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forever-rogue · 1 year

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Hi, I love your blog so much it's amazing.

I was wondering if you could write some Joel Miller being jealous? Like they're in some kind of relationship but Joel doesn't want to put a word to it and arrive to some camp and a guy from there is trying to flirt with reader but she just has eyes for Joel, could be the first I love you confession from him, to make things official between them? Fluff because my heart can't handle anything else :').

AN | Jealous!Joel? Okay, okay, I see you!

Pairing | Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Warnings | Language

Word Count | 2.5k

Masterlist | Joel, Main

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Joel Miller wasn’t a relationship type of guy; he hadn’t been for a long time and it seemed pointless to start now. And that’s exactly how you found yourself in a sort of relationship with him…a situationship if you will.

He also wasn’t the jealous type either. You weren’t his girlfriend, or his partner, or what have you. You happened to be another person living in Jackson that he spent an inordinate amount of time with and had sex with. Lots of sex…he liked to think of it as stress relief. Yeah. That’s it - stress relief. Everyone could use some of that given the current state of the world.

But, in conclusion, you weren’t anything more to him than anyone else.

So why did he experience a definitely-not-jealous-feeling deep in the pit of his stomach when he saw you talking to one of Jackson’s newcomers?

He wasn’t jealous. No. Nope. Definitely not.

He just wanted to strangle any man that talked to you, or looked in your direction. It was a totally normal reaction…or at least that’s what he tried to convince himself.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Joel?” you found him stalking through downtown and had rushed to catch up with him. You hadn’t seen him in the last couple of days and when you had he’d barely spoken a word or even graced you with a look.

You could see his shoulders stiffen for a moment but he slowed his stride so you could catch up with him. You quickly fell into stride, but you could sense that he was in a mood. You nudged your arm against his and he grunted in response, “what?”

“What?” you parroted back at him, frowning in response, “or like what’s been up with you lately?”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” the man was stubborn beyond measure sometimes. You huffed and waited for him to expand but he refused to give in to you, “been busy.”

“Busy,” he refused to look at you, but he could feel you glowering at him, “we’re all busy, Miller. That doesn’t mean we don’t make time for each other.”

“You expect me to make time for you?” his twang came out as he stopped suddenly and you almost tripped over your own feet as you stopped as well. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, head cocked to the side. Your expression clearly said duh, “and just why would I do, sweetheart?”

“You’re being a jerk,” you pushed his shoulder, gently, although you doubted you could really do much damage to him, even if you wanted to, “last time I checked I thought we enjoyed spending time together. But over the past few days you’ve had such a-a bee in your bonnet.”

“Last time I checked I didn’t owe you anything,” and oh. Those words definitely stung, “we aren’t anything.”

“Oh wow,” you were hurt, but you weren’t about to let him know how much, “that’s rich coming from you. I don’t know what your problem suddenly is, but if you’re going to be a jerk, you can fuck off. And next time you need something, don’t bother knocking at my door. But if you decide to get over whatever this is, or want to talk to me like a grown man, you know where to find me.”

Your reaction had left him stunned; he knew you could hold your own when you needed to, but you’d never talked to him like that before. In that moment you definitely weren’t that soft, sweet girl he’d grown to love. Love. But he’d never admit it; truthfully he might not have even come to that realization just yet.

You stomped away, leaving him standing there and staring after you, a dismal expression on his face. He might have been a quiet man, but he wasn’t often left speechless. You’d just managed to do so.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You made it a point to avoid him over the next couple of days, figuring that if he really wanted to make things right he would come to you. You missed him, admittedly, but decided to throw yourself into doing things around town to keep your mind occupied.

That’s how you’d gotten to know the newcomers to Jackson. There were a few women and teenagers, along with some men. For the most past, they were all kind and wanted to keep out wherever they could.

One of the duties you least liked was being put in charge of one of the community gardens. You had a green-thumb adjacent at best, and didn’t want to be the only one responsible for any bad vegetables or fruits, so you had recruited Max, one of the newbies, to assist you. If you were going down, he was coming right along with you.

You liked Max, so far. He was around your age, handsome in a tall, dark, and roguish way, with a nice smile and good sense of humor. And, unlike men had done since the dawn of time, he didn’t make you feel uncomfortable. So, you had decided, he was going to be your friend.

“You’re horrible at this,” Max laughed as you fumbled around with some tomato vines, trying to get the ripe fruit without destroying anything else, “how are you making this so difficult?”

“Shut up,” you groaned but it quickly turned into a laugh as you fell onto your bottom from how you were teetering and crouching. You managed to knock the whole plant down (sorry tomatoes), “oops.”

Max had dropped the small shovel he had been working with, head thrown back as he laughed, “and you’re clumsy on top of it. I’ll remember that for the future.”

You grabbed a small handful of soil and threw it over at him, “bold of you to assume that we’re ever hanging out again after this. You’re bullying me!”

“So dramatic,” he snorted in amusement as he brushed off the dirt and came over to you, offering you his hand to help you to your feet, “come on, I’ll let you bully me in return.”

You took his hand and he gently hoisted you to your feet. You almost stumbled into him, but caught yourself by putting your hands on his shoulders as his found purchase on your waist. You looked at him in surprise and he smiled softly, causing you to relax. He was so close, and pretty, and nice, and you could just lean in and kiss him. Max must have been thinking the same thing because he started to lean in too. A shiver of excitement ran down your spine, until-

“Get your hands off of her,” the two of you jumped apart at the sound of his very angry voice. Your face flushed with warmth, a combination of being caught red-handed and annoyance because you weren’t technically doing anything wrong. Max’s glance shifted over to Joel and then back to you, “now take a step back.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” you hissed at him, “why are you here, Joel?”

“Are you two…?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

At the sound of Joel’s answer your eyes widened in surprise as your jaw almost dropped to the ground. Max held up his hands in a sign of surrender as he started to slowly back away, “hey man, I didn’t know she was your girl.”

“Don’t worry Max,” you offered him an apologetic look, “I didn’t know that either.”

“I gotta go, but I’ll see you around,” he said sheepishly, “bye!”

He almost ran off, leaving the two of you there, the tension so thick. After a moment you turned towards him and shook your head. You weren’t quite sure what to say so you decided to just walk past him, but not before giving him a full glare, “you’re such a dick sometimes. First you shove me away like I’m nothing and now you act like I’m yours. How about I make the final decision? We, you and I, are done. Whatever you want to call it, it’s over. Maybe then you can figure out your own feelings.”

But the man wasn’t about to just let you go. No, that was not his style.

His fingers wrapped around your wrist and his strong grip kept you from walking away.

“Stay,” he insisted gruffly, causing you to pout in that way that always made his knees weak.

“Why? Are you going to apologize?”

He remained silent and you could see that the answer to that was clearly no. You huffed as you pulled your hand out of his and started to walk away. He remained silent as he watched you go. He could have just said everything he wanted to and gotten it all out there but…he’d chickened out.

“Fuck,” he groaned, “fuck.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You didn’t run into Joel again for almost a week. You wondered if it was partly him avoiding you or you just didn’t happen to cross paths. Jackson was only so big; you knew the truth.

But as your feelings would have it, you really, really missed the man. He’d become such an important and vital part of your life and not having him around felt like you were missing a huge part of your heart.

When you decided that you couldn’t take it anymore, you made a plan to take matters into your own hands. You left your place and made the short trek over to his, knocking on the door loudly. He was home; you could see the light and if he had sort of sense, he would open the door.

After a few long moments of buzzy anticipation, you heard his familiar footsteps come towards the door. He opened it slowly and his brown eyes widened when he saw that it was you. He was a mixture of confused and happy.

“What are you…?” he didn’t get the opportunity to finish his question, instead watching as you made your way inside, brushing past him and causing sparks to shoot down his spine.

“Can we just talk?” you were already in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as you looked at him softly. You couldn’t help it; you were a sucker for this man.

“Yes,” he agreed, coming in and mirroring your position on the other side of the counter. You wanted to be made, or at the very least annoyed, but you couldn’t find it in your heart, “I’m sorry for what I said.”

“Which part?” if he thought you were letting him off easily, he was so wrong, “the part where you said we were nothing, or the part where you changed your mind - unilaterally I might add - and decided we were something?”

“Both,” he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh, “I was an idiot.”

“Yeah,” you agreed, “you were. What changed your mind?”

“That kid,” you could see the tick in his jaw as he frowned deeply. Ahhh. Yes, you knew exactly what was going on; Joel Miller was jealous. He just wasn’t going to admit it in those terms.

“His name is Max,” okay, maybe now you were just doing it to get a rouse out of him, “and he’s perfectly nice. He was just helping me.”

“He wanted to do a little more than help,” the man tore his gaze from you and huffed.

“Joel Miller, you’re jealous,” your smile was practically stretching from ear to ear as you beamed at him, “just admit it! That’s what all this has been about?”

“I’m a grown ass man,” he sounded anything but, “I don’t get jealous.”

“Okay, so you weren’t jealous just…something incredibly like it?” you asked. He shrugged dismissively in response but gave away no emotions or anything, “huh, that’s interesting.”

“It’s not, no. I’m not the-”

“I get jealous too sometimes,” you admitted sheepishly, hiding your face in your hands, embarrassed to admit it out loud, “when those women practically throw themselves at you. Makes me want to…I don’t know, show them you’re mine.”

“What are you-”

“You’re such a man,” you flopped your head to the side, “those women - and men - love you. You’re sexy, and smart, and lots of other things, but apparently so oblivious. But I guess that doesn’t matter though.”

“What do you mean?” he was leaning closer now and you could smell his familiar scent; it made you want to curl up with him and let him swallow you whole.

“You said we weren’t anything so,” ugh. You wished you didn’t get so emotional over this, “it doesn’t matter what I think or want. I shouldn’t have assumed anything.”

“I lied,” and it was oh so hard for him to admit that, “that day. I was just…mad - not at you. I just thought, when I saw you with all the new people, that you liked them and they were all over you, especially that one kid-”

“Max.”

“Max,” he didn’t like the taste of the name in his mouth, “I just figured you’d want someone like that and not me.”

“You’re a fool,” you shook your head in disbelief, “I’ve never wanted anyone but you.”

“I never…putting labels on things seems trivial,” he whispered, “how can what you mean to me be summed up with one word? I just never thought about it; it never meant you didn’t mean everything to me.”

"I…" you felt a prickling at the back of your eyes that caused you to try and blink it away, "do you mean that?"

"Yes," he reached over, hesitantly at first before settling his hand on your face brushing your tears away with his thumb, "I mean it. You're very…important to me."

"You're important to me too," you put your hand on top of his and gave it a gentle, tender squeeze, "we don't have to put labels on anything. Just as long as we're on the same page about everything."

"You're mine," he promised and you felt yourself practically glowing. His words made you feel all warm and fuzzy, butterflies fluttering in your tummy. You nodded happily, "I know I'm not great with a lot of things but I do love you. I hope you know that."

"Hmm," you hummed as you closed your eyes contentedly, "I love you, even if you're a stubborn, tough man."

"Enough to accept my apology?" he had his answer already but needed to hear you say it. You rolled your eyes playfully.

"I suppose," you leaned in closer and smiled softly.

"Enough to let me kiss you?"

"Definitely."

#joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller x fem!reader #joel miller x you #joel miller imagine #joel miller one shot #pedro pascal #tlou #tlou hbo

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sixosix · 6 months

Text

FOR YOU I WOULD FALL FROM GRACE | LYNEY

warnings blackmailing lol… AETHER PAIMON!!! 3.6k words!

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter

The bell chimes as the door of the flower shop swings open, and in comes strutting in Rosalie, all dazzling smiles and ostentatious jewelry. Even now, her brown locks are curled to perfection, framing her face beautifully. Even across her, you feel like you’re standing next to an Archon.

This time around, you don’t accidentally freeze the pot of flowers you’re holding from her bursting inside. But you might again tomorrow; Rosalie loves to test you.

Rosalie hums in approval. “Hm, very good, very good. Any customers today, ma chérie?”

“Just one. That guy really wanted to see you,” you reply, eyes fluttering shut as the woman ruffles your hair. You repress the urge to lean into it. “Was he the same guy you met in Café Lutece?”

Her face twists unpleasantly, haunted. “Oh, dear. Thank goodness I wasn’t here. Keep scaring him off.”

You bow your head. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Rosalie bent the law just to keep you, and you’re more than grateful for her generosity. In exchange, you pledged to work diligently for her. You knew that even your hardest efforts couldn't compare to the years of food and shelter she had provided, but this was the least you could do after she didn’t once hesitate to take you in when you confessed you were stranded and alone.

At first, you wanted to repay her by helping out in the kitchen, but you later find that your Vision isn’t the most perfect fit for it. Rosalie’s teeth could shatter from the amount of bread you’ve frozen at the slightest mistake. Your experience in battle doesn’t translate well in handling baking—the heat makes your actions rougher than intended. You get frustrated when you don’t get the results you want. You treat the kitchen like a battlefield. Your hands are too cold; they can’t handle the warm and hot temperatures well.

And the sight of fire… You don’t react to it nicely.

Rosalie suggested you help out in the flower shop. The thought of kneeling over for hours sounds like torture to the posture and grace you’ve perfected over the years, but you can’t quite be picky with under-the-table jobs and nice people who are willing to take care of an orphan who doesn’t know how to act like a normal child.

At least, with gardening, you’ve trained yourself to be more gentle with how you handle living beings. Your hands will always be calloused; they will always have the muscle memory of carrying weighty weapons and tossing them around like sticks—an immutable trait. But you’re trying.

Although Fontaine could never be the safest, it’s safer here. The Fatui don’t have reason to spy against a local flower shop; you’re away from prying eyes, and it isn’t too big of a change because this is still your home.

And you have been safe for years. Rosalie is nothing like The Knave. They have the same fierce protectiveness, but Rosalie is much warmer and open with her fondness, a stark difference from The Knave’s distance. You’re not quite sure how to act around either of them.

You try not to get yourself attached to Rosalie despite her endless hospitality. So long as you don’t reveal your past affiliations and the reason why your hands are rough and why your affections are clumsy, she wouldn’t throw you out. But if she ever does… those are what no attachments are for. You learned your lesson from last time.

“I’ll cook us dinner,” Rosalie sings, heading towards the back of the counter, where it’s connected to her house.

You return to your flower.

You were the one who planted it, and it pleases you to no end that it’s growing healthily. This is the first flower you managed to not— well, kill right off the bat. Or freeze right off the bat, really. The elemental power from your Vision is hard to control, and it certainly doesn’t help that you aren’t doing anything to do something about it, too afraid to even try.

The Lumidouce Bell. It means something about a desire to return. It speaks to you, but not because you long for it—gods no—but because you’ve seen it before. It was probably in a dream, or perhaps a vase back at home, maybe in the middle of the large dining table or in between the fingers of someone with lilac eyes.

The door lashes out once again, the familiar chime ringing in your ears. It had only been two hours since the last customer. Business is doing well today. In comes a floating pixie and a blond with a glow of gold. He’s furious.

“Paimon doesn’t know…” the pixie says, floating behind. “All she knows is that you don’t want to get involved with the Fatui but—” Your hands falter around the petals, “—they said their goals were different, right? What are we doing here again?”

“Paimon,” the blond sighs, and only then do you notice he’s holding a flower. It’s crushed and dried, but it’s supposed to resemble the pot of Lumidouce Bell by your side. “We can’t trust them just like that. We don’t know them.”

“Really…? You think so? Paimon doesn’t think they’re bad people.”

“They’re hiding a lot of things. I don’t want secrets—not anymore. Lyney and Lynette may seem harmless now, but once the time comes where our goals oppose each other’s—well.”

It’s been a while since you heard those names. A rush of nostalgia fills you. You hear about them in passing when your (rare) customers gush about their performances, or ladies passing by giggle about the charming young man in the center of the stage, but that’s about it. To think that these two know that they’re affiliated with the Fatui…

Who are they? They look so familiar, like you’ve seen them once and then never again. Were they sent here? What did they do to be involved with the Fatui? No ordinary person would casually indulge in a conversation about the Fatui like that. There is usually a lot more secretive whispers and cautious glances around the crowd.

“Paimon gets it now,” she says, but she doesn’t look too happy with it. It seems she’s really fond of the twins—which you know all too well.

“Besides,” Aether pats her head, then hands her the flower, wondering out loud, “We don’t even know what this flower means.”

As if following a poorly-written script, both pairs of eyes direct to yours. Like they were expecting you to listen in just for that. At your stunned silence, they wait patiently.

“Um—yes. Lumidouce Bells often mean separation or the wish for reunion,” you recite like a good florist, recalling the words straight from the textbook. “Would you like a copy of a book about Fontaine’s Floral Language, sir?”

He waves a dismissive hand. “No thanks. Was just curious.”

The pixie nods her head, studying the flower in her hand. “Yeah! For all we know, this could’ve been some secret code! Apparently not. But wish for reunion…? Paimon heard Lyney only uses that flower. Does he know about its meaning?”

That name again. It seems that their main topic this afternoon is the twins. You want to crawl out of your skin and bury yourself in the soil. You thought you had moved on, but just hearing about him feels as if listening to strangers talk about a friend you’ve lost—not too far off from the truth. The guilt has not left you since; who were you kidding?

“He probably doesn’t mean anything by it,” the boy murmurs. “I mean—I don’t know. I don’t know anything about them. Is Lyney truly a magician? Is Lyney even his name?”

“Snezhevich,” you murmur out of instinct. Son of snow. You’re surprised that you even remember; it’s been years since you tasted the word on your tongue.

The blond hair and the floating pixie are staring right at you, the man slamming an arm on the counter desk and the little one moving her hands to her hips. “How do you know that?” he asks.

You pale. “I—excuse me?”

“I heard it,” he says. “Those surnames… They’re for the orphans in the House. How do you know that?”

Your heart pounds. You want to ask him the same question, but then, upon closer inspection, you realize why they’re familiar. They’re the Traveler and his travel companion, posted all over magazines. You’ve used one of those papers as placemats for dirty work involving soil, catching glimpses of their faces. The Outlander, the hero, Aether, having come all the way from Mondstadt—of course he knows about the Fatui; he has probably gotten himself involved more than you have.

“Don’t think about lying,” Aether warns at your silence.

Weakly, you say, “Is—is it not… in their introductions?”

“No.” And, well, honestly, that was a stupid cover, so you should’ve expected that. They’re only for the orphans, and he’s right. Even when he’s not a local, he seems to know his facts. Locals are getting smarter, dammit.

“Lyney told me,” is what you decide on after a split-second of contemplation. Aether isn’t giving you enough time to come up with a lie here.

“Told you?” Aether narrows his eyes, studying your face. “Why would he tell you about that? He hasn’t even told me. Are you two close?”

Paimon gasps before you can comment about how Aether sounded like an insecure boyfriend. “Is it…like that?”

You blink at her, lost. “What? Like what?”

At Aether’s conspiratorial expression, your eyes dart between the two of them warily. “What are you two on about?”

“Are you and Lyney romantically involved?”

