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thewulf · 1 month

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Forever Yours || Paul Lahote

Summary: Request -Okay so reader is Bella's (fraternal) twin sissy. She moved to Forks with Bella and the whole first book happens WITHOUT her knowing what's going on. She's just as in the dark as Charlie is..... Read Rest Here

A/N: LOVED THIS. LOVE TWILIGHT. Keep them coming!! Thank you for the requests as always!

Pairing: Paul Lahote x Swan Sister Reader

Word Count: 4.0k

TW: Possessiveness

You and your sister, Bella, had always gotten along well even being so different. She was the shy twin who always stood behind you. You on the other hand always fought Bella’s battles because she needed it, that’s what sisters were for. The two of you weren’t identical, and your personalities could not have been more different. Yet, at the end of the day, she was the person you knew would always understand you. She was your best friend and confidant. So, when she proposed moving back in with Charlie you followed along with her.

Things changed when the two of you moved to Forks and not in a way you liked. She began distancing herself from you after she met Edward. Instead of coming home and gossiping about your respective days she started going to the Cullen’s house. She stopped telling you things. She became protective and oh so secretive over her boyfriend. You confided in Charlie more than you could ever expect. You hung out with Jessica and Angela more than you would’ve ever dreamed. Still, you looked after your sister. She was the shy one who fell hard and fast. For whatever reason you just couldn’t seem to trust Edward. When she finally let the two of you meet he was just off and you couldn’t seem to pinpoint what it was.

It wasn't until the departure of Edward Cullen, leaving Bella desolate and shattered, that the mysterious shroud enveloping your lives began to unravel at a rapid pace. As Bella struggled to navigate through the abyss of heartbreak, you tried your hardest to be the strength that she needed. But it often felt like you were failing her. Like nothing you could say would offset any of the heartbreak she was feeling. And you were angry. Angry at the stupid family that decided to vanish without a trace. For even though Edward seemed off he seemed like he truly was deeply in love with your sister.

Your only saving grace was your old friend Jacob. He found a way to bring your shattered twin back to the surface of the water she was struggling to swim in. The three of you spent so many nights together doing everything and nothing at the same time. Laughing till your faces were blue and finding the human connection she so desperately needed. You could never thank him enough for bringing back your sister you had lost for so many months.

But even that wasn’t enough for him to leave. When Jacob withdrew from both of your lives you became the sad twin. It was Bella who became angry like you were so many months prior. Bella forced you in the truck one afternoon claiming she had a bone to pick with the second boy who abandoned her in so many months. You had no desire to see the boy, but Bella demanded you come with her.

You watched as she pounded on the door of his home only to be met with nothing. You waited in the truck as Bella noticed Sam and his pack off to the side of Jacob’s home. Her footsteps treaded the path towards Sam and his pack, heart pounding with a mixture of apprehension and anticipation. It was only when you saw her physically push Sam, the leader of the tribe, did you bolt out of the car trying to catch your sister from doing anything too drastic.

"Bella, stop!" you cried out, your voice tinged with desperation as you rushed forward. Your heart was hammering desperately in your chest, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within you as you reached out towards Bella, hoping to stop the impending confrontation.

But it was too late. Bella's palm has already met one of the dark-haired boys cheeks with a sharp crack, the sound reverberating through the trees. You watch in dismay as the man’s expression darkened. His features contorted with fury, a primal growl rumbling in his chest that even startled you. The forest seemed to hold its breath as the world became silent at what the next move of the man could possibly be. You gulped feeling the tension thick in the air.

And then, in the midst of the events that were unfolding. You looked to the men in front of you looking at each of them one by one before your eyes finally met the one who had just been slapped. His gaze locked onto yours, a fleeting moment of connection amidst the tumult that surrounded you. In that instant, everything seemed to crystallize, the world narrowing down to just the two of you even with all the people surrounding you.

Timed seemed to slow to an utter crawl. The world around you faded into insignificance as your attention was locked in on the man. A sharp gasp came from you as you continued staring right at him. It was a feeling you had never experienced in this lifetime. Something you could never have expected. He too couldn’t seem to break his gaze away from yours. In that fleeting instant, everything seems to shift. The air crackled with anticipation, the forest holding its breath as the weight of the moment bears down upon you. It's as if the universe itself has paused, allowing you and Paul to exist in a suspended state of existence, isolated from the disorder that rages beyond the confines of your shared gaze.

As Paul staggers backwards, a whirlwind of emotions courses through his mind, each feeling vying for dominance over the others. Anger, once burning bright within him, now dissipates like mist in the morning sun, leaving behind a hollow sense of bewilderment and wonder. His chest heaves with the effort of controlling the torrent of feelings threatening to overwhelm him. He had felt every single emotion. Saw every single emotion. You were her. You were his imprint. Only Sam had been so lucky to have found his person. And now Paul did. And he didn’t even know her name nor you his.

To your surprise you felt your feet moving forward as he dropped to his knees on the forest floor. Paul was acutely aware of the weight of this moment. He had to wonder what you were feeling. You too were locked in on his own eyes, yet you could have no idea what was going on and how chaotic your seemingly normal life was about to get. But amidst the heaviness of the moment, there is something else—a glimmer of hope, a spark of possibility that ignites within him like a flame in the darkness. For in your eyes, he sees not just a reflection of his own turmoil, but also a flicker of understanding, a shared recognition of the bond that now binds the two of you together.

"What... what just happened?" Bella's voice wavers, her eyes wide with disbelief as she looks between you and Paul. But you have no answers to offer, you were just as confused as she was. While Bella's voice wavers with disbelief, her eyes dart between you, Paul, and the surrounding men, searching for answers amidst the bewildering scene.

Embry, who had been standing nearby with Sam, catches your eye with a knowing smirk, a hint of understanding dancing in his gaze. He stepped forward, as if he's seen this scenario play out before. "Looks like we've got ourselves an imprint," Embry remarks, his voice tinged with amusement as he addresses Sam, who watches the unfolding scene with a composed yet cautious demeanor.

Sam nods in acknowledgment, his expression unreadable as he assesses the situation before him. His eyes shifted between you and Paul with a measured intensity, as if gauging the depth of the bond that now connects you.

Meanwhile, the boy you had originally came to see, Jacob, came sprinting out of the house that he had just ignored Bella from. His expression a mix of surprise and concern as he takes in the scene before him. His eyes narrow as they settle on Paul, a flicker of protectiveness crossing his features before he turns to you, his look softening with understanding in your utter confusion. Yet in all that was happening so fast you couldn’t seem to tear your eyes away from this man. He had captured your mind, body, and soul all within a single look.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Jacob asks, his voice gentle yet tinged with worry as he approaches, his footsteps echoing against the damp grass.

You finally tore your gaze away from Paul somehow, your heart racing as you meet Jacob's concerned gaze. Despite the frenzy that surrounds you, his presence offers a sense of comfort, a reminder of the unwavering support that has always been there for you, negating the two weeks he had decided to ignore you for.

"I don't know what happened," you admit, your voice barely above a whisper as you try to make sense of the whirlwind of emotions that flowed through you so unexpectedly. "But I feel... different."

Bella's eyes widen in disbelief, her mind racing to comprehend the incomprehensible. But amidst the uncertainty that envelops you all, one thing remains clear—the ties that bind you to Paul, are unbreakable, defying logic and reason with an undeniable force.

"Jacob," Sam's voice cuts through the silence, his tone firm yet tinged with a hint of urgency. "Take them to Emily's. We need to talk." He motions towards Paul who was still on his knees before you.

Jacob nods in acknowledgment, his gaze flickering between you, Paul, and Sam, a silent understanding passing between them. He moves forward, his hand reaching out to gently guide you away from Paul, his touch reassuring in the confusion that surrounds you.

"Come on, Y/N, Bella," Jacob murmurs softly, "Let's go."

As Jacob reaches out to guide you away from Paul, a low, guttural growl rumbles deep within Paul's chest just as it had earlier after Bella has slapped him. His possessiveness flaring in the face of Jacob's touch. His eyes narrow, a primal instinct driving him to protect what he now considers his own.

"Hands off my girl," Paul's voice is low, but the irritated edge to it is unmistakable as he stands to takes a step towards you. His eyes never left yours. The intensity of his declaration sends a shiver down your spine, his unwavering stare holding you in a trance.

But Sam, ever the voice of reason among the sea of emotions, steps forward with a measured stride. His expression unwavering as he addresses Paul with a firm yet understanding tone. “Paul, calm down," Sam's voice carries authority, tempered with a hint of empathy as he meets Paul's frustration head-on. "We need to talk, separately. She will be just fine with Jacob."

Paul's protest is immediate, his feelings for you overwhelmingly strong. "No, she's not going anywhere without me," he insists, his voice tinged with desperation as he takes a defiant step forward, his resolve unyielding.

But Sam's gaze holds steady, his alpha like authority asserting itself in the face of Paul's defiance. "Paul, stand down," he commands, his voice brooking no argument as he meets Paul's gaze with unwavering determination. Paul winces but gives into Sam’s demands, though the reluctance is evident in the tension that lingers in his frame. His eyes remain locked on you, a silent promise of protection and devotion burning brightly within their depths.

While Jacob leads you away from Paul you can't help but feel torn between the conflicting desires that rage within you. Part of you longs to stay by Paul's side, to bask in the warmth of his unwavering love. While another part recognizes the need for clarity and understanding in the sheer confusion that threatens to consume you. And as you and Bella follow Jacob through the dense undergrowth of the forest you can't shake the feeling of Paul's presence lingering at the edges of your consciousness, a constant reminder of the inexplicable bond that now defines your existence.

Jacob guides you and Bella through a trail in the forest, a heavy silence hangs in the air, punctuated only by the rustling of leaves and the distant calls of unseen creatures. Sensing the need to break the tension, Jacob takes a deep breath before breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Look, I need to tell you both something," Jacob begins, his voice cautious yet resolute. "But it's going to sound... well, it's going to sound crazy."

You and Bella exchange a puzzled glance, the weight of Jacob's words settling uneasily in the pit of your stomachs. You've both sensed that there's more to the Quileute tribe than meets the eye, but the truth remains shrouded in mystery.

Jacob takes a moment to gather his thoughts before coming out with it. "The thing is... we're not exactly... normal," he admits, his words halting as he struggles to find the right way to explain the inexplicable. "We're... werewolves."

The revelation hangs in the air like a heavy fog, enveloping you and Bella in a cloud of disbelief. For a moment, neither of you can find the words to respond, the enormity of Jacob's confession leaving you speechless. "Werewolves?" Bella's voice is barely above a whisper, her eyes wide with shock as she looks to Jacob for confirmation.

Jacob nods solemnly, his expression grave as he meets Bella's gaze. "Yes. And there's something else. Something called imprinting."

You nodded along, “That’s what the one guy just said. We’ve got ourselves an imprint? What is that?” You asked pressing him further.

Jacob smiled knowing that your life was going to change, hopefully for the better. "It's when a wolf finds their soulmate. Their other half. The one person they're meant to be with for the rest of their lives." Bella's brow furrows in confusion, her mind struggling to comprehend the magnitude of what Jacob is telling her. But you, on the other hand, feel a strange sense of recognition stir within you, a faint echo of the inexplicable connection you felt with Paul.

As Bella sighs with uncertainty, Jacob senses the weight of her confusion and seeks to provide clarity. "And... and what does that have to do with what happened back there?" Bella asks, her voice laden with hesitance as she gestures back in the direction of Paul and the pack.

Jacob's gaze flickers towards you, a silent acknowledgment passing between you as he prepares to reveal the truth. "It means that... Paul imprinted on you, Y/N," he explains gently, his eyes filled with compassion as he meets your bewildered gaze. "He's your soulmate."

“Paul.” You whispered his name out loud for the first time. Paul, your soulmate. Your heart skips a beat at the revelation, the words sinking in slowly as you struggle to comprehend the enormity of what Jacob is saying. Soulmates? It's a concept you never thought you'd entertain, let alone experience firsthand.

"Soulmate?" Bella's voice echoes your thoughts, her eyes widening in astonishment as she turns to you for confirmation.

You nod slowly, the reality of the situation beginning to sink in. "I... I don't understand it all," you murmur, your voice barely above a whisper as you grapple with the implications of Jacob's words as the three of you walked through the forest to what you assumed to be Emily’s place, whomever that was.

Jacob offers you a reassuring smile, his expression filled with understanding. "It's okay, Y/N. I know it's a lot to take in," he says softly, his tone gentle yet firm. "An imprint is... it's like finding your other half. Your perfect match. And for Paul, that's you."

Bella's eyes widen in realization, her mind racing to process the revelation. "So... he's bound to her? Like... forever?" she asks, her voice tinged with uncertainty as she seeks to grasp the intricacies of the imprinting process.

Jacob nods solemnly. "Yeah. It's a permanent bond," he explains, his tone heavy with the weight of the truth. "But it doesn't have to be romantic. It can be... it can be like a best friend too. Someone who's always there for you, no matter what."

The realization washes over you like a tidal wave, the enormity of the situation sinking in as you come to terms with the truth of Paul's imprint. It's a bond that transcends the boundaries of time and space, forging a connection between two souls that can never be broken.

And as you walked surrounded by the whispering of the trees and the steady presence of Jacob by your side, you find yourself beginning to accept the truth of your newfound destiny. The road ahead may be filled with uncertainty, but with the unwavering support of your sister and the friendship of Jacob, you know that you'll face whatever challenges may come your way head-on.

As you, Bella, and Jacob step into Emily's cozy kitchen, the aroma of freshly baked muffins envelops you, a comforting contrast to the whirlwind of emotions swirling within. Emily's warm smile greets Jacob, her eyes alight with joy as she rushes forward to embrace him.

"Jacob, it's been too long!" Emily exclaims, her voice filled with genuine affection as she pulls back to look at him.

Jacob returns her embrace, offering a sheepish grin. "I know, Em. It's good to see you," he replies warmly.

Emily's gaze then shifts to you and Bella, her smile widening as she takes in your presence. "And who do we have here?" she asks, her tone friendly and inviting.

Jacob gestures towards you and Bella. "Emily, this is Y/N and Bella Swan," he introduces, a sense of pride evident in his voice. "They're new to town, and we thought I'd bring them by to meet you." He spoke referencing the pack as a whole. It was intriguing watching him operate now that you knew why he up and disappeared on you those weeks ago.

Emily's eyes widen with recognition as she looks at Bella. "Ah, the Swan sisters! Charlie's girls. I’ve heard a lot about you two," she remarks with a knowing nod. Then her gaze shifts to Bella, and her expression changes to one of surprise. "And you're the vampire girl, aren't you?"

Your heart nearly stops at Emily's words, the revelation hitting you like a sudden jolt. Vampire girl? You exchange a bewildered glance with Bella, who looks equally taken aback. Edward was a vampire? What next… mermaids?

"What? Bella? Vampires?" you stammer, your cheeks flushing with embarrassment as you struggle to comprehend Emily's words.

Bella's face turns crimson, her embarrassment palpable as she shoots you an apologetic glance. Her eyes told you that she would explain it all later. "Emily, I'm so sorry," she begins, her voice tinged with mortification. "Y/N, this is... um... kind of a long story."

As the truth about vampires and the supernatural world of Forks begins to unfold, you can't help but feel overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. But amidst the confusion and embarrassment, there's a sense of shared understanding that together you'll navigate the challenges that lie ahead. As the conversation continues in Emily's kitchen, laughter and chatter filling the air, the sound of approaching footsteps draws your attention. Sam, Paul, and Embry enter the room, their expressions relaxed and jovial as they exchange banter with Jacob.

"Hey, look who decided to join the party!" Jacob teases, a playful grin spreading across his face as he greets his packmates.

Sam chuckles, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Couldn't stay away, could we?" he retorts, a hint of mischief in his voice as he exchanges friendly jabs with Jacob.

Paul's gaze finds yours amidst the commotion, a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Y/N," he says, his voice gentle yet earnest as he steps forward, his eyes meeting yours with a depth of emotion that leaves you breathless.

"Paul," you reply, your voice barely above a whisper as you meet his gaze, a rush of anticipation coursing through you at the prospect of speaking with him alone.

Sensing the unspoken tension between you and Paul, Jacob steps forward with a knowing smile. "I'll leave you two to get to know each other," he says, his tone light yet meaningful as he gives you a subtle nod of encouragement.

As Jacob and the others retreat away from the kitchen to give you and Paul some privacy, you find yourselves alone in the midst of Emily's bustling kitchen. The air crackles with anticipation as Paul takes a step closer, his eyes searching yours with an intensity that sets your heart racing. "Y/N, I wanted to talk to you," Paul begins, his voice soft yet filled with determination as he gathers his thoughts. "About what happened earlier. About us. If that��s okay with you."

You swallow hard, the weight of Paul's words hanging heavy in the air as you search for the right response. "Paul, I... I don't even know where to begin," you admit, your voice trembling with uncertainty as you struggle to find the words to express the whirlwind of emotions that threaten to overwhelm you completely.

But Paul reaches out, his hand finding yours with a gentle touch that sends a shiver down your spine. "We'll figure it out together, Y/N," he says, his voice filled with conviction. "Whatever happens, I'll always be here for you. I promise you that."

As you stand there, enveloped in the warmth of Paul's presence, a soft blush tinges your cheeks as you struggle to find the right words to express the swirl of emotions coursing through you. Your heart races with anticipation, your thoughts a jumble of uncertainty and longing. "This is all a lot," you murmur softly, your voice barely above a whisper as you meet his gaze with a shy smile. "But it's a good thing you're so... so handsome." You weren’t sure where that surge of confidence came from, maybe it was the bond. But even you couldn’t deny the sheer beauty of the man that stood before you. You feel a rush of exhilaration mixed with nervousness, unsure of how Paul will respond to your flirty compliment.

