone really knew the answer to.

“To be honest,” you chuckled, “I don’t really know? I’ve seen it like six times and I still don’t really get it but I still enjoy it.”

“Right...okay.”

“Plus,” you raised your glass, gesturing at the TV. “Look at baby Jake Gyllenhaal - in’t he cute?”

Tom laughed at that, shrugging. “I guess?”

“It’s nearly over anyway.”

That was a lie, it wasn’t nearly over, but you had a feeling you probably weren’t going to make it through the entirety of Donnie Darko this evening. On several occasions you’d felt Tom’s eyes on you, but each time you’d looked over at him out of the corner of your eye he’d been staring straight ahead at the TV, or looking down at his glass as he took a drink, or otherwise not looking at you.

After one such occasion, you set your now empty glass down on the table, licking your lips as you swallowed the last of your wine. You were feeling a little tipsy by then, the tips of your fingers and the depths of your belly starting to feel tingly. Lower parts of your body were also feeling a little something too, and while the wine probably did have something to do with it, it was also because of the boy beside you.

Your right arm rested across the back of the sofa behind his head, your fingers beginning to card through his hair. You kept your vision fixed straight ahead, eyes on the TV screen as your fingertips brushed his skin, rubbing gentle circles at the edge of his hairline behind his ear. Sat so close together, you practically on top of him, you could hear his breathing shift as he took a deep breath in. You looked over at him again as he exhaled, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed harshly. This time he met your gaze, his eyes flicking down to your lips as his tongue darted out to wet his own before tilting his head to kiss you.

You sat up more as the kiss quickly deepened, though the positioning of your bodies on the sofa made the angle a little awkward. You hardly noticed, though, and before long Tom’s glass was sat beside yours on the coffee table, the blanket was discarded on the floor, and you were climbing into his lap, your knees either side of his thighs on the sofa. Your hands cupped his face as your lips reconnected, his holding your waist - though they didn’t stay there for very long, roaming your body as you kissed deeply, messily, all probing tongues and panted breaths. Grinding down onto him, you could feel him growing harder through his sweatpants, pressing against you through the soft material.

“We should, um” you swallowed, trying to focus as Tom’s hand in your hair tilted your head to the side so he could kiss along your jaw. “Should go upstairs...”

He hummed against your skin like he agreed, but then he started sucking on your neck, so it was all a little contradictory. Still, you reasoned, you might as well let him finish what he started, so you closed your eyes, leaning into his hand and rolling your hips against his as his teeth nipped at your skin.

Once he was done there though, you knew you really should move things up to your room - partly because it’s just common courtesy not to have sex on communal areas of the house, and partly because these sofas were here when you moved in and you dreaded to even think what horrors they had seen, let alone get naked on them. So, you placed your hands on Tom’s shoulders to steady yourself and pulled back, feeling a little wobbly as you got to your feet - for various reasons, from the wine, to him kissing your neck, to your legs starting to go numb from being folded up underneath you. Once you were upright you held out your hands, tugging Tom up off the sofa and towards the stairs.

You parted ways halfway up, sending him on up to your room while you made a pittstop at the bathroom. You checked your reflection in the mirror as you dried your hands - a little dishevelled, sure, your hair ruffled and swollen, but you were pretty sure that was mostly Tom’s doing so you weren’t too concerned about fixing it. Alcohol and lust were at just such a point in your system that you were, shall we say, feeling yourself more than you would have been on an average Monday night, a little pep in your step as you made your way up to your bedroom.

Opening your door, you saw Tom sitting on the edge of your bed, and it was only as you reached behind you to shut the door that you noticed what he was actually doing.

“What are you doing?”

You were frozen, your hand still clasped around your door handle as your eyes flicked back and forth between the bottom drawer of your bedside cabinet and Tom, who was sitting staring into it.

“Nothing!” He blurted, looking up at you with an innocent smile on his face before turning back to the open drawer. “What’s that?”

What’s that?? He knew full well what it was, and you both knew it.

“It’s - I-”

“I wasn’t like, going through your stuff or anything,” Tom’s eyes went wide as he turned his attention back to you, shaking his head hurriedly. “I mean I guess I was but not like that, I was just going to get a thing- a condom- ‘cause, I dunno I thought-”

“It’s okay,” you said as you finally moved further into your room, beginning to try and gather your thoughts into something besides ahhhh!!!!! and oh???. You really hadn’t expected to come upstairs to find Tom discovering your vibrator, but sometimes life’s like that, you supposed - full of surprises.

“...sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you said again as you approached him, managing an awkward chuckle this time.

“...can I look at it?”

An odd mixture of embarrassed and exhilarated and turned on and just plain uhhhh???? filled your mind and body as you considered Tom’s question. Quite honestly, you’d forgotten it was even in there, seeing as you hadn’t used it in a while. You’d had no need to, your sexual pleasure quite literally out of your hands as of late - and when you were using it, it was hardly something you advertised. The girls didn’t even know you had it - it was like your little secret. But maybe it didn’t have to be..?

“I guess?”

You sat down beside him as he reached into the drawer, into the little box where you kept the condoms you’d gotten from Liv, and plucked your vibrator from its hiding place. The little purple bullet fit neatly in the palm of his hand, about three inches long and tapered into a point at one end. You bit the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from giggling as Tom held his hand out flat, lifting it up to get a closer look as though he was holding some sort of rare lizard.

“How does it work?”

“There’s a button on the-”

“-oh right, okay.” Tom cut you off as you gestured to the end closest to his wrist, turning the bullet in his hand.

Holding it like you would a pen, he clicked the button on top, his eyes widening as it began to vibrate.

“You can click it again,” you chuckled quietly. “It’s got like different settings.”

“Oh...OH. Jesus Christ-”

You giggled as Tom cycled through the varying patterns and intensities, watching his reactions.

“Yeah, to be honest I think there’s too many like, it’s not really necessary.”

“Oh yeah? Which ones don’t you like, then? Or, I guess, which ones do you like?”

“Ahhhh,” you covered your face with your hands, feeling your cheeks hot beneath your palms as you groaned. “I dunno, this is weird…”

Tom laughed at that, and when you peeked out from between your fingers at him you could see he had a cheeky smile plastered across his face.

“Why’s it weird?”

“I dunno…”

To be fair to him, you didn’t really have an answer to that. Perhaps it was because you’d felt uncomfortable about buying a sex toy in the first place, like by purchasing something purely for your own sexual pleasure as as single girl you were somehow committing to being alone, as though it were some sort of symbol that you didn’t have someone else to give you orgasms, or something like that. Which you knew was ridiculous when you really thought about it, something that was likely rooted in the notion that women shouldn’t really enjoy sex or watch porn or that they don’t (or rather shouldn’t) masturbate - and they certainly shouldn’t be buying things with which to pleasure themselves. You hadn’t thought about it as explicitly as that at the time, of course, it was only after a drunken heart-to-heart with a random girl in the toilets of the SU about feminism and the patriarchy that you linked your embarrassment about ordering a vibrator online with internalised misogyny. In any case, all that internal toing and froing had quickly dissipated once you used it for the first time and you came so quickly and so hard you had to have a little lie down afterwards. But even still, having Tom see it, talking to him about it, maybe even using it with him, was entirely different. Somehow. Despite the fact that you’d been extremely intimate with him on several occasions already...he’d literally seen your arsehole, for Christ’s sake. Okay, so maybe it’s not that weird…if anything this is less intimate than like, oral, right?

Tom leaned back on the bed while you were trying to decide whether or not you felt “weird”, propping himself up on his elbows and passing your vibrator to his left hand so that it was on his other side - meaning that if you wanted to take it from him, you’d have to lean over him. Little shit.

Twisting to face him, you held out your hand and fixed what you hoped was a stern expression to your face.

“Give it to me.”

Tom glanced between you and your vibrator, securely clutched in his hand, narrowing his eyes when he looked at you.

“Why?”

“...Because.”

You reached across him to try and grab it, but he was faster, stretching his arm up out of your reach as he laughed.

“That’s not an answer!”