Romantically involved. You think back to all those sidelong glances and allusive remarks. Lyney was definitely and monumentally involved in your life, but romantically? Even the word feels forbidden. Not once have you thought about romance throughout your entire experience as a child under the protection of the House.

Your face feels like lava, and their crowded attention has you feeling even more embarrassed. “How could you even come up with that? Mortifying! You’re both wrong!”

“What else would it be? You seem to know him well.” Then, much to your embarrassment, Aether adds, “And you’re not bad-looking.”

Is the Outlander calling you pretty enough for Lyney to date you? Right now? Just thinking about the implications has your mind screeching to a halt. “No! I was an orphan there!”

“Ah,” Aether grins widely, “I knew it.”

“Gods,” you mutter, burning. Of course he already figured it out. But was that really necessary? “Is this how you interrogate everyone? Embarrassing them to death?”

Aether shrugs. “If it works, it works.” At whatever expression you must be making, he adds, “And I was just kidding about the romantically involved thing. I mean, unless you aren’t denying it. By the look on your face—”

“Enough. Just spit it out. What do you want?” You’ve gotten awfully rusty with dealing with people. Then again, you were rarely sent out on missions in the first place, so this blame is not for you to take. You curse out The Knave’s name and then feel terrible about it.

“What are you even doing here, huh? Undercover?” Paimon sneers. She fails to look even slightly intimidating. “Do you own this shop?”

“No. I work here.”

“Does your boss know about the whole Fatui thing?” Aether asks. You stare at him warily. If he dares to harm Rosalie, you won’t hesitate to fight dirty. “That seems like a no. If you cooperate with me, I won’t tell whoever is taking care of you.”

“You’re blackmailing me.” You laugh dryly. “I guess I can never run from my past for too long; I just didn’t think I’d be blackmailed by the Outlander himself to face it.”

Aether has at least the decency to look a bit guilty.

“Why do you want to know about the twins so bad?”

Aether’s shoulders hike up to his ears just a little. “Lyney and Lynette… they’re very dependent on each other, aren’t they? The Fatui are not good people—they’re powerful ones, too, and getting involved with power like that while you have your family,” Aether’s expression does something complicated, “It never ends well.”

“You’re blackmailing me into helping the twins out?”

“I’m not trying to— Listen, I just need to know if they’re hiding something else from me. Something that tells me that I shouldn’t be trusting them, then we’ll decide if I’m helping them out or not.”

…Something else? “They already told you a lot, haven’t they? You just have trust issues, hero.”

“It’s perfectly reasonable to have trust issues as a hero.”

Aether inches closer. Your hand twitches by your side, instincts screaming at you to pull out your weapon and flee; the man before you is danger, but you don’t.

Aether hums at your wariness. “And you talk like you know them well. Do you have something you want to say to me, retired Fatuus?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I used to be an orphan in the House of the Hearth,” you say, not wavering with how he holds your gaze. This is no lie; you have no reason to falter. “But that’s not my life anymore. For all I know, they’ve completely changed goals.”

Aether’s shoulder sags because he knows you’re right. There wouldn’t be a way for you to know if the House is still operating with the same objective. If he’d really believe the words of a former Fatuus is a completely different story, however.

Aether sighs. “…It’s not right to call me a hero in this situation.”

“Oh?”

“I’m doing this for selfish reasons.”

Aether hesitates. Does he think you know nothing about selfishness? You ran from the House that took care of you because of your cowardice. You’re plenty familiar with selfishness.

“Mhm,” Paimon nods, “the Traveler wants to know if they’re hiding something about his sister.”

“Paimon,” Aether admonishes, then wilts.

“Oh no!” The fairy’s face pales, her hands coming up to her mouth. “Was Paimon not supposed to say it right away?”

“It’s fine.” It’s not fine. You can see it in the lines between Aether’s brows, his tense shoulders, and his sharp glare to the floor. “You already blurted it anyway.”

“Your sister,” you repeat, conjuring an image of a girl with the same gold as Aether, the same hardheaded determination. What is it with you and getting into trouble with brothers? “I’ve never heard anything about your sister during my time there.”

Aether shrugs. “That doesn’t surprise me. I only arrived here not too long ago, and from what I’m getting, you were already out of the orphanage.”

“So you think Lyney knows something?”

“I know The Knave knows something.”

How strange. Aether’s certainty that their ‘Father’ would confide in them everything, imply that Lyney is privy to information that only the Harbingers would keep to themselves.

You had this same thought before: Lyney, someday Harbinger, someday who would take Arlecchino’s throne. Now, you feel empty thinking about it. It used to fill you with so much rage before.

You turn away from Aether so he won’t see your face. Your previous affiliation with the House shouldn’t matter anymore—you’ve long since abandoned that life. You shouldn’t care about what the upstanding hero would want with them.

You shouldn’t.

Yet you end up fearing what this Outlander will do if they find out the darker secrets of the House that the orphans have to task themselves with. It’s never the children’s fault. But as a hero in a storybook, they rarely have pity for the bad guys.

If Aether finds out anything remotely wrong, what would he do to them…?

You sigh heavily. “I’ll prove to you that you’re wrong about whatever you think of them.”

Aether smiles. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

Rosalie comes out of the counter’s back door a few moments later, holding two plates of dinner. She stares blankly at your frozen figure and Aether’s slack posture.

She hands you the plates. “I’ll get two more.”

Rosalie disappears back into the kitchen, a bright smile on her face as she leaves the scene. There was a skip in her step, too.

You settle the plates down in front of Aether and Paimon. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

Paimon gasps in delight.

When Rosalie comes back out, she’s fluttering all over the place, gushing over how adorable your new friends are. She then goes into a tangent about how she was right in telling you that you have a charming personality, and it was about time people realized that.

“Rosalie,” you murmur, steaming from the ears.

Rosalie laughs heartily. “Oh, you’re so cute. Do you kids have any plans tonight?”

Aether casts you a glance. “We’re going to watch Lyney the Magician’s show tonight if that’s alright.”

You breathe in deeply. Aether sure works fast. You haven’t even prepared yourself for the little chance you were going to be forced to face Lyney again. You expected it on much more personal, grudge-driven circumstances, with Lyney taking you in for The Knave to deal with.

Rosalie sips from her glass, turning to you. “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to watch it, mon ange? I also would have taken you to watch Mr. Lyney.”

“They came over to give me their spare ticket,” you say before she can start thinking deeply about Lyney, but it doesn’t work.

“Ah, I see! Well, have fun.” She grins. “I’ve heard only good things about Mr. Lyney.”

You down the rest of your drink, wishing it was the strong taste of alcohol instead of the sugary sweet Fonta.

Rosalie gasps, hands on the table as she stands. “Oh! Let’s get you changed for tonight’s show! What if Mr. Lyney’s show picks you as a chosen participant? You have to make him and the audience fall in love with you, Y/N!”

“None of those are necessary,” you say, nearing a whine. It’s embarrassing to have her say that while Aether and Paimon are right in front.

“This is the first time you’re going out—let me please dress you up!” Sometimes, Rosalie acts more like a big sister than a mother.

Rosalie turns to Aether, already pushing you out of your chair. “Give us ten.”

Aether is smiling, looking as if holding in laughter. “Don’t worry. We aren’t going anywhere; we made a deal.”

After rummaging through closets and spilling dresses all over Rosalie’s bed, you're soon ushered out of the door. You witness Paimon's jaw dropping and Aether's eyebrows shooting up to his hairline.

“Whoa…!” Paimon gasps.

“Please spare me from any more comments,” you say, face hot.

Your dress, while nothing as grand as the rest of richer Fontaine women, is still grander than your loose blouse from before. It flows all the way down and drapes gracefully down your legs in a deep shade that blends in seamlessly with those who walk past the busy streets of Fontaine.

Thankfully, they oblige. You can’t handle any more—too much have you a puddle on the spot, and in the most humiliating way possible. Rosalie bids you all farewell, telling Aether to bring you back home before ten.

“I don’t think you can be home before ten,” Aether mutters as he leads you outside.

You hide behind his figure, uneasy from the curious stares of the passersby. It could be because you’re walking next to the renowned Traveler, but a part of you thinks that they know who you are. For all you know, there could be wanted posters of your face, and you wouldn’t know because you don’t go outside.

Aether turns to you. “Can you move comfortably?”

“This corset is a little too tight.”

Aether takes your hand and leads you somewhere off to the side, away from any onlookers. Then, he moves behind you and helps with loosening the corset. You look off to the side and swear that you saw a figure dash past, as nimble as a cat, but that was probably nothing.

“Should we rip off the length, too?” Paimon asks.

“No!” you exclaim, startling the two. “No, it’s fine. This is not my dress. Are you going to make me fight Lyney?”

Aether shrugs. “If worse comes to worse.”

“I’m in heels.”

“If worse comes to worse,” Aether repeats, tying the ends in a neat little ribbon.

“I wasn’t aware that you would start blackmailing me this early on.”

Aether smiles grimly. “There are no warnings when it comes to that.”

You perform a twirl in the new adjustments, twisting around, finding it much more breathable than compared to when Rosalie treated it like her usual fitting.

“Good?” Aether asks.

“Good.”

The conversation doesn’t die down, but it’s much more stiff than before. Paimon tells you that she liked your muddy apron better, and you wish you could agree. But this is who you really are. Nothing genuine like the soil staining your washed-out apron and your hands, or the Lumidouce Bell by the counter you’ve watched grow, but a dress that doesn’t belong to you for a mission that you have to fulfill to save other people who wouldn’t even recognize what you’ve done.

The Opera Epiclese, though you’d never been, looks the same as all the stories you’ve heard about it. Filled with a lively audience, the atmosphere dimmed, and your breath held in anticipation as Aether led you to vacant seats. You sit on Paimon’s supposed seat.

You face Aether. “What now? What do you want me to do? Strut back into their lives and demand all their Fatui secrets as if I never left?” you whisper hastily as all the lights flicker off.

A spotlight centers on the stage.

Aether nestles into his seat. “Prove to me that I can trust them just as much as you do. Who knows, you might get something out of this, too.”

BEFORE YOU STOP READING!! LOOK AT ONCE AGAIN ANOTHER AMAZING FANART BY OUR FAVORITE akagi0021

scene of paimon's "whoa...!" and aether demanding "how do you know that?" !!!!!! 😭😭😭❤️❤️

sorry if my inherent attraction to aether came out a bit for some scenes here. the heart can’t help but want what it wants… and that includes what my fingers end up typing whenever aether is on the same docs LOL

TAGLIST.

@thenyxsky @aeferkssr @1mewo1 @lacrimae-lotos @meigalaxy @hyacinth-daze @miwafei @popochakku @svasilios @heyhazelnut101 @kruinka @waveto-earth @superstar-ethereal @mxplesyrvp @achilleas-dream @episodecete @jellifizz @auranny

#606: THAWED #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x you #genshin impact x you #genshin impact #x reader #lyney x reader #lyney x you #lyney x y/n

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lure-of-writing · 19 days

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Little Sister: I Promise

Summary: After the news of a lifetime is revealed you are left to deal with the consequences

Word count: 3.7k

The pain in your head was pulsing as if it had a life of its own. The thumping could rival the beat of war drums before a fierce battle. Between the raging pain and apparent dehydration, due to excessive amounts of crying, you had failed to notice the males lingering in your room.

Sleep did not easily grace you with her presence during your many failed attempts at forgetting the very unforgettable night that was generously blessed upon you from the gods themselves apparently.

The whoosh of the door first caught the attention of your still sleeping mind, followed by the loud bang of your door handle against the wall. The force of which the door was thrown open sends a waft of air barreling towards you. Jolting awake you first recognize your room in the river house. How you got there was still a little foggy but there were more pressing matters at hand apparently. Such as your body pressed against Azriels. Looking up you see him leaning against the headboard of your bed staring at who you could only assume was your brother. Time came to a complete stop as you took in your mate before you. There he was laid out on your bed, wings splayed out in a sign of comfort, a gentle hand against your back and the other resting on his bare chest after leaving your hair upon your arising. His legs encased you in a warm blanket of content and happiness.

Less than sixty seconds had passed since the door of your room was unexpectedly blown open and you taking in all that Azriel’s appearance had to offer. Your guess of who interrupted your much needed sleep was proven to be correct. “I told you to stay away from her. I’m going to kill you.” you could feel the venom dripping off of his words. With a heavy sigh you glance up to Azriels face and gasp at what you see. Now that you're really looking and have since rubbed the sleep-covered fog out of your eyes, do you realize the condition he is in. His body was littered with dark purple, black and blue bruises, some bigger than the palm of your hand. You felt your heart constrict at the sight of your mate. With an uneasy stomach you dare to look at his face and you swore your heart stopped beating for a few seconds. One of his eyes was surrounded by splotches of red purple and blue from broken skin and veins. His cheek and jaw were also covered in bruises that matched the ones on his abdomen.

You had so much to say but were so tongue tied. How in the world were you going to fix this extremely unfortunate situation? Mother knows you are going to need all of the help that both she and the gods can spare you.

“Rhys don’t. You may be mad at him but, Azriel is my mate.” you found the words leaving your mouth before you could stop them. It wasn’t like there were any other words you had formed to say instead. Gently you turn around in between Az’s legs, careful not to knock into him in fear of causing him more unnecessary pain. With your back facing Azriels chest do you finally take in your brother. He was in better shape then your mate but not by much. If you knew anything it was that Azriel was holding back on your brother out of respect for him. You knew Azriel was a far better fighter than your brother.

“Y/n I love you but move.” Rhysand barely spared you a look before focusing on your mate once again. “No.” This caught your brother's attention “No?” he asked “No” a gentle shake of your head accompanies your firm tone. “I will not ask you again, move.” In all of your life you couldn’t think of a time Rhysand used his power as high lord against you. Never had he allowed the power to rattle your bones, commanding them to bow to him and his superiority. There was always a first for anything. Even with the power radiating off of your brother crashing into you like the ocean crashes into a cliff side you do not waver under the pressure he applies. You would be the clift. Unmoving,unyielding, unforgiving. Straightening your back you raise your head leveling a look at your brother. He may be a high lord but he often forgets your power rivals his own and oftentimes is much more powerful than his.

Slowly you released the rein you had on your powers allowing them to poke and prod at the feeling of your brother's dark energy engulfing the room. After mere milliseconds they started pushing back against him and the invisible force he possessed. “I am not some low level coward who you can push around as you see fit. I am your sister, a blood wielder and you will respect me as such.” If Rhysands voice was the commanding tone of a high lord then you would match it. Far too often have you let your brother forget the powers you possess. Today you would remind him that not only could you fight your own battles but in fact you never needed him to fight them for you in the first place.

You watched as your brother tried to not grimace underneath the push back from your own power and the threat of just what it was exactly that you were capable of. “You may be my brother but he is my mate and as much as you hate him right now this does not concern you. As much as that may be a shocker to you.”

“You are my baby sister and he hurt you which means this does concern me, actually” Swiftly you move to the edge of the bed letting your feet touch the pulse carpet laid underneath your bed and march to your brother. Only once face to face with him did you come to a stop. “Let me remind you Rhysand that I never once gave my opinion or thoughts on your relationship even while Feyre actively despised you and repeatedly reminded you how much Tamlin was better than you. All I ever did was offer my unwavering love and support even while she broke your heart time and time again. So you should take note and leave me, my relationship and my mate alone!” Never had you yelled at Rhys. Often you yelled for him, about him, but never at him. This left everyone in a state of shock. “If that is how you feel then I suggest you find somewhere else to stay that isn’t one of my houses and leave me out of your life. I do not want to hear you come crying to me when he inevitably breaks your heart.” No longer was this the voice of a high lord but the voice of somebody who didn’t have a single ounce of care to give. Darting back and forth between his eyes you saw nothing but cold indifference. This was the male you saw at Hewn city. Never did you think the look would be directed at you. “I want you gone.” His voice left no room for argument. “Now.”

Stepping back you scoff at who the male standing before you has become. Without another look you track back to Azriel’s side. Gently you grab his hand giving it a small squeeze before winnowing the two of you away.

The smell of wind and salt and ocean was the first thing to hit your senses. The strong midday sun was the next. Finally after a few slow blinks you are able to recognize your apartment that resided in the summer court. “I’m sorry you had to witness that.” you whisper quietly while releasing his hand. “Don’t apologize, please. This is all my fault.” With a tight lipped smile you look up to see Azriel is already looking at you. Once again your eyes dart over his face causing a frown to pull at your lips. Wrapping your hand around his wrist you tug gently, careful to keep your grip loose in fear of hurting him more, “Let's get you cleaned up. You look like you got into a fight with a depressed rainbow.” The sound of your mates laugh rings out against the wall of the hallway and into the bathroom. Softly you pat the edge of the tub in a silent order for him to take place there, which he does.

While rummaging around the drawers and cabinets you feel the weight of Azriel’s stare against your back causing a shiver to run down your spine. You were used to being under the watchful eyes of Az but this time it was different. This time it was as his mate. “You're staring.” you mumble while struggling to read the weathered label on the bottle you possessed. “I know.” The slightly tired tone of his voice causes goosebumps to rise along your arms. That was definitely something you could get used to. Wordlessly you turn around and walk two steps to be in front of him again and summon a stool to sit on. Sighing once again as you take in the damage your brother inflicted upon your mate. Seeing him like this made you want to cry. Blood, bruises and all things that came with knowing warriors rarely phased you, even seeing your brother beaten up was barely cause for concern unless it was dire. But there had always been something about seeing Azriels body covered in anything other than his tattoos made you feel deeply emotional. Now you guessed you knew why.

A warm hand gently cupped your cheek while wiping away the tears you hadn’t noticed escape your eyes. “Hey. I’m ok. I’ve been dealt much worse.” The gentle worried sound of his voice causes another tear to slip past your lashes. “How did you know I was worried about you?” You watch as he wipes the other rouge tear while quietly laughing. “Well for as long as I have known you, you have always cried when I get hurt, even if it's something like a paper cut.” he chuckles again. “So there is that but I can feel how worried you are through the bond.” subconsciously you feel your eyebrows raise “Right the bond.” you mutter. Pulling the cork off of one of the many vials you shrug “I’ll try to be as gentle as I can be.” you state before motioning for him to move his arms so you can lather the salve upon most if not all of his abdomen.

Nothing about this was new to you, often times after missions or just a little too rough of a training session with Cassian, Azriel would seek you out in hope you would help aid him back to health and each time without any complaint, you did. “I guess we are going to have to talk about the obvious huh?” you tried to make it sound like it was no big deal, just like any other conversation you would have with the shadowsinger. “Only when you are ready.” Silence once again followed in the room while you held Az’s jaw in your hand, keenly aware of the pressure you apply “This whole being mates thing is weird isn’t it?” you ask while applying more of the salve on the bruise that covered his whole cheek that connected to his eye. “Why would it be weird?” Shrugging you don’t answer, instead choosing to focus on the task at hand. After a few beats of silence do you answer. “I have always just been Rhysands little sister you had to deal with. You get him, you get me kind of deal. And now we're mates and everything is super awkward and my brother probably is going to try and kill you the next time you step into his sight.” Azriel nods while you speak but never interrupts. “You have never just been his little sister to me. You have always been your own person, capable of your own choices, capable of living your own life how you see fit. You have always been you. And I would pick you over him any day of the week-” “You're just saying that because we're mates” You cut him off. With a shake of his head he continues. “While that may be true, the mates part that is. I would always choose you no matter what. Because you are everything I could ever need wrapped into one person. And yes your brother may want to kill me right now, but I am sure that will fade…..eventually. If not then I can handle another round with him.”