Paul's expression shifts, a mischievous twinkle dancing in his eyes as he leans in closer, his breath warm against your ear. "Is that your way of saying you think I'm cute, Y/N?" he teases, his voice low and husky.

You bite your lip, a playful glint in your eyes as you meet his gaze. "Maybe," you reply coyly, a hint of flirtatiousness creeping into your tone as you lean in closer to him. "You'll just have to stick around to find out."

As a smirk tugs at the corners of Paul's lips, his gaze intensifies, locking onto yours with a magnetic pull that leaves you breathless. You feel a surge of anticipation coursing through your veins as he leans in even closer, the air crackling with electricity between you.

"Oh, I intend to, pretty girl" Paul murmurs, his voice a low rumble that sends shivers ripping through your body. His words are filled with promise, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he closes the distance between you, his breath warm against your skin. “Don’t you worry about that.”

A soft gasp escapes your lips as Paul's hand gently cups your cheek, his touch sending waves of warmth cascading through you. Your heart pounds in your chest as his lips brush against yours in a tantalizing whisper, a feather-light caress that ignites a fire deep within your soul.

"You're so beautiful, Y/N Swan," Paul whispers against your lips, his voice filled with sincerity and admiration. "I can't help but be drawn to you. I’m forever yours pretty girl."

The sweetness of his words sends your heart soaring, a rush of euphoria washing over you as you lose yourself in the intoxicating embrace of his affection. In that moment, all doubts and fears melt away, leaving only the undeniable connection between you and Paul, a bond forged in the flames of desire and longing. And as you surrender to the irresistible pull of his embrace, you can't help but feel a sense of bliss wash over you. With Paul by your side, you know that the journey ahead will be filled with laughter, passion, and endless moments of pure, unadulterated love.

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merakiui · 4 months

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Omg a Mal-Mal fic! Oh your portrayal of Malleus is so beautiful! I really think you did an amazing job: he, a long-lived being, doesn’t quite understand the fragility of life or existence yet tries to because of how deeply he feels emotions — even if he doesn’t understand it. ;-;

Wonderful job Mera! Melancholy is like, my favorite to read and write lol, thank you for the treat that is a Mal drabble!! ^^

AAAA thank you!!!!! (❀´ ˘ `❀) I'm so flattered that you found the portrayal to be beautiful. It was purely experimental and I was inspired after playing the next part of book seven (as well as the crack in my poor tablet,,, T^T)!!

I think there's something so melancholic about Malleus, especially in a yandere concept. I like to characterize yan!Malleus as someone who often hovers around his beloved all the time and is unwilling to accept certain truths. He can be childish at times and he doesn't fully grasp the human experience and its many intricate facets, hence why it's implied he seeks Silver's advice when you seemed so downcast. It's also why he can't quite comprehend why your phone and its "death" is so devastating, but he tries to understand it because he wants to connect with you and share the experience. For someone who is not considered fragile by human standards, who has a longer lifespan, Malleus has to learn to understand his own strength and also come to terms with the vulnerabilities of his darling, however unwilling he may be to accept that.

I'm happy book seven is allowing me to see more sides of Horns and now I can better appreciate him!!! :D writing melancholy and angst is always fun. I didn't expect the fic to become so philosophically contemplative towards the end, but I enjoyed writing it!!!! Thank you for reading and enjoying my Mal fic hehe!!! <3

#sweet messages #hydra-sea

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hellcatinnc · 3 months

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Escape Into Love

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Warning This includes: SFW (Read Tags Before Continuing)

Tags: sfw, fairytale, fluff, love and deepspace, zayne, Li Shen, x reader, zayne x reader, zayne z fem! reader, Fem! reader, Li Shen x Fem! reader, Li Shen x reader, witches, magic, spells, evol, ice, ice evol, romantic, romantic fluff, love, proposal

Word Count: 2,301

Feature: Zayne/Li Shen x Fem! Reader

This takes the memory card Secret Fairytale and works off the concept and I ran with it. This is by request from discord...

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As Zayne gets to the fence surrounding what looks like a old villa thats abandoned he wondered if he had made a wrong turn, when checking out the forest behind the park he always goes to. The gate seemed locked so he ran his fingers down the side of the gate as he walked around to see if there was another entrance. As he gets further down he hears a soft voice "Who are you?"

Zayne was shocked he was so sure this house was abandoned it even looked it. He stopped walking and since he was sure you could not see him for the growth along the fence he just stayed still trying to slow his breathing. He had heard many stories about the witches in the forest and how they lure humans in at hopes to have them take them back to their world. He wanted none of this, he was a surgeon he didn't believe in some fairytale come to life, he was too logical to believe that this really could be a witch and more like kids messing with him. He finally spoke up "Who are you for that matter?" You were intrigued as you walked down to the the part of the fence where he was still standing. "You're at my home and yet you ask me who I am... I can smell the human in you."

He took a step back this time he was shook a little more as he had dropped his book that he was reading earlier in the park. He wasn't sure if he should be a little scared but as his emotions took over his fingers started crystalizing over with his ice evol he had to calm himself. He hadn't planned to hurt anyone he felt like he should just leave and not look back so as he turned and he went to walk off he heard you loud and clear right down to his heart. "So you know what its like to be different as well..." He stopped its like he couldn't move you didn't know him but yet also understood what it was like to be different. Sometimes he hated that he was different he wanted to be someone who saved people but he felt like sometimes his ice evol is what made him come off as cold as ice at times. He turned around and yelled back towards the fence "How do you know how I feel or how I am for that matter?"

There was a bit of aggression sound in his voice because if this was someone playing with him they were going to know the wrath he could do if attacked of his power. You started laughing "I can hear your heart beat and how it changes when your power comes out that is how, its the same as mine does as well." He was shocked because you talked like you could almost really know what he was dealing with. He turned to leave but something stopped him he closed his eyes and thought should he really walk away when this is a person that might understand how he felt, would it be the end of the world to hear her out. He took a breath and walked back to the fence, this time towards the gate he clears his throat as he tries to peer through the gate. "Can I see you?"

You walk over towards the door a bit scared at first but you pushed the vines back off the gate and there you were face to face finally. Your gaze was a unspoken understanding that neither of you expected. You put your hands on the gate as he was close enough to almost feel your breath but he was so caught off by your beauty. He was not expecting someone who was supposed to be a witch to be so stunning. Your hair danced across your shoulders and your beautiful shimmering eyes were captivating. Even your lightly stained pink lips were inviting. Words weren't coming to him but he was captivated the moment you continued speaking. "It must be nice in the real world, tell me about it please. I have been stuck locked in here for centuries alone."

Before he knew it he had chuckled, this caught him off guard because he hasn't laughed really since he was a kid. Then when he thought about you being there alone for centuries and he felt a pang in his chest for you being so lonely. His eyes never left yours however he gave you an honest answer. His deeper voice loud and clear and full of depth in what he was saying. "Not really as much as you think it might be. The world is heartless, and uncaring. Its unwavering and for people like me with evol power I will always stand on the outside." You cut him off not leaving him the chance to explain more of why it also could be a good place as well. "Oh then never mind, guess there is no place for me there then." You went to turn and walk away but he reached through the gate grabbing your hand and pulling you back to the gate, close enough you could feel his breath on your soft skin. He sighed as if he wanted to say something else but getting up the nerve to say it. "I meant its not always great, and it can be sometimes boring and mundane. However if you meet someone special it is different."

He was so surprised he got those words out although he had only been in love one time when he was young. However apart of him always remembered his childhood friend, but once his powers got out of control he felt he wasn't safe to be around her so he disappeared. He was in love with her for so long, never told her and its the last time he let someone into his heart. That being said he knew mundane life would be grand with a person you love beside you. As his thoughts had wondered he had looked away from you in front of him, but soon as his last words left his mouth he met your gaze again. "Well maybe I should let you just sweep me away then." You said with a soft giggle. You were caught up on his visual of him remembering what it was like. He didn't realize it but it was all over his face that he was in love once. He was shocked by your request but also didn't respond.

Things were quiet for a bit of time before you went to pull away from him when he spoke urgently afraid you would walk away without getting to respond. "Why come out of here when I can come see you everyday here?" He shook himself up a bit on why he would declare such a thing. This wasn't logical thinking at all yet the pull to this woman and the fact you seemed as alone as he did, maybe together you both could mend the loneliness. You smiled at him "You would do that for me?" You said with a glimmer of hope in your eyes. You nodded to his arrangement. It was getting late in the day and he had to get back to his apartment he had surgeries first thing in the morning. He pulled back from you before he got to far he looked back at you "Whats your name? I'm Zayne!" You yelled back to him "Y/N". Your name echoed in his head and he felt like this was going to be the beginning of something he never could be possible.

The next day went by so fast he got through the day and all he could think about is seeing you again. He actually felt excited to be with someone who wasn't afraid he would hurt her and that understood how he felt being different. No sooner he got through with his day he went home and got changed then headed to that park. He rushed through the forest all the way to the villa again. You two met at the gate and since there was a barrier around it you couldn't get out but he had no problem sitting on the ground for you everyday. You two met like this everyday for months. You two told each other how it felt to have the powers the both of you had, as well as the ups and downs in life. You two opened up to each other like never before and it did good for both of you. He grew to realize he looked forward to seeing you every day and after months of this almost every day meeting at this gate he knew he couldn't live without you at this point.

It wasn't hard to see he was growing to be a man that the cold in his heart was melted by this woman that he was falling more and more in love with everyday. You laughed and joked about anything and everything. You told him about centuries you grew up and then one day out of the blue you looked up at him. "I-I...want to...um.. say something to you, Zayne." You took a long breath as you looked at him through the gate reaching out holding his hand. "I'm in love with you!" His heart felt so full and so happy in that moment he felt the same way. He stood up and met you on his feet, he pulled you close to the gate by your chin. He looked deep into your eyes and the words left his mouth "I love you too more than you will ever know." His lips crashed into yours, with all the love and passion that had been between them for months. It was all coming down to this moment you two gave into your feelings for one another.

After that day of declaration you two continued the same everyday as you tried to figure out how to get you out of that guarded gate. One day you figured what if you both used his ice evol and your power at the same time however he needed to control it without it controlling him. You spent another month of you helping him work on it daily to be stronger until one day you two planned would be the day after a year of this you knew was the day it all would change. He had already asked you to move in with him when he got you out of there. That day he got off work early he didn't care about anything else anymore. After all this time it was coming to a point where their beginning was really going to start. He waisted no time he got to that park and ran through the forest towards her he couldn't take it anymore he wanted you in his arms. He got to the gate and you were right there waiting for him with so much love in your eyes.

"Are you ready my love, ready to be in my arms like you were always meant to be?" You met his words back with a smile and a soft coo you wanted this more than anything. You both stood back and you started with your chants that started to rattle the gate door. The wind started to howl around you as you kept chanting louder and louder. He let the ice evol shoot down to his fingertips before shooting the ice towards the gate with everything he had. The gate froze over and started to rattle and crack. You said a few other words why he continued to give it everything he had.

As he pushed all his power into it the ice started traveling up his arms and up his neck he knew this had to be enough soon before it froze his heart but he wasn't giving up. You both gave it everything you two had as the gate finally broke as he fell to his knees. You ran to his arms fell to the ground putting your hands on him as you chanted some words and helped the ice that was closing in around his heart you started melting it. Before he knew it he could breathe and not feel like the ice was freezing his heart, he stood up grabbing you to your feet pulling you into him engulfing your lips and kissing you like never before. "I love you so much, Y/N!" You met his gaze and his lips again as you breathed into his mouth "I love you too, Zayne!"

As he finally pulled back he dropped to one knee pulling out a little black box and he opened it with a beautiful diamond with blue accented diamonds lacing the sides. "Be with me forever, make me the happiest man in the world. Let me finally sweep you away from here, let me love you til the end of time. Will you marry me?" You were so happy in this moment you got down on your knees and pulled him close kissing his lips. "I would love to be your wife Y-yes Y-yes....YES..YES.. a million times yes I love you so much!" He slid the ring on your finger and pulled you into his arms kissing you with all his love and fervor. This is a story that starts your beginning with the love of your life that you met when you were at your loneliest times. You two found each other when you didn't even know there was another person to complete your heart. Now today you knew your forever starts and begins with this man.

#li shen #zayne #love and deepspace #fem!reader #x reader #otome #gaming #creative writing #fluffy #fairy tales #witches #sfw #fan fic #fan fiction

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elysiumarchieve · 1 year

Note

Scaramouxhe x mute reader? Headcanins before and after he became a 'god'

NAUR i think that honestly would be so cute😭 protective lover scaramouche who always knows exactly what you want and need MY HEART hc that he knows sign language

and PLEASE tell me if there is anything wrong, i tried researching more on mute people for this because i actually have never met anyone who is mute, so i tried my best😭

scaramouche x mute! gn! reader

warnings: fluff?? scaramouche isn't as much of a little shit in this as he usually is, he has a soft nonexistent heart, sort of 3.2 archon quest spoilers

✧ this is the embodiment of "they asked for no pickles" meme if you actually ask me

✧ scaramouche, although far more attentive when it comes to your needs, is still the same little shit you'd expect him to be. just because you're mute doesn't mean you're dumb and you understand him very well

✧ however, the difference lies in how he really treats you compared to everyone else - you're his beloved s/o and anyone mishandling you earned themself a nice warm place in whatever hell teyvat possesses

✧ scaramouche learnt rather quickly what you like and dislike and what things make you comfortable and uncomfortable. there is no need for you to even try and tell him you're feeling unwell, because he'll already be on his guard and leave at the slightest discomfort you might experience - he reads the room too well for someone who usually doesn't give a damn about human emotions and their needs

✧ there are people bothering you? the next day you find them on their knees, beaten up and bruised, begging you to tell your lover off and how they didn't know you were with a fatui harbinger (you didn't even know scaramouche found out about this)

✧ when accompanying him, he always makes sure you're 'heard'. he'd often say things such as "we're going this way" and waits for you to agree to it before continuing any further - it's all about you and what you think. you still have a 'voice', even though you can't speak to him like anyone else, but that's exactly why he puts you above everyone else

✧ a king of non-verbal cues. he's attentive to a point that it feels like his eyes are always on you, taking in every movement of yours and reading you like a book - there is no need for words in the first place. one unsure glance to the side and he'll be there, asking you what's bothering you

✧ while i doubt he knew anything about sign language before meeting you, he put in a lot of effort to learn it rather quickly for you. one, it would make it easier for him to know what you're trying to say and second, he doesn't need anyone to translate it to him nor do you need a notebook or anything else to talk to him

✧ tell him about your day! it doesn't matter how you do it, but he simply wants to see the excitement in your eyes when you go about what you did. he's genuinely interested in what you do

✧ after having received the gnosis and becoming a 'god' in that sense, you clearly saw him less and you were actually under the supervision of the sages who didn't even dare to say anything to you (i mean, your lover was literally becoming their god, what were they supposed to do?)

✧ staying with the doctor of all people wasn't an option either for you. who'd willingly stay with this madman in one room? not you unless you have a few screws loose

✧ if you came to visit scaramouche during his deification, he'd tell you about all the things he knew now - the knowledge he had gained, the things he suddenly felt.. except that he was still your scaramouche, being a little shit about everything

✧ fuck haypasia, his true first follower was always you, the person who was by his side even way before all of this. he had however to commend the sages for keeping you a secret from the traveler thus far. if they found out about you he would've been sure to try and hide you away from them (they could use his only weakness against him, but that would be low, even for the traveler)

✧ he allows you to sit down on these giant mecha hands to bring you closer to him and unless you're afraid of heights, is actually amazing. you look so tiny and vulnerable in his hands but he knows exactly that he can protect you even better now if you needed it (i'm thinking rn, if his arms copy every movement, can the mecha fingers too?? sign language mecha confirmed)

✧ if you manage to establish the same connection to him the way haypasia did, he'd definitely tries visiting you throughout the day, watching you from the shadows and making sure you're okay - this was his gift for you now that he was a 'god', his everlasting protection over you that he promises you

✧ besides that, he can read your thoughts now too, so your conversations would also be a little different from before. sometimes he'd just hold you on his mechanical hands and listen to what you have to say in your thoughts as he answers you whatever it might be

✧ in his eyes, you're beautiful on the outside and on the inside. he can tell from your mind that you're genuine about him and also his goals and it secretly reassures him knowing he has someone to actually keep true to what they promised him - in the end, all he ever wanted was to have a purpose, whether that might be through you or the gnosis he desires so much, he atleast knows that there is one more thing int his world to give him a purpose

✧ unlike any of the false promises made to him a long time ago, he'd make sure to keep them. as for now, he had become a god and he could give you everything you wanted if you just would be a little more patient for him

✧ he has everything he wants now, he finally has the heart he was designed for, he was finally the god he was always supposed to be and he had you, the one person who stood through it all with him up until this point

✧ he'd probably watch over you in your sleep - standing there with crossed arms right next to you, an endearing look in his eyes you would've never thought scaramouche could ever possess and a proud, small smile (he didn't care if anyone saw him, but the naked human eye could not perceive his form unless they were a special case like the traveler)

✧ to say that his ego grew with that realisation would be an understatement, and yet he'd make sure you're okay and that you're safe - even when that pesky traveler, his annoying flying creature and that child archon came to fight him, he'd be sure to make sure no harm would ever befall you and that you were secure and far away

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin #kunikuzushi #headcanons #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche #side note #i love haypasia actually #she's just like me fr #i'd be the same if i had SCARAMOUCHE as my god like damn girl gimme ur tricks

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megistusdiary · 2 years

Note

I’m not sure if you’ve written for Xiao yet… but I’m always curious of how people interpret his.. libido to say the least, considering he’s an adeptus and doesn’t feel emotion the same way humans do.

