#so far im thinking of naming them the knights of the rose or something

[lucky-brown-cat]

Think I've finally decided on a paint scheme for my stormcast! It's very dry brushing dependent, but I really like how it gives it an unpolished metal look. This one is rather simple, but it is a basic sequitor, and I will add more complexity to higher ranking units.

[oh-for-fic-sake]

Dress Codes,Nooky And  Cock Blocks

Masterlist

Henry tries to be a white knight and realizes Kal is to smart for his own good.

Request/Prompt: Henry and Kal meets you from work after having a bad day. Playing with Kal to make Henry jealous. Shutting kal out for some nooky but Kal sits outside the door barking and howling.

Warnings: Smutty Almost Smut! Fluff, Swearing

A/N: so this has combined two ideas one of which is from the lovely @being-worthy This was going to be a Pooh bear chapter two but hasn't quite fit the bill. Anyway I hope you all enjoy.  P.S I 100% belive Kal would be a little shit!!!

Taglist: @two-unbeatable-beaters​ @thatgirly81​ @angelofthorr @iloveyouyen​ @sofiebstar​ @thefangirlsblog​ @harrysthiccthighss​ @loserrlauraa​ @tumblrnewby​ @isitmine​ @tinabean37​

This was a fucking piss take your manager was an asshole! You huffed about the office still trying to process the stupidity he just fucking spouted at you. You moved to the ladies room phone in hand ready to vent locking yourself in a stall fingers poised to rant in a long ass text message but you froze. Henry was home well at the gym to be more specific. He was over the moon having just snagged the role of Geralt of Rivia and had been working tirelessly on bulking up for the role especially now that he was getting the dates for shooting. You paused taking a deep breath. No. You cant vent to him and ruined his day to. You growled and moved leaving the bathroom slamming the door thankful that you only had another hour, at least the prick had the decency to wait until the end of the day.

You through your phone down into the bag sitting at your desk for a few moments. You cast your eyes over the computer screen seeing the little bimbo...His little bimbo Stacey there was an office romance between your asshat of a manager and this little blonde. She ran about the office in small tight skirts hair immaculate and thick makeup smeared across her face and fuck me glasses that were an accessory not prescription like yours. She had a snug fitted blouse and pencil skirt on flitting about the office in some dangerous looking heels. More feminine? Was you supposed to jump up and say 'yes sir of course Sir, anything to keep this job sir' then flutter your lashes at him?.

Fuck that, and fuck this be more feminine bullshit, there was no written dress code and as far as things had gone you were doing your job pretty damn well and you didn't need heels to do it!

You scowled seeing the blonde slip out followed by your manager it mus be time fore their discrete get away a make out in the copier room...How original. You sighed clicking your mouse scanning through the next lot of appointments...No more today but there was a shit tonne tomorrow. You sighed getting down...Was your job really on the line over skirts,  makeup and heels? Sure you were on probation but they couldn't sack you for breaking a non existent dress code...Could they.honestly you wouldn't put it past Dave he seemed to have some fucked up traditional views.

Your attention was quickly drawn down to your phone buzzing you smiled seeing it was Henry quickly tapping the notification.

'Bbe you still at the office?? Miss you! 😘😘' You smiled softly heaving a deep breath then began typing.

'Yep still here not for long though finish in 1hr thank god 😘😘 u 2 at the gym still??' You sent the text and got a reply pretty quick you smiled he must have left the gym to reply so quick. Your thoughts wandered a daydream of the huge glorious man puffed out and sweaty ugh yes that's what you needed right now your man to just ruin you fuck the stress and doubt right out of you!. Your eyes scanned the new text he had sent pulljng you out of your raunchy thoughts.

'No just left walking Kal around the park he got a bit excited need to wear him out, so have a good day?'

'😂 good luck with that. And its been okay...G2g shopping after apparently I need to dress more feminine😒😒 so will be home late' You frowned hearing the two love birds enter the office again wrapped up around one another professionally you rolled your eyes as the blonde pulled away from your manager giggling and made her way to the computer opposite you instantly reaching for her compact mirror trying to correct the smeared lipstick across her face. Your phone pinged and you looked down face lighting up a little seeing the anger emojis. Henry felt the same ass you.

'😡😡🤬WTF? wats tht sppsd 2 mean?' you cringed maybe you should have just kept your mouth shut but it was too late now you sighed trying to placate him.

'I need to wear skirts and shit...be an office bimbo no big deal🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ just get a few skirts thts all' you typed back his reply was immediate almost as if he'd been typing the same time as you. Wincing you prepared yourself for the worse, Henry was a very protective man and you knew he hated the whole gender roles thing.

'😡😡You dnt need makeup and shit!! ur gorgeous dnt u listen to that wanker!! Can't u leave early?? Say ur going shopping?? Just get out of there! please love dnt let this get 2 u!!🥺🥺 I love u, ur perfect!!😍😘😘😍' You grinned got flushing rereading the words a warmth in your chest. You knew that he meant every word. Stacey looked over with a smirk snapping the compact shut and pointed a false nail in your direction.

"Oh? Is that a blush? Who are you texting? Someone cute?" You flicked your eyes up to her you didn't have anything against her per say but you were different people, she was all Instagram, kardashians and trending and you were all gaming, books and cosy pajamas. You never really spoke to her if you could help it.

"Err yeah...My boyfriend" you admitted looking down seeing another text from him. Another round of compliments and reassuring words lit up your screen.

'I mean it bbe I know u! dnt beat urself up over it! Dont u let him get 2 u!😘😘' you smiled softly yes he did know you and he knew this had not only made you angry but also insecure. You thought you looked good at work you always made a point to look 'put together' but it wasn't enough?

"Ooo was that him again? You never told me you had a boyfriend! Is he new? How long have you been together? What does he do? Whats he saying!?" You gulped as she got up quickly scuttling around the desk as fast as she could in her heels and skirt.

"We've been together a few years...He's just asking me to leave early and catch diner with him but I don't think Dave would like that..." Stacey's face lit up and she beamed at you. She was happy to have something else to gossip about.

"Oh! that’s so sweet~ he wants to steal you away for dinner! You know I wish Dave would do that but he only really pays attention to me at work....So does this sweet mystery man have a name?" You looked up at her tilting your phone away a little so she didn't see Henry's on going threats of 'coming down there and teaching Dave some manners by ripping his tongue out his ass' you shook your head as you caught the ass end of a long text full of emojis...You sort of regret teaching him the meanings of them....Was that an eggplant in the middle?.

"Henry...His name is Henry and he's an actor" Stacey squealed cupping her face completely excited for some reason.

"Oh that's so cute! You know its always you shy ones that nab yourselves the boho guys...You know I always wanted to date the 'boho' type myself but never did, they were all to....Just not my type I like clean cut guys, you know ones who fill out a suit" You squinted what the fuck was she getting at? You schooled your features standing taller quickly and made your own little dig.

"Like Dave?" she flushed and nodded excitedly missing the whole sarcastic droll over your words. She clapped her hands completely missing the fact you were poking fun at the scrawny 'stud' sleazeball who Henry could easily snap over his thigh if he wanted to.

"Yes just like my Dave~! Ugh anyway do you have a pic...Come ooon! Let me see your man~" you sighed tilting your head to her...She was pretty harmless...And dippy so it shouldn't do any harm she didn't strike you as the type of person to watch Henry's movies so shouldn't recognize him. You nodded sweetly it was actually a little fun you rarely got to show off your man,  most people who knew him knew you were dating. You twisted the phone eying the screen and froze seeing the last texts he sent you whilst you spoke to Stacey.

'Have you got out early??🧐🧐'

'Babe don't ignore me!😤😤 Is he still there!?😡'

'Woman you better answer me! Stop ignoring me bbe it wont help😤😤'

'Im serious y/n do I need to chat with him? Do you want me to help?🧐🧐'

'Look out the window'

"Oh hell no!" you huffed out under your breath then stood up scrabbling to the large office window Stacey followed you alarmed. You freaked and quickly opened the window poking your head out to scream at your sweet but very dappy boyfriend. As irritated as the texts were he didn't look it, well until you really looked he was tense and it wasn't just because Kal was puling excitedly.

"Oh my god?! HENRY?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!....GET OUT OF THE GOD DAMNED ROAD!!" lone behold when you looked down you saw Henry standing there with a huge bouquet of Roses and a bag you suspected held a box of chocolates, Kal was barking up at you spinning in circles and jumping up super excited almost dragging the huge man over in all the excitement. It would seem the walk was not enough to wear out the bear. Henry grinned up at you you heard Stacey from beside you gasp.

"Holy shit is that your boyfriend??" you turned to her and smiled smugly to her nodding then glanced back down to him seeing him quickly navigate the people bustling around the car park heading for the doors. You froze. You can't let him up here he sounded angry earlier...He'd kill Dave. You ran back to your desk quickly logging off the pc and snatching up your bag.

"Where do you think your going y/n?" Dave called after you you stopped seeing him there arms crossed giving you the filthiest look he could muster seeing your bag slung over your arm then there was the distinct buzzing of someone Henry at the door trying to be buzzed in. You pointed to the door opening our mouth to fake sickness or something but was interrupted.

"Oh Dave leave her alone...All the times she's here early let her go early for once, we don't need her anymore today and it means we get the office to ourselves for an hour~" your eyes bugged out as Stacey came to your aid fluttering her lashes to your manager. He heaved a sigh and nodded to the door in a 'get out of here' motion.

You smiled quickly darting out down the stairs to the ground floor seeing Henry standing there unimpressed finger holding the button down in one long irritating ring. You shook your head at him through the glass as he held the button.

You slapped the exit button opening the door and Henry tried darting past you into the building chest puffed shoulders ready to give your boss a piece of his mind but you caught the frightening man by his ridiculous bulging bicep. You spun with him digging your heels into the worn carpet.

"No no no! Henry no!" he carried on to the stairs dragging you with him passing you the roses and Kal's lead as the dog bounced around you both yipping like the over excited pup he was. Henry had hoped filling your hands would give him time to jump up a few steps out of your reach so he could have a chat with Dave about this whole misogynistic bullshit. Henry swore when you scampered behind him hooking your arms around his forearm and leant back, if he moved you'd drop like a rock and up the few steps as you both were, you'd hurt yourself. He stopped heaving a deep sigh looking to you.

"Just five minuet's babe is all I need! fucking feminine my ass he just wants to oogle your peach of an ass!! And that's not- that ass is mine!! fucking no one NO ONE fucking upsets my baby!" Your body flushed skin prickling at the shear alpha tone the possessive growl that seeped into his words made you tremble swallowing dryly you managed to shake it off and focused on the task at hand fucking could come later for now you needed to stop him from ripping your manager a new one. You moved crouching down bearing your weight down giggling at him as he still tried to thunder up the stairs. Kal helped to pulling at his lead it was a joint effort.

"Henn love?! I'll be sacked if you go up there and make Dave piss himself! Please lets just go home it's Friday I can find a few things over the week end for now can we please leave" he stopped and looked up to the brown ceiling and flickering light sigh he clicked his tongue then looked to you slowly with a heavy breath.

"....Fine, but next time I'm having him!" you smiled finding his protective side arousing your tummy clenching just knowing you big strong man could rinse the little twat upstairs made your pussy clench you always had a thing about strong men and Henry was the most physically fit you'd ever met. You somehow managed to coax him out of the door in the direction of home taking a detour picking up a Chinese on the way.

You giggled rolling around the floor with Kal. after a quiet dinner and snuggle with Henry you had been ushered away so he could do his nightly reading of his new script.You didn't mind at all you loved seeing him so invested in his roles. you caught a glimpse of the red roses sitting proudly in a glass vase on the fireplace almost blocking the view of the tv but not quite. You loved this, just being home with your favorite boys enjoy a nice quiet night in. you scoffed mocking kal who was pulling hard on the black rope trying to out witt you with quick flicks of his head, playing tug with Kal was a workout huge as he was he had the weight and strength to out match even Henry. You did not stand a chance just holding onto the black rope hoping to slow him down but he was full of energy today.