“You were holding back on him weren’t you?” Azriel shakes his head back and forth before finally giving up the answer “Yeah I was holding back” his sheepish tone has a laugh falling from your lips. “That's kinda what I figured.” Comfortable silence surrounds the room while the two of you observe each other. Finally Az breaks the silence. “You're right, you know? About how it was wrong of me to hide this from you. I should have said something as soon as I knew. And I will never try to give you an excuse as to why I did what I did but I will give you a reason. After we came home after the war and you were standing there I felt the bond in that moment. But all I could think about is what we just came back from and how I never wanted you to go through the fear and pain and worry that Feyre had experienced with Rhys. You of all people know what I do. Who I’ve hurt and those who are waiting to get their revenge. And the thought of you being subjected to that scared me in ways I’ve never felt before. I would do anything to keep you safe, even if that meant keeping you away from me. I promise that I was going to tell you but I was scared of the danger it would put you in or if you would even want to accept the bond and things of that nature.” You didn’t need the bond to tell that Azriel was being sincere, you could see it in his eyes, in the way he was looking at you. The silent pleading for you to believe him. “And I swear I did not plan on your cousin being the person to tell you.” You had stopped picking up the mess you made of vials and tins full of salves and tonics. “I can’t lie and say that the fact you hid this from me doesn’t hurt but I understand where you are coming from, well at least as best as I can. As for Morrigian being the person to tell me…yeah I would agree but hey at least we can say it was more unique than anyone else?” The rise and fall of Azriels chest as he laughed at your confused tone brought you a sense of peace that you didn’t even know you needed. “But,um, you know that I would never reject you right? I would never do that to you or our bond. I want this. As long as you want this.” you taper off at the end suddenly overcome with shyness.

The smile that spread across the male's face was slow moving at first but within seconds it was in full bloom. “Baby you can’t be serious. You know that I have been waiting for this my whole life and now that I know it's going to be with you makes me want this that much more. I want this, I want you more than I want anything else.” At his confession you felt heat run up your neck and make your cheeks your home. Looking down at the rings on your fingers you begin to fidget with them nervously. At the nervous habit Azriel pulled the stool you were perched on closer to him. Gently he cups both of your cheeks between his hands forcing you to look at him. “I know that you're nervous sweetheart. This is a big change for the both of us, but you know me. I am the same Az that you have always known. You just get to know me in a different way now.” The blush that rested upon your cheeks deepened at the implication of knowing him in a much different way. Once again this caused a laugh to tumble out of your mates lips. Nothing went unnoticed by him. “Can I kiss you?” The thought had been bouncing around in your head for what felt like forever and how that you had asked you swore your heart could give out from how fast it was beating. “It’s cute that you asked. Just for future reference you never need to ask.” You couldn’t get a response out before he pulled your face closer to him and finally let your lips touch his.

This was not the first time you have kissed Azriel but this was unlike anything you have ever experienced. Suddenly it felt like your entire being was on fire but in the best way possible. All the racing thoughts disappeared and all you could think about was the feeling of his lips on yours. You would give up oxygen in return for being able to kiss him without ever needing to pull away for air. Everything in life up until this point was all to learn of your bond with him and you would do it over a thousand times if necessary. “Wow” the word barely made it past your lips before they were smashed by the lips of the spymaster. Finally after the both of you were thoroughly out of breath did you finally pull away. A giggle ruptures from within you causing Azriel to simply raise an eyebrow in question. “I’ve never seen you look like this.” That was aside from the bruising painting his face, you had also never seen him like that. Pushing the stool away from him you stand and grab his hand pulling him to see himself in the mirror. There you watched as he took in the flush cheeks and swollen lips with dazed eyes. After a few seconds he started to take in your appearance. At first you didn’t even think about how you looked but with those piercing eyes directed at you, you bowed your head in an attempt to hide just how much of an effect kissing Azriel had on you.

Apparently your mate decided to spare you more embarrassment. After taking in a long look around your apartment and you are sure, he was also given a report on the rest of the unfamiliar place from his shadows. Did he finally speak. “Since when did you get an apartment in the summer court? Also how did none of us find out?” smirking you gesture for him to follow you back to the living room of your home away from home. “You my spymaster are not the only one capable of keeping secrets, as for when? It's almost been two years.” Stopping before two french doors you pull them open walking out onto the balcony revealing the view of the ocean from your little slice of peace along the shore. “I always wondered where it was you ran off to and now I know.” The sound of your laugh is overshadowed by the sound of the waves crashing against the beach below you. Walking toward your mate you wrap your arms around his waist careful not to cause any more pain and rest your head against his chest right over his heart. The feeling of his arms wrapping around you brought so much peace to your soul.

It was later in the evening when you spoke up for the first time in almost an hour. You were laying in bed with Azriel resting on top of you. His head on your stomach and your hands in his hair. “Azzie?” The sound of his name pulled him from the realm of sleep. “Yes, my love?” His response is just as quiet as your question was. “Do you think Rhys hates me now?” looking up at the ceiling you pause getting lost in the throws of your argument. “He said to leave him out of my life. He has never said something like that to me before. And the worst part is I think he actually meant it. Do you think I made the right choice by standing up to him?” This isn’t your first time fighting with your brother but never in four hundred years has he said something so harsh to you before. And to go as far as to say he didn’t want you in his life was heartbreaking. You fear this may be the point of no return. Sudden movement on your stomach causes you to look down. The sight you are met with is beautiful. Azriel placed his hand over your abdomen resting his chin upon his hand. Stirking hazel eyes were already looking at you when you pulled your focus from the ceiling to the male in front of you. “I think he needs some time to process everything. I also think he said some things he doesn’t mean. You are the light of his life. Give him some time eventually he will come around.” The tear that fell from your eye was sudden and before you could wipe it away a shadow did the act for you. “I don’t know Az. I don’t think I mean much to him anymore let alone light up his life. What am I going to do?” The more tears that fell were met with an equally compassionate shadow fiercely whipping away stray tears. “I’m not too sure I agree with that but no matter what we will face this together. I promise.” Lifting his head he moves his arm closer to you and offers his pinky for you to wrap your pinky around. Azriel had never broken a pinky promise he made with you.

Taglist:

@kemillyfreitas @lana08 @willowpains @username199945 @tothestarsandwhateverend

@kylaisra @lilah-asteria @nickishadow139 @br0klynbby @blacktreacle22

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@kennedy-brooke

#acotar imagine #acotar x reader #acotar x you #azriel acotar #azriel x reader #azriel fanfic #azriel imagine #azriel shadowsinger #azriel angst #azriel one shot #rhysand x sister!reader

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ladykailitha · 26 days

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It's rantin' time! That lovely time when your favorite neighborhood steddie author flies off the handle.

Today I want to talk about the physicality of one Edward Munson and how the fan seems to have veered completely off the map.

The fannish notion that Eddie is weak, uninterested in the outdoors, and is clumsy.

But I've never seen anything that suggests any of that.

As always, headcanon what you want. I'm not say you can't say any of these things are what you think he's like, but this is me expressing my confusion because I haven't seen the evidence myself.

Let's start with the one that confuses me the most. That he's clumsy.

We see him leap onto lunch tables and off again without stumbling. We see him jump down off of Skull Rock and land neatly on his feet. We see him climb up the tree in the Upside Down and then safely get back down. All things that require a certain amount of grace.

The only time we see him stumble is when he's joking around with Chrissy or when the earthquake happens.

Admittedly he does have that weird loping run, but not always.

So where does this come from? My guess is that BTS of Joe Quinn tripping over the vine, and people who have only seen the gifs think that he's like that all the time?

This next point bleeds into the notion that he's weak (noodle arms etc.) and that's when he manages to pull himself up using the rope ladder to get out of the Upside Down.

He flops onto the mattress but it looks like he planned it that way as he grins and says that was fun. But to get to that point, he had to climb up the rope ladder.

Now before you tell me that it was adrenaline, he wasn't in immediate danger. He was motivated, sure. But no amount of motivation would get me up that ladder because I've never had the arm strength for it. But next to Steve he looks like he went up the easiest.

The next piece of evidence that people will blame on adrenaline is pinning Steve to the wall of the boathouse and that he had the element of surprise. Yeah...no. He pushes Steve several feet before they hit the wall.

Then there is the hauling of the metal sheets that him and Dustin use to armor the trailer so the demobats don't get in. They can't have been light.

Or grabbing both Mike AND Dustin by the scruff of their necks and yanking them to their feet. Which the average persons couldn't do. One of them, maybe, but both? Takes some serious strength.

Another nod to his endurance at the very least is how he's sitting, crouched, butt above the ground when he's talking to them at Skull Rock. He sits like that the whole time.

I would say that his strength isn't more or less than Steve's only different with the different muscles that they use.

Finally we have a hatred of the outdoors.

He falls into the lake, swims to shore, survives the cold March night wet, manages to find a new walkie talkie and water canteen, gets to Skull Rock and radios the Party. All without a compass, by the way.

He also knows where War Zone is. None of the rest of the Party knows where to go to stock up, but he does.

I'm betting that Wayne took him hunting and fishing as a kid. Back then those were things that you could do fairly cheaply and often food was brought back with them from such trips.

Eddie knows how to survive in the wilderness. Whether or not he likes it, I suppose is entirely up to you, but the evidence suggests that he doesn't mind it.

#my writing #stranger things #ladykailitha rants #eddie munson

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morphodae · 5 months

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◈ Wriothesley x reader (gender neutral they/them is used) ◈ SAGAU AU (self-aware genshin au) ◈ notes: hurt/comfort, short piece (drabble? idk), a bit of a fourth wall break? This is quite personal for me after being (falsely) accused of going through my coworker’s things at work two weeks ago. Needless to say, that was the last straw for me and I quit. Hope you all enjoy and find some entertainment in this piece and maybe even some comfort <3 ◈ winner from this poll

☆゜・。・。・゜★ ☆゜・。・。・゜★

He felt it before he saw it; the turmoil that brewed throughout the entire Fortress. It began as a feeling of unease, then melancholy, then it progressed into a blanket of static energy that kept everyone on edge. The Creator of Teyvat was clearly distressed, clearly going through something, yet Wriothesley could not figure out what. Unfortunately, work at Meropide involved duties that kept him occupied during absurd hours of the day and night, so he wasn’t able to fully investigate the cause of his beloved Creator’s sadness.

It wasn’t until one day that he heard it; his Creator’s sobs as They passed by him in the Traveler’s vessel. It was a visceral thing; the sound reverberating in his mind in the form of gut-wrenching echoes. Wriothesley couldn’t tell if They were crying audibly in Their realm or if the energy of melancholy traveled through Their mind into his. Even so, it seemed that others in the Fortress could feel it too – even Sigewinne – who was the one to concede first.

“Your Grace, the Creator is so sad,” she says, a small hand clutching her chest and an expression of genuine agony, “Wolsey and some other inmates came by today and asked me if I knew anything about it. The Creator seems to have a close connection with you. Your Grace, please try and see if you can ask Them what’s wrong or if you can help Them. I hate feeling Their sadness…”

Wriothesley lets out a small exhale as he sits behind his desk. “Thank you, Sigewinne. And… I know. I have felt it for a while now. They feel so drained and exhausted. I-I will try to alleviate Their turmoil.”

Sigewinne sighs in relief. “Thank you, Your Grace. It’s not just the fortress that is affected, either. I’m not sure the wildlife or flora on the surface of Teyvat will be able to handle any more sadness from Them.”

With that, Sigewinne leaves the Duke’s office and lets Wriothesley ruminate on what he wishes to convey to the Creator. He knew that he was held in high regard by the Creator; despite Them never visiting Teyvat personally…yet, anyway. He could surely hope that one day They would come in Their own vessel and not through the Traveler.

He clears his throat, deciding to throw caution to the wind and begin his comfort as best he could. “Your Grace? Are You there? I sure hope You can hear me… or feel me, at least. I want to know why You feel so forlorn. Is there anything that we, Your creations, can do to help?”

Silence. More silence ensues. After several beats, Wriothesley sighs. Surely, the Creator had Their own problems to deal with and he wasn’t even sure if Teyvat were Their only creations or not. Until–

“It’s just… so tiring.”

Wriothesley’s eyes go wide and he leans forward in his desk chair; unsure if he’s truly witnessing Their holy voice in his mind. With a certain amount of caution and gentility, he urges Them to continue.

“I dealt with these micromanagers, my bosses, for so long. I thought I could stick it out, you know? I tried to. I really tried. But having someone breathe down my neck for every little thing is so exhausting. No matter how hard I worked, no matter how early I came in or late I stayed, it was never good enough, was it? They are a small company so I just don’t understand how they feel they can get away with treating so many employees like that. I mean, the turnover rate is high for a reason and… please excuse me for rambling. I want to cry, I think. But I just can’t. I’m tired and angry and upset and… I know that I’m a hard worker. I know I did my best. But to be accused of going through a coworker’s desk when I was just trying to work? When my supervisor allowed another employee to go into that same coworker’s office anyway? I felt singled out and–,” Your voice is choked; a deep, rumbling sigh that verberates through the air.

Wriothesley cuts You off before he can feel You spiral, the frantic tone of Your voice and inner turmoil slices through him with great distress. “Your Grace, if I may, I don’t quite understand Your world nor do I understand what it is You may be going through,” he waits for You and when he feels You listening to his words and the stifling presence of negativity slowly begin to stagnate, he continues.

“But I do know that You are a kind and gracious Creator. You’ve listened to me, helped me, visited me at the Fortress. You already know me and know I don’t trust easily, and yet you still dedicate Your time to making sure I’m not so lonely. I…I appreciate that more than I can express. With all that being said, I want to tell You that we, Your creations, are here for You. No matter what. We’ll always be here for You and support You even if you feel You’ve been treated poorly and unfairly. We can feel Your good energy, the love You have, the hard work You put into everything. Your emotions are valid too. Please… don’t forget that.”

More silence ensues after Wriothesley’s impromptu pep talk to You. For a moment, he worries that You’ve already left, but when he hears a choked laugh he feels immediate relief.

“Thank you, Wriothesley. Just… thank you.”

He smiles at that and relaxes in his chair. “Anytime, Your Grace. We’re here for You.”

“I know.” He can feel the smile in Your voice.

Soon, Your presence dissipates and Wriothesley is left alone with his thoughts. The energy of the Fortress, and of Teyvat, quickly returns to equilibrium and no longer does the air feel so stifling and heavy. After several minutes, Sigewinne makes an appearance in the Duke’s office once more with a knowing smile on her face.

☆゜・。・。・゜★ ☆゜・。・。・゜★

#wriothesley x reader #x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #sagau #genshin sagau #genshin hurt/comfort #genshin drabbles #genshin fanfic #genshin x wriothesley #genshin impact x wriothesley

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hard-core-super-star · 8 months

Text

she had the world [K.Bishop]

pairing: kate bishop x stark!reader

summary: your first meeting with the future inheritor of bishop security doesn't go as planned and, unfortunately for the two of you, first impressions matter.

warnings: none, i think; enemies-to-lovers vibe but in an accidental way aka kate's a well-intentioned idiot but her comments don't land well; i haven't watched the iron man films in years and this AU definitely doesn't fit the real MCU timeline but shhhhh, just roll with it

wordcount: 944

a/n: wrote this for my lovely 🧞‍♀️ anon who requested an expansion of this headcanon set. i was originally only going to just do another headcanon set but i decided to try my hand at writing a mini-fic. it's sort of a prologue for a longer fic i may or may not write at some point. i just love this little AU i accidentally created so...we'll see what happens. hope you enjoy <3

* * * * * * *

“This is ridiculous,” you grumble as you mess with the top button of your slightly wrinkled shirt. “If the owner of the company couldn’t bother to show up, why do I have to?”

Your comment makes Happy chuckle, although he’s quick to pull himself back together the second he catches sight of the glare Pepper throws his way.

“Listen, I know it’s not an ideal way to spend your night but it’s better than a long meeting with boring investors.”

“Tony wouldn’t show up to those either so my question still stands,” you counter.

This time, you’re the one on the receiving end of the blonde’s glare. She hates when you refer to your dad by his name despite the fact that he couldn’t care less what you call him as long as he’s able to stay in your good graces. Tony Stark has many flaws but he’s not the world’s worst father...even if every news outlet in the world tries to make it seem that way.

“I hate to be the one to break it to you, y/n, but you’re going to be responsible for Stark Industries sooner or later. I’m only trying to help you here.” Her tone leaves no room for arguments so you don’t even try, you just look out the window until you reach your destination.

You’re not about to admit it but Pepper’s right.

Tony has enough on his hands dealing with the aftermath of the Sokovia Accords to spend any time on Stark Industries. Especially when “spending time on '' is equal to going to awful parties and meeting the CEO of every new company that shows up.

Which is a lot harder than it seems considering the amount of “entrepreneurs” living in New York.

So, that means it’s up to you and Pepper to keep the family business afloat. You handle all the public appearances and she makes sure nothing goes wrong regarding the technical and economic side of things. Meanwhile, Tony spends his days fixing up his old Iron Man suits and trying not to let his guilt eat him alive. (He’s failing miserably but at least he still spends time with you)

You’re not happy about the situation you all find yourselves in but it’s not like you can do anything about it.

Which is how you end up bored out of your mind at a stuffy party hosted by the owner and CEO of Bishop Security. You’ve heard the name in passing, mainly by a frustrated Pepper trying to deny suspicious meetings on your behalf. You don’t know much about Eleanor Bishop but you’ve heard her daughter’s name far too many times to act like you don’t know who they are.

Unfortunately, no amount of rumors could have prepared you for the reality of coming face-to-face with Kate Bishop.

You bump into her, literally, on your way to talk to Pepper in hopes of convincing her that having spent two hours at the party is enough.

“Shit, I’m sorry!” She instantly apologizes and any hope of appearing annoyed fades away instantly. “I, uh, I just wanted to talk to you.”

Her words leave your mind spinning so you reply without thinking, accidentally channeling the small pieces of Tony Stark that live within you. “Should I be worried about that?”

Kate blinks back her surprise at your tone. “I hope not. It’s just…you’re y/n Stark, right?”

There’s a certain amount of awe in her voice that should be flattering but you’ve been burned far too many times to fall for it. Even if her words are accompanied by a genuine smile.

“That depends on what you’re going to say next,” you say, settling somewhere between cautious and unwelcoming.

“Well, I’m sort of a really big fan of the Avengers.”

You hate how adorable she looks with those stupidly soft eyes and fidgeting hands. She might mean well but the Avengers are a sore spot for you and certainly not one you’re going to talk about with someone you don’t know. (Especially when she’s technically supposed to be your main competition)

“Save your breath, Bishop,” you reply with an almost inaudible sigh. “I don’t want to hear it.”