Your arm stretched out too, but you couldn’t quite reach. Your body draped over his as you leant over him, trying to reach his hand. Flat on his back on the bed, Tom pushed his feet against the floor to scramble further back onto the bed. You clambered on top of him, both of you giggling drunkenly as you clawed at his wrist - until his right hand was pulling your face down to meet his, and you felt him laugh against your lips before he kissed you.

Your hand fell away from his like you’d forgotten what you were reaching for, your fingers weaving into the curls at the back of his neck instead. Your hands in his hair kept him close as the two of you rolled over, his body a pleasant weight on top of your own. You were vaguely aware of the dull sound of the bullet vibrating low and steady in his fist somewhere beside you as you kissed, but you became rather more attuned to it when he started to trail it slowly down your side. Tom shifted off you slightly, and you let your leg fall to the side as he traced a line with the tip of the bullet, across your hip and down towards your inner thighs, following the seam of your knickers through the thin material of your leggings.

You sighed as he started kissing your neck again, picking up where he left off downstairs. In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.

Reaching down, you placed your hand over his, clicking the button on the vibrator until it was vibrating in waves, steadily growing stronger with each turn before fading away again. You guided Tom’s hand to slowly tease your pussy through your clothes, rubbing the length of the bullet up and down between your folds.

He pulled back from kissing your neck then, watching your face as he copied your movements. Satisfied he would keep going unassisted, you soon let go of his hand. You could hear your heart beating in your ears, hear the sound of your own breathing, shaky and heavy as you closed your eyes and let yourself relax fully. You could feel it building already, the knot deep inside your abdomen beginning to tighten as the ebb and flow of the vibrations brought you closer and closer each time.

You tensed, sucking in a breath when Tom pulled his hand away, but relaxed again once he tucked his hand inside your underwear - until he clicked the button again, changing the settings abruptly.

“Oh shit, sorry- ”

“S’okay,” you breathed, a small smile on your face as you opened your eyes. “Press it again though, I don’t like that one.”

He chuckled and shook his head, but did as you asked.

“Thanks.”

You reached up to clasp the back of his neck, angling your face up to his as you pulled him into a kiss, feeling him smirking against your lips before they connected. Though he’d changed it by accident, you usually switched to this setting for a while anyway. The vibrations were stronger now, short bursts that grew longer and closer together until it was one long, powerful vibration, before reverting back and cycling through again and again.

The hand that wasn’t tangled in Tom’s hair moved back between your thighs, covering his through your clothes to press the bullet more firmly against your clit. Your mouth fell open against his as you felt yourself hurtling closer and closer to release.

“P-press it four times,” you managed to mutter, and he seemed to hear you though it came out strained and muffled against his lips because his hand shifted under yours and the vibrations shifted to a continuous, powerful blast.

“Oh fuck-”

Your back arching and thighs tensing, your hips lifted off the bed. Your hand over his keeping the bullet pressed firmly to your clit, your head dropped back against the pillows and you moaned loudly as you came hard. Grinding against the vibrator and Tom’s hand, your hips rocked back and forth until your orgasm had finally finished washing over you and you let your hand fall onto the bed beside you.

Taking the hint, Tom pulled the toy away and out of your leggings - though he pressed it against your clit again over your clothes, just for a second until you squeaked, your body twitching at the overstimulation.

“Sorry, just wanted to see what would happen.”

You rolled your eyes but laughed breathlessly - you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t done the same yourself. You watched as Tom clicked the button on the bullet to cycle through the settings until it was turned off, a curious expression on his face as he did so.

“What?”

“Nothing…” he shook his head, finally tearing his eyes away from the bullet in his hand to look at you. “So you don’t actually need me like, at all, really?”

You scoffed at that, sitting up a bit and propping yourself up on your elbows.

“It’s not the same. Like, that doesn’t bring me coffee in the library or take me to McDonald’s at half ten at night.”

“Ohh,” Tom smirked, “so it’s mainly just food and beverages that you want from me?”

“Shut up, you know that’s not what I meant.”

You shook your head with a laugh as you pushed at his chest until he fell onto his back, climbing on top of him and reaching for the hem of your t shirt to pull it off over your head before you leant down and kissed him.

“So is it like a ‘friends with benefits’ type thing?”

It felt like you’d been having this conversation for days. Maybe it was because after Tom left on Tuesday afternoon you’d found yourself thinking about what exactly it was that you wanted from him if it wasn’t food and beverages, and now it was Wednesday evening and you were being interrogated while getting ready to go out.

“Er, no not really,” you shook your head distractedly, focusing on curling the back of your friend Ruby’s hair without burning her or yourself.

Ruby, one of your best friends from high school, had texted you the day before asking if you were free for an last minute visit as her lectures had gotten cancelled and she, quite rightly, felt it was time for you to catch up, seeing as you hadn’t seen each other properly over Christmas. You immediately accepted, of course, briefing her on the fancy dress theme for Wednesday night - Angels v Devils. You were going as an angel, mostly because you had a new white dress you wanted to wear, while Liv and Madison were going as devils. Ruby’s costume was to be decided by whichever accessory she could find in Claire’s Accessories on her way to the train station - which turned out to be a white fluffy halo, so you ended up with another angel on your side.

The timing of her impromptu visit actually worked out quite well anyway, because it being a Wednesday meant that Tom was off doing AU stuff with the rest of the rugby boys. They hadn’t actually played a match yet this term, but as far as you could work out being part of the Athletics Union was as much about socials and going out as it was about actual sports. Someone on the team had had the foresight to order a huge pack of devil horns online, so they were all going as devils. They’d also started drinking around 3pm, so by the time you started getting ready at 7 you’d already seen a slew of ‘horny devil’ jokes and stories on social media.

And anyway, as much as you’d enjoyed getting ready and predrinking with Tom on Friday, you were happy to be having some good old fashioned girl time, all getting ready together in Madison’s room and having a few drinks as you got ready - plus, it gave you time to bring Ruby up to speed with your love life. In all honesty, if she hadn’t been there you probably wouldn’t have brought it up at all, but you figured you should give her a heads up because it was highly likely you’d see Tom at some point during the night, and you didn’t want to have to awkwardly try and define the nature of your relationship in front of him.

“So he’s not your boyfriend?” Ruby looked up at you through her hair as you curled the last few sections.

“No,” you shook your head more decisively this time.

“But you’re not seeing anyone else, are you?”

“Nope.”

“And neither is he?”

“No - well,” you paused, considering for a moment. “I presume so, I haven’t asked.”

“Why not ask?” Madison interjected from her spot on the bed where she sat, already dressed and ready, drinking vodka lemonade through a straw.

“Because…” you shrugged, returning your attention to doing your makeup now that Ruby’s hair was done. “I dunno. I don’t feel like I need to? Like it’s just...it’s fine.”

“Right…” Madison didn’t sound 100% convinced, but she moved on anyway and directed her next question at Liv, who was currently doing her eyebrows. “What about you and Harrison, is that the same?”

“Yeah, I guess,” she shrugged, tilting her head to see her brows from all angles in the mirror she had propped up against a stack of textbooks on Mads’ desk. “Like, we’re not a thing, but like, it’s a thing, you know?”

You didn’t know, but you also felt the same way about you and Tom, so you just nodded and went back to applying liberal amounts of highlighter to your cheekbones (and your brow bone, and your nose, and basically your entire face, because if you can’t glow when you’re an angel, when can you?)

By the time all four of you were ready to officially start predrinking you were already a couple of drinks deep (or more than a couple in Madison’s case), so by the time you got to the union you were all more than ready for a dance. Wednesday nights were typically the cheesy pop night, which suited you just fine, and though your friends claimed not to really be that into it you knew they’d be singing along as loud as anyone when What Makes You Beautiful came on. First port of call had to be the ladies’, however, as you had all well and truly broken the seal.

The second stop was the shot bar, which was probably an ill-advised choice seeing as none of you needed to be doing shots at that point in time, but you had a guest, so you had to give her the full SU experience, and that included the shot bar - which was where you bumped into Harrison. You weren’t sure whether he just happened to be passing or whether Liv had summoned him, but either way he was there with his arm around her shoulders and clinking shot glasses with you, Mads, and Ruby too just for good measure.

