#it took me an entire afternoon to get this thing back up and running dear god

[jesterwriting]

jester dear!! I had an idea, had some thoughts about it, and if you want you can make a drabble or a one shot, is really up to you.I heard an audio from tktk, that had some hurt/comfort?? So, maybe you could write a Law/Crocodile/Sanji/literally anyone you would like, the dialogue is like:

Character A: I'll take care of you.

Character B: Its wrotten work.

Character A: Not to me. Not if its you.

Hope that gives you an inspiration, I really just kinda want you to write something to have fun and all, but if not, totally fine, art has a strange way to present itself in our lifes, hope ya day/afternoon/evening is good, and remember to rest and eat a little!!!

:]

pairing: sanji x reader & law x reader (separate)

contents: reader is depressed in sanjis, sleepy law, fluff, hurt/comfort

word count: 1.1k words

note: OH MY GOD I LOVE THE ROTTEN WORK QUOTE. literally got your request and had to run in circles for a second. i only did sanji and law, though i would be open to doing crocodile another time >:3 those two just came to me the easiest right now. thank you so much for your request! i seriously loved it <33

playlist: tire swing by kimya dawson

“Black Leg” Sanji

For some reason, you haven't been doing very well lately. Maybe it was the weather, or maybe it was because the sun was setting earlier than usual. You didn’t know. You didn’t care. The only thing you knew was that you were tired. It was getting ridiculous how exhausted even the simplest tasks made you. Eating shouldn’t leave you a husk, crawling back to your bed with a trail of slime in your wake. It had been a week since you last showered, and you were sure you stank to high heaven. Your hair sat odd on your scalp, greasy and unbecoming.

You let out a heavy sigh and buried your face deeper into your pillow. Another thing you needed to wash. At this rate, you’d get pimples, then you would look as gross as you felt.

Light flooded the room and you blinked wildly at the figure that had intruded in your very important mildew session. Sanji stood in the doorway, one hand on his hip, the other holding a plate of food.

“You need to eat, Y/N, darling. You missed breakfast,” He stated, always serious when it came to matters of food. As he made his way into your room, he turned on the lights, making you groan and shove a pillow over your face.

“Not hungry,” You mumbled.

Sanji ignored you and set the tray of food on your bedside table. It smelled delicious, bacon and eggs covering the smell of human sweat, though you knew it would inevitably turn to ash on your tongue. It was a shame you couldn’t taste Sanji’s delicious cooking right now, he made the best food you had ever eaten. Whenever you got the chance, you reminded him of that, if only to see him blush and swoon.

You knew he wouldn’t leave until you ate. Exhausted, you gave in and sat up against your pillow. With a sigh, you pulled the tray in your lap and shoveled a forkful in your mouth. You were wrong, it didn’t taste like ash, instead, it was entirely flavorless. Frowning, you shot a glance at Sanji, who sat on the edge of your bed, barely concealed worry shining in his eyes. He was smoking. You handed him an ashtray you kept nearby, just in case he dropped in.

Lighting up, Sanji gave you a bright grin. “Aw, thank you, Y/N.”

You snickered to yourself. There were practically hearts in his eyes at such a simple gesture. As you watched him swoon, you couldn’t help but feel the beginnings of guilt claw at your throat.

“You don’t have to do this.” You took another bite, fighting a grimace. “Take care of me, I mean.”

Sanji blinked at you like you just said the sky was green and the sun set in the east. “I want to take care of you.”

“It’s rotten work.” There was a smile on your face, as if to offset how miserable you felt. Like most smiles these days, it didn’t reach your eyes.

He took the fork from your hand and scooped a bit of egg onto it. Snorting, you leaned forward, mouth open.

“Not to me,” Sanji said as you swallowed. “Not if it’s you.”

Trafalgar Law

You found Law sleeping face down at his desk. Over the past several days, he had looked exhausted, only getting worse and worse as time passed. The dark circles under his eyes were almost black, so bad, he looked more raccoon than man. If he wasn’t wearing his hat all the time, you were sure his hair would be spiked in every direction from lack of care.

Humming under your breath, you knew what you had to do. There was no way you were going to leave him there to wake up with a nasty crick in his neck on top of everything else. You ducked under his arm and helped Law to his feet. He jolted slightly, startled by the sudden intrusion, but once he saw it was you, his eyelids sagged and he slumped against you. You laughed to yourself as his head lolled against your shoulder, hat falling to the floor. You would have to get that later.

The next few minutes were spent half-dragging, half-carrying Law into his bedroom. He was awake enough that his legs didn’t give out, but still too asleep to move them. You had to lead him forward, shuffling under him so you could coax him to put one foot after the other.

This was not the first time you had found him asleep at his desk, and you doubted it would be your last. It was, however, the first time he was too exhausted to take himself to bed without your help. If he was awake, he would be mortified. You didn’t look forward to the morning when he would inevitably remember being carried to bed, and decide, instead of addressing it like a normal human being, to avoid you for the next several days.

“Let go, Y/N-ya, I can do it myself.” Law tried to sound stern, but it came out as more of a tired whine than anything. You choked on a giggle. He must have gone without sleep for over a week if this was where he was at.

After what felt like a century, you made it to his room. Plopping Law on the bed, you smoothed out his hair, ignoring how he slapped your hands away, and moved to help him take off his shoes. Without you there to hold him up, Law flopped backwards with a snore. Fine, it was easier if he wasn’t awake to complain.

You set his boots down beside the bed where he would easily find them when he awoke, and lifted his hips by his legs to slide him fully onto his bed. The manhandling woke him up enough for him to groan and hit you with a glare that would normally send you running for the hills. Right now, however, it was sort of cute.

After twenty minutes of leading, sleepy glaring, and shoe removing, your captain was finally in bed. With a soft smile, you said, “Don’t worry, I’ll always be here take care of you, Law.”

“‘S rotten work,” He muttered, though you watched his eyes open to search your face. You tried not to think about that glimmer of something his sleepy gaze.

You grinned and brushed your thumb against his cheek. “Not to me, it isn’t. Not if it’s you.”

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2024: Day 22 - Duck!

But Who Warned Them?

When Skarloey returned from the works, he had something Rheneas had never seen before: a cab. “A cab is the latest thing for engines,” Mr Mack the manager told him. “I hope it will cheer you up after your disappointment.” It cheered Skarloey up too much! And the silly coaches made him worse. “Such a handsome engine!” they tittered. “Six wheels and a cab – so distinguished, my dears! It’s a pleasure to see him.”

He soon grew too big for his wheels. He boasted about his cab till poor Rheneas was tired. “You should get one like me, and be up-to-date,” he said. “No thank you! You look like a snail with that house on your back. You don’t go much faster either.” “Slow, am I? Let me tell you…” “Who was late three times last week?” “Oh, it’s no use talking. You’re just an old stick-in-the-mud.” The two called each other more names, and they quarrelled so bad that they ended up back to back – not speaking. It went on for days and days. Neither Mr Mack nor Skarloey’s driver Mr Bobbie could think of a solution to their quarrel, and as the days passed, it did not get any better. Worse yet, the rains came early that year.

They were heavier than usual too, making working a nightmare. None of the crews wanted to work in Rheneas, who had no protection against the elements. They much preferred Skarloey, who at the very least gave them a roof and something of a windshield on two sides. Unfortunately, the cab had no sides to it, only a front and a back. When the wind and rain so desired, it changed direction on the little engine, spraying in through the open sides and drenching his footplate.

Still, Skarloey lorded it over Rheneas. “At least I’m still getting used,” he said one day, when Mr Bobbie mistakenly forgot to park them back to back. “In the driving rain, yes,” retorted Rheneas, gazing out into the gloom. “You must feel very important, being used as a glorified umbrella.” “Umbrella?!” squawked Skarloey. The pair continued to bicker bitterly, until Mr Bobbie returned from his lunch break. He groaned when he realised his mistake. Out of sight of the two engines, a group of navvies helping to expand the big railway had gathered to place bets on who they thought would win the argument. Mr Bobbie rolled his eyes at the group, and climbed aboard his engine.

“Come on, Skarloey,” he said. “We’ve got the afternoon copper run to do.” With that, the little engine set off up the line, complaining bitterly about the biting wind and rain.

The line up to the copper mines and slate quarry was long and winding, passing by the lake Skarloey was named after before swinging around and dividing in two. One line led to the slate quarry and the first copper mine, while the other continued north, towards the base of Culdee Fell and over a deep gorge. After the old wooden bridge had collapsed, a new iron one had been built in its place, creating what looked to most of the men and their engines as a leap of faith.

As Skarloey puffed along, Mr Bobbie gazed out the cab. There was a great deal of built-up earth and mud near the top of the cutting – it looked unsafe. “We’ll have to check it when the rain stops,” he muttered to the fireman. “That could become a landslide very easily.” The fireman agreed, and the trio continued on, their long line of empty trucks clattering behind them.

Skarloey headed out across the new Iron Bridge, and arrived at the copper mine. He had hoped for a quick turn-around so he could get back to his warm shed before nightfall, but when they reached the copper mine his hopes were dashed. The heavy rains had loosened the rocks near one of the shafts, and the entire mine had stopped production until it could be safely cleared away. Poor Skarloey was used to shunt empty trucks around, and even to pull some of the more dangerous boulders down so they could be broken up.

It was tiring work, and it took a great while. By the time they had finished and loaded up Skarloey’s return train, dusk had already been and gone. The moon was steadily rising to the east, barely illuminating their return journey through the driving rain and thick fog that had begun to settle.

The little engine made his way back down the line, shivering at the cold weather. “I hate the rain!” he complained bitterly. Mr Bobbie secretly agreed. Even with the lamps he’d affixed to Skarloey’s bufferbeam, it was nearly impossible to see through the fog.

As they crossed the new Iron Bridge, the wind stirred up again. It tugged Mr Bobbie’s hat right off, stealing it away into the ravine below. Mr Bobbie felt a chill go down his spine. Something didn’t feel right, but he wasn’t sure what. They reached the other side, and began to pass through a steep gorge which had a number of jagged rocks sticking out either side.

“Duck!”

Mr Bobbie and the fireman both dropped to the floor in shock, just in time. A huge chunk of sharp, piercing rock screamed through the open cab and slammed into the opposite wall of the gorge, embedding itself in the rockface.

The fireman gave out a great yell, and practically fainted on the spot. Mr Bobbie just stared, unable to even process what had just happened. “Thank you, Skarloey!” he exclaimed. “If you hadn’t warned us… we’d be gone.” “I didn’t say anything, Mr Bobbie,” Skarloey replied innocently. “What’s going on back there? I felt something fly through my cab.”

Even as Skarloey spoke, Mr Bobbie felt his blood turn to ice. If Skarloey hadn’t warned them, who had?

Mr Bobbie didn’t say anything more until they reached the sheds, thoughts whirling in his mind. Someone had saved their lives, but he just didn’t know who. He did know one thing though: he was never driving an engine past dusk again.

Next time, there mightn’t be someone to save him.

Back to the Master Post

[orchid-mantis-petals]

WE WILL FIGURE THIS OUT TOGETHER

/ Hello!! HI!!

/ This is not another chapter of WHBY. That will update in the next few days when I find the time.

/ No this is something entirely different. A quick little something for someone very dear to me who had a bad day.

/ @maximumkillshot I hope you enjoy.

/ Genre: Fluff, comfort, angst

/ Warnings: Talks of medical history, seizures, hospital, anxiety, skin picking.

/ Summary:

“I-I don’t know. Just like my brain isn’t clear. It happened to fast Channie..one second I was talking you B/F/F and Lixie on a park bench. The next I felt my eyes roll back before moving left and right rapidly. My body felt like it needed to happen. But it was so out of my control I didn’t even know what was happening until I came to with Lix guiding me to breathe,” your explanation scared him more. A deep pit settled in his stomach as he listened to you speak. He wished he was there. The thought of one his younger members there to whiteness something so terrifying and unknown scared him more.

When Chan had settled into the studio that afternoon he hadn’t expected much to happen. In fact he hoped it would be a normal work day. His allotted time for the afternoon was with Changbin and Han in the studio. They had three new tracks to work through. The rest of the boys had various other things for their day. Vocalracha had scheduled in time for voice lessons and Lee Know was locked away somewhere working on some specialized choreography for the new album. He had some finished tracks sent over for the dancer to play with. He was sure Hyunjin was with him too. The day was supposed to be easy. Lix had a random free afternoon and had decided to spoil Y/N. And Changbin’s partner. With Chan and Changbin in the studio so often it was hard for them to spend the time they wanted with their loves. That being said Chan was sure to give Y/N his card. With explicit instructions to spend as much as she liked. He only hoped she’d listen and choose to spoil herself for once. It was four hours into their work that his phone rang. Felix’s contact ID appeared over his phone. But said device was buried in the bottom of his bag on silent. Three calls later and Changbin’s phone went off. But the shorter one had his phone on hand. The flow of the room was interrupted with the loud ringtone that blared over the current piece they were working on.

“It’s Felix,” Changbin remarked before he had let the phone go to voicemail. Chan gave him a pointed look to silence the device but before he could it rang again. Still Felix.

“Just be quick,” Chan remarked as he turned back to his laptop. Changbin answered quickly this time. He hadn’t let it go to voicemail.

“Felix, we’re in the middle of a track, what's up??” The younger Aussies voice was muted on the other side. Chan couldn’t hear what all was going on but he figured it had to do with the shopping trip he had taken the two girls on. “WHAT?!?!” When Changbin yelled Chan stood to scold him, but the face he had stopped him in his tracks. His eyes wide as he listened intently to whatever Felix had to say. “Yeah Chan is with me,” there was a pause..it was clear by the hand that settled over Changbin’s mouth that something had gone awry. He feared what it might be. He only hoped the girls and Felix were okay. “I’ll have Lee Know drive. And Chan will call Y/N. Thanks Lix. We will see you soon,” when Changbin hung up there was a stillness to the air Chan hated. Every breath he took was baited with anticipation.

“What..”

“Chan, sit,” he sat, slow and steady, the news he was about to receive had him braced for an impact for what he didn’t know. “Han get Lee Know. We need him to drive us to the hospital. Y/N had an accident. Felix said it looked like a seizure. But they aren’t sure. He drove her and my girl to the hospital. They are there now running tests,” Chan felt as though his heart had been crushed. He knew of your health problems, of all the various ways at which your body tried to torture you just for your existence. There were many nights he’d hold you to his chest as you cried. Anxiety from a doctor's visit the next day, or the sheer pain of your body breaking apart from just touching dust. You shared everything with him in time. He knew the ins and outs of your medical history by heart. But a seizure, it was not on the table. Not something deep rooted in your medical files. It was new to him, and likely new to you. Changbin hauled him up out of his seat. The stupor he was in shaken away with a literal head shake. “Lee Know has the car ready,” his bag was handed to him but he’d rather have left it behind if it made getting to you faster. Once in the car Changbin’s phone went off again, this time it was his partner calling. When he answered the phone was then deposited in Chan’s hands. “It’s your girl,”

“Y/N, are you okay??” His voice stayed level despite the panic that riddled his heart a mess.

“I’m alright Channie. A little foggy. They’ve got a whole bunch of tests going,”

“Foggy, how baby girl??” He wanted to know every piece of information you would give him if given the chance.

“I-I don’t know. Just like my brain isn’t clear. It happened to fast Channie..one second I was talking you B/F/F and Lixie on a park bench. The next I felt my eyes roll back before moving left and right rapidly. My body felt like it needed to happen. But it was so out of my control I didn’t even know what was happening until I came to with Lix guiding me to breathe,” your explanation scared him more. A deep pit settled in his stomach as he listened to you speak. He wished he was there. The thought of one his younger members there to whiteness something so terrifying and unknown scared him more.

“We will be there in just a few my love hang in there,”

“Okay, Channie..is Hyunjin coming?? Felix is a little rattled,”

“No sweet thing. But I have Lee Know and Changbin for B/F/F,” there was a pause on the other side of the phone, distant chatter about something he couldn’t hear. Then your sweet voice welcomed him back.

“I have to hang up Chan. I’m going in for a CAT-scan,”

“Okay Baby girl I’ll be there soon,” there was more faint chatter before the phone ended with the familiar doot doot doot. There was nothing more he hated in this moment than to hear that sound. Sure you were alive, coherent, and even spoke to him calm and collected. Still his heart ached for the distance that was currently between you. He loved you with his whole heart, this unknown entity that loomed over you and him was terrifying. When he looked over the dash he saw Lee Know was well above the suggested speed limit, Chan thought to tell him to slow down. But the idea of being beside you much faster kept his mouth shut. He’d let it slide this once..it wasn’t long before they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital you were at. Lee Know had barely pressed on the brake before Chan had leapt from the vehicle. Changbin was hot on his heels. He paced in the entryway as he waited his turn in line at the security gate. Once through he quickly walked to the reception counter. “I am looking for L/N F/N. I’m her boyfriend,” Changbin was at his side moments later as he slipped a SnapBack and mask over his leaders face. They both gave the nurse their ID’s and a guest badge was tacked to their shirts before they were given your room number and ushered on their way. Your room wasn’t far, since they still had you in the ER for triage. Though Chan had trouble seeing the room numbers with how fast he was moving. In the end that wasn’t something he had to worry about. It was the sound of your best friend, Changbin’s girl, that drew him toward your room. Whatever had happened had the small woman in a fit.

“What do you mean you don’t have answers??” he could hear the familiar clack of acrylic nails as they made contact with a hard surface. “Is that a medical term?? Spell it out for me Doc?? Because frankly it is appalling and rather unacceptable that your approach to me is ‘I have no answers,’ find me one. NOW!!” Chan eyed his best friend the look he gave read entirely as ‘get your girl,’ he’d never say it allowed, he had the utmost respect for her as a person. Especially when he learned how much she had helped you through some tough times in life. She had always been and always will be an advocate for your health.

“Are you the doctor looking after my girlfriend??”

“I am,”

“Explain to me what is going on. Right now. I can be patient but the health of my girl is far more important to me than anything else in this world. So please explain to me what is going on right now,”

“So far based on what Y/N has described to us we suspect she had a seizure. But all of the tests we have run have come back inconclusive. We just don’t have the proper answers for you at this time. My hope is that the CAT scan will tell us more,”

“And if it doesn't??” his arms folded over his chest as he looked down at the doctor over the bridge of his nose. He could see now why your bestie had been so upset. Her own medical history was a slight mystery. The combo you two had over shared lack of medical help and knowledge in your lives is what you two had bonded over in the first place.

“Then she has to meet with her primary doctor and schedule in some tests with them. There is only so much we can do in the ER. She needs to schedule with specialists with her primary,”

“Thank you doctor,” with that he watched as your brilliant face came around the corner in a gurney. Chan stepped away from the doctor, he let the small man walk away in hopes they would find something on that CAT scan. For now all Chan wanted was to be at your side. He slipped between the nurses that wheeled you and greeted you with a smile. He was sure you could tell he was smiling for the corners of your own eyes lifted in pairs to his. Once you were settled back in your room he finally spoke to you. “Hello my sweet baby girl. How are you feeling??”

“Tired, less foggy though. My head is clearer. It was like the episode needed to happen.”

“Good, that's good. The doctor wasn’t able to find much from your tests. He said if the CAT scan is inconclusive we will have to meet with your primary doctor,”

“Channie, I can't,” he lifted his brow to ask why not. “I cannot afford it. I already maxed out my insurance with this hospital visit. Everything else will be out of pocket. I just can’t afford it,” with a heavy sigh from your lips he looked at your lap. He watched as your hands drew together, the skin around your fingers picked apart from your anxiety. Gently he slid his own hands into yours to stop the habit. He then kissed the crown of your head as a way to draw your attention back to him.

“Don’t you worry about that my love. I will have you switched onto my plan. And anything the insurance might not cover I will,”

“Channie you ca-” he silenced you with a kiss on the lips. Sweet and slow. When he pulled back he was happy to see the sparkle in your eyes.

“I can and will baby girl,” he kissed you again. “No one will come between me and your health,” another kiss. “Not even you, got that??”

“I think I need another kiss to be sure,”

“Always baby girl,” he gave you another kiss, he’d give you a thousand more if you said so. His love for you was endless, boundless. “Tonight lets watch movies, and cuddle. Tomorrow we will make time for your doctors,” when you nodded he was satisfied. While the two of you waited on the final results of the tests he crawled into the small gurney with you his body a soothing balm for you. His own anxiety eased once he had you in his arms. “I love you baby girl,”

“I love you too Channie,”

[foxyarchive]

Glass in the Ocean[P3]

You find yourself visiting the shore again for… Whatever reason.

- thank you all again for your support!! apologies for the somewhat late chapter, had a family emergency to take care of. If you all have any questions about more of my mer lore, feel free to drop me an ask! i'll be sprinkling more tidbits as the story goes along, but i'm always open to receiving asks and talking about it more! helps me to world build too hehe Cross-Posted on AO3!

Warnings: Mentions of self harm(NOT for the reader or anyone else; Mentioned in reader's passing thoughts regarding a situation) Words: ~5.8k Tags in the comments! Ask to be added to the taglist! P1 | P2 | P3

You head back up the stairs, put away everything you don’t need inside, put the key in your bike, and are off to the town. It’s a Wednesday, so it’s fairly quiet. There’s tourists, of course, but you know it’s not bustling like it would be on the weekends. Still, you need to traverse carefully around people, trying not to barrel into anyone or knock them over. It’s not very often you ride a bike around, so you’re getting your sea legs back, so to speak. 

The first few shops you visit are grocery. There’s only a couple, but you’re sure to take a note of what they keep in stock, and what you may need to order from elsewhere. The next places are for clothing. Everything is fairly expensive, to no surprise, but there’s some cheaper options too for more practical items. You can’t help but to buy a beautiful flowing gown, and although it’s pricey, you’re excited to wear it at some point. After that, you find a shop that helps to supply your grandparents with a few things they needed for their own business. You stop by to say hello to your grandmother as she runs her shop. You’d asked if she’d wanted help, but she just insisted you look around more, so you continued on your way. 

You finally just let yourself peruse the various shops, grabbing some lunch after looking at the important ones first. Thankfully, it wasn’t all seafood that was served at every single place. There was definitely some variety, which you were grateful for. It was finally late afternoon when you decided to head back. You’d picked up a few things at the grocer to cook for dinner, including a little box of chocolate covered seafoam candy. You took it slow, trying to adjust to having items in your basket. The bike was electric, so thankfully it was a little more sturdy, but it still had a bit of a pull when you would turn certain ways. 

Arriving back home, you found your eyes once more drifting to the ocean. All quiet. Not a single sign of mers. You were beginning to wonder if you had dreamt about the entire thing– Both encounters. You felt relatively calm around the whole thing, now, thankfully. Maybe talking with Connor had put you at ease… Then you remembered his brother. The one from today. You shuddered a bit at the thought. He looked like he was more than willing to eat you if there was nothing else around. Yep, definitely not swimming anytime soon. 