Henry was sitting on the sofa feet up reading his witcher script pen in hand as he read his page, one a night was the deal. But honestly trying to pull him away from this particular script was a hell of a job fair enough he was trying to memorize lines and scribble down alternatives in the margins. It was sweet how excited he got, he already knew the character in and out so could already tweak things around so it felt like Geralt. He was happy had been chasing the role for a while so you didn't mind that preparing for it was taking up most of his time. but you were still horny from earlier and wouldn't complain to a night of nooky. But alas Henry was drawn in by the script and you were trying to find other ways to distract yourself from the bubbling arousal in your loins, like playing with Kal. But that’s not to say you wasn't going to tease your man, there were ways to get his attention~

You smirked putting a plan into action bending lower wriggling your ass, craning back so your shorts rode up just that little bit more. Then once in place you squealed loud gaining the mans attention as Kal tugged dragging you across the floor growling playfully bouncing his weight back jerking you around, it was only then that Henry grunted in annoyance, your voice had been high he loved you keeping Kal entertained he really did, but sometimes he needed a little quiet. Especially when he was trying to concentrate.

"You know if I keep this up I'll have bigger muscles then you~" you giggled out a you tried to hold your own against the mighty bear. Henry smiled and watched shaking his head as Kal dragged you under his legs to the free space on the side of the coffee table. As much as he was trying to concentrate you could never get on his nerves for long, he just loved you to damn much. Henry frowned as you were pulled again wincing anticipating an accident as Kal was definitely getting to invested in the game.

"Or a dislocated shoulder" he commented as Kal did another particularly painful looking shunt and shook his head side to side still growling loud around the toy. It was then that he looked at you properly and what he saw made the man pause and suck in a breath air getting trapped in his throat at the innocently erotic sight. Seeing you bent over any time was a pleasure but here and now? Bouncing deliciously on your knees being half dragged about the living room added another dimension to the whole thing. Your arms and back stretched out low on the floor spine arched slightly, sitting with your knees tucked under you, the bouncing making your ass jump deliciously.

Two full ass cheeks peeking out of you short shorts as Kal carried on his jerky movements. You bit your lip grunting and tugged back pulling with all your might successfully gaining a few inches which Kal stole back and more making you yelp and moan as you were sprawled out on the carpet again. This time dragged up on your knees into a position he he spent many nights enjoying to his fullest. were you doing this on purpose? he wouldn't put it past you...Maybe you needed a fuck, a proper fuck.

Henry couldn't help the twitching in his groin, the first tremors as he got a front row seat to the two perfect globes of your ass seemingly clapping against one another with the shorts acting like a thong shucked up your ass. Fuck you wasn't wearing Knickers again. Little fucking minx. He lowered his feet to the floor now far to invested in watching you roll around in the tiny shorts. swept up in the way your body swayed taunting him. you turned to him with a sly smile and sent him a quick wink that he almost missed.

He gaped at you, you were doing it on purpose!! His script laid completely forgotten on his lap as he watched you turn back to Kal innocently dipping down low again shoulders to the floor stretched out taught in front of you face tucked into your arm as Kal fought you for the coveted rope. God...It had been a while since he fucked you like that. He licked his lips. Too long in the busy days since snagging the witcher role he had only had time for a two quickies. Two fumbled quickies in three weeks and they wasn't even that good. Well not his usual hour long foreplay teasing and touching then good few rounds. They were just a flurry of fast rutting motion's, less fucking more jerking trying to finish as quickly as you could just wanting that high. he bit his lip watching you watch him out of the corner of your eye definitely teasing him.

"Babe come here~" You froze and twisted your head back you knew that tone.Grinning knowing you'd got your way you looked seeing Henry eyeing you hungrily biting his lip tilting his head, legs spread wide making his thighs bulge in what should be a loose set of black shorts but actually became skin tight on this Goliath of a man. You flushed under the gaze but managed to hold into the rope not giving the still pulling pup an inch. His eyes were a dark ocean blue pupils nearly swallowing the color completely, you wondered how far you could push him. you pouted at him before teasing him further opening your legs wider letting the material of your shorts almost completely disappear.

"Henry...I'm playing with Kal-" he squinted at you then quirked a brow before shaking his head snapping shut the folder holding the script and let it drop to the floor by his foot with a decisive thump. You gulped. But didn't move instead you heaved back pulling the Akita across the floor.

"Babe...Come here Kal's had his playtime..." you rolled your eyes hearing the silent 'now I want mine' sometimes he was a man child. You twisted your head to him with a flutter of your lashes and cheeky grin.

"Well I'm playing with Kal you have to wait your turn-HEY? HENRY THAT’S CHEATING!?" You yelped as Henry quickly bolted up right and stomped on the rope whilst using his considerable size and strength to pull you up off the floor making you release the toy.

"Well that’s enough playing with Kal, time to play with me. I wont be cock blocked in my own house by the dog~" you giggled as Henry quickly began climbing the stairs laughing kicking your feet, watching as Kal stayed two steps behind rope in his mouth excitedly following his parents, you were all going to play!. It was only when the dog found himself shut out of the bedroom did he realize you were in fact not going to be playing with him anymore tonight. you could hear the indignant huff through the door.

You wriggled as Henry fell onto the bed with you wrapped around him slowly devouring each other with deep kisses tongues and teeth roaming each other. It had been a good few weeks since you both explored one another properly. Henry pulled away chuckling at the soft scratches at the door. Kal was not impressed.

"Kal go lie down! We will be finished soon" Henry called out and ignored the high whines and more insistent scratching at the door and leaned over you sucking at your neck decorating it as he saw fit leaving marks of red and purple biting his mark into the crook of your neck then lower tracing a warm wet train over your thin shirt. You moaned clutching his waist trapping him between your thighs using the grip you had to rock up onto him trying to ease the burning in your core.

"Oh whats this? Someone is impatient considering she wanted to keep playing with Kal?" His voice came out as a deep rasp making you gasp cupping his face.

"You treating me with your Geralt babe?" He smiled latching onto your ear rocking down onto you drawing out soft mewls. You vaguely heard Kals whines become louder barks out side the door hearing the dog jump up pawing at the handle of the door trying to break in.

"Oh you like?~" You sighed quickly trying to rid your tshirt panting feeling just how wet your slit had got, you were embarrassingly wet considering you hadn't even done anything yet.

"Fuck yes~ oh god its so-ah fuck its so hot Henry~" he pulled back growling in the new low tone you hadn't known he was capable of, his large hands helped remove the tshirt throwing it across the room and latched onto your tits biting and sucking slow flicking his tongue across a pebbled nipple as his hands stripped you of your shorts. he chuckled seeing the damp patch, your arousal sticking to the material in one neat line.

"Oh you really do need me don't you love~" you nodded to him whining when he pulled back grunting a growl biting your boob and sucking harshly. You both moved in tandem rolling around the sheets grinding ,rocking ,biting and grunting both intent on ignoring the pup crying outside the door. He would wear himself out and get bored. Well that was the plan anyway.

Henry finally pinned you and descended on your core like a starving man given the sweetest fruit. You cried out fingers in his hair unsure what spurred on this heated frenzie but would happily indulge him. One thing you loved about him is he was always up for eating you out, the man thrived on it! He seemed to get a massive kick out of feasting on you until you came all over him. You grunted as he suckled on your bud teasing and twisting his supple lips across it Nipping you began to loose yourself panting and jerking up into his mouth chasing a sweet release you hadn't known you needed and then you heard it.

A deep loud echoing mournful howl. Even Henry stopped frowning up at you from between your legs. That was new, Kal wasn't a howly dog, he barked and yipped giving off the weirdest groans and moans. But never howled. You both burst out laughing unable to stop it as the howls were all over the place, loud and quiet raspy and uneven like Kal was an apprentice learning on the job.they were less 'howls' and more 'how-wo-wow-wo-wow' It was clear this was his first time but bless him he was trying to be the wolf of the house. You panicked as he began to get the hang of it and patted Henry's shoulder. he was still chuckling finding Kals new found voice hilarious.

"Quick stop him! If he learns that we'll never hear the end of it!" You chuckled pulling the thin sheet over you as Henry swore and quickly slinked off the bed racing to the door opening it stopping Kal in his tracks. The Akita smiled panted a few breaths thumped his tail on the floor then collected his rope entering, jumping on the bed without a care in the world.

"Babe?" You asked biting the inside of your cheek trying to stop the giggles as Henry began to scowl at the fluffy bear sprawling out on his side of the bed a flush building up his chest settling over his face. He cleared his throat.

You and Henry watched as Kal moved dropping the rope by your hand waiting for you to continue your game of tug. You flopped back in peels of laughter at Henry's face. The man looked amused and livid at the same time as realization struck. Kal, lovable cute baby boi Kal had just played Henry like a fiddle. You didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the fact your boyfriend, your chosen mate had just been outsmarted by a dog.

"Yes love?" He said none to happy with how things had turned out, here he was standing at the foot of his bed painful hard on and there you were naked and willing...In his bed...With Kal. This was not the plan.

"I hate to break it to you...But you've just been cock blocked in your own house by your dog....For a game of tug!" You giggled as you threw Henry's previous words back at him petting Kal who was still fiddling with the rope trying to make you grab it.

"No shit...Can we still fuck? I mean he can have my side! I'm gonna be on top of you anyway?" You gaped at him as he rounded the bed fulling intent on rolling on top of you sliding home. You held up your hand to him.

"Nope! No way am I fucking you next to Kal!" Henry ignored you crouching over you trying to lay you back down to finish what he started before being rudely interrupted by the Akita now in bed with his girlfriend.

"Oh babe why not? this is painful, look I'm going purple...Besides you started it its your responsibility~" he whined trying to bat away your pushing hands leaning in to capture you with a burning kiss. You dodged anticipating his next move, his kisses were always a sure fire way to make you completely melt and give in to him. you quickly twisted away throwing your legs over the side of the bed placing your hands either side of his naked hips, pressing him back as he still tried to gain on you. you swallowed looking up at him meeting his lopsided grin, trying to ignore the proud cock swaying in front of you almost tapping your heaving breasts.

"How about the shower? He's scared of the bathroom since his last bath?" Henry snapped his fingers and clapped face lighting up as he patted your hands slowly easing them off of him.

"Fuck yes! Babe you are a genius!" He moved over and kissed your face making you bat him away and then he turned to Kal wagging a finger at him.

"And you my four legged son are a pain in the ass!" You shook your head patting Kal as he tilted his head  he looked offended with his dads statement. You looked to the bathroom door as Henry's pert ass vanished around the door frame.

"Daddy didn't mean it baby boy~ you know how he is when he doesn't get his way...Just a spoiled man child~ he loves you really" Kal whined ears flattening  as he heard the shower switch on. You patted the dog with a sigh and got up padding across the bedroom to the en suit.

"Don't worry baby you stay there and daddy wont get you in the mean old shower~" you giggled scratching his ears as he huffed  in defeat. His daddy had got the better of him and the Akita wasn't pleased. He grumbled as Henry poked his head around the door frame wriggling his brows at you as you passed him getting a playful smack on the rear. then he faced the dog and stuck his tongue out childishly to the dog who huffed and turned around choosing to give you both a clear view of his ass.

[cloudycrystalkpop]

SMOKY | Hell Below

Blind! Prince! Mingi x [unstated skin deformity] fem! reader

Words: 2k+

Warnings: self harm, possessiveness, demonic interaction

au: crown royal au | moodboard

series masterlist: SMOKY

~

Seonghwa paced back and forth in front of your door. He was placed on guard duty this evening and it was slowly torturing him.

Normally he would never complain, more than happy to forgo his own rest to know that his princess slept safe and sound. However, he was very aware that at the moment, his princess was not sleeping at all.

He gritted his teeth as he heard your voice moan out a name in pleasure. The name of your husband. A name that wasnt his.

Seonghwa squared his shoulders. He had made you a promise, one a very very long time ago.

When he was the man having you sing such pretty praises. When he wrote his name in calligraphy with his tongue between your thighs.

A promise he painted into your skin, one very late night. Kissing every patch that made you shy. Every inch that your family frowned upon. Every piece you had ever wanted to burn off.

"I will protect you, until the day my heart stops beating, And surely even after."

he is more than just a knight. No, after holding you, bare as the day you were born, shaking in his arms. After the words of hate and disgust at the case your very soul lived in, at watching you take blades to try and peel the unwanted flesh away, he would never ever let you hurt yourself again.

He would never abandon you, even if you took his heart right out of his chest, it was always yours anyway.

Seonghwa held his head in his hands. He was always yours anyway.

"They sure are loud huh?" Seonghwa jumped and reached for the sword on his belt at the voice.

"Sorry, bad night?" Hongjoong asked, standing before the heartbroken man.

"Yeah just, stuck in my own head." Seonghwa admitted. The other man nodded, scanning him with curious eyes.