He pointed over to the dancefloor, and though you couldn’t really hear what he was saying you followed where he was pointing to and spotted a group of boys in the middle of the floor, and you guessed that Tom was amongst them. You nodded to show you understood, but you were torn - you were supposed to be spending time with Ruby, so you didn’t want to seem like you were ditching her for Tom. Luckily for you, she seemed to have witnessed your exchange with Harrison and gathered what was going on, because she just downed her shot, gestured over to the boys, and yelled ‘wanna go over?’ in your ear, so your decision was kind of made for you.

Weaving your way through the crowd, you made your way over to the group, Harrison leading the way. Tom saw him first, nodded in acknowledgement, and went to turn back to whoever he was talking to before he spotted you behind him. You could feel the grin spreading across your face as you squeezed past Harrison, wrapping your arms around Tom’s shoulders as his wrapped around your waist in a bone-crushing hug. He swayed slightly as he squeezed you, so you guessed he was about as intoxicated as you were.

“This is my friend Ruby,” you shouted in his ear as you separated, gesturing over your shoulder to her.

You turned to her and pointed to Tom with your right hand, the fingers of your left hand slotting between Tom’s as his hand slipped into yours. “This is um… this is Tom.”

You laughed to yourself as you introduced him - you’d discussed him at length at pres, so he hardly needed an introduction, but it felt like the proper thing to do. You were pretty sure neither of them heard a word you said over the music anyway, but both Tom and Ruby raised a hand and waved politely at one another, which only made you laugh more - which did make Tom look at you questioningly, but you just shook your head and shouted ‘nothing!’ at him.

Laughing turned out to be a running theme for the night, and you ended up spending the majority of the night as one giant group - which was very fun for you, if a little annoying for everyone else around you. As it was though, you were all too drunk to care about other students, so it didn’t bother you at all that you took up most of the dancefloor and were by far the loudest group when it came to singing along to some pop classics. By the time the lights came on and you all got herded downstairs by security, your camera roll was full of new memories - selfies with Ruby, selfies with Tom, plenty of group photos taken by random people who were unfortunate enough to get accosted by Liv - all of which you swore would be nice (spoiler alert: most of them were not nice, though there were some fun ones from predrinks as well as a cute one of you and Tom that you set as your contact photo for him as you lay in bed hungover waiting for Ruby to wake up the next morning).

Pushing tables and chairs together, you all sat together trying to eat enough greasy food to soak up all the alcohol in your bodies while you waited for your taxis (much to the annoyance of the union staff, not that any of you noticed). You and Tom sat a little way away from the rest of the group, picking at a large portion of cheesy chips with one hand each, your other hands clasped together on your knee under the table.

“Oh, I meant to ask you something.”

“‘kay,” you glanced up at Tom, but mostly focusing on the chips in front of you. “Actually, I need to tell you something first.”

“Okay,” Tom nodded, popping another chip into his mouth.

“Did you know…” You paused, possibly for a little longer than was necessary, but you got distracted pulling off another chip from the lump of potato and cheese in the tray.

“Did I know what?” Tom probed, nudging your knee with his.

“I’m getting to it!” you rolled your eyes, finally breaking the exceptionally long string of cheese that was preventing you from eating your chip and shoving it into your mouth. “Did you know that I fancied you for ages?”

“Oh?”

You didn’t really know what prompted you to say it - truth be told you weren’t really thinking too clearly, but now you’d started you couldn’t stop.

“Mmhmm, like in first year I hardly ever bought coffee on campus, and then- ” you paused again to eat another chip “-then I started buying it all the time from you, so really it’s your fault.”

“What’s my fault?” Tom laughed, his knee bouncing against yours as he shifted in his seat.

His laugh made you look up from your food, and then you started looking at the devil horns poking out from in between his curls and you sort of lost your train of thought (not that you even really had one to begin with).

“I dunno,” you shrugged, “just is.”

“Well...sorry?” he tilted his head and furrowed his brow, framing it as more of a question than an apology.

“S’okay,” you shrugged, squeezing his hand as you smiled. “What were you gonna ask me anyway?”

“Oh yeah,” Tom squeezed your hand back as he spoke. “Would you, I was gonna say- do you wanna come and watch me play in like, two weeks? I mean, it won’t just be me it’ll be like, the whole team - obviously - and another team-”

You’d been nodding the whole time he was rambling, your answer decided almost as soon as he’d said ‘do you wanna come’, but you realised you were probably going to have to say something verbal to interrupt him.

“Yeah, sure.”

“-oh okay, cool.”

“You better win though,” you raised your eyebrows at him, kicking his foot under the table.

“Obviously,” he scoffed, grabbing a handful of chips as he bumped his knee against yours.

You weren’t even halfway through your chips when your taxis finally arrived, but thankfully Tom let you take the box home with you - a gesture which earned him a kiss on the cheek from you and a hug from Madison, who had eagerly tucked in as soon as she came over to tell you your cab was outside. As might have been expected, Liv went back with Harrison (and Tom, who very astutely opted to sit in the front seat rather than squeeze in the back beside them) so you, Ruby, and Madison shared a taxi home, and by the time you eventually climbed into bed it was sometime after four am. It would have been earlier, only you were determined to take your makeup off before you fell asleep because you’d put on fresh sheets for Ruby staying over and you didn’t want to stain the pillow case. Which was admirable, really, only your fine motor skills weren’t too hot just then, so you spent a lot of time just rubbing mascara around your face with a make up wipe before eventually just giving up, flipping your pillow over and getting into bed.

“Your friends are nice,” Ruby yawned as she snuggled in beside you. “I approve.”

You just hummed back happily - you were already falling asleep, but you were glad to hear your home and uni friends got along. You were just thinking about how nice it is when different parts of your life overlap and it works out nicely, when your phone buzzed with a text.

“Tom’s nice too,” you heard Ruby murmur sleepily as you pulled your phone out from under your pillow. “I like him.”

“Yeah,” you muttered back as you read the message on your screen. “Me too.”

Tom Holland Glad u got home ok Goodnight angel x

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broomballkraken · 4 years

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Title: Dog Days

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Pairing: Dedue/Raphael

Word count: 3659

Warnings: None

Summary: Maya travels to Duscur to visit her brother and his husband, and she is shocked to find that their family has grown since she last saw them...but not in a way that she would have expected.

Written for Dedue Week Day 7, Prompt: Future

“Wow! Is this really where Raph lives now?”

Maya’s jaw dropped as she glanced back down at her map, double checking that she was in the right place. Her travels through the Kingdom and Duscur had been largely uneventful, but gave her many opportunities to paint some rather beautiful landscapes. Duscur especially, since it was an entirely different country, built anew after being razed during the Tragedy. Her brother and his husband, Dedue, were the ones who led the rebuilding effort, and Maya’s heart swelled with pride at the fact.

Looking up from the map, she adjusted the weight of the pack on her back and started down the road, her destination the house that sat in the middle of a vast valley, overflowing with blooming flowers of all kinds of different colors. It was summertime in Duscur, but the climate here was a bit colder than Fódlan, so Maya was wearing a light jacket to chase away the slight chill in the air.

As she approached the house, two major things caught her eye: the huge garden on one side of the front yard with a greenhouse on the other, and an enormous barn that was visible from behind the house. Did her brother and Dedue start raising horses or something?

Maya was just about to knock on the door, when a loud barking noise hit her ears. She turned towards it, but was suddenly knocked off of her feet when something large barreled into her, and she fell to her back with an ‘oof!’ Fear welled up in her for a moment, but dissipated immediately when a wet tongue raked across her face, and she started laughing as she pushed herself upright.

It was a dog that had tackled her, and a huge one at that. His pink tongue hung out of his white jowls, which dripped with drool. His head was covered with dark brown fur, that turned white at his neck and legs, before finally turning light brown over his back. His long fluffy tail was wagging so hard that she thought it would fly off at any moment. Maya giggled and reached up to pet the dogs head, and he barked happily.

“Beefsteak! What’re you barking at-Maya?!?”

Maya looked up as the front door opened, a beaming smile crossing her face when Raphael stepped outside, his eyes wide with surprise when he saw her. He looked the same as he always had, with his massive muscles trying to break out of his shirt and blindingly bright smile on his face. The only thing different about him that she noticed was the blond beard that now covered his face.