You attempt to walk away from her but she’s far too quick. Her hand reaches out to grasp your forearm and you do your best not to look affected by how strong her grip is. “Hold on, what are you talking about? I thought you were part of the team too.”

“That’s none of your business. Don’t you have something better to do? Maybe yet another girl you’ll ditch by the end of the week?”

Your comment is a low blow and one that heavily relies on gossip forums dedicated to the brunette. Gossip forums that you merely visited due to curiosity and not because you saw one of Kate’s Instagram posts and immediately ran to check if she likes girls too. (Somehow the jury is still out according to most news outlets but her list of rumors is almost as long as your own)

She’s genuinely speechless after that and you don’t dare give her time to recover. You’re being an asshole, you’re aware of it, but there’s something about the way she looks at you that terrifies you. Something that tells you she already knows the secrets that lie unspoken in the depths of your mind.

And you hate it.

So you run.

You force your arm out of her grasp and walk away from her.

She doesn’t put up a fight this time, she merely watches you go with the distinct feeling deep in her gut that she messed up her one chance with you.

#kate bishop x stark!reader #kate bishop x female reader #kate bishop fanfiction #kate bishop fic #mini fic #kate bishop #hawkeye #hawkeye fanfic #hailee steinfeld #marvel fanfiction #marvel fic #marvel #mcu #tony stark #pepper potts

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lexsssu · 5 months

Text

Divine (Arjuna Alter | Berserker)

TAGS: Arjuna Alter/Dragoness!reader, pining, heats/ruts, pheromones, knotting, smut, oneshot Ao3 ver. | Ko-fi | Commissions (OPEN)

From the moment he is summoned in Chaldea to assist humanity’s last master, Arjuna ( Alter ), the culmination of the Indian pantheon and former opponent of said master knew what his purpose was.

He is a weapon against evil, nothing more and nothing less.

But…

“I know it’s not the same as back in your country, but I like to think my Japanese-style curry tastes pretty good. I made sure to make it extra spicy for you too!”

The god blinked at the tall pile of steaming curry rice placed in front of him, smelling the various aromatic spices and feeling the heat it gave off thanks to sheer amount of spice. Though he had no need to eat thanks to his divinity and also because he was a servant, the tantalizing aroma of the meal didn’t fail to tease his senses especially as you gazed up at him expectantly with those molten gold orbs of yours that shone and glittered like the finest of jewels. It also didn’t help that you unknowingly bat your lashes up at him as you pleaded with him through your gaze alone, the dark lush crescents emphasizing how even just a pair of eyes could hold unimaginable beauty.

You are breathtaking.

And that honestly scared him.

He, who had shed his mortal shell to embody almost every god in his respective pantheon, who had dedicated his existence to purging the world of evil, and now who’d found himself a servant to a master much more powerful than he or any servant was.

Though servants being attracted to their masters and relationships before formed between the two wasn’t anything new, Arjuna ( Alter ) of all servants felt that he himself would never be so imbecilic as to fall for his master…

And yet here he is.

Leaning forward as you’d taken it upon yourself to scoop up a spoonful of curry rice and feed it to him since he’d frozen up like a deer in headlights the moment you’d placed the treat in front of him.

“So...how does it taste? Is it spicy enough for you? Or maybe it needs more flavor? Or…?”

Normally you always wore a look of complete serenity, as if everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen was simply all part of your grand plan that no one is privy to aside from yourself...At least that’s how it looked to Arjuna and everyone else within Chaldea considering the inconceivable feats you so easily make into reality.

But now you’re gazing up at him, seemingly as harmless as a little lamb despite your ability to destroy entire worlds according to one of the other servants, Tathamet, who’d apparently been a blessed witness to all your feats before arriving in Chaldea. The primordial revered you as much as he feared you despite apparently being ‘ The Prime Evil, ’ further proof of your power.

Despite his understanding of mortal behavior having been eradicated when he decided to ascend, there is no denying the heat that seems to engulf his whole body as you sit so close to him, serving him as if he weren’t the servant within this relationship.

“...Good. It’s...perfect…” Though an invisible lump seems to have formed in his throat, the former Lost-Belt King manages to utter the words you’ve been waiting for so patiently.

He swallows when his eyes take notice of how visibly you perk up, the ear to ear grin and the slight wagging of the glittering silver tail behind you making his own deep blue tail move ever so slowly in response to your reactions.

“Great! I was afraid that you wouldn’t like it since it’s not really the same as what you’re used to but I tried my best…”

The bashful grin you grace him with only worsens the Berserker’s condition, his dark chocolate complexion seemingly gaining a reddish hue as he did his best to understand these confusing feelings you elicited from him.

Was this another facet of your limitless power? Or perhaps...was his body simply too weak to handle your sheer might even by just being in close proximity to you?

With the both of you off in your own world, most of the servants seem to have their gazes glued to the pair you made. Not that it was surprising, considering you were their venerated master and pretty much every servant and everyone else within Chaldea was sure you were some sort of eldritch being that came into existence and power long before any of the known gods and primordial entities did.

At this moment however, Arjuna’s thoughts have moved on from your undeniable strength and towards uncharted territory.

Namely...the reactions his physical body seems to be making in response to you.

Perhaps he should consult with someone more...adept with human emotions? Maybe it was about time he paid a visit to his brother, Karna...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! ”

This...was the last scenario he’d expected after consulting with Karna about the emotions you made him feel.

“ PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! ”

He simply knocked at your door some days later after he’d digested his brother’s words, understanding for himself what his feelings meant before he made a move. So caught up in his own affairs, he didn’t notice how your natural scent seemed to become...spicier and almost cloyingly sweet until he’d fully entered your room only to be hit with your raw pheromones.

It all becomes a blur at that point, because the next thing Arjuna knows is that he’s pinning you down upon your bed in a full mating press, the entire length of his cock forcing your lower lips open as he sought to pour every drop of his potent seed into your fertile womb.

Though in human form, you were both very much in tune with your baser instincts and like any animal, there were certain times where your bodies went against your minds.

The combined scent of your sweat and other bodily fluids made the former god purr from his chest, especially as your body secreted pheromones that told him how happy you were for him to be the one mating you. How you looked forward to the brood you’ll bear for him once his seed takes root within your belly.

“Good mate…” He rasps, ragged breaths hitting the shell of your ear when he shoved every last inch of his cock inside, the heavy knot at the base slipping easily inside your velvety depths as he began painting your hungry cunt with rivulets of white.

#lexsssu writes #fgo #fate grand order #fgo x reader #arjuna x reader #fgo arjuna x reader #arjuna alter #fgo arjuna alter #arjuna alter x reader #arjuna alter x you #arjuna alter x y/n #fgo arjuna alter x reader #crossposted on ao3 #fate grand order x reader

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syeren · 8 months

Text

WORKAHOLIC.

Gepard didn’t realize how much of an impact you made on him.

Being the Silvermane Captain, he had a reputation to keep up and a demeanor to maintain. However, that all changed when he spotted you in his peripheral vision.

You, the leading officer of Belobog’s Judiciary department and first person to ever achieve such a high role next to the Supreme Guardian — in such a short period of time — encaptured the attention of the entire nation. After the fall of the former Supreme Guardian, Cocolia, Bronya took the lead and appointed you to be part of the nation’s main officers. Unfortunately for Gepard, he could only stay in the shadow of your fame, washed out as he continued his daily duties. He was satisfied with his achievements, and he was pleased to be in the role he worked for; he had worked that hard for it anyway. Though, a pang of jealousy reeked within him. Gepard was a slight perfectionist and an obvious hard worker, and the notion of a formidable coworker that rose up the ranks faster than he ever did plagued his mind feverishly. Was he doing something wrong? Surely not. But, his overthinking did more than just be lingering, negative, and obsessive thoughts — you enchanted him. And he surely didn’t expect his legs to be moving on their own toward your figure.

With a stack of files in your right hand, you discussed the further construction of transportation between the Overworld and Underworld with Bronya. The subtle change within the air blew through Qlipoth as Gepard made his way towards you in striding steps. Heavy armour clanked against the cool tiles of the office as he closed the gap between the two of you. A gulp made its way to your throat.

“Excuse me, may I have a word?” he inquired, a twitch in his eyebrow motioned towards the hallway. It was a bit skeptical that a Silvermane Guard spoke to you, and you immediately thought if anything went wrong on the front lines. You gave Bronya a soft smile and a nod, then placed your attention on the male in front.

“I can spare some time, lead the way officer.”

The hallway was dead compared to the bustle of the main street. You peered at the Everwinter Monument that stood tall in the middle of the busy area, glistening in the light.

You cleared your throat. “Well, if you could state the meaning of my appearance here, that would be lovely,” you questioned and matched your eyes with the light blue ones ahead of you. Gepard played with his fingertips before speaking.

“Ahh yes. Well, I was just thinking if the Supreme Guardian has any means of… Letting my rank falter. It seems that my usual capabilities to serve her aren’t the same as they used to be rather— too easy? Might I add,” Gepard replied, tone drifting off in thought. You pondered the fact if Bronya truly felt the need to let him go. Before you got placed in the high-ranking position, Gepard handled the job in a concise and efficient manner. Needless to say, he should’ve been the one in your shoes and you felt a wave of anxiety rush through your body.

You’ve admired his work ethic; his perseverance to keep going forth and setting his goals straight. It’s no wonder as to why he gained such a fanbase and large amount of support — and not to mention, him being your role model towards this job in the first place. Dampness secreted from your palms as you hastily wiped it down onto your sleeves, you crossed your arms together and eyed Gepard.

“I believe not, Mr. Landau,” you continued, “the Supreme Guardian wouldn’t let her most reputable and reliable guard to be put to waste.”

His eyebrows subtly moved upwards at your words, seemingly soothed the worries from his mind.

“I am honoured to hear that,” he replied, relief gracing his tongue.

“And no need for formalities, I am younger than you by a year. Plus, position hierarchy doesn’t apply much to me when it comes to you.”

A joyous chuckle left his lips. “Well then, care to explain?”

“I envy you, Mr. Landau, you should be the one in my position at this point,” you teased and a smile appeared on your face. Gepard noticed and coughed slightly into the side of his wrist, a hue of a faint pink dusted his cheekbones.

“I may have a proposal to solve both of our issues—” you sauntered and fiddled with the ends of your garments, “—if you are up to it, that is.”

A curious gaze befell on his face as he matched the stature of your body.

“Go on.”

An affirmative hum left your lips. “It is not that I dislike my job, I thoroughly enjoy my work. However, the chances of gaining a favourable vacation are out of my reach currently… One that I should have been granted beforehand. The workload I have been assigned isn’t fit for just one person— and I could easily finish it, but I need some time to regain my mental stability back.”

Right. With newcomers sweeping Qlipoth from the Underworld to seek higher-ranked careers, the remaining individuals received a lessened workload compared to the rest. It was a plausible explanation as to why the guards hasn't done their duties as often as before. Gepard dazed into the comforting afternoon sun that draped down Belobog, the bluebells dancing within the air caught his attention.

His stare lingered onto the flowers as he spoke, “so all you are requesting is for settled time off? And to grant that, you must finish the remaining workload you currently have now? Do correct me if I am wrong.”

“Yes, that is correct,” you replied, following his gaze to the flower shop just below the window.

“I’ll grant you that request.”

You whiplashed your head to face him straight on.

“That quickly? I do not mind waiting for a proper answer—“ Gepard stopped you and let out a breathy chuckle.

“That proposal does indeed solve both of our issues... You need time off while I need some more time on," he agreed with a small smile gracing his face. "May I ask one more request on my side?"

You nodded your head curtly and watched him angle towards you, the orange hue from the setting sun basked Gepard in a warm, heavenly aura compared to the iciness of the horrific snowstorms in the distance. Never once had a man bestowed such an ethereal appearance on you, but looking at Gepard in such a quiet and intimate state caused a thump in your heart.

"Allow me to take you on a date once you have been granted some free time, think of it as a 'please' and a 'thank you.'"

#honkai star rail #gepard #gepard honkai #gepard landau #gepard x reader #gepard x y/n #gepard x gender neutral reader #gepard x you #hsr x y/n #hsr x reader #hsr gepard

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simplydannie · 2 months

Text

Velvet & Veneer Fanfic

"Back to the Underground: Poisoned"

Story Arc || Part 1 || Part 2

@jules0511 It's been two weeks. The twins have now been doing any means necessary to survive. The hunt for them isn't over....but a new problem occurs causing more struggle for Velvet and Veneer. We also learn that a small little Trolls has been held captive in the under city of Rageous.

“Boss… she’s on the other line..”

Shank sat at the chair center of his base: an underground run down old subway terminal. Huge screen monitors displayed across the walls.

“Put her on.” He gestured towards the screens. They lit up: her face was shadowed, all you could see was her graceful neck, down to her waist as she sat behind her desk. From what he could see, her hair was long with a deep purple hue. Her skin was like porcelain, light purple porcelain. She wasn’t at all pale as those in the under city, she was definitely from the upper atmosphere…. What was attractive was her voice. He couldn’t put words, but her voice sounded like a friend, loving, someone you can trust… but she wasn’t. Shank yelled for everyone to get out… he was to talk to her alone.

“Mistress.” He greeted.

“I’m not here to make small talk. Do you have my twins or not?” She asked. Today she wore a black velvet blouse, it tightened her bosom but fell loose around her arms. This was her… the twins old manager. The puppeteer behind the green haired puppets.

“They decided to make a mess of things and off one of my guys. What do you say to that?” Shank asked her.

Her smile was cunning, vicious, yet beautiful.

“Did you know what they would do?” He asked her.

“After whats happened and the amount of Troll essence they absorbed, I had my theory. You’ve seen the effects of Troll poison first hand.”

“But nothing like this. This is different.” He responded. “It cost me a guy, and a drone? I expect more compensation.” Shank sat back in his chair, crossing his legs.

“Oh so you expect me to pay double for your idiot henchman and your stupid machine? Honey, I can easily find someone else to do it in a heartbeat. But because of our past, I decided to give you chance. You haven’t let me down. If I recall, YOU were the one to tell me about them in the first place, am I wrong.”

Shank began to scowl at her words.

“If you can’t handle this, honey, I’ll gladly take it off your shoulders. But I am not paying you anything for a fallen idiot and robot. You’re dealing with the wrong girl here.” She finished.

“FINE!” Shank groaned in annoyance. “If that will get you to shut up. I don’t understand, why them? Cant you get other loons to fill in their place? The boy basically ratted you out.”

“He ratted themselves out. He knows what would’ve happened if he DARED mention my name. My interest in the twins is none of your business. All you need to know is that they’re special….very special.” Mistress replied.

“Whatever. You better pay me the amount you had said.”

She moved closer to the camera revealing her face, her beautiful heart shape face. Her dark purple lips pursed into a smile; her bright green eyes staring intently at him as she rested her chin on her hands.

“Thank you, hun. I knew you wouldn’t let me down. Now, I can pay you back in other ways as Ive done before.” She winked biting her lips seductively. “Just come up here and pay me a visit when you can.”

“Well, I can’t deny that form of payment. Can I now?”

Time passed.

It had been two weeks since their return. Two weeks they spent in the underground subway trying to figure out where they could go.

Word would have spread to Under Rageous already about the infamous Velvet and Veneer: the frauds of Rageous.

No one would hire them, work with them. No one would trust them and now, they are being hunted down. If there was one way they were going to make ends meet, they would have to revert to how they survived down here before… thieving.

Velvet had done her share the past week. She stole only the necessities, and now it was Veneer’s turn. Velvet knew her brother was more than capable of handling his own; his innocence would cause people to turn a blind eye, but ever since the encounter they had with those thugs when they first arrived….she worried. Every time Veneer would leave, her heart would stop in anticipation for his return. They gave each other a time limit: if they were not back within the hour, they would go looking for each other.

Velvet sat on the small used up couch in their hideout. She leaned her head back staring up at the ceiling.

30 minutes. Veneer had 30 minutes to return or else she would go find him.

She glanced around at their temporary home….How was it that they came back…to this? They were at the top. Their names known throughout ALL of mount Rageous. They were immortal, gods to them. All the young of Mount Rageouns worshipped the path they walked on. They had it all…the money, the fame, the luxary. And now they were back down here.

The images of that day replayed over and over in her head…. and the more they did, the more it fueled her anger. Her anger towards one specific person in general: Veneer. Velvet clenched her fists tightly at her sides. Stupid, stupid idiot! She thought to herself. He ruined everything for both of them, and for what? They weren’t safe. They weren’t better off than they were before. He just sent them back so they could live like rats again. What was he thinking, she began to fume.

It began feeding on her rage. The voice began to spin and murmer in her head. It’s his fault. Traitor. Coward. Weakling. You sent us back. Traitor. Velvet grasped the side of her head.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” She screamed, but the voices kept talking. You know it’s true. He only thought of himself. Maybe you should have let that thug kill him. You can still go back….Go back….Go back. A pink hue began to glow in her eyes….

Veneer made his way back down into the underground subway, his bag filled with more things than he should have gotten. Before hoping over the tracks, he waited and listened, making sure he wasn’t followed. When all was clear he ran across the tracks in back into their deep hideout. As he got close to the door he did the secret knock he had taught his sister. He listened in carefully….He could hear her voice whisper, as if she were talking to someone.

“Vels?” He called out as he opened the door. “Vels, I got the necessary stuff. Buuuutt I may have snagged a few “extra” things. I had an idea for that drone and….Vels?” His expression changed from enthusiam to worry....Velvet sat on the couch, hugging her knees, rocking back and forth whispering to herself. He walked closer to her, but stopped as he did….He saw her eyes…Her glowing pink pigmented eyes. Veneer’s heart began to race as he began to slowly walk back towards the enterance.

“….Coward.” He heared her say.

“What was that?”

“Coward. You’re a coward Veneer!” She clenched her teeth staring at him with anger on her face.

“Vels please…..” He begant to say.

“You’re a coward! You’re a traitor! You took everything from me!” She stood up facing him, eyes still glowing pink. Veneer was to stunned for words. What could he say to her? It was his fault, but he didn’t want to be living a lie, he didn’t want to kill Floyd.

“We can finally talk about this. So let’s sit down and talk.” He said calmly.

“I DON’T WANT TO TALK!” She leaped at him, knocking him backwards onto the floor. Talking one fist she punched him across the face causing pain to seer through his left cheek.

“Velvet! Stop!” He cried. She pinned him down using her knees, taking her other fist she struck him across the face again…and again….and again.

“I HATE YOU! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! I SHOULD HAVE LET THAT THUG KILL YOU!”

SMACK….SMACK…SMACK…. She could see blood flying everywhere.

“PLEASE STOP. I’M SORRY!” He cried…. She heard the voice of a child…She heard his voice when HE was a child. Veneer crying and begging for his aunt to stop….and that’s when Velvet paused, the pink glow slowly leaving her eyes, her mind starting to come back, the poison loosing its grip again.

What did I do?…She blacked out…

The smell of food is what woke her.

Velvet found herself lying down on the single bed they shared, pillows engulfing her in an embrace. She peered through midway opened eyes to find her brother hovering over a small pot over a fire, heating up whatever food he managed to collect.