Maybe a shy Xiao were he’s not really sure HOW to ask reader to sleep with him so he tries to give “subtle” hint but they really aren’t as subtle as he thinks.

BTW I love your writing ahhhh

(Can I claim an emoji.. idk how that works tbh I never leave asks so if I can… could I be like, 🥀 anon?? Thanks!!! 💜)

hi there! of course you can be 🥀 anon, welcome to my page :D i'm also very happy you like my writing ♡♡♡ tysm for reading

also i have actually only written two pieces for xiao which are as follows:

1) jealous dom xiao

2) consensual somno with dom xiao

i like to think that xiao doesn't know much about sex except that when done between a male and female, you can create another human sometimes

he doesn't really understand the love-making part of intercourse, so i have an idea of who he would try to ask lol

honestly this has a lot of plot. i have been writing so much these past few days, phew! when i have the time, i am a writing machine haha

warnings: switch!xiao and switch!fem anatomy/pronouns reader

nervous xiao, handjob (xiao receiving), lots of touching/making out lol, first-time sex for both of you :) , lube, fingering/penetration (reader receiving), soft ♡, kissing, baizhu is here but just as a side character because i ♡ him

the leather-bound book sat heavy on your desk in xiao's memory, unable to remove itself from his thoughts.

slightly worn around the edges and held closely to your face while you read it, lips thoroughly bitten. you seemed to think you were so sly when you hid that book behind you whenever he mentioned it.

so it was unusual that he had found it on your desk, for once unguarded by your form. xiao innocently opened the unlabeled cover to see what you had been reading so intently this week.

barely a few sentences in to the page, he immediately realized this was some type of erotic book. he was unfamiliar with some of these terms, purely from a lack of knowledge of human intimacies.

when he finally reached the end of the page, he snapped out of his trance, slamming the book shut with so much force it scattered the pages of your report to the floor.

never had the yaksha been more thoroughly embarrassed, cheeks stained red as he clutched his head.

he knew humans were odd, but he had never seen such a crude book. he never pegged you for the type to be interested in such things. how could one want to read about the act of producing a child?

odd.

perhaps that's how xiao ended up seeking out a personal consultation with the popular pharmacist from bubu pharmacy.

as uncomfortable as it was, the doctor was happy to make his acquaintance, keeping an even-toned expression when he welcomed the yaksha in after hours.

"i understand these concepts might be unfamiliar to you, though i mean no disrespect. these types of things are different from public displays of affection, and they aren't so easily written in literature."

xiao begged to differ based upon that book you left out so haphazardly on your desk for anyone to see.

he allowed the doctor to explain things in the most scientific way possible, trying to remain calm and collected until the yaksha suddenly held up a hand to stop him.

"i...appreciate your effort, but i already understand the act of procreation. i just don't..comprehend why humans seem to enjoy it so much."

baizhu paused, determining the best way to answer the question before he finally understood why xiao really wanted to see him. "i see. you're asking about why lovers like it so much." baizhu barely stifled a chuckle. "to be honest, it's been a while since i have done that myself, but it isn't so much about the act itself."

"how so?"

"it's about being vulnerable with someone. allowing them to see all of you while you see all of them. it's hard to let ourselves be open with everyone, especially if we have a particularly traumatic past. it can lead to becoming guarded." xiao frowned at this. "but, when you're with someone special, a normally uncomfortable situation becomes tender. intercourse becomes love-making." baizhu scratched the back of his neck, wondering if any of this was even sticking. "ah, i'm sorry if-"

xiao abruptly stood, silencing the doctor. "no need to apologize. i understand now. thank you for your time, doctor."

"oh, before you go-" baizhu stood up slower than xiao, reaching behind the counter to collect a small brown bag. "it might not be my place, but i always see mr. zhongli from the wangsheng funeral parlor here collecting peculiarly strong medicine for someone in liyue. it might be presumptuous of me, but, here." he held the bag out towards xiao. "it'll save mr. zhongli a trip here."

xiao gingerly took the bag, holding it in one palm before practically vanishing before baizhu's eyes. the pharmacist smiled to himself, shaking his head before locking up the pharmacy doors and heading home.

it had been a few days since then, and after continuous thinking, he finally decided it was the right time to ask you to do this with him.

you seemed to thoroughly enjoy that book, so surely, it would be even better to experience the real thing, no?

although, xiao had no idea how to bring this to your attention without sounding crude. why was he so nervous about something so simple? he was a yaksha. why were trivial human matters frightening to him?

when you finally came home that evening, you were surprised to see xiao waiting for you, standing in the doorway at attention, watching you almost drop your bag.

"oh, xiao-" you held a hand over your heart, laughing to yourself. "you scared me a little there."

you walked past him, opting to unpack your bag as xiao focused his steel gaze upon your form. "i don't know if you're hungry or not, but i brought your favorite." you turned, holding the container of almond tofu with a big grin.

you expected to see the usual hint of a smile on his own lips, though he seemed to remain neutral as you frowned slightly. "hey, is something wrong?" you started to feel concerned, worried you had upset the yaksha.

xiao clenched his fists as he huffed. "it's nothing. i appreciate the gesture."

you deflated a bit, causing xiao to feel that slight burn in his chest. guilt, he assumed. "alright, sure. i'll leave it here for you." you set the container back on the counter, rubbing your eyes as you put the rest of your things away.

xiao could take it no longer, wishing desperately to get this idea out of his head. "i read your book." he softly blurted out as you slowly turned towards him on your heels.

"what book-"

"the book."

"oh..." you fell silent, face feeling hot as you coughed. "well, i am, uh, sorry for traumatizing you with that, so...yeah." you averted your eyes, screaming at yourself inside your head. how could you forget to put that book back under your pillow? xiao was definitely going to disappear forever now. well done.

"do you want to try...that."

your eyes practically popped out from your skull, covering your mouth. "try what now?"

"intercourse. with- me."

xiao's face was as red as a tomato as you stared at him shocked. "i knew this was a foolish idea, i apologize for offending you. this is an insult to-"

"no!" you yelled out, moving your hands to his shoulders. "no, no, no you're misunderstanding!" you shook your head. "xiao, do you really mean it? you'd try it? with me?"

xiao nodded once, surprised by your overdramatic reaction. was it really as good as baizhu explained it to be?

he also wondered if his karmic debt would weigh too heavily on you for a moment before you gasped, shaking his shoulders with your excited gestures.

"oh, xiao, i...i wanted to ask you for a really long time. i just- i thought you'd never want to. and i never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable." you explained as xiao finally understood.

so you did want to create a child with him? to be honest, he wasn't quite sure if it was even possible, though he had heard stories of half adeptus children in liyue, namely that very popular lawyer woman.

"i'm willing to try." xiao nodded. he allowed you to excitedly lead him to the bedroom, stumbling over your own feet as you pulled him to the bed.

"there's really no need to be nervous." you told him sweetly, cradling his face between your palms as he willed himself to relax.

you were correct, and he hated to admit that a human was more wise than him.

you slowly leaned forward. "is this okay?" you questioned, noses nearly touching as he nodded, staying still and allowing you to approach him. you carefully pressed your lips to his, rubbing your thumbs across his cheekbones as you smiled into his mouth.

xiao's eyes fluttered shut as he allowed you to guide him, keeping his hands at his sides, awkwardly clutching at the blankets. you gently pulled away, feeling him lean forward to chase your lips before catching himself and opening his eyes.

you reached towards his hands now, holding them gently and placing them on your waist as you climbed into his lap. "there, that's better." you commented, kissing him deeper, swiping your tongue across the seam of his lips.

shockingly, xiao seemed to understand this gesture, parting his lips and allowing you to slide your tongue into his mouth. he seemed to find this sensation odd, gripping your hips a little tighter when you shifted against him.

he felt warm when you moved over his hips, pressing your weight down onto him as he groaned, feeling the strange sensations.

you smirked, grinding down against him as he leaned away, panting with spit-slicked lips as you held onto his shoulders tighter. "does that feel good?" you asked as his eyes closed once more, eyebrows furrowing. you giggled a little before stopping, hips growing tired before you suddenly let out a soft moan when xiao started moving your hips for you.

it was easy to forget his inhuman strength when he looked so soft. his grip was tight as he moved you at his leisure, inexperienced yet curious.

"have you- done this before?" you asked him, feeling warmth building in your core as xiao shook his head.

"never." he answered before pulling you against him once more, trembling a bit. "have you?" from the way you spoke and read it so freely, he was shocked to see you shyly shake your head.

"no...i was waiting for the right person." you admitted sheepishly. "i wanted it to be special." you smiled up at him, kissing his cheek.

xiao realized you were talking about him, making it feel like he had crystalflies in his stomach.

"here, i want to try something." you moved off his lap, opting to tug at the waistband of his pants. "we both take off some clothes so it isn't as awkward, okay?"

xiao was perplexed when he watched you shyly pull of your jacket. "i assumed it was normal to strip during this act. is it not natural?"

"huh?"

"being nude. why would you be uncomfortable with the idea?"

you paused, mouth opening and closing as you tried to think of an excuse. in that time, xiao took it upon himself to fully strip. "i have no shame in this form. i took it many years ago in honor of my savior. it is something of pride and loyalty. your form is to be respected." xiao reminded you as your eyes widened.

"well...okay." you took a deep breath, removing the rest of your clothing to match xiao as he carefully folded the fabric, placing it on the chair near the bed. "come here." you gestured as he moved towards you. "lean against the headboard."

xiao did as you commanded, feeling your gaze burn against his skin when you trailed your eyes down his body. you stopped just above his groin, feeling embarrassed as you leaned forward.

"oh! i almost forgot, i actually had something, well uh...just in case." you laughed nervously, reaching over to your nightstand, pulling out a small bottle of liquid.

"what is that?"

"it's supposed to make it easier by making your skin more slippery." you explained, uncapping the bottle to pour some on your fingers. "it'll feel much better with this. or so i've heard."

"from who?"

"...sources."

you ignored xiao's huff, carefully tracing a finger along his shaft as his hips jumped. "sensitive." you smiled, feeling his thighs go tense as you swirled your finger around the tip, playing with the slit as his cock slowly grew harder, leaning up against his stomach.

you moved your hand around him, carefully stroking in a gentle motion as he let out a groan from the slick sounds of your hand on his skin. "it...feels good, but strange-" xiao's hands clenched on the sheets as you moved your hand up and down, using the other hand to play with his heavy balls as he gasped.

as expected, he didn't last long, reaching his first orgasm quickly, coming all over your hand and his stomach, feeling sticky on your fingers as you gently eased him through his orgasm. he relaxed against the headboard, watching as you smiled to yourself.

the expression slowly faded when you realized he was still hard...?

"what- xiao, that's...weird? that's not supposed to happen."

xiao looked perplexed. "i thought humans are capable of enduring multiple orgasms."

"i mean, yeah, with breaks- they don't just keep going-" xiao cut you off by pulling you towards him, pressing your body to his.

"what do i do to return this favor?"

"well, i guess the equivalent would be fingering me? i'm not really sure about that though because-!" xiao reached his hand down to press against your wet cunt, feeling your hips jump against his touch. "xiao, hold on, i'm sensitive-"

he pressed his free hand against your fingers, collecting the leftover lube to press against your cunt, rolling his fingers over the skin messily. "xiao, there's a specific way to do it." your cheeks burned. "i'll show you." with one hand, you gripped his shoulder, the other reaching down to wrap around his wrist, feeling around for your clit until you positioned his finger pads just right.

"oh- there." you sighed, moving his fingers in circles as you moved your hips to match the motion.

"is this...adequate?"

"very," you laughed breathlessly. "but, i need you to do something else for me too."

"anything."

"before we try to put your...you know in me, i need to be, how should i say this, stretched out? they say it really hurts the first time...and i guess i'm just a little nervous because-"

"i promise i won't let anything hurt you." you were taken aback by xiao's sudden oath, looking deep into your eyes as your lips parted. "tell me what i need to do."

you carefully moved his hand down towards your hole, allowing him to feel for himself. "here?" he asked.

"yeah, just press in but be gentle, please." you whimpered as he dipped the tip of his index finger in, gently pushing as you shifted uncomfortably. "feels weird."

xiao stayed silent, eyebrows furrowed by the strange texture around his finger. it was tight, yet soft, wet, and warm as you sucked the digit in. he stuck another next to it, feeling you grip his shoulder tightly, hand falling from his wrist as you dug your nails into his bicep. "archons-"

he continued to push the digits in and out, sometimes moving his fingers a bit. he recalled baizhu explaining some of this. he called it 'fingering' or something along the lines. a fitting name indeed.

eventually you stopped him, gesturing for him to remove his fingers as he frowned. "is something wrong?"

"no, no, i just- i think i'm ready." you took a deep breath as he nodded.

he positioned his tip at your entrance, watching you worry your lip between your teeth as you felt it slowly enter you, tensing your body as he hissed.

"don't do that-" he groaned, grabbing your hips. "relax your muscles, it's too...tight."

you tried to relax, eyes tearing up slightly. it was not as excruciating as you expected, though the stretch did burn, and once you finally got through the hard part, xiao paused.

he allowed you to lean on him, taking shallow breaths as he smoothed a hand down your back. baizhu told him to be patient. he explained you would need time to adjust, that it could be painful taking something in your body this way.

xiao was glad he listened, finally feeling your heartbeat slow as he gently soothed you, albeit stiffly.

"are you okay?" he asked, feeling you nod against his shoulder. he carefully moved his hips experimentally, feeling you clutch your arms around his neck for stability, still pressed to his chest as he hummed, picking up the pace gradually.

you allowed him to buck into you at different angles, feeling him shiver as you kissed at his neck, humming into his skin.

"ah-" you suddenly arched when he hit your g-spot unexpectedly, eyes closing as xiao looked concerned. "that was- good, that was a good spot and-"

he pressed into it again, maintaining the angle of his hips as you trembled. "no, no, i'm gonna come if you keep doing that, xiao." you panicked, though he paid no mind, hearing going static as he continued to fuck up into you. "xiao-" you whined as he held you close to him.

he felt your soft breaths on his skin, hair tickling his neck as you suddenly jolted. "oh- i'm close, i'm really close, xiao, xiao-" you moaned lowly, desperately holding back.

"why are you afraid to experience orgasm?" xiao asked, breaking you from your stupor.

"huh?"

"why?"

"you...i need to keep up with you, xiao. if i- fuck, if i come now...you won't get to and i-"

"i don't mind." xiao admitted, focusing on the feeling of you squeezing around him. "i wanted to know what this was like. i didn't understand why humans were so fond of such things."

he reached down with a hand, sliding it down your stomach to press into your clit as you gasped. how did he remember where-

right. yaksha.

he had you trembling against him, orgasm washing over you as you went slack, leaning onto him and crying out his name as he shuddered, leaning back as you continued to squeeze him oh so tightly.

you felt blissed out as you slowly regained your senses, vision coming back to you as you smiled up at him.

your body still felt tingly, limbs numb as he slowly slid out of you. xiao could tell you were out of it, eyes hazy as he leaned down to kiss your head tenderly.

perhaps human intimacies weren't all completely useless.

#🥀─ 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯 ˚ૢ⋆˚#genshin impact #genshin smut #genshin impact smut #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader smut #xiao smut #xiao #genshin xiao #xiao x reader #switch xiao #💌─𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭! ༊*·˚#✎─𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 ❛ ༉‧₊˚

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lovelyyandereaddictionpoint · 1 year

Text

Yandere Overlord | A Little Crush

“Oh, my–who is this?”

You had been allowed to sit in on the meeting with Ainz, reading his hidden plea that you actually help him understand some of this. Of course under the guise of learning the guardians pay no mind in fact their barely able to contain their excitement to see both you and Ainz.

“That is the insolent emperor of the Vassal country of Baharuth Empire–”

Albedo continued to spew insults but you couldn’t help the heat that spread all over when you looked at his purple-pink irises. You put the picture down before your typical smile could change too much instead using your abilities to inform, Ainz as you promised.

‘Scared him into submission? I don’t remember doing anything but making peace before…’

‘Demiurge is specifically thinking about your appearance at the match…apparently, he was trying to meet with the Slane theocracy but your showing up immediately scared him into submission. Wow! Good job, Ainz!’

‘No good job! I didn’t even know that was happening!”

‘Sure. Sure.’

The meeting continued, which ensured a constant struggle as you tried not to look at the image they had crafted. When it ended you fought with yourself not to take the image instead opting to use your power to photocopy the image onto paper later…or maybe a body pillow.

“Jircniv huh? What a cutie!”

______________________________________________________________

You didn’t have Ainz’s emotional regulator…that much was clear. Yet in the beginning, your true emotions illuded the guardians of Nazarick. But after many months of observation and talking with you they picked up on the subtle signs. Like today the heat emanating from your body, the way you crossed your legs, the bite of your lip to restrict the larger smile–it was all too clear.

“FOR A CRETIN LIKE THAT NO LESS!?” Albedo smashed the table.

Demiurge rose, fighting the urge to angrily thrash his tail about.

“Calm yourself Albedo…this could just be mere interest. (Y/n)-sama has expressed a growing interest in politics…we shouldn’t be so quick to judge!”