“Hey Raph! Long time no see!” Maya said. She tried to push herself to her knees, but Beefsteak started licking her face again, forcing her to fall back onto her elbows.

“C’mon, Beef! That’s enough, you big lug!” Raphael said, reaching down to gather Beefsteak into his arms with ease, as if the large dog was as light as a feather. Beefsteak whined and wiggled around, choosing to assault Raphael’s face with slobbery kisses instead.

“I didn’t know you had a dog!” Maya said as she stood up, wiping her face.

“Sure do! This here is Beefsteak!” Raphael said, laughing as he rubbed his bearded face against Beefsteak’s head, who barked and finally managed to wiggle out of Raphael’s arms. He tried to lunge at Maya again, but Raphael caught him around the middle mid-jump, so Beefsteak could only whine and wiggle his paws in her direction.

“He’s huge! I’ve never seen a dog like him before.” Maya said, moving to stand next to her brother to get a better look at Beefsteak.

“He’s a Saint Bernard! They’re known for being huge, but my Beefsteak here is just a big ‘ol softy, right Beefy?” Raphael cooed, and Maya giggled when Beefsteak barked and licked Raphael’s face again. He then finally seemed to calm down a bit as he sat down on his haunches, looking back and forth between the siblings as they finally had a chance to hug.

“So he’s just like you, eh bro?” Maya said as Raphael lifted her into the air with his massive, strong arms.

“Ha! I guess so. They do say that dogs and their owners start to look and act alike after a while.”

“I’ll say. You’ve certainly gotten hairier.” Maya reached up and pinched a bit of Raphael’s beard between her fingers. “Why’s your beard so scruffy? Hasn’t Dedue taught you how to properly groom it yet?”

“C’mon sis! That’s harsh!”

“Ah, hello Maya.”

Maya and Raphael turned to the door to find Dedue standing in the entryway, a small smile on his face. He also hadn’t changed much, except that he also had a full beard, although his was much more well-kept than her brother’s. Dedue seemed to be in the middle of cooking, for he had an apron draped over his front, and the smell wafting out of the house behind him had Maya drooling almost as much as Beefsteak.

“Darling, bring your sister inside. You will both catch a cold standing out here, and dinner is almost ready.” Dedue said, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow at his husband, who blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck.

“Eh, sorry hun, I got excited.” Raphael said, grabbing Maya’s travel pack from her. Maya thanked him and headed inside, with Beefsteak padding along beside her. She gazed around the room, and a small smile crossed her face. It was a modest size, with a fireplace on one side and a large couch on the other. Two large dog beds sat in one corner, and the kitchen was a good size, big enough for someone as bulky as Dedue to maneuver around comfortably.

“Make yourself comfortable!” Raphael said as Dedue quickly gave Maya a hug before returning to the kitchen. Maya sat down on the couch, and was immediately joined by Beefsteak, who assaulted her face with more slobbery kisses before he lay down, his head resting on her lap. She laughed and ran her hands through his soft fur.

“Did you have a good trip, Maya?” Dedue asked as he flipped some steaks over in a pan on the stove. “You arrived much sooner than we expected.”

“Oh, yeah!” Maya said as Raphael sat on the couch on the other side of Beefsteak. “I managed to hitch a ride with a couple riding in the same direction once I hit the Duscur border. Real funny pair. One of ‘em kept on falling asleep while he was talking to me, and the other tried picking fights with any knights that we passed on the road!”

“Hm, they sound familiar…” Raphael mumbled, his face scrunching up thoughtfully.

“They sound like Caspar and Linhardt.” Dedue commented, not looking up from his cooking.

“Yeah! Those were their names!” Maya exclaimed, “They did say they knew you guys when I told them who I was going to visit. They said to say hello for them.”

“I’m glad they’re doing well. They kinda just up and vanished after the war, so I was worried about where one of my best sparring buddies ran off to.” Raphael said. Maya opened her mouth to respond, but she was interrupted by a loud scratching sound coming from the back door on the other side of the kitchen.

Dedue chuckled and abandoned his cooking for a moment to go and open the door. Maya’s eyes widened as another dog trotted through the kitchen and into the living room, stopping in front of Maya and sitting down. She was just as huge as Beefsteak, but seemed to be of a different breed. Her face and ears were dark, while the rest of her fur was a light brown.

“Maya, that is Dahlia.” Dedue said, looking over at the dog fondly. “She is a Mastiff. She may look intimidating, but you will not find a sweeter companion.” Maya let out a delighted squeak as she reached out to scratch behind Dahlia’s ears.

“Oh my gods, you are so cute!” Maya said, and she giggled when Dahlia stuck out her tongue and panted happily, her tail wagging vigorously. She heard a loud whine coming from her side, and Maya turned to see Beefsteak staring at her with sad eyes. Maya laughed and pet his head with one of her hands, while the other continued to pet Dahlia.

“Jeez, Beef! You just can’t let your sis get attention without butting in, huh?” Raphael said, laughing as he rubbed Beefsteak’s belly. He immediately rolled over, tail wagging and leg kicking when Raphael scratched at just the right spot.

“Dinner is ready. Raphael, will you help me for a moment?” Dedue said, and Maya, Dahlia, and Beefsteak all immediately turned their attention to him.

“Yeah!” Raphael leapt up from his spot on the couch, quickly moving to his husband’s side to help him set the table.

“Need me to do anything?” Maya asked, feeling a bit awkward about just waiting around while her hosts worked.

“You can feed Beefsteak and Dahlia if you want!” Raphael called, almost hitting Dedue with a plate as he spun around to address Maya. “Oops, sorry honey!”

“It is fine. Please be more careful, darling.” Dedue said, chuckling as Raphael flushed with embarrassment. “Their food is in that barrel by the door. One scoop each.” Maya smiled and nodded, barely restraining herself from teasing Raphael and Dedue; her brother and brother-in-law were too cute for their own good.

“C’mon doggies! Time for dinner!” Maya said, and she had to run to the barrel, because as soon as the word ‘dinner’ left her mouth, both of the dogs barked excitedly and barreled along right behind her, their heavy footsteps almost making the entire house shake. Maya laughed as she quickly scooped out the food into the two bowls that sat against the nearby wall. Beefsteak dug messily into his meal, while Dahlia used a little bit more restraint while she ate.

“So where did you find those two?” Maya asked when she sat down to eat with Dedue and her brother. She took a bite of the Duscur bear steak - and it was the best thing she had ever tasted in her life - while eyeing the other end of the table where Raphael and Dedue’s free hands were entwined and resting on the surface.

“While we were still working hard on the rebuilding efforts,” Dedue said, sighing as he glanced over at Raphael, who was busy shoveling as much meat as he could into his mouth, “we found Beefsteak and Dahlia as puppies, sick and starving to death. We could not just leave them, so we took them in a nursed them back to health. They have not left our side ever since.”

“Aw, you guys are so awesome! I’m glad you were able to save them!” Maya said, looking under the table where the two huge dogs lay, quite obviously waiting for any scraps that may fall from their plates.

“Us too!” Raphael said, swallowing a mouthful of meat and managing to dribble sauce down his chin.

“Raphael, dear,” Dedue grabbed his napkin and wiped the mess from his beard, “You are making a terrible mess of yourself.”

“Whoops! Sorry Dedue! Your cooking is just so good! I could eat like ten helpings of this meat!” Raphael gushed, and Maya giggled when a light blush rose high on Dedue’s face. They really did seem like they were made for each other; gentle giants with the kindest hearts. As soon as Raphael had introduced Dedue to her, she had no doubt in her mind that they would be together forever.

The meal continued with casual conversation, and when they were done and cleaning up, Maya suddenly remembered something that she wanted to ask about.

“Oh, hey Raph! What’s with that barn you guys have? Do you have horses?”

Raphael smiled and shook his head. “Nope! Do you wanna see what we have out there?” Maya’s eyes lit up with curious excitement and she nodded eagerly. “C’mon, it’s feeding time anyway.”

“Past feeding time. It is a wonder that they are not causing a ruckus by now.” Dedue commented, and now Maya was really curious as to what was in that barn.