After securing the bike, you walked inside, beginning to work on cooking the tilapia and vegetables you’d bought. You turned on some music while you worked, humming along to the beat as you chopped and sauced everything. You were used to being alone, doing the same routine like this almost nightly. It could definitely be a lonely lifestyle, but it was one you didn’t really mind. You had so much freedom with it, after all. 

Your grandmother was home by the time you had finished cooking dinner, and you set everything down on the table. “This smells delicious, dear, thank you. Where did you learn to cook?” She asks as you settle down as well, cutting a piece of fish off with your fork. 

“Little from mom, mostly from online videos.” You admit, taking a bite of your meal with a pleased hum. The fish was so fresh and tender. It was actually probably one of the best pieces of fish you’d cooked in your life, and you could only assume part of it was due to it being so local. Your grandmother took a bite as well, a pleased hum leaving her lips as she swallowed, offering you a smile. 

“Well, I’ll say, this is excellent! If you do move in here, consider rent paid with dinner. This is as good as where we ate last night.” She beams, and you laugh, feeling your cheeks heat up at the compliment. 

“Please, this isn’t as good as your food.” You tease, and she just chuckles with a shake of her head as she goes in for another mouthful. “Did you get a lot of people in the shop today?” You ask, eating some more, and she offers a resigned sigh after she swallows. 

“A little more than normal, but a lot of it was condolences because of the service. I will say, I think it did increase sales output. Thank goodness you’re here, we’re very much going to need to restock soon.” She murmurs, shaking her head again as you merely smile.

“It’s why I’m here. I think maybe we should do some work here tomorrow, then open for the weekend, then close for a couple of days to restock what we can.” You suggest, and she contemplates your idea while chewing. 

“I think that’s an excellent idea, dear. Yes, let’s do that.” She agrees, and you beam at the prospect of a good suggestion before the both of you finish up your dinner. You both clean up, and although your grandmother is talking, you find your mind wandering. And it’s wandering back down to the water. There’s a certain draw  it’s beginning to have now, which is both a little confusing and concerning for you. You try to push it out of your mind, wondering why your brain is insistent on going back towards danger, but it seems that you can’t ignore it. Soon enough, you find yourself with a small, portable light in your hand, your earbuds, and your box of candy as you head back down to the beach. 

You head back over to where you were earlier. It’s dusk, the last of the orange in the sky beginning to fade out. Thankfully, the light you have provides plenty in its soft glow. You unroll the towel tucked under your arm, setting it down as you sit cross legged on it. You slip your now cleaned earbuds in, turning on some music as you watch the water and open your box of candy. You truly do wonder why your body is craving the sensation of sitting by the ocean so suddenly, despite the fear of what had just happened, and you realized that it’s probably because you’re trying to work through the trauma. Your mind is certainly crafty, putting you close to things you fear. 

You munch on your second sweet, nearly jumping into the air as something breaks the surface of the water. There’s a wide smile on his face, and you almost think it’s Connor, for a second. The more muted blue of the tail, though, gives the fact away that it’s definitely his brother. You can feel your heart rate pick up a bit, but you’re uncertain whether it’s out of fear, or… Or what? Surely it must just be from being startled. 

You take out your earbuds, setting them on the towel as you see he’s trying to talk to you. He says your name, and it’s a little surprising, only to realize that Connor must have passed it along. “You came back down; I knew you would. Connor had his doubts, but I didn’t doubt you for a second.” He smirks, pulling himself up on the shore a bit. You find yourself subconsciously shifting backwards, despite the length between you two, but don’t make a move or comment yet. His eyes catch onto the bandages wrapped around your ankle, and the mirth on his face seems to fall a bit. You can see something akin to remorse flash on his features in the soft light, and you wait for an apology, but instead he just says, “Connor said you both talked earlier. You’re practically friends now, right?” He’s looking cocky again, lips curling up as he rolls onto his stomach. 

You don’t know how to feel. An apology would be nice, but you’re not sure you’re getting one. You set your lips in a thin line, not looking particularly pleased as you answer, “I think ‘acquaintances’ is a better term, and even that is pushing it.” You admit, and he just chuckles, rolling his eyes as his tail briefly flicks up from the water. 

“Sure, sure. My name’s Sixty, by the way.” He says, and you raise a brow at the peculiar name. You’d expected something like Connor’s, not… A number. 

“How’d you get it?” You ask, and he just shrugs. 

“It’s the only name I remember I was given. Connor was given Fifty, but he decided to change his name. Nines was Ninety, which I think he’s attached to as well, considering he didn’t fully rename himself, but he just purely goes by Nines now.” The confusion is evident on your face at his explanation. These were all… Numbers. A name he was given… A sudden thought crosses your mind. 

“Were you in captivity?” You ask, frowning slightly, and Sixty seems to grow a bit defensive at the question. He just scoffs, rolling his shoulders. 

“No.” He says, sounding offended. There’s quiet, then a soft, “Maybe.” Your frown deepens a bit, and you can’t help the sympathetic wave that shoots through you. You know that mers that are held captive are, more often than not, used for study and experimentation. There’s a few put into aquariums, but if they’re not highly drugged, there’s a pretty good chance they find a way to kill themselves in the first couple weeks. You wonder what their case was. “Doesn’t matter.” He says, brusquely, moving on as he then asks you a question. “What are you eating?” He leans forward a bit, as if it would give him a better look. 

“Seafoam candy.” You respond, and bemusement instantly crosses over his face. 

“What’s that? Does it have chocolate?” His eyes suddenly light up, and you blink at the new air about him. 

“Yes. Does your human not give you chocolate?” You ask, and he wrinkles his nose at your phrasing. 

“He’s not ‘our human’. He doesn’t own us.” He scoffs, and you put your hands up a bit, placatingly. “He doesn’t give us human sweets, though. One time, he gave some to us when we were younger. It made Nines very sick, so he doesn’t feed us a lot of human food anymore. Afraid it’s going to hurt us, even though I keep insisting it’s going to be fine.” He rolls his eyes, and you’re suddenly unsure, now, if you even want to feed him anything. He can spot the uncertainty in your gaze, and he just groans, flopping onto his side. “Come ooon. Don’t be like him. Give me a piece. Please?” He begs, rolling back up, using those goddamn puppy eyes you fell for this time. 

Except, now, you were far away from him. And if you gave this to him, the only person it could harm is himself, so… You were willing to take that gamble. Not like you wanted to see him get sick, but… He had hurt you. You were petty, alright? “Fine.” You declare, and his smile widens as you pick out a piece and toss it to him. He catches it with surprising deftness, rolling onto his back as he peers at it with what you assume is awe on his face. With it being dark, now, and him being so far, it’s a little hard to tell. 

He pops the whole thing into his mouth, his eyes widening in surprise as he chews. He rolls back onto his stomach, making a face the more he chews, and you’re not entirely certain he likes it. He finally swallows, and sticks his tongue out, lip curling up a bit, before you can see his cheeks puff out a bit as he tries to likely get the candy out from between his teeth. “Thish ish– Chocolate?” He glowers, nose scrunched up, and you can’t help but to softly giggle at the sight. 

“Only the outside shell was. The inside is made of sugar, vinegar and corn syrup. They make it in a way where it’s kind of fluffy and spongy. It’s sort of supposed to be a mix of a meringue and toffee and kinda honeycomb… Not like you know what any of those are, probably.” You sigh out, realizing you’re just beginning to waste your breath. He’s still trying to get the substance out from his teeth, and hisses in annoyance, an irritable click leaving his throat. You only feel a little bad as you watch his frustrations, amusement coming to your own face as well, now. He even goes as far as to roll away and back into the water, and you take the time to open your phone and look through it. 

A couple minutes later he pops back up, his nose scrunched up. “Yeah. That sucked. I don’t wanna try that again. Can you bring me just chocolate next time?” He asks, and you blink at the forward request, a little surprised. 

“Who said anything about a next time? I don’t live here, after all.” You say, and it’s his turn to look surprised. 

“You don’t? I thought you just moved here.” He asks, glancing up towards your current residence. It’s a little far away, still, but you can barely see part of it over the hill where the balcony is. 

“No. I’m just here temporarily.” You reply, and you can see his body almost deflate at the information. 

“Oh.” His voice is flat, and there’s a look on his face which you can determine is likely disappointment. It raises your next question. 

“Why did you bother me yesterday? I know you guys like to be secretive. What pushed you into waking me up?” You ask, eyeing him intently now, but it’s Sixty’s turn to be unable to meet your gaze. He squirms a bit, back on his stomach, pushing a few strands of wet hair out of his face that just inevitably fall back into their spot. 

“I don’t know.” He admits, and you feel frustration start to mount in you, now. Connor had given the same answer. “It’s hard to explain, but I just… It felt like something was pushing me to do it. I swam by, peeked out, saw you, caught your scent, and I… I just knew I needed to talk to you.” He’s still frowning, as if he’s confused by this whole phenomena too. He looks back to you, and you don’t quite know how to feel. You didn’t think he was lying. He didn’t seem to be. It felt like a flimsy excuse, though. 

“What if I went and told someone?” You couldn’t help but to ask, voice quiet. His tone holds an equally quiet note as he replies. 

“You didn’t, though, did you?” There’s a hint of a challenge in his eyes, giving you a pause before you speak again. He’s right. You didn’t. Deep down, too, you knew you probably still wouldn’t. 

“How long have you all been here for?” You ask, uncrossing your legs as they begin to ache. You let your ankles cross over one another, mindful of your scratched up one. 

“Few years. Four, I think.” He replies, seeming to relax just a bit more. “It’s nice, this area. You don’t get a whole lot of explorers down here, even if it’s considered safe, just because of the residences along the coast. Namely, yours.” He admits, jerking his head back towards where your grandmother’s house is there. That house is the first along the scattered line. “So, then. Why are you ‘temporarily’ here?” The word has a certain inflection to it, like he’s not quite sure he believes you. Not like you care, but you find it a little funny. 

“I’m helping my grandmother for a while. My grandfather just recently passed away.” You explain, and there’s a bit of confusion on his features. Oh, right. You’re not sure what phrases they’re aware of. “He died.” You correct, and the look drops to more of a brief stint of pain. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. So you’re not here visiting, then, like everyone else.” He waves a hand towards the town, and you shake your head. 

“No, I’m not a tourist. I’m going to help her run her shop until she can find someone to help her more permanently.” You state, and he looks confused once again at your statement, making you wonder what you should have worded differently.

“Why don’t you just help her permanently?” He asks. Ah, that makes more sense. Mers were very family inclined. Their pods could get quite large due to it, sometimes up to the twenties; Rarely the thirties. 

“Well, I have a career.” You start to explain, letting a hand drift down and settle in the sand. “I’ve spent a good chunk of my adult life trying to get to where I am now. It’s not so easy to just leave that and pursue something like this.”

“I mean. Sounds pretty easy to me.” Sixty shrugs, flopping onto his back. You see his fin squish out on the side of his back, and he tucks his arms behind his head, tilting it back a bit to peer at you. “Humans are flippant.”

“That’s a big word.” You find yourself teasing, gently. It catches you off guard, but it doesn't bother him. If anything, it just makes his smile bigger. Clearly, you’re beginning to grow more relaxed. You don’t know how you feel about that. 

“Yeah, yeah, fish brain. I’m serious, though. I hear humans will just leave and start anew all the time. I hear they can have whole families and abandon them on a whim for something– Or someone– Else.” His lips curl in distaste at the thought, and you grimace, peering down at your toes. 

“You’re… Not wrong. Not all humans are like that, though. A lot are very loyal. Whether it’s to their spouse, or job, or family, or even their pet. I know if I had a cat or something, and my house was on fire, I don’t think I’d leave until I knew it was safe.” You comment. Sixty eyes you, a curious look on his upside down face, before he rolls over onto his front. 

“You say that not all humans are like that, and yet you were so quick to assume yesterday that I was going to hurt you.” He states. You feel your cheeks heat up a bit at the implication, and for a moment, you don’t know what to say because he’s right. You had just made assumptions based on all of the data gathered. 

“I-I mean–” you stutter, and another smirk plasters itself on his face as he sees your clear discomfort. You’re certainly not an innocent party, but neither is he. “You nearly proved my assumptions by dragging me into the water!” You counter, and he just scoffs and rolls his eyes, tail flicking from the water once more only to loudly slap down on it. 

“You’re still on that? You know I wasn’t going to actually hurt you.” He counters, and any embarrassment you were feeling has begun to give way to irritation. 

“No, actually, I didn’t know that! You were exhibiting all the signs of a mer who was trying to lure me in and drown me!” You snip out, feeling your metaphorical feathers bristling at his insistence. 

“And what, may I ask, are those signs?” He grins, resting his head in his hand as he peers at you from afar. 

“You were being nice, which is a huge red flag right from the getgo from a mer to a human,” You start, holding out your hand and counting with your fingers. “You offered to help me. You asked me about myself. You tried to gain my trust. Need I go on?” The statement is finished with an annoyed flourish of your hands, before you slap them back down onto your thighs. He clicks his tongue, raising an unimpressed brow. 

“Really? That’s what humans assume we’re doing when we want to gnaw on someone?” He asks, voice flat, and your frown mars further across your lips. 

“Yes. It’s literally proven data.” You counter. 

“By who?” Comes his own counter. 

“By those who have been dragged to sea by mers.” 

“You mean the people who are dead?” 

You open your mouth. Then close it. He has a point…

“I assume by those who were attacked and lived to tell the tale.” You bite out, and he sneers. 

“There you go. Assuming again. Is that a typical human trait?” He tilts his head to the side, and you’ve found that your patience has officially ran out. It’s getting late now, anyways, and you’re sitting here talking to a mer. Sixty laughs a bit, and good Lord it’s way too charming. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.” 

“I’m done.” You announce, abruptly getting to your feet. You tuck your earbuds and phone away, grabbing your towel and whip the sand off of it. 

“Oh, come on, we were just getting started! It isn’t even moonhigh yet!” He counters as you roll up your towel, tucking it back under your arm, grabbing up your boxed candy shortly after.

“Goodnight.” You say, turning and marching off without even looking at him. 

“Come back soon, okay? And come swim! I won’t drag you out again, I promise! It’ll be a lotta fun!” He calls after you, and you just roll your eyes. No shot that was happening. 

Despite your stubborn demeanor as you try to forget about the mers while getting settled for bed, you find that they just won’t leave your mind once you’re settled beneath your covers. Connor’s pleasant, polite demeanor. Sixty’s snarky, but funny attitude. Then, there was Nines… Although he was a complete mystery to you, and only regarded you with cold, untrusting stares… You couldn’t help but to think about him as well. You wondered if he was like either of his brothers; He certainly didn’t seem like that. It was clear he spent a lot more time underwater than the two of them, given the complexion of his skin tone. Perhaps you’d be able to actually talk with him one day.

You nearly slapped a palm to your forehead. Why were you wanting to actually converse more with mers? They were dangerous creatures! They were going through an awful lot of trouble to try and butter you up for a meal, though… Maybe that was because they couldn’t get too close to the town, and he mentioned others never wandered out here. You just happened to be the first idiot that did in a long while. You wondered how long they’d been wanting to taste human meat. 

Then, you thought about the supposed human that had helped to take care of them. The one you weren’t supposed to know about. He lived not too far, apparently. Maybe one of these days you could take a trip out, try and figure out who it was, and talk to him. Get a better feeling for the brothers. After all, if they weren’t lying, and this guy actually vouched for them… Maybe, perhaps, things could be different. You highly doubted this man would be trying to trick and feed humans to mers, after all. He’d have nothing to get out of it. 

You turned over in your bed with a sigh, closing your eyes to will yourself to sleep. It finally did come, and although your dreams were a little cryptic with flashes of you swimming and beings swirling around you, they weren’t nightmare inducing. You woke up early that morning, earlier than normal. Although still bleary with sleep, you decided to get up and start your day off with a nice breakfast and some work. 

You think about making a big enough breakfast for yourself and your grandmother, but scrolling through your emails on your phone makes you think otherwise as you see how much there is to deal with. Resigned, you grab some fruit salad from yesterday, make some toast and coffee, and call it good as you settle on the dining room table. You open up your computer, munching as you scroll through and answer emails. The work is mind numbing, and you sit there for an hour and a half just doing that until your grandmother comes out to make herself some breakfast and coffee as well. She tells you that you that she wants to get started in an hour and a half, which gives you time to catch up on more work. 

…Except, after another half hour of whittling away at it, you can’t help but to let your eyes gravitate towards the window. The sparkling ocean greets you in the early morning, a slight fog settling over it. Still, you feel a certain pull towards it that you definitely hadn’t before. Not to swim, but to just… Be around it. You think about the mer brothers, and you feel something squeeze in your chest at the thought. You were trying to distance yourself more from them, but to your surprise and slight horror, you found it was actually becoming difficult. It seemed, now, that you actually wanted to seek them out. You lightly tapped your thumb on the spacebar of your laptop, chewing on your lip. 

Just a quick trip. You decided, getting to your feet. You closed your computer, changing into something you’d wear for the rest of the day. You glanced at a couple pieces of leftover fruit in your bowl, and decided to bring it with you. The thought crossed your mind; Had any of them ever had fruit before? They must have. After all, fruit was considered healthy, and you were sure that their human friend gave them such. Plus, this was fruit salad. It had a dressing on it. Why you were even thinking too hard on this was really beyond you, or why you were heading down barefoot to the beach with that bowl in your hand was just something beyond your comprehension. It was clearly happening, though. You wondered if anyone would even be out this early… Connor was yesterday. What were the odds of them skulking around two days in a row, though?

Heading back to your usual spot, you managed to catch a glimpse of something in the water, quite far from where you were. It was a faint shimmer of something, a little difficult to see with the mild fog that spread across. As you kneeled down in the sand, though, you could see another flicker once more. Something crested. Was that a tail? You were certain it was. Your suspicions were confirmed, true, as moments later you saw a body swim in the shallow water, breaking the surface shortly after. The more vibrant tail colors immediately tipped you off to it being Connor, and he offered you a bright grin. It was infectious, you insisted, as you smiled back. He said your name, looking quite pleased to see you here. “What brings you down here this morning?” He asks, and that’s when you find yourself short on an answer. Why were you here?

“I… Guess I just felt like coming down and watching the sunrise.” You admit. It’s not a full lie. The sun is still rising; It’s only seven in the morning, after all. 

“It’s a little difficult to see it today.” Connor admits, frowning somewhat as he glances back over the ocean, still lightly shrouded in mist. “I’m still glad you’re here, though.” He looks back, smiling once more, and the shy smile returns to your face with a faint heat coming to your cheeks. “What’s that you have?” He asks, curious as he eyes the bowl in your hand. Right, you’d nearly forgotten about it. 

“It's a fruit salad. Would you like to try a piece?” You offer, watching him perk up similarly to how Sixty had last night. 

“Yes, please.” He responds, eagerly. You take a piece out of the bowl– A nice thick apple chunk– And toss it his way. He’s quick like Sixty is, watching with a sharp eye and snatching the fruit out of the air. He takes a moment to sniff it, before giving it a curious lick, and finally pops it into his mouth. His eyes widen as he chews on it, an appreciative hum coming from his chest. “I’ve never had a fruit that tastes like that before.” He admits after he swallows, peering back at you, an eager look in his eyes for more. “What was it?”

“It was just an apple, but it’s covered in a dressing. It’s yogurt, vanilla, and a little bit of marshmallow.” You explain, and you can faintly see the fin on his back quiver. 

“Can I… Have more? Please?” He asks, a little shyly, and you look down at the bowl. There’s still a few pieces left. You’re about to pick up another one, before you find yourself pausing. You glance to him, and then the bowl, before slowly getting to your feet. Connor watches your every move, his eye widening a bit, but you can see a certain sharpness to them that wasn’t there before. Now, you’re suddenly uncertain of who is more wary of the other. He’d seemed so kind yesterday, and today as well, but this doesn’t make you forget that he’s a wild sea creature who’s ready to bite at any second. You’re certain that he doesn’t forget you’re a human, either, who killed many of his kind. It was obvious who had the upperhand in this situation, but despite how friendly he was, there would probably always be that constant reminder between you both about who you each were. 

At the very least, though, he didn’t look primed to attack. His muscles were tense, sure, but it was clear he intended to flee at the very moment of danger. For some reason, the thought made your chest ache just a bit. Perhaps you didn’t want him to be afraid of you, but… You hadn’t extended the same courtesy to them. Maybe that’s why, against all of your gut instinct, you found yourself shuffling a bit closer. His eyes never left your body, occasionally flicking up to meet your own. Tepid and uncertain, but not afraid. You were standing about five feet away from him when you came to a halt. Your heart was beginning to race as you thought about him grabbing onto your wrist. Dragging you into the water like his brother had. Only this time, there definitely would not be any saving, because Connor had been your savior. He certainly could be your doom as well. 

With a somewhat hesitant, shaky hand, you offered him the bowl. He looked at you, then the bowl, and slowly reached out. You couldn’t help but to flinch back a bit as his hand raised up, which instantly caused him to recoil. His arm curled in, and he bit his lip, blinking apologetically. “Sorry.” You found yourself murmuring, trying to steel your nerves as you held the bowl back out to him. You remembered his vow. They didn’t kill or eat humans. Really, that remained to be seen, but you were chancing it right now. Again. You just didn’t learn, did you? 

Your arm extended once more, and you kept yourself from flinching as his did, too. You held the lip of the bowl, and he cupped it with his hand. Gosh, he was so large. It was certainly intimidating. Bright, sharp, intelligent eyes that watched your every move as you let go, immediately taking a few steps back. You released the breath you’d been holding, and some of the tension appeared to meld away from both of your bodies. Connor peered down at the bowl, tilting his head to observe the pieces of fruit left inside. He’d delicately pick each piece up, examine it, before eating it. He seemed to grow more and more enthralled with every piece he ate, but alas, there were only a few pieces left. He was soon out, a disappointed look crossing his features as he settled down. 

“That was really good. There was this… Really sweet undertone to it. Something a little more overpowering than other pieces. I really liked it. What was that?” He asks you, curious, as he holds the bowl back out for you to take. You slowly inch forward, timidly taking the bowl from him as you try to think of what he may mean. Whilst grabbing the container, your fingers brush against his own. You both flinch at the sudden contact, causing you to quickly scuttle backwards like you’d been burned. His fingers had been cool to the touch– A bit slick, thanks to the scales. You peered down at your hand, perplexed, and you noticed Connor do the same with his hand. Even though you were further away, you were still close enough to notice a blue tint overtake his cheeks. He looked almost… In awe. 

“Marshmallow.” You finally answer him as you regain your senses and figure out what he’s referring to. He blinks, refocusing on your gaze, and a soft smile comes to his face. 

“Marshmallow… I really like that. If you… Come back… Could you bring me some more? Just the marshmallow?” He asks, hopefully, and the look on his face makes your heart pick up a bit. So. Chocolate for Sixty, marshmallows for Connor… You were really doing this, weren’t you? Well, as long as you kept your distance, you figured this may be a fun use of your downtime. A sudden idea came to mind, which had you smiling just a bit more. 