“Ven?” She called out. Her vision was still a blur as she slowly started to wake up.

“Hey! FInally, you’re up!” He walked over to her with a plate in hand. “Not the best, but it’s something.”

Velvet gasped as soon as he got close to her; she finally saw the damage she had done. His left eye was swollen shut, bruises and cuts filled his face, a gash was on his upper lip. He saw the look of horror on her face.

“Oh! It doesn’t feel as bad as it looks.” He smiled.

“I….I did that….” She stared at her hands, “Oh my god…..I….I could’ve killed you….”

“But you didnt! Vels it’s…it’s not that bad.”

“Shut up!” She cried. “Just shut up! Look at yourself! I could’ve killed you! I was so angry…I AM angry…but …I don’t know what happened…Ven, I’m so sorry…”

He was speechless; she never apologized…ever. Veneer didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know how to react. All he knew at that moment was that something was wrong with her, that she needed help. Using the Troll left her mad, left her crazy. Maybe the ones who would know about this would be the Trolls, but they were far gone. Even if the twins were able to make it out of Under Rageous, they didn’t where to look or where to even start. The best thing he could think of at the moment was placing a hand over hers, hoping she didn’t push him away….she didn’t.

“…We’ll figure this out. Using the Troll, it didn’t leave you right Vels. Now you know why I had to stop it? Why I had to says something?….I was loosing you..” Veneer said in almost a whisper.

“How are we going to figure this out?” She asked as her voice shook. For the very first time, Velvet was afraid, she was completely afraid…only her brother was able to calm her and give her some sense of peace in this hell hole.

“I don’t know Vels…but we will.”

Their small little footsteps echoed in the giant empty hallways.

The little Trolls ran as fast as they could. Feeling the ground shake beneath them they knew they were being followed…a Rageoun not to far off.

“Over here guys!” Branch called out as he neared a vent. Who didn’t know where this lead? But wherever it lead was safer than where they were. He opened the vent signalling them to jump in. One by one, each freed Troll went inside. The last Troll was a Funk Troll about his age.

“What about you?” He asked.

“I’ll distract them. This isn’t my first rodeo with giant goofballs like them.” Branch stated. The voices begant to get closer. The Funk Troll gave him a nod.

“See you on the other side, man.” He jumped through the vent and was gone. Branch made his way to the center of the hallway as the Rageons grew nearer. He quickly took in his surroundings seeing where he could exit. Whatever he did, he had to try and lead them away. Within moments two Rageons where in his line of view, one male and one female, both sporting the same pale skin and dark blue hair.

“Found one!” Cried the female as she glanced at Branch.

“You did. But can you catch me!” He ran right towards them. What Branch remembered when he faced the twins on their yacht was that Rageouns were big, but their movements were slow compared to that of a Troll. He moved with ease right underneath them, causing them to trip and stumble over each other. Branch also remembered how long their limbs were, how they could easily reach and grasp with ease, but he was prepared. Using his hair, he wrapped it around the neck of one Rageoun causing her to panic as he swung around her and slingshotted himself towards the forehead of the boy…a move he learned from Viva.

The male Rageoun fell backwards in a daze, knocking himself out as his head hit the cold floor. Branch continued to swing around the female’s neck. He released and wrapping his hair around a metal pole nearby, he sling shotted himself once more towards the center of the girl’s forehead. The force was greater causing her to fall unconscience that moment. Branch landed with a small THUD at the foot of the two Rageouns. The groaned and moaned in pain.

“That’s what you get! Morons.” Branch ran back to the vent lifting it up. He could hear more voices grow near as more Rageouns approached. “I’m coming home Poppy.” He jumped into the vent.

He could feel himself twist and turn in the darkness as he fell straight down. Branch reached out to grab something, anything as he felt fear enter him. He let out a small yell as he finally his the floor. The vent had lead to the outside of the building they were in. The small Troll rubbed his elbow as he looked around cautiously.

“Guys.” Branch called out to the other Trolls who escaped before him…silence. He saw small footprints leading away. Okay, they made it out, but where did they go, he wondered to himself. It was dark, it was muggy, the atmosphere of this place felt eerie and distant. Branch heard the small bustling of music and saw glimpses of lights flash above him. He looked up and his jaw dropped in surprise.

“That’s…..that’s Mount Rageous.” He murmured looking up, up, up towards the upper atmospher of was Mount Rageous.

“If that’s Mount Rageous…then what the heck is this place.” He walked up the small hill that over looked the under city. Lights also shown down here, but something about the artificial lgihts made it seem dark and sad, unlike the lights and the clouds of Mount Rageous. The city above completely covered any light, any rain, any clouds from entering the city below. And I thought Rock Trolls were gloomy, he thought.

This was unknown territory, he had to tread care fully. He hopes he can meet up with the other escaped Trolls somewhere, but his main goal was to find a way out and get back home….get back to Poppy.

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angel4astraea · 11 months

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𝑨𝑳𝑯𝑨𝑰𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑴'𝑺 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑪 𝑳𝑰𝑭𝑬 & 𝑨𝑭𝑭𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺

alhaitham as a partner might be the most confusing thing ever. .

♡ meeting the scholar and scribe of the akademiya wound be purely be for business at first. he's not the type to linger at cafes alone or for leisure often, same with any public place; he'd rather be working, at home where he can read or doing gods know what.

♡ alhaitham isn't known for his affection or anything remotely vulnerable, that's more kaveh's thing. for him, it was his wits and stone faced expression he wears everyday without a moment to breathe. most people i assume wouldn't try to flirt or touch up on him because he'd brush it off or tell the person off.

♡ however, after meeting quite a few times, i believe he'd be open to discussing things in the evenings at a cafe he's specifically used to. anything unknown will feel unsteady and cause him to have cold feet and tight lips. drinking is off the table alongside that, he'd rather keep his brain intact when speaking to a colleague or potential business partner.

♡ i believe that if you're more of an outgoing person like kaveh, he's only going to keep you at an arm's length away. he can't handle overbearing emotions, from what i believe. however if you're like him: composed, logical and possibly having ambitions that are reachable, he's more inclined to allow you into his mind when thinking.

♡ if you do manage to get on his good graces, aka having a good level of trust and reliance for when he needs intel, physical support or general knowledge on topics he hasn't quite covered, that's the beginning of his curiosity about you. he'll observe your actions, sayings and common habits. another thing is that he'll subtly note things he's learnt about you from others mentally. had a rough time with soandso? count yourself lucky because that person will scramble off when they get a whiff of you. somehow, alhaitham knows things better than you . . still.

♡ once he starts watching, he doesn't stop. he keeps a sharp eye on you like an eagle. even if you can protect yourself efficiently, he still feels the need to be on standby. it's almost like he's a shadow himself, lingering here and there where he predicts you'll be. alhaitham does dryly admit to this after a serious occurance happens (which includes eremites and the outskirts of sumeru city). though you might find it unsettling or nerve wracking, he finds his deeds endearing. he wants to make sure you're secure, protected and under his broad wing.

♡ though, if you get past that, he acknowledges that his feelings towards your are actually more than business partners or even friends. he isn't sheepish or anything alike, he states his mind clearly like usual with that monotonous voice. he'll sit you down and state the facts, the possible emotions he had pinpointed in his chest. following that, he'd ask you questions. was this okay? were you interested in this pathway? were you scared?

♡ he leaves the decision up to you, giving you enough space to comprehend what just happened. yeah, you could go off to kaveh and ask if he was genuine but of course, alhaitham would be in the house probably. so, you invite the blond to the usual cafe to get some more details. it's almost like an interrogation of the sort; asking kaveh about how alhaitham works, the deeper meanings between his words and so forth. to which, the blond reveals so much more about the attractive man.

♡ depending on how long you take, he'll keep the meetings relatively normal. alhaitham isn't one to be affectionate, as mentioned above so, doing it with someone he just dropped a huge bomb on? hell no. he might keep some distance though just in case of rejection. he's never had a partner, let alone someone he let in so easily in his eyes. it's an unknown territory he can't go in alone. . especially without you.

♡ if you do start dating the scribe, he'll take you out on formal dates at first. his income leaves him a comfortable amount of room to give you luxury. he's tense about it though, he doesn't know what to do and definitely doesn't want to be caught asking someone about how to love someone. he's figuring it out, be patient.

♡ he keeps this under wraps until you're both comfortable telling others. that could be a couple months up to a year at best. alhaitham isn't one for gossip flying around him about his own life. if he wants to keep it out of sight, he implies demands it to others who suspect something is happening.

♡ when you two come out to your friends, i 100% bet kaveh will be ecstatic, tighnari, collei & nahida will be so proud of him, and cyno will def make puns related to this occasion. but overall, everyone is content with the good match.

♡ after a while, he relaxes with the 'proper' dates and does more casual things. he feel comfortable enough going on walks with you, having nice meals outside, visiting all around sumeru and generally doing more lighthearted activities. one thing i believe he'd love to do is read you his books, petting your hair. it's unusual for others to comprehend what he's saying, especially since it's an advanced literature. but when he hears your soft breathing after falling asleep, i think he'd be the most content.

♡ he wouldn't think of starting a family with you until after the two year point. since it's his first relationship, he probably wouldn't want to rush anything. however, he knows he can support you and whatever children you two have/adopt financially. emotionally however, he might need more time to learn how to give affection to a person so small and without the years of being alive to grasp a basic idea of emotions.

♡ though, he wouldn't mind having a child or two. having too many scares him tbh. he doubts his own skills when it comes to human connection. but if you were to guide him gently and with practice, he'd become accustomed to it. . behind doors of course. he wouldn't bring up the topic itself until you two are past the two year point and are engaged.

♡ when it comes to being engaged, he'd ask after two years and give some thought into it. even though he isn't the sappiest person alive (like kaveh), he'd try his best to make it a night to remember. he'd plan everything and dedicate it to you. depending on which nation you're from originally, he'd add in some cultural things from your family.

♡ engagement would last a year-ish to two. he likes to make sure that this is the person he's binded to forever. when he figures it out, he makes sure the wedding has both cultures involved--which of course makes it lavish.

♡ when y'all are comfortable after the wedding, he'd be open to children. if you can't have children for whatever reason, alhaitham would bring up the topic of adoption. there are definitely orphans that need homes and it would pay off to see you smile, in his opinion.

♡ moving onto the bedroom topic. .

♡ i don't think he's a beast, he's more likely to be closed off to the idea of physical intimacy until he has faith that it's a safe space. yeah he can be cocky if he catches you taking in an eye full but that's about it until his first time.

♡ prob not all that kinky tbh. he might be a top and/or a power bottom. he's okay with you taking the reins when he's tired but that's rare.

♡ office sex. yea. especially when he's acting grand sage. dude is probably so stressed that he can't come home at a normal time to see you.

♡ speaking of, you two might've been caught a few times in office while going at it. some people are scared to enter or go near his office because it. most know to at least knock twice and call out his name to see if it's fine to come in but some don't.

♡ in conclusion, confusing man but good morals!

#headcannon #genshin impact #reader #x reader #genshin smut #genshin impact x reader smut #genshin fanfic #genshin drabbles #genshin x reader #genshin imagines #alhaitham x reader #genshin alhaitham #yummers

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goldeaglefire1 · 6 months

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okay so. I have been inspired by @tf2heritageposts's recent poll. and with that in mind

Ranking How Deadly Each of the TF2 Mercs Would Be In A Fistfight

Note: following the rules of the poll here, we are saying this is simply fist to fist, with no weapons or equipment for either combatant. I think we all know that if ANY of the TF2 mercs had their weapons in this scenario you'd be fucked

With that in mind, from least to most deadly:

9. Sniper

Honestly I think this is the most realistic match for. Anyone on this site really. Sniper's specialty is long range so if you force him to fight fist to fist he is not gonna have a good time. He even says in the comic that when he was a kid and other kids started fistfights that his go-to strategy was to climb up a tree and throw rocks at them. He would not be good in a fistfight is all I'm saying.

8. Scout

Now if we were going purely by SKILL Scout would actually be a lot higher. He definitely has a lot of experience in fist fights, definitely moreso than the two above him on the list at least, and like. Meet the Scout literally has him solo a Heavy with nothing but his fists and a baseball bat. You are fighting Scout in his element he can absolutely kick your ass. The reason he is down this low is not because Scout is bad at fighting, but because Scout is a moron. Out of all the mercs Scout is the one you could most reasonably trick. It is not about "can you beat Scout" it's about "can you distract him long enough to get in a cheap shot to knock him out and book it." And, honestly, I think that's fairly achievable! If you can't manage that though you're fucked

7. Engineer

We are now at the point where you are basically at the mercy of god. Engineer is down this low because, while all the mercs are at least a little insane, he's what you could argue to be the most reasonable one and the most likely to go easy on you. Aaaaaaand he also doesn't seem like the type to have fistfighting experience. That being said he can ABSOLUTELY kill you because, the thing is? He doesn't have two hands. He has one hand, and a mechanical prosthetic hand he can spin like a drill. Can't exactly remove that. Get him pissed enough and you are fucked

6. Medic

Unlike Engineer, Medic not only will happily kill you but has the knowledge to kill you too. He knows how to fix all your bones and that also means he knows how to break them. Only reason he's down this low is because of the no weapons requirement. If he had his bonesaw you'd be fucked guaranteed but it'd be a bit harder to use his techniques with just his hands. He also doesn't have any notable hand to hand combat skills so like. Glimmer of a chance but in all likelihood that would be the Medic's glasses as he opens you up like a frog in a high school science class.

5. Demoman

Demoman has absolutely been in a brawl fight before. Like we may have never seen him in one but there is no way he hasn't been in a bar fight. He also handles live explosives and a whole ass sword with a surprising amount of grace and precision despite being constantly drunk so you can't really count on that throwing off his aim either. He's the exact right combination of skilled, crazy, and competent that you're kinda fucked no matter what. The only saving grace is the constantly drunk thing. Hope he passes out in a drunken stupor before he can actually do anything

4. Spy

Yes, Spy is a twink. Moreso than even Scout honestly. Yes, like Sniper, Spy's not exactly meant to be in a direct fight either. Yes, he's French. However: UNLIKE Sniper, being up close is Spy's ideal range, and he's a trained assassin. Do you really think he doesn't know how to kill you without his knife. Or that the guy who's entire job is to stab you while you're not looking is worried about fighting fair. As soon as you lose sight of him - which is probably going to be easy even without the Invisi-Watch - you're fucked. He's already behind you. Spy's only in fourth place because he's the least likely to get in a fistfight period.

3. Pyro

(NOTE: This section has a page from one of the comics featuring blood and a dead animal to make a point. If you're sensitive to that kind of thing skip ahead)

Now, I know what you're thinking - "okay the Pyro's nuts, sure, but this high up? they have no weapons and they see the world as sunshine and rainbows! surely they can be reasoned with right?" And to that, I say: sure, they see the world as a colorful fantasy candyland and their flames as pretty rainbows. However!

Bold of you to assume they don't know what they're doing. It does not matter if they have no weapons if you are up against Pyro you're fucked. Especially since they are one of the two mercs I can see starting the fight unprovoked for shits and giggles. Pyro cut off Soldier's hand in a car ride they have no sense of proportional retribution. Your only, very slim hope is that you find something flammable and something to light it on fire and use the ensuing flame to distract Pyro long enough to get out of there. And that has the caveat of "pray Pyro doesn't light you on fire first"

2. Heavy

I don't think I need to explain this one. Heavy speaks for himself. Even the people who voted Heavy in that poll seem to be operating on the logic of "maybe I can convince him to be nicies to me" rather than actually beating him in a fight, at least going off the tags. If you're up against Heavy, you're fucked.

1. Soldier

Yeah there's a reason Soldier had no votes for those first few hours. A master fears not the expert but the guy who has no idea what the fuck he's doing, and by god does no one know what Soldier is doing at any given point, especially Soldier. You cannot reason with him. You cannot predict him. Tricking him is easy but has a high chance of backfiring in a way that kills you regardless. His signature move is instantly snapping your neck. If you're up against Soldier you're fucked

#tf2 #team fortress 2

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idyllic-affections · 6 months

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MORAL INJURY — a non-romance genshin impact series. ♫

act i, chapter i "silence."

➤ CHAPTER SYNOPSIS :: it's quiet. it should not be quiet. why is it quiet?

➤ CONTENT WARNINGS :: mild depictions of blood, human experimentation, dottore is always his own warning 🙏 (he is there for. literally only 2 seconds LMFAO), use of painkillers in the form of pills, etc.

➤ WORD COUNT :: 2.8k.

➤ AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS :: it's hereee 🤭 thank you all sm for your ongoing support in the lengthy amount of time i took developing this series.... i don't remember what anon originally sent the request that inspired it (i believe it may have been 🐱 anon?), but nevertheless, i hope that anon is astonished in the best way possible seeing what their request has gradually evolved into! this chapter is largely worldbuilding, so dialogue and lore will improve starting chapter 2. also sorry to disappoint you guys. natalya isn't real i made her up for the plot 💔💔💔💔 a little note, be sure to click around on the words and symbols that are underlined at the top of this post! the word MORAL INJURY will take you to the series masterlist/navigation post, and the music note will take you to the spotify playlist.

➤ TAGLIST :: @zeldadou, @umgatochamadopercyval, @starryshinyskies, @lucid-lilium, @pookiebearcave, @lesanyanyas. contact me through messages/asks/etc non-anonymously to be added.

"It's quiet today."

It was merely a murmured observation, perhaps nothing more than a thought that was accidentially spoken aloud, more or less directed at the only other… conscious and coherent individual in the room.

In their many years of employment, there was never anything that unsettled them quite like silence did. The lab was never completely quiet. There was always something to occupy the air—whether that be the absentminded flow of conversation between them and their Lord, the distant bickering of his Segments, or something far worse like the screams of the lab's more permanent residents. They supposed it wasn't entirely quiet; the periodic clicking of metal against metal was… present, but not enough, and the shuffling of the papers they were handling was hardly adequate. It was still too quiet. It was hardly ever this quiet. If it was, usually…

Usually it signalled unfavorable conditions.

"Hm. Does that disturb you?"

Some of which were tolerable—some unfavorable conditions could be dealt with, given the person dealing with them had enough skill and grace to do so, like the death of a promising test subject.

Some were less managable.

…But perhaps it had nothing to do with them today, given how little hositility Dottore held towards them. They couldn't quite place why it worried them so much, then.

"Somewhat," they admitted. "It's hardly ever so quiet, no?"

Their gaze flickered to the map of Teyvat haphazardly hung on the wall. Blue thumbtacks pinned in various spots on the map—some in the further reaches of Snezhnaya and others all the way in Sumeru or Inazuma—indicated mission distributions.

Ah… they supposed the silence could be attributed to that. Come to think of it, they hadn't seen any of Il Dottore's other segments that day in particular.

They were thankful, then, that at the very least, the looming silence was not due to some circumstance they needed to be concerned about.

The silence in its entirety returned. Dottore—this Dottore—was rarely much of a talker; that is, he hardly ever held a conversation with them. They could practically hear the seconds ticking by in the quiet.

One, two, three… five… seven…

It didn't last too long.