"You and your princess sure are, close." he stated. The words curled on his tongue, watching Seonghwa flitched as the sound of a high pitched groan came from the lover's room.

"We... Used to be." he replied.

"I see. Makes sense why youre not so fond of that Duke." he quirked an eyebrow, a sly grin pulling at his features. "Hey, you wanna know a secret~" the man purred.

"Not tonight Hongjoong. Im not in the mood for your teasing." Seonghwa frownd.

"Hmm~ if you say so." his smile pulled into a playful childlike one, before Hongjoong skipped off down the hall, leaving Seonghwa alone with his thoughts once more.

~

Hongjoong purred to himself as he glanced over his shoulder as the knight stood at the lovers door. Lust is a very powerful tool in his bag of tricks, one that, it looks like, will do him very, very well.

~

you spent your days now often with Yeosang, his experience and wisdom helping you greatly in easing your nerves. he told you many stories, explained much about the kingdom you had never dared to venture around in.

whenever you did leave your family's estate, it was always with Seonghwa as your loyal guard. a long veil to hide you away from the world, or heaven forbid you simply, existing taint your family name.

you remembered the day The King died. he was an old man, had been sick for years. while not beloved by his people, he was well respected, and yet. when he passed, no one knew anything about him. there was no mourning, for there was no loss.

The Queen had fully stepped into power then, ten years younger than her husband she was more than capable of leading. and so it had been since your early teens. The Queen was now however, ready to pass her power, rather than see it out live her too, just like her husband.

and that, was where the crown prince and princess had come in. the pair lost at sea in a tragic shipwreck, the kingdom scrambling to find a new replacement. you and Mingi were nobles, sure. second rate royals even, your father once a prince, a second born. Mingi was next in line to become a Duke, chosen over Yeosang for your hand in marriage for, such a trivial reason. or so you thought.

“my family comes from the Valley, My Lady. Lord Mingi’s comes from the Sea.” Yeosang explained, an, almost forlorn look in his eye. “when yourself and your husband were married, it showed a joining of the land and the sea. loosening trade deals with other lands, its... business I'm afraid.”

“that’s all marriage is good for after all anyway. its just business.” you gazed off out the window, watching the roses sway in the morning breeze. the garden was beautiful, flowers in full bloom.

“I’m sorry you feel so my lady. but, you must admit how darling and romantic an idea it is.” Yeosang followed your gaze.

“to be married?” you wondered.

“the prince of the sea, wed to the princess of the forest. and a man who cannot see, tied to a woman never allowed to be seen.” he hummed softly.

“sounds like a horrible tragedy of a play to me.” you shook your head, eyes falling to your lap. “I should have a word with the playwright.”

“would you have preferred a different ending?” Yeosang wondered, dropping his head down to force you to look him in the eye. you chuckled, watching the corners of his eyes crinkle in a smile.

“I haven't decided.” you answered. “...are the flowers in the valley in bloom this time of year?” you asked.

“oh yes. the wild flowers were always my favorite as a boy. my sisters and I used to go out and make crowns out of them.” his voice was soft, eyes far away. caught in a memory from boyhood.

“...will you take me there some time, Yeosang?” his gaze focused back on you once more.

“if you wish to see it My Lady.” he grinned. “I will braid you a crown so lovely the royal jewels will be jealous.”

“promise me?” your voice betrayed you. a crack of pain hidden away there.

such a very different ending you could have had. one where you could spend your life safe, hidden away from the judgment and piercing eyes your mother always frightened you of. flowers in your hair, children at your feet, a husband who could provide for your every need. free to play in the forest of your childhood. there was no judgment from the trees, nor would you find it in the open fields.

“you have my word... My Lady.”

but your life was no fairy tale. you were to be queen of a kingdom you barely knew. sure, you had a husband, a man to wear the title of “king”, but both you and Mingi knew, the queen is the most powerful piece on the board.

~

“My little Prince~” you called to the darkness of the room as you returned to your chambers for the evening. “Mingi?” you cooed once more, looking around for the tall man.

“we need to talk.” you nearly screamed, the voice was not your husband’s. upon turning on your heel, you came face to face with...

“Seonghwa! you nearly had me jump out of my skin!” you huffed, smacking the man on the side of his arm.

“hey! I'm sorry I scared you but, I'm serious.” he sighed, rubbing his arm.

“very well.” you huffed, seating yourself on the plush bed and waiting for his explanation. Seonghwa shuffled, changing his weight from one foot to the other, gaze fixed on the floor. “well? when did you become so awkward?”

“since I had to listen to you having sex for hours last night.” he growled. your ears glowed hot, but you choked the embarrassment down.

“I am sorry, I'm sure that was a bit.. uncomfortable-”

“you don’t get it do you, Princess.” he lifts his eyes to meet yours. “I love you.”

a lump forms in your throat. you do not move, only stare him down, unblinking, unreactive.

“I have been in love with you for almost five years now. I was the one who took your virginity, I was the one who held you when you cried, I was the only who protected you from the evils of this world. and I-” his voice cracked. Seonghwa, your loyal knight in shining armor, the one who had been by your side for the better half of your life, was in tears before you.

“I love you! I'd do anything for you! I've been with you since you were just a young girl! I've stood beside you through everything! and I can't pretend that it doesn't hurt me anymore!” his eyes sparkled with tears, cheeks damp and voice horse.

“... I-” you never got a chance to finish your thought as the door swung open once more.

Mingi stood in the doorway, blank eyes staring straight ahead of him, his face blank of any emotion.

“get. out. of. our. room.” never had you heard the intimidation in Mingi’s voice before. his voice rumbled deep in his chest, but his tone now, was that of a final, deadly warning.

Seonghwa stared at Mingi, shoulders taught, fists clenched. but he didn't say a word.

“...you are dismissed Seonghwa.” you finally broke the tense silence between the two man.

“as you wish, My Princess.” Seonghwa made his way towards the door, stepping past Mingi, only to be halted by said man shoving him against the wood, hard.

“if you dare, to even think of touching my wife, if even the thought of her in such context even passes your mind,” he growls. “I will have you executed for adultery.”

Mingi stepped away from a very shocked Seonghwa.

“she may be your Princess, but she will be your Queen. and never, for a moment forget, she will only be your queen, and she is my wife.” and with that he slammed the door shut.

~

Mingi developed a possessiveness over you, you must admit you didn’t expect. the once shy boy who could barely speak to you, now kept one hand on your person at all times you were together. when asked he said he preferred you guide him over a staff member. but you know by now Mingi knew this castle perfectly fine. he didn't need help or a guide anymore. he was lying.

he also got rather upset if you were left alone with another person too long, without himself or his chosen guard close by. his chosen guard? Hongjoong.

you woke one morning to find bruises so deep on your hips and chest they looked like black ink in the mirror. Mingi was marking you now. like you were something that belonged to him.

knowing who you needed to speak with, you snuck away one morning, before the sun rose. to find Hongjoong.

~

“your highness! what a pleasant surprise~” the handsome man cooed.

“may I speak with you? in private.” you glanced to the rest of the guard, Seonghwa the only one not meeting your gaze.

“oh? absolutely. please, come with me.” Hongjoong lead you out into the gardens, just as the first touches of dawn peeked over the skyline.

“alright creature. out with it. what have you done to the prince.” you growled, arms crossed as you glared at Hongjoong.

“such mean words from the ‘princess’ herself~” he smiled a grin, one a little too long and a little too wide for his face.

“why are you here?”

“what a stupid question! you already know that answer~ otherwise you wouldn’t have asked to speak to me, alone.”

“fine, who summoned you?”

Hongjoong chuckled, one in tone too deep for the voice he speaks with. “the dead king of course. but that was a long time ago you see.”

“speak to me truthfully creature, did you make a deal with Mingi?” you glared him down. while your experience with his kind was limited, you understood the one true weakness they had. they cannot directly lie.

Hongjoong grinned once more, that same unnatural once, the one that extended too far up his face, showing teeth a human man wouldn’t have. his eyes crinkled at the edges in the grin, the white parts of his eyes turning dark as a bruise.

“no.”

you held back a whimper at his voice. inhuman. demonic. bloodcurdling.

“...thank you. you are dismissed.” you blinked, and the man was back as he was. charming smile and handsome features glowing once again in the dawn.

“as you wish, your highness.” and with that, he walked back into the castle. leaving you alone in the garden, a ring of dead grass surrounding where the pair of you had stood.

[atlascas]

DEANCAS FIC REC

(last updated 7/1)

FINALLY. this is like. just a place for me to rec and write excessively abt the fics i've been reading lately. it won't be organized but it WILL be very earnest and i'll keep it updated as i find/remember more. also i have obnoxiously high standards when it comes to fic so these ARE the cream of the crop, if u will. the god tier. the s tier. 

very loosely organized into "newer fic" and "classics." these are subjective categories. do what you will

✨ = new fic on the list

💖 = in my brain rent free!

CURRENTLY READING

these are the fics that i’m currently reading! may or may not get recced. usually i read the first couple paragraphs/lines and if i like the writing it gets bookmarked and put on this list.

lazarus needs a robe of scarlet thread by herrosesneverfall, 90k, canonverse au. dean starts getting stigmata. when i was getting back into spn there were a LOT of religious fics flying around bc that was the Hot Topic of Discussion. this was one of them

Three weeks ago, Dean woke up in a pine box. He thought dealing with the nightmares was going to be the most difficult part of his new life after Hell, but at least they were something he could understand. Something he could deal with. Something he deserved.

Then he began having agonizing visions of crucifixion. Wounds appeared on his body out of nowhere. Wounds that refused to heal and coated his skin with the sickly sweet smell of roses.

Stigmata are said to be the marks of saints, but Dean is not a saint and the wounds are only the beginning.

kingdom come by ahurston, 8.7k, coda to 15x18. cas gets to go home. im gathering all the s15 fix-its to my heart and holding them close

Cas wakes up on the coast of Maine. He makes his way home.

hunger by ellispark, 10.8k, s13 au. dean grieves cas, post s12 finale. perfect writing perfect awful heartwrenching characterization so far on dean’s end especially towards jack. nuanced emotional writing

Dean takes his meal and throws it away, plate and all. He's not hungry. How can he even begin to eat, knowing what he kept from Cas — what he kept from both of them?

They could have had something, and now all Dean has is this gaping, empty hole in his stomach, in his chest, and he has to learn to breathe and eat and move around it.

the law of equivalent exchange by awed_frog, 60.8k, canonverse. cas loving dean in all permutations of humanity, throughout time.

“And what’s the point of it?”

“Of love? There isn’t one. Loving is its own purpose.”

NEWER FIC

“newer” just means “i discovered it in 2020/2021 after coming back to spn fandom” so it very well could have been published before 2015 but really who’s checking. not me that’s for sure.

💖 so says the sword by komodobits, 85k, s4 au. cas guards the michael sword in the beautiful room. this is easily the MOST obvious rec on this entire list but it was the first fic i read when i got back into spn this year and jesus christ it set the bar sky fucking high. the way they create a coherent mythology out of the mess that is spn canon is incredible.

The briefing was simple: ‘Stand guard over the Michael Sword until the battle is ready to commence. Await further instructions.’

Castiel doesn’t mind working security duty; he was briefed shortly after the initial salvation of the Sword from the pit, and again before taking up his position. He knows what to do. However, it’s easy to forget that the green room isn’t real. Time moves differently there, the space ever-changing to make a prison of mountains, cathedrals, salt flats, orchards, and whatever Castiel was led to believe about Heaven’s greatest weapon—Dean Winchester is something entirely unexpected.

assimilation by komodobits, 5.6k, coda to 12x01. mary meets dean and cas and they go to find sam. such good character studies of all three of them. the best mary pov fic i’ve read

Mary always thought you were supposed to be able to tell. That you could just look at someone and know they were – you know. One of that sort. It’s not supposed to happen to her son.

cuckoo and nest by komodobits, 10k, ambiguously canonverse. dean and cas navigate relationship anxiety. cute, in character, and their relationship is realistic and the conflict well-written and emotionally nuanced and really really really good. 

For a long time, Castiel thought that every earthly possession other than the immediately necessary was excess to requirement. But Dean – Dean who named his car, who keeps a photograph of his mother in his wallet, some thirty-plus years after her death, who still has the crumpled ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign with a sleeping pelican emblazoned on it from the Microtel outside of Roanoke where he first kissed Castiel, clumsy and unsure, under the unsteady fluorescence of an exhausted bathroom bulb – is sentimental.