The three ventured outside, the evening sun bathing the land in an orange glow as they made their way to the barn. Dedue and Raphael shared a smile as they pushed open the sliding doors, and Maya’s jaw dropped at the sight.

Dogs of various breeds were scattered throughout the large barn, and Maya did a quick count; there were at least 20 of them. When Dedue and Raphael stepped into the barn, all of the dogs turned towards them, and a chorus of barks and howls started up as they rushed to their owners.

Maya shrieked with unconstrained joy as she was suddenly surrounded by fluffy, excited dogs, and she crouched down so that she could pet as many of them as possible while getting a bunch of sloppy kisses.

“Why do you have so many dogs?” Maya said, laughing as she held up a fluffy yellow dog with an elongated body.

“Well, when we nursed Beefsteak and Dahlia back to health and resumed the restoration efforts, we realized that there were so many other homeless dogs that needed help,” Raphael said, “After Duscur was fully rebuilt, we build this barn together and decided to take in as many dogs as possible. We make sure they’re happy and healthy, and some of the people from the nearby town have adopted a few of them already.”

“Aw...You guys are so wonderful!” Maya gushed, and the dogs around her suddenly bolted off towards Dedue when they noticed that he was starting to fill up their food bowls. Maya set down the dog that she held, and she lay down instead of running after the other dogs, which confused Maya. That is, until she saw six puppies run up to the dog and start nursing.

“Babies!” Maya exclaimed, unable to handle the overwhelming cuteness without shedding a few tears.

“Oh yeah! Her name is Sausage!” Raphael said, patting Maya on the back. “She’s a Corgi! She was pregnant when we found her, and she gave birth just a few weeks ago.”

“They’re...perfect.” Maya said, sniffing as more tears fell down her face.

“Why are you crying?” Raphael said, an alarmed look crossing his face as he looked Maya over. “Are you sick? Or hurt? Or-”

“Raph, please,” Maya said, laughing as she wiped away her tears. “They’re just...so cute and precious. I love them.” One of the puppies finished her meal and bounded over to Maya, barking as she nibbled on her shoe.

“That one is named Paprika.” Dedue said, smiling softly as he placed a hand on Maya’s other shoulder. “She is the runt of the litter, and almost did not survive birth. I had to rub her back continuously for a long time before she finally started breathing on her own.” Maya picked her up and started sobbing again when little Paprika starting licking her face with her tiny tongue. Raphael and Dedue shared a glance, and Dedue nodded.

“Would you like to adopt her, Maya?” Raphael said, and Maya stared at him with wide eyes. A huge, beaming smile slowly spread across her face, and she nodded vigorously as she hugged Paprika gently against her chest.

“Oh my gosh, can I really? I’d love to!” Maya said, kissing the top of Paprika’s head as she started falling asleep in her arms. “I’ll take good care of her.”

“We know you will.” Dedue said with a nod, “She cannot leave her mother permanently yet, so you will have to stay with us until she is ready. Is that alright?”

“Yeah! I’ve got all the time in the world. Oooh, I think I could get some really cool paintings done around here too, with the flowers and dogs and…” Maya said, trailing off to mumble to herself. Dedue and Raphael laughed, and as Maya finished helping them tend to the dogs, she couldn’t help but feel incredibly proud of her brother and Dedue, and what wonderful things they were doing with their lives. She followed them back into their house, with little Paprika tucked away against her chest, and she was excited for the weeks to come.

“Wow, what a day!”

Dedue chuckled as Raphael plopped down on the bed next to him, quickly discarding his shirt before snuggling up against Dedue. Setting the book he had been reading aside, Dedue wrapped his arms around Raphael, pulling his head to rest against his chest as Dedue placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Indeed. Did Maya get settled in alright?” Dedue asked, and Raphael nodded, his soft facial hair tickling Dedue’s chest.

“Yeah! She’s got Paprika sleeping with her, and Beefsteak and Dahlia too! They really like her a lot!”

“Good. It will be nice to have the bed to ourselves for once.” Dedue mused. Beefsteak and Dahlia usually slept in their bed with them, and Raphael had to build them an extra large and sturdy one in order to hold their massive dogs as well as themselves.

“Heh, yeah it will.” Raphael said, grinning as he kissed Dedue, who sighed contently, wrapping his arms around Raphael and pulling him close. Calloused hands roamed over Raphael’s back, tracing over faded scars and taut muscle that had become as familiar as Dedue’s own. It felt like a dream, being wrapped in the arms of the man who loved him, living a peaceful life away from war in a recovered Duscur that he and Raphael had rebuilt with their bare hands. Dedue smiled against Raphael’s lips, and the latter pulled away slightly, his beautiful golden eyes gazing deep into Dedue’s seafoam green.

“What’re you thinking about, dear?” Raphael asked, nuzzling his nose against Dedue’s, laughing as the silver hairs of his beard tickled his nose.

“You,” Dedue said, taking Raphael’s left hand in his so that he could run his fingers over his wedding ring. “Or rather, you and I. I feel like I was blessed by all of the deities in both Fódlan and Duscur with the most wonderful man that I get to call my husband.” Dedue chuckled when Raphael’s face flushed pink.

“Aw, Dedue, you’re makin’ me blush here...” Raphael said, burying his face in the crook of Dedue’s neck to hide his embarrassment.

“It is true though.” Dedue cupped Raphael’s face with one hand while his other continued to trace the scars over his back, causing Raphael to shiver, “I think if someone had told me back in our academy days that I would end up married to the love of my life and living in a rebuilt Duscur, I would not have believed them.”

“C’mon honey,” Raphael said, his brow furrowing as he pouted, “Don’t talk like that! You’re the greatest guy that I’ve ever met! I had the biggest crush on you when were we still in school!”

“Really?” Dedue blinked as he tilted his head. He never would have guessed that Raphael had harbored feelings for him that soon. Dedue had always assumed that Raphael did not grow to love him until they had reunited after the start of the war.

“Yes really! I was super sad when the war tore us apart, ‘cause I never got to tell you how I felt until five years after that. I was also really scared that I’d...never see you again.” Raphael’s face fell, and Dedue smiled softly, cupping Raphael’s face as he placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

“I am sorry for worrying you, my darling sunshine,” Dedue whispered, his fingers setting in Raphael’s soft beard, and a beaming smile slowly returned to Raphael’s face. That beautiful, ethereal smile that never failed to take Dedue’s breath away. He was determined to spend the rest of his days making sure that smile was never absent from his husband’s face for longer than a few moments at a time.

“It’s fine! It all worked out in the end! We’re married and living a good life. I’m just...really happy Dedue!”

“I am happy too, Raphael.” Dedue chuckled when Raphael grabbed his face and kissed his tenderly, but he pulled away shortly after, lips pursed together as if he had eaten something sour.

“Hey, hun?” Raphael asked, “Do you, uh, think my beard is scruffy? Maya said it was.” Dedue blinked at him, before letting out a hearty laugh.

“Honestly, it could use a bit of trimming.” The horrified look that crossed Raphael’s face was so silly that Dedue laughed harder.

“Dedue! Why didn’t you say anything before? Ugh, how embarrassing…” Raphael’s voice dropped to a mumble, and he pouted again as he rolled over onto his back.

“I thought that you kept it that way on purpose. I can help you trim it if you want.” Dedue said, and Raphael rolled back over on top of him, causing Dedue to grunt and his face to flush.

“Really? You’d do that for me?” Raphael said excitedly, causing Dedue to chuckle at his unbridled enthusiasm.

“Of course, darling.”

“Yes! Gods, I love you so much, Dedue!” Raphael said, laughing as he slid his arms under Dedue, pulling him into one of Raphael’s signature bear hugs that Dedue honestly could not get enough of.

“I love you too, Raphael. Always.” Dedue whispered into Raphael’s ear as he returned his hug. Dedue pulled away, caressing Raphael’s cheek with the back of his hand as his husband smiled sweetly at him, before closing the distance between them again by pressing his lips to Dedue’s. They quickly lost themselves in the passion of their love, and Dedue knew that with Raphael by his side, his future would always look as bright as his husband’s smile.