"[Surname]."

At least there were no unfavorable conditions to manage today. The death of a test subject, the failure of one of their coworkers…

"Yes, my lord?" Their gaze flickered from the desk they were busying themselves with organizing to the cold, metal examination table. The woman on it looked half-dead. Poor thing. "How may I be of service?"

Today, there was nothing they needed to fix. Good. They weren't sure if they were really in the mood to deal with one of their coworkers' failures. The death of a test subject would have at least given them time away, time to themselves, while they sought out an adequate replacement—the failure of a coworker, however… Archons, in that case, they'd have to deal with a pathetically snivelling agent begging through the tears for them to help repair whatever fatal error was made before the Second ever had a chance to find out about it.

"Clean her up, will you?"

No, they weren't really in the mood to deal with that; it was as taxing mentally as it was physically, given that the kinds of mistakes leading to their coworkers to break down sobbing tended to be… larger ones.

(For example, the time when Krupp accidentially wrecked beyond repair one of the Ruin Guards that the Segment he worked under was fixated on. They spent one of their free days seeking out a replacement and even then, the difference was still noticeable.

At least Krupp is still living, despite the fact that they threw him under the bus—so to speak—immediately upon being confronted about it. They're certain he's still sore over their alleged betrayal… but the last time they checked, they had absolutely no completely safe or trustworthy allies, so they're unsure of what "allyship" Krupp is always nagging about.)

Anything else, any other job or request, would be more favorable than having to fix something like that.

"Very well."

As they were finishing up with the mess on the desk in front of them, they noted that the click of heels gradually grew more distant. Then, a door opened and shut with a slight echo.

Just like that, the Harbinger was gone.

A deep sigh left through their nose. After being certain he was gone, they called out with a relatively light tone, "Hey, you alive over there? Don't die on my watch. You know that'll get me in trouble."

The unsettling silence returned, and for a brief moment, their heart sank into the endless pit of their stomach.

Was she actually gone?

Then, with a cough and a wet splatter that made them grimace slightly, the woman replied.

"Haha. Very funny, [Name]."

"Just making sure you know that your actions have consequences."

"My actions?" she huffed incredulously. Despite her tone, a tired smile played on her lips as the lab assistant approached her side.

They gingerly brought a hand up to her face, brushing the hair that was sticking to her forehead away with their calloused fingertips, causing her to flinch but she made no attempt to pull away. She was sweating. Worrying, but not unexpected. "Yeah. Your actions."

Again, that vile silence that they so despised returned.

"Are you cold at all? Having chills?" they inquired softly, leaning down to examine her face more closely—most importantly, the size of her pupils. It would indicate if she were suffering any brain injury. Thankfully, it didn't seem like she was. "Please describe to me your symptoms in detail."

"Right, yeah… um," she hesitated, clenching and unclenching her fingers in what seemed to be an attempt at pushing through the pulsating ache rhymically striking her whole body. They ran a hand up and down her upper arm soothingly, encouragingly. When she drew away from their touch with a pained sob, their chest squeezed, but they said nothing and obliged by her wordless request, withdrawing their hand from her arm. "It's cold," she managed, though her words were heavily strained.

They hummed.

The Pyro delusion secured on their hip emitted a pulsating red glow, and they slowly raised their open palm to her forehead. The steady flame produced by their delusion hovered just above her skin, where it could not burn her or harm her any further than she already had been. "Better?"

She nodded wordlessly. For a moment, she sat in the silence, simply basking in the warmth of their palm.

A point came, however, when the hushed whispers of the long-deceased deities—audible to their ears alone as the sole user of their delusion—used to craft the weapon at their hip grew utterly overwhelming. They swallowed thickly, fingers twitching with barely-restrained ill intent above her face. She did not seem to notice.

"Natalya… symptoms?" they reminded as gently as possible, lowering their hand—much to her dismay; Snezhnaya was cold and unforgiving, and the Doctor's lab was hardly any warmer than the outside was. Their delusion was the only warmth she had. For them, the whispers thankfully dissipated as quickly as they arrived. It was as if those voices had never been there in the first place. They tried not to focus on what they might have done to her if they hadn't withdrawn. "I need to know."

"Everywhere hurts, [Name], I can't… I can't think straight…"

"It's alright. Don't worry. I'll just put down the normal symptoms people have after… that. Do you need painkillers?" they whispered, as if afraid that, should their voice be any louder, it would shatter the fragile, shivering woman.

Of course, another concern was that someone may hear them offering something they shouldn't be.

"Do you have any?"

"I do"—they offered her a weak smile, standing up straight once again—"I always do. I don't have water available, though. Can you dry swallow them?"

"Yeah, hand them over, honey. Don't worry about it."

"Alright."

For a moment, they fished around in one of their pants' pockets. Then, they pulled out a small plastic bag. Inside were two small pills.

'I'm running out… I'll have to get more at some point.'

"Here," they murmured, gently opening the bag and handing her the two pills. They shoved the little empty bag back into their pocket. "Take them quickly, before someone walks in. I'll start stitching your incisions once you do."

"…You can't wait until they kick in?"

A wave of regret and guilt washed over their chest.

"I'm sorry. I have a meeting with Lord Beta's assistant soon… you know, the segment that runs Haeresys? I can't wait that long. The risk to my safety is far too great. Maybe if it were someone else's assistant, but… we all know what Lord Beta's track record looks like, and worse, I have to run basic maintenance on Lord Sixth later, since Lord Dottore isn't available for some god forsaken reason…" they sighed. "I'm really sorry. The things I have to do today are just… too important to risk delaying."

Her eyes, hazy and vacant, were filled with a sudden life as she came to and realized the situation she was in.

It wasn't over, she had realized.

She stared back at them shining with nothing but gut-wrenching terror. Her gaze was quick to flick away from them, however, so they couldn't linger on it for too long. It was probably for the better. Lingering on things like that was never particularly healthy.

"Right… okay. I understand," she reassured sincerely, before shifting slightly so that she was at least sitting up on her elbows. The strain on her abdomen made her wince. They were quick to support the majority of her weight, curling an arm under her back. Thankfully, the thin layer of cloth draped over her body provided some kind of reprieve for her overworked nerves, and their touch did not seem to affect her as terribly. It was then that she brought the pills to her lips and swallowed them without so much as a complaint. "Thank you for the medicine, [Name]."

"Of course." They reached for disposable gloves as she cautiously laid herself back down. "As usual, as a general rule, you are free to scream or cry or damn me to hell and back. I would not hold it against you. I know it hurts. Whatever helps you manage your pain, save from squirming—please try to be as still as possible—is permissible. You are not being disruptive. You are not being uncooperative. You are not being difficult. Scream if you must. It's okay. You are human and in unreasonable pain. It's okay. I promise."

Her eyes glittered with the sheen of unshed tears—they briefly wondered if it was because she was afraid of the prospect of more pain, or if she was afraid of them.

They sincerely hoped it was the former.

With as much gentle tenderness as they could muster in spite of the way she was looking at them, in spite of the utterly betrayed expression on her face, they gingerly cupped her face. "Okay?" they whispered. "You're okay. You'll be okay. I will take care of you, okay?"

Her hoarse voice came in a raspy whisper: "Okay. Do what you need to do."

They nodded, withdrawing their hand. "Remember: deep breaths. It will be okay."

— flower of the universe !! 🌸

There was never a time during which they could honestly and confidently assure victims that "it would be okay."

Nothing was certain. The concept of "being okay" was never certain. All they ever did within this aspect of their job was lie. It was… regrettably, part of what made them so skilled.

(A much younger Fatui agent in their unit once, with an awestruck expression, told them that they made their job look effortless—looking back on it, they're certain that she meant well, that she meant it as a compliment, if anything. They ended up shooting her a nasty glare, however, that ultimately contributed to her transferral to Tartaglia's unit, a work enviornment with much lower stakes. They sometimes felt bad when they looked back upon it.

…But perhaps it was for the best. If she could not navigate their complex social cues, only the Tsaritsa could possibly know what might happen to her if—when—she came into contact with Dottore or any of his Segments. Everyone in his unit did, does, and would at one point or another.

So, yes, perhaps it was better like this. Tartaglia was far more forgiving, after all.)

To lie to the test subjects and put them at ease… it was all they ever did. It was all they could ever do, because they knew that the majority of those people would not live long. Lying was an unfortunate but necessary skill in their career.

Subsequently, dissociation was also a hell of a skill to have in a career such as theirs.

They could not afford to let anything weigh on their conscience—not guilt, not regret, nothing. Nothing could weigh on their mind, for if something were to do so, they would end up putting themselves at risk. Performance, work related or otherwise, often dramatically falls when one is troubled.

In truth, they could get away with more than what others could. Small slip-ups, simple errors, accidents that didn't lead to any serious damage to any research—these things were often overlooked with a hypothetical slap on the wrist.

…Of course, that didn't mean they were ever going to voluntarily push their luck. They would much rather dissociate when their mind deemed it necessary than risk suffering severe punishment.

Knowing when to detach was surely what kept them sane. It didn't make their job any less horrible—it just made it managable enough so that they could keep it. In their position, at their rank… quitting or losing the job they had was not an option. Maybe if they worked under another Harbinger, it would be, but for them?

(They should have submitted a transfer request when they first joined the Fatui. It was far too late for that now, but they still lamented the fact that—against their better judgement, and against the warnings of older, more experienced agents who knew firsthand the horrors that went on in Dottore's unit—they did not at least try to switch divisions.)

Losing their job was a death sentence because the only reason they would ever lose it was if they did something punishable, and quitting may as well have meant the same, depending on the mood the Second was in at the time.

Knowing when to detach was surely what kept them alive.

Halfway through their cleaning and stitching of her open wounds—they briefly had wondered what could possibly be so urgent that Dottore could not have been bothered to finish what he had started, but it was not their place to ask or question—she had fainted, which was… better than her being awake, at least. She likely would not recall most of the process when she woke up again.

After checking for a pulse, just to be certain that nothing problematic had happened to her, they sighed.

As they pulled their disposable gloves off, they turned the latex inside out so that no blood got anywhere else… not that it would have mattered, they supposed. The lab was bloody and they would have to sterilize it all regardless, since the janitor had seemingly disappeared under mysterious conditions they did not want to think too deeply about. Still. Anything to make their job even slightly easier.

…The lab would surely fall apart without their guidance—or, at the very least, the deaths and "disappearances" of their coworkers would tragically skyrocket.

With quick and purposeful steps, they strode down a hallway branched off of the main lab towards a pair of heavily guarded doors. Four agents lingered there armed with delusions and guns. They all seemed to stand up a bit straighter as the lab assistant approached.

"Hey, listen, I'm going to need two of you to take Natalya back to her room," they instructed, absently fidgeting with their uniform as they rehearsed the rest of their day's schedule internally. "I've got places to be, otherwise I'd do it myself."

One of the agents rolled his shoulders—perhaps in preparation, though Natalya was not particularly heavy even in a state of complete unconsciousness—and nodded.

"Sure. No problem, [Surname], but what's her number?"

"Hell if I know"—they shrugged—"I call them by their names, not their numbers. Everyone knows that. Check the tattoo on her wrist. That's what it's there for, no? Look, I'm running short on time. Just… do what I've asked, okay?"

The agent threw his hands up defensively, and they rolled their eyes, crossing their arms and leaning most of their weight on the wall.

"Don't be dramatic," they scoffed. "I'm not going to gut you."

"I don't know. You might if you're in a bad mood," he accused. Well, they weren't going to before, but now they were considering it… "Anyway, no need to get short with us. Really, [Surname]. We'll handle it. What do you take us for?"

"I have a million reasons to be short with you all. Just get it done, please."

With that, they turned on their heel and left.

please consider reblogging, it helps me out quite a lot! written by aphelion & banner by @lucid-lilium. do not plagiarize, copy, ai train, or otherwise use my work -☆

#: [ moral injury! 🌸 ]#genshin x reader #platonic genshin impact #platonic genshin x reader #platonic genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin platonic #platonic genshin #genshin series

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horseshoegirl · 1 year

Text

Damn Those Dog Tags: Part 13 - Sons & Daughters

📜This one is going to hurt... 😬 Depending on how you think... I challenged myself with this one as it's almost all from Sadie's POV.

Also, do you guys listen to the songs at all? Just curious 😂

❗+18, strong language, godmother reader/original female character, original child, name-calling and implying some derogatory things, mentions of concussions, Angst, Protective Dagger Squad, mostly from Sadie's POV.

#6.5k words

Part 12 | Masterlist | Part 14

The first thing Sadie thought when she woke up in the morning was that she had never had a headache like this one.

She had nothing to compare it to. This wasn't a soccer ball to the face or a cold with a bad stuffed-up nose. This type was the one that made your eyes water in pain, the kind where your headband was just too tight, but there was no headband for her to remove. The type to create intrusive thoughts about hitting your head off a wall to see if that would fix it.

On top of that, she was exhausted from her Uncle Jake waking her up throughout the night, ensuring she could still wake up. And each time he did, she had trouble falling back asleep.

When you came to wake her up in the morning, a smile on your face, she couldn't stop her tears from escaping due to the pain. She could handle a lot, but headaches were her weakness. And your reaction only made it worse, Sadie not wanting to add more to your plate, as a frown graced your face.

Whether the question of if she was feeling okay, physically or emotionally, was going to cross your lips, Sadie didn't want to know.

She groggily sat up, trying to bury her face into your neck, clinging to you tightly and whimpering, "It's my head."

Something about just holding on to you soothed the pain. Sadie could remember the doctor telling her before leaving the hospital that she would feel worse on the second day. She thought he had been stupid to say that; nothing could have been worse than what her entire family just went through.

Then she understood what he meant. However, he should have paid better attention to his choice of words.

Sadie tried to hide her whines as you stood, carrying her out of her bed and into the bathroom, where you single handily searched for the bottle of pain meds as she clung to you.

Uncle Jake was working a wooden spoon through a bowl of batter in the kitchen when he saw Sadie in your arms. He frowned and immediately dropped the spoon, walking over to the pair of you and placing a hand resting on Sadie's back.

"It's her head," you spoke quietly, kissing her forehead. Jake took the bottle of meds from your hand without saying anything else, pressing a kiss to the side of your head, saying quietly, "Go sit. I'll get everything ready."

Sadie didn't pay any attention to what was happening after you sat down with her in your lap. Uncle Jake brought over two pills and a glass of orange juice at some point, and you coaxed her into the chair next to you to take them.

But she was impatient, waiting for those nasty things to work, pressing her head into her arms as if the small amount of darkness would help. Then Uncle Jake placed a packet of ice on her neck, and she wanted to cry from the relief.

The awful bandage came off after she started to feel slightly better, you sitting behind her at the kitchen table as you worked the thing loose. Uncle Jake was at the stove, flipping pancakes, laughing at the faces Sadie was making as you tugged one way or pulled the other.

After living off hospital food almost all day yesterday, the pancakes did wonders for her stomach. But she was more pleased to see Uncle Jake smiling and laughing with you at the kitchen table as everyone ate. How he made her laugh and feel happy, despite everything that happened.

Uncle Jake just fit in.

And that was the thing with you and Uncle Jake. Neither of you babied her. Sadie knew she could always come to you with anything; she just had to say the word. And it only took shared looks with Uncle Jake to know he was an option as well, constantly checking in with a knowing smile and Sadie nodding to let him know she was doing okay.

But she didn't want to think about everything just yet.

After breakfast, however, was a constant cycle of boredom. Sadie didn't know how to cope. You told her she couldn't look at a screen, and while she understood, she was bored. This was different from when it was the flu or a cold, and she got to stay home from school. She could huddle on the couch, play her Switch, or watch a movie during those times. Despite loving to read, she could only stare at the pages for so long before the words ran into each other.

Or her head started to pound again.

Uncle Jake tried to help, sitting with her outside while you curled up in one of the chairs, reading a book in between answering phone calls. Sadie hadn't seen you with a book in a long time, that book in particular, and she wondered what convinced you to pick it back up again. But she liked the fact you did, watching you turn every page with eager intent, lost in the world described in the pages.

Until she fell asleep against her Uncle Jake, who was content to let her be until two hours had passed and she needed to be woken up again.

She honestly just wanted him to let her sleep.

Then the Daggers had called, more Auntie Nat than any of them, to ask if they could bring dinner over. When they arrived, she hugged everyone slightly longer than usual, not that they seemed to mind. Even if she had to put up with the same questions from all of them, Sadie honestly just wanted her family close by.

But there was something off about her Uncle Roo.

He barely said a word to her when he walked through the front door. And his hug wasn't as warm or nearly as tight. And after dinner, with everyone in the backyard, she was beginning to worry. She could tell he was mad as she feigned sleep, lying up against Uncle Jake on the bench to avoid answering another, "Are you doing okay?"

He hadn't stopped staring at her once. Or at you, for that matter. His eyes tracked every movement you made in the backyard, from refilling a water jug to nibbling on a piece of food. Or every conversation.

Every time you to came over and spoke with Uncle Jake.

It was weird, she thought.

And she wanted to find out why.

Despite her headache going away, being around everyone made her exhausted. And she suddenly felt the urge to be alone. She excused herself from the backyard, asking if she could lie in her room for a minute, everyone frowning. But you had let her go without complaint.

You always knew what she needed, and you never forced her to do something that made her uncomfortable.

Rooster had been there for her when she was struggling with the fact she wouldn't see her mom anymore. Maybe she was trying to let him approach her by going inside. She half expected him to follow her inside, or there might have been a moment when she would have pulled him aside and asked if she could talk to him about what had happened. This shouldn't be any different than those times.

But he didn't follow her inside, and he really hadn't said a word to her all evening, unlike Auntie Nat or Uncle Bob, who had asked if she needed to vent.

She couldn't figure out what she did wrong.

It was making her upset.

Sadie lifted her from her pillow head to a knock at her bedroom door.

"Come in," she called out softly. Her door opened, revealing you on the other side, a sad smile on your face.

"Hey," your voice was soft. "I just came to check on you. Everyone was worried."

Sadie put her head back on her pillow, glancing out her window. "I'm okay. Just tired. It's just a lot."

"Should we have not had everyone over? You're allowed to say no. No one would blame you."

She closed her eyes, moving her head back and forth against her pillow. "No, I wanted everyone here. It was just more than I thought it would be."

You stepped forward to sit beside her on the bed, hand reaching out to stroke at her leg top her covers. "You've been through more than anyone your age, Bug."

Sadie turned to look at you, instantly drawn to your eye. Your bruise had gotten darker and lighter, yellow patches adding themselves to the stains of the blue since she came home. Its presence on your face still haunted her, making her return to her belief that you or Uncle Jake wouldn't have gotten hurt if she had stayed in the bathroom. But then she'd remember what Uncle Jake had said, and she'd stop herself.

She knew even her mom would have come up with the right thing to say, which sounded exactly the same as everyone else had been telling her.

People were just sometimes bad.

"Am I supposed to buy the "It will make me stronger" speech people give me?" she wondered aloud. You squeezed her leg through her puffy green comforter, saying, "Not if you don't want it to."

Adjusting herself on her bed, she replied, "So if I wanted to be upset about it?"