“Tell you what.” You begin, eyes crinkling. “Tomorrow night, I’ll bring marshmallows, and some other things. Why don’t you invite your brothers as well? It can be a… Party.” You decide, and his eyes light up at the prospect. 

“Really?” Another smile crosses his face, and you nod, still grinning. 

“Yes.” You glance over to the alcove to your left. It would be a good place to shelter from the wind, should there be any tomorrow night. Plus, the more you looked at the water, the more you were able to make out a steep dropoff. It would probably be more comfortable for them to wade water there instead of being partially beached. “At sundown.” You decide, turning your attention back to him, and he’s practically beaming. 

“Okay! I’ll let them know.” His tail flicks up from the water, eager, and you take another step back, glancing back the way you came. 

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow, then. I need to get going now. Lots of work to do today.” You state, finding the strange feeling of reluctance creeping up inside of you. He appears mildly disappointed as well, smile falling some as he settles his fin back into the sand and sea. 

“Alright. I hope you have a good day. I’ll see you later,” He offers a friendly chirp of your name. You both wave, before you turn and make your way back to your temporary home, ready to learn a new craft.

[electricaquarius]

Hello friends, I come bringing my very first GeRolan fic and also my first m/m smut! The lovely people over on the Geraldus server got to see the genesis of this idea as well as the whole fic early, so please join if you're interested in our dear Harper Prince! Also on AO3 if that's more your speed.

Summary: It's a super hot summer day in Baldur's Gate and everyone is feeling sweaty and miserable. Rolan/Geraldus smut eventually, handjobs, anal sex, the lightest touch of angst.

It was hot. It was, quite frankly, more than hot. Geraldus had never experienced heat quite like this before, and certainly not in a city. The tall buildings, the crowds, the sticky heat settling on his skin, it all combined to make him summarily miserable. Heat like this conjured images of pale yellow grass and parched soil from back home and Geraldus felt like he was wilting right alongside his mother’s crops. He’d tried his best to hold his tongue, his mother often told him that complaining got him nowhere, but the inescapable humidity was getting to everyone. Lia, for example, hadn’t stopped complaining since she draped herself across the couch and began fanning herself dramatically. 

‘Come on, Rolan, you’re certain there’s nothing you could do? I’m on the verge of melting!’ It was a futile request really but if there was one thing Geraldus knew about Lia, it was that she couldn’t stand being reminded of things she couldn’t control. A lot like her brother, in that aspect. Rolan snapped shut his book and breathed an irritated sigh, turning to face her. A bead of sweat rolled down his back and he suppressed a disgusted shiver. 

‘Lia.’ He pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘Powerful as I am, there isn’t a wizard alive or dead that can control the weather. You know that, and I know that you know as this is the third time I’ve told you. Now I’m going to strongly suggest that you leave before my patience entirely runs out and we spend the rest of the afternoon arguing.’ His tail flicked in short strokes from side to side, clearly cross but trying to keep his temper in check.

Lia rolled her eyes and stood up, sweeping her hair over one shoulder. ‘Fine, fine, but I’m not bringing you back any ice cream.’ She shot an apologetic look to Geraldus. ‘Afraid that means you, too, sunshine. Unfortunate that my brother isn’t feeling more charitable.’ She shrugged, grabbing her hat from a nearby table. ‘Well, off I go to faint from the heat!’ 

Geraldus managed a quiet ‘goodbye’ as Lia exited through the portal, not wanting to stoke the flames of the looming argument between her and Rolan. The remaining tiefling muttered something under his breath looking in the direction of the portal. Geraldus took the opportunity to stretch out now he was no longer sharing the sofa with Lia, resting his head on the arm and covering his eyes for a moment. He could feel the heat radiating off of him, sweat sinking into the cushions beneath him. 

Rolan took a moment just to admire him, as he often did. Delicately pointed ears against stark black hair swept up off of his elegant neck into a bun, stretched across the sofa like a big cat. His shirt had hitched up slightly exposing his pale skin, a sheen of sweat catching the light and giving him an almost ethereal look. Geraldus was a work of art, and Rolan knew it. He entertained the thought of swiping his tongue across his lower stomach and up towards his navel but thought better of it. Satisfying as it would be, Rolan knew far better than to just maul his lover whenever he felt like it. Still, it was a tempting idea…

‘I can feel you staring’ mumbled Geraldus. ‘Please, just tell me what it is.’ He bit back on an additional, far less nice comment. The heat wasn’t Rolan’s fault, of course, but Geraldus really didn’t have the patience for Rolan to dance around whatever it was he wanted in weather like this.

Rolan, slightly taken aback by Geraldus’ forwardness, came towards him and knelt in front of the sofa. ‘Just admiring you, that’s all.’ He placed a hand on Geraldus’ naked stomach and slowly started drawing it up when the half-elf grimaced. Rolan stopped, concerned. ‘Everything alright?’

Geraldus placed a hand on top of his and gently placed it back on the sofa. ‘In any other circumstance I’d be quite happy to let you… have your way with me,’ Geraldus felt the heat rising in his cheeks, ‘but I'm coated in sweat and very uncomfortable which doesn't lend itself to feeling, well, cuddly.’ Geraldus usually struggled a little with discussing their more intimate moments but had used his frustration to find his voice. 

‘Ah. Of course.’ Rolan backed off slightly, drawing back his hands to rest on top of his knees. Rejection never felt good, especially to someone with his pride. Not to say that Geraldus didn't have the right to say no as freely and often as he wanted, but it being due to Rolan's infernal heat gave a unique sinking feeling of disappointment. Rising, Rolan picked up the jug of water and took it to the kitchen, turning the problem over in his mind as he refilled it. If the heat was making Geraldus uncomfortable and miserable, then that had to be remedied immediately. Create Water wouldn't help as the humidity was too high, and he wasn't certain of his ability to create a Gust spell gentle enough just to cool them both down. Rolan was deep in thought when he heard Geraldus approach. 

‘Um, I'm sorry. For being short with you. I'm sure you understand but I've never quite experienced heat like this and I'm… having trouble acclimatising.’ Geraldus took the jug and poured himself a glass of water, taking two large sips. ‘I hope I didn't upset you.’ He put the glass down and pressed a quick kiss to the tiefling's cheek. Rolan turned to face him and gave him a warm smile.

‘You are far too sweet for your own good, my skylark.’ He chuckled. ‘No, I was just considering our predicament. I told Lia there was nothing I could do as she'd have me use all my energy turning the tower into a ski resort if she thought it were possible.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘But, there might be something I can do for us both to cool us down. No ‘snuggling’ required of course! I just want to make us both more comfortable.’

Geraldus hummed in confirmation, leaning back against the counter. ‘I'll leave you to it, then. Don't work yourself too hard, my heart. Come sunset I'm sure we'll both feel better, anyway.’ He patted Rolan's hand and headed back into the lounge.

***

Not more than a couple of hours later Rolan had emerged from his study, looking triumphant. Geraldus swivelled around from his seat on the floor where he had been folding paper cranes to pass the time. Keeping his hands busy had allowed him to stay calm and forget the more unpleasant side effects of the heat but he was happy all the same Rolan appeared to have solved their problem. Rolan crossed over and offered him a hand to help himself up from the floor, which he accepted gracefully. 

‘I think you'll be quite surprised at my ingenuity this time, my lark. I've made us an oasis of cool in this hot, humid tower. And now I know how, I can recreate it whenever you please.’ Rolan led him over to his office and opened the door, waving him through. 

As Geraldus stepped over the threshold he let out a sigh of pure relief. A cool breeze immediately stirred around his body intense enough to create goosebumps on his arms. ‘Oh, it's perfect, Rolan! What did you do?’ Geraldus turned just in time to see Rolan right behind him, wrapping him in a hug from behind. He began to explain, punctuated with kisses along Geraldus’ pale neck.

‘I began with a Cone of Cold. Perhaps overkill to just cool down on a hot day but I wanted to make sure it would work. Tweaking the intensity, I found a level that was pleasantly cool, then added a Gust spell on top to make sure the air circulated nicely.’ Geraldus reached a hand back behind him to brush his fingers against Rolan's horns. A shuddering breath of pleasure caressed his ear.

‘Am I to assume this is an invitation to pick up where we left off?’ Rolan asked in a low voice, trying to hold himself back from grinding against Geraldus’ thigh. Geraldus melted, arousal stirring deep within him at his lover's touch. 

‘Mmh… Yes, please touch me.’ Geraldus took Rolan's hand and trailed it down past his stomach to his cock, pressing down lightly. Rolan continued to kiss him, sucking and nipping at his neck as Geraldus moaned softly. Unable to resist, Rolan pressed his hips against his ranger's firm thigh and cursed under his breath at the sudden spark of pleasure. 

Rolan's hand went lower, removing Geraldus’ cock from his trousers and beginning to stroke lightly. Geraldus gasped, pressing his hips up to his lover's hand needily. The cool air of his study combined with the warmth of his hand was a completely new sensation, and all the more exhilarating for it. Geraldus’ moans grew louder as Rolan increased the pace, the half-elf's hips moving as he chased the pleasure until Rolan suddenly stilled his hand.

Geraldus was panting, whining, precum leaking from his tip as Rolan savoured every moment of his desperation. A low chuckle escaped his lips. ‘You did very well, my sweet. Very well. But, I'm not quite finished with you. If you'd let me, I'd quite like you to lie on my desk so I can make love to you properly.’ Geraldus shivered as Rolan caressed his inner thighs, turning his head to catch the tiefling's lips with his. Slowly they disentangled from one another and repositioned themselves, Geraldus winding a hand through Rolan's hair as they gazed at each other lovingly. Rolan stroked his lover's hip, adoring the sensation of soft flesh under his hands.

Rubbing his cock against Geraldus’ entrance, Rolan opened the desk drawer with his other hand and pulled out a bottle of oil. Geraldus mewled softly as the oil was applied, Rolan slipping a finger inside of him for a moment. The half-elf's cock twitched against his stomach, feeling very close to climax. Rolan smirked. ‘Ah ah, not just yet. Do you think you can hold on for me, skylark?’ Geraldus bit his lip and nodded, hands gripping the underside of his thighs.

Slowly, slower than he'd liked to, Rolan entered Geraldus. A shiver of pleasure pulsed through them both, knowing that neither would last long. Rolan began to move, pushing deeper with each thrust as Geraldus cried out, hips pressing up against his partner's. Every twitch and shudder around his cock sent a shock of pleasure through Rolan. He cursed under his breath, feeling his own climax approaching quickly. And when Geraldus wrapped his legs around his waist he was done for. Pushing down on the small of Rolan's back with his heels, Geraldus came on his stomach and chest. Something primal switched on in Rolan as he chased his own end. Before he knew it, his jaws clamped down on the spot where Geraldus’ neck met his shoulder. Rolan whimpered loudly against his lover's neck as he came inside of him, shooting three times before finally pulling out.

Panting, Geraldus slid over on the desk so there was room for Rolan to take a seat. A quiet moment stretched out between them. Rolan reached over and took Geraldus’ hand, pressing his lips to his knuckles. ‘Let it be known, my lark, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you.’

[batsyforyou]

Of Elves and Men Part 7

Pairing: Beleg x reader

Warnings: I refer you to part 1

Many months had passed by the time things began to get back to normal.  

Then one night you had a dream. A great and wonderful dream with Beleg taking part. In all honesty, you’d almost forgotten about him, having blocked the incident from your mind entirely. In your dream you were wandering the forest like you had dared not to since the kidnapping but you felt at peace. You saw him in a clearing standing there in a deep blue tunic and brown colored leggings. His hair had been pulled back to showcase his ears and had been let down, small pieces having been braided throughout. He faced away from you but in his hand, you saw a single red rose. 

You called out to him and when your eyes met your heart stopped. His smile had been more radiant than the sun and moon themselves. 

And you woke up. 

By noon you had forgotten about the dream but an insane curiosity to know more about your hero struck you. Most days, you find yourself staring aimlessly out your window wondering what the elf might be up to. Thomas took notice of your behavior of course, but he did not know what occupied your thoughts.

But he could guess. 

“What is the matter with you my dear? Your mind is far from you, reign it in, won’t you? There is much work to be done.” 

“Oh, yes of course, my apologies.” 

“Hmph.” 

He went back to his book, and you watched him scan the shelves of your study. You sigh, resting your head in your hand as you stare down your nose at your papers. When you made no move to lift your quill or read the text. Thomas smacked his book shut and crossed his arms.

“Alright. Out with it.” 

You flush, “Pardon me?” 

“It is far too late to pardon my dear, something is clearly bothering you and I can see that we won’t get any more work done till I fix it. So, as I said, out with it!” 

The heat runs hotter behind your cheeks, and you look away embarrassed, “It’s rather embarrassing.” 

“I fail to care. Any other excuses you want to share?” 

“It’s not an excuse! It's just embarrassing is all.” 

“Should I fetch a chair while I wait?”

“No! Its just- I- ah- well- “ 

“My goodness child! It’s like I’m watching you fall down a flight of stairs! Do not tell me you harbor feelings for Bjorn! Please, that is all I ask.” 

“No!” You venomously shook your head, “It’s the elves! I’m thinking about the elves!” 

He paused to stare at you, “Well, that’s nothing new.” 

You gawked at him. “What?” He said, shrugging his shoulders. “You have always had a fascination with the first born. I just don’t see why they’d take such a portion of your mind.” He tapped his lip, “Well, more than usual anyway.”

Clearing your throat, you took your papers and tapped them against the desk, trying to cover your face. “I admit there is only one elf on my mind.”  

He lifted a brow intrigued, “Is there now?” 

You were sure steam was pouring out your ears. Your face was so hot. “I have been thinking about the elf that first found me in the cave. Beleg, I believe he was called.” 

Thomas leaned his weight against the bookshelf. “Write to him.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Write him. If you're so concerned with his well being, you might as well. Perhaps then we could get some work done around here.” 

Your mouth hung open, shocked at his approach, but you couldn’t think of anything to say to him. With the matter settled he went back to his book. 

“Let me know how it goes will you? It’s been rather boring around here as of late.” 

“Thomas!” You paused and stared at him for a moment and he ignored you, “Thomas, what do you have against Bjorn?” 

The idea stayed with you for days after until one afternoon you couldn’t resist any longer. 

Dear Beleg, 

I am writing to you because I am soon to host an elven noble. I was wondering if you had any advice that may aid me?

You stared at the page before you ripped it out and crumpled it. Way too casual you thought. 

To Beleg Strongbow, Marchwarden to King Thingol and resident of Doriath, 

I am writing to you today because I am seeking your counsel. I am to host an elven noble and their party in my house. And I am in need of advice. 

My warmest regards, 

Y/n servant to Lord Húrin. 

You paused again, this seemed better but rather blunt. 

To Beleg Strongbow, Marchwarden to King Thingol and resident of Doriath, 

I wanted to thank you and your men for saving me from my fate in the cave. 

I am writing to you today because I am seeking your counsel. As I don’t know many elves, and you are one of the few I’ve met. I am in need of advice. I am to host an elven noble and their party in my house. 

My warmest regards, 

Y/n servant to Lord Húrin. 

You sighed and scribbled everything out starting on a fresh page. 

To Beleg Strongbow, Marchwarden of King Thingol and resident of Doriath, 

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I wanted to thank you and your men for saving me from my fate in the cave. My life has been very busy as of late and I couldn’t be more grateful. I wanted to apologize for not saying goodbye to you when you left. I hope I didn’t offend you.

I am writing to you today because I am seeking your counsel. I am to host an elven lord and their party in my house. And I would like to know how I can help them feel more comfortable. 

My warmest regards, 

Y/n Servant to Lord Húrin

You read it again, biting your lip. It’d have to do. 

You let the ink dry, folding the paper, you gently shoved it into the envelope and put your wax seal on the top. You paced around your desk chewing your lip as you waited for Johanne. You couldn’t believe you were doing this; you didn’t even have an elf delegation coming to your house! And you hoped he didn’t ask too many questions or call you on your bluff. 

A knock on the door, “Y/n may I come in?” 

You jumped fumbling to grab the letter. “Yes-yes! Come in!” 

Johanne opened the door and stayed at the threshold, “What can I do for you?” 

You passed her the letter, “Have this sent to the marchwardens of Doriath, they should take it from there.” 

“Certainly. Will there be anything else?” 

“No, thank you.” 

“I’ll have some biscuits sent up with tea for us.” 

You sighed.

You waited anxiously for a reply. Your absentminded behavior getting much worse though Thomas didn’t say anything, simply shaking his head at you. 

A few weeks had gone by when you finally received a response. Johanne had come up to you at breakfast with the letter and giddy with nerves you excused yourself to your study. 

To Y/n Servant of Lord Húrin,

It gladdens my heart to hear that you are doing well. 

I too am doing well. As I sit to write this letter my companions are working to prepare the game we caught from our latest hunt. 

But that is not what you want to hear about. 

As for helping those of my kin feel more at peace in your home. I suggest that you simply treat them as you would any other. A warm bed to rest their feet and good hot food will go a long way. 

I would like to know which of the many elven lords are traveling to meet with you. Perhaps then I could be more specific in my advice. 

With my regards, 

Beleg 

P.s. Please know that you did not offend us! Our healer suspected that you’d spend many days trapped in your bed. 

Your heart dropped. 

You paced around the room, “Oh no. Oh no no no.”

Why did I add lord to it?! You thought. 

Looking about the room in a panic you shouted, “Thomas!” 

Turning from the door you rubbed your brow and exhaled deeply, muttering. “Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear.” As you berated yourself about your choice in wordaged. 

Hearing heavy footsteps thump in the hall you swung around to watch Thomas barrel through the door. “What? What is the matter?!” 

Shoving the papers into his chest you shouted, “This! This is the problem!” 

He stumbled to catch the papers and hurried to read them while you paced your office. 

“What am I to do! If I pick an elven lord and tell him that this elf is coming it won’t matter because he can just check with his King and messenger birds to see if it's true! I’ll be caught out in a lie even bigger than what I’ve already done!” 

He looked up to you and slammed the papers on the desk though you barely noticed. 

“Write to him! You said. Ha! That was a fool hardy idea if I ever heard one! Oh, why did I listen.” 

Thomas came to you and placed firm heavy hands on your shoulders to sooth you before you worked yourself further into panic. 

“It will be alright Y/n. I will take care of this.”

“But-” 

“Hush now. I will not hear another word. I assure you that I will handle this with the utmost care and will be very discreet.” 

Stepping away from you he fetched the papers and shoved them into his robes inner pocket. He stroked his beard, his eyes high above you in thought.

“Thomas what do I do?”He hummed and waved you away, “Finish your work and do not forget, you must attend your meeting in half an hour. I suggest you take this time to compose yourself.” With that he shut the door behind him and left you in silence to listen to your quick breathes. Collapsing onto your couch you buried your face into your hands. What have I done?

Part 8

Masterlist

[bluejay-writes]

Heaven is a Misnomer - Chapter 9

Fandom: Shall We Date?: Obey Me! Rating: Teen Chapter 9 Wordcount: 2992 Characters/Relationships: Jake (Exchange student OC) / Raphael Summary: Turns out demons aren't very good at writing ethics papers, but Jake looks damn good in spandex. You can also read this on AO3, if that's your jam!

First Chapter || Prev Chapter || Next Chapter > (Next Tuesday!)

Chapter 9 - Dear Jakey, Sweater Paws

“Jakeyyy~!” Aya crowed as she practically danced in circles around him. “You brought me lunch? This is the sweetest thing a human has ever done for me!”

Jake laughed. Bunny had literally left him holding the bag - of chicken strips. Her phone rang as they got back to the dorm, and she took her lunch and disappeared to who knows where. Probably some kind of workout session, knowing her. Yoga, maybe. Anyway, now he got to deal with the entire force of Aya’s personality all by himself. He should be scandalized or horrified or even just being sarcastic but he was honestly just happy. Aya was a fun friend, and her energy was contagious.

“I may have carried it, but Bunny paid for it.” Jake said, not about to take credit for generosity that wasn’t his. 

“Aw, she’s the sweetest. She always thinks I need to eat more so that I, how did she put it, bulk up properly? Something about sick gains. I don’t know. All I know is that I’m just destined to be tiny. Doesn’t matter what or who I eat, this is the size I am.”

“Well, you’re adorable and even if I could change you, I wouldn’t.” Jake said, handing the girl a sweet tea.

“Oh, you charmer! You’re just lucky you’re the gayest thing since Elton John.”

Jake considered. “Wait. Gayer than Lil Nas X?”

“…Who?” Aya blinked, and then shrugged, and Jake realized that he had some educating to do.

“You seriously don’t know who… oh, honey.” Jake reached for his phone only to realize that he didn’t have it because Gabriel was trying to fix it.

“Jake, where’s your phone?”

“Broken.” He muttered. “It wouldn’t turn on this morning. Gabriel’s looking at it, but I have felt completely naked without it today. I’ll text you some pics of Lil Nas X once I get it back.”

“Yes, please. He sounds intriguing. Well anyway, you won’t need your phone to do classwork, but I need you for it. Please, for the love of all that’s unholy help me with this ethics paper I’m dying.”

Jake laughed and let himself be led to the lounge - the best place to both eat their lunch and work on homework. 

It took most of the afternoon to get through writing their ethics papers, Aya was exactly as clueless about Celestial Realm ethics as Jake would expect a demon to be, so it was more like a tutoring session that he also wrote a paper during. Which was fine, honestly, Aya was great company. And they got the work done, so he really had nothing to complain about. Except possibly not having his phone.

As Jake was taking his study materials back to his room, Gabriel called out to him.

“Hey, Jake. I’ve got your device.”

“Oh, cool!” He said, glad that he would soon be able to message his family again. And text Aya those pictures. Seriously. How did she not know modern rappers? “Let me just set these things down. C’mon in.”

Gabriel followed him into the room, waiting patiently while Jake set his armload of notebooks and study materials on his desk before turning back to the angel.

“So, what was wrong with it?”

“I have no idea.” Gabriel said, a vague irritation in his tone that Jake knew wasn’t at him, but at the vagaries of broken technology. “I tried everything I could to diagnose the issue, but you may as well have handed me an expensive brick this morning for all the good it did me. Luckily, I could swap the storage media into a new device, so you’re back up and running relatively quickly.”

“Huh. Uh, well thanks for getting me a new one, then? And if you ever do figure out what I did to break that one, let me know? That way I don’t give you a second expensive brick.”

Gabriel grinned at that, and Jake was happy to see it.

“Gabriel.” Michael called from his office, and the angel stepped inside.

“You called, Michael?”

“Yes. Sometime last night I lost my connection to Jacob’s C.C.C. I think something may have happened to the oversight application.”

Gabriel winced. He was hoping that Michael wouldn’t notice the change, because it would mean that the angel wasn’t as obsessively cyber-stalking their new exchange student as much as Gabriel just knew he would be.

“Ah, well, actually…” He sighed. “The C.C.C. that Jake was using broke, and so—“

“It broke? Did he throw it against a wall or something?”