“B-but they n-never looked at anyone else like that!” Mare spoke sharing worried eye contact with his sister who returned the favor.

“At this rate…they’ll like them more than us!”

A pregnant silence hung over the room; each of the floor guardians imagining horrifying images of you leaving them for a mere human. Some were of you on the emperor’s arm in wedding garments, others had you sharing a milkshake and feeding the emperor, and another had you promising to run away with the dreaded emperor. Fear and horror enveloped all in the room bringing them to their knees as they reeled in pain. Amidst this Cocyutus took a stand, prepared to bring these worries to light.

“I say…we bring our concerns to Ainz-sama!”

“YES!” “Y-yeah!” “I agree.”

______________________________________________________________

It doesn’t take long for Ainz to see this behavior himself. Hearing your telepathic giggles when you open the same page in the book you’ve been reading for a month is enough confirmation for him. And like always he is the one left to make the hard-hitting decision.

“AINZ-SAMA I suggest I personally help quell their sexual needs!”

“I’m more equipped to take care of them, ariska. ”

“Are you kidding, Mare and me cuddle with them all the time! Maybe you should make them do more with us!”

“Y-yeah!”

“Perhaps they simply wish to explore its healthy for youngins to—”

“Shut up Cocuyutus!” “Grrrr!” “Quiet Cocyutus, ariska!”

And while he agrees you’re boredom is probably a good indicator it’s also because you’re you. He’s sure if he knew you in his old world or even in his guild this would have been normal. As your technical guardian, he shouldn’t really interfere…but even he can’t help but be annoyed with the telepathic squeals you keep making. So maybe on a whim, he’ll make a judgment call.

“A trip to the Vassal state?”

“Yes, it's important that you publicly integrate yourself with the Sorcerer Kingdom.”

‘Do you want to?’

“I’m especially grateful!! I’ll take my mission with pride!”

‘Yes!!! Thanks, Ainz!’

Your telepathic voice warms his nonexistent heart and he sends you away with Aura and Mare. He hopes their presence will deter any acting out on the Emperor’s end and as a deterrent from you possibly…deepening relations. At the guardian's insistence, Ainz sets up a magic glass to watch you from. So with great anticipation, they all watch as you pull away in your carriage pulled by the undead as you make your way to the Baharath Empire.

______________________________________________________________

“Oh, Aura Mare now that we’re practically here I’ve suddenly become so nervous!”

You nervously mused playing with your headdress and veil resting on your lap. You could see through the carriage with your power easily; watching the people of the Baharuth Empire look on in astonishment. But your nervousness wasn’t about meeting people at least not entirely, you were going to meet the man who plagued your imagination with his face for the last month.

“U-uhm (Y-Y/n)-sama why are y-you so nervous! You’re the most amazing Supreme being next to Ainz-sama s-so y-you should be c-confident.”

Mare peeped out, blushing as he complimented you. You gave him a loving smile patting your gloved hand on the tip of his clenched fists causing him to release.

“Thank you Mare, for reminding me! It’s just I’m more nervous about meeting one particular person.”

“Oh? Who is this particular person? Have they done something that we should punish them for?”

Aura probed leaning close to you as if on the verge of discovery. While Aura understood good and well that the Emperor was the cause of this she couldn’t place how; or why the guardians were so averse to it. She guessed it was similar to the way Albedo felt about Ainz but you didn’t do anything as she does so she was stumped…how could a weak human have anything against a Supreme Being like you?

You giggled, “Oh Aura, you’re so cute! I’ll tell you when you’re older!”

She blushed at your statement hiding her face against the corner of the carriage as she mulled against her shaken resolve. She just couldn’t help but crumble when your attention was solely focused on her like that. In a way, she related to big sis Albedo a bit.

With your Sorcerer headdress resembling Ainz and a dark veil covering your face you stepped out of your carriage with Yuri lending you a hand out of the carriage with a bow of respect.

“Presenting (Y/n)-sama, the flower of the Sorcer Kingdom!”

The people guffawed as you traveled up the stairs of the Emperor’s palace, many whispering words of awe as you made your way up the steps. Thankfully the people were so focused on you that they failed to notice the twins who so easily killed a great mass of people before their vassal status.

The guide into the palace was one of his personal guard, fighting the tremble in his voice as he recognized Aura and Mare. Passing by various staff and soldiers you drew their attention easily many dropping weapons or papers as they watched you for as long as they would be let. Past a set of golden double doors you finally laid eyes upon the deeply bowing emperor.

“Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, at your service.”

It was a demeaning bow for someone called the “bloody emperor” and you couldn’t help feeling pity. Already knowing what you wished Yuri cleared her throat and demanded that his personal guard and any remaining staff clear the room. She even sent a look towards the twins who pouted until you turn to them with a pleading tilt of your head. Sulking they excused themselves finally leaving you and Jircniv, with the exception of Yuri, all alone.

Worldlessly she bowed towards you once more before raising your veil, you smile when shock overtakes his face.

“Its a pleasure to meet you Jircniv! I hope you can show me the best Baharuth Empire has to offer.”

“Of course my liege!”

______________________________________________________________

When Jircniv had been informed of a visit from Nazarick he near crapped himself in fear that it be in reprimand to his attempt to betray...but when he heard that the “Flower of Nazarick”was in attendance he relaxed…a little. This probably was the final nail in the coffin for him, pulling at his hair and cursing his hubris he ordered the best for your arrival. Even as you arrived with those dreaded dark elves as guards he was sure you would be the one to rip out his heart.

To that, he was right. The lifting of your veil was the fist, tightly grasping his heart as it slowly revealed your face to him. The pulling was the ethereal gleam of your smile and voice. In complete juxtaposition from Ainz Ooal Gown you glowed with a heartwrenching presence that had him practically becoming a puddle on the floor. If he were a lesser man he would have been far to floored to look away to bow even harder than before but he was an emperor for blood’s sake.

Immediately he rearranged the whole plan for the day, changing seating arrangements that would have put space between you two to eliminating them entirely. Offering his hand to you when there was so much of a change in tiles. Even when maid with the gauntlets threatened to kill him for overstepping he remained steadfeast. All his fear had dissipated the moment you revealed your face, he wondered if it was some sort of sorcery that made him so infatuated. If it was, he doubted he’d ever wanted it removed. Even when your veil dropped over your face again and he felt misery take hold of his being once more–he still didn’t want to be relieved of this joy. Watching you feast on the various delicacies as they disappeared behind your veil overtook him with a feeling of pride.

Hearing the relayed words of joy as you experienced the different activities and festivals he had prepared in your honor. Had him swooning all the more, completely nulling the deathly glares from the elves that had so easily lay waste to his army.

“Ahem (Y/n)-sama would like to thank you for the griffin egg, tch, they say they will be thinking of you when they raise it.”

“I’m honored, my highness!”

Hardly able to hold back his tears when you must retire he takes a bold step that leaves all your guardians itching to pulverize him. A kiss against your gloved hand before you dismiss yourself for the night is all it is.

“Good night, oh luscious flower of Nazarick! I’ll be counting the seconds until I may see you again!”

In the comfort of your room with Aura and Mare sitting on the grand bed you received they watch as you float about as you scream into the various pillows.

“Keeee he actually said that to me! OhmigoshOhmigoshOhmigosh! Can you believe he said that to me!? Hehehe!”

So enveloped in your joy you fail to register the dark shadows that have cast over Aura’s and Mare’s faces.

“Yeah…it sure is great…”

“Isn’t it? Who’d think he’d be so sweet! Especially on the first day, too! Weeee, its just like those romance fanfics–”

“U-uhm (Y/n)-sama? C-can y-you tell me how g-good I was today!? I followed Ainz-sama’s and your orders and I didn’t hurt any humans!

Mare’s outburst had Aura incredulously looking at her twin. Especially because she knew well and good how many times her twin opened the ground to swallow the humans following after your entourage. But she watched as your floated back down to the bed pulling Mare into your chest as you pet his head, she hurriedly crawled to your other side.

“M-me too! Do me too (Y/n)-sama!”

“Okay okay you two get over here!”

Miles away in the safety of Nazarick the other guardians watched as the glass ball they had been watching from received a crack.

They weren’t the only ones who were regretting letting you leave.

On a completely personal level...

This man just sends me...

I wanna bite so bad I don't know why! 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

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genshin-squabbles-and-wobbles · 9 months

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ok my dumbass didn't understand and now looking back at your response made me feel so dumb rn i hate myself :(

PLSSS disregard my request earlier, i would love a part two of the post you made with the comfort after fluff

I'M SO SORRY- I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANT EARLIER-

-Anon of the safeword scenario <3

NO WORRIES I GOT YOU! Also sorry for this taking so long, but here it is. I am sorry if it doesn’t connect well with part 2, as it has been a while, however, I will try my best. Thank you for being so patient with me. Sorry if my writing sucked on this. Safe word Part 2 Part 1: Here Requested Tags: @nnasv

Scaramouche:╔════════════════════════════════╗

After the rough angry sex, and his slow apology, Scaramouche was gently taking care of you, as he was kissing every hickey on your body that. He was silent as it was hard to read his mind. Maybe he felt guilty, maybe he felt remorse and regret, maybe he was focused on your, or maybe he was angry with himself.

You looked at him, as he was rubbing pain killer cream on your bites and hickeys. You were sitting on his lap, so he had access to your body, as he took care of you. He sighed and looked at you. He wanted to say something as he felt maybe he had no right to. He felt like he might've hurt you, or lost your trust. However, you gently cupped his face and smiled. You wanted to tell him that you understood why he did what he did.

He looked at you and sighed. "Why? Don’t humans...don’t human hate you after this?" You shook your head and began to kiss his cheek. he widen his eyes in surprised. "Its okay...just talk to me next time." You patiently smiled at him. After all, he has a lot to learn but he was willing to learn for you.

His gaze soften and gently pulled you into an embrace. He then started to rub cream on the hickies on your back, and began to check the bruises he accidentally gave you. He made sure you were resting in bed, as he was cooking your meals and making sure you recovered properly. Despite him not sure how to take care of a human being, he made sure to listen to your needs and wants.

Kazuha ┌── •✧• ─── •✧• ─── •✧• ───── •✧• ──┐

Later on, you were avoiding Kazuha a bit due to the recent events, as you felt maybe your safe space was suddenly broken a bit. And of course, Kazuha noticed this. He does sigh at his own actions in shame, however, he didn’t know how to approach despite him seemingly he always know what he is doing. His emotions got the best of him as he had been feeling guilty. You were his one and only loving significant other, how could he treat you like a ragdoll as such.

Eventually, you two ended up being in a room alone. As you were stacking books in the bookshelf, and cleaning up. Kazuha entered as he needed a book to help him with his poetry, a reference book if you may. Kazuha stopped as he saw you, for a moment he thought about leaving as he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable however, he decided to maybe talk to you.

He walked up behind you, and gently placed a hand on the bookshelf. "Darling.." He whispered to you. You turned and looked at him, as you felt your heart pound. You never expected to talk to him or see him this soon near you. You looked at him and tried not to show your surprise.

"Can I...Can I hold you?" He held his hands up, as a way to show he won’t be rough with you in anyway. You thought for a moment and nodded. He gently wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close against him. "Darling, I am sorry for what did to you...I was frustrated and I shouldn’t have let it get to me so bad. I was immature...please...forgive me." You gently hugged him back and stayed silent. "How about tonight I can spoil you with kisses and cuddles and if you feel up to it, we can try a gentler time with our bodies?"

Xiao ╭┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈╮

Later on, Xiao was massaging your thighs, hips and back. Nothing but guilt was coming out his mouth, as he felt regret for ever being rough with you. He brought you your meals, bathed you, lotioned you. He kissed on your bruises and wounds. He massaged your lower back as you complained that hurt you the most. He would feed you painkillers and rub medicine on the bruises and handprint bruises he caused on your body.

He would then cuddle you right after, rubbing your stomach, or back, to make sure you are comfortable enough to sleep. Xiao would look at you with a defeated gaze, as he was silent. You reached out and placed your hands on his chest. "What's wrong? Does your back hurt you again?" He asked, making sure you are okay before anything else.

You shook her head. "I..I forgive you, I get why you did what you did.." Xiao sighed. "I am still sorry...I was a child...that is not what you should expect from an adeptus of 2000 years old..." He looked at you. "Please, you need to make sure to stop me next time, or get away from me. I feel scared I might hurt you again...even worse...use my full strength..."

You smiled. "I trust you...you would never hurt me.." With those words, Xiao tried not to shed tears, as he was overthinking. The idea that he would accidentally kill you during these intimate moments, the idea of hurting you, the idea that he caused you misery and suffering. He couldn’t handle it. You continued to reassure him, as you felt how gentle his hands were on your tattered body.

Albedo: ❉ ╤╤╤╤ ✿ ╤╤╤╤ ❉ ❉ ╤╤╤╤ ✿ ╤╤╤╤ ❉ ❉ ╤╤╤╤ ✿ ╤╤╤╤ ❉

Albedo was making medicine for your sore throat from recent events, as you were laying down. Your throat was red and sore. You were coughing. You felt Albedo feed you a serum to help with your throat. He fed you soft foods so you had an easier time swallowing. Albedo sighed as he knew he was responsible for this, no amount of consoling was enough to make him feel better. He wanted to take accountability so this is what he decided to do.

He was checking your throat, and making sure it was recovering. He was feeding you stew, soup, a lot of water based meals. He was giving you cough drops. Sometimes when things get to him bad, he was kiss your throat, and apologize to you in the most gentlest voice. "Dear...that was very barbaric of me...I never meant to ruin your throat as such with such tainting actions..."

He is aware you forgive him, however he couldn't forgive himself until he takes full responsibility for that throat of yours. He stopped everything, all his experiments, playtime with Klee, his main priority is you.

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unhelpfulfemme · 6 months

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I'm rereading the Lymond Chronicles right now and, as a lover of twisty, strategic bastards, I have to say that Dunnett understands things about how to write them properly that few others do. Everything that happens in these books lands in a very heavy, physical way - like, you can almost feel the physical thunk as events land, whereas most other twisty bastards books feel like floaty CGI whose physicality you're never really fully buying, fun as the special effects are.

So I tried to do a little analysis as to why, because I live for a twisty strategic bastard narrative :)

Lymond has a personality and is driven by his emotions, despite his cleverness and chessmaster tendencies - he doesn't do everything out of strategic consideration, and you can clearly see his fault lines from the start - glimpses of suppressed emotion, flaws that may be his undoing, irrational choices that clearly fulfill a psychological purpose but not a strategic one. Everyone is allowed to be pathetic and annoying and unlikeable. And all this is allowed to shape the plot - sometimes the character will be allowed emotions and a personality but not where it impacts the plot, so you will get a sort of a parallel lines thing where there's an "emotion" plot where the character is perhaps allowed to be flawed and show off their personality, and which perhaps impacts their interpersonal relationships, and a "competence" plot where the character always performs near-flawlessly and their emotions never enter into the game, and never the twain shall meet. No matter how controlled and self-possessed someone is, it strains my credulity when a person is portrayed as someone in possession of major personal flaws or psychological anguish, and yet this is never allowed to spill over into the way they interact with the "competence" plot or derail them in any way. Especially if they are portrayed as someone suppressing everything for efficiency's sake - they are going to crack at some point, and the stitches are going to burst open like a shaken bottle of soda with innards flying everywhere and hitting everyone around them, and if they're not, you're clearly not putting your character under enough pressure. Which makes for a boring story. The fact that Lymond is 100% human 100% of the time actually makes him look more competent and impressive, not less.

He is allowed to fail, because flaws are human and failure is human. The more convoluted a plan the more possible points of failure it has, and this is especially the case if large chunks of it rely on understanding and manipulating human beings: humans are messy complex dynamic systems, like the weather, and are therefore difficult if not impossible to predict to that degree of granularity. Lymond is allowed to misjudge Scott, for example, he is allowed to have his convoluted plans go wrong, and this is allowed to derail him: sometimes he bounces back, yes, but he is not constantly failing upwards, and his failures do have unfixable consequences sometimes. If they never did, the narrative would become boring and void of tension and emotion. The fact that the difficulty of pulling off these plans is realistically portrayed through the inclusion of stochasticity makes me admire his capacity to pull them off as often as he does more and not less.

He is allowed to fail in a way that's his own fault - combining my previous two points, it's not always that circumstances have conspired in such a way that he couldn't possibly predict or influence it; his failures are often a consequence of his own flaws and his own psychological hangups and blind spots, and are therefore all the more pleasing to read about because they tie into the emotional and personal narrative of the books. (Though I do also love the narratives where the brilliant hero does everything right and yet is trapped in a set of shifting wider historical circumstances where whatever he does is doomed to fail eventually, like Bel Riose from the Foundation books or even Thrawn.)

Another important point is when he's allowed to fail - I read somewhere that a deux ex machina or a similar contrivance that kick starts the plot is more tolerable and less suspension of disbelief-breaking than one which resolves it at the climax, and I think that it's kind of the opposite with failures of twisty bastards? So many people writing them seem to adore the competence porn too much to let them fail at crucial moments - if they do fail, even if it checks all my previous points, it's at the beginning, so that they are then allowed to use their cleverness twist out of the situation - see Eugenides in Return of the Thief, whose stubbornness and jealousy loses him the support of his foreign allies, but who then manages to pull through despite it (and is then vindicated by them never having had the intention to help in the first place due to realpolitik considerations). Or Miles Vorkosigan in Memory - he has a lapse of judgement at the start, but he makes no further lapses of judgement, and even his emotional journey of depression and reexamining of his life (the series' high point of characterization complexity tbh) has absolutely no bearing on his efficient functioning within the plot itself.