It puzzles Castiel, where Dean draws the line between what is meaningful and what it is worthless.

💖 one white lie by komodobits, 11k, au. cas panics when trying to ask dean out and has to fake being a jehovah’s witness. it’s adorable and hilarious and it’s been ages since i actually got butterflies at a kiss in a fic but this did it. it did it. it felt like someone swaddled my soul in a cashmere blanket and kissed me on the forehead

Castiel takes a deep breath and rings the doorbell. He doesn’t need to run through what he’s going to say – he’s already planned and edited and rehearsed it a thousand times. He is going to ask Dean Winchester out to dinner. If it’s not too forward, he’ll say, perfectly charming. You see, I’ve seen you around the neighbourhood and you always seem so earnest and I’d really like to get to know you bette— The door swings open, and Castiel panics.

He intends to excuse himself. He means to apologise and come back some other time. However, in a moment of blind fear, what comes out of his mouth instead are the words, “Could you spare a moment for Jesus Christ?”

a crash course in someone else’s history by annie d (scaramouche), 11.5k, set during s6. cas comes to as his s4 self without any memories of the past two years and has to figure out what the fuck is going on. it’s kind of like so says the sword. you’ll know it when you get to it.

Castiel is captured inside a trapping circle of holy oil set by Dean and Sam Winchester. The brothers call him "Cas", claiming that he has amnesia and that he is obligated to help them take down Crowley to atone for his betrayal of them. It's the strangest story Castiel's ever heard, and one he doesn't have time for because he's only just raised Dean from Hell and has work to get back to.

💖 cas and dean’s adventures in gardening by ahurston, 19k, post-canon au. a series featuring dean and cas living in the bunker, human. cas is very into plants. i read this yesterday actually and it made me smile SO much it’s just so lovely and sweet. i’m also a sucker for any fic where cas has a garden. he deserves a fucking garden okay

In this post-God world, everything is different. A little quieter, a little softer. Cas grows a garden, Dean cooks, and they take care of each other.

tall grass by aeli_kindara, 57k, post-s12. dean and cas live in the bunker on their own, and cas grows a garden. i did say i love fics where cas has a garden. plus domesticity, plus some good case fic, PLUS dean and cas’ relationship is so gentle and good

“I think we should have a garden,” Cas says.

Dean looks up from his beer. He hasn’t had that much to drink, but Cas still has a vague look of unreality about him, a splash of living color that doesn’t fit in the bunker’s echoing stillness. Dean didn’t hear him coming. A lot of the time, Cas is so unobtrusive it feels like Dean has the bunker to himself, with Sam away.

Dean shakes his head to clear it. “A — garden?” he repeats.

in a week by renrub, 2.3k, post 15x18. cas is in the empty. dean saves him. this is genuinely the best “dean pulls cas out of the empty” fic i’ve read so far like conceptually this entire thing just fucks. when cas is cycling through the barn scene. god. SO well written

Castiel is outside a barn covered in sigils. He frowns. This isn’t right. This has never been something he repented for.

i won’t even wish for snow by annie d (scaramouche), 5.6k, college au. cas goes to the winchesters’ for christmas. honestly scaramouche fics belong in the classics section bc she’s like an og deancas writer but whatever. mistletoe! banter! good in-character au! this fic’s got it all

It’s the third year that Castiel’s spending Christmas with his best friend’s family, and he expects it to be much like the previous two. Then mistletoe happens.

convenient husbands by annie d (scaramouche), 39k, canonverse au. cas is a phoenix, dean is a hunter. they get married and have a sick psychic bond. unexpectedly fluffy considering how the fic starts and i love the banter so much and dean/cas’ relationship gets fleshed out and organically developed it’s very cute

"It's only temporary, right?" Dean says. "Just until you're healed up, and then we'll never have to see each other again. So what do you say, Castiel, do you want to marry me or not?"

cinderwings by bendingsignpost, 181k, cinderella au. cas goes to a masquerade ball to save his people from an eternity trapped in a void. he meets prince dean. i can’t tell u how much this fic drew me in - thru good worldbuilding, but mostly thru cas’ social awkwardness. like it works PERFECTLY to his advantage in this fic and reading how expertly he manipulates social situations w/o any fucking idea what he’s doing is both hilarious and inspiring

Under the cover of a masquerade ball, Castiel has five nights to recover the key to his people's freedom. The world has changed greatly in the six centuries since their banishment into the void, but the task isn't impossible. Unfortunately for Castiel, this is going to involve talking to people - especially the Knight Prince who has taken an interest in Castiel and his "costume" wings.

as the crow flies by bendingsignpost, 3.4k, au. dean and cas go on a roadtrip. cas has wings! it’s so dreamlike and meandering and the slowburn is so good. honestly it reminds me of stevebucky/stevesam post tws era roadtrip fics if ur hip LMAO

Cross country road trips with Cas are the best.

long-term relationship by bendingsignpost, 2.7k, au. dean and cas have a Serious Conversation about their relationship.

Castiel says, budging over to make room for Dean on the couch, “I thought we should have a serious talk about our relationship.”

Reflexively, Dean laughs.

Castiel does not.

“Uh, Cas... you know we’re not dating, right?”

all this and heaven too by ftmsteverogers, 7k, ambiguously canonverse. dean is trans. dean and cas are fucking and lowkey hiding it from sam. perfect character study PERFECT trans dean fic it’s so fucking well-written 

“Hey,” Dean said. “I’m not ashamed of you, okay?”

Cas raised skeptical eyes to meet his.

“I mean it,” Dean insisted.

“I understand you mean it,” Cas said. “But I don’t think it’s any better if you’re only ashamed of yourself.”

💖 the love story of the runner up by margo_kim, 4.7k, ambiguously canonverse. cas tries dating other men. bear with me here. this is an outside pov fic from an oc named miguel who is WONDERFULLY characterized and very endearing like i find outsider/oc pov to be on Thin Fucking Ice bc it always ends up as fandom/author self-insert but miguel is his OWN MAN. he gets his own lil arc and everything. dean and cas are concentrated perfectly crystallized versions of themselves and the little glimpses we get of them are amazing. ALSO i wrote like 9k of an spn vent fic (basically the same premise but w an oc named marcus) back in like. freshman yr of hs. so when i first opened this fic i was like what the fuck someone’s been in my google docs. very weird experience 10/10 regardless

“So you saw a white man in a trench coat pop out in an alley,” Paul says, “and you thought, what, ‘I want to see where this is going’?”

“If you get hung up on details like that,” Miguel says, “it will take a very long time to get through this story.”

For a very weird era in his life, Miguel dates an angel who is in love with another man.

sunshine by northernsparrow, 8k, set during s13. dean and cas have a long conversation about their Profound Bond. the description left me off-balance (it really. really truly says “dean is straight in this fic” like okay bro WEIRD hill to die on) but it pulled through w the relationship study and reassurance and snuggles. a sweet fic

One-shot with a single conversation between Dean and Castiel, set in a late-S13-ish world. Gabriel, Cas, Sam & Dean are all living in the bunker together, Gabe's been cracking certain jokes, Sam's found a certain book, Cas is injured and isn’t healing... and it's all making Dean wonder if his angel friend might have some sort of a "bond" with... somebody? Whatever that means.

Maybe it's time for a talk.

💖 still life by catchclaw, 16.5k, post-s8. cas, newly human, goes to live on his own for a while. he and dean maintain a relationship thru the phone. this is LITERALLY the only first person fic i fucking respect okay like i was skeptical! i really was! but the pov is PERFECT and also my man kevin tran is in this fic and i love him and miss him very much. oh and cas going off to explore humanity on his own..............perfect arc. very much in character we love that for him

Dean'd always thought that falling in love was a capital letter kind of thing, an Important Event you carved into the calendar of your life and never, ever forgot. But with he and Cas, it wasn't that simple.

it’s mostly cowardice, and bad timing by ferritin4, 1.6k, pre-canon. actually this one is just a dean study it’s not deancas but i spent an entire night looking for it and i need someone else to read it too. dean is smart!!! SAY THAT

Dean gets his GED.

a list of reasons the bunker shouldn’t get a sofa by lizbobjones, 5.6k, set during s12. sam and dean and mary and cas haul a sofa back to the bunker. cute domesticity and fluff

Let me count the ways that this is a terrible idea.

no kingdom to come by domesticadventures, 16.8k, canonverse. dean and cas deal with being stuck in quarantine in different ways. this is the one and only quarantine fic i’ve read and it’s really good lmao. dean and cas’ relationship is so organic and tentative in this one

“We should fuck,” Dean says.

Cas looks up from where he sits on his bed, hair still damp from the shower, frowning as he places a finger on the page of his book to mark where he left off.

There are a million things Cas could say here; Dean has rehearsed them. After lunch, his restlessness had given way to a vague panic, a dread that matched his every step and crept along with him from room to room. Eventually, he had returned to his bedroom and spent the rest of the afternoon pacing back and forth, playing out all the possible scenarios. When Cas asks him Why? or Are you being serious? or when he sighs and says, in that way he has, Dean, he knows exactly what he’s going to do. He’s going to shrug casually, like he isn’t invested in the answer, like he isn’t desperate for an outlet, and say, Why not? He’s going to raise an eyebrow and say, What, are you not interested? He’s going to crowd into Cas’ personal space, he’s going to shove himself right up in there and whisper Cas against his ear.

Instead, Cas says, carefully, “Okay.”

till the juice runs by deathbanjo, 8.4k, canonverse. it’s like dean’s being cursed to have bad hookups with men. SUCH a funny fic and the deancas tension is so simple and sweet and GOOD. plus cas is so enjoyably characterized here he’s so human and worn in and experienced in his own unique way. perfect use of rowena too

Apparently whoever drew up the venn diagram of Dean’s sex life decided the circle labelled ‘good sex’ and the one labelled ‘sex with men’ should be kept far apart.

turn of the year by kototyph, 3.9k, canonverse au. sam and dean get stuck out in the middle of nowhere on the winter solstice. what i wouldn’t give for a full 80k of this verse actually. also i went on a kototyph binge after reading shut up put your money where your mouth is and they have a SOLID spn repertoire

Fifteen minutes later, Dean gets back in the car with empty hands and ice in his fucking eyebrows. “Get the map out,” he says through chattering teeth, sticking numb fingers under his arms.

Sam holds up the battered 1995 Rand MacNally they keep in the side pocket, turned to a page of uninterrupted green. “We’re going to die,” he announces.

💖 bullets in the gun by kototyph, 4.9k, canonverse au. cas is a cop (i know. still) who gets kidnapped by dean in an unfortunate turn of events. GOD this fic is SO FUNNY. cas’ canny and strategic escape attempts render him a very active VERY funny pov character plus the hate attraction to dean is PERFECTLY WRITTEN VERY BELIEVABLE. dean’s kindness also shines thru even as he literally holds cas hostage like!!!! PERFECT characterization. both of them are so LIKABLE here. if you read anything on this list read this

“Sorry, sweetheart, but I’m going to need to borrow your car.”

as you will by kototyph, 1.8k, victorian au. cas endures a proposal mishap. it’s cute it’s funny it’s sweet!

"No?" Castiel echoes, dumbly.

and if i was looking too? by kototyph, 2.6k, au. cas is undercover where dean works. this fic is just so cute like. bird angels.................

There are some things Castiel hasn't told Dean, and there are some things he doesn't need to.

the most important thing by northernsparrow, 94.5k, s10 au. amnesiac cas raising claire until he comes across someone familiar. claire is so well characterized here i really loved her arc thruout this fic. she just wants her dad back and u can’t even blame her the author rlly does an amazing job creating realistic and heartbreaking motivations for her. oh and dean and cas (esp cas characterization!) are sweet in this but honestly the highlight IS claire for me

Jimmy Novak remembers nothing of the last six years. Reunited with his troubled daughter Claire, he's struggling to raise her on his own. The most important thing is to make Claire happy. But why does he keep having these dreams of wings, and of two men in a black car? (Canon-divergent from S10E11, when we first met Claire again and Dean was still struggling with the Mark of Cain. Takes places several months later).

there’s only one sure thing that i know by blinkiesays, 20.3k, post-s5. dean goes to help cas out in ohio and they end up building a home together. i love the writing it’s rlly funny and sweet.

Dean doesn't even get halfway through explaining before Bobby starts laughing. When he lets himself think about it for more than five seconds, Dean can almost see Bobby's point: he's faced down demons, witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, angels, and Satan himself and now he's been defeated by the God damn Midwest.