Gabriel cleared his throat, adjusted his glasses, and continued what he was saying. “Something in the internals fried overnight while it was charging. I haven’t had a chance to pinpoint the exact problem, but I moved his data into a new device. Unfortunately, I forgot about the oversight application as I had too much on my mind today. I can get it back from him for some ‘preventative maintenance’ if you would like me to get the application added back, but I can’t guarantee he won’t notice at that point.”

Michael muttered something under his breath that Gabriel didn’t catch, but shook his head. “No, it’s fine. The oversight of the exchange students is Raphael’s responsibility now, I suppose I should have transferred the oversight application to him regardless. Do check in with him, he may want you to add it back.”

“I’ll check with him this evening, then. Is there anything else?”

“No, that was all. Thank you, Gabriel.”

Free time wasn’t something that Jake got a lot of, and so on nights like tonight when he had all of his homework done and had nothing else going because everyone else was busy with their own things. So there he lay, like a starfish on his way-too-big bed, thinking about the mischief he, Nia, and the girls could be getting up to if only he weren’t in this hell masquerading as heaven called the Celestial Realm.

Nia > Jake: Jaaaaaake Jake > Nia: Hey girl, what’s up? Nia > Jake: I need help

Jake stared at his phone. How was he supposed to help his bestie from all the way up here in the Celestial Realm? He supposed he could call her mother and exert some influence that way.

Jake > Nia: Are you hurt? Should I call someone? Nia > Jake: No. I… I kissed Satan tonight.

Oh. OH. That kind of help. He was here for this. So much better than any other conversation he could be having at this point.

Jake > Nia: Tell me everything.

For the next hour, Jake and Nia talked back and forth. She’d found herself falling in love with the very demon she’d sent her first Devildom-selfie of. But he’d known that she had feelings for Mammon as well. Add that to the amount of time she’d been spending working out with Beelzebub (mirroring his own time with Bunny, he’d not hesitated to tell her in his amusement) and it was a very complicated time for his naïve bestie.

After hearing her out, he gave her the best advice he possibly could in the situation. He didn’t know really anything about Demon relationships, but he knew that Nia was an incredibly open-minded but self-sacrificing girl, and needed to be encouraged to do things that were good for her and not just for everyone else. Also, she was going to be there an entire year, but only a year. So she should live it up and not be afraid to make mistakes.

Jake > Nia: Girl, you’re far too caring for your own good. You’re in literal hell. If you feel like kissing boys, kiss boys! Jake > Nia: But if you feel more than just kissing, if you actually think you might like one of them, you have to talk to them about it. I bet there’s a lot more to it for them to be with a human.

Nia didn’t respond after that, but given how late it was, he wasn’t really surprised. She’d probably fallen asleep. Which was a thing he should probably also think about doing, because he had a run planned with Bunny and Aya bright and early in the morning.

Jake woke, hopped out of bed and into his workout clothes. Which were the jeans and t-shirt he’d been wearing when he got teleported here. He still hadn’t figured out if there was a way for him to go shopping - he didn’t have any spending money. Well, he had the $10 that lived in the coin pocket of his jeans for emergencies, but he had the distinct impression that human world money was going to be useless here.

A soft knock at his door told him the demon girls had arrived, and he swung the door open, waving as he bent down to tie his shoes.

“Glad to have you joining us this morning, Aya!” Jake said quietly but energetically.

“Jake.” Aya said, and the deadpan tone of her voice made him stop and look up at her. “You are not seriously working out in jeans.”

“Yep.” he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s that or uniform khakis, and…”

“Ew.” Aya said with a shiver. “I have spare workout clothes. They’ll fit you.” She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him behind her up the stairs to her room. She didn’t seem to care that his shoes were still untied. Maybe it was for the best, if he was changing.

Aya let him go once they were in her room, pulled out one of the drawers of her dresser and threw a pair of black/white/vibrant blue color blocked leggings and a practically paper thin long-sleeved top in a coordinating black at him. 

“Change.”

Jake blinked. “Here?”

“Duh, idiot. I’m not into you, you’re not into me, get on with it we’re wasting day— shit, I was going to say we’re wasting daylight but I could just dump all the daylight out and still have too much.”

“I miss the moon.” Bunny said sadly from the doorway.

Jake pulled his top and jeans off in record time, and shimmied into the spandex-heavy leggings that fit him like a surprisingly comfortable glove, at a nice capri-length. Then he pulled the top over his head. It did not fit him near as well, seeming more 3/4 sleeved and crop-top length.

“Uh… I’m not sure if…” He said, awkwardly, trailing off less because he didn’t know what to say and more because he got to watch Aya shift into and then promptly right back out of her demon form.

“Be sure. Those look better on you than they ever did on me. They’re yours now. I never want to see them unless they’re on your body or the floor.”

“Wait, why the floor? And are you okay?”

“She lied about not being into you. She thinks you’re sexy, but she respects that you’re gay. Don’t worry about it.” Bunny said with a chuckle. “Can we run now?”

One good run later, Jake and his demon girls were heading back to their rooms to change for breakfast. It was a day off of classes, so Jake had agreed to not only the morning run but also spotting weights for Bunny after breakfast. He wasn’t going to change out of his workout clothes, but he wanted to grab his hoodie to keep his midriff covered for breakfast. And, because the cool indoor temperatures were going to chill him down pretty fast, so he needed something more than an almost-present workout top.

He said ‘his hoodie’ but of course it was one of Bunny’s that she’d loaned him early on when she learned he didn’t have one. So, he was practically drowning in the oversized thing, conveniently hiding most of his workout clothes from his dormmates’ prying eyes. Which, if Aya’s reaction when he’d first put them on was anything to go by, was probably a good thing.

Just as he was picking his phone back up with his sweater-paws, it chimed in his hand. Nia was awake, and messaging him. He pushed his sleeves up so he could type back to her, leaning on the wall while he waited for Aya to come back downstairs so they could walk to breakfast together.

Nia > Jake: Thanks, Jake. You’re the best, you know that? Jake > Nia: Of course I know that! I’m happy to help, just keep talking to me okay? Nia > Jake: Duh! Oh, hey, I’m gonna ask Diavolo if I can get some of my books from home, is there anything you want from home while I’m asking? Jake > Nia: Girl Scout Cookies? Nia > Jake: I will do my very best to acquire cookies. Jake > Nia: Thanks!!!!

As Aya started down the stairs in front of him, Jake went to put his phone in his pocket. Of course, he fumbled it, sending the brand new device skittering across the floor.

“That’s why we have cases.” Aya said, bending down to pick his phone up from where it slid to a stop by her feet, unashamedly reading the messages from Nia that were up on the screen. Jake was suddenly glad that a majority of their conversation about kissing demons had scrolled off the top with their talk about home.

“Oh! I always wanted to know this, and you can tell me!” She said, as she handed him his phone back. “Are girl scout cookies made with girl scouts, the way chocolate chip cookies are made with chocolate chips?”

Jake looked up at her, suddenly wondering if she meant literally. The shit-eating grin on her face told him she definitely didn’t mean it.

“No, and they aren’t even baked by girl scouts anymore. They’re just small batch shelf-stable cookies that support little girls doing outdoorsy shenanigans.”

Aya stuck her tongue out at him for not playing along, and they shared a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Bunny asked, as they met up just outside the dining room.

“Jake’s friend is going to have cookies sent for him!” Aya said, and Jake mirrored her previous action and stuck his tongue out at her.

“I’m trying to. Who knows what Nia can pull, you know?”

For not the first time, Jake wished that he could leave a meal early. He’d finished eating five minutes ago, but he wasn’t allowed to leave for another five. It felt like an eternity and a waste of his precious, mortal life. He dropped his super-long sleeves over his hands, returning to his comfort-place of sweater-paws, and put his head down on the table where his plate used to be, before Bunny swiped it to steal his leftover syrup. After the day she’d eaten an entire bottle of syrup on her pancakes they started limiting how much she could have, and Jake hated that, so he always took too much so she could have his extra.

He chuckled behind his sleeves, remembering the first time he’d offered his extra syrup to Bunny, the way Gabriel’s face had tensed up. The IT angel thought the idea of sharing the leftover syrup on his plate was the grossest thing he’d ever seen. Jake was just glad he didn’t let his squicks about food keep him from being willing to fix Jake’s tech when it failed him.

When he looked over to see if Gabriel was being grossed out as usual, instead his eyes caught on Raphael’s. The discipline angel was looking curiously at his sweater-paws, so Jake flopped them out at the angel and made a face. “Nyaa.” He winked, causing Raphael to look away awkwardly. Well. Maybe he wasn’t a fan of sweater paws. Why did I wink at him?! Well, that was obvious. Because that was his usual. Being a bratty kitty with his sweater paws at Nia’s sisters, and then winking at Nia when she teased him about it. It was reflex. Just reflex.

When lunch finally adjourned, Jake helped clear the dishes to the kitchen - he was on dishes duty with Azrael today.

“Hey, Az. Erm, Azrael, sorry.” He said, greeting the angel who was transferring any leftover food into containers to store in the refrigerator.

“Jake.” She smiled at him, not acknowledging his slip into habitual nicknaming. “I saw you take too much syrup for Yboun’dih again this morning.”

“What can I say?” he shrugged. “Gotta look out for the little guy.”

“I don’t know whether to take that as that I should keep my guard up around you, or that you somehow consider that demoness the underdog in the situation. She certainly isn’t little.” Azrael was laughing softly, so Jake wasn’t worried that she was actually concerned, and flailed his sweater-paws in her direction. “Okay, and also where did you get a sweater that is that large on you? Oh wait. It’s in return for your syrup tithe, isn’t it.”

Jake chuckled and shook his head. “Bunny just realized I was cold one day and didn’t have a sweatshirt, so loaned me one of hers. If I tuck my knees up to my chest I can basically hide all of me inside of it without stretching it, it’s great!”

“Okay, Sweater Kitten. Come dry dishes so we can both get on with our day.”

Jake set his sweatshirt aside and worked side-by-side with Azrael on the dishes in companionable silence. He really felt like he’d made friends with the angel of death. Though, just thinking of her as the angel of death made him wonder if he’d somehow dreamed the whole thing. He should ask her about what it meant to be the angel of death at some point. Like, she’d said she didn’t like talking to mortals because of it, but he knew nothing about what she actually did, and he cared enough about her to want to find out. Next time, though. He wanted to give the conversation the time and attention it deserved, and Bunny was waiting for him in the common room.

[bad-at-names-and-faces]

Mother Knows Best

ao3

ffn

chapter index

Henry gazed out over the water.  Somewhere in the distance he could see a hint of land, hazy on the horizon, but it wasn’t Arendelle, and they weren’t yet near Corona.  They had left Arendelle the morning before, a few days after Inga’s eighteenth birthday.  They hadn’t set a date for the wedding yet, and the council did not exactly object, but they would hold off on officially approving the engagement until they had a written proclamation from Henry’s grandfather, the king.  After all, it would be a political union, and had the potential to result in a personal union of the two countries, and there would be many things to work out even after they could officially be considered engaged. 

As they had been standing on the dock saying their goodbyes, he had whispered to Inga just to elope with him and get married in Corona. She reminded him that he needed the official approval just as much as she did; it would technically be an act of war if he took her back to Corona without her parents’ explicit permission. They laughed about that, but she was correct. And if he didn’t have permission?  He had never thought to ask what would happen to himself if he dared try such a thing.

He went down to his cabin and opened up his travel chest.  Off to the side, carefully placed in one of his sketchbooks, was the photo of Inga’s family that he had been using for most of his models. He now had many more sketches of her that he had made in Arendelle, but he still liked looking at the photo.  It included her entire family, with Inga holding her baby sister, just like he had seen her do when he had visited Arendelle the previous fall.  He enjoyed the family. There was a beautiful chaos in all they did.

 **

August 22nd, 1865

Dear Henry,

I hope the good weather your ship has been having continues.  I’m not sure how I’d manage on a stormy sailing, but I think I told you how terrible the voyage was for me last summer. It was worth it, and I wouldn’t change a thing, but I don’t handle the sea very well.  

I’m sure Frederick spent plenty of time talking your ear off about the Navy last week. He’s definitely looking forward to attending the Naval Academy in Corona next year.  Even if we can’t schedule the wedding any sooner than next summer, I’ll at least have twice as many excuses to visit Corona.  

I do hope you can send your grandfather’s approval soon. Perhaps the Council here will let us hurry up the wedding then. My mother is rather hesitant about going around the council, even for her own family. I suppose I can understand, but I still wish we could be like anyone else and just run off and get married, and not worry about politics. 

I’ll write more later today. I promised a friend in town that I would visit her this afternoon.  Actually, you met her husband--he’s the captain of the castle guard.  He’s been a friend of the family’s since, well, before any of us were born. Isabel, his wife, has been forced to stay home mostly, not even allowed to so much as get up to make a kettle of tea right now. Her maid is there, but that’s not always enough company, especially when the maid has so much work.  But, as I said, I’ll write more later. Let me know how your voyage is going!

Love,

Inga

Inga released her letter into the air from a quiet corner of the castle garden, thanking the wind spirit, then going on her way.  As she crossed the bridge into town, she saw Frederick standing by the low wall with his friends from the naval training voyage. She nodded and smiled in their general direction, not wanting to be drawn into their conversation. Frederick sometimes tried to do that.

“Where are you heading, Inga?” Frederick called over.  

“Just visiting Isabel,” she replied, hardly slowing down.  “I’ll see you later!”

“I might come by with Siggy when he leaves his post for lunch, then!” Frederick called, then went right back to talking with the other boys from the navy.

Inga walked on into the market square, contemplating the produce in the stalls, wondering if she wanted anything before she went over to visit Isabel.  Since it was the end of August, the offerings were getting more plentiful. She would need to check in with her mother about planning the harvest festival soon.  

As she walked along, she thought more of the time the fall before when she had unexpectedly run into Henry in the market than of the food around her at the moment. 

It had been a week since her birthday, and only a few days since Henry had boarded the ship returning to Corona. They had decided to make the best of however long they would have to wait to make wedding plans.  Henry had apologized profusely for not having things more ready. He had thought too much about romantic gestures, and not enough about the politics or laws.   

Inga had been lost in her thoughts, and found herself outside Isabel and Siggy’s house already.  She knocked on the door.

“Come in!” Isabel called from inside.

“Hello,” Inga said as she pushed the door open and walked inside.  

She saw Isabel sitting on the sofa near the window with a small plate of crackers.  

“Please tell me you have more breakfast than that!” Inga exclaimed.

Isabel smiled a little. “I don’t have the appetite for much more than this at the moment.  The doctor has me eating crackers and broth since they don’t make me ill.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Inga said. 

“Well, you’re here to distract me now.  Tell me all about this engagement of yours.”

“Shh!” Inga hissed, quickly smiling again. “It’s not official.  According to the Royal Council, he’s only courting me.”

Isabel laughed.  “That’s ridiculous. What do your parents say?”

“They do think we’re a bit young, and we have their blessing, but we need to wait for full approval of the council.  So we have to wait.”

“How long do you need to wait?”

“Well, we can’t even tell people that we’re engaged until Henry returns with a signed proclamation from his grandfather. And only then can we start planning a wedding. My mother suggested next summer, which is such a long time.”

“Siggy and I had to wait until I was twenty-one. It wasn’t so bad, I promise you,” Isabel insisted. “It went by so quickly in the end. I’m sure you can’t believe it now.” 

“I’m sorry, yes, of course,” Inga apologized. She knew very well that Isabel had been engaged for well over a year when she finally got married. “I do wish it would count if Henry and I had just run off to see the trolls.”

“Really?” Isabel giggled. 

“I suppose not. My parents were able to do that with everyone right there. It would feel different if we were sneaking off behind everyone’s backs.”

“Of course,” Isabel agreed.

“And even my mother couldn’t change the law to make that wedding official.”  

“Didn’t your aunt change that law in the first place?” Isabel asked.

Inga nodded. “Let’s not dwell on the reasons for that.”

“Of course,” Isabel replied seriously.

Inga knew why her aunt had changed the law, though her family were the only people it applied to. All sorts of weddings went on in Arendelle, and nobody cared if they were legally sanctioned unless there was a question of royal succession involved.  

Only a year before, Inga had assumed the change had been made for the reasons everyone else, including Isabel, also assumed: that with no other heirs, if her mother had died, the laws of the time allowed private vows to count as a marriage, and with no other direct heirs, as husband Prince Hans would take the throne.  Her mother’s assertion that no private ceremony had taken place was enough to deny the claim.  

What nobody else had known was that there was, in fact, a potential heir, who could claim the throne if he could be considered legitimate.  Lars wasn’t legitimate, but that was why it was also important to declare all weddings illegitimate for purposes of the succession, other than those performed by the Bishop. Inga knew very well that the trolls had come close to marrying her parents before anything else, but someone who knew about Lars could have used that to claim his legitimacy. It didn’t matter who the child’s father really was.  

Inga supposed, after all of this, it made sense that her mother was so insistent on following the rules to the letter.  Perhaps it might be best to let her mother plan the wedding for the following summer. It was a year. Isabel and Siggy had been engaged for more than two years before they got married. Who was she to complain about waiting a few more months?

Inga caught herself staring out the window, taking in the view of the fjord below.  Isabel was still in her chair, simply sitting, smiling, and enjoying simply having another person aside from her maid in the room.

Isabel's maid walked in offering tea.  Both she and Inga happily accepted.  

“So, now, Inga,” Isabel said, having had a sip of the tea, “do you have plans to travel to Corona?”

Inga had certainly given the question plenty of thought, and yet she didn’t have a ready answer.  “I suppose I’ll want to visit Frederick at the Naval Academy, and I can do that as many times as I like, even if I’m not officially engaged.”

Isabel smiled knowingly and gave a nod. “Yes, I understand.”

“Oh,” Inga said, blushing with the realization that she’d allowed herself to ramble on.

“We had a rather long engagement,” Isabel smiled over her teacup. “You find excuses.”

“Of course,” Inga replied, not asking some of the questions in her mind.

“Has Frederick passed his entrance exam, then?” Isabel asked, obviously sensing that it would be a safer subject for Inga to discuss.

“I think he told me the exam was going to take place in a few weeks.  Their Admiral will be visiting, so he and the other boys from the training mission will take the exam then,” Inga explained. “I’m sure Frederick won’t have any difficulty, though. As much as he thinks he might have trouble, I don’t think he will.”

“I’m not surprised.  Meibel has been telling me about that when she visits, but it’s hard to keep track of her stories and gossip sometimes. That reminds me, at your party, Kate and Edith both were rather fond of Frederick’s friend from the Navy, Jorgensen? I think that was his name, but he never came over to our corner of the courtyard when Frederick did.”

“Ah, yes,” Inga laughed, “I’ve heard about him.”

“They weren’t able to get his first name, and they don’t want to ask directly, so I thought I might help them out by asking you.” 

“You’re asking me Jorgensen’s first name?” Inga laughed. “I wish I could tell you. I’m not even sure that Frederick could tell you. Jorgensen seems perfectly nice, of course.”

Before Isabel could reply, there was a familiar knock at the door.  Inga got up to open the door, and Frederick was there, along with Isabel’s husband, Captain Olsen. 

“Good afternoon,” Inga smiled, letting them in.

“Your Highness,” Captain Olsen teased.  

“Is that how you greeted my brother, too?” she shot back.

“Of course not,” Frederick snorted.   

“We were just talking about you, Frederick,” Isabel said.  “I hear you have your examination soon.”

Frederick suddenly looked nervous.  “Yes, that’s true.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” Inga insisted.

Frederick shrugged.  “Everyone says that.”

“Probably because it’s true,” Inga assured him. “I know I’ve teased you a lot, but I don’t think they’ll be testing the details of Latin grammar, will they?”

“No, no, they won’t,” Frederick laughed. “Does anyone actually use Latin?”

Inga glared.  “It has its uses.”

“Yes, yes, that one Count still does, I know,” Frederick sighed. “Who’s going to write to him when you move to Corona?”

Inga paused. “I suppose the tutor can take over writing letters. Or Mother can remember what she used to know.”

The maid had served Isabel’s husband and Frederick some tea. The four sat quietly for a few minutes.  

“So, Inga, did you have lunch yet?” Frederick asked.

“I think I had a cookie with the tea.  I’m fine, really.”

“Inga,” Isabel cut in, “don’t skip a meal just because I’m barely eating.  You and Frederick go to Hudson’s and have a nice lunch.  You were going to come visit again Thursday, right?”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Frederick agreed.  “Siggy, you’re off for the whole afternoon, right?”

“Yes,” the Captain affirmed.

“Since you insist,” Inga said, getting up.  “Have a nice afternoon!”

Frederick and Inga walked back down toward the market square.  

Frederick smirked a little.

“You’re thinking about something,” Inga told him, “tell me.”

“Just wondering if you’ve written to Henry yet today.”

“Just a short note,” Inga insisted.

“How is Henry at handling sea voyages?”

“Better than I am,” Inga said, “and when he and Hilde were traveling last year, I don’t think either of them had any trouble.” 

“Well, that’s good at least,” Frederick said. “You’re going to have to get used to it, you know.”

“Please, don’t remind me.”

Inga sighed; as much as she wanted to marry Henry sooner rather than later, the reality that she would need to be the one to move to Corona was starting to hit her. Henry was, after all, the next in line after his mother for the throne.  They would certainly expect him to stay around, aside from occasional travel. Ignoring this question wouldn’t make it go away. Waiting a year would be good for figuring out those details.

They arrived at Hudson’s Hearth faster than Inga had expected, having been so caught up in her thoughts yet again.

“So,” Frederick said as they sat down, “when do you think the wedding will be?”

"I hope next summer. I don't want to wait more than that."

"But isn't there a lot to plan?" Frederick asked. 

"I suppose it is, and lots of people will want to have a say, of course.  I'm going to let them have their say, I think."

"Really?"

“Well, maybe not the ones insisting on a bedding ceremony.”

“They still do those?” 

“Supposedly, some of the neighboring kingdoms have. I don’t think they’ve done any here in probably seventy or eighty years.  Because who wants that?” 

“Apparently some of the older council members.  But joking aside, don’t you want a say in your own wedding?” 

"Frederick, I don't care that much about the wedding itself, as long as it happens, and as long as it’s not delayed too much."

"Then why didn't you two run off to see the trolls?” Frederick gave her a look like he suspected something. “Or did you?"

Inga laughed. "No, though I almost wish we had."

"Would that have helped?"

"I can't exactly run off to Corona to get married without a major international scandal, but if we could prove we were already married, they wouldn't want to undo that."

"You have a point," Frederick conceded.

***

Anna had been traveling for several months now, along with Elsa and the Crown Princess Rapunzel of Corona. They were the only two who knew of the real reason for the tour of foreign kingdoms. They would stay a few weeks at each place, never long enough for anyone to notice that Anna’s dresses needed letting out, or that the new ones she bought  were always of a more forgiving cut than the previous dresses.  She was a princess, and princesses got new dresses made all the time.  Also, no official portraits had been sent out for thirteen years.  Everyone simply assumed that the young queen’s sister might naturally be stout. Many royalty were, after all.