Which brings me to, consider also the role that this failure has in the narrative - because unless you're writing something that's just hardcore sociological storytelling (again, like the Foundation), this is a story about individuals, and a climax with personal stakes is almost always more satisfying than a more impersonal one where the hero gets to show off his cleverness. When Lymond fails in The Game of Kings, it swerves the plot from a very mechanistic, spy-novel-esque intrigue of finding the right man and clearing his name, to a psychodrama that forces him to confront his brother and face his past emotionally, and that also airs all of Lymond's flaws and misconceptions and pent-up emotions, but also all of Richard's, because this is the driving force of the narrative and it's so much more satisfying to watch it unfold than it would have been to watch Lymond bounce back and execute everything with flawless mechanical accuracy. Compare this to the climaxes of most new canon Thrawn books, or most Vorkosigan books (the one big exception is Brother in Arms - actually the more Mark the book has, the likelier it is to have an emotion-driven denouement), or all of the Inda books, or all of the Gentleman Bastards books - at best they will put a loved one in danger or kill them off to generate personal stakes, but what does Thrawn's personality, for example, have to do with the resolution of the plot in his books? I love those books, but they don't land nearly as hard. Compare and contrast Tyrion's trial in ASOIAF - Tyrion is also a twisty bastard but the process of him defending himself and running away doesn't involve his wits - it involves confronting his father and brother, about whom he has massive emotional baggage.

Anyway the TL;DR is you should all read the Lymond Chronicles.

#lymond chronicles #dorothy dunnett #mentions of:#vorkosigan saga #queen's thief #gentleman bastards #thrawn trilogy #foundation #asoiaf #writing #writing advice #I guess?

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fanfic-lover-girl · 7 months

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How Harmione Parallels Kataang

So I was reading snippets from Deathly Hallows, including the Harry & Harmione scenes after Ron left, and I noticed how much this non-canon ship is similar to the travesty that is Kataang.

It wasn't going to be as detailed or long as my Makorra vs Kataang post above but the thoughts just flowed.

Unequal Give and Take in the Relationship

Like Katara, Hermione gives way more than Harry to their friendship. Harry and Aang are the receivers usually. We never see Aang truly empathize with Katara when it comes to her mother and her darker side. When Harry sees Hermione breaking down in tears in DH, he literally just looks at her or ignores her crying when they sleep at night. Hermione on the other hand gives Harry hugs and pep talks whenever he is raging or sad. Harry is the exact same way with Ginny, by the way, his one true love (roll my eyes).

The instant they arrived Hermione dropped Harry’s hand and walked away from him, finally sitting down on a large rock, her face on her knees, shaking with what he knew were sobs. He watched her, supposing that he ought to go and comfort her, but something kept him rooted to the spot.

Motherly Vibes in the Relationship

ATLA literally had an episode where Katara pretended to be Aang's mom. Katara acts as the motherly figure in the group. In the Runaway episode, Katara acts like a nagging, mood-killer and Aang reacts to her like a mom when she scolds his posture. I recently posted about Aang's first earthbending lessons and how Katara was acting like a helicopter mom in those scenes. Hermione is not as motherly, thank goodness, but Hermione, like Katara, is posed as the boring, nagging friend. Harry does not enjoy her company as much as Ron's due to this nagging. He lies to her and avoids her due to her nagging. Whenever Harry is confused or emotional about something, I notice JKR usually uses the word "gently" to describe how she speaks to Harry. I notice Hermione is a lot more gentle and caring towards Harry compared to Ron a lot. She gives Harry tips on how to date Cho and coaches him on female nature. Like Katara, Hermione is the one who cooks and does the food shopping/stealing (well she did leave money at the coop and the muggle store so it is still stealing??) in their glorified camping trip. Even though Harry should know how to cook.

Threat of Violence/Intimidation

Katara is always the one who has to bear the danger of Aang's avatar state to calm him down. While Sokka and Toph run away in the desert episode, Katara is the only one left to approach Aang in this volatile state. It's not fair that Katara is forced to shoulder this burden alone. Also, I saw an avatar comic where Aang literally lavabends right in front of Katara in a tantrum when she tells him to practice firebending (it could be earthbending instead but the point stands). As for Hermione, Harry is not much better. You see this behaviour especially when it comes to Hagrid. Whenever Hermione has common sense and expresses annoyance about Hagrid, Harry often intimidates her to comply with his beliefs. I recall Hermione being frightened by Harry a lot. What a great friend. Not to mention when Harry went on his rage rampage in book 5, terrorizing Ron and Hermione. I don't care how much supposed PTSD Harry has. I understand things are rough for him, but that gives him no right to bully his friends and unleash his rage on them, especially Hermione.

Emotional Manipulation

For Katara, Aang was emotionally manipulative in Southern Raiders. He unfairly compares Katara's want for justice to Jet who tried to murder innocent people. He compares losing his pet to Katara losing her mother. Anyone who compares an animal to a human being is an idiot. Not sorry. Even at the end of the episode, he is still pushing forgiveness on her. As a Christian, I believe in forgiveness but someone should not force or guilt you into forgiveness. Harry is a bit more...messy to explain. He has used his parents' murder to guilt trip Hermione and Ron. For example, in book 1 when they were doing the magical puzzles to catch up to Moldy Voldy. The reason why I label this as emotional manipulation is because unless the plot calls for it, Harry does not care about his parents. Unless he wants something from someone. He is perfectly willing to use his dead parents to try to get Slughorne to give him the memory for Dumbles in book 6. He has a photo album he almost never looks at. He never talks much to Remus and Sirius about his parents. He never visits their grave until freaking book 7! So yeah, him using his dead parents to guilt trip Hermione, and Ron too, is 100% emotional manipulation. Also, Harry regularly uses the silent treatment or ostracization to guilt-trip people into apologizing to him. Even when he bears responsibility for the conflict. We see this with Ron, Seamus and yes Hermione. Hermione tries to protect Harry in book 3 when Sirius sends Harry that broom, and Harry, and Ron, punish her for this by ignoring her. For how long? At least a few weeks. How anyone sees the golden trio as a good friend group is a total mystery.

Selfishness / Lack of Empathy

This is kind of related to the first and fourth sections. For Aang, he is selfish when it comes to Katara. In season 3, he does not respect Katara's boundaries and gives her non-consensual kisses twice. In Ember Island Players, he nods along at the dialogue about Katara being the "avatar's girl" indicating that he is possessive of her. All he cares about is his crush and he does not care about Katara's feelings about her confusion and her desire to wait after the war to deal with romance. Aang never tries to appreciate her water tribe culture beyond the pilot episode. To the point where Tenzin completely ignores his water tribe heritage. Unlike Katara's other love interests (Jet and Haru), when Katara tries to empathize with Aang about the death of the airbenders, he never offers any recognition of Katara's loss and instead just tries to deny the airbenders are gone. Even in the northern water tribe, Aang makes Katara's anger at Pakku about HIM. Aang fails to recognize that she is fighting because of the injustice and sexism being done to HER and she's fighting for HERSELF. Aang sees how his friends lost their father figures in the invasion and in the next episode he does not care. Or at least he does not care enough to take their concerns about the next steps in the war seriously and goofs off instead. Enough of about Kataang, how does Harmione measure up?

Like Aang, Harry is very self-centered. Every time his birthday comes around he expects to be treated like a king and have his birthday be acknowledged by everyone. When he believes people have forgotten, he gets upset and pouty. Ron and Hermione's birthdays are mentioned only once I believe. Ron in book 6 and Harmione in book 5 or 6. He gives Ron a present for his bday. But what about Hermione? Zilch, nada. Hermione explicitly mentions her birthday in the text and I can't recall him giving her anything. I did a quick google search and I can't find squat! The dude makes a big stink about his birthday every year and can't even have the decency to reciprocate. I mention Harry's lack of empathy already in section 1. And it not only applies to Hermione but everyone. Including Ginny. If you really look at Harry, everything revolves around him. Harry shows very little appreciation for Hermione practically doing his homework for him. There is also a weird thing where Harry thinks to himself that he acts as a mediator for Romione but his actions show the opposite. When Ron and Hermione fight, he stays out of it and finds the whole thing annoying. Or even worse, when Hermione is feeling affectionate with Ron, Harry has a 'what about me' attitude.

Hermione was watching Ron fret over the fate of the Cattermoles, and there was such tenderness in her expression that Harry felt almost as if he had surprised her in the act of kissing him. ‘So, have you got it?’ Harry asked her, partly to remind her that he was there.

Secrecy

Both Aang and Harry hide things from their "love interest". Harry hides the fact that he was not practising his occlumency. Not only that, he actively tries to probe his connection with Moldy Voldy against Hermione's warnings. Several times he purposely hides house elf matters from Hermione, despite knowing how much she allegedly cares about the elves. For example, when he learns Slughorne is using elves to test his drinks for poison one of his first thoughts is to not tell Hermione. I don't even think Harry has a once of empathy or concern for the elves being abused like this. When Harry is fighting in the triward tournament, Hermione constantly nags him to prepare for his tasks and asks about his progress. If Harry was not such a nitwit, he would have asked Hermione for her help and she would have offered it. But instead, he lies to her and brushes her off. Aang hides Bato's map so that Katara and Sokka will not leave him for their father. At least Aang owns up to his lies. However, I do not believe Aang is fully honest about his avatar state situation after season 2. I think he tells them that he can't go into the state but I do not recall him ever revealing WHY. This inability could have cost them the war. What if there were no conveniently placed rock in the finale? Would Aang's avatar state be locked forever??

Conclusion

That's it from me. Both Kataang and Harmione are ships that lack proper respect, chemistry, maturity and trust. The girls give more to the relationship than the guys and the guys don't have any appreciation or care for their interests. Both these relationships are better off staying platonic. And even as a platonic relationship, they are still problematic. None of these kids are evil (not even horrid Harry) but these people need to either date other people and/or have some more emotional development.

Harmione is not a good ship. Harmione fans can claim how much better Harmione is than Romione and act superior all they want in the Romione vs Dramione war (all three ships are trash), but as far as I am concerned, both Hermione and Harry need serious help before they can date anyone. It's ironic really. Hermione mistreats towards Ron but then Harry turns around and mistreats her AND Ron. Harry makes it clear who's king in the golden trio. What karma. Poor Hermione.

If you want a better, more comprehensive meta on why Harmione does not work as a ship, check out this lovely gem of an essay. Have a great day!

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blithesharem · 4 months

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Day 9 - 9 Days of Solomon

Day 9 - Humanity

This is very late but I really wanted to write this fic, so here it is! This was one of the first prompts I settled on before the celebration week had started. Does Solomon ever feel alienated by his own body's changes over his adjustment into immortality? Are there things that he misses, or doesn't believe he'll ever have again?

AFAB Reader, Gender Neutral otherwise. Check tag for spoiler/content warning.

Solomon sat on the couch in Cocytus Hall, a book he wasn’t reading in his hand, leg jiggling nervously.

He’d been alive a long time. He’d seen many things, watched empires rise and fall, witnessed the most depraved horrors imaginable, and feared for his immortal life more than once. But this…this had evoked a deep anxiety that Solomon hadn’t felt for a very long time, if he’d ever felt it at all.

‘We need to talk’

Solomon snapped the book in his hand shut, tossing it aside and picking up his DDD again. He flicked over the messages between you two for the dozenth time that morning, staring at the words that had shocked a blade of alarm through his system.

We need to talk. What did that even mean? One would imagine after hundreds of years of evolution mankind would have found a better phrase to wield as a weapon.

The clock above the hearth chimed 11 and Solomon started, nearly dropping the phone in his hand. You’d be home any minute. To talk. A talk the two of you apparently needed.

He’d been trying all morning to ignore the conclusion foremost in his mind. You were finally done with him. You’d fallen for someone else, or several someones as the case may be. He’d not been ignorant to the way the demon brothers seemed to have gotten more clingy with you as of late, glancing at him and whispering when they thought he wasn’t looking. It had been almost amusing, perhaps just a bit irritating, right up until he’d gotten your message early that morning.

Now, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t imagine a path that didn’t take you away from him. He knew he was lucky just to have had the year together with you that he had. A part of him had always expected this, expected that at some point you would be lured away to someone who could give you more. He had only thought he had more time.

Meanwhile, outside the front door, you stood paralyzed with similar thoughts. You tried to take another deep inhale, a bit lightheaded from how you struggled to take full breaths. You’d faced down rampaging demons, three headed dogs and been torn through time, yet somehow this fear felt worse.

Finally, you decided you couldn’t agonize anymore. Time to rip the bandaid off. You push open the door and enter the home you shared with Solomon. A sudden clatter and hissed out curse told you the sorcerer was in the living room, and you made your cautious way there. He stood in front of the couch, trying to give you his usual sideways smile, the effect somehow diminished by the way he was wiping his palms on his thighs.

“Ah, you’re home! Welcome,” he said brightly, and you tried to return his smile, both of you puppets whose strings were pulled so tight they threatened to snap.

“Thanks,” you reply a bit breathlessly, a long beat passing before you move to sit on the couch.

“Shall I make us some tea?” Solomon asks, taking a step toward you, then the couch, then away, a frantic little three step that would have been charming if you’d not been so nervous yourself.

“No, I’m fine. Come sit with me,” you say, and Solomon hesitates for only a moment before he does. After he settles, you reach for his hand, finding it as cool and clammy as your own. For a moment you can’t bring yourself to speak.

“Go ahead. Tell me,” he whispers, and you glance up from you lap to see he has apparently calmed, a strange emotion you can’t quite place still behind his eyes. He squeezes your fingers and you swallow the knot in your throat and nod.

“I’m pregnant.”

“I understand. I expe – pregnant?” Solomon interrupted himself, doing the smallest of doubletakes as his expression went from resigned to astounded. You nod.

Solomon was silent, staring at you as you watch his vision go distant and unseeing. He wavers like the room is spinning and you feel yourself tense.

“Pregnant…” he repeats weakly. You had hoped in your deepest most secret of hearts that he’d be happy, but you’d feared that this might be the truth. He didn’t want the baby. He didn’t want a baby with you.

Solomon had said something, and you clench your teeth, letting anger shorten your words instead of feeling the heartbreak.

“What?” you ask, blinking back tears. There is another long silence as Solomon drops his gaze to your hands.

“I…I didn’t know I could,” he finally says in a soft hush, and when he looks at you, you realize it’s not numbness but awe that had quieted him, “I thought…Well. I thought I’d given up that hope along with my mortality. I thought I was too…wrong.” And it’s true. He’d never even considered that he might still have retained enough humanity to father a child. Even if he’d had, he never would have begun to dream that he might experience the joy of raising a family with you.

“Well, it’s not anyone else’s,” you try to tease, but your voice is shaking and it alerts Solomon to your own frightened state. He touches your cheek with reverence, Then sweeps you up in one greedy motion, pulling you into his lap and pressing a heated kiss to your lips.

“Ah, my love, my poor dear, I’m terribly sorry,” he laughs in a rush, kissing across your face as he squeezes you in his arms, “Pregnant! A baby! My baby!” Solomon continues with a bright burst of laughter, and it makes your lips quirk into a smile despite the tears wetting your lashes.

“You’re…happy?” you ask tentatively, pressing against his tight hold so you can look at his expression properly. He grins but his gaze is intense as he finds your eyes.

“I am absolutely terrified!” he says, “But yes…completely, indescribably, utterly happy.” He kisses you again, and this time you lean into it, relief flooding your system. For a long time Solomon just holds you close, pressing kisses wherever he can reach. In his arms, you can feel that he’s shaking.

“Is this really going to be okay?” you ask him softly, laying your cheek on his shoulder and closing your eyes, arm draped protectively over a stomach that hasn’t even begun to swell yet.

“It is going to be okay,” Solomon promises, swallowing the sudden knot in his own throat. To be so bound to you, to hold his own child. To have a family.

It is more than he’d ever hoped he’d be allowed to have.

#9daysofsolomon #9 days of solomon #obey me solomon #cw pregnancy

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meraki-yao · 7 months

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List of thoughts while listening to the RWRB audiobook while drawing Alex during my drawing class (4 10 2023)

Drawing progress update: I was kinda done with the base outline sketch and it looked fine, but my teacher told me it was time to start shading/colouring it and once I did HOLY SHIT IT LOOKED AWFUL HE LOOKED SO DERPY I was laughing so hard at it that I was nearly falling over lmao (trust the process, he helped me a bit and pointed out what's wrong, it looks much less derpy now)

Ch8- half of Ch9 (Wimbledon -> DNC -> Zahra finds out -> Coming out to Ellen -> email: A Mass of Fools and Knaves)

I internally groan in frustration whenever Alex denies he's in love, dude, what the fuck (like, I understand him, but as a listener/reader, come on)

I need to quickly reiterate that I understand changes need to be made for adaptations, and as long as it's done well, which was in RWRB, I have no problem with it. That being said I do notice differences and think about stuff and that's a neutral thing out of curiosity

It never occurred to me how much... Tamer the movie characters are than their book counterparts? Like when you consume each media independently you don't see it because that's just the nature of the medium: films need to be more grounded than books because there's a limitation to a human's suspense of disbelief because it's visual in their face. But the difference in energy levels in the two just hit me. It's interesting.

I never minded not having June in the movie from the start, because Matthew's explanation of the choice is valid and the film worked regardless. However knowing that Taylor has siblings and is one of the young ones, him as Alex having an on-screen sister and getting to play with that dynamic would have been nice to see. (especially of what happened to his family in June. I really wanna hug him.)