You slid closer to her, and Sadie reached for your hand, threading her fingers through yours. You touched her cheek and answered, "It's okay to cry about what happened Bug. To be upset. Why do you think you can't be upset?"

"Because you and Uncle Jake got hurt. Because I don't want anyone else to worry about me. Because it will cause more problems, and I don't want you to be sad."

You gasped, crying, "Sadie, you're never a problem! Please don't ever think that! I'm only sad because I can't fix everything for you. I would do anything to make sure you're happy."

Sadie cried the second you said those words, releasing the pent-up emotions weighing her down since she woke up in that hospital bed.

Maybe she didn't need to talk to her Uncle Roo about these things.

You had been right here all along.

"Thank you for understanding, Aunt Liz," she sniffed, wiping her eyes. "And being there for me. For taking me in."

Laying beside her on her bed, you wrapped your arm around her side. "As if you were going to end up anywhere else than with me. That's nothing you have to thank me for, Bug."

She played to the edges of her comforter, the question burning on her lips. "Is he my birth-farther? The bad man."

Her mom had always said she had a father out there. One that left before she was born. She hadn't started putting everything together, the photos her mom had shown her, the warnings to stay away from that man, until after everything had happened and she had time to think about it when she was stuck in that hospital bed.

Sadie knew you would tell her the truth. You always did, even when she didn't want to hear it. You swallowed hard before nodding sadly. "Yeah, he is."

Sadie let go of the comforter, pushing it off her. "What does that mean for me? For us? I just... don't want anything to do with him."

"Well, hopefully, when the police catch him, he will go to jail. So we will never see him again. Your mom ensured that would never happen. He's not going anywhere near you."

"Really?"

You nodded. "Everyone outside would buzz the CPS building if that was even the slightest possibility too."

She giggled at that.

"So whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me. And those idiots outside."

Sadie huffed a small laugh, remarking, "Till I run off with a boy, right?"

You gasped, sitting up and remarking, "Sadie Beck, don't tell me you have a crush!"

Well, shoot, she really shouldn't have gone with that reply. You could always tell when she was hiding something.

Well, almost always.

"I'm almost eleven, Aunt Liz. Do I really need to be thinking about a boy right now?" she attempted to throw you off her trail, rolling her eyes. But you didn't relent, a knowing grin on your face.

"Not if it's Will your thinking about," you teased. Sadie squealed, rolling herself into her pillow.

Will had called her today asking if she was okay. She liked him more than she cared to admit. She was still too young even to consider having a boyfriend. But she liked the way he cared about her. It reminded her of how Uncle Jake cared about you. Then she realized, turning her head with a shout, "You and Uncle Jake's date got ruined!"

You chuckled softly. "It's nothing that can't be replanned. Besides, I think he likes spending time with the both of us anyway."

Sadie giggled, thinking back to this morning. "Don't let him flip the pancake pan again. And he needs to stop singing in the shower. I think it's making my head worse."

Something warm sparked in Sadie's chest at watching you finally laugh wholeheartedly after what seemed like the longest 24 hours of her life.

She liked seeing you laugh. You only ever did once Uncle Jake came around since her mom had left the two of you.

"Is it okay that Uncle Jake is staying here?" you asked her after a minute.

Sadie sat up in her bed, looking at you questionably. Uncle Jake had left just after lunch for a half hour, returning with a bag in hand. She hadn't questioned it. It made sense that he would stay with you two while the bad man was still out there.

She also didn't trust the police officer outside across the street in his car either. She had often peered out the front window to see him asleep in his front seat.

She nodded. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know, with everything that has happened? The fact he and I.."

She didn't have to think twice about her answer. "I feel safe with him in the house."

You smiled. "So do I, Bug."

You were about to say something else when a loud shout echoed down the hallway, an f-bomb, as you had labelled on the swear jar in the kitchen. Sadie's eyes shot to her open door, and she quickly remarked, "Somebody needs to put money in the swear jar."

But this wasn't a slip of the tongue. More shouts and angry words were coming from different people. Sadie looked at you, wondering what to do. But you had gone stiff, your face emotionless as the both of you took in the fight.

You seemed to snap out of it when you heard Auntie Nat's voice shout Uncle Roo's name, and you finally looked back at her with worrisome eyes.

Sadie watched as you grabbed her oversized black headphones with puffy sides from her bedside table and quickly turned them on. You were biting your bottom lip as you placed them on her head, looking down at your phone and hitting play on a playlist. You squeezed her shoulder, mouthing 'stay' to her before you quickly exited her room, shutting the door behind you.

Sadie couldn't hear anything beyond the music playing in her ears. She could tell without looking at your phone screen that it was the playlist you had made for Saturday Nights.

She caught snippets of shouts and yells for a couple of songs when the music shuffled. She could hear you, Uncle Jake, Uncle Nat, and Uncle Roo, who was the loudest. At one point, she thought she even heard Uncle Bob raise his voice. That one shocked her the most - she had never heard him speak that loudly.

But after a while, she couldn't hear your voice in the mix while another song changed. Sadie reached up and pulled the headphones from her head, leaving them on her bed as she climbed off and to her door.

She didn't know why everyone was fighting but needed to know. If her suspicions had been right about Uncle Roo being mad about something, she needed to know why and if she could fix it.

She opened it carefully, not that anyone would have heard her with how loud it was and shut it closed behind her. The hallway was dark, save for a light coming from your bedroom. Tip-toeing across the hall, she pressed herself to the wall as she peered over the corner, spying on everyone standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

You weren't in the room with them anymore. And Sadie confirmed she had indeed been right about Roo being mad. Her first thought was that her comparison of how red as a Rooster he could get wasn't accurate. She needed something redder, maybe a lump of coal from the fire pit or the stuff inside the glass thermometer you kept in the backyard.

But then she started to question why he was mad and yelling. And, most importantly, why was everyone standing behind Uncle Jake and not Uncle Roo when she knew they didn't like him?

---

You didn't want to admit it as you left Sadie's room. But nothing would have gotten Rooster to react that badly had he not found out about you and Jake.

Rounding the corner of the hall, Nat stood between Rooster and Jake, her hand on Bradley's chest. She was pushing him away from Jake, who had his arms crossed and jaw clenched, staring him down.

The rest of the Daggers were spread out amongst your kitchen, caught between trying to figure out what the hell happened and wondering what side they would go to bat for.

"Bradley, what the hell was that?! Sadie is in her room!"

You shouldn't have said anything. Bradley's red-hot temper, face contorted in outrage, suddenly pinned you down. Pointing his finger at you, he stepped forward in your direction. Nat countering his movement, making sure to stand between you and him at all times.

"You liar!" he seethed.

You took a step back, slightly frightened.

"How long have you been sleeping with him? Since before we were deployed or after?!"

"I'm not sleeping with him!" you replied, your voice slightly brittle. Bradley scoffed, placing his hands on his hips. "Well, something is a little fucking fishy considering his bag is next to your bed in your room!"

You narrowed your eyes at him, your fist clenched. "You went into my room?!"

"Didn't need to when the door was wide open."

Some part of you wished you could have sat Bradley down and told him without fear of a reaction like this. But Bradley was unpredictable at best. And from what you knew of his relationship with Mav, he could hold a nasty grudge.

It wasn't as if you didn't feel bad about it. You didn't lie to him, but you didn't tell him the truth when you should have.

"You gave into him!" He shouted at you, looking at Jake and then back to you. "We told you! We warned you, Elizabeth! And you didn't listen to us."

Nat was the one to respond for you, recalling, "She made no such promise, Bradshaw. She told you to lay off and let her handle it."

But he didn't listen to her, too caught up with watching how you reacted to his words to even entertain any idea that didn't fit into what he believed to be fact.

"How quickly did he get between your legs?" he remarked heatedly.

"Rooster!"

Out of all the people you expected to shout, Bob certainly wasn't one of them. His southern drawl, normally soothing to the ear, was harsher than normal. He moved from his perch up against the wall next to your back door, coming to stand in line with Nat and Jake, "That was outta line!"

A part of you acknowledged he probably found out about your relationship with Jake from Nat. But he had been silent this whole time. He had never said a word about what he knew or thought.

"The number of times she's taken care of your ass, and this is how you treat her? You've got no business telling her what she can do."

"It's fucking Hangman, Bob! Are you all even thinking about what this will do to Sadie? When he leaves her out high and dry?" Bradley exclaimed. "She's going to wake up one day, and he's not going to be there, and she's going to be devastated. And for what?!"

Jake narrowed his eyes at him, "Not that it's any of your goddamn business, but she made me swear to put Sadie first."

Suddenly, everything clicked for Bradley, the pieces fitting together neatly.

"Jake wasn't randomly at the Hard Deck on Friday," he said. "He was seeing you."

You refused to look him in the eye, and Bradley's face twisted in hurt.

"So, this is it, huh? You've been seeing each other behind our backs this whole time? And decided to keep it from us."

You gripped your forearm tightly. Should you own up and let him know almost everyone knew but him? Could you explain or even convince him that everyone found out by themselves?

But the choice had been made for you when Rooster saw something in Nat's eyes that indicated not only had she known about it, she was and had been okay with it.

"You knew?!" Rooster yelled at her. Nat stood her ground, fierceness in her eyes as she remarked, "It wasn't my story to tell."

"Oh, this is just fucking rich. How many of you knew?"

Bob and Coyote turned away from Bradley, refusing to say anything that might give away what they knew. And while Fanboy and Payback might have only found out now, even knowing something had been going on between the two of you or assuming something would, given that Jake followed you into the kitchen that first Saturday night, they still hung their heads low like everyone else.

"How could you all?!" Bradley cried out, eyes tracking around the room. "You traitors!"

"Okay, you know what? I'm done!" you seethed, stepping around Nat and copying Bradley's stance. Jake reached for you, but you dodged his hand. Poking Bradley in the chest with your finger, you shouted, "What the fuck is your problem, Bradley?"

"He's my problem!"

"Jake is not the goddamn issue, and you fucking know it!" You yelled back at him. It was like a light switch had been flipped somewhere inside you, and all this anger suddenly rushed to the surface.

"Time and time again, you claim it's Sadie you are concerned about. But you change the conversation every time I press just a little bit further. Or you blame Jake, but something tells me that's your scapegoat for everything!"

You pushed at his chest, making him take two steps back. "And for what? Because he said something about your dad?"

Bradley's jaw twitched, and you knew you had struck a nerve.

"Oh, so it is that."

"Stay out of it, Liz," he murmured. But you didn't listen. You had enough, and you would find out the real reason here and now.

"You dragged Sadie and me right into it," you shot back. "So I'm going to drag it out for you. What is it?!"

Stalking forward, you glared Bradley down, continuing to step backwards as you dealt each verbal blow.

"Is it some longstanding grudge because Jake hurt your feelings?" you challenged. "Or Is it Jake replacing you in Sadie's life? Do you think that lowly of her to think she plays favourites? She's adored you since she met you!"

And then suddenly, you remembered what Sadie had said to Bradley the second she saw him on your sister's front porch. "Or does it have something to do with your mom?"

Bradley's temper broke loose.

"I watched her mourn my father every day, picking her off the floor because he wasn't there! I watched her cry out for him daily, barely functioning beyond her routine. Get up, make breakfast and shuffle me into the bus and off to school. She couldn't cope with his loss and his absence in her life. She loved him so much, and it wasn't enough to keep him here with her! No matter what I did, it was never enough! And when Jake does the same to you, I won't have Sadie live her childhood doing the same for you!

With everything Bradley admitted, you should have come up with a more compassionate response. But you were too hurt by the comparison to manage anything other than, "Grow the fuck up."

You had said it so scathingly and firmly that everyone pivoted and faced you. No one had ever heard you be that ruthless.

"I'm not your mom. And Sadie isn't your child where you can make choices for her. I've long wrestled with the idea that I'll never be able to protect her from everything in life but Jake?! He's not one of those things."

Tears welled in your eyes as you continued. "As for my grief, I have never placed anything on her. I've hidden that part of myself away day in and day out because who would I be if I wasn't strong around her? I've sacrificed my mental sanity day in and day out so she can have some semblance of peace. To know that there are people who care about her."

But rather than continuing to be angry at Bradley for his reaction, you felt pity for what he went through.

"I'm so sorry if you had the entire weight of the entire world on your shoulders growing up, Bradley, but Sadie isn't going to crumble because I can't be strong around her."

Bradley opened his mouth as if to respond, but no words came out. It was clear to you he was grappling with his own emotions, whether something had caused him to be this way or you had brought everything rushing to the surface.

You held his gaze, unwavering in your conviction. "I'm not asking you to agree with my choices," you finally said, your voice softening. "But I am asking you to respect them."

But you knew he wouldn't. In defending Jake, and by poking and prodding at him, you had backed Bradley into a corner.

And like a wounded animal, he went for the insult.

"I didn't know you wanted to add your name to the tally in Hangman's whorehouse."

You felt cold, ice shooting up your veins and freezing over your skin.

Your hand was ready, fingers steadying and stretching out as you prepared to whip it forward. But rather than a slap, Nat beat you to it, fist flying out of nowhere and landing hard into Rooster's solar plexus. He lurched over in a groan, and she stepped back, nostrils flaring.

"You say that again about them, I dare you. You've done enough damage."

"I'm not the one who ruined the team," he said hoarsely, looking at you pointedly.

You were done.

You turned on your heel, making a run for it back down your hall, a slam of a door letting everyone know you had no plans to return any time soon.

___

Jake watched you leave, head down and hands coming up to wipe at your face as you ran down your dark hallway. Everyone stared a Bradley in a mix of shock and anger. Maybe even in disbelief. For Bradley to say such a thing, to you of all people, was inexcusable.

"That was your last straw, Bradshaw. I couldn't care less what you say about me, but her? You need to leave," Jake said, getting up in his face.

Coyote stepped up from behind Bradley, knocking his shoulder hard as he passed him. Bradley stumbled forward, eyes watching as Javy nodded once to Jake before following you down the hall.

"You have no idea the double standard you place on, Liz," Jake laughed to himself. "Taking about grief and telling her she needs to grieve when shaming her for wanting to do that. Sadie can grieve, but Liz can't? "

"I'm not the asshole who's going to fuck it up for them," Bradley remarked. "Liz wouldn't have to if you just chose to stay away from them like you should have."

But Jake smirked at him. "At least I have the decency to own up to when I've been one."

"You know," Bradley started. "I'm just waiting for the day when you mess up so badly, and she looks for someone to support her. Cause I know her better than you could ever think. The second you do, you'll never get her back. Or Sadie."

Bob spun away from the group at Bradley's words, becoming slightly more worried Sadie would wake up and venture into this mess. He had half a mind to leave and sit with her, until out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blonde hair peaking out from the end of the hall.

Sadie peered at her Uncle Bob from her hiding spot, concerned. Bob shot her a worried look, motioning with his eyes for her to go back to her room. But Sadie shook her head.

She had every right to be here if her name was being thrown around.

"Nothing about what you just said or did had anything to do with Sadie," Jake challenged Bradley, who assertively replied, "She's part of it."

"And at any point during your little outburst, did you even once think about her, currently hiding out in her bedroom, hearing every shout or word you've said?"

Sadie knew the answer to this one. Even if she wasn't in the hallway, and you didn't put her headphones on, Uncle Roo clearly didn't think about what he was saying before he said it.

Having already been standing with Jake, Nat crossed her arms and glared pointedly at Bradley. "You've hurt Liz. The one person who would have taken a bat for you. She didn't deserve everything you just threw at her."

Sadie's eyes shot to Bradley, horrified and disappointed at her Aunt Nat's words. He had hurt you.

That was unforgivable.

Sadie finally decided to pull herself away from the wall, step forward and reach for her Uncle Bob, who was at the back of the pack. She gripped the fabric of his plant leg, half hiding from everyone's view.

Bob looked down, shocked, as she pressed her forehead into the back of his knee. He tried to slowly step backwards, hoping to lead Sadie back to her room. But she wasn't having it, wrapping her arm tightly around his leg, preventing him from moving any further.

She was staying.

"You have a right to your opinion, but if you cannot accept that I'm with her for the right reasons, that Sadie isn't on our minds every damn second, then I will kindly ask you to leave."

Bradley scoffed at Jake, laughing, "Don't think it's up to you to uninvite me."

"But I can."

Everyone turned, shocked to hear, and finally discover Sadie hiding behind Bob's leg. Bradley seemed to sober at her words, eyes relaxing, then widening as he saw her cowering from him.

"Bug..." he said lowly, his hand stretching out. She took a step back, eyeing his hand cautiously.

"You hurt my Aunt," she said firmly, her disappointment in him evident. "You're not welcome here anymore."

Sadie could see the sudden guilt on his face, but she didn't care. Right now, she didn't like him. And he wasn't going to get away with what he just did.

"You heard her," Jake stated, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest.

But Bradley paid him no mind and tried to reason with Sadie as he said, "Bug, it's not what you think."

"I have eyes," she snarked, then decided to add for good measure, "And ears."

Bradley's eyes travelled from Sadie's to Nat's, who now stood behind her. Then Fanboy and Payback stepped forward, crossing their arms over their chest as they glared at Bradley, the man looking more confused with each passing second.

Sadie was mad. Despite not knowing what was exactly said, the fact he would even do something that would purposely hurt you cut her deep. And she was inconsolable, her protectiveness for you coming through fiercely.

Bradley shook his head, his voice slightly bitter. "You're just a kid, Sadie. You don't know how relationships work. It's complicated."

Her eyes blazed with determination. While she might be the youngest, never once had anyone treated her as if she was stupid or deserving of the truth.

"Just because I'm young doesn't mean my feelings don't matter!" She was becoming frustrated now, tears starting to leak from her eyes. And her head was beginning to hurt again. Yet, she persisted.

"Everyone but my Aunt reminds me I'm a kid! That I don't know enough! But I know when someone is being a bully! And you are one!"

She cast her eyes down to the floor, slowly side-stepping until she was behind her Uncle Jake. He immediately cradled the back of her head.

"My aunt has never been happier than she is with Uncle Jake!" She tried to say through the pain. "I will not let you hurt them."

Who was this person, she thought, glaring up at him with utter disappointment, that had taken the place of her Uncle Roo? The one that promised to look out for her, for you, when her mom had died. Who held her hand and told her it was going to be okay? Who went with her after school and soccer practice for ice cream and let her talk about her feelings?

This wasn't the Uncle Roo she loved.

So for the first time in her life, Sadie knew what it was like to see someone she loved so dearly fall from the pedestal she had put him on. And in trying to understand what it meant, she didn't know whether to be upset at him or upset with herself.

"Leave!" She cried out, turning her face into Jake's leg, trying to soothe the pounding in her head. "Just leave! I don't want you here anymore!"

Nat frowned at Sadie before stepping in front of her, blocking Rooster's view of her. She crossed her arms and glared at him heatedly. Then Bob joined Nat, copying her stance and echoing, "Do you need help seeing yourself out?"

Then Fanboy stood beside Nat, Payback to Bob, all four standing as a barrier between Sadie, Jake, and Bradley. He couldn't believe what was happening in front of him. His team had yet to take his side but remained on Hangman's.