#fire emblem three houses #raphael kirsten #dedue molinaro #raphadue #dedue/raphael #fanfiction #jade writes fanfiction

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shatteredsisters-blog · 5 years

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Chapter 2: The Calm BeforeThe wind tugged at Sophie’s blonde hair, whipping against her face, making her scrunch her eyes. She sat criss-cross among Calla’s roots, waiting for Linh to show up. Sophie hadn’t expected to wait so long but was appreciative for the time she gained to sort out her maze of feelings.It was slightly refreshing, to have a moment to just think, to just breathe… And especially, refreshing to just live.“Miss Foster,” a familiar voice said from behind, “are you alright?”Sophie smiled and adjusted her head to see the small gnome. “I’m fine, Flori. I’m just waiting for… a friend.” A friend. Yes. Of course. Only a friend.“Would you like for me to sing to you? I recently composed a new song,” Flori questioned as she made her way to sit with the elf.“I… sure, while I wait.” Maybe she should wait just a little longer? The gnome opened her mouth for a melody to pour out, and almost instantly, the female Song twin appeared with a soft zap of light. Sophie almost leaped off the root she sat on, startled by the sudden appearance. Flori stopped singing and began to study the dark-haired girl. The blonde’s hands shot down from her lap to the ground so she didn’t fall over.Linh gazed at the other elf, a small smile flashing across her lips for only a moment. She then met eyes with Flori and beamed.“That’s a beautiful song,” she whispered, her words flowing like soft waves on a summer day, and which made Sophie’s skin tickle.Linh looked… Majestic, with her multi-layered white-and-blue dress that clung to her body, and little teal slip-ons that Sophie absolutely adored. And what else did Sophie adore? Well, of course— “Sophie! I… Uh, hello…” Linh stuttered as her silvery blue eyes met Sophie’s. Sophie looked away and blushed. The blue-eyed girl smoothed a hand down her dress and slowly walked over to the elf. “You, uh, look great today,” Sophie murmured awkwardly, glancing up at Linh’s face to see her reaction. To her relief, Linh smiled and looked down. “Thanks,” Sophie wanted to peel layers of skin off her face to try and hide her blush. She settled on nervously pulling out eyelashes. Linh sat down next to her, and Sophie felt a smile edge onto her face. Flori laughed softly, “I’ll be going, have a good time, you two.” The two girls smiled at the gnome and waved good-bye as she wandered away. After a moment, Linh turned to Sophie. “So… Want to meet Merla?” There was a hint of glee in the hydrokinetic’s pale blue eyes. Sophie tilted her head to the side, her brow furrowed, “Merla…?” “My murcat!” “Oh!” Sophie’s eyes popped open, “Oh… Of course!” A huge, adorable grin appeared on Linh’s face as she whirled a large, blue-stained glass tank that had large, graceful images of waves crashing down from what seemed to be thin air.Inside, a purple-blue scaly cat swirled around, it’s wide yellow eyes sparkling. Sophie couldn’t help but smile back at Linh.The fish-like feline blew a few bubbles and rubbed its scaly head against the glass. Linh beamed and turned her gaze back to the blonde elf.“Would you like to hold her?”Sophie smiled, “Sure.” A blonde empath stared wide-eyed down at the piece of paper he held in his hands. It was written messily, scrawled down like it was a last moment thing, with quick, non-rhyming words. But right now, Keefe could ignore that sad fact. This note might not even be by the Black Swan… It could be by whoever… Maybe even Sophie? Writing in the third person? He…doubted she would do that. Keefe ran a hand down the side of his face, fear coursing through him as his heart thrummed against his chest. He read the note again, and again and again and again, just to make sure what he saw was correct. The moonlark needs your help Where the forest shines brightest, Follow the Path of Petals, That most try to avoid,To where she shall be. Keefe had to breathe. The Moonlark was obviously Sophie. The few years spent with her had given him that bit of knowledge. Where does the forest shine the brightest? What does that even mean? And why did she need his help? Was she hurt?Keefe put his hand against his chest and sat down on the nearest chair, sinking into its cushiony haven. He racked his brain for any possible source of information, and absolutely nothing came up. He ran his hand through his hair, letting the oh-so-familiar motion calm him and let his mind relax.A hint of a memory, a spark, ignited in his brain, exploding into a vivid image of a book that he remembered reading not so long ago. Heller Kern, a majestic forest with a mysterious bright glowing light in the center. Multiple paths lead to the core, many dangerous and often a perilous trek. However, if you know where to look, there are a few that are safe, breathtaking, even. Many say that if you get close enough to the luminescence, you will hear the voices of those you love, those who make your heart sing in happiness. However, should you venture into the trees when you don’t love anyone, the light shall drag you in and your soul shall be at war with itself for all eternity, condemning it to never find peace.Heller Kern, a forest that was known only in whispers and the most ancient of texts.Keefe stopped reading after that short passage. He wasn’t supposed to have those books, and the English was especially hard to read. From what he understood, it was a shady place, and the images that decorated the pages where haunting, yet so… inviting. He’d never willingly set foot in that place, but if it means it’ll help Sophie, then he’ll fall into the darkest pits that only humans could conjure with their imaginations. He shook his head, shoving the off-topic thoughts to the side. Hopefully, the ‘path of petals’ wasn’t one of the ‘perilous treks’ and more of an easy one. But maybe the information was so old that the forest has changed and adapted since then? Keefe took a breath and walked through the familiar halls of the Shores of Solace, the place he still lived per his annoying father’s wishes, even after he graduated. He’ll stay here until he finds the perfect place for him to live out his life with whomever he ends up with. Even if it meant dealing with his arrogant, cold father. Keefe wrinkled his nose. Heller Kern was a human name, as the book was a human one. He wasn’t sure where the name stemmed from, but he vaguely remembered the name of it in the Enlightened Language. He stopped once he found the Leapmaster 5000. The glittering crystals began to spin around, and he called out, “Claralux!” The crystal lowered, and a beam of light shone next to him. He didn’t hesitate to allow the light to whisk him away, brushing him across the globe, dropping him right at the line of trees.The forest was just as creepy as he expected. The trees started small, but from where he could see, they grew thicker, taller, bigger, as the woods got deeper. There seemed to be a gentle light pulsing from the distance, calling for him, wishing to wrap him in its soft embrace. A familiar voice whispered to him; “Follow.” A voice he was supposed to hate. A voice that made his heart flutter and made a ghost of a smile appear on his lips. A voice that resurfaced some of the dumbest, yet happiest memories he could think of. A voice full of hidden anger and hurt, yet so much love and caring. “Follow,” it repeated, more insistently this time. So Keefe took a breath. And he followed.Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger, KOTLC Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Keefe Sencen, Tam Song, Linh Song, Fitz Vacker, Biana Vacker, Sophie Foster, Dex Dizznee Additional Tags: Kidnapped, Missing, kinda mean, i feel bad doing this to keefe oops, Angst Summary:

How broken do you have to be before you’re shattered?

Keefe Sencen has been taken. Snatched from what was meant to be a prank, he struggles to find his way home. The question is, where is home?

Tam Song is cracking. He’s the cause of this, or so he believes. He’s convinced he’s the reason Keefe is suffering, and it’s awakening feelings he’s so desperately shut in the depths of his mind.

Sophie Foster is panicking. One of her best friends is missing and his blood has been splattered. She wonders, what would happen if there is no blood left by the time she finds him?

Time is ticking. Hour by hour, there’s a chance Keefe will never come back, and the gang is scrambling to crack the clues and ominous hints left by the mysterious thieves.

Chapter 2 below the cut.

Chapter 2: The Calm Before

The wind tugged at Sophie’s blonde hair, whipping against her face, making her scrunch her eyes. She sat criss-cross among Calla’s roots, waiting for Linh to show up. Sophie hadn’t expected to wait so long but was appreciative for the time she gained to sort out her maze of feelings.

It was slightly refreshing, to have a moment to just think, to just breathe… And especially, refreshing to just live.

“Miss Foster,” a familiar voice said from behind, “are you alright?”

Sophie smiled and adjusted her head to see the small gnome. “I’m fine, Flori. I’m just waiting for… a friend.” A friend. Yes. Of course. Only a friend.