The moment in the Wimbleton where Henry fell asleep and Alex just watched him, I kinda wish there was a moment like this in the movie where Alex watches a sleeping Henry, although I can't tell where it would potentially fit in

I tried to find which sex scene in the myriad of sex scenes from the book would have the emotional vulnerability and gentleness of the movie Paris scene, and I think it's the DNC one? The only difference in terms of emotions is Paris is comfort and DNC is hurt/comfort

Kinda prefer the movie coming out to Mom than the book one

I once again question both of them: boys, you're already comparing your correspondence with historical love letters, how the fuck have neither of you realized you're in love and it's very much reciprocated, you two dumbasses (still love you)

As someone who was obsessed with Hamilton for a year and a half and still deeply appreciates the musical, Hamilton's relationships always ... gave me conflicted feelings. I don't doubt he's bi, or he was in love with Laurens, but it's just... Eliza loved him so, so damn much, to the point where she dedicated her entire life to his legacy, and the idea that her love wasn't reciprocated in the same measure just ... makes me really sad for her

I want to cry at the emails, I feel like this is a turning point for book FirstPrince. Again, I really need Taylor and Nick to read the book emails.

#rwrb #red white and royal blue #rwrb movie #firstprince #taylor zakhar perez #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor #henry hanover stuart fox #nicholas galitzine #rwrb thoughts #rwrb audiobook #still begging for a full cast audiobook #my rwrb list #meraki drawing class thoughts

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thehumanpuffball · 2 months

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Myth is Man (1)

Throughout history, humans have always loved stories. They, in some cases, form intrinsic parts of how we teach about our norms and values. A rather famous example would be the moral tale of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” a very apt name in my opinion. Anyone who went to a British primary school most likely knows this one off by heart, but I do not know about other countries so here is a shortened version of it:

A shepherd boy tends to the flocks of sheep on the side of the hill at night. He works when all of the shepherds have gone to bed and his job is to protect the flock from the wolves that would otherwise eat the sheep. If he sees a wolf coming to eat the sheep, he must cry out at the top of his lungs “WOLF!” and the townspeople would come running up the hill to scare it away. One night, the boy gets bored, and he thinks that it would be a good idea to shout to the town that there is a wolf. Of course, all those who could, come running up the hill to protect the sheep which will feed them in the winter, but alas, the wolf is not there. Another night comes and the boy does the same, the wolf is still not there, and the townspeople all get angry as they have been called out of bed repeatedly in order to scare away a wolf which doesn’t exist. On the third night, there is a wolf, and the boy cries out to tell them, in hopes that they will run up the hill to save the flock. Nobody comes. He tries again but it is all in vain. Nobody is coming.

The next morning, the shepherd comes back to the hillside, and he says to the boy “Where are the sheep?”, for they had all been taken by the foxes. The boy replies with “I called for the townspeople, but nobody came.

This story is told often to primary school children because it highlights the importance of not lying as when the boy in the tale lies people stop believing him and when he needs help, he does not receive it.

There are so many of these stories and they are told in assemblies everywhere. They are such an important part of our lives growing up as the characters going through these very obvious and tangible events can be used in order to teach children about morals and about right and wrong more effectively than a list of rules can. Writing and storytelling is one of the oldest human artforms, our brains love a good story, once they kept us together around campfires, and now they keep us together in book clubs and at Halloween when we tell ghost stories with our friends in the dark. Fandom is also a form of this, a group of people brought together by the pure joy of loving a piece of media and wanting to talk about it.

Furthermore, it is crucial that we celebrate all writers, because not only can we find joy, peace, and delight in fiction, but we can also understand some of the more awful things in the world a little better using fiction. I know that my perception of religion and where I stand on it was somewhat guided by my reading of the His Dark Materials trilogy which has some beautiful messages about the dangers of control of only one religion, but the wonder that can be created when different people with different life experiences and beliefs all put their ideas together, and the importance of discussion and open mindedness. This part goes for writers too, it is so crucial that people keep writing the stories that they want to write, not what will sell, because every book has a soul. A writer behind those pages who put so much emotion into these characters, crafted people from the electrical and chemical signals in their mind.

Storytelling is a major part of being human, it always has been and (hopefully) always will be. Whether you are a bestselling author, or you like to make up little scary stories to tell your friends at sleepovers, your story is part of a long, long tradition, and is valuable, and beautiful.

#writing #stories #the boy who cried wolf #my words #spilled thoughts

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ikeromantic · 9 months

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The Devil's Own

This is a commission piece following the OC Jennifer and Lucifer. In this story, Jenn and Luci argue and Jenn leaves. Realizing he might actually lose her, Lucifer goes after her. Approx. 3K words, fluff and angst.

For More: Obey Me Masterlist

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Lucifer’s voice was cold and sharp. He glared at her with anger that could only be provoked by someone he loved. The icy sweep of wrath, bound up in his pride, was impervious to the hate-stare she threw back at him.

Jenn’s hands were clenched into fists at her sides. “I am not being anything. I told you, I want to be able to go back and forth between this realm and the mortal one whenever I like. I don’t have to tell you why.”

Lucifer scoffed. “You don’t understand what you’re even asking for.”

“I know exactly what I asked for and I don’t need you to lecture me about it. Now. Make it so I can pass through the boundaries between realms or - or I’ll get Solomon to show me how to do it without your permission!”

“No.” Lucifer crossed his arms. “You mortals always think you know everything after a mere handful of decades. Solomon has centuries and he is still a fool. His methods only work for him because he has permission - not in spite of it. So it won’t work for you regardless. Your threat is as meaningless and pointless as your request. Now get out of my sight.”

She looked as if she might argue further. Her face was hard and blank of any emotion besides fury. After a long, tense moment, she turned on her heel and stalked out without another word.

Lucifer pretended to ignore her as she left, already staring down at a random form on his desk. It was one he’d already handled, but it served the purpose. Jenn would feel she wasn’t the most important thing in the room. And when she calmed down, she would come back and apologize for making a scene.

He couldn’t understand her sudden desire to be able to travel back to the mortal realm whenever she liked. It wasn’t so simple a magic, either. There were risks inherent to opening gates. The very real possibility demons could escape using your gate, for one. Lucifer could just imagine Jenn popping into the mortal world with a demoniac flesh-eater on her heels, freed from Diavolo’s laws and hungering for human.

Besides, she could visit her world anytime she wanted just by asking him to take her there. The whole argument was foolish and she would realize it soon enough. Lucifer went back to his work and did his best not to think about Jenn.

Everytime his DDD went off, he looked at it expectantly, only to see Simeon or Mammon or Barbatos as the sender. He told himself he wasn’t disappointed. It was just taking time for Jenn to cool off. When he finally wrapped up his paperwork and headed home, Lucifer expected to find Jenn in the House of Lamentation, avoiding him by hanging out with his brothers.

He checked Beel’s room first, but it was just the twins there arguing over what show to watch. Levi was so immersed in a game that he didn’t even notice Lucifer poke his head into his room. Satan was in the library, alone, head buried in a book. Asmodeus was the first to even notice Lucifer’s search.

“I haven’t seen Jenn all day,” Asmo sighed. “She was supposed to help me pick a new perfume but all I got was this text.” He held up his DDD.

Can’t make it today. Sorry. Get something sweet!

Lucifer read it twice. “That’s it? And you didn’t get anything else?” He scrolled down through several messages from Asmo to Jenn, as he tried to guilt her into coming with him anyway.

Asmodeus shook his head. “Can you believe she just abandoned me in my time of need? There are 1,364 sweet scent selections and I had to go through all of them alone!”

“How difficult for you.” Lucifer gave his brother a look. The effort Asmo put into being beautiful could be put to better use, he thought. And it wasn’t as if Asmodeus wouldn’t be just as seductive without all of the accoutrement. It was his nature, the essence of his devilishness.

The Avatar of Lust chose to ignore the dry sarcasm of the statement. “It really was! But look what I got. It’s a-”

“Show me later.” He left Asmo’s room before he could be inundated with perfumes. The last place to check was Mammon’s room. It was an unholy mess in there. Clothes on the floor, bed unmade, and a pile of unopened Akuzon boxes piled in a corner. The Avatar of Greed was nowhere to be seen, and there was no sign of Jenn.

He texted Mammon to ask where he was, and his brother shot back promptly. Nunya. Lucifer sent an emoji in reply, trusting the stern look of it to communicate what would happen if Mammon didn’t answer properly.

It took only a moment for a second answer to pop up, a picture of Mammon working at Hell’s Kitchen, wearing an apron, with a little notepad in hand. Is Jenn there, Lucifer wrote back.

Nope. Why? The response came with a puzzled emoji.

Lucifer didn’t bother responding. Instead, he sent messages to Barbatos and Simeon with the same question. Was Jenn there? Had anyone seen her today?

***

Jenn was furious. Her anger came in waves of pure, white hot visciousness. She couldn’t even say exactly why she was so pissed. Or at least, she could but only with a lot of words and most of them weren’t appropriate for polite company. Thankfully, Solomon didn’t count as polite company.

“He doesn’t trust me. That’s it. After everything! I can’t believe that egotistic bag of d-”

Solomon held up a hand, intervening before she could get going on another rant. “Jenn. I understand. It’s frustrating to be dismissed, overlooked by someone you have such strong feelings for.” He smiled at her gently.

She wasn’t ready to be understood just yet though. “You have permission to come and go as you please! Why? Just because you’re older?”

“That’s part of it, sure. But I’m not that old, really. And it wasn’t Lucifer that gave me permission. It was Diavolo, some years ago.”

“I could ask him. And when he says yes, Lucifer can just suck it! That bastard. I should-”

Solomon interrupted again. “I don’t think Diavolo would say yes either. Travel between realms is tricky. And while you are a strong enough magician now to do it, it’s safer to rely on -”

Jenn’s glare cut him off. “So what? You don’t trust me either?” She gave a frustrated growl, “I don’t care what you think about it. I need to be able to go back and forth. If I’m going to live here, if I’m going to - look, it doesn’t matter. The point is, I need to know I can go to the mortal realm if and when I want to.”

The magician sighed. “I don’t know why this is suddenly so important to you. But because I care about you - and I trust you - I’m going to tell you how to get through without permission. The consequences. The work involved. And I will let you make up your own mind on whether or not to use the information.”

She took a slow, trembling breath, all the anger leaking out of her at once. “Thanks,” she said quietly. Jenn knew she was giving her fears too much say in her actions, but she needed to know that she could leave. It meant more now than ever.

Solomon took her hand and opened it palm up atop the table between them. His fingertips traced arcane designs over her skin as he spoke. “It’s much easier to give you the information this way. A simple joining . . .”

***

Lucifer had no answers. There was no sign of Jennifer and no one seemed to know where she’d gone when she left his office. Diavolo promised every effort was being expended to find her. Barbatos said little, but promised he would do what he could to ensure she was returned to them safe and sound. Those promises weren’t enough.

What if Jenn had found a way to leave the Devildom?

That thought haunted him. She could be gone entirely already. And it would be his fault. Things had been . . . rough lately. Arguments over every little thing. Jenn flying into a rage or turning into a ball of tears at the slightest provocation. If Lucifer was honest with himself, he wasn’t exactly a comforting figure when it happened either. He’d been exasperated, annoyed, or just too busy to deal with her emotions.

He felt a grim weight settle on his heart. Lucifer inhaled sharply, as if the emotional toll of his guilt and worry were a physical thing. He could not give in to it. At least, not until he found Jenn and made sure she was alright. That they were alright. His heart clenched tight in his chest.

The streets of the Devildom were busy at most times. This night was no different. Demons of all kinds roamed the darkness with the usual ill intent. Most avoided Lucifer, giving him a wide berth, especially if they noted his expression. For his part, the Avatar of Pride ignored them all. He had one target in mind, and as he walked, he attuned himself to the hunt.

There were only so many places a mortal could safely travel without an escort. Even a person like Jenn. All he needed to do was focus on the locations she was likely to go to. He immediately eliminated the usual hangouts like The Fall and Madam Screams. Jenn was upset. She would look for comfort and quiet.

Lucifer let his outer eyes close and let his inner vision lead him. His heart felt the pull of her presence, a connection born as much from love as from the demonic pact they shared. He let it guide him through the city until he found himself outside the doors of the planetarium. The place was closed this time of night, but that meant nothing to him. The door opened at a touch, and in he went.

He walked past the educational exhibits, the ticket booth, and the offices. There was only one place Jenn would be if she was here. Lucifer’s hand trembled as he touched the door to the observatory dome. He wasn’t a creature that feared confrontation. He’d rebelled against Heaven and made a pact with the Prince of Hell. He faced down Micheal and all the divine host. But he hadn’t loved them with the passion and desire that he held for Jenn.

Losing his home and his divinity felt like a small price to pay for freedom. But losing her, the possibility of it, hurt. He feared what he might say, what she might do. Lucifer pushed the door open and stepped through.

Jenn lay on the floor, staring up at the dome. Above her, the Devildom sky moved through its nightly dance, a shifting of magical constellations and colors. Her eyes were fixed on the sight, though he knew she heard him come in. Knew it was him.

Lucifer crossed the floor, moving slowly, cautiously. He couldn’t help the way his eyes swept over her, taking in every detail. She was unharmed, though he could tell she was tense. He didn’t think she realized the effect she had on him. The way his heart lurched at the sight of her, beating hard against the walls of his chest. The desire he fought to simply pick her up and hold her whether she wanted it or no.

“Jennifer.”

She took a long, slow breath before she shifted her head to gaze at him. Her dark brown eyes were damp with tears and alight with fury. Emotion shifted in their depths, conflicting and wild. “You found me.”

Lucifer sighed. “You should have been home hours ago. Everyone is worried.”

“Of course they are.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m just a helpless little human who needs to have their hand held all the time or I might stub a toe.” Jenn let out a laugh with little humor in it. “I don’t care.”

He could tell she did, of course, but knew it would be foolish to contradict her at the moment. “There are worse things than that in the Devildom. You can’t blame -”

Jenn cut him off. “I can. I do.” She frowned and sat up, crossing her arms. “Tell me. Where is Solomon right now.”

Lucifer was thrown off by this sudden change in topic. He hid his confusion with a shrug. “Why? How should I know?”

“That’s my point. He’s mortal. Ish. Not a demon or an angel. But he’s allowed to run around and do whatever he wants. No minders. But me? I can’t do anything without you or one of your brothers chasing after me.” She pointed at him. “You don’t trust me.”

“I . . . what?” He stared at her incredulously. “I formed a pact with you. No one else. I . . .” I let you into my bed. Into my heart. “I asked you to marry me!”

Jenn shook her head. “You want a pet. I wonder if you . . . if you even really love me? Trust is part of love. And respect. I don’t have those from you.” Tears filled her eyes without dimming the fury in them.

Lucifer felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. His whole body felt suddenly frozen. His chest was so tight it felt like his ribs would crack. Words were beyond him as his throat worked to let air pass. He trusted her more than anyone, respected her. Loved her. His thoughts were frantic at the realization she didn’t feel those things from him. Justifications, recrimination, protests all sparked and died on his tongue.

She took his silence as some sort of agreement. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks, a cascade of frustration and sorrow and anger and hurt. All tangled together, an impossible knot of thorny feelings. “I think. I think I should just go. Back to the mortal world. To whatever is left of my life there. Because I - I won’t just be a . . . a thing you own.”

Lucifer felt her words like stab wounds. He could not have hurt more if she’d beaten him. He took a step toward her, hand raised.

“Stop.” The word was said with the force of her will. The bonds of their pact and her power pushed him to his knees. Jennifer turned away from him and began to cast the ritual magic to open a portal to the mortal plane.

“Jenn.” Her name, spoken like a dying man’s prayer. A cry for help. He felt a trickle of wetness from the corner of his eye. Blood or tears, either was possible.

Despite her anger, she paused in the spell and glanced over at him. There was so much in that look.

“Please.” Lucifer’s pride surged, and for a moment he clenched his jaw, unable to say more. But he forced it anyhow. He wouldn’t lose her. Not for this, not over a misunderstanding. “I am . . . this is . . . it is rare for me to feel this way for anyone. In all the millenia I have lived.” He swallowed. “Please don’t go.”

Jennifer wiped at the tears on her face. “I can’t stay. Not like this.”

He nodded. “I have not shown you the trust I have for you. Or the respect.” His throat tightened against the admission of error. “I have been remiss.” Lucifer stood slowly, hoping this time she would let him approach. “Please. Give me a chance to do better.”

She narrowed her eyes, suspicious and uncertain. “Why should I believe you? This could just be a trick. A lie.”

“Because you still love me, even under the anger and hurt I have caused.”

“Give me permission to leave the Devildom whenever I like.”

Lucifer did not hesitate this time. “Done.”

“I can go where I like, when I like. Alone. If I want to.”

Again, he nodded. “Done.” He watched her expression, hoping to see some sign she forgave him.

“Swear it by . . . by Diavolo and your brothers.” Jenn’s lips made a firm, narrow line as she waited.

“I swear by all that I hold allegiance to, by my life and my heart.” Lucifer said the words and they settled into him with the force of the pact between them. He wanted to tell her it worried him. That he trusted her but . . . and it was that ‘but’ that stopped him. He knew it negated the rest. If he was to keep her, he had to let her go her own way.

Jennifer said nothing for a long moment. Then she was in his arms, hugging him tightly, crying into his chest with great, heaving sobs.

Lucifer held her with tenderness, as if she were a fragile thing and he had only just realized how easily she might break. He smoothed her hair and stroked her back until the tears subsided. Just when he thought the worst of it was past, she punched him in the side. A short, sharp jab.