💖 to an angel, love and worship are the same thing by geminisage, 10.3k, post s15 fix it. dean grieves cas - and then cas gets brought back back from the empty. i didn’t have this in my bookmarks so i MISSED it the first time around on this list but this was another one of the fics i came back to spn fandom to. it’s so fucking unique?? it actually reads like spn like i think fic tends to soften dean/cas up and makes them more emotional + emotionally intelligent than is ever shown in the show. here the dialogue/characterization adheres RIGOROUSLY to their communication in canon in that dean’s not overtly emotional, and cas is very reserved. they have to negotiate their relationship exactly like they would in the show. it’s all clipped conversation and anger and hurt and (warning btw) LOTS of internalized homophobia on dean’s end but it’s SO worth it. dean navigating his [GESTURES VAGUELY] everything is compellingly written, emotionally true, and PERFECTLY characterized. cas characterization also amazing like u rlly feel the quiet devoted bittersweet love. ok this was long clearly it’s a good fic go read it now

Just as Dean knew they would, the weeks do stretch into months, and then into a year. Grief never gets easier, Dean knows from experience, but you do get better at it. After all, you can get used to anything.

the violin house by teh_helenables, 8.5k, post-s5. dean and cas build a home after stull. so slow and lovely and sweet and gentle. i need to put this here so that i don’t forget it tbh. it’s very much dean as a war wife cas as the husband away on the front

The Apple Pie Life is a slow process, but Dean and Cas are getting there��until Cas is called for battle and Dean is forced to wait.

💖 muscle memory by komodobits, 18.9k, au. amnesiac cas wakes up three years in the future with dean in his kitchen. komodobits DOES NOT FUCKING MISS!!! i CRIED at the end of this i had NO INTENTION OF CRYING the rest of the fic isn’t even SAD i just had to sit there at the end of it w tears dribbling down my face. INSANE work of art

Dear Castiel,

Hello – it’s Castiel. This must all seem very confusing, and I’m sorry for that. Dean says to tell you that this isn’t some kind of ‘time-travel stunt’, although I’m sure that won’t be your first thought. I know it wasn’t mine. I’ve told Dean to leave now, as this is my notebook and I want everything in it to come from me – or rather, from you. I know you think it's the fifteenth of January, 2010, but it isn't. At the time of my writing this, the date is the fourth of October, 2013. Dean Winchester is your boyfriend of a year and a half, and you no longer work at the library, and in early 2010 you were hit by a car and hospitalised. I’m sorry.

a.k.a the 50 First Dates Dean/Cas AU where Castiel wakes up on a day just like any other, except that three years have passed without his knowing, and Dean Winchester is in the kitchen wanting to marry him.

don’t forget the experience points by annie d (scaramouche), 10.8k, au. cas is sam’s work friend, and he and dean get to know each other. genuinely an adorable fic. i adore cas’ characterization in this it’s snarky AND awkward AND confident in a way that i absolutely believe he would be if he had 30 yrs of human life under his belt

It's because Dean was an awesome brother than he took such an interest in Sam's new friend. No, really. What happened afterwards was mostly an accident.

actus fidei by manic_intent, 5.6k, canonverse au. dean’s a priest, cas is still his angel. i was HOOKED from the description alone like That’s Everything I Love in One Sentence. Cool!!!!!!!!!!!!

On the very first time that Castiel manifests in front of Father Dean Winchester, he gets as far as "Rejoice, for you are blessed-" before Dean shoots him with a salt-loaded shotgun.

not with a bang but a yelp by strange_estrangement, 1.4k, canonverse. team free will leave yelp reviews. this isn’t d/c actually it’s just a crack-ish fic but the formatting is cool and the references are SO funny and so well done

What happens when you visit dozens and dozens of motels every year? You leave Yelp reviews.

the courtship of combat by bendingsignpost, 18.2k, medieval a/b/o au. cas is politically coerced into fighting in a courtship melee for prince dean's hand, and he teams up with two unexpected allies to do it. I KNOW HOW THE ABO THING SOUNDS but i swear it's done well - it's by bendingsignpost so ofc he puts his own spin on the premise. im absurdly into it. PLUS jack is in it!!!!!!! it's technically an unfinished series but the first part is so good just on its own

When pressed upon to mate for a political alliance, Commander Castiel dares to refuse his king. As “I do not wish to mate at all” is clearly the wrong thing to say, Castiel takes the other path and lies. “You must know my affections lie elsewhere, my king.”

King Michael studies Castiel’s face long and hard. Then, with a nod, he snaps his fingers, pointing to Castiel. “The Winchester omega.”

“Yes,” Castiel says with no real recollection of who that is.

The ruse of an unavailable omega works well enough, right up until that omega is no longer unavailable. Then, with what seems to be his entire nation cheering him on toward victory, Castiel must enter the melee to win his mate. Backed by allies, training, and his own natural talents, the only question is how well he can contrive to fail.

four letter word for intercourse by bendingsignpost, 194.7k, au. dean calls a sex hotline. OH BOY solid characterization excellent plot/premise like bendingsignpost is so good at turning absurd premises into realistic, believable fiction. also sex hotline fic is usually a BIG turn-off bc of the power dynamics/one-sidedness of a relationship based on sex work but. BUT. bendingsignpost does it well! it’s not weird at ALL i started reading and was immediately reassured abt its intentions and its plot direction

As a grease monkey turned college freshman, Dean's constantly three seconds away from being stressed out of his mind. It hardly helps that he's finally figuring out his sexuality in his thirties.

What might help with that stress is a little phone number (and a big credit card bill). If he can't figure out how to be bisexual in person, he can at least give it a go over the phone, right?

(It's probably a bad idea, but he really can't help himself.)

the tunnel of love by xylodemon, 21.4k, post-canon. case fic! dean and cas have to kiss on a loveboat to solve a case >:)

"We might," Cas starts slowly, pausing like he's choosing his words. "We might have to kiss."

Dean just stares at him.

when you have a future. by firebog, 17.6k, post-s8. dean and sam and cas learning to be human post-apocalypse. reminds me of robotmango’s writing! it’s kind of eccentric and very very sweet and funny.

Sam closes Hell. Castiel closes Heaven. The heroes save the day. There's no Heaven or Hell waiting to cause the next big disaster. There's no more end of the world. There's only a squirmy feeling in his chest that feels a lot like freedom. So, now what?

(Things I promise you in this fic: dog poetry, rabbits, and fluff)

six inch heels by alitneroon, 2.3k, canonverse. dean does drag! excellent fucking character study. prose is fantastic

Dean does drag on a whim, and ends up in way over his head.

sharing is caring by gateskeeper, 2.5k, canonverse. five times dean and cas shared something and one time they didn’t. look. sometimes u just need some saccharine tropey fluff. it’s VERY well written

Sam knows that Dean and Cas have shared a lot together, but ever since Cas became human permanently, it seems like they've been sharing a lot more. 

Or: five times Dean and Cas shared something special and one time Dean refused to.

💖 empty spaces by schmerzerling, 60k, au. dean has to take care of his dying father, and takes up running to cope. that’s just the beginning. HEAVY trigger warnings for ED (specifically anorexia) and suicidal thoughts. there is a happy ending, but dean has to fight to make it there. god. okay. this is a dark fic. it’s also one of the most well-characterized fics i’ve ever read. dean’s spiral is excruciatingly accurate and written with the kind of wry compassion that comes from either extensive research or extensive experience. it’s also completely immersed in dean’s perspective - dean’s relationship w his dad, dean’s relationship w food scarcity, etc. it’s incredible. it’s kinda scary. it’s deeply sad. cas is explicitly autistic and it’s ALSO incredibly accurate and loving, and makes cas so true to his canon self. ugh. and i burst into TEARS at some of the accompanying art, which is so sparse and lonely and beautiful. 100/10 experience one of the best fics i’ve read this year

Dean is fine. The way he sees it, things are simple. He had a house and a family and food in his stomach, and now he doesn't. And yeah, that's a downer, but he's not going to let that stop him from being fine, because he's in control of the situation. He definitely doesn't need anyone to save him. And it's not like the weird guy with the nice butt from down the road is the knight-in-shining-armor type, anyway.

broken road by thegeminisage, 109.6k, 14x13 au. dean makes a wish and gets more than he bargained for. a lot of “john comes back” fics are kinda short on nuance, which this author has talked about a lot - and oh MAN does this fic deliver on nuance. john’s abuse is absolutely present, but his pov makes him a complex character instead of a flat caricature for dean to reject. and the way this fic resolves really makes it clear that the priority is dean’s emotional well-being over all else!!! this isn’t about dean taking the path fandom thinks he should take w his abuser (killing john, punching john in the face, etc), this is abt dean coming to terms w his abuse and finding his own emotionally satisfying way of resolving it. also dean and cas are in an established relationship and it’s very slow and sweet.

A 14.13 Lebanon rewrite. When Dean uses a wish-granting pearl to try and kill the archangel Michael before he can escape the cage in Dean's head, they instead wind up with a newly-resurrected John Winchester.

It's been more than a decade since John died, and a lot has changed: Mary is alive, Sam and Dean have what passes for a proper home in the Men of Letters Bunker, and they're living with angels. John doesn't know angels are real, he doesn't know about the fragile new relationship between Dean and Castiel, and most of all, he doesn't know that Dean said yes to Michael, or that Dean's plan to defeat Michael would send him to a fate worse than death.

Now Dean must contend with both his father asking questions he can't answer, and his loved ones learning about the darker truths of his childhood, all while constantly battling the archangel trapped inside him. But Dean coming to terms with his history may be the difference between this being the beginning of a journey—or the end. 

home is not a place by imogenbynight, 6.8k, post-s11. human cas struggles with belonging, and dean struggles with their relationship. this reads a lot like komodobits’ cuckoo and nest, but it’s its own sweet little thing. they watch movies!!! very cute 

In which Dean is the oblivious one for a change.

love: a retrospective by xylodemon, 40.7k, post-s12. dean tries to deal w cas’ absence after s12 and reflects on their relationship thru the years. this was written before s13 aired, so - no spoilers - but jack plays a different role than he ends up playing in canon. it’s kinda fun seeing ppl’s theories pre-s13 tbh. makes me VERY glad that they took jack in the direction they did in show. anyway this is THEE definitive “they’ve been fucking all along” fic

Pretending Cas is just his friend has been the only thing keeping Dean's head on straight for years. He never realized how much doing that depended on him making himself scarce in the morning ─ not until Cas came back and moved into the bunker.

✨💖 if it all fell to pieces tomorrow by spocklee, 37k, post-s15 fix-it. cas gets broken out of the empty - and he immediately makes a break for it. new fave fix-it!!!! the writing is so understated and so straightforward - SO in character for cas tbh - that every single emotional beat feels like a PUNCH. and there are so many amazing character moments it made my chest seize the fuck up!!!!! perfect characterization perfect relationship moments perfect cas/jack parenting moments. the yearning over the phone is OFF THE CHARTS and spocklee makes the most of that tension!!!! PLUS old canon characters get to make fun appearances!!!!! i cannot recommend this shit enough

After the Empty, Cas has to spend some time alone. Orpheus tries to convince Eurydice over the phone that it’s okay to turn around now.

✨ before and after breakfast by spocklee, 10.5k, post-canon. dean and sam and cas tackle a monster of the week case with unexpected consequences. perfect pov perfect relationship moments SUCH GOOD TENSION. again this writing style just lets the tension dial up to 1000% every word is meaningful and it makes my chest hurt!!! spocklee SHOULD have blown up during the spn renaissance and i STAND by that

The monster of the week is a ghost who hates meat, alcohol, and feeling yourself. Guess who it is during the commercials.

CLASSICS

isn't it cool how every person has diff fics they consider "classics?" anyway these are required fucking reading. if u've been around these will prob be old news.

💖 asunder by rageprufrock, 23k, au. dean and cas go to sam's wedding. i reread this once a year like a religious ritual.

Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Matthew 19:6)

💖 the girlfriend experience by rageprufrock, 15k, set during s5. dean teaches cas how to be human. mostly the sex part. literally the gold fucking standard of s4-5 era deancas fic and for deancas fic in general, personally

While it's not like Dean hasn't had a couple of truly regrettable hit-and-runs in his sexual history, this is probably the saddest fucking thing that has ever happened to him.

okay, cupid. by orange_crushed, 4.5k, au. dean tries to sign up for an ok cupid profile and has a revelation. as soon as i put this entry down i realized this entire fic rec was an exercise in futility, because if i could i'd literally just rec everything orange_crushed/robotmango has ever written. still one of THEE best authors in this fandom. go read all her fics. i’ll put the highlights here

"The dating thing?" Dean frowns. "Online dating is for weirdos. Robots. Dudes hanging out in their basements."