Anna wished they didn’t need to keep moving like they were.  The sea didn’t agree with her.

“Can’t you make the waves stop?” Anna pleaded with her sister.

“I can’t just freeze the ocean, Anna,” Elsa sighed, rubbing her back.

Now they were heading for Corona, Rapunzel’s own kingdom. Anna was unsure of how long they might stay in the capital, but Rapunzel had promised that she would have a remote house ready as soon as they might require it.  

Anna had asked Rapunzel what she had told her husband, and Rapunzel had assured her that she hadn’t told him anything. He had been left behind in Arendelle, and was going to keep Kristoff company. It was better, for now, if fewer people knew. 

***

“I feel bad that Henry had to go to Arendelle alone,” Rapunzel sighed over breakfast. “I know Hilde had agreed to go to that other wedding, but we could have gone with him.”

“I think we know very well why he was going,” Eugene laughed, “and I don’t think he’ll need our help.” 

“Eugene, you know what I mean,” she retorted.

“No, not really.”

“Well, he was going to be expected to attend all sorts of official functions while he was there. If we were there, I don’t know, we could have let him just be there for fun.”

“We’re talking about Henry. What do you think he’ll need so much extra time for?  You’ve heard James talk about him.”

“You know he’s been writing to her,” Rapunzel reminded him.

“Yes, of course. He does seem to be serious about her. Whether it’s a good idea is another matter.”

“She’s a nice girl, and her family is nice,” Rapunzel insisted.

“I know, but Henry is so young. Do you really think it’s a good idea?” 

“Hilde is supposed to get home tomorrow, maybe we should ask her what she thinks about this,” Rapunzel suggested.

“Or what she knows.”

***

Hilde joined her parents for tea on the terrace at the palace in Corona. She had attended the wedding of the sister of the Duke of Bielsko, reacquainting herself with several people she had met before, and meeting some new faces whom she hadn’t crossed paths with before. All in all, she considered it a successful trip.

“Hilde,” her mother began, “I was wondering…”

“Yes?” she replied, not sure what her mother had in mind to ask her. She wasn’t hiding anything about her trip, but some parts weren’t particularly interesting.

“It’s just, it’s about your brother.”

“Oh,” Hilde laughed. “What about Henry?”

“How serious do you think he is about Inga?”

Hilde thought a moment about her response, since she had promised Henry to keep his secret, but she couldn’t lie to her parents. “I think he’s pretty serious. He wrote to her a lot on our tour, you know.” 

“Really?” her mother asked.

“And gifts. He sent her something from nearly every port we stopped at.”

“I suppose we should invite her to visit Corona, then.”

“I’m sure they’d both like that,” Hilde smiled.  She had told the truth, but also kept her word to Henry. 

***

August 25th, 1865

Dear Henry,

I wish I could see you for your birthday this year. I know I told you that last week when you left Arendelle. It's still true. Part of me wishes I'd come with you and eloped in Corona, even though I’m sure you were joking, weren’t you?  

I'm sure the time will go by quickly, but it feels harder to wait now than it did before you arrived in Arendelle.  It’s been a week since my birthday, but it feels like longer.  

If I can’t visit Corona right away, I hope you find a way to visit again soon.  I hope you can come here for the Yule Bell, but perhaps another year, since it is a difficult time to travel.  Perhaps you can come to the Harvest Festival? You  only missed it by a few weeks last year, you know, so you should come this year.  

We’ll figure something out. 

Nonetheless, I miss you now.

Love,

Inga

Inga folded the letter, letting her hand linger, and giving it a kiss.  She looked at her drawer, and found his photo again under the ever-growing stack of letters from him.  It would have to do until she could see him again in person.  She set it back in the drawer and took her letter to the window.

***

Henry stepped onto solid ground at the harbor in Corona.  His parents and grandparents and sister had all come down to the docks to greet him.  He hugged each of them, and Hilde gave him a knowing smirk, so he felt certain that she was still the only one here who knew about his engagement.  As much as he didn’t want her telling everyone before he could, it did mean that he would need to figure out how to tell everyone.  

Stopping back in his own room, took some time to write a quick note to Inga before changing out of his travel clothes.

August 28th, 1865

Dear Inga,

I made it home, and my family was all assembled at the harbor to see me, just like at the beginning of the summer when Hilde and I returned to Corona.  Hilde told me, once again, her disappointment at missing your party, though she seems to have had a nice time at the estate of the Duke of Bielko. 

It will be time to change for dinner soon.  I still haven’t told my parents and grandparents about our engagement, and I’ll do so right this evening.  I miss you terribly, and I wish I could have you at my side when I tell them, but the sooner I have their official permission, the sooner we can set a date for the wedding.  Besides, it’s better not to keep things too secret.  Speaking of which, after dinner tonight I’ll write you a proper letter telling you that I arrived safely in Corona.

Love,

Henry

Henry sent off the letter, then changed for dinner.  

“I’m going to tell them tonight, James, and ask for the official letter.”

“I’m happy to hear that, but have you given them any hint of your plans? Your sister is, perhaps, too good at keeping secrets, I think.”

“I suppose I haven’t exactly told them in so many words.”

“Well, I wish you luck,” James said. 

Henry sat nervously through the first courses of dinner, until finally, there was a lull in the conversation.  He took the opportunity.

“I have some news I’ve been meaning to tell you all,” he said, looking around to make sure he was heard.  Hilde smiled, trying to look like she didn’t already know exactly what he was going to say.  

“Yes, Henry?” his grandfather asked him.

“I… I’m engaged.” 

“You’re engaged?” his grandmother asked, looking at his parents for some kind of clue that they knew something she didn’t.  His mother looked at him like she’d suspected something all along.  Hilde was enjoying the whole thing.

“Well, not officially,” Henry hedged, “but I asked Inga to marry me, and she said yes.”

“Inga?  Who is this Inga?” his grandfather asked.

“Grandfather, it’s the princess from Arendelle we met last year,” Hilde explained. Their grandfather grunted and nodded approvingly.

“So, not officially?” his mother asked him.

“Not quite…” Henry admitted, turning to his grandfather.  “They need a letter from you, Grandfather, telling them that Corona approves of this. Then we can be officially engaged.”

“I see,” his mother replied. “Father, we’ll need to look over the laws on our side, won’t we?”

His grandfather nodded approvingly.

“And then we can plan the wedding,” Henry said.  “We don’t want to wait very long.”

“How long are we talking?” his father asked him.

“I don’t know.  We’ll see what we can manage.  We were hoping sooner, but Inga’s mother is suggesting next summer.”

“Next summer doesn’t sound like too long to wait,” his grandmother interjected.

“Well, anyway, congratulations are in order!” his mother smiled.

His grandfather ordered a round of drinks brought in, official engagement or not, it would need to be properly celebrated.

Hilde finally got him alone the next morning at breakfast.

“So, Henry, I received your letter when I was in the middle of a picnic at the Duke of Bielko’s estate.  I have no idea how I got it there, I didn’t see anyone handing it to me, but it just appeared in my hand.”

“I can explain-” Henry began.

“Never mind that, you can explain later,” Hilde interrupted.  “You said in your letter that you were engaged, but I take it there’s no date set and it’s not even official?”

“No, there isn’t a date,” he admitted, “but her mother promised that we can set a date once it’s official.’ 

“And when will that be?” Hilde asked skeptically.

“As soon as they’ve received the letter from our grandfather, it’ll be official and we can set a date,” Henry insisted.

“I see,” Hilde chuckled.  “And I’m sure once that starts, Inga is going to realize how many details she needs to plan for, and a wedding next summer will start to look optimistic?”

“I’m pretty sure Inga doesn’t want to wait, either.”

“Well, then, I suppose it’s just as well you’ll be far apart for most of the engagement.”

“What do you mean?”

“My maid heard some interesting gossip from one of the porters. For Inga's sake, I hope it's nonsense."

Henry feared that his sister could probably read his face as easily as a book right now. "What did she hear?" he asked nervously. 

"Something about you entertaining some other girl, I think?” Hilde asked evasively. “I can’t imagine you actually having some girl in your room, but that’s the rumor.”

"Oh," Henry scoffed in relief, "there was a girl wearing the same dress as Inga at the party, and I accidentally asked her to dance with me, and by the time I realized it wasn’t Inga, it would have been rude not to dance.  Inga thought it was funny, too."

"Thank goodness that's cleared up, then," Hilde smiled, "since the story got twisted into some story of the girl spending the night in your bed."

"What?" Henry asked in shock.

Hilde laughed. "I wouldn't worry, it was a situation where a friend of a friend of a friend overheard something in the laundry room. They said your valet was there in the laundry, but of course he would be. I can’t imagine James gossiping."

"Oh, of course," Henry said, suddenly feeling a bit warm. James had told Henry he knew very well what he had seen that morning, but he knew James wouldn’t betray his confidence.  “Inga did stop by so I could give her a birthday gift without a crowd around. Someone might have seen her outside my room there.”

"I see,” Hilde hemmed. “Still, if I were you, I would just ignore them and avoid saying anything at all. If you try to explain it, people might even get the idea that someone saw Inga in your bed." 

Henry looked away. 

“I hope I haven’t shocked you with that idea,” Hilde chuckled. “But if you’re getting married, you know…”

“Shocked?” Henry asked, looking at his cup of coffee.

Hilde gave a bit of a smirk. “I hadn’t exactly- how shall I put this? Thought of you as particularly… worldly?” 

“I suppose I wasn’t,” Henry admitted.

“Wasn’t?” Hilde set down her coffee and looked at him. “I don’t think you got up to anything on our tour. Is there anything I should know?”

Henry looked away again. He wasn’t sure he should be admitting anything, even to his sister who was good at keeping a secret. “I shouldn’t say anything,” he said.

“Are you keeping any secrets from Inga?” she asked in almost a whisper.

“Absolutely not.  More like… keeping a secret for her.”

Hilde groaned. "Henry, stop right there while I can honestly still say you haven’t told me anything.  I hope that you haven’t done anything too foolish, though."

Their father came in just then.  Henry wondered how obvious it looked that he was hiding something, or failing to hide something. Hilde hadn't actually come out and said what she suspected, but he had the feeling she knew very well that he and Inga hadn’t been simply spending the night talking. 

"Good morning you two," their father smiled at them. "This is nice. Can I join you here? You've both been gone too much."

Henry nodded, and Hilde gestured at the seat opposite where she was sitting. Henry stared at his coffee some more as his father sat down.

"Henry, what's wrong?"

Hilde spoke up. "Sorry, I think it's my fault, I brought up how long it might be before they're married."

"It's probably for the best," their father assured him, "she's barely eighteen, and you're not that much older."

"Father," Hilde grumbled, "I'm right here, so if there's one word about oats or anything like that…"

“Don’t worry, Hilde.  Just promise me you won’t try to one-up your brother and run off and get married before you’re twenty.”

Hilde shook her head.  “No, that’s not my plan.”

“Well, that’s good. And as far as-”

Hilde got up. "You know, this feels like it should be a man-to-man talk, so I'll leave you two alone," she smiled as she left the room.

"So, Henry," his father said after his sister had closed the door. "I suppose we might as well follow your sister’s advice?"

Henry looked up at his father. “Her advice?”

“You know, a man-to-man talk. I haven’t seen very much of you in the last year, so we should try to catch up.  Ask me anything.”

“Anything?” Henry repeated. 

“Well, I suppose.  Or I can ask you the questions. Which would you prefer?”

“I don’t know, actually,” Henry admitted. “I mean, what does James tell you about me?”

His father looked at him in surprise.  “That’s an odd question.  He doesn’t tell us much of anything, and we’ve never asked him to. I suppose he’d tell us if there was anything really wrong.”

“Oh, okay,” Henry sighed in relief.

“We told him to keep an eye on you when you and your sister were on your tour.  I’d be lying if I said we aren’t worried when you’re gone.”

Henry nodded and smiled. “And was Hilde’s maid keeping an eye on her?”

His father didn’t answer right away, but sought out the coffee and poured himself a cup.  “I don’t mean they’re spying on you.”

“I know,” Henry replied. “James told me the same thing, that you asked him to keep an eye on me.”

“It wasn’t a secret.”

Henry nodded. He wasn’t sure where he should be drawing the line between secrets and privacy, especially when Inga was involved.

“Why don’t you tell me about what you did in Arendelle?” his father asked.

“I had a nice time,” Henry said, “though I did get stuck having dinner with the ambassador one of the nights I was there.”

“That’s a bit of an occupational hazard, of course.”

Henry smiled a bit, and tried to relax. “I did a bit of drawing while I was there.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Anything you want to share?”

“I’ll take a look to see if there’s anything that came out as well as I’d hoped,” Henry answered. 

His father nodded, as if he suspected something.  “So, you did some drawing, you had dinner with the ambassador, and you came home engaged. Or, well, not technically engaged, I guess?”

“Well, yes, like I said at dinner last night. Their council has rules they insist on following.”

“So, was this engagement not planned?” 

Henry knew for certain now that his father suspected something, but he needed to be careful with what he said, since he might be suspecting something different. 

“The engagement was planned,” Henry insisted. “I bought the ring in Portugal last spring.”

“Is that so?” 

“I just didn’t think to look up Arendelle’s rules about these things.”

“Waiting a little bit will probably be good, you know. You’ll see.”

“Everyone says that,” Henry sighed.

[gaoau]

flirt

it's the color of his imagination.

is there color in your world? warnings — none. word count — 1.6k

prev. — next.

atsumu had always been the more boisterous twin and the one suna watched out for with more caution. he initiated most—definitely not all—of their infamous fraternal antics, which meant that if suna wanted to avoid them, he had to read atsumu first. over a year and a half was enough to familiarize himself with the mischievous smirks that promised chaos.

when it came to [name], things had worked the same. suna knew for a fact that atsumu wouldn't be able to keep his curious nose out of anything that involved her—solely to spite him. he just knew that when atsumu found out about her, he had reached the bottom of his own grave.

he had heard when's [name]-chan droppin' by again? a thousand times already. if she didn't show up for the whole week, atsumu would stare him down and smirk. she broke up with ya, didn't she? they weren't dating, but it wasn't like atsumu cared.

when she did make time to watch their practice, both twins would spend their breaks using her to annoy the living shit out of suna. they could easily take over the world if they joined forces correctly. [name] was already used to osamu, but his brother was a new experience.

she always smiled up at him as he towered over her. she always spat out the right words to feed his ever-growing ego. suna held back the urge to give himself a concussion while hearing her point out the obvious.

"you've nicknames? why didn't i know 'bout this? 'tsumu and 'samu?" both twins grinned at her, stealing a glance at suna. he felt every last drop of energy dissipate from his body. "that's so cute, i love it," she giggled, but cut it short into an ahaha!

atsumu flashed his fangs, mocking and dripping with venomous pride. "we'll make ya [nickname]-chan, whaddaya say?"

[name] lit up the entire gym with the sparkle in her eye. "oh my, what an honor." she placed her hand on her chest. her lips dug into her cheeks and suna noticed the dimple on the left side. 

"how 'bout you, sunarin?" suna prayed [name] wouldn't comment on that. he flung daggers at both twins for the price of one. "d'ya think it suits her?"

[name]'s chortles resounded loud and clear, bubbly and lively. her hair swayed along with her body. "sunarin? that one's even better. can i call ya that?"

he found her gaze with his narrowed glower. "do not even try."

"huh…" her smile vanished into thin air, her lips pursed as she bit the inside of her cheek. she bent her eyebrows to magnify her pout.

suna heaved out a sigh that landed with a thump by her feet. he contemplated the words he was about to pronounce. "use rintarou if it makes you happy." he rolled his eyes, balancing between relief and regret.

he missed the way her face brightened instantly. her grin gave the full moon a run for its money. suna didn't like the moon when it drowned out the stars, but he could appreciate a smile just as glistening. he avoided looking directly at it so he wouldn't stare at her dimple.

atsumu glanced at him and then returned to his dear [nickname]-chan. "there's more where that came from, ya know, [nickname]-chan." he really liked attention, didn't he?

[name] laughed—whether to humor him or because she genuinely found him funny, rintarou couldn't guess. "teach me yer ways, 'tsumu-sensei."

osamu snickered at him when he instinctively clenched his jaw. the miyas definitely knew how to get under his skin.

sluggishly trudging behind her allowed suna to see in detail how she managed to float while walking. every step she took appeared weightless and free, as if she lacked essence or direction. she flowed like water, fitting into the smallest of crevices and filling up the widest of spaces. she could accommodate to anything and anyone.

suna stared with attentive eyes. [name] hopped on dried leaves that indicated the change of seasons. her hair danced in the afternoon wind. she swatted it out of her face with sporadic yet careful fingers.

the gentle simper resting peacefully atop her lips whispered all the words she didn't bother to explain. the melodious tune she composed with dulcet hums and lyrical nonsense painted a harmonious picture of a content mind. no worries, no pains, no uncertainties.

she lived a simple life. she held her cards closer to her chest than it seemed. rintarou couldn't read her color like she had read him.

"should i learn how to tape yer fingers for ya?" the smile on her lips enlarged into a carefree grin. she waited for him to catch up to her. she really did move too fast. "yer hands're too pretty to get hurt."

not a single person could exist without pains and worries and uncertainties. although he had suspected [name] wasn't human, she always abided by their laws. for someone that rambled so much, she never said anything.

"rintarou-kun?"

his given name rolling off her tongue landed sweetly on his ears. he blinked back into reality, shoulders jolting.

[name] allowed a chuckle to fall. "thinkin' too much leads ya to deceivin', rintarou-kun. say it aloud, for yer sake more than mine."

when did he start growing curious about her? he could ask about her family, or her dreams and ambitions, or her way of living. he wanted to understand every word she threw at him; every graze of skin she initiated. how she smiled at atsumu with the same brightness she used for him; how she played with his hair but found osamu's grey color to be more interesting.

suna grimaced at himself. "do you like the twins?" he didn't give himself the chance to bite his own tongue.

"oh." [name] blinked at an inconsistent pace. "'course i do, they're real fun. never a dull moment with those two."

"i mean, physically." he should have stopped digging his grave any deeper, but [name] was just so annoying.

"as in do i like their looks?" suna only nodded. "yeah, i admit they're attractive. very, actually."

the twisting of his stomach and the tightening of his muscles warned him he didn't want to know more than that. maybe [name] wasn't one to fit the mold, even if water fit everywhere. she would never show suna all her cards.

her dilating pupils hadn't bothered him for over a month, but suddenly he hated looking her in the eye again. that gaze she washed over him to read him like an open book when he still struggled to understand the things she communicated verbally. [name] laughed, "but that ain't the question you were goin' for."

rintarou cocked a brow. "what do you mean?" that question was useless considering she never spelled things out for him.

"i like 'em both, but i think i like 'tsumu-kun a bit more." if he could carve his eardrums out, he would have. [name] clasped her hands together, gravitating around suna. "he's so full of color. 'samu-kun's the same, but he's a bit less vibrant. 'tsumu-kun's practically a rainbow to me, he has so many colors."

"unlike me."

"unlike you, exactly." either her words or her smile stung more—he couldn't tell which one. "so yeah, i like the twins, and yeah, i like 'tsumu-kun. but naw, i ain't into 'em."

"i didn't ask that." he rolled his eyes for good measure.

she blew a raspberry. "the great thing 'bout shades of grey s'that there's only ninety-eight of 'em between solid black and pure white." suna wondered if there was anyone who could make sense of her nonsense. "they're a bit tricky ta distinguish, but i can read all of 'em. took me a while, but i learned."

suna wondered if he was making the right sense out of her nonsense; if he was exhausting his brain with a deeper meaning that didn't exist in her words. "i think you mentioned something like that."

laughter rumbled behind her closed lips. "wanna know what color 'tsumu-kun boasts the most?"

"something like purple." he shrugged. he saw [name]'s brows jump in surprise. "royalty, right? plus, you like purples." he hissed the end of his sentence like a snake, a smile crawling onto his mouth.

"ah, so ya do listen ta me when i talk." their chortles of amusement blended together. "close 'nough, but nah."

"then?"

"s'a mixture of red an' purple. blood of hard work and rarity of royalty. it's rich and deep and very vibrant. very 'tsumu-kun."

"well, that's annoying…"

[name] giggled at his grumbles. "s'called flirt."

his shoulders bounced when he burst into laughter. "that's pretty accurate." [name] grinned at him with glimmering eyes, almost as if he were the eighth wonder of the world and she had just found him.

"but much like mixtures between red an' purple, flirt's 'nother color that doesn't exist. they're on different ends of the spectrum and never touch. the variations we see are just a pigment of our imagination." her gaze found his and suna allowed it to sink into his field of view. "food for thought, huh, rintarou-kun? see ya tomorrow."

[name] left behind only a dispersing image of her dancing fingers and the melody of every syllable in his name. she turned left where they usually turned right to reach her home. as if she lacked essence or direction, she floated away with her blatant truths painted with vibrant hues.

rintarou chuckled to himself as he watched her back disappear down the street. "see you," he called out. [name] stopped to wave at him. he waved his fingers like she did every time, turning on his heels to head home. he knew he was making the right sense out of her nonsense.

[myrooks]

OPEN STARTER

-– “ I’m back. ”

              .... “ Care to tell me where all my Rooks have been hiding? ”

[idy-ll-ique]

His Lovely Girl.

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x F!Reader

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Requested: nope

Warnings: insecurity

Summary: Sebastian spoils her all the time. What has she ever done for him? When someone leaves a rude comment under her Instagram post, she can't help but rethink her entire relationship with the handsome actor.

Author's Note: Hiya peeps! We're back to Marvel lol, enjoy!

---

"I'll see you later, dove, have fun!" Y/N grinned when her boyfriend leaned over, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Bye, Seb, I'll miss you," she whispered and he looked down at her, his heart swelling in his chest, full of appreciation for her. He loved her so much. "I'll miss you too, Y/N, but I'll only be gone for around 6 hours." Y/N pouted and he couldn't help it.

He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. "I know. Go now, I don't want to be the reason you're late." He laughed heartily when she pushed him away with a smile. "Oh, doll, everyone knows about us, they'll know anyway." With that, he waved at her and left the apartment they shared. Y/N had moved in with him 2 years into dating.

Sebastian Stan; let's just say, he was a busy man. Y/N sighed and got up from the bed, feeling hungry. They had started dating 4 years ago, and what years those were; the most blissful ones in both their lives. They loved each other to death, and they knew that. Y/N waddled into the kitchen and looked around the various cabinets, finding a box of Mac and Cheese.

It was a funny story, actually, how they met. Y/N, at the time, was working as a barista at Starbucks. One day, Sebastian had walked into the Starbucks where she worked, and she was the one who took his order. He was extremely polite, funny and a bit awkward and just like that, she fell in love with him all over again. Y/N was a Marvel geek and Sebastian had noticed.

"I really like your hoodie, doll, where'd you get it?" he had asked her after telling her his order. And she had looked down, seeing the custom-made hoodie she wore. It was black in colour, but one of the sleeves was silver and had a red star on the bicep, just like his arm from the movie Captain America: Winter Soldier.