And if that wasn't the final nail in the coffin, Sadie pointed towards the front door, without ever lifting her face from Jake's leg, and said through tears, "Bye, Bradley."

Bradley turned on his heel and stormed out of the room without another word, his heavy footsteps echoing in the tense silence that followed. The rest of the squad watched in silence, their expressions a mix of concern as the front door slammed.

Despite the tension in the room, everyone sighed, turning around to check on Sadie. But before anyone could comment on what happened, Coyote shot around the corner of the hall, eyes wide as he exclaimed panickily, "I can't find Liz."

There were mixed replies, Nat asking if he checked the backyard while Bob asked about your bedroom. Fanboy and Payback decided to look out in the yard while Jake stared after the front door, his hand still resting gently on the back of Sadie's head.

But she sighed, wiping her eyes, knowing exactly where you were. "It's okay. I know."

Stepping sideways, Sadie reached up to grasp Jake's hand. Everyone watched the pair disappear while Bob walked to the front door, ensuring Bradley had heeded Sadie's request and had left.

Leading him down the hall to the bathroom next to your room, Sadie reached the door apprehensively, slowly reaching up to twist the knob and carefully pushing forward.

It wasn't the first time she had found you like this. That was before her mom passed away, and you still lived with them. Her mom had explained at the time something had 'triggered' you. She hadn't understood what it meant, but she knew something had happened that caused you to be sad. She remembered how her mom had climbed into the tub with you, pulled your head into the crook of her neck and cooed as you sobbed.

Letting go of her Uncle's hand, she left him standing in the doorway as she walked over to the tub, peering over the edge. You had curled yourself up into a ball, arms covering your face as your fingers had threaded themselves into the hair at the back of your skull.

From what Sadie could remember, you looked exactly as you did then. Trying to look small under the white light, encased by tile and silver.

Without hesitation, Sadie climbed over the ledge, her small hands peeling your arm away from your face as she curled herself next to you, hugging you tight.

"I'm sorry, Sadie," you gasped, arms wrapping around her.

"What for?"

"I shouldn't be crying like this around you. I need to be strong, the adult..."

Sadie pulled back, her small hands grabbing your cheeks, first wiping at your tears before trailing her thumbs down to your dimples, hooking them in the corners and stretching your mouth outwards.

"I'm allowed to cry, but you're not? That's not fair, Aunt Liz."

She watched as your face registered her words, grateful for the little crook of a smile at the corner of your lips.

She wouldn't even try fixing what Bradley had done to you. There were no magical fairy godmothers or instant health potions for this, no star she could wish on with enough power that would solve everything. Sadie only knew you were hurt.

So, as you did for her when you found her in the guest bedroom of her friend's house when her mom died, she let you cry.

And what could she say or do after that but tell you what she did to Rooster?

"I kicked him out."

"What?"

"He hurt you," she shrugged, totally not owning up to the fact she had challenged an authority figure and had him thrown out of the house. You looked at her, panicked, the question half spilling from your lips, "Did you.."

"Relax," she said in typical Sadie fashion. "I didn't hear what he said. But it was enough."

"Sadie..."

"Sometimes people do bad things. And you didn't make him say those things to you."

You sniffed, rubbing at your nose. "I kind of did. I may have told him something he didn't want to hear."

Sadie bit her lip before asking, "Did he need to hear it?"

Her mom would always ask that when things went wrong. If someone did need to hear it, you shouldn't spare anyone's feelings. It was better, to be honest, than not.

Her eyes quickly flashed over your shoulder, Uncle Jake having moved at some point from leaning against the door frame to sitting on the floor, just on the other side of the tub. He had been so quiet she hadn't even heard him sit down.

"Probably. But not in the way I did it." You closed your eyes, lightly knocking the side of your head on the bottom of the tub.

Sadie looked back at you. "Then do what Mum always did. Don't regret it."

"But.."

She reached up and pressed her tiny finger to your lips, instantly quieting you, before remarking, "This is a 'No questions asked,' Aunt Liz."

Sadie didn't let you say another word, pulling herself into you so she could hug you, resting her cheek atop yours, closing her eyes and sighing when she realized you had stopped crying.

When Sadie eventually opened her eyes, looking up over the rim of the tub, her Uncle Jake was still there, his presence unknown to you. He wasn't looking at her; he was looking down at you with a tender look and a sad smile. It was like he wanted to reach out and comfort you. But he also didn't want to disturb the two of you.

At that moment, everything her mom had ever wanted for you made sense.

Yes, Sadie thought. He was the one her mom always talked about.

The one she had hoped you would find after those phone conversations at the kitchen table. The one that took care of you. That looked out and stood up for you. That made you laugh. Made you happy.

It may be time for you to open the shoebox on the top shelf of your closet, she thought.

Those letters were undoubtedly meant for him.

We have fluff next chapter! I promise!

🏷️ Tags:

@blue-aconite @tinytotontheoversizedpony @djs8891 @caitsymichelle13 @startrekfangirl2233

@mayhemmanaged @ereardon @dempy @shanimallina87 @teacupsandtopgun @daggerspare-standingby

@phantomxoxo @formulapierre @eli2447 @fulla02 @blckgrl-sunflower @mizzzpink @ohgodnotagainn

@bubblegumbeautyqueen @sarahsmi13s @desert-fern @lynnestra44 @memoriesat30 @penwieldingdreamer @mxlanciia

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@keyrani @craftytrashprincess @hisredheadedgoddess28

Part 14: Sex on Fire coming soon

^ and yes, there is some smut coming up ^

Wickett ;)

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cameronspecial · 8 months

Text

Thorn In My Side, Rose In My Hand (Part 15)

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings: Sexual jokes and Ward being a meany.

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 2.9K

Summary: The end of the school year brings about a lot of different activities when you are graduating and spending the with Rafe is absolutely perfect. But this also means the start of a new chapter in their lives.

A/N: Can't believe this is the last part! I absolutely loved writing this story and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you to the anonymous person who sent me that ask for inspiring this series. I don't know if this is the Rafe you were talking about but still got me inspired.

Masterlist

Y/N never understood the big hubbub people throw when it comes to Prom. And she definitely does not understand how any girl could want such a public display of being asked to Prom. She watches as Bane Rogers rides into the cafe on a horse in a knight costume toward Grace Harper. He held a promposal sign in his hand and the look on Grace’s face indicates she is going to say yes. Y/N watches the whole scene with clear disinterest, which contrasts the look of most of the other girls in the room. “You seem to be the only girl not captivated by the Bane’s scene right now,” Mason comments, sliding beside his sister into the booth. Rafe is not far behind, his eyes not leaving the scene. He is so glad he knows Y/N would not want a big spectacle when he asks her because he doesn’t know if he’d be able to handle the embarrassing feeling of doing something like Bane.

Y/N watches Rafe as she replies, “Yeah, well I just don’t get the point. Big and fancy proposals, prom related or not, have always weirded me out. With such a public display, it almost feels like you are trapped to say yes and I don’t like that. I definitely don’t want anything special for a promposal anyways. I mean poor Rafe is already going to have to think of a marriage proposal, I don’t want to give him a harder time by having to top a promposal.” Rafe nods at her words in understanding and feels a blush creep up on his neck at her mention of marriage. “Well, in that case. My rose, will you go to prom with me?”

She looks at him with an incredulous look. “Ugh, no. Rafe, you were supposed to disregard my words and give me a promposal that tops Bane’s.” Rafe panics quickly as he tries to backpedal disappointing his girlfriend. She sees his struggle and giggles, “I’m joking, Cameron. I would love to go with you. Could we match? I’m thinking light purple.” Rafe not one to say no to his rose, of course, agrees.

——

Y/N looks around at all the other girls showing off their prom dresses and her eyes almost pop out of their sockets at the amount of money some of them spent. Rafe looks amused at the look on her face. “What’s wrong?” Y/N tilts her head so she can look him in the eye. She brings her lips close to his ear, “All their dresses are so expensive. I mean twenty thousand dollars for a dress. Going to Paris to get the dress made. I don’t want to make fun of people but these girls are acting like they are getting married. I wouldn’t pay that much for a wedding dress, let alone a prom dress.” Rafe laughs at her candour and just shakes his head. “Well, you aren’t like most girls. Wow, that was cheesy. But those girls were cheated, honestly. You probably paid one percent of what they did and you are the most beautiful person here.” She smiles up at him and rewards his adorableness with a kiss. “Come on, let’s go dance.”

Her lilac a-line scoop floor-length chiffon dress trails along the floor just perfectly thanks to the cream-coloured heels she is wearing. She absolutely loves it, but her favourite part is the pockets. It was the very first thing she showed Rafe when he came to pick her up. Rafe follows Y/N towards the dance floor and places his hands on her hips when she started dancing. He is wearing a lilac suit jacket and pants that are an identical shade to Y/N’s dress. It is a bold colour he would not usually wear, but he loves the idea of matching her. He wears a white dress shirt with no tie to give it a little bit more of a causal look that matches the same aesthetic of Y/N’s dress. They both looked formal in their attire but with a hint of leisure.

The beat of the music moves the crowd of teens in various directions. At a certain point, Lacey joins the couple and starts dancing with Y/N. Rafe being made the third wheel, not that he minded, makes his way to the food table. He wants to get something for Y/N to eat when she eventually gets peckish after dancing. He fills one plate with a few fruits and vegetables before filling another plate with just about every cocktail food at the table. He makes sure to add double of anything that has cheese in it. He gets himself some chicken wings and then balances all the plates over to the table Y/N wanted to sit at.

Mason comes over to see the stockpile Rafe created. “You plan on hibernating this summer?” Rafe shakes his head, “Haha, I’m just getting all the good stuff for Y/N before they are gone. She is dancing over there with Lace.” Mason looks over to where Rafe points. “I see. Preparing for when she gets cranky. I see you got two of all the cheese things. Good, cheese calms Y/N/N,” Mace teases. He doesn’t see that his sister has made her way behind him, so he doesn’t expect the hit on the arm she throws at him. “Hey, I don’t get cranky,” she objects. “And thank you, Cameron. I am pretty hungry, right now. These all look so good. What do you guys choose for dinner? I got the portobello ravioli and I’m excited.” “Mace and I chose the steak. You can have some of mine if you want,” Rafe answers. Lacey sits at the table with them, “I ordered the vegan meal. I wanted to see how they made an upscale vegan dish.” It doesn’t surprise the group that Lacey’s dinner choice was based on her curiosity about how the meal is made instead of what she actually wants to eat.

Dinner is served a few minutes after the group sits down. Dancing quickly resumes once the meal is finished and it is soon time for Prom Queen and King to be announced. Y/N isn’t too thrilled about being on the Prom court. The idea of being crowned is not high on her list of things she wants to accomplish, but she knows Rafe secretly loves the idea of being Prom royalty. So she is going to suck up her lack of enthusiasm and put on a smiling face for him. “And this year's Prom Queen and King are Y/N Y/L/N and Rafe Cameron,” Principal Grant announces. The sound of applause fills the banquet hall as crowns are placed on both of their heads.

Rafe looks down at her as they slow dance as the King and Queen of the night. He can’t hide the love held in his eyes from her and even though she doesn’t understand the big deal about prom, she can understand that this moment is perfect. Pretending it is only her and Rafe in their own little bubble under the beautiful fake stars on the ceiling.

——

Graduation. An important milestone that people like to celebrate with extravagance. The students at Kildare Academy aren’t immune to these wishes. Y/N and Rafe had decorated their caps with matching roses the week before. It’s easy to spot each other through the crowd of other graduates looking for their own friends and loved ones. She runs into his arms with her diploma in hand, making sure to hold her cap so it doesn’t fall off her head. “We did it,” Rafe cheers, twirling her around a little quickly. She laughs at his action, “We did. I’m so proud of us!” “Come on, let’s go find everyone else so we can go to the graduation party.”

Surprisingly, Ward Cameron helped Cassie and Marvin a little bit with planning the joint graduation party. Rafe had refused to have his graduation party without the presence of Y/N and Mason, so he left Ward no choice but to allow the party to be combined with the Y/L/N’s. All of the three graduates' family and friends, who didn’t have their own parties, came to celebrate them. “Yes, Great-Aunt Ida. I am dating Rafe. Yes, Rafe as in Mason’s best friend,” Y/N clarifies to her mother’s aunt. Ida gives her a funny look, “Really, my dear? You don’t seem like you would have the same personality. From what I remember, he is much more social than you are.” Y/N meekly nods at the statement and excuses herself with some fake excuse of helping Bella with something.

Y/N had had multiple conversations like that one throughout the party and she was beginning to get tired of having to reiterate the same points to her family member’s still unaware of her relationship with Rafe because it had been a while since she’s seen them. Luckily, Rafe is there to whisk her away somewhere private. “Now, why do we have to be in private? It would be really weird to do anything during the party with literally just about all of our family downstairs,” she teases, turning towards Rafe.

“Of course, that’s not what I want. When did you get such a dirty mind? I just have a gift to give you. Now, close your eyes.”

“But Cameron, we promised no graduation gifts.”

“I know, but this isn’t really a gift just for you. It’s a gift for both of us. I promise.”

“Okay, fine. But the next big event we celebrate, I’m buying the gift for ‘us’.”

Rafe waits for Y/N to close her eyes before placing an envelope on top of her palms facing up. She peeks her eyes open and quickly shuts them before he can see her; she knows he would want to be the one to advise her to open her eyes. “Okay, you can open them, now.” She does just that and opens the envelope without hesitation. Inside, she finds various receipt screenshots for plane tickets from North Carolina to Oxford. The dates on the tickets are for all throughout her school year and the last one is even the seat beside hers for when she goes home for next summer.

ˇOMG, Rafe. These are too much. What if something happens?”

“Nothing will happen. And I just wanted to get us them to show you how sure I am about our relationship.”

“Thank you so much! I love them. I can’t wait for you to visit already and I’m not even in Oxford. I’m going to spend all my free time looking for places for us to go.”

Rafe laughs at her excitement and lets himself be pulled into the big hug she throws at him.

——

A week before Rafe is supposed to go off college, Ward asks Y/N if he could talk to her. After graduation, Rafe had gone back to living at Tannyhill because he only had a few more days with his sisters, so the couple was spending more time at his house. Rafe is currently dropping Wheezie off at a friend’s house. “So my son is off to college next week,” Ward states, rounding his desk to sit in front of it. Y/N inches a little bit from the door, “Yes, I know that. I’m supposed to help him move into his dorm. Mason is already in Toronto and I start at the beginning of October, so I have time to help out.”

“I see. And am I to understand that my son already bought tickets to come to visit you at Oxford.”

“He did. I didn’t ask him to, but it was a sweet graduation gift.”

“It is. It is. And what have you sacrificed for my son?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, from a parent's perspective, I see Rafe always making an attempt to sacrifice things in his life to keep your relationship going. He didn’t throw a big birthday party for his 18th because you don’t love big parties. He was going to break the family tradition of going to UNC, just to follow you across the pond. Now, he is sacrificing his reading weeks to go to Oxford. Instead of going to Miami or California for spring break, he is going to Oxford to watch you study.”

“I never asked him to buy those tickets.”

“Yet, you didn’t think of buying them yourself. Is it because deep down, you already know what you have to do?”

“No, it’s just… it’s just that UK universities have a different timing for school breaks so it’s better to buy my tickets closer to the actual day.”

“Sure, you keep telling yourself that. I have nothing more to say to you. You may go.”

Y/N leaves the room without another word. Truth is that Ward had been correct. At the time, she was super excited about Rafe’s gift. It felt so romantic. However, the more she started to plan her future with Rafe, she realizes he is indeed the one doing all the sacrifices. Ward pounding that into her head doesn’t help. Rafe is now returning from dropping Wheezie off and he sees her. “Hey, everything okay?” She smiles up at him, “Yeah. I just thought I saw a spider.”

——

A week has passed meaning Rafe’s move-in day is today. He is packing up his stuff into his jeep and waiting for Y/N to get here with Mason’s car, so she can bring the stuff that doesn’t fit into the car. He hears the gravel succumbing to the weight of the tires and turns towards the opening of the gate. He watches her get out of the car, jogging over to give her a kiss. She doesn’t have her brilliant smile on his face which concerns him, but he doesn’t say anything. He notices as she leans away from his kiss instead of leaning into it like she normally does. He shyly moves away from her and watches as she starts putting his stuff into Mason’s car without saying anything. Once they have everything packed up, Rafe says a heartfelt goodbye to his family and they drive off.

Rafe and Y/N planned to stay on call throughout the drive when they were separated between the two cars to make sure she doesn’t get lost. Rafe expected the conversation to flow and to be bountiful, but instead, he is left with a one-sided conversation with her just humming in response. Rafe knew the silent battle going on in her head. The argument she is having with herself about what she is going to do when they get to their final destination. However, Rafe isn’t going to let her just give up on them without a fight.

——

They arrive at Rafe’s dorm and they swiftly get all of his stuff out of their cars and into his room. Rafe’s roommate isn’t supposed to come for another two days, so they have the room to themselves. He doesn’t feel like doing anything else after they get all the boxes inside. “Should we get some dumplings? Or maybe a pizza? Or how about some ramen?” he recommends, wanting to delay the unwanted conversation as much as he can. “Cameron, we need to talk.”

“No, we really don’t. We need food. Food is what we need.”

“Cameron, please. Don’t make this any harder for me than it already is.”

“Then don’t do it. You don’t have to. We can work out the long distances. This doesn’t need to be the end.”

His tears begin to shed like a waterfall. He feels helpless in this situation like he is drowning. He tries to cover his eyes; however, she takes his hands into hers. “You know it has to be. Cameron, there is just so much against us. I mean the distance, our personalities, our futures. We aren’t meant to be.”

“Don’t say that. Don’t say it as if you believe it. Please, my rose.”

“But I do. I wouldn’t be saying this if I didn’t believe it. I love you, but I need to let you go.”

“No, my rose. Please. Just give this a shot before you end the possibility completely.”

“I’m sorry, Cameron. I can’t. I’m breaking up with you.”

Rafe’s sadness shifts to anger as he realizes how easily she is willing to let him go. He knows it’s futile to put up any more of a fight, so his brain switches to the next best thing, which is defending his heart from any more heartbreak. “Fine, you want to be that way, then go! I don’t need you anymore, Y/L/N. You were always such a ball and chain to me anyways. I’ll be better off without you!” he shouts, gesturing his hands around like a wild man. Y/N looks at him with sad eyes. She can see the hurt in his eyes and understands what he is doing. It still doesn’t stop the sting of his words in her hurt. She gets up slowly from the bed they sat upon, “Okay. If that’s what you want, then I’ll go. This past year with you has been amazing. And I will never stop loving you. But I’m doing this for us, Rafe. You’ll see.”

With that, she gets her purse off the floor and walks out of his dorm. Rafe has no choice but to watch his rose slip out of his hands without a clue of if she is ever going to be back within his grasp.

Taglist: @itsalexwin @sublimepenguinpeach-blog @gillybear17 @terraeluce @f4ll-for-you @ineedtosusoutmyreadinglist @rafegirly

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