"You hang out in your basement."

"I have an air hockey table down there,” Dean says, icily.

💖 pwp: pie without plot by orange_crushed and majorenglishesquire, 82k, post-s8. sam and dean and cas quit hunting for a little bit to open a bakery. this is my comfort fic. i love it so so much.

he is in the kitchen with flour on his hands and an apron and there is flour on his forehead and cas leans across the counter and wipes it off with his thumb and dean says "thank you" and cas says "you’re welcome" very seriously and later dean makes apple turnovers and he only ruins them a little and sam realizes it’s not a real hunt like four days into it and he lets dean stay undercover for like a week and a half or longer maybe way longer because he is such a good everything

💖 la cucina by orange_crushed, 4k, post-s8. dean gets into cooking for a newly human cas. it's so gentle and loving and kind and makes me tear up every time. YES food is a comfort item and expression of love for dean. no i don't want to talk about it

Dean turns around and Castiel is picking through the jars, turning them over carefully to read the labels, totally engrossed. Dean watches him.

"Is there," Dean says, "uh, anything in there you like?" Castiel looks up at him and then back at the apples, sitting in a basket on the counter in their golden skins, ripe and pretty. Castiel smiles up at Dean.

"I don’t know yet," he says.

today, your barista verse by orange_crushed, 13.6k, coffeeshop au. a series of short sweet lovely fics where cas is a barista and dean is a smitten customer. literally the only coffeeshop au i respect

"Is that-"

"My number," says Dean, because he's a fucking champion, he's cool, he's collected, he's Captain Smooth of the USS Smoothtania, that's right. He is definitely not leaning against the counter for moral support. Cas doesn't looked seduced or impressed, though. He does not look like a dude who just met Captain Smooth and wants to ride the loveboat. He looks puzzled.

fata morgana. by orange_crushed, 6.6k, post-s9. dean is the king of hell. bela and cas team up to find him. bela pov. yeah you fucking heard that right BELA POV. BELA AND CAS!!!!!!!!!! makes me lose my mind i love everyone in this stupid desolate fucking hell wasteland.

The endless asphalt and broken road, the empty land and piles of human garbage, the unwanted ends of life, the cracked toys and broken screens and burning cars and gravel. Dean Winchester is the king of hell.

"Oh," says Bela.

That changes certain things.

💖 gran fury. by orange_crushed, 5k, pacific rim au. sam and cas pair up in a last ditch mission to save the world. permanently damaged me at age 15 and i've never recovered. major fucking angst warning.

They sit in silence and Castiel passes him the bottle. There’s not much left to say. Sam takes a gulp and it burns going down, like the cheap shit it is. He holds the bottle up against the light. He can see the Fury through it, distorted like a funhouse mirror. She’s a tomb but Sam loves her. Loves everything that’s left.

"To the end of the world," he says.

"To the end of the world," says Castiel.

💖 shut up (put your money where your mouth is) by kototyph, 24k, au. dean and cas get drunk married in vegas. dean renovates cas' house. this fic is SO MUCH BETTER than i remembered/expected and the entire series is fucking adorable go read it RIGHT now

Dean's done some pretty stupid things, but getting drunk-hitched in Vegas to a colleague he barely knows might just take the cake. His surprise husband, Castiel, is a little weird but likable despite that, and Dean figures they’ll go back to Boston, get a quiet annulment, and go their separate ways. Six weeks later, he’s still married to one of the strangest, most genuine and definitely most dangerously lov-- likable guys he's ever known. Dean doesn't know why or really even how it’s happening, but it’s getting harder and harder to remember that he has divorce papers to file.

not part of the plan by annie d (scaramouche), 338k, arranged marriage au. cas is slated to marry a noble from the winchester house. things spiral out of control. if you’re looking for an extensive well-developed political au, this is fucking it. i love reading about political machinations so this was FASCINATING to me. 

Castiel's spent most of his adult life keeping his head down and staying out of trouble. This is a deliberate choice on his part, because as a cousin of the King, he'd rather stay unimportant and forgotten. This changes abruptly when King Michael decides that he has a better use for Castiel: he is to be wed to a noble member of the neighboring Republic, as part of an agreement between their two nations.

Castiel knows he has to obey, but that doesn't mean he won't rebel in what small ways he can. Unexpectedly, his actions end up having far-reaching consequences.

💖 all things shining by askance and standbyme, 142k, au. sam and dean and cas go on a hunt that's not really a hunt, and against all odds good things happen. it's beautifully written and has scenes that literally make my heart leap out of my chest with joy and awe it's just WONDERFUL it's a wonderful fic. incredible mythology too omg i found that the authors actually created the myth the entire story is based on - like they don’t pull a random one from history, they made one up THEMSELVES. they even self-published it on amazon if ur curious

Something in the world is waking up.

It isn’t long before it’s brought to the attention of the Winchesters and Castiel: miracles are spreading across the country, the paranormal seems to be shrinking back on itself—and it all has something to do with the missing prayer book of a traveling preacher who died over a century ago.

Dean is convinced it’s all the lead-up to another Apocalypse; Sam and Castiel aren’t so sure. Regardless, it sends them out on a less-than-typical road-trip, following the Mississippi and remnants of a very old story that seems increasingly to call to them. And along the way the trio learn much more about themselves—and the consequences and origins of love—than they’d ever have anticipated.

💖 broadway musical by griftings, 12.4k, crack. romcom where cas is supposed to play matchmaker to dean and jo and well. you know. it actually made me cackle out loud when i read it again so you know it's still good. absolutely one of the funniest fics i’ve read

This is the day that marked the Holy and Blessed Union of Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle.

The merging of prominent bloodlines is always a grand occurrence, but breeding pedigree hunter families like Winchester and Harvelle is something to be rejoiced. It is also something to be meticulously planned, which thankfully the Host is very good at.

Or, the romantic comedy where Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle are destined to get married, Castiel is given the task of playing matchmaker and fails terribly, the entire Heavenly Host becomes a sitcom audience, God warns against male pregnancy, and Jimmy Novak is incredibly unimpressed with angels in general.

the five people you meet in heaven by chevrolangels, 22k, ambiguously canonverse. dean dies and goes to heaven and meets five people from his life. NOT a post-finale fic but still horrifically sad. i remember sobbing hysterically when i first read this so

Heaven is white.

Well. Isn’t that fucking stereotypical.

Dean isn’t really sure how he got here. Or even why he’s here. And hell, for all the times the Winchesters have died, he thinks he ought to know the drill by now. But what he doesn’t know is when most folks go, they find something different.

There’s a system God put in place. That when you’re gone (for good), there are a couple things you gotta do first. There are five people waiting for you.

They are the five people you meet in heaven.

any port in a storm by microcomets, 53k, post-s8. dean and cas go on a haunted cruise for a case. you know what happens next. also the art is by anobviousaside and it's gorgeous

The angels have fallen, leaving Castiel graceless and Dean with, well, more of other people’s problems. When a string of couples goes missing on the east coast, Dean and Cas decide to investigate—and find themselves trapped and hunted on a couples’ counseling cruise. Although battling monsters at sea is dangerous enough, sorting through emotional baggage proves to be far more deadly. (And, in which Cas embarks to find his missing grace and Dean is put out. Not necessarily in that order.)

a turn of the earth by microcomets, 95k, pre-canon au. cas is on the run from the empty and crash lands in dean's life. at one point he punches john in the face. a fucking beautifully written character study of pre-canon dean, honestly.

Dean’s your typical half-orphaned, monster-killing 22-year-old until a trenchcoated stranger crashes into his back windshield one September night, claiming he’s an angel that knows him from the future and that he’s on the run.

Frigging fantastic.

(Or, in which Castiel gets stuck in Dean’s timeline preseries and Dean kind of hates it—until he doesn’t.)

unfinished duet by microcomets, 5.8k, canonverse. sam observes dean and cas throughout the years. i remember this breaking my heart back in 2013!

Sam watches Dean and Cas over the years and notices a few things. (Or, Dean and Cas unscripted.)

💖 ergative/absolutive by glassedplanets, 8k, college au. dean and cas are best friends who meet in an astronomy class. i'm never not thinking about this fic it's so sweet and the friends to lovers is so soft and believable

He really shouldn’t be thinking thoughts like this about his best friend who literally just broke up with his girlfriend, but he knows he’ll blame it on sleepiness in the morning. He always does.

a certain light by flightagain, 24k, au. cas works at the gas n sip. dean is a customer. this author’s writing style is so lonely and heavy but it’s very lovely

Castiel works at the Gas-n-Sip. There are half-price nachos and flickering lights, there are office-workers and werewolves stopping by for snacks. Dean is a frequent customer, and his office might be haunted.

the one thing you can’t lose by majorenglishesquire, 5k, ambiguously canonverse. dean can pull cas around and it’s adorable. character study-ish. very sweet.

You know what I like a lot? The thought that Dean can just tug Cas anywhere at any time and Cas, who can lift tons without effort, who can demolish things with the light of his grace, who has battled and gone to war, has defended and broken, will just let Dean do it.

brother lover by twentysomething, 4k, set during s4/s5. dean’s jealous of sam and cas’ budding relationship. this fic is so tropey but it does it well and it’s funny as fuck

However- and it doesn't happen a lot- they have to invoke 'I saw her first.’

his fucking kids by 8sword, 3k, canonverse au. dean and cas raise claire and emma together. yes, claire novak. yes, emma of 7x13 spice girls fame. this was the first kidfic i read for spn i think. obvs written before jack or claire actually came back into the picture but it was the TEMPLATE of kidfic for me for ages

Jesus, the school should just have a parking spot labeled, “Reserved for the Novak-Winchesters,” because Dean’s getting sick of having to cruise around the parking lot looking for a spot every time he gets a call from the principal about Emma.

💖 what has eight tentacles and isn’t allowed to eat pie? by annie d (scaramouche), 16k, post s8. dean gets turned into an octopus. another fic that was SO MUCH BETTER than i remembered i fucking love when that happens. it isn’t even about dean being an OCTOPUS like NO. NOT EVEN. it’s ACTUALLY about the bunker and building a home and a community and a family and about PHYSICAL COMFORT and you can actually feel the world expanding at the end of this fic like a gusty sigh of relief it’s SO WONDERFUL. kevin is in this fic. ellie is too and i had to look her up but THIS is her!!!! danay garcia u were too hot to stay on this show but i love you and miss u

Dean watched an anime porn about this once, but real life turns out to be way less interesting.

Or, the one where Dean gets turned into an octopus.

💖 a beginner’s guide to communing with the dead by suspiciousflashlight, 77k, canonverse au. dean is a cop who summons a powerful entity to help him solve a cold case. oh my god i can’t believe i didn’t put this on here i love this one so much. the writing bowls me over it’s so confident in its worldbuilding like you’re IMMEDIATELY plunged into dean’s pov (FLAWLESSLY executed throughout the fic btw) and you just learn about the world as you go!! and it’s such a fascinating world!!! i love the magic i love the typical bureaucratic red tape procedures i love normalizing the supernatural. i ESPECIALLY love monsters as normal people in a society. at one point there’s this exchange

“Monsters,” says Cas finally. “Beyond the Wall there are monsters.” “You mean, like, vampires and djinn and stuff?” Cas shakes his head. “Those aren’t monsters, those are just people.”

those lines have stayed with me for years. i think about them every time i rewatch an episode of spn.

Maybe it's the little girl whose disappearance turned into a murder, and whose murder turned into a cold case, and who has now apparently decided to move in with him. Maybe it's the unacceptable hole left in his life when his dumb best friend and partner in (the prevention of) crime decided to go and get himself killed. Maybe it's his brother, whose high-profile career and fantastic girlfriend and first-child-on-the-way are steadily leaving Dean in the dust. Pick one. Pick all of them. The why doesn't matter so much as the what, and the what is this: Dean is pretty sure he's going completely, certifiably insane. Sure, he hasn't started wearing all his clothes inside out, and he still showers on a regular basis (anyways, that's not crazy, just a little eccentric); but there's no getting around the fact that he just threw away his life, his career, and his reputation by dragging out his mom's old necromancy book and summoning a Class A Forbidden Entity to his attic. A cranky one, too. With horrendous bed-head.

dean’s list by almaasi, 3k, canonverse. dean makes a list. short and sweet. i read this so much in 2015 that it literally got engraved into my brain line by line and rereading it caused synapses to fire that havent felt anything in years

Dean writes out a list of men he would go gay for. Sam has a suggestion to make.