Bucky's trigger words were printed on the front of the hoodie. She had blushed furiously, simultaneously cursing and thanking her fate and coincidence. "I had it custom made," she had told him at the time and he had grinned so wide he thought his mouth would tear open. That was the moment where he, too, realized that he was getting a crush on the pretty barista.

And he hadn't hesitated to ask her for her number. He had taken a tissue paper, scribbled his number down and had written what's yours? ;) underneath. When he went to pay for his coffee, he purposely made sure that he wasn't giving her any change. With his notes, he slid her the tissue and she took it, giving him a confused look.

When she read it, her breath hitched. While pulling out his change, she had discreetly written her number down on the tissue, saved his on her phone and had given the tissue back to him with the coins. Both of them had grinned widely at each other when he left. While walking home, he had taken out the tissue and had seen her number written neatly under his. And his heart raced, Y/N is worth it.

---

*@yn_yln posted a photo*

4,583 likes

yn_yln Mac and Cheese, anyone? :D

Y/N smiled and logged out of her Instagram account after posting the photo. She just couldn't resist; she looked good that day, one of those days where she felt confident enough to post a picture. She kept her phone away and sauntered into the sitting room to watch something on the television. An hour passed before she yawned, feeling tired.

2:05 pm, her watch displayed. Well, there's no harm in an afternoon nap, am I right? Sebastian wasn't home anyway, and it's not like she had anything to do. Grabbing her phone off the dining table, she walked into hers and Sebastian's shared bedroom, plopping down on the bed. She decided to check her Instagram before falling asleep and opened the said app.

She went through the page that displayed all the likes and comments, pausing at one comment. Her heart dropped as she clicked on the comment, her entire being filling with an uneasy feeling. You're only dating him for the money, admit it. Until then, she had never even thought… about that. Throwing her phone to the side she sat up, breathing heavily.

Y/N was currently jobless. After they started going out, she continued working at Starbucks until last year; Sebastian had suggested that she leave the job and work somewhere better, earn a higher salary. Y/N had discarded the idea at first, since the job paid enough for her to go about her daily things and where would she even find another job?

Starbucks was okay. But Sebastian wouldn't hear it. So she left the job, now jobless. She had applied to a few places but hadn't received any news as of yet. They're right. I'm living off of him. I don't even have a job. What does it look like? A broke woman dating a rich, handsome guy? Oh my God, am I leeching off his hard work? All those thoughts rushed through her head in a span of a few seconds.

The more she thought about it, the more she teared up. Blinking the tears away, she lay back down and curled up under the comfortable blankets. His blankets. She closed her eyes, trying her hardest to fall asleep but the tears were proving it to be difficult. Fortunately, she drifted off into an uneasy slumber 15 minutes later.

---

"Baby, I'm home!"

Silence. Sebastian frowned, carefully walking into the house. "Y/N?" he called out but there was no answer. Keeping the bag he was holding away, he walked further into the apartment, stopping at the doorway of their bedroom. "Aw," he whispered under his breath, smiling, stepping into the bedroom. He gently sat next to his sleeping girlfriend.

His knuckles traced her cheeks but he froze. Why is she so cold? His soft touch was enough to wake her up, because she stirred and blinked up at him. "Seb, hi, welcome back." Her voice was hoarse. "Y/N? Did you fall sick?" he asked worriedly as she sat up, distancing herself from him. "I'm not sick," she muttered but Sebastian wouldn't buy it.

He reached out to cup her cheek, feeling like he had been stabbed multiple times when she leaned away from his touch. "Y/N?" She shook her head and looked out of the window, bringing her knees to her chest. "Just wanna be alone right now." She didn't want to send him away. She wanted to sit in his lap, listen to him rambling about his day…

But she also didn't want to be near him. Do I even deserve him? "What happened?" he insisted, his eyes going wide when she glared at him. "Go. Away." He scrambled off the bed without another word, softly closing the door behind him as he walked into the sitting room, running a hand through his hair. He sat down on the couch and looked around.

What happened in those 6 hours that he was away? Sebastian knew she wasn't on her cycle, it still had another week to come. So it wasn't mood swings. His eyes landed on the empty bowl of Mac and Cheese sitting on the dining table but they skimmed right past it, not knowing that that bowl was the reason for Y/N's sadness. Then he stared at the designer handbag on the opposite couch.

Picking up the bag, he strode back to their room, knocking on the door. Maybe seeing a pretty purse would lighten her mood? "What?" Y/N called out from inside and he opened the door, holding the purse up. "I brought you a gift." Y/N's heart started thudding in her chest and tears glistened in her eyes anew as she stared at the bag with utmost resentment.

"I don't want it."

Sebastian went rigid. She never rejects my gifts. "Y/N—" She started shaking her head. "No. Return it. I'm not taking it. I don't want it," she repeated, her glare now directed at him. "But doll…" he tried, freezing when her jaw clenched. "Get out." Disheartened, he walked out once more, more confused than anything. Now I have to know what happened.

Inside the room, Y/N sobbed silently. The bag was so pretty, her favorite color, the sleek design… she wanted to keep it so bad, but she knew she wasn't worthy of it. Sebastian brought her gifts all the time. Most of them expensive as shit; he had the money to blow off. What had she done for him? Nothing, really. He spoiled her heartily, never once allowing her to do the same.

"You're mine, baby girl, mine to love, mine to cherish, mine to spoil."

She was definitely leeching off him. Outside the room, Sebastian took out his phone and texted Y/F/N, who was Y/N's closest friend. They rarely spoke, but Y/N told Y/F/N everything and he knew she'd have answers.

hey, do you know what's up with y/n

why what happened

she's in a really bad mood

she's angry at me and I brought her a gift but she won't take it

she usually loves them but today…

OH WAIT

I know what happened

she texted me in the afternoon

something about a comment on Instagram or something

ig that's why she's in a bad mood

oh

thanks

I'll check it out

He ended the conversation and opened Instagram, seeing a new post from his dear girlfriend. Sebastian couldn't help but smile as he liked the photo, commenting a heart emoji. There were only around 22 comments on the post, so he decided to go through them. Which comment had triggered her? He found it instantly and his nostrils flared.

Replying to the fairly rude comment, he typed, how about you fuck off and mind your own damn business? If you don't like her, unfollow and leave. There's literally nothing else you need to do. After hitting send, he kept his phone away and, determination shining in his eyes, ran back to the bedroom.

He threw open the door and a sob escaped the lips of the startled woman. He started taking off the annoying clothes he was wearing until he was just in his boxers, sliding into the bed next to her. She attempted to push him away but the strong man didn't budge, holding her on his lap as she thrashed. Soon, she gave up the fight and melted against him, crying her eyes out.

"I'm sorry," she apologized again and again, her breath hitching. "Hush, baby, it's okay, I'm not mad," he whispered, rubbing her back, helping her calm down. She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms tight around him. "Tell me the truth. What happened?" he asked even though he knew the answer. Tiredly, Y/N narrated everything; from the comment to all her insecurities.

Sebastian gently cupped her cheeks, wiping her tears off. "Y/N, you're mine. I love taking care of you, I love spoiling you, and I don't do it because I expect something in return, I do it because I love you. Don't listen to strangers on the internet, what better work do they have? Nothing but lowlifes. You don't have to do anything for me. I don't want you to do anything for me."

"But Seb…"

"No. No, you're my girlfriend and only the best for my girl. I love all the gifts you get me. I cherish them wholeheartedly. Just you being my girl is a gift better than anything else in the world, to be honest. But I'm going to continue looking after you whether you like it or not. You don't even have to go to work, I'm here for you. I love you." Y/N teared up again.

They were happy tears.

"I love you so much," she cried weakly and Sebastian pulled her to him, cradling her head, breathing her in. "I love you too, doll. Now will you take my gift, please?" She nodded against him and he gently lowered her on the bed, going outside to get the bag. Once back in their room he handed the bag to her, smiling at the way her eager hands reached up to accept the gift.

As he watched her admiring the bag, he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, till death do them part.

His girl, his lovely girl.

---

A/N: Leave a like if you enjoyed, thanks for reading!

[writer-akihiko]

Can I request Leona winning Fem!Mc heart out of all of the dorm leaders? like they all propose to her and she chooses him?

A Lion Just For Me - Leona X Reader

This ask made me so giddy, I hope you appreciate this piece!

The day after your birthday, was undeniably the most chaotic day in NRC that they'd ever seen.

It was an all out war.

~○~

Leona as usual, was in bed despite the late afternoon. However, this time, he didn't want to be the lazy lion he usually was. Yesterday… on your birthday… He messed up. He planned the entire proposal during that time, and yet… he didn't. He didn't ask you.

"So… You didn't ask her?" Ruggie repeated, folding the scattered cloths on the floor. Leona groaned again, shuffling in the sheets.

"No… because I was too nervous…"

"Mhm… and you've been repeating that for the past 2 hours…" Ruggie sighed. The ring Leona prepared for you was left on the bedside, as well as a small paper with Leona's proposal script underneath it. He didn't know how he chickened out so fast. The date night was going so well… but perhaps it wasn't.

Maybe you didn't want a thrown-away spoilt prince like him. Maybe you didn't even deserve someone like him. Maybe… Maybe you wouldn't even want to marry him. Maybe… Maybe it was useless…

"Oh? How strange… Quite odd to see a sad Kingscholar…"

Leona for once sat up straight. He sneered at the two figures that were at his door. "Vil… and Rook… What the hell do you want?"

Vil, who was observing his nails meticulously, curtly replied. "YN LN huh? I wanted to confirm for myself if you were still pursuing her. I have to make sure after all because she's my bride too!"

"HAH?!"

Ruggie sighed. "They assumed your date didn't work out so I bet all the hot shots of the school are gonna propose to her."

"Not 'going to'. If I'm not mistaken… Al-Asim and Ashengrotto are on their way…"

~○~

You, as usual, decided to eat outside with Grim. He was having a feast as usual, and you were spoiling him with treats. You weren't your usual enthusiastic self though. There was a particular lion of yours that you missed… You hadn't seen him all day, so you wondered if he was alright.

"YN? Is that you?"

A sudden call broke your thoughts. Grim, who was still munching on his sandwich, was nowhere to be found… You looked up, meeting Trey and Cater's gazes. They both bowed deeply to you, and Trey extended his hand to you. "We're here to escort you to Riddle. He asked for you."

You followed, after quickly packing your things. You're sure that Grim would find you later… And you should go to Savanaclaw after this too for Leona. You went along with it, under the premise that it was an urgent situation.

To your surprise, it was a fairly elegant tea party, with Riddle at the head of the table. "YN! Cater, you should've announced her in!"

Cater said his half-hearted sorries, pulling a chair for you right next to Riddle. "What's the occasion?"

Riddle's face flushed, his hands fumbling through his pockets. "I… I tried to do things perfectly for you of course! Accept it cordially!" He said, a small box in his hand.

"YN, I love you, with all my heart," Riddle said, getting on one knee, extending his arm with a box revealing a red, heart shaped gem on a gold ring band. "Will you stand next to me, as the King to the Queen?"

"Riddle… I-"

The reply was quickly cut off by… Kalim and Jamil on brooms… How could this day get any weirder?! Kalim hopped off his broom, dashing to you as Jamil gently carried a silk pillow with a thin gold chain entangled with orange and green crystals intertwined with the chain.

"HOLD UP!" Kalim held his hands up, shoving Riddle aside from flying into an outrage. "I haven't had my input!"

Kalim was on his knees, the pillow handed over to him. He presented the bracelet to you, "YN, YN, my gorgeous desert lotus… I've waited for this moment. I searched for you throughout the school, but besides that… I want you to be my Zahra, YN. For now and forever."

"W-Wait…" You crossed your arms to prevent any jewelry slipping onto your hands or fingers. "Are you both proposing to me at the same time?"

"Yes," They said in unison.

"I ca-"

…Silver and Sebek just had to snatch you up. You didn't scream, it wasn't as if they were going to harm you. At least they got you out of that awkward situation… Now to deal with Malleus… You had the gist of what was going on, but your heart wasn't prepared.

"Silver! Don't drop Waka-sama's bride!"

Soon, you landed in another part of the school's field and Malleus was there, holding a wreath of what seemed to you as dark branches with speckles of green on the tips. The tips were pointed as the spokes, which made it look like a tiara…

"There you are, my human," He said, his tall figure looming over you. "This crown… If you wear it, you will be my queen of the Valley of Thorns and you will rule over all of Fae kind."

His hand circled your wrist, bringing his lips to kiss the front of your hand. "Please, consider my feelings… YN."

"Move back YN!"

On instinct, you did and before you knew it, the Diasomnia quartet were dumped with… water… Oh dear. Two pairs of arms snatched you away, leaving Malleus and the other three looking like pitiful drowned cats. Cat… Where is Leona?!

"Azul?!"

The Tweels presented you to Azul, who was waiting for you by the balcony. If you listened closely, you could hear Sebek yelling at the senior Octavinelle twins, most likely for drenching Waka-sama.

Azul was not the sharp, calm and collected Dorm Leader you saw on the first day of school. He was blushing, his cheeks pink and his hands shaking as he held a pearl necklace, with an octopus charm in the middle.

"YN, this is very ungentlemanly of me, but I had to get you away from that Fae," He defended himself, as you looked beyond the balcony to see if the Diasomnia Quartet were alright.

"Don't blame Azul," Jade bowed to you.

Floyd bowed as well, tipping his hat to you. "It was our idea~"

"A-Anyway!" He coughed, catching your attention. "This necklace… Angelfish, if you accept my love, please wear it. It's a symbol of our union, and in your terms… you and I would be married. If you truly love me then-"

THWIP!

An arrow got in the way between you and Azul. And… you were carried off by your waist by Rook. "Ah~ Fabulous shot from me, but unfortunately I must play with you another day Roi d'Effort!"

Vil and Epel in the garden, with a very annoyed Epel. Actually… you were very much annoyed too. You kept your composure though, they were your friends too. Vil wasn't wearing his uniform, instead wearing a pure white coat where the ends extended to the ground, mimicking a dress. Well… you'd be lying if you weren't stunned by his beauty.

Vil had a small purple velvet box in his hand, and the moment Rook released you from his arms, Epel took your hand and guided you to the centre of the garden. Vil was already waiting, and when you were by his side, he revealed a lavender coloured gem encircled by a silver band.

"YN, my little sweet potato," He took a deep breath. "I understand that we have differences, but you complete me. I want you to be by my side, to complete each other for I love you, LN YN."

You took Vil's hand, closing the box. "Vil, I know-"

"I have to interrupt this moment."

There was Ortho, pushing aside Rook and Epel. Epel at this point didn't care, but kept his tongue shut as Rook warned you and Vil him.

It was not as quick as Ortho, who had a grip on your waist, and soon, you were flying. The flight was short though, as Ortho landed to where you remembered having your lunch. You didn't know what he was looking for, but Ortho called out the bushes.

"Idia-nii… Please get out of the bushes."

After some time of rustling, Idia pops out of the bushes, his hand gripping to an expensive looking box. He tumbled on his steps, and you rushed to help him up. "Idia! Are you okay?"

He opened the box, with a dark blue gem sitting in the middle of the box. "Y-Yeah… but I… I might feel better if you accept my proposal, so… Marry me?"

Idia this time… was interrupted by the other Dorm Leaders rushing towards you. Riddle and Kalim were still butting heads, and so were Azul and Vil. Malleus was glaring at Azul, and Idia was glaring at the rest of them for interrupting his proposal. It blew up into an argument about who had the right to propose, and who was being selfish.

"HEY! GET AWAY FROM MY GIRLFRIEND!"

There was only one person you knew who could roar like that, and that was…

"LEONA!"

With tears at the corners of your eyes, you ran and jumped into the arms of your lion. He spun you around, laughing as he finally had you in his arms, where you belonged. He set you down, not hesitating to get on his knees.

"YN, my little herbivore YN… I'm sorry I was such a coward yesterday," He said, opening the box with a golden ring inside. "I meant to do this. I'm sorry for doubting myself, and I'm sorry doubting your love. I'd never run from you again, so will you marry-"

He never finished his sentence, as you tackled him to the ground. "Yes! Yes yes yes Leona I'll marry you!" You laughed. Leona, for a time in his life, cried tears of joy, swinging you around as he boasted about his success to everyone.

When your feet met the ground, you turned to the Dorm Leaders. You bowed to them, "Everyone… I appreciate your feelings, but Leona's the one for me," You said. "I… I'm sorry I never noticed any of your feelings, but please support my love as I would yours."

They all nodded, some with a few tears, and some with smiles on their faces.

"YN…" Leona pulled you in, slipping the ring on your finger. "Gosh I love you…"

[randomshyperson]

Wanda Maximoff x Reader - Angrily in love

Summary: Wanda and Reader are on the run after a mission goes wrong, and they do not have a good relationship. When Wanda is approached in a diner by strange men, Reader confronts them. And some other things. Based on prompt from stay-casual, thanks again dear.

Warnings: Language; All fluff, but also humor. enemies stubborn idiots to lovers.

Words: 3.002 K ////// Read on AO3

Marks > @stay-casual @mionemymind @wandamaximoffpuppy

You and Wanda didn't get along very well.

Which was a problem since you were running away together.

It all started two and a half weeks ago, and honestly, you would blame Steve if anyone asked.

You were both assigned to an infiltration mission into a drug trafficking headquarters in Mexico. It was not your typical job, but there was evidence of Hydra involvement.

And so you and Wanda were team partners, and everything was going very well, until she pissed you off for some reason, and the two of you started to argue. Maybe you miscalculated the impact of your words, because the second you call her "angry little witch" Wanda used her magic to push you, but before you could think of fighting back, there were about fifteen rifles pointed at both of you.

Disguise completely blown, Wanda was quick enough to get you two out of there, and with the entire country on alert, you needed to keep a low profile until it was safe to return to the compound.

So now you were forced to deal with each other's company, and you broke your cell phone when Natasha sent a emoji and a message telling you guys to enjoy your vacation.

At this moment you were driving the van that you managed to steal from the barracks before you left, while Wanda slept in the passenger seat. You reached out to turn on the radio for a bit, but when you started humming the music, it stopped playing. Looking quickly to see what had happened, you let out an incredulous sigh as you saw the familiar red light dissipate in the air.

- I'm sleeping. - Wanda grumbled, and you frowned in irritation as you turned on the radio again.

- Not my problem.

The music started again, but then stopped. You let out a angry whimper.

- Be quiet. - She said without opening her eyes.

And then you turned the sound back on. And Wanda turned it off. And then you did it again. This went on for three minutes, until you hit the brakes, and Wanda opened her eyes with the sudden movement.

- My God, what is your problem? - She shouted, and you ignored the honking sounds behind you as you took the keys off.

- You know what, Maximoff? - You replied angrily, unbuckling your seat belt. - You're driving now.

You dropped the key in her lap, and got out of the vehicle. Turning around, you opened the back door of the van and climbed in. You heard Wanda grumble angrily as she jumped into the driver's seat, but you just leaned against the wall of the van and closed your eyes. A minute after she started the car, you heard the sound of the radio.

Ignoring the urge to break the equipment, you decided to fall asleep.

//-//

Driving for about three hours, Wanda finally parked the van. The lack of movement woke you up, and you yawned lightly as you stretched.

You heard the door open and close, and caught a glimpse of Wanda's red hair as she walked away from the van, so you got out next.

It was a motel, and judging by the amount of cars in the parking lot, it was decent enough to not have diseases in the sheets.

You hurried to catch up with Wanda, and when she entered the reception area, she didn't hold the door, and you almost hit your face on the wood. Swearing softly, you then entered.

- Good evening. - You heard her greet the receptionist, who didn't look very pleased to serve more people. - Two rooms please.

- Sorry, honey. - He said chewing on a small stick between his teeth. - We only have one spare room.

- Wait, what?

- It's the season for Los Muertos, senorita. - clarified the man, and seeing Wanda's expression, he added. - All the places will be crowded with tourists, you are lucky to find anything available around here. - He says with a fake disappointment in his voice.

Wanda let out a sigh, while you were distracted by the fish in the aquarium on the premises.

- It's okay, Wanda, you can sleep on the couch. - You tease without looking at her, but she ignores your comment and hands the money for the room to the receptionist.

- Have a nice stay. If you want something to eat besides the minibar, there is a dinner behind the pool area. - The man says as he hands over the key. Wanda doesn't smile, and leaves the place, you lightly tap your fingers on the aquarium while smiling at the fish before following her.

You two walk to the room in silence, and you sigh as you enter, observing the place. It was simple, yet cozy. The redhead commented softly "thank god" when she notices that there are two beds, and threw the bag she was carrying on top of one of them, before walking to the bathroom, while you start looking for the remote control.

//-//

Two days sharing the same room, and you were surprised that you hadn't killed each other yet. There were a few arguments, mainly over having to share the television, or the delay in the shower, but otherwise things were going pretty well.

It was lunchtime, and you had just used the street phone to try to get in touch with Natasha when you saw Wanda leave the room in the direction of the dinner. She gave you an angry look before she left, and you rolled your eyes before following her, after all, you were starving.

- Why are you following me? - she asked angrily as you walked beside her.

- I'm not following you, I'm going to lunch. The restaurant is not yours. - You retort, and she rolls her eyes.

- God, and you have to have lunch with me now?

- Who says I'm having lunch with you? - you retort impatiently. - I intend to sit fifteen tables away.

- Great!

- Great indeed! - You retort as she opens the door and hurries inside, taking a seat at one of the first empty tables. You curse softly to yourself, and then enter the restaurant.

Unfortunately the only empty table you can find is the one in front of Wanda, and you can see her staring angrily at you. You smile wryly in her direction, and she waves her middle finger at you. But then the waitress approaches, and she looks away. You scold yourself for holding your gaze on her longer than necessary, and then you are served next.

The restaurant was considerably crowded, there were many groups of diverse people eating together, and you noticed that there were also truck drivers, and families, and even young people your own age. Fortunately the service was very good, and soon you were having some fries and meat.

You were finishing your milkshake, slightly distracted by the newspaper that was left on the table for the customers, when a sound of male laughter caught your attention.

Two men, considerably older than you, approached Wanda's table, both exchanging mischievous laughs.

- Come on, let's ask her out. - You heard one of them remark with a chuckle. And then you were already getting up, anger boiling in your chest.

- Hi there, sweetheart, what's your name?

- I'll give you five seconds to leave before I shove my shoe up your ass! - you shouted before Wanda could answer anything. Both men looked at you with a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

- Who the hell are you? - One of them sneered, but you shoved him hard enough to make him realize that you were no ordinary girl as he stumbled backwards, his eyes flashed with fear.

- Leave her alone.

The man stumbled backwards poking his friend in the chest, and they both gave you a angry look before leaving. The restaurant was bubbling over with small comments, but you exchanged a glance with the waitress and she didn't seem willing to kick you out for this.

You turned to Wanda next, and she had a very annoyed expression on her face.

- Fine, Wanda, what is it? - you asked impatiently when noticing her face.