“Would you like for me to sing to you? I recently composed a new song,” Flori questioned as she made her way to sit with the elf.

“I… sure, while I wait.” Maybe she should wait just a little longer?

The gnome opened her mouth for a melody to pour out, and almost instantly, the female Song twin appeared with a soft zap of light. Sophie almost leaped off the root she sat on, startled by the sudden appearance. Flori stopped singing and began to study the dark-haired girl. The blonde’s hands shot down from her lap to the ground so she didn’t fall over.

Linh gazed at the other elf, a small smile flashing across her lips for only a moment. She then met eyes with Flori and beamed.

“That’s a beautiful song,” she whispered, her words flowing like soft waves on a summer day, and which made Sophie’s skin tickle.

Linh looked… Majestic, with her multi-layered white-and-blue dress that clung to her body, and little teal slip-ons that Sophie absolutely adored.

And what else did Sophie adore? Well, of course— “Sophie! I… Uh, hello…” Linh stuttered as her silvery blue eyes met Sophie’s. Sophie looked away and blushed. The blue-eyed girl smoothed a hand down her dress and slowly walked over to the elf. “You, uh, look great today,” Sophie murmured awkwardly, glancing up at Linh’s face to see her reaction. To her relief, Linh smiled and looked down. “Thanks,” Sophie wanted to peel layers of skin off her face to try and hide her blush. She settled on nervously pulling out eyelashes. Linh sat down next to her, and Sophie felt a smile edge onto her face. Flori laughed softly, “I’ll be going, have a good time, you two.” The two girls smiled at the gnome and waved good-bye as she wandered away. After a moment, Linh turned to Sophie. “So… Want to meet Merla?” There was a hint of glee in the hydrokinetic’s pale blue eyes. Sophie tilted her head to the side, her brow furrowed, “Merla…?” “My murcat!” “Oh!” Sophie’s eyes popped open, “Oh… Of course!” A huge, adorable grin appeared on Linh’s face as she whirled a large, blue-stained glass tank that had large, graceful images of waves crashing down from what seemed to be thin air.

Inside, a purple-blue scaly cat swirled around, it’s wide yellow eyes sparkling. Sophie couldn’t help but smile back at Linh.

The fish-like feline blew a few bubbles and rubbed its scaly head against the glass. Linh beamed and turned her gaze back to the blonde elf.

“Would you like to hold her?”

Sophie smiled, “Sure.”

A blonde empath stared wide-eyed down at the piece of paper he held in his hands. It was written messily, scrawled down like it was a last moment thing, with quick, non-rhyming words. But right now, Keefe could ignore that sad fact. This note might not even be by the Black Swan… It could be by whoever… Maybe even Sophie? Writing in the third person? He…doubted she would do that. Keefe ran a hand down the side of his face, fear coursing through him as his heart thrummed against his chest. He read the note again, and again and again and again, just to make sure what he saw was correct.

The moonlark needs your help Where the forest shines brightest, Follow the Path of Petals, That most try to avoid,

To where she shall be.

Keefe had to breathe. The Moonlark was obviously Sophie. The few years spent with her had given him that bit of knowledge. Where does the forest shine the brightest? What does that even mean? And why did she need his help? Was she hurt?

Keefe put his hand against his chest and sat down on the nearest chair, sinking into its cushiony haven. He racked his brain for any possible source of information, and absolutely nothing came up.

He ran his hand through his hair, letting the oh-so-familiar motion calm him and let his mind relax.

A hint of a memory, a spark, ignited in his brain, exploding into a vivid image of a book that he remembered reading not so long ago.

Heller Kern, a majestic forest with a mysterious bright glowing light in the center. Multiple paths lead to the core, many dangerous and often a perilous trek. However, if you know where to look, there are a few that are safe, breathtaking, even. Many say that if you get close enough to the luminescence, you will hear the voices of those you love, those who make your heart sing in happiness.

However, should you venture into the trees when you don’t love anyone, the light shall drag you in and your soul shall be at war with itself for all eternity, condemning it to never find peace.

Heller Kern, a forest that was known only in whispers and the most ancient of texts.

Keefe stopped reading after that short passage. He wasn’t supposed to have those books, and the English was especially hard to read. From what he understood, it was a shady place, and the images that decorated the pages where haunting, yet so… inviting. He’d never willingly set foot in that place, but if it means it’ll help Sophie, then he’ll fall into the darkest pits that only humans could conjure with their imaginations.

He shook his head, shoving the off-topic thoughts to the side. Hopefully, the ‘path of petals’ wasn’t one of the ‘perilous treks’ and more of an easy one. But maybe the information was so old that the forest has changed and adapted since then? Keefe took a breath and walked through the familiar halls of the Shores of Solace, the place he still lived per his annoying father’s wishes, even after he graduated. He’ll stay here until he finds the perfect place for him to live out his life with whomever he ends up with.

Even if it meant dealing with his arrogant, cold father. Keefe wrinkled his nose. Heller Kern was a human name, as the book was a human one. He wasn’t sure where the name stemmed from, but he vaguely remembered the name of it in the Enlightened Language.

He stopped once he found the Leapmaster 5000. The glittering crystals began to spin around, and he called out, “Claralux!”

The crystal lowered, and a beam of light shone next to him. He didn’t hesitate to allow the light to whisk him away, brushing him across the globe, dropping him right at the line of trees.

The forest was just as creepy as he expected. The trees started small, but from where he could see, they grew thicker, taller, bigger, as the woods got deeper. There seemed to be a gentle light pulsing from the distance, calling for him, wishing to wrap him in its soft embrace.

A familiar voice whispered to him; “Follow.”

A voice he was supposed to hate.

A voice that made his heart flutter and made a ghost of a smile appear on his lips. A voice that resurfaced some of the dumbest, yet happiest memories he could think of. A voice full of hidden anger and hurt, yet so much love and caring.

“Follow,” it repeated, more insistently this time.

So Keefe took a breath.

And he followed.

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cc-hatredisland · 6 years

Text

Exploration. {Arts Room}

Vague fragments of Mikiro’s song bounce around in my head. Maybe it’s because I’d never listened to anything he’d written before. Like no other song had, actually. Super High School Level students probably had some magnetic quality to the stuff they did. I guess thinking about it that way, it’s easy to see why it was so memorable.

Since the Arts Room was so close, it took no time at all to find the door and let myself in. Chiffon was quick to follow, so caught up in following my pace that she wasn’t able to babble as much as she usually did.

The second I opened the door, the various smells of paints and supplies hit me all at once. I couldn’t help but cough. Probably wasn’t even that strong in there; I was just unused to it. There were a variety of easels and canvases in the way; the room was pretty small and because it was so crowded, I ended up having to push things aside to get around.

I actually couldn’t see Nagase until I cleared the path a little. Well, it didn’t help that she was sitting on the floor for whatever reason.

After what I’d witnessed earlier I wasn’t actually sure how to approach her. Nagase was pretty anxious without the added stress and I wasn’t the most sensitive person in the world. But I wanted to try and say something before Chiffon did; she was still behind me, tripping over this or that. So I guess I had time on my side, at least.

“Uhm... Nagase. Hey.”

I cringed at how false I sounded.

As I predicted, Nagase basically jumped out of her skin. It felt weird; I was on eggshells every time I talked to her but I still ended up messing it up somehow. Maybe I oughta read a book on it or something.

Her eyes kept going all over the place, as if she was looking for something or someone.

“Uh... uhm... er... y-you... are weather. Yes! Hello! It’s... a nice one!“

Oh, ouch. The awkward’s making it hard to breathe over here.

“Look, I’ll be real. If I’m bothering you, it’s okay to just say so, y’know? If you don’t make it clear, I won’t know. And this is... a weird place for all us to be. I get that.”

“No! No, no, no, no! Oh, um! Oh gosh, how to say...!”

The way she spoke so loudly all of a sudden had me reeling but it seemed like she wasn’t bothered. Considering all the death and the whole Shiratori thing I thought she’d be in tears. She twiddled her thumbs for a bit before continuing on.