💖 the path of fireflies by museaway, 63.7k, post-s8. dean and cas open a charming bed and breakfast in vermont. no, literally. another CLASSIC. i think about the food in this fic all the time...........maple bacon baked french toast......the cinnamon rolls.....it literally sounds so good

After his humanity is restored, Dean wakes up in bed with Castiel, a wedding ring, and no memory of the past twelve years.

long nights in cold months by pyrebi, 2.3k, au. dean’s an insomniac and cas works at walmart. i forgot i had this fic ALSO basically memorized. holy shit. pineapple in the fruit aisle.....................anyway it’s short and sweet and the “plot” resolves in such a satisfying way

When you're an insomniac, you get used to the "what the hell are you doing up, man?" look. Dean just hopes the guy who's stocking the shelves will stop giving it to him long enough to help him find some damn pineapple.

incredibly single & ready to mingle by imogenbynight, 3.6k, au. dean and cas meet on facebook. short cute au!!!!!!

Sam uses Facebook like the social media junkie he is. He's befriended literally every person he's ever had a conversation with since he got an account, which means that approximately—Dean checks—eight hours ago, he shared this horrible photo with something in the vicinity of nine hundred people. The caption below the picture reads “incredibly single & ready to mingle ;)” and roughly half of them have liked it.

Dean has never been so embarrassed in his life.

💖 unknown quantities by xylodemon, 8.5k, post-s8. after a post-case tryst, dean has to figure out his and cas’ relationship. human cas fics hold a special place in my heart. funny AND good dean pov AND a misunderstanding that i actually think works!!!!!

No one ever tells Dean anything.

(or: Dean Winchester and the not-relationship crisis of 2014)

[luci-four]

Hey four can I get some of that sweet sweet soulmate au with solomon perhaps 👀

A/N: No, solely because you asked ヽ(｀⌒´メ)ノ im joking im joking........ unless???? Nah im kidding here you go shelby uwu (if anyone is curious and isnt familiar with tarot, the Tower card, in this story, is in the upright position with the idea of “massive change/chaos/destruction”)

Amare. {Solomon x Reader/MC}

The night was warm. Summer Solstice. The moon was full; rare, beautiful, powerful. The trees around them held centuries of wisdom and the magic in the air was genuine and electric; the leaves slightly danced above their heads as the wind spirit herself whispered words of love to the faeries that danced among the branches. Magic roamed the Earth, free, happy, and within all that graced it.

He could see nothing but them. The way the light caressed their skin and illuminated their eyes, the way their smile was just as airy as the spirits that pranced around them, how the gentlest of flowers they held in their hand seemed to intermingle with their own skin. Summer Solstice is a time to slow down; the day is meant for self-reflection and charging of magic. For doing less and being more.  

Solomon had always been less so that he may give his love more.  

Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, a day charged with playful magic to taunt those who don’t fully appreciate the sentimental features of the day. Solomon spent it with the first love of his life; young and restless, their souls just recently finding their place on this plane. He was happy, strong, in love. He knew nothing of sorrow or fear, for the spirits, the magic, the runes and the cards never warned him as such. His soul was free to love theirs, roam the Earth together, to exist simply among the magic that coursed through his veins and pumped through the very heart that only had a beat for the love who stood in front of him now. No fear. No pain.

The night was perfect, and so were they. With forest creatures as their witnesses, they spoke of love and marriage, the idea of being together for all of eternity. Their skin was soft as he held their face in his hands, his knees straining to keep themselves up as the look in their eyes knocked the wind out of him.  

They both leaned in, hoping to tie their bodies together as they have their spirits. Closer, closer, their breath fanning across one another’s face, smiles just barely grazing against each other.

Solomon had pulled the Tower card.

It was cold this time. Solomon opened his eyes when he felt the warmth of another stand beside him. It was a familiar presence, and laying his eyes on them caused the wave of realization to wrap him in warmth as though he were bundled in a blanket. He held out a hand, asking if they’d like to join him; their eyes remembered him as well, their souls both still in their youth and mighty playful.  

They danced among the snow-covered ground, the wet soaking into their poor, thin shoes. Their laughter was warm, his smile was bright; neither of them paid any mind to Jack Frost’s painful bite. Winter Solstice. The longest night of the year. Yule is a time to welcome back the return of the sun—where life begins once more. Here, in front of him now as several years have passed, he’s able to welcome his sun back home, in his soul, where they were meant to be.

Watching their step and prancing around to keep their bodies warm, they roamed what used to be a thriving village that fell at the hands of Pestilence as neither of their magic could save those who suffered. Broken homes, unfortunate souls who couldn’t seem to understand what had happened, and piles of those lost to the clammy hands of The Black Death. The spirits of those who lingered decided to play in their game of tag and brought along the bitter wind that caused them to shiver; Solomon held them close.

Standing there, simply allowing themselves to mend the broken bridge between their souls as their bodies had become strangers. They looked up and stuck their tongue out, smiling as a snowflake just as uniquely beautiful landed on their tongue—Solomon wished he could commit such an intricate shape to his memory. He looked down at them as they looked up, smile begging for him to lean down and share in his warmth.

Faces close, breath warm between them so that the winter’s frozen fractals could no longer show themselves, they leaned further and further, electricity between one another’s magic jolting through every inch of their skin--

Solomon had seen a crumbling Tower in the distance.

He gasped as he came back to Earth from travelling through the clouds.

Metal upon metal clanked loudly around him; he could hardly think. Screams of pain, of anger, of fear rattled through his ears and echoed throughout the headgear he had donned on his head. Shiny, heavy, the light off of those who wore things similar blinded him whenever he got a solid chance to see around him. The aura was dark, angry, nasty; it blanketed his heart and made his soul feel so lonely.

Violence was futile. He didn’t want this—weapons were useless and senseless killing hurt his empathy. Where had the love of magic gone? Where had love gone?

Through the crumbled tower his footsteps caused the rock beneath them fall away. It was dangerous, he was aware, but he wanted to hide away regardless. At the top of the stairwell, he found a struggle as both of them toppled over one another in an attempt to keep dominance, and their life. On his back, attempting to push himself up, the tip of a sword tapped against the dip between his collarbones and warned him to stop. With a fluid motion, his helmet had been knocked off of his head and he held his breath, waiting for the moment where it all went cold.

His dark eyes opened to meet those wet with tears, oh so familiar. Their weapon had been tossed aside and they carefully, cautiously, knelt down to become level with him. A face full of confusion and soul burning with recognition, they gently reached out for him; as the cold metal caressed his face, all other senses grew dull to the chaos around the two of them. As Set rose in the distance, Solomon could only focus on the curve of their face in front of him, the width of their smile, the darkness those beautiful eyes have seen this lifetime.

Without so much as a whisper or ghost of a word, the two leaned in, ready for whatever the fate of knights had to bear so long as their souls suffered it together.  

With the ghost of a kiss just before his lips, he felt the Tower beneath him crumble to pieces.

Startled, he woke up with a start. He found himself beneath a tree whose leaves had been freshly turned green and the soft petals had only recently welcomed the suns warmth. It was quiet here, peaceful, welcoming to the changes. The book in his lap was heavy—a grimoire or spell book of sorts—Solomon couldn’t remember which one he had picked up. It hadn’t mattered, anyway, as he idly flipped through the pages to keep himself busy. Young love blossomed like the flowers, and Solomon had been waiting for his turn.

A pair of hands covered his eyes, and he couldn’t help but smile. Guessing wrong a few times just to get a laugh from them before he was able to pull them into his lap, his book now discarded. They were pink, like the flowers they loved to go see in the forest, a hue that always graced his eyes. They sat together, against the tree that felt like home to one another, and simply existed. They ushered in a new beginning, beautiful change, something happy within the dark times the world played around them.  

Their souls were at peace once more, the magic in between them fading only for a moment to allow them to realize just how important the feeling was. They were together, they were happy. They were spring and sweet and Solomon couldn’t help but find himself sleepy as he held them in his arms, as their warmth and feel of home made him feel the safest he’d been in centuries.  

He closed his eyes, feeling the darkness that accompanied sleep welcome him with a hug as hands cupped his face once more, a different feeling closing in near his face that he couldn’t help but smile at as lips brushed against his own. He smiled, half asleep, his physical begging them for their lips to fully meet his own, but his unconscious dragging him down the abyss.  

Solomon dreamt of falling from a tower.

He fell for so long, and awoke bound—he didn’t like that. His feet no longer touched the ground; he could feel the magic within his heart grow angry, dark, full of absolute hatred far before he opened his eyes.  

Tied to a stake as crowds around him screamed of the Devil’s Magic, cried of demons and evil, when they were the ones whose hearts had been dipped in darkness. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe. How could he end up in a place like this when the magic he used had never been for ill intent?  

Eyes darting around, he looked. His soul knew what he had been looking for—would he not find it this time? His mind did not know, but the core of him did. His eyes found nothing.  

Desperately, secretly, he felt another pair of hands brush against the pair tied behind him. On impact, they made every inch of his body tinkle; warmth. Familiarity. Home. He turned his head, desperate to lay his eyes on them when in the softest of voices, they asked him not to look. They didn’t want his soul to suffer any more than it had been. As much as possible, they intertwined their fingers with his, allowing what little time they had left to connect their souls once more. He didn’t want to leave yet—he asked them their name this time, smiling when he mentioned it suited them.  

They were scared, he could feel it. He didn’t wish to let them know he was too. Silently, his eyes started to tear up, and he let himself cry as flames started to tickle at both of their feet. He smiled when they sent him off with a goodbye, their fingers never letting go until the very end.  

It all grew dark and far too warm for his liking. Solomon had been too warm for too long.

He sighed and opened his eyes—why was the café he found himself in so damn hot? The leaves outside had changed to such gorgeous hues and the cold breeze was starting to chase those who ventured outdoors. Perhaps it was only so warm because he had come in from such weather? He sat at a small table in the corner and flipped through another book.  

People came and went, chatter hit highs and lows and the bell above the door started to have a sweet sound to it. Someone had come by to ask if he needed anything, and he could hardly remember what he ordered. A different voice greeted him this time, gifting him with a warm drink and a complimentary sweet that he could immediately smell the cinnamon baked into.

Solomon put his book down and smiled, thanking them and accepting the drink with obvious gratitude. All it took was a brush of the hand once again to cause his eyes to widen and meet theirs as though it were a mirror. The bustle of the small place melted away in an instant, a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time shooting through his body as several things he thought had been lost awakened within him. He could see them awaken too, though they had been much more confused than he was.

He cupped their face not as gently as he would have liked as he was desperate; desperate to hold, to kiss, to love them once more as his simple life found what it had been missing once again. Their eyes grew misty, and a smile graced their features as he pulled their face down to his quickly, passionately, like the movies they’d been playing about love the past handful of years. Something cliché, but lovely, as their lips grew ever closer to his.

The radio station playing softly on the speakers played a song by some niche band called Tower.

He felt tapping on his nose and begrudgingly opened his eyes. The angelic blue eyes in front of him taunted him, he pushed his friend’s hand away.  

Solomon had fallen asleep—it wasn’t normal for him to sleep in class—much less in a school such as this one. Being among one of the new students was odd, but it wasn’t as if a place like this wasn’t... familiar to him. He’d been around people, creatures, beings like this before—long ago—he’d lie if he said it didn’t remind him of a home he could no longer remember.  

Magic here was strong—he was strong—and he liked that. It never seemed to fix this deep gash inside of him that never seemed to want to heal, but it was a nice change of pace. Or, so he thought. He wasn’t sure what it was a change from—but the cards constantly told him it was a good one. What secrets were the cards hiding from him this time?  

Another one was supposed to join the class today—another human, they said—making them a pair in a demon-dominating population. He wondered what they’d be like, after all, talk had already gotten around with everyone’s assumptions. His feet were heavy as he walked through the hallway—he just hoped they’d be able to survive.  

Footsteps came up the empty stairs, and he watched for whoever owned them. An audible gasp passed by his lips as the light from the window above shone onto their hair and illuminated the pair of eyes that locked with his.