- I don't need your help. - She retorted angrily. - I can handle these things just fine on my own.

- Wow, you are really ungrateful. - You sneer, crossing your arms. You look around for a moment, and notice that men in the same profile are still assessing Wanda from afar. You feel your body boil with irritation at the malicious looks they cast at her, and you stare back at them, a murderous expression on your face. They exchange a startled look and you wait for them to stop looking before turning your attention to the redhead - Can I sit with you?

- Excuse me? - she asks angrily, but doesn't even wait for you to answer. - No way! Piss off!

- You are so annoying. - You grumble before going back to your desk.

But you're not even hungry anymore, feeling a strange irritation at the tip of your stomach as you remember the way the men looked at Wanda, so you take the last sips of your milkshake and stand up again. Wanda pretends you don't exist as you walk past her table, and you roll your eyes at the childishness.

- Good afternoon. - You greet the cashier with a smile. - Sorry for the mess. The idiots were harassing my...colleague.

The cashier smiles, accepting the money you gave her. Then she frowns at the amount, and you clear your throat when you say to include Wanda's table bill as well, and she just nods in agreement.

- She's a pretty girl. - The cashier comments as she separates the money. You make a noise of agreement, without really paying attention. - She seems like the kind of girl who breaks not only boys' hearts.

She gives you a suggestive look, and you blink in surprise, averting your eyes and feeling your face heat up.

- Thank you. - You grumble as you get your change.

Leaving the restaurant afterwards, you chide yourself for immediately looking for Wanda through the windows. Turning your head forward, you go back to your room.

//-//

Wanda really got annoyed with your little scene in the restaurant, and didn't talk to you when she came back to the room, not that you were complaining.

And then it was time for her to watch some stupid program, and you left the room, because you were not in the mood of arguing about who's turn it is to watch.

You thought about getting a drink, so you returned to the restaurant, which at this time was considerably emptier.

The cashier from earlier was now serving tables, and smiled at you when you sat down at the counter.

- What will you have, dear? - She asked.

- A hot chocolate please. - You asked, leaning your elbow on the table and your face in your hand. With your free hand you tapped your fingers lightly against the counter.

It didn't take long to get your order, and you and you got a little pensive when the waitress returned, wiping the counter beside you.

- That was quite a scene earlier today. - She comments with a smile. You laugh, slightly embarrassed, but willing to talk.

- Yeah, sorry about that.

- No problem, sweetie. - She comments. - Young people are always so nervous when jealous.

You choke in surprise, feeling your face heat up.

- Jealous? I wasn't...

The waitress giggles, placing the cloth on her left shoulder.

- It's all good, child. - she says. - My husband used to be jealous of truck drivers in this region too. And with a beautiful girlfriend like that, I imagine it's hard for you.

She remarks with a smile before going to serve another customer, and you widen your eyes in surprise, feeling your face very warm.

Then you spent the next five minutes frowning, repeating how absurd it was that anyone would insinuate that you were jealous of Wanda, until the waitress was back again, serving you a doughnut that you didn't ask for but accepted anyway.

- Just to clarify. - You start between one bite and another. - I am not jealous.

The waitress giggles, arranging a few things on the counter.

- I also noticed that you two sat at separate tables, reminded me of my Miguel. - She says with a smile. - We used to fight so much that he would sleep on the balcony.

You laugh lightly, running your hand through your hair.

- But you know, all the fights were just an excuse to get each other's attention. - She says, leaning her hands on the counter in front of you. - To this day, I still believe he would leave the key off the key chain just to hear me grumble and squeeze my butt when he apologized. - She says with a smile that makes you laugh.

And then she is pouring you some more chocolate, and you are ignoring the growing nervousness in your stomach at the thought of her insinuations that you and Wanda were like a couple fighting.

- Rosa. - You call out after reading her name on the badge, she looks at you curiously. - How... How did you know you were in love?

- During a fight, of course. - She says, laughing. - We are in high school, and we had a fight during a soccer game. It was so hilarious. We started fighting about who would play the penalty kick for our team, and one of our classmates tried to get into an argument with me, and Miguel punched him in the nose, yelling that no one could fight with me but him.

You widen your eyes in surprise, but then laugh, finding the story a bit absurd. But the waitress has a nostalgic look in her eyes, as if she is missing something, and you frown.

- What... what happened to Miguel?

You watch her smile slowly die, and something in her gaze change. And then you cough uncomfortably, feeling a pain in your stomach.

- My Miguel was trying to improve our life when the German agents arrived. - She said in a somber tone. You stumbled out of your seat, trying to breathe. - The avengers had no right to take him away from me.

Fucking great, you thought wryly as you felt your throat closing. You stumbled out of the restaurant, falling to your knees. You think you saw a red light before you lost consciousness.

//-//

Something was moving, and it took many minutes for you to realize that it was the surface you were lying on. And then you slowly opened your eyes, blinking as you progressively tried to regain awareness.

- Finally, spitfire. - A female voice commented with irony, and you were startled to see Natasha sitting beside you. You tried to sit up in bed, feeling your body ache to do so.

- Damn it. - You complained of pain, and then you realized that you were on a spaceship. - Wow, how did I get here?

- By being the worst field agent. - Nat scoffed lightly, getting up from her seat to get you some water. You noticed that you were in the medical compartment of the ship. When she handed you the glass of water, you let out a satisfied grunt, drinking it all quickly.

- Let me guess, that lady really poisoned me. - You say, handing the glass back, and Nat sits down beside you on the bed, laughing lightly.

- Seriously, you went out on a simple recognition mission, and now you have shooting, escape and poisoning in your report.

You laugh before you ask.

- How did you find us anyway?

- Wanda, of course. - She tells. - I think you collapsed and she wrecked the whole place. We arrived before the Mexican government arrested you two. Also, the waitress will be questioned, but I don't think she knows much.

- Wait, what do you mean by wrecked the whole place?

Nat laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

- You know how Wanda's magic gets when she is nervous. And well, she was very nervous.

You nod, looking away, feeling a warmth in your cheeks and chest. And then Nat is getting up again.

- Well, I have to tell Steve that you are awake. You've had enough sleep so join us when you can. - She comments with a smile before leaving.

When you look down you notice the needle marks on your arm, where the antidote was probably placed, you sigh slightly.

You stand up, realizing that you feel almost no discomfort in your muscles. Before you can move toward the other room however, there is someone coming in.

- You're really awake. - Wanda comments seriously, stopping in the doorway.

You laugh lightly, deciding to tease her.

- Ah, yes. And I heard that you lost your shit when you saw me pass out. It's touching, really.

- And you are still a complete idiot. - She retorts as she approaches.

- Yes, and yet you still love me.

- I do.

- Wait, what?

But then Wanda advances on you, kissing you on the mouth. It takes a microsecond for you to overcome the shock, and kiss her back with your hands on her waist. You both sigh against each other's mouths, and when air is needed, Wanda pulls her face away slightly.

- Don't ever do that again. - She says breathlessly.

- I didn't choose to be poisoned, you know. - You retort with mild irony. Wanda rolls her eyes smiling as she lets her hands go up to your cheeks.

- I don't want to lose you, even if you are an annoying jerk. - She says and you laugh lightly.

- Thanks for the compliments, dear. It helps my self-esteem. - You reply with irony and Wanda laughs, stealing a few kisses from you.

- Don't be such a crybaby. - She jokes, but something in her eyes changes. - You're also brave, and funny. And sweet, and infuriating attractive.

- Wow, this is turning me on. - You mock lightly, stroking her back and making her laugh. And then you're stealing kisses between your giggles, until you rest your foreheads together. - Just for the record, even though you are a temperamental annoying little witch, I am completely in love with you.

Wanda nods smiling, kissing you again.

[luimagines]

Hey it’s the same comfort anon! I really loved what did with the prompt!

If you don’t mind I have another rq 👉👈

RQ: You help them out during an embarrassing situation.

Masterlist

Comfort Anon! My first requester! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I’m glad you think I did it justice!

I absolutely do not mind that you have another request!

I think I’m going to keep all of them in the same post this time around.

Set platonically and within the group since there wasn’t any specification.

You know the drill! Scenario under the cut!

Twilight

“Wolfie...” You try to fight the grin on your face and fail. “What are you doing?”

Said wolf pauses and stares at you thus beginning an impromptu staring contest.

You had been walking away from the camp to relieve yourself when you spotted familiar looking fur running around. It had sparked your interest so you ventured closer as quietly as you could.

When you reach your furry friend, you feel your face split into a large grin.

Wolfie was running in circles and rolling around the dirt trying to catch his tail.

It naturally amuses you greatly and you decided to watch for a little moment longer before Wolfie had actually managed to catch his tail and had begun chewing on it with fervor.

Realistically, you knew it probably itched and the poor thing was just trying to scratch it in the best way he could.

But it was still so adorably cute!

You ask your question, breaking the moment and try to hide your amusement for the sake of the creatures pride.

You can see the moment when Wolfie sees you. His whole body goes still and he stops chewing himself completely. Wolfie slowly lets his tail out of his mouth, making a small thump against the ground, while never breaking eye contact and waits.

You’re not sure for what but the way he’s staring at you makes you think you weren’t supposed to see what you saw. He looks the equivalent of getting your hand caught in the cookie jar and is trying to see how much trouble he’s going to get in.

It’s makes the whole thing infinitely funnier.

Your giggles escape and the animal begins to lower his head to the ground, ears back and flattened.

You’d dare say he looks embarrassed.

It softens your heart to see Wolfie in such a state so you try to rein in one final snort, fail, and begin to leave. “I’ll... leave you to it, Wolfie. I gotta pee. Have fun with what you’re over there.”

With your back turned, Wolfie gives out a pitiful whine that leaves you snickering until you find a more private spot.

Apparently, this one’s taken. 

Wild

“Wild...” You say, looking upward until your neck hurts. “How do you manage these things? I swear it’s only you who gets into this kind of stuff.”

“I just want to make eggs for breakfast!” He cries in defense. “I’m sorry for trying to do something nice for all of you!”

“Oh no, I get that. It’s this that worries me.” You sigh and try to get step back and assess the situation. Looking up is a little easier with and you’re able to see a better plan of action.

In theory anyway.

Wild, as mentioned, was about to make breakfast and had thus spotted eggs in  a nearby tree. Naturally he wanted to go collect them and feed his friends but there’s one thing he didn’t account on. The mother returned.

That being said, he freaked out enough that he dropped the sheikah slate, nearly fell out of the tree and in the ruckus had also scared away the mother.

He kept the eggs though.

However, when the word nearly is mentioned it’s meant to bring point that he didn’t actually fall out of tree. ...But he still might.

Why?

Because the only reason he didn’t hit the ground head first is because his foot got caught in one of the branches.

So he’s hanging upside down by his ankle and can’t access his tools to even attempt to get out.

This is where you, dear reader, come in.

Wild was actually far enough away and covered by enough foliage that the others haven’t noticed him in this precarious situation. You though, were heading to the creak nearby to wash your face and begin your morning routine.

Wild then yelled just loud enough to catch your attention and had asked for your assistance.

“Are you sure I can’t just get Twilight? Or Time?” You ask him. “I’m sure that one of them can just shake the tree and you’ll be free.”

“NO! Do not! Just-!” He flails around a bit, the branch creaking in protest but doesn’t  budge from the spot. “I get into a lot of stuff but neither of them will ever let me live this down.”

“What about Warrior then? Or Legend? He might have a tool of something to get you out-”

“No one else can know! Why can’t you just help me?” Wild begs.

“I have to say I’m little over my head here.” You admit. “Or rather, you’re a little over my head.”

“Very funny.”

“I think I have an idea but you have to catch yourself.” You grin and begin to move away.

“Just make it quick. All the blood is flowing to my head.”

You jog back to camp and take out your sword. A few more familiar faces are awake now and waiting for their food. 

“Hey,” Wind greets you with a tired smile and a yawn. “Where’s Wild?”

“He’s a little hung up at the moment.” You smile. “I just gotta go help him for a second and he’ll be back.”

Wind takes the answer for what it is, too tired to read too much into it and nods.

You sprint back and grin wildly. “Try to stay out of my way ok?”

“You couldn’t think of any other solution?” Wild nearly whines.

“This is the quickest way. You said make it quick.” You take a breath and run forward. With your momentum to run what you can up the tree and jump. With the added height to turn to where Wild is and swing in his foot’s direction.

With speed and accuracy on your part, you slice the branch that’s been holding him back and the two of you fall to the ground.

Wild dips into a roll and somehow manages to expertly swipe the slate off of the ground as he passes it. You do a similar motion but angle yourself to not come into contact with your blade.

Together you spot each other and grin, small laughs exiting your mouths as you get up.

“Thanks for that.” Wild pats himself off and turns on his heel. “I gotta get breakfast started but I’ll come get you when it’s done, ok?”

You nod and begin to head toward the creek once more, willing to play as if this never happened.

You decide on the way to not tell Wild that the branch is still stuck on his boot though. 

Time

Everyone was in Wild’s house for the day, chilling while they could, since there was little to no activity.

Time had actually retired momentarily to take a nap on Wild’s bed for the afternoon.

It was quiet.

Because the group was afraid to wake up the grumpiest member of the group.

So naturally you wanted to take advantage of the peace and brought your book and sat on the stairs while the boys took over the table and floor.

After a hot minute, you looked up to see that half of the group was gone, haven’t left to do something more chaotic and grinned to yourself.

Behind you the wood of the house creaked under applied pressure. You turned around to look at the cause and saw that Time had woken up from his nap. His eyes were closed and he was mid-yawn as he traveled down the stairs.

You got up from your spot and traveled a few steps to let him pass, but that didn’t happen.

Time hadn’t opened his eye yet and had mis-stepped.

His mistake cost him his pride as he fell down the stairs all the way down to the floor.

“Don’t break a hip old man!” Warrior called out in a laughing voice.

You threw your book onto the table and went to help Time up. “Are you ok?”

“Ow.” He deadpanned and grabbed the railing for good measure. “On top of that, I think I left my shoes up by the bed.”

“I’ll get them” You squeaked around him and dashed up the stairs. In your enthusiasm you over stepped one of the steps and fell up the stairs.

You paused in shame and shock while Warrior lost his battle and started laughing hysterically.

Swallowing the last of your dignity, you dash up the remaining steps and help your friend.

You came back down with an attempt to hold your head up high and held out Time’s shoes out to him. “I think these are yours.”

There was a small smile on his tired face. “Thank you. Are you ok?”

“Yes.” You nod. “I’m fine. Nothing happened. No one saw anything.”

Time snorted and took them from you. “Of course.”

Warrior

It’s was absolutely pouring.

Everyone was wet and there was no shelter in sight. It was dark and loud and everyone still had to continue forward.

No one was happy and everyone was silently fuming at the unideal circumstances.

You were walking next to Warrior, not making eye contact with anyone and you had to stop from commenting that he looked like a drowned rat.

His scarf has no doubt doubled in weight with all the water its absorbed and Warrior kept having to adjust it. It was sagging off of his shoulders and he kept having to adjust it or else it risked falling into the muddied ground.

As time passed Warrior had to continually fix it, and adjust it and he was growing exponentially frustrated with the prospect and was getting fed up with it.

You watched in growing amusement and restrained from offering your help because you were certain that he would snap at you.

In one final moment of baled up frustrations, he threw the scarf in one more lap around his neck and... well... he overjudged the strength needed and it swung all the way around just to smack him right back in his face.

Oh but it didn’t end there.

In his moment of blindness, he mis-stepped and tripped.

He hit the ground on his knees first but kept going, twisting to his side, just missing slamming his face into the mud as well.

You just stop in your tracks and tried your hardest to not laugh.

With hesitant steps, you walked over to Warrior who slowly started to get up.

His entire side was just brown. And Warrior... didn’t bother with showing the emotion on his face.

Just a neutral face of displeasure.

You quickly, helped him to his feet and and began cupping your hands to throw the collected rain water onto him and wipe off the mud.

It’s not helping.

“Not. One. Word.” Warrior takes a deep breath and begins to help you clean himself off.

“Yes, Captain.” You grin and take his hand. “You want me to take the blame? Say I pushed you down or something.”

“It’s fine.” Warrior bites the words as he says them. 

You pass a creek.

With the idea in your head, you shove Warrior hard and he goes right into the water like you wanted him to.

“Excuse me!” He screeches as his head bobs above the water.

The mud is washed off as least.

“You’re clean again! No one will know!”

Warrior is not amused.

You grin. “It’s not like you got any wetter.”

“...Why are you like this?”

“I’ll take my thanks in monetary compensation.”

Hyrule

“Hyrule.” You gasp. “Oh no. Oh boy. Don’t go back yet. Hold on. Don’t leave. Stay here.”

He pauses and does what you say, although confusedly. “Ok? Why?” 

“There’s a rip in your pants. Huge. I can see your whole-” 

“WHAT?” Hyrule grips the fabric and finally catches wind of the tear. It’s long and goes down the side of his leg but it’s... pretty revealing.

“I’ve got some sewing stuff in my pack.” You say dropping your equipment and dashing as quickly as you could. “I can sew it up. No one will know the difference.”

“...I can never show my face again.”

You roll your eyes and make the quick trip. There’s a small part in the reptilian part of your brain that calls to make it a quick mission. Stealth, silence and shadows are your friends and you make it back to camp, grab your supplies and make a break for it without tripping anyone else’s hand.

When you return to Hyrule, he’s sat down a nearby rock and inspecting what he can of the rip.

“I have no idea how you managed this,” you say when you get close to him again. “But I’ve managed to get there and back with no one knowing. I will, however, need you to take off your pants.”

Hyrule flushes bright red instantly.

“...Do I have to?”

“Unless you’re ok with my face being right next to your-”

“No, no, I’ll do it, I’ll do it.” Hyrule gulps and strips.

“I’m glad you agreed because I, for one, was not ok with that.” You hold your hand out and take the pants from him. “At least your tunic is long.”

“This is humiliating.” Hyrule mutters and sit down on the ground instead of the rock and hugs his legs close.

“Why on earth do you think I stopped you? Someone had to save you from the the ridicule of the others. Like don’t get me wrong, we all like you but there’s no survivors, no mercy, and no alliances when it comes to roasts.” You sat down in front of him and began to sew up the tear. “Any idea how this happened?”

“I think it got caught on a bush?” He rests his head on his knees and avoids eye contact. “I suppose I should thank you.”

“A bush?” You put it down and and stare at him. “A bush?”

He doesn’t reply.

“Hyrule if your clothes are weak enough to rip this badly on a bush then we need to get you knew clothes.” You finish and return to your task of fixing his pants. “We can get Legend and Wild and figure something out. Wild has enough clothes to spare and Legend knows good quality when he sees it. I’ll pay for your new clothes next town we invade, ok?”

“I can’t believe this happened.” He says instead.

“Give me ten minutes and you can at least put your pants back on.”

Legend

They were having a race.

The boys were so bored that they were having a race.

It was between Legend, Wild, Wind, Hyrule and Twilight.

Sky refused to run, Time was content with just watching and Warrior had a bet going so he had money on who the winner would be.

You were the judge and had placed yourself at the end of the strip with a small cloth for a flag and got in position. It was anything goes. Items, sabotage, dirty plays- anything.

Twilight was actually competing on Epona.

“Ready?” You call with a grin. “Get set! GO!”

You hear them take off but there’s a blast of wind next to you.

It’s so close to you that it takes you by surprise so you scream in shock but it ends in a thunk against the tree behind you.

There’s a groan and you turn to see the winner.

Twilight is next and he stops before he could run you over. “Are you kidding me? What the heck did he do? How did he do that?”

Legend is sitting in front of the tree and rubbing his head.

He wins at least.

The others make it within the next minute and they groan and whine but they leave without looking at the winner.

You grin and skip over to him, placing your hand on his shoulder when you get there. “Congrats, Mr. Hero. It looks like you were the- oh my god.”

You kneel next to him and tilts his face towards yours.

He’s bleeding from the face, a cut on his eye and a bloody nose.

“Hey, so you see this tree here?” He spits and it’s more blood.

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t.” He hisses and goes to wipe with his sleeve but you stop him.

“Oh boy. Hold on.” You gently take the cloth flag that you have and wipe his face, getting him to pinch his nose as you wipe his cut.

It’s thankfully not deep and not bleeding profusely. With a little inspiration, you take out your bag, your magically enchanted pocket and pull out a potion.

Legend is quick to refuse but you shake your head and splash a little on his face. The magic hits the cuts and is absorbed in his skin.

“Hey!” He splutters.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want to explain to Warrior why your face is bleeding?” You smirk and begin cleaning the rest of the blood of him.

Legend pouts and looks away, letting you work.

“I guess not.”

“I thought so.”

Sky

“Oh... that is... not ideal...” You hear Sky say.

With your interest piqued, you turned your head to look at him and what was bothering him.

“Sky, what did you do?”

It... was interesting. Somehow Sky had managed to get his whip stuck in a tree. Not just caught between two branches, no that would have been too easy to pull out. It had somehow wrapped around the branch, at least three times and was too tall for anyone in the group to get out unless they had somehow managed to climb the tree.

The tree itself was also inclined to be easy to climb. You were quick to see that only The Champion could probably scale it but he wasn’t here at the moment. 

Twilight kidnapped him to go fishing.

“...How?” You ask and make your way over to him. “How did you do this?”

He glances at you with wide eyes and a bit lip. ”Help?”

“Ho boy...” You take a breath and get up. “This.... I have one solution.”

“Ok?”

“How good is your aim?” You glance up at the problem again. “Scratch that, how good is your throwing arm?”

“Pretty good I like to think.” He admits. 

“Ok, throw it over the branch but in the opposite direction. We have to undo the loops first.”

“We? Sounds like it’s just me.” Sky steps closer to the tree and prepares to throw the handle over the branch.

“Well there’s not exactly place for me to step in now, is there?” You put your hands on your hips and smirk.

It goes over one loop just fine.

It still doesn’t budge.

Sky throws it again, misses, tries again and makes it.

It’s only one loop over the branch but it still won’t move. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Sky growls and throws it into the air in frustration.

“Ok, hold on, if it just need one more throw-”

He made it loose in the process but neither of you were paying attention. It had sung for a minute, budged and had swung all the way back to to you both coming off of the branch in the process. The inertia was still in motion and it had managed to hit Sky directly in the face while you were talking.

Luckily, it wasn’t that strong of a hit.

“Oh hey!” You grin and try not to laugh. “It’s out!”

“Let’s never speak of this.”

“Come on, it’s funny.”

“Ever.”

Four

“Wild, do you have any towels I can dry my hands off with?” Four asks from behind you.

You were all in Wild’s house once more and currently getting ready for dinner.

“Yeah, top shelf.” Wild replies without looking up from the pot.

You glance back as well to see where Wild would have been thinking about.

Yup, you think, that’s the top shelf alright.

Four is stuck staring at the height and begins to slowly look around.

You get an idea of where he’s going with this and power walk to his side. Your intuition is proven correct when he then attempts to climb Wild’s house and furniture just to get it.

His hands are also still wet, mind you.