“I want... to... I want to... um... I-I’d like to try and do better. I’m... I’ve... said... and acted things... I’m not proud of. And I think... I’m thinking, if I wallow, that’s um, that’s going to... it’ll hurt us all. If I really make an effort to get along... and be normal, then...!“

“I’m gonna stop you there. Listen, forcin’ yourself’s only gonna stress you out, right? Nobody wants you getting an ulcer over acting out of character.”

“N-no, but... but listen. Yuu-chan told me something... and I felt it click in my head somehow. Yuu-chan said, ‘talking to this many people is a miracle’. She said that... maybe ‘we knew each other’ before this. And... considering what Hanji-san... said...”

She paled at the mere mention of him. Given what he did... what he’d said... and how he died... I could hardly blame her. She shook her head, desperate to get back on track.

“I want to believe we were friends. So, although I’m like this, please give me your patience. I, um... I wanted to also... thank you... on another note... ‘cause you... helped a lot. In the... you know.“

In the trial, I’d guess.

“You did, too. Without you, I’d have probably been lost. I didn’t have much evidence directly tying it to him.“

“We can’t... let that happen again.“

“Murder... in fiction is one thing. B-but it’s... it shouldn’t be like that in real life. And dying like that, there’s... there’s absolutely no ‘justice’ in that.”

There were a lot of reasons to hope it never happened again. It was wrong on every level. Yesterday’d been so wild I was almost tempted to write it off as a dream... but I knew how dangerous that’d be. And on a maybe less relevant note... I didn’t want to risk messing something that important up again. That ‘trial’...

Even I know it didn’t go so well. You’re supposed to work it out so easily - they do it on TV like that. But it ended up so messily and... I kept thinking about it. How unfinished the whole thing felt.

The easy thing to hope is that it’d just never happen again. But an awful gut feeling kept me wary.

“Nobody wants to die and nobody wants to get killed. Should be obvious. I’m hoping people take what they saw to heart and gets smart about it. Everyone wants to get out but we’re better off working on our own terms; not his.“

“... Oh... it’s a he?”

I shrug.

“It’s a whatever. Who cares?“

She seems to warm up and a little and laugh.

“I get that you’re doing your brand new you thing but... are you really gonna be okay? I mean, I’m not the softest guy around, sure, but there’s more than me to worry about. Rie, n’ Kasahara n’... Shiratori.“

Her face falls on the mention of the lats name on my list.

“You... overheard.”

“Wha-? No, I just...”

This wasn’t working.

“... Yeah. Sorry.”

“I think... Shiratori-san... needs to, um... it’s like, he needs to think things over for a bit. I... I’m hurt, of course, it’s still... but. But, him being like that, um, it’s not just trouble for me. It hurts everyone when he acts like that. Controlling things with your moral compass... how can I put this? It’s... it’s arrogant. To think that your right and wrong are the rights and wrongs of the world. And enforcing that without asking, it’s... well... if you ask me, of course it’ll end up badly.“

Yuunagi had a similar way of thinking. I mean, I guess I did too but I thought about it more basically than that. I just kinda thought he was an ass.

“So, uh... you’re gonna be okay, then?“

“T-that’s... that’s a little hard. I’ll probably cry a little and I’ll... always worry what people think but... I’m gonna try and fix that. I want to believe our survival here is a little more important than, er... something like that... in the past. You know? I mean! Not that it’s not valid! I mean, if it weren’t me, I mean, if I weren’t me, I might be like... hmm, but like... you know... the timing... i-it’s hard to say. I don’t know, I just hope it’ll go well.”

I guess that’s enough for now. Hope is all a lot of us have to go on right now. At least, until something switches it up. It feels like we’ve been talking for a good few minutes now and the refreshing silence was now beginning to gnaw at me. Alright. Where was she?

I turned around to look for her and... to my surprise, I had completely lost track of Chiffon. Uh. Oops?

Turns out she’d wandered off to a whiteboard and was looking at it pretty intently. I excused myself from Nagase but she followed behind, albeit at a distance.

“What the hell are you doing back here?”

The serious expression on her face kinda through me for a loop. Had she actually found something? I looked at the whiteboard and all I saw were some ground rules and scribbles. There was a lot to see but most of it’d been erased. There were just smears of red and blue, where words probably used to be. Seems like it’d seen a lot of use.

“I’m looking for... proof of myself.“

She seemed a little irritated.

“Because! It’s strange, right? Admit it: it’s strange! I’m here and nobody knows anything about me! Even if I don’t remember anything, you lot should, shouldn’t you?“

“It’s not like we knew much about each other either, y’know. We’re workin’ this out as we go.”

“I’m being excluded! There should be exciting clues to who I am everywhere! Why can’t I find them? ... Ah... no, could it be...?”

You’re an idiot?

“Aha! Hahaha! Of course. You’re supposed to find them for me!“

“I’m what now?”

“It’s not much of a revelation if the revelator finds it out, right?”

I can feel my shoulders sag at a weight I can’t quite explain but it’s definitely linked to this chick. She just seems so overwhelmingly proud of everything she says. Nagase seems amused, at least.

“You’re always in such good spirits.“

Oh right, she stayed with Yuunagi and Nagase, didn’t she? Guess she’d be more familiar with Chiffon than I am.

“A good spirit is key to a good body and mind. Now then! Make my mind sharper yet by telling me about this room!”

“Go look yourself.”

She stared at me with the audacity of a guilt-free puppy that’s just chewed through your shoes.

“It’s fine! I, er, okay, um, I know it sounds dull but when I get to like, you know, introduce people to, uh, to things. It’s great! Mm. Yeah. Super great.”

It sounds sarcastic but coming out of Nagase’s sincere mouth I figured she was just flubbing her words.

She ushers Chiffon over and sweeps an arm across the room. The room was... small, well, it was probably more average but it just felt smaller due to all the crap lying around. A big table took up a huge bit of space too and to go with the painting supplies, there were chalkboards and whiteboards and even some statues. Whether someone had crafted ‘em or someone had just left ‘em here, I had no idea.

“This is the Arts Room. Since the place was a free school, you could come in here at any time and practice your craft.“

“Like magic?“

“... Um, no. Um, more like, you know... whoosh ... and splat... clay, paints... pen...cils... anyway, art.”

Chiffon nodded but I wondered about what that gesture even meant for her.

“There are a lot of supplies for it, too. Clay moulds, sponges, duct tape, paints, inks... there’s even safety equipment. Like an apron or some masks. I mean, I’d guess some artsy people get, you know, like, um... super into it. I guess. I know when I’m writing I lose my every sense...“

As Nagase talked, I listened with some vague interest, but I couldn’t help but be drawn to the same whiteboard Chiffon was drawn to. I’d been trying to pick out words on it for a while now, the erased ones, but it was no easy feat. Still, I swore I could see some. Greetings, project details and... names. Kotobuki. Seiyama... and... Anzai. I thought I read those names. But maybe it was some kinda confirmation bias. Like... I wanted to see those names.

I shrug and turn back to Nagase and Chiffon who are still moving around the room.

“These are... naked men.“

Nagase almost stumbles over when Chiffon says that, pointing at some of the busts.

“I mean. I... y-you can’t really see the lower half, so... a-anyway, th-that’s art. It’s just. Artistic!”

“Hmm.“

I get the impression she’s not impressed and Nagase’s face continues to redden as she reaches for her glasses. As I glance around, I can see there are pieces on the wall, some scenery sketches and paintings but no one I recognize.. and no names are on them, either. A red clock’s in this room, too, just ticking away. There’s a window too, so you can let in a breeze. I opt to take a peek out of it.

... Hm. Yep. That sure is sky.

Seems like you could jump to the ground floor but you’d probably risk breaking your whole damn leg.

... Well, maybe I could manage it, though.

I glance back to see Nagase seemingly finish up her tour.

“... And you can find some tutorials and guides in here. I think it’s... nice. Like, you could learn to start drawing anytime. So! What do you think?”

“... Art seems like a hassle.“

I guess we can cross Super High School Level Artist off her list, too. With that small tour done, I was guessing we were done in here. Well, unless I wanted to talk to Nagase a bit more, anyway.

* Talk to Chika Nagase

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#hatredislandexploration #kaede shimizu #chika nagase #chiffon #hatredislandchapter2

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