“You! How could you put me through this! All you had to do was say yes! All you had to do was not be an ass for just one conversation.” Her rant continued until she ran out of breath, the accusations coming slower as her anger ebbed.

He nodded along, letting her get it all out. She wasn’t entirely wrong - or wholly right - but these were things she needed to say to lighten her soul. Lucifer understood. He’d hurt her pride and her heart. When she fell silent again, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry.”

The words from anyone else might have sounded insincere. A paltry apology to waive the consequences of their actions. But from him, they were sincere.

Jenn squeezed him tightly, her body pressed against him as if she wanted to sink into his chest. “Just . . . don’t do it again. I can’t second guess this. Us. Especially now.” She gazed up at him, her eyes sparkling with the light of the stars in the dome above them. “If you’re with me, then you have to be with me all the way.”

“To the end of all things,” he said, his voice barely a breath.

She reached up to caress his cheek. “Good. Because . . . I need to tell you something. Part of why I . . . why I wanted to be able to come and go.”

Lucifer stroked her back, encouraging her to continue.

“I . . . we . . . are going to have a child.” Jenn’s expression was apprehensive, nervous.

“We.” Lucifer stopped, unable to say the rest. He blinked.

Jennifer waited, watching.

He felt overjoyed and terrified all at once. There was enough on his plate in chasing his brothers and handling Diavolo’s tasks. The work of a devil was never done. And Jenn - bearing a nephilim was dangerous. A difficult pregnancy. A hard birth.”Do you want to have this child,” he asked.

She nodded. “I know there are dangers. I’ve been reading. But . . . it’s ours.”

And in the end, that meant more than all the dangers combined. Lucifer lifted her up and kissed her. His lover. Soon to be his wife. The mother of his child. “I’m never letting you out of my sight.”

“Luci! You promised! Just a second ago!”

He kissed her again. “You beautiful, mad woman. I know what I promised.” Lucifer could feel the beat of her heart, as wild as his. “I love you.”

#obey me shall we date #obey me lucifer #om lucifer #oc tag #fanfiction #fanfic #otome #otome guys #fluff #angst

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lexosaurus · 11 months

Text

Everything Was White: Part 21

[see all chapters]

read on: [ao3] [ffn] (please read tags)

Summary: After being accidentally revealed to the public and taken away by the government, Danny deals with the aftermath of his time with the GIW.

****

It had only been a few days since his core access had returned to him, but he still wasn’t used to the buzzing under his skin, cool and constant, pure comfort against the blistering pain of his nerve damage.

Looking back, he wasn’t sure how he had managed to make it this far without his core. His parents, his sister, his friends didn’t understand—they couldn’t, they were just human. But Vlad understood. Vlad was like him. Even if he was a complete asshole in every other way.

Danny flicked off the TV and stretched. Grabbing his walker, he made his way over to the kitchen where Jazz was sitting at the table, her attention devoted entirely to the book in her hand.

“Hey,” he said, dropping into one of the chairs.

“Hi, Danny,” she said absentmindedly.

He peeked at the cover. The History of Boston, it read with fancy, gold letters. Danny rolled his eyes. “You haven’t even…moved there yet. And be—besides, isn’t Harvard in Cambridge?”

“Cambridge is right next to Boston, and they’re both on the same transit system. They may as well be the same city,” Jazz recited as if she’d said it a thousand times before. “And anyway, it’s always good to learn about a place before you move there.”

“Yeah, but it’s ways away.”

“I start school next month, Danny.”

Danny blinked, whipping out his phone. Sure enough, the end of the year was fast approaching.

Shit, Christmas is coming up…

He hadn’t even begun to think about the holidays. Then it hit him…Aunt Alicia hadn’t come over for Thanksgiving, had she?

Why hadn’t she come this year? He tried to remember, tried to think back if anyone had mentioned anything, but he drew a blank.

It wasn’t…because of him, was it?

“I need to be prepared,” Jazz rambled, oblivious to any internal crisis Danny was having at the moment. “I’ve heard that the train system is unreliable, so I want to have a good understanding of the city in case of emergency. I don’t ever want to get stuck in an area that may be unsafe for me. And learning the historical context of different neighborhoods is key to understanding the city as a whole.”

“No one’s going to be asking you for tours.”

“As I said, preparation is key.” Jazz placed her bookmark—a plastic green ghost—in between the pages and set the book down on the table. She eyed him for a moment. “I talked to Mom and Dad about the whole chip thing, and, well…”

He was so thankful for having two years of Phantom to hone his acting skills. “They’re still—still building the new one.”

“Yeah,” she confirmed, grimacing. “But they assured me it was just temporary. They really do want this to work, you know. They want you to have your independence back too.”

“I know, I know,” Danny said flatly because he really didn’t know. They wouldn’t be jumping through all these hoops if they wanted him to gain his independence.

But ultimately, that didn’t matter because he had Phantom back. He had his core back. He had full access to his flight, intangibility, invisibility, everything.

He was free. Even if nobody else could know about it except Vlad.

“Sorry,” Jazz said.

“Thanks for trying.”

Jazz seemed surprised by something if the way she was studying him was any indication, and he wondered if maybe she was expecting a bit bigger reaction. Maybe she was waiting for the meltdown of emotions, for the yelling, crying, cursing.

And perhaps he would have done that before. Back when he was just an unstable, half-finished person. Back when he couldn’t tell Monday from Tuesday, when he was relying on drugs to get him through his day.

It was different now. Gone was his emotional instability, now he was turning a new leaf. He was going to be stronger in every way. He was going to be a better son, a better student—one who didn’t end up crying in Mr. Lancer’s office every week.

He had his core, so everything was going to be alright.

“I’ll be up in my room,” he said, pulling himself back up. “Gonna—gonna play video games for a bit.”

Jazz picked her book back up from the table. “Okay, have fun.”

He made his way up to his room and collapsed on his bed. The stairs almost seemed insulting now that he could fly, but he knew he needed to keep up appearances. He was just thankful he didn’t need to go through the humiliation of completely relying on a stairlift anymore, (even as the words of his therapist reminded him that stairlifts aren’t embarrassing, Danny, they’re an accessibility tool, plenty of people of all ages need them for all sorts of reasons, Danny, it doesn’t make you a failure).

But that was fine. If there was anything he had perfected over the years, it was the art of hiding.

Once he had recovered his breath enough to feel like moving again, he felt for the wash of cold under his skin. It was still there, same as it had been for the past few days, calling to him to switch, switch, switch.

So he did.

There was little fanfare this time. No battle cry, no profound moment where he threw his arms at the heavens and jumped into the air. He was just a human, and then a flash of rings passed before his eyes and he was a ghost.

And then he was gone, invisible, jetting through the window with such force that nearly gave him whiplash.

God, he hadn’t moved this fast in…he didn’t even know how long.

He swooped through the air, his muscles stretching as he weaved loop-de-loops around invisible barriers. More than likely, he was flying a far cry compared to when he had been in his prime. But that was okay. He would get there again.

For now, this was wonderful. Exhilarating. Everything. This was happiness, a concept that seemed so foreign to him, he’d all but forgotten what it felt like. But then it sparked in his chest, expanding out to the tips of his fingers, and he couldn’t help but face the sun and laugh.

The world had tried to knock him down. First the portal, then the ghosts, then the government, then his parents. But he was still here.

“Take that,” he shouted at the sky. “Take fucking that!”

He had never been a religious person. His parents were scientists, and he was fairly sure his sister prayed to her favorite authors before she went to bed every night. But just in case there was some asshole looking down, he wanted them to see him now. Flying here, invisibly flipping them the bird. Even after everything, Danny was still here.

“You can’t get rid of me,” he added for good measure.

Deciding his time of yelling at the clouds like some kind of crazy person was more than over, he flew into the city, passing by buildings, cars, trucks. He soared over apartments and dove into the ground, whizzing through foundations and pipes.

Some people reacted to his presence, glancing over their shoulders as a chill hit their skin. By now, most of Amity Park likely could recognize the telltale ecto-chill of a ghost core.

But he was invisible, and he had no intention of changing that. So eventually, the people shrugged and carried on, likely assuming that whatever ghost was passing by was too weak to be of much harm.

He couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but eventually, his core pouted, and he felt his strength puttering out under his skin. His weaves weren’t quite as fluid, and staying in the air seemed like more effort than it was worth.

Strange. He didn’t remember tiring so easily before.

But then he thought back to when he first acquired his ghost powers, and…yeah, maybe he did fatigue quickly back then.

It was okay. Like the rest of his life, he would just rebuild from scratch again.

He had help this time. Real help. One that felt…

Like bliss.

He opened his eyes. He was sunbathing on the roof of some building. Had he napped? Maybe he was more spent than he thought he was. Well, that wouldn’t be unheard of. He had passed out after his first ghost fight too.

God, that felt like another lifetime ago.

Two years as Phantom. Dozens of fights under his belt. A reputation across his sect of the Ghost Zone. And yet, he felt as new as he did back then after his first real fight against the Lunch Lady.

He would need to train. Work hard. Push himself. Do everything he could to get back to how he was before. He couldn’t let the public see just how badly the government had hurt him.

Right. He had a plan, then.

****

“Where’s Jason?” Star asked, writing what appeared to be an attempt at his name on the whiteboard.

Ms. Perez, the learning center teacher, sighed and checked her watch. “He’s got another five minutes before I phone the main office.”

In a singsong voice, Star said, “He’s gonna be in trouble!”

“Why don’t you sit down and start your math homework?” Ms. Perez asked.

“I can do it later.”

“Girl, no, you can’t,” Ashley said from her table across the room. She squinted at the board, twirling her coily hair in her fingers. “That’s not even how you spell his name.”

Star took a step back from her mirage of bubble letters and guffawed. “Oh my god, I wrote the J as a d! Haha, his name looks like ‘dason’ now!”

“You’re dyslexic,” Ashley said.

“Ashley, stop,” Ms. Perez ordered.

But Star was cackling too hard to be insulted.

Danny simply dropped his head onto his paper, having given up after writing his name in the top corner. He was supposed to start a new academic goal this week. And he was still committed to that, truly, but right now if he had to do one more fucking math problem, he was going to scream.

“DASON!”

“Danny, come on. Head up,” Ms. Perez said. “Mr. Lancer’s coming in twenty minutes and I want you to have that worksheet done before then.”

Danny did like Ms. Perez, but most of the time, he just felt bad for her. The learning center was chaotic on the best of days, even with the small class sizes and few students. Usually, there was a para teacher there as well, a man whose name Danny’s brain couldn’t commit to memory. But on days when the aide was called to a different class or he was absent such as today, even Danny had to admit he hardly got work done.

Not for lack of effort either. It was just so hard to stay focused when his brain took one look around the room and decided to go on vacation.

“Danny.”

“I’m tired,” he responded.

“What’s up, did you not sleep well last night?” Ms. Perez asked.

Danny shrugged. In fact, he had slept wonderfully. Just as he’d been sleeping for the past week. The problem wasn’t his sleeping patterns, it was when he woke up. His body still wasn’t used to all the ecto-energy he’d been recently expending on his little escapades all over town. He was sore and sluggish in a way he hadn’t felt in years. The hydrocodone he’d recently started taking in the morning dealt with his soreness, but it too had its own set of drawbacks. Though it helped his body not burn in pain at all hours of the day, it also made him want to crawl back into bed. Which, when surrounded by teachers who knew all about his little habit of falling asleep at his desk pre-reveal, was obviously not ideal.

“Let’s try to do five more problems, and then you can take a break,” said Ms. Perez.

Reluctantly, Danny pulled his head up from his desk to see that Star had begun to write ‘dason’ in various fonts all over the whiteboard.

Ms. Perez made her way over to Danny’s table and sank into a chair next to him. Her dark brown hair bobbed at her shoulders, tickling the floral designs of her shirt. “Alright, come on, let’s tackle a few of these math problems.”

Danny crossed his arms. “I don’t get it.”

“Yes, you do, we did these yesterday.”

“I forgot how to do it.” That wasn’t even a lie. If Danny had trouble in school last year, everything was just so much harder now.

Thank you, blunt force trauma to the skull.

“Then let’s go over them again.”

Danny groaned but did his best to pay attention anyway. He tried to ignore how Ashley was almost definitely doodling in the margins of her notebook instead of doing her readings, Star was still writing ‘dason’ all over the whiteboards, and Jason was…

Well, he was probably still roaming the halls somewhere.

True to her word, Ms. Perez only made Danny do five tortuous problems before she let him take a break so she could call the main office to report her missing student. And Danny wasted no time sinking his head back down onto the table and closing his eyes.

“Jason Cleaver, please report to room 101. Jason Cleaver, to room 101.”

Just another day in the learning center.

“Star, sit down. You need to start your math homework too. Mr. Bryan told me you didn’t turn in yesterday’s assignment.”

“Mr. Bryan didn’t collect the assignment in class.”

“Yes, he did, Star, and he told me yours was blank.”

“I forgot to do it.”

“I understand, so why don’t we take the time to do it now?”

Danny closed his eyes, letting fatigue wash over him. He stretched his fingers out along the table, and his body relaxed.

Just a few more minutes…

The door crashed open, and Danny snapped up, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. For a moment, his eyes flickered over to the white walls, and his throat tightened as imagery of the white halls of the compound flashed at him. He dug his fingernails into his palms, forcing the images away to be met with the stocky form of his missing classmate at the doorway.

“Dason!” Star exclaimed, jumping out of her chair once again. “You’re here!”

The boy—Jason—hardly glanced at the whiteboard before he stalked inside, flipped a chair against the floor, and stomped back out of the room.

“Take a chill pill, Dason,” Ashley called after him.

Ms. Perez simply sighed and picked up the phone once more.

Danny put his head back down on the table.

“Danny, head up. Break’s over.”

Curse these small classrooms.

He knew he wasn’t subtle about his displeasure at being called out again as he pulled his head from the table and forced his pencil back into his hand.

“Hey, Danny?” Star asked, blinking owlishly at him. “Why don’t you walk at school? I see you do it outside of school.”

Because school had long hallways and he was still too weak, too self-conscious.

“I have walked at school before,” Danny retorted instead. “You just haven’t seen it.”

“Really?” Star asked.

“Star, focus on your own work,” Ms. Perez said.

“She’s just trying to get out of doing her homework.”

“Ashley, you too.”

“Where’s Dason?” Star asked.

“Mr. Lancer is handling it.”

The door opened again, and Kwan stepped into the room.

“Back already? How did the quiz go?” Ms. Perez asked.

Kwan shrugged. “It was fine.”

Kwan dropped his bag next to Star and sat down. He briefly made eye contact with Danny, who immediately dropped his gaze back down to his paper.

He wasn’t ready to acknowledge Kwan’s existence yet.

“Hey, why is ‘dason’ written all over the board?” Kwan asked.

Star launched into another fit of giggles.

“Star did it,” was Ashley’s only explanation.

“Danny, Star, how’s that math homework going?” Ms. Perez asked.

Danny stared at the swirling mess on his paper. His brain just really did not want to do math today. “Fantastic.”

“Do five problems and then you can take another break until Mr. Lancer gets here.”

Danny lazily saluted the learning center teacher and tried his best to focus on the squiggly numbers and symbols before him.

Find f(x)...that’s all I need to do…

But who was he kidding? This was all pointless. His dream of working for NASA was as good as dead because his stupid brain didn’t hold information like it used to.

Not that he was ever particularly good at school. He wasn’t like Jazz. It felt like his brain was a colander and school was a pot of water. It didn’t matter how hard he tried, none of the information stayed in.

It didn’t take that long—or it took far too long—before footsteps were at the door and Mr. Lancer was carting Jason-Dason alongside him.

“Dason! Welcome back!” Star waved at him.

“...because you have to stay in class,” Mr. Lancer was saying quietly. “I’m not going to repeat this again, Mr. Cleaver.”

“Whatever.” Jason-Dason grabbed a chair on the other side of Danny’s table, dropped his backpack on the floor, and immediately put his head down into his arms. Ms. Perez didn’t even try to get him to pull out his notebook.

Turning around, Mr. Lancer’s expression morphed into something far brighter. “Alright, Mr. Fenton?”

Danny rolled his eyes and gave him a weak thumbs-up. “Can’t wait to learn about books.”

“I’m sure.” Mr. Lancer dropped into the chair beside Danny and glanced at the pitifully attempted math assignment. “Would you like me to go over anything else first?”

Danny was quick to stuff his assignment into his folder. Out of sight, out of mind. “No—no thanks.”

“Alright, let’s go over the reading from last night. Did you do it?”

Danny shrugged. “I tried.”

He honestly had. But as soon as he looked at the pages, it was like his brain turned into a zombie.

Mr. Lancer, presumably, got the not-so-hidden meaning. “That’s alright, let’s go through the passages, then.”

Danny opened his backpack and began shuffling around for his assigned book when a distantly familiar chill wormed up his throat. He dropped the book back in his bag and sat erect in his chair.

Wild eyes met Mr. Lancer’s, and then he opened his mouth, a puff of frost expelling from his lips.

Mr. Lancer’s eyebrows furrowed. “Mr. Fenton, are you—”

The ghost alarms went off, filling the classroom with green lights. Jack Fenton’s voice blared through the speakers, suffocating the air with, “WARNING: GHOST ALERT. GHOST ALERT.”

The small class was on their feet at once—even Danny, who wasted no time in letting the adrenaline course through his body. He wouldn’t be able to do much, but maybe some scary eyes would be enough to ward off the potential ghost from his territory.

“Damn!” Ms. Perez cursed. “Students, we need to evacuate to the ghost shield in the gym!”