You can see his white knuckled grip as he tries to fight the lack of traction and decide to help him out.

“I got it!” He says, when you nudge him aside.

“You don’t.” You reply and copy his movements to reach a singular towel. You’re back down in a split second but the bounty in within your grasp.

“It’s not like you can reach it either!”

“Still took me less time and significantly less climbing to get it.” You toss the towel in his face with a grin. “I doubt you even had good grip either. I thought you were going to fall and crack your head open on the floor.”

“Please don’t fall in my house and crack your head on the floor.” Wild speaks up. “Blood is so hard to clean up.”

“Know from experience?”

“Don’t tell Twilight.”

“Get lower shelves Wild Child.” Four dries his hands and tosses the troublesome cloth to Wild.

He catches it with blinking and shoves it into his apron. “I’ll take your criticism to the manager and see what we can do.”

“Manager? This is your house! You’re the manager!”

“So? I said what I said!”

“You boys done play fighting or are we going to have to wait to eat?” You ask.

...

“I’d like to eat now please.”

“On it.”

Wind

It was your turn on watch and there was nothing to do.

Not that you were asking for trouble but it would have been nice to at least be able to do patrol or something.

But nooooo... For safety reasons, i.e. the storm just beyond your coverings, everyone was supposed to stay within the camp at all times.

You didn’t disagree with it so to speak. It was more of a mild inconvenience.

That was until Wind got up with whispered...but still loud, curses.

You stood up and tip toed your away around the half hazardly tossed limbs of your comrades. “Everything ok Wind?”

He jumps and grabs the blankets around himself, folding them, bunching them together and curling ever so slightly over himself.

“Everything’s fine!”

“Shh..” You put a finger to your lips and look around the group.

No one woke up.

“What’s got your jimmies in a twist kid?” You squat down and place your hand on the blankets. They’re wet and the smell....

Oh you know what happened.

You stand up again and give him the curtesy of not saying it out loud. “I have a plan but you have to do as I say, no questions asked. We can make it so no one will know what happened. Ever. And this stays between only you and me, ok?”

You wipe your hand on your pants and hold out the opposite one to the boy. He stares at you with a red face and contemplates the choice. After only two seconds of deliberation, he takes your hand and gets up.

You suppose that to have an out, verses having to explain to everyone that he’s been looking up to sounds very appealing in the end. Better for only one person to know than ten.

“You’re lucky it’s still pouring buckets.” you say and grab all the blankets from his bed roll that you can. Chancing a glance at him, you see that his clothes are wet as well, pretty much from the waist down. With another thing to fix, you notice that his very bedroll is right by a huge puddle that had been forming and no one knew.

The hand in the glass water trick, then.

Your friends have seen and done that a few times to a few poor unsuspecting soul.

“Ok, here’s what you’re going to do.” You turn to Wind. “You’re going to change out of your clothes and into some clean ones. And then you’re going back to bed in my bed roll.”

“But where will you sleep?” He asks with a hand gripping his shirt

“I’ll steal it from the next guy.” You lie...kinda... That actually sounds appealing but you don’t think on it too much. “I’ll take the next shift to buy time and I’m going to throw your blankets and bed roll out into the rain, ok?”

“You were too close to the borders of the tarp anyway.” You continue with your plan, throwing them out for a second before turning on your heel and getting some of your clothes for Wind.

You think you might have something that’ll fit him but if not, it’s only to sleep in.

He changes into the clothes while you back out to the blankets.

In your search for the clothes, you dug out your powered soap and tossed some of it on the blankets and bed roll. After rubbing the fabric together to get it sudsy and deep into the material, you set it up against the tree and branches, letting the falling rain drops hit it and filter through.

It’s rudimentary and it took you longer than you wanted because now you’re also soaked to the bone and only halfway through but you think back to being a thirteen year old and how embarrassed you would have been and plow on to save Wind from the same fate.

You step back into the tarp and guide Wind, taking his clothes away to where you were sleeping prior. You’re clothes are way too big on him and it’s honestly more endearing than you would have thought.

“Thanks.” Wind says in a small voice. He’s humiliated, you know but you don’t focus on it.

“Your hand got wet and you pissed yourself in your sleep.” You say and shrug. “My friends and I were... are brats and it’s not the first we’ve played that prank. Put the poor saps in a glass of warm water and watch them pee their pants. It’s funny when it’s planned and well... not you. I won’t tell a soul.”

“You better not.” He sits down in your bed roll and begins to get comfortable. “It’s smells nice.”

“I try.” You grin.

“Do I owe you?” He looks up with big eyes and you think that it makes him look younger than he is.

“It’s on the house.” You wave him off and dash back in the rain to clean the rest of his clothes.

On the way back to cover, you kick the support that was closest to Wind’s spot, sending a torrent of rain upon yourself in the process but the spot where the pirate was is considered useless now.

Wind tilts his head from his spot and you grin. “Cover story.”

The rest of night is spent watching the time, watching the others and taking turns with Wind’s clothes and blankets by the fire so that all three of you can dry off before the sun comes up and the other inevitably ask questions.

By morning you’re dead on your feet, but consider it a job well done. 

[dinosaurtsukki]

dating the armed detective agency’s medic

a/n: of course i have to write one for the ADA even though i’m a biased port mafia bitch. there’s a bit more characters here so i’ll try to keep each one short but still very fluffy and sweet <3

this man is always getting himself injured and even though agency has yosano, fukuzawa thought it would be a good idea to hire another medic who could deal with less life-threatening injuries

ofc dazai flirts with you the first chance he gets and every time he comes into your clinic

dazai: good morning my dear belladonna! the weather is beautiful today, but not as beautiful as you of course

you: YOUR ARM IS BROKEN PLEASE SIT DOWN

although as much as he likes to slightly mess with you, dazai genuinely enjoys coming to the clinic and being treated by someone like you

he likes observing your hands and how careful they are when they bandage his arm or that cute little scrunch of your brows when you’re bandaging his forehead

while on a mission, atsushi and kunikida go the extra length to protect dazai because they know you’re worried about him 

and then one day dazai comes into your clinic again and instantly you think that something has happened

until he surprises you by bringing out a bouquet of flowers

‘if i get injured less on missions, would you let me take you out on a date?’

jokes on you though after you guys date dazai finds every excuse to visit you in the clinic

he’ll get papercuts on purpose just so he can get you to put a bandage on them 

kunikida is annoyed because dazai they’re just papercuts jfc also please go back to work

seeing that you’re always concerned about his health and well-being, dazai finds himself making much less attempts cause he knows the stress it puts on you when you have to bandage him up after and make sure he’s alright

thanks to you our man is able to take care of himself a bit more

even though he is your boyfriend he’s still going to mess with you in any way he can

he’ll barge into your office claiming that his chest hurts because you didn’t give him a kiss that morning

also will highkey hug you from behind even if you’re treating another patient

the first time he meets you is for a physical exam check-up because it was required at the agency and he feels embarrassed at first seeing that the agency’s medic was gorgeous

atsushi was fresh out of the orphanage so of course he was quite malnourished and still had some injuries from his abuse

you had no idea who’d dare hurt such a sweet boy so you do your best to treat him and instructed atsushi to come in for some follow-up check-ups

although when he comes in for that check-up he talks about how he’s been healthy because he eats a lot of chazuke and you’re like ‘oh no, no, no, please eat other things too’

you end up packing him a bento box because he’s your patient so ofc you have to keep him healthy 

the two of you run into each other a lot in the morning because atsushi tends to come in way earlier than he’s supposed to so you often find him sitting in front of the locked door

thus begins your early morning chats. atsushi’s always polite and never interrupts when you talk and you love how he shows so much interest in whatever you say

atsushi began to realize that he has feelings for you but boy is he bad at concealing them also ranpo kind of busted him in front of everyone in the agency including you

but atsushi was saved by you hinting that you wouldn’t mind going on a date with him at all and he’s ecstatic until he realizes he hasn’t been on a date before

he takes you out to a nice restaurant and insists on paying for everything

nothing much changes with your routine but atsushi likes to bring you breakfast in the morning and the two of you have little dates before going into the office

he knows how worried you get when he goes out on especially dangerous missions but he does everything he can to protect the city and the new home he found with the agency and you

this guy was one of the people, other than yosano and fukuzawa, who interviewed you for the job and you can’t forget how intense he was when it came to asking questions

of course, you answered all of them well but kunikida was very serious that you knew how dangerous it could be to be involved with the agency

there was a self-defense portion in the interview that you knew about and of course kunikida was the one who added that

to his pleasant surprise, you managed to dodge all his incoming attacks (kunikida lowkey found it hot, like that’s requirement number ten on his list checked right there)

kunikida does get injured a fair amount during missions and he doesn’t want to get dissected by yosano all the time so he goes to your clinic that’s right near the office

he likes how efficiently you work and how gentle your hands are that even when you’re stitching up his wound he almost can’t feel a thing

however, kunikida does have a bad habit of not resting for the appropriate number of days. like, even with a bullet wound he’ll still hobble over to his desk to finish his paperwork

once, he came down with a terrible case of the flu so of course you sent him home only for kunikida to sneak back into the office when he thought no one was looking

you ended up taking kunikida home but poor guy could barely do anything by himself so you took care of him too

kunikida is definitely the delirious babbling when he’s sick so he ends up talking about his list of traits for an ideal woman and how you filled out a good portion of it

when he wakes up (much more sane) he sees you reading that list on his notebook and he’s like WAIT WHAT ARE YOU DOING

he handed you the notebook personally before passing out and kunikida can’t live it down

you: well, even if i don’t match all these requirements, would you still be interested in going out?

kunikida: yes... please

everyone can tell that kunikida’s about to go on a date because of how nervous he is the entire day

he knows how tight your schedule can be and how busy he is with with work but he always makes time to have his lunchbreak with you

loves to hear about your day and even has some space in his notebook dedicated to any interesting stories you have

the first time you met him was when he also had his physical check-up which ranpo insisted he didn’t need but fukuzawa made him so he had no choice but to follow

the entire time ranpo’s just like ‘nothing’s wrong with me, see?’ and then you do a simple dental check-up and find that he has like two cavities he didn’t want to tell anyone about it because he’s scared of the dentist *cue ranpo trying to run away and you grabbing him by the poncho*

of course fukuzawa makes him go to the dentist too but ranpo insists that you have to be the one to take him and schedule the appointment and come along

truth be told, you’ve always been pretty attracted to ranpo because you know of his skill as a detective so you were excited to have this day with him

only for you to have to physically restrain ranpo to the dentist’s chair (you even had to call kenji to help) while his teeth was getting checked

ranpo was squeezing your hand the entire time and he was fairly grumpy after the whole ordeal that he wouldn’t even talk to you until he asked if you could get ice cream

you: the dentist just told you to eat less sweets

ranpo: but i neeeeed them

you: fine, how about frozen yogurt?

after the dentist trip, you know how much of a hard time ranpo has with eating less sweets so you decide to leave fruit on his desk as a healthier alternative but he won’t TOUCH IT

after some bribery on fukuzawa’s part (’i’ll acknowledge you if you eat fruit more and also tell atsushi to give you a piggyback ride every day’) he finally concedes

he actually finds himself liking fruit so in the afternoon he’ll swing by the office just in time for you to be slicing fruit

ranpo gets over the fact that you sent him to the dentist and enjoys his time in the clinic eating fruit with you and sleeping on the cots inside

your clinic is where he hides when he doesn’t want to do work and when he pouts and asks you to say that he’s sick you can’t help but go along with it

he’s also super physically affectionate around you. will literally have his body draped over yours sometimes while you work

people start talking about how you two look good there and one time someone asked if the two of you are dating and ranpo’s like ‘of course we are!’

and you’re surprised self is about to protest when ranpo smirks at you and says ‘why? am i wrong?’

lmao ofc he’s not you’ve been struggling to keep yourself from being a flustered mess around him

he’s still clingy around you but this time he comes into the clinic every few minutes to ask for a kiss

▸ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ◂

taglist (check out my post for details on being part of my taglist): @waitforitillwritemywayout @atsumu-brainrot​ @laure-chan @goodfoodxoxoxo ​ @guardianangelswings @ah-kaashi @amberalisa​

[wistfulrat]

a 4-part rec list of my fave drarry fics - the thrillers, dramas, soft bois, and wankbanks getting me through 2020′s shitstorm

[the soft boi list is here and truly i’m not surprised this rec is going to be the longest bc if there’s one thing a bitch is going to do, it’s yearn.

as always! if you love a fic, follow the authors, leave kudos & comments, send them nice msgs bc free art is still labor xoxo]

part 3: soft bois

mood: for when I need respite, a balm to the all-consuming shittiness of life

includes: fluff, comfort, low-stakes, slow-burn fics. a wistful look, a rainy morning, an unexpected grace, a stupidly disarming joke. i could live inside these fics. the smallness of human lives removed from the site of that which hurts & irreparably changes. the story-equivalent of a deep breath after a long day. pregnant silences & pensive mundanity & shy smiles. banter with bite but without the cruelty. the color lavender. weirdly whimsical. soft fics are not necessarily conflict-averse (no drarry fic rly can be, considering the context) but, they offer the reader a generous distance from the initial harm. they’re the quiet cleaning up after a storm. sometimes healing is an exacting surgical knife and other times it’s a slow scabbing. you read these fics to be reassured that the way forward is not always ruthless. and honestly?? they deserve a semblance of peace godDAMmit.

The Way Down by @letteredlettered - 65k - T “and I thought that if someone talked to you as though you were a human being you might—maybe you could act like one” --the way i think about this line daily. the characterization of draco in this fic is one my favorites bc he’s earnest and neurotic and tired of harry’s shit. which is to say, he cares so so much. and harry doesn’t know what to do with that bc he’s got a monster in his chest and lives as a recluse. but they both humanize each other in ways no one else can. “you’re just a person” has to be some kind of drarry ethics of belonging and it makes me CRY. -

Little Deaths and How to Avoid Them by @greaseonmymouth and dustmouth - 96k - T “Maybe it’s not about deserving it? Maybe you just get to have it anyway. . .I’m allowing myself to want something and to let myself have it and to fight for it.” --harry runs a daycare and also works at a library. draco spends a lot of time in said library. they bond over sci-fi books and therapy anecdotes and quiet philosophical conversations held over cafeteria soup. and harry’s struggling to understand his asexuality. draco’s learning how to live with anxiety and depression. they both want to be deserving of love. incredible fic with beautiful art by dustmouth. - 

Open for Repairs by @drarrytrash - 35k - T “A few leaves rustle in the gutter and the muggle world pays no mind to them, to two lost boys holding on for dear life.” --all of their fics feel exactly like this. like you’ve been allowed to look at something private, tender, unexpected. draco, known abba fan, is a repairman in the muggle world & harry can’t stop breaking thrifted things in order to see him? say less, i'm thERE. also “I think I have a crush on you” goddddd  - other faves by them: Counting Down By Ten - 2k - T: draco’s stepped outside of the party for a smoke. harry follows him bc of course he does. i could read this 100 times and not get tired of it. - Clouds That Veil the Midnight Moon - 36k - E: FUCKING HILARIOUS I CACKLED THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. draco’s wolfy problem and harry helping him and harry being flustered by how much he likes draco and draco’s hot heroic moment. shutup it’s perfect. “He almost asks if Draco ever gets tired of being a miserable complaining shit all the time, but he knows that he, personally, never ever gets tired of being a miserable complaining shit.” and “It’s the traumas,” Harry says gravely” --lines that live rent free in my head -

Harry Potter and the Future He Doesn't Really Want, Thanks by seefin - 70k - E “That was the only logical thing to do here, wasn’t it? It was the next step, it was the end of hurting each other and the beginning of the exact opposite.” --harry lives with luna and neville and also he dreams about the future sometimes? and he keeps running into draco. draco thinks this is sus as hell, until he doesn’t. feat. taxi rides, museums, cinemas, rooftop conversations beneath a lunar eclipse, mid-sex innocuous banter, draco and harry discussing nicki minaj. this fic charmed my ass off. seefin writes the most effortlessly hilarious dialogues. i smiled at my phone like an idiot at least 7 times. -  other faves by them: Wild - 93k - E: “he liked feeling needed, for the things that he was needed for back at the house in Ireland. For cooking and gardening and driving. Easy things.” --this shit makes me cry it’s so good. harry lives in Ireland with these three brilliant, hilarious, wandless witches and draco’s a potions student who's come to study under one of the housemates and the boys have so much shit to work through but their love becomes so tender and honest. draco yells at harry a lot and harry lets him and they both keep each other grounded in something real and fuCK.  - Divination for Dickheads - 7k - G: “I’m terrible at having crushes. I’ve never played anything cool a day in my life.” -- oh harry, we knOW. a bus ride, a fortune teller, an aquarium birthday party. god i love this fic. -

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic​ - 61k - E “But we’ve worked so hard at this, haven’t we? Yeah, I know it’s a horror to have to talk about it, but fuck it. We’re friends now, but it took so long to get here. Have you ever had to work so hard at something before?" --the steady blossoming of their friendship in this fic is so goddamn beautiful i want to yell. it’s draco and harry learning to trust each other and the whole thing unfolds so slowly, in this whimsical mix of london streets, wizarding politics, church halls feat. a Hot vicar, and a magical antique shop owner who’s married to literal poseidon?? goD the environment of this fic. immaculate. [also there’s a tender shower scene that makes me cry every single fucking time so if you read this fic pls dm me so we can be embarrassing about it together tbh] -

Nice Things by aideomai - 22k - M “He kept waiting for the weird shock of touch to not knock him clean out of his head, leave him quiet and warm and happy.” --8th year. harry forms an unlikely friendship with draco that begins with smoking weed on a windowsill. harry is touch-starved and draco touches him like he touches all his close friends - like it’s easy. the quiet affection in this fic, the way harry burrows himself into touch bc he’s been without it for his entire life. reading this is like being held. -

Running On Air by @tinyhistory​ - 74k - T “do you remember when we were eleven?” --alexa play coldplay’s the scientist it’s sad girl hours and we’re about to fucking yearn. you’ve seen this fic rec on every drarry list under the sun and i'm here to be redundant. the hype is so goddamn real. this story is a lyrical masterpiece held together by lines that act as refrains that will rattle around your brain until you die, probably. draco’s been missing for 3yrs. harry goes to find him. it’s their odyssey of homecoming. -

Title of Their Sex Tape by @cibeewastaken - 12k - T “But Draco, Draco was everything but boring. Draco made sitting in the rain watching an empty house fun.” --auror partners pining and draco being eccentric and harry being very earnestly gay about draco’s eccentricities!! god this fic is so genuinely fun skskd feat. undercover missions, murderous faeries, a book heist, a stunning navy dress, harry’s eyelashes. -

How We Throw Our Shadows Down by @thistle-verse - 14k - T “Draco is about to say something else— to thank Potter for what he’d done, however poorly— but Harry is smiling at him again, and it’s so soft and perfect that Draco holds in any inadequate words, lest he spoil it.” --draco collects tea cozies and of course harry has the one he wants. the sad and tender gays are at it again feat. conversations in the rain at a train station, melancholy Blaise, muggle photos, wizarding e-bay, the Dursleys.  -

Helix by Saras_Girl - 92k - E “Draco sighs in his sleep and Harry clings on to consciousness, needing to hold on, to give this tiny, insignificant moment the attention it deserves” --I think maybe you can describe every soft Saras_Girl story as giving tiny, insignificant moments the attention they deserve. like, this is an 8th year fic about snails and it’s full of whimsy, grief, compassion, and easy humor. an absolute must-read author in this genre if you want languorous, episodic fics full of distinct OCs and affectionate creatures. - other faves by them: Light up the Night Sky - 98k - M “Draco, sometimes you make my head feel like soup” --the one where harry is a fireworks artist and has a pet chameleon named ken. draco is on the wizarding arts council. they both pine like hell. - Headlights in the Snow - 71k - M “they stare at each other in silence, Harry’s heart beating so loud in his chest that he thinks the biddies must be able to hear it over the sound of their card game.” --the one where draco drives the knight bus and carts around the biddy club, a group of rambunctious old ladies who knit and drink tea and gossip. harry can’t help but fall in love with the everything about this. -

Follow the Water by @xanthippe74 - 38k - T “Harry’s heavy thoughts lift at the sight, like dark clouds blown away from the sun by the wind. The tent doesn’t feel so cramped and stifling now. It feels cozy. And safe. It’s the same feeling that Harry gets when he’s at the Burrow for Sunday roasts, when a group of people who care for each other deeply are crammed into too-small a space.” --harry wanders to the lovegood house on a sunday afternoon. he’s baffled to see that luna’s taken pansy, greg, and draco under her wing. what follows is a summer of forest walks, scavenger hunts, gardening, water fights, odd cakes, faerie rings, and picnics. so many picnics. i love the pace of this fic, the innocent return to childhood things, the way luna brings out the best in all her friends. reluctantly soft slytherins are just *chefs kiss*!! -

Going Postal (A 125pg comic) by dustmouth - T what. a. beautiful. ass. comic. the wizarding fashion, the textures, the character design!! harry travels a lot for his job as a resourcer. draco works in the regulations dept. they pine like a bunch of lovesick idiots via field report notes. god i love dustmouth’s art. -

All the Earnest Young Men by @tepre​ - 29k - E “Draco is twenty-seven layers of personality wrapped up in drama and humour, and a wit so sharp it still stings when he doesn’t see it coming. But there is something below that, too. Something that makes Harry ache just looking at him.” --the way i would lay down my little life for tepre’s characterization of draco, whom invented the word earnest. he’s a magical art theory expert and portraits are disappearing all over London and harry’s the auror assigned to this case. and well. they’re both so very avoidant about how gay they are for each other and it’s like!! shutup and kiss!! which they do in fact, shutup and kiss.  -

Trenches by sara_holmes - 3k - M “Somewhere in the distant part of his mind that hasn't frozen solid, he thinks that maybe he and Draco are about to become more than auror partners, smoking buddies, wine-mates and co-inhabitants of a snow filled trench somewhere in western Scotland.” --the plot line here is literally “it’s cold and i need a fucking cigarette” but let me tell you how I never tire of the shared loaded-silences of two emotionally repressed gays. -

The Years Before Love by lomonaaeren - 13k - M “That’s one of the meanings of peace, he thinks, as Hermione hugs him...That he can do things slowly, softly, without worrying that they won’t be there tomorrow.” --andromeda taking harry under her wing and harry finding solace in teddy. narcissa and draco showing up and the tentative relationships that slowly develop in the quiet calm of andromeda’s house. found families and kisses in the snow and special xmas gifts ugh what’s not to love -

The Moon Looks Lovely Tonight by Omi_Ohmy - 35k - M “I want this to be a house where people are welcome, where they don’t have to be any one way or another” --in which harry collects lost things--owls, best friends, inept bakers, potions experimenters--and turns the mausoleum that is grimmauld place into a home. feat. your fave drarry tropes like shared-beds and reluctant waltzing partners. -

[part 1: thrillers | part 2: dramas | part 3: soft bois | part 4: wankbanks]