Next to Ms. Perez, the bottom of the wall distorted with a green glow. Danny grabbed the table and braced himself to defend his classmates against—

“Arf! Arf!”

A figure shot through the walls and bounced, wagging its tail. Its purple tongue hung loosely outside of its mouth, and green-tinted ecto-saliva dripped onto the floor.

It took a second to spin around in a circle before it spotted Danny.

“Arf! Arf!” it exclaimed, bouncing through the chairs and quite literally jumping up Danny’s legs.

“Cujo?” Danny said, finally getting enough of a grip to speak.

“You know that dog?” Star asked.

“Yeah, but I don’t understand…” Danny pulled his brows in as he sat back down in his wheelchair, letting Cujo climb onto his lap and start lapping at his face.

It made no sense. His parents said that the emergency ghost alarms—the ones that ordered the complete evacuation of the building—only went off for ghosts that were level four or above. In his small form, Cujo was hardly a level three.

So either the ghost alarms were faulty, or Cujo wasn’t the only ghost here.

“Babypop!” a new voice sang out over the prerecorded wails of Jack Fenton.

A blue blur of a ghost rushed down from the ceiling and halted right in front of him. Her teal hair was pulled up behind her, accentuating the bluish tint of her pale skin. She wore her usual ghostly getup of a black top on black bottoms, and her purple and blue electric guitar was slung across her back.

Ah, that would explain the emergency alarms.

Ember McLain slugged his arm, grinning widely. “You’re back!”

Danny was more than a little aware of the audience watching the interaction. And, from some insecure ghostly part of himself, he was also more than aware that this was his first ghostly encounter where he was—well—forced to be human.

Not that the humans would understand the ecto-psychology at play here, and he would rather die than explain it to anyone, but Ember certainly would understand.

Which sucked.

“Hey—hey, Ember,” he said, trying to play it cool.

“Hey, what the fuck is up with this fire alarm thing?”

“Mr. Fenton?” Lancer asked from beside him.

“Holy shit, is that Ember McLain?” Kwan stared dumbfounded. “I listen to your album all the time!”

Star’s jaw dropped. “Ember’s a ghost?”

“WARNING: GHOST ALERT. EVACUATE. GHOST ALERT.”

Jack’s voice was starting to get more than a little piercing.

“Hey!” Danny called to Lancer. “Can we turn the ghost alarm off?”

“Mr. Fenton, you know we have to wait for your parents—”

“She’s an ally, she’s not going to attack! And this is my—er, uh. Well, my ghost-dog friend. He’s harmless.” So long as he doesn’t feel threatened, at least.

“I’m sorry, but you know that I can’t do that.”

“I promise there’s no need to evacuate.”

“You guys were going to evacuate on my account?” Ember repositioned her guitar on her back. “Well, I’m flattered that you think so highly of me. But no, if I wanted to start something, I wouldn’t have brought the dog.”

As if to prove the point, Cujo leaped off Danny’s lap and began bouncing over to everyone else in the room, lapping their shins and sniffing their shoes.

“Arf! Arf!”

Lancer sighed and walked into the hallway. A moment later, the ghost alarm was off.

Danny let out a breath of relief and turned his attention back to the two ghosts in front of him.

“Jeez, Danny, you better have a real good explanation for this.” Ashley folded her arms.

“No, it’s—” Danny sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Ghosts weren’t good at deciphering boundaries on the best of days. To them, the whole of Amity Park was Phantom’s territory. So if they wanted to see Phantom, they just entered his territory.

And that included places they shouldn’t go, like the school.

“Well, alarm or no, Ms. Ember and, erm, her dog are trespassing, and I will have to ask her to leave,” Lancer said, reappearing at the doorway.

“Okay, can I just talk to her in the hall for like two minutes first?” Danny asked.

“No, Mr. Fenton. Absolutely not.”

“But she’s—“

“I’m more than aware of your little scuffles before,” Lancer said, crossing his arms. “Besides, your parents will be arriving shortly. Ms. Ember, if you would?”

Ember huffed, scooping up Cujo. “Whatever. Babypop, I’ll see you later.”

“Bye,” Danny said awkwardly, glancing around at his classmates. “I’ll find you in—in the spot.”

Ember nodded and left, disappearing through the ceiling.

There was a beat of silence before Kwan broke it. “I can’t believe you know Ember!”

****

The moon was bright later that night. Nearly full, Danny realized, and its light along with some wispy clouds blocked much of the glittering night sky from view.

He thought back to the Reddit post where the Amity Park astronomy club had told Sam and Tucker to pass him an open invitation. His friends had presumably forgotten about that comment, but Danny thought maybe he should check out the club anyway. Maybe it would be good for him to get back into his hobbies.

He hovered on top of the Nasty Burger building. He remembered the first time he and Ember had somewhat mended their differences. It had been here too, atop this building, when Ember had come to Earth for just a few hours to listen to a band’s new album.

Damn, it was so long ago. So much had changed.

Danny looked over where a burn mark had scorched the cement. He smiled to himself. Much had changed, sure, but some things were still the same.

A breath of cold air hit his lungs, and he turned around to see Ember holding a chip bag with one hand and Cujo with the other.

Cujo didn’t hesitate to wiggle out of Ember’s hold and bound over to him, tongue flopping. Danny sank onto the roof, holding his arms out. The little dog leaped into them and excitedly licked his neck.

“Hey, buddy,” Danny said, tilting his chin up to avoid the wrath of Cujo’s tongue on his face. “I missed you too!”

Ember snorted, touching down on the roof. She opened the potato chips, and the smell of salt and oil immediately permeated the air.

“Did you even pay for this?” Danny asked.

“What are you, a cop?” Ember munched on a chip. “I swear, this is like the one thing the Zone can never get right.”

Danny raised his brow, giving her an are-you-kidding-me look.

She rolled her eyes and held out the bag, rattling it. “Come on, I know you want some.”

“Whatever.” Danny rolled his eyes but nonetheless grabbed a handful. “You still need to pay for this, though.”

“Never change, babypop.”

Danny chomped on the (stolen) chips, basking in the two a.m. salty taste. And for a moment, the two of them just sat there unbothered, eating chips and throwing pebbles across the roof for Cujo to pounce on.

And when Cujo eventually tired, he snuggled between them, facing Danny. His paws pressed into Danny’s ghostly tail, and his nose nuzzled into where his thigh would be.

It hurt more than Ember would ever know that he couldn’t feel the dog against his legs. But she didn’t need to know the extent of his injuries, at least not right now.

“So, you’re back,” Ember started, failing to hide the curiosity in her tone.

He tried to give her a carefree smile as he responded with, “Yeah. Finally, right?” But he was sure he looked as uncomfortable as he felt, and he knew that the way his core faltered and tensed would not be lost on Ember.

“I mean…okay, I’m just going to say it. The hell happened?” asked Ember. “What did they do to you? When you didn’t come back right away, I figured they fucked with your core somehow. And I was right. Your core doesn’t feel right anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

Sure he was weaker, but he didn’t feel any different. Not like…before. When the scalpel had first pierced him. Not like that. Disgusting, violated.

Ember squinted at him, and Danny tried to quell the anxiety that he was surely projecting onto her.

Stupid ghosts and their stupid emotion-sensing abilities.

But then she snapped out of her scrutiny, rolling her eyes, saying, “Jeez, chill. I don’t mean like you’re a whole different ghost now, I’m just saying that your core feels weaker.” She punched his arm lightly. “Been a minute, huh? What took you so long to get back in the air?”

“Oh.” Danny flushed, embarrassed. Because of course, she didn’t mean it like that. He was just being anxious and insecure again. “You know, I—I wanted to…lull you guys into a false sense of security. Make you think I was—wasn’t protecting Amity anymore. Just some classic ghostly manipulation.”

“Yeah, sure. Totally believe that.”

“I know.” The grin fell off Danny’s face, fickle as it was.

Well, there was no use trying to sugarcoat the truth. Not with the ghosts in danger of this happening to them too.

“Courts decided I was human enough to exist. Cause, you know—” Danny held up his hand and shook out his wrist. “—I got a—a pulse and stuff. When I’m human, I mean. A heart—heartbeat too.”

He waited for the implication to process, and when Ember’s eyes sparked with recognition and her face immediately dropped to a scowl, he shrugged and let his hand fall back to his side.

“Oh, wonderful,” said Ember. “So you’re safe, but there’s nothing stopping the rest of us from getting messed up like that?”

Well, ouch.

“Sorry.”

Ember snorted. “Well, if you wanted ghosts to stay out of the human realm, you’ll probably convince most of them.”

“Haven’t they…everyone’s been avoiding Amity anyway, right?” Danny asked.

“Well, duh, idiot. You getting captured was kind of a big fucking deal in our little sect of the Infinite Realms. You should have heard the rumors.”

He wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to hear them. Because he wasn’t sure how much he could lie to the other ghosts, and he didn’t want to be the one to tell them just how many of their rumors were true.

He looked up at the sky, noting the sprinkle of stars that had won their fight against the city’s light pollution and the full moon. “I heard Skulker tried to bust me out.”

“Yeah.” Ember’s tone was off, and when Danny looked over, some speckles of green had appeared on her cheeks.

…huh?

“The idiot’s ego can be too much sometimes,” she said, a hint of a smile curling on her lips.

Danny didn’t know what that look meant, but he was also a hundred percent sure that he did not want to know, thank you very much. “Well, tell him I said—uh, said, you know, thanks. For trying. It meant a lot.”

“I’ll pass it along.” Ember shifted, and suddenly her face was serious again. “What did they want from you?”

“The Guys in White?”

“Yeah.”

“Well…” Danny gently rubbed behind Cujo’s ear, trying to crush the sudden anxiety that was threatening to spike him. “Power. They wanted power.”

“Like, from you?”

“Yeah. My core. Ectoplasm.” Danny took a shuttering breath. Despite the relaxation help he had pumping through his veins, just the mere mention of the topic had him suppressing the onslaught of memories that were trying to breach the metaphorical thermos he’d crammed them into. “The government liked my—my ectoplasm because it’s more dense than the blob ghosts they—they had. They…would hook me to these…these…these machines, and they’d take the ecto—ectoplasm from me. Just every day. And eventually—I don’t know. I don’t really remember how it escalated.” He touched his prickling chest, trying to cool the misfiring nerves above his core.

“Like…” Ember tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. “They cut you up?”

Danny squirmed. This was quickly getting into personal territory, and the ghosts and he didn’t exactly have the same relationship that he had with his therapist.

“Sort of,” he responded as evenly as he could.

She didn’t hold back. “They wanted your core.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” he said a little too bitterly.

There was a pause between them, and tension crackled in the air as Danny raised his aura to mask the shame that was crawling up his throat.

“Well, did they get it?” asked Ember.

Like hell was he going to react in front of a ghost.

“Why does it matter if they did? Since when do you care?”

“Of course I care.” Ember crossed her arms, frowning. “If the enemy got your core, who knows what they’ll do to the rest of us.”

Oh. Right.

Of course.

How could he be so stupid to hold even a flicker of hope that anyone actually cared about him? Least of all Ember, a ghost that he’d fought on more than one occasion.

But instead of snapping, he shrugged, defeated. Maybe disappointed. Who knew? Not him.

“Then don’t get caught,” he said simply.

Ember was already probably pitying him enough. He didn’t need to add ‘crybaby’ to the list of reasons why he wasn’t a good protector of Amity anymore.

The silence stretched on between them. Because duh, “don’t get caught” was a stupid, obvious thing to say. And it wasn’t exactly like Danny had been trying to get caught either.

He had never exactly been close with any of the ghosts, but this social divide between them? Yeah, that was new. Before, he at least had his strong core to go off of. Ghosts liked strength; they could respect him for defending Amity so well. But now…

Cujo yawned beside him, shifting around so his back was curled into Danny’s tail and his paws were outstretched to graze Ember’s thigh.

“So…they did get it, then,” said Ember. “Your core.”

“That’s—that’s not—” Danny stumbled, his brain once again more than acutely aware of the social dynamics at play. He grunted, frustrated, before pushing through. “That’s not why my—my core is…” He took a deep breath. “I know I’m out of practice, but I—I really am fine. My core’s not…you know, suffering permanent damages or anything. I’ll be—I’ll be back to normal with a little bit of training. It just…I couldn’t access my powers for a bit. That’s all.”

And he really hoped that was clear, because fuck no he didn’t want ‘Phantom is a weakling’ to spread across the Ghost Zone.

He felt a light tap on his arm again, and he looked over to see Ember’s glowing fist hovering just above his skin. “Well, you’re back now. Fuck those guys.”

“Right,” he said. “But seriously, you have to tell the ghosts what…I mean, it’s dangerous to be here right now. The Guys in—the government doesn’t—”

“Chill. I know I’m in danger by being here. Jeez, let a girl live a little.”

The only reason why the Guys in White went “easy” on him was because he had a human half at all. The full ghosts? The government didn’t have a reason to cater to their afterlives. If Ember was caught…well, she was disposable enough for the Guys in White to not give a crap about taking her whole core.

But Danny couldn’t say this without sounding like an asshole. “Just tell them. Please.”

“Sure, whatever, babypop.” Ember popped another chip in her mouth. “But don’t expect the others to listen, you know. They’ll probably just think I’m keeping you all to myself or something.”

“I’m not a toy, Ember.”

“But you’ve got the portal.”

“It’s not my portal.”

“But it’s in your territory.”

Yeah, by the unwritten ghost rules, that did actually make it “his” portal. “Even more reason for—for the others to leave me alone.”

Ember shrugged and poked Cujo. “Hey, lazy. If you sleep right now, you won’t be tired later and then you’re going to want to play when I’m tired.”

Cujo blinked up at her with sleep still in his eyes. Then he stuck out his tongue and lapped her fingers.

“Ugh, gross!” Ember shook out her hand. “The chips aren’t for you.”

Now with the taste of chips on his tongue, Cujo perked up and sniffed toward the bag.

“No! Not for you!” Ember scolded him, swiping the chips from the ground before he could make his attempted pounce. “You’ll throw up if you eat these. Hang on…I’ve got…”

Danny smiled absentmindedly, scratching Cujo’s back. Seeing these two interact…yeah, Danny was glad that he’d managed to convince Ember to take in Cujo last year after one of Cujo’s escapades into the Human World landed him too close to being captured by Jack and his Fenton Ghost Catcher. It was clear that Cujo needed an owner, and Ember needed some company other than Skulker.

Ember pulled out a glowing plastic baggie from her pocket. “Carrots! Here you go.”

“Carrots?”

“You never heard of that? Carrots are really good for dogs,” Ember said. She shook the bag, now addressing Cujo. “You want these? You want the carrots?”

Judging by his drooling mouth and the small whine that escaped his lips, Cujo did, in fact, very much want the carrots.

“Hang on, wait…” Danny guffawed, putting a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter. “Wait, wait, wait. Ember, did—did you cut up the carrots?”

“Of course I did!” She said, pelting him with a tiny chunk of carrot.

It rolled off of his head, and he clutched his stomach, rolling into the air in a fit of giggles.

“It makes it easier for him to chew!”

“Oh my god,” he wheezed. Never in a thousand years would he have guessed Ember of all ghosts would be catering to a puppy.

Ember tossed a carrot piece in the air, watching as Cujo leaped up and caught it in his mouth. “You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it first.”

“Sure.”

“Whatever.” She turned to Cujo again. “Is babypop jealous of me? What do you think, little guy?”

Danny grabbed the carrot chunk from the ground and threw it back at Ember. Ever the ghost, she turned intangible, letting it sail through her.

Cujo, however, prevented it from hitting the ground again.

“Good boy!” Ember praised him.

Danny rose, stretching. “Anyway, I gotta get home before—before anyone realizes I—I’ve been gone. Uh…thanks for coming.”

“Yeah, nice to see you, dude. I’ll relay your message to the others. Don’t worry.”

“Thanks.”

“And babypop?” she said, her brows knitting together as she studied him once more. Her eyes lingered on his chest.

“Yeah?”

She was silent for a moment longer. Then the spell broke, and her easygoing smile was back on her lips. “Heal up quickly, alright? Skulker’s ego’s too high right now. Someone needs to take him down a notch, if you catch my drift.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Danny gave her a two-fingered salute and flew off into the night, glancing back only once to see their receding forms. Like with most of his rogue gallery, Danny didn’t think any relationship between them would ever become a true friendship. An allyship? Certainly, but there was still too much history combined with a cavern of differences between Danny and the rest of the ghosts to get much closer than a few minutes of awkward conversation. All of them, Ember included, were ghosts—full ghosts. And Danny? Well…he wasn’t.

Even if the media still tried to pin that label on him. When they weren’t calling him a mutant freak, that was.

A few minutes later, he was invisibly crossing through his window. Muscle memory was kind to him, and the motions of closing his curtains and checking his surroundings before popping back into visibility and transforming back into his human form were hardly more than an unremarkable thought in his mind. The government could take away much, but not everything, it seemed.

He settled into bed, his eyes lingering on his nightstand drawer. Maybe he could…

But no.

He was turning a new leaf.

He was the model halfa now. Someone who did well in school, who didn’t fall asleep in class, who was a good son, nice to his family, and wasn’t a failure in every way. He was better, he was going to be better.

He could be even better if he just opened the drawer…peeked at the inside…what’s one more pill, Danny? What are you afraid of?

No, he was better now.

He was better now.

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Huge thank you to @imekitty for being an amazing beta for this chapter and honestly the voice of reason here. Ended up taking her direction a LOT during the writing process and I'm really glad I did!

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