Old, familiar, home, love. Such deep emotions hit Solomon all at once, to the point he couldn’t help but let his eyes start to tear up. A smile curved onto their lips, and one donned on his own as he moved closer to them, reaching out to touch them once again; such a beautiful smile spoke such rich words.

“You must be Solomon.”

[dinfeanoriel]

Hypothermia

Well, well, well, look who’s back? And with a little ficlet for you wonderful people! Enjoy! 

~~~~~

Cold. 

Ice cold. 

Too cold. 

Wild’s cornflower blues snapped open the instant his body registered the sheer and sudden drop in temperature only to find his vision completely shrouded by whiteness.  

Snow, his mind helpfully supplied. 

Ice particles shimmered and sparkled, snow compacted tightly around him. Blinding him. 

He was buried..! 

Wild’s mouth opened with a gasp, inhaling what little air he could get. He carefully shifted his arms, willing himself to remain calm and think of a way out of the mess he’d somehow gotten himself into. 

Where in Hylia’s name was he? Had there been an avalanche? Last he remembered, he wasn’t exploring the mountains or any snowy regions.Then how did he end up here? 

He started clawing his way upwards, his heart beating steadily and blood pumping. The freezing temp pierced through his skin, settling into his very bones and stealing him of what warmth his body sought desperately to maintain. 

Hadn’t he been in a desert? He recalled being somewhere sandy. A lot of sand. 

An island? There might have been an ocean too. 

Taking stock of himself, Wild figured he couldn’t have been under the snow for more than a handful of minutes, maybe a little longer. He couldn’t wait to escape it either. He already longed to throw on his warmest gear and snow boots and devour the hottest meal he could whip up given his limited resources. 

“-ey!” 

Wild paused momentarily, bemusement crossing his face at the muffled voice he swore he heard calling from somewhere above. 

“-ild!”  

That was his name. Who else was there? Were they trapped to? 

A burst of determination and strength flared to life within him at the thought, pushing him to move faster and break through the surface to help whoever was there. 

“Can...ear...e?” 

He’d love to respond, give them an answer, but as of this moment, he was a little incapacitated. It took only a few seconds for him to finally dig himself to freedom. He burst out, hands slapping palm-down on the mountain of snow and eyes darting about in search of his nameless companion. It was a useless endeavour. A thick and foreboding fog covered the area he found himself in, obscuring his vision and hiding everything within a three foot radius from view. 

“Wild!” Relief coated the disembodied voice and Wild snapped his head to the right. He narrowed his eyes against the fog, piercing through until he caught sight of something...blue? “T-That you? You alright?” 

Recognition flashed in Wild’s gaze and he scrambled the rest of the way out of the snow holding him hostage, 

“C-Can you hear m-me?” The voice tried again, a tinge of worry seeping into the otherwise shuddering tone, “Sure h-hope that was y-you!” 

“Warrior?” He called, trudging heavily towards where the scarf lay. He grunted when his foot was swallowed by some loose snow, causing him to trip and almost face-plant into the cold ground. 

This...This was the reason why Wild held a profound hatred for snow. 

“Wild!” 

“Where are you?” 

“H-How should I know?” 

Wild rolled his eyes at the snarky reply. Warrior must be fine if he’s already sassing him. 

“Why aren’t you moving?” It was a good question. Warrior’s voice floated his way, carried by the bitter breeze, never once moving closer or further away. 

“C-Can’t,” Warrior responded, “Stuck.” 

“Stuck?” Wild echoed, kneeling down and curling his fingers into the fabric of the scarf he’d found. He tugged at it, surprised when it moved with hardly any resistance. He was even more surprised to find it wasn’t attached to Warrior’s person. “I found your scarf,” 

“T-Thank Hylia! Blew a-away! Thought it l-lost.” 

Wild frowned at the short, fragmented, sentences. Warrior’s voice wavered and shook from what Wild interpreted as the cold and his concern for the Knight rose. 

“Now to find you,” Wild muttered to himself, tucking the scarf safely into his pack. Thank goodness he’d kept it on him. He hastily rifled through it and flung on his warmest shirt, switching his regular boots for those fit for snow, “Keep talking!” He told Warrior, “I can pinpoint your location easier if you do!” 

“I-I’ll t-try,” Warrior answered, and Wild strained his ears to hear him. 

“How long were you calling to me?” 

“D-dunno,” Warrior trailed off and Wild’s heart skipped a beat. He might be uninjured but he’d only know for sure once he found him. Wild had no recollection of what had taken place before waking so how was he to know whether or not they’d been attacked? 

“Warrior!” Wild barked sharply. 

“A w-while?” 

“Was that a question or a statement?” Wild quipped with a faint smile, echoing the words Warrior often said to him. 

“Both,” Warrior declared with forced conviction. 

Wild blinked in confusion, “Whatever you say, Warrior,” He took a left, inching forward with caution. For all he knew, they could be on a mountain. Better safe than sorry. Wild had far too much experience in falling off cliffs and ledges. He cared little in repeating it. “Say, how are you stuck?” 

“Buried. S-snow.” Warrior said, “H-hate snow.” 

“From what I understand, you don’t have much experience with the cold or snowy regions,” Wild commented, urging Warrior to carry on their conversation. The sooner he found Warrior, the better. 

“D-don’t h-have any w-where I’m from...” Warrior partially explained. “N-not m-meant for the c-cold.” 

His stuttering was worsening, Wild observed with a troubled frown. How long had they been trapped? 

“A-already s-soaked,” Warrior added as an afterthought and Wild’s brow creased. 

“You’re already soaked?” He asked, hinting for clarification.  

“W-was.” Warrior corrected in a quiet whisper. Wild almost didn’t hear him. If it weren’t for the breeze, he most likely wouldn’t have. 

“You were already soaked.” The Hero nodded to himself, bafflement rising. “How so?” 

“G-got dunked.” 

Say what? 

Wild shook his head in frustration, cursing his fragile mind. Why couldn’t it keep a tight grasp on important information or memories and never relinquish them? 

He heaved a sigh, resigning himself to piecing together what little he knew. He did recall being near an ocean. Perhaps they were swimming and then got transported? 

That sounded right... There was a ping of familiarity when Wild thought of it. 

“Okay, okay,” He muttered to himself, forcing his way through the snow, “We can work with this.”

It was then he realized Warrior hadn’t spoken for a few seconds. 

“Warrior?” 

“S-st-still h-here...” 

Hylia’s bane but he sounded awful. A small trace of fear festered in Wild’s heart, growing gradually the longer it took for him to find his wayward companion. 

“Good, good. Can you hear me coming?” 

“Y-yeah.” 

So he was closer. Wild peered ahead and slumped with relief when he spotted green in the distance. 

“I see you!” He made his way forward, running as best he could atop the snow. A golden head lifted and Wild saw a flash of blue when their gazes locked onto one another. Worry replaced Wild’s previous fear. Warrior looked pale. Almost blue. His teeth were chattering and his body trembled violently from the unforgiving cold. He was half buried under a heavy mound of snow and Wild discovered his companion had been caught in a small avalanche. 

“H-hey, W-Wild,” Warrior weakly greeted when said Hero crashed to his knees beside him, surveying the snow and the trapped position the Knight was in. 

Flakes fluttered past them, carried by the chilling wind. Some melted immediately when they came into contact with Wild’s skin, others clung fast. 

“You look awful, Warrior,” Wild huffed, jabbing at Warrior’s typically polished looks. He was practically disheveled now. 

Warrior managed a small laugh in response, head dropping forwards almost limply, tiredly. 

“I c’n on-only i-im-imagine.” 

 Wild pursed his lips tightly together. 

Exhaustion. Fatigue. Warrior’s energy and strength were fading fast. 

He could only hope the hypothermia was only just now settling in. If worse came to worse, Wild prayed Warrior caught only a mild case of it. The only comfort he had was Warrior’s constant shivering and not-so-shallow breathing. 

“Stay with me,” Wild urged, gripping Warrior’s ice cold hand in his own. He almost snapped his arm back from the sheer frostiness of the Knight’s skin. 

“S’warm,” Warrior slurred, clutching his hand as tightly as he could. The little strength he could muster served to feed Wild’s increasing concern. His friend’s health was compromised and it would only keep declining the longer they lingered. 

“I’m going to get you out of here,” Wild promised, determination blazing in his eyes. “Then we can-” He cut off with a curse. They couldn’t teleport. Even if they were in the Hebra Mountains, as he suspected, Wild knew the sudden shock of warmth would prove detrimental to Warrior. Especially when he took into account the state he was already in. “We can find a cave,” He settled with a swallow. He hoped there was one nearby. 

Warrior hummed, cobalt blues drifting shut. 

“Hey,” Wild tapped against his cheek. Warrior’s eyes fluttered halfway open. “Don’t fall asleep on me, alright?” He tried to keep his tone light, but Wild was inwardly afraid for Warrior’s life. 

Warrior’s body certainly didn’t tolerate the cold. It didn’t help that he wasn’t wearing any clothes capable of combating the freezing temps. He was dressed in his Hero’s outfit. An outfit Wild realized was once drenched with water that had long-since frozen and now clung to Warrior’s glacial skin. 

This went from bad to worse in two seconds and Wild wasn’t appreciative of it in the least. 

Carefully shifting about, slipping from Warrior’s feeble hold, Wild quickly analyzed the miniature avalanche the Knight had gotten caught up in. He dove into work shoveling the Knight out, talking to him and drawing him into conversation. He said whatever came to mind, telling stories, sharing secrets, and coaxing Warrior into responding or describing some of his own experiences. 

It didn’t take long until Warrior was finally free. To Wild, it felt to be an eternity. The minutes that passed were excruciating and Wild could only hope Warrior’s condition didn’t suffer because of them.

“Still with me?” Wild asked, nudging the Knight. 

A groan of discomfort was his only response. 

Well, that wasn’t at all reassuring. Wild bit his lip and turned Warrior onto his back. His worry returned full-force when he caught sight of the blue tinge the Knight’s lips had taken on. His complexion resembled that of a ghost’s and his shivering was dying down. 

Alarmed, Wild quickly but carefully maneuvered the fatigued Warrior into a sitting position. The Knight, barely clinging to conscious, slumped heavily against him, head lolling. Wild sucked in a sharp breath. 

“Hey, you can’t fall asleep on me, you hear?” He sternly ordered, slapping him lightly on the cheek. 

Warrior blearily cracked his eyes open, head pillowed on Wild’s shoulder. 

“S’hard...” 

His speech was horribly butchered. Wild swallowed hard. 

Stay with me, Warrior, he inwardly pleaded. 

“We’re going to find a cave, alright?” He told Warrior, striving to keep him awake and alert. “You’re going to be fine.” 

Was he? 

Wild quashed the unwelcome thought. Where was Wind’s optimism when he needed it? Actually, where was everyone? 

Wild refrained from cursing the Goddess. Why was the group separated at a time like this? If they’d been together, Warrior would have been freed earlier.

Or others might have been trapped alongside him... 

Wild scowled, the corners of his lips curling back and teeth bared in displeasure. 

“A-alr-right?” Warrior’s raspy voice drew Wild from his thoughts back to the Knight. He looked to find Warrior watching him with a hint of concern. 

Wild gave him a tight smile. 

“Remind me which one of us is suffering hypothermia?” 

“N-not m-me,” Warrior quipped dryly in return. A wave of gratitude flooded Wild. His companion might not be fully aware, but he was still with him. He understood what was happening. His comprehension wasn’t lacking too severely, reassuring Wild that they still had time before his condition became critical. 

Warrior’s distraction helped Wild to focus and the Hero stood, drawing Warrior up with him. 

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” 

Warrior managed a small, shaky, nod of agreement. He was more than ready to go. 

Wild wrapped a strong arm around the weak Knight’s waist, drawing Warrior’s own across his shoulders and clasping his hand for comfort. It anchored him, kept him fastened in the present. 

Starting forward, Wild bit down on his lip when Warrior stumbled, knees wobbling and unstable. 

“S’cold...” 

“I know,” Wild calmly agreed, quelling his worry. If Warrior leaned further against him, unconsciously vying for the warmth emanating from WIld, he said nothing of it. “It’s probably safe if I give you a warmer shirt...maybe some boots too. I just have to make sure you don’t warm up too fast.” 

Thank goodness his Zelda was a researcher. She was well-read and knowledgeable in many fields. Not to mention that Wild had some experience but he digressed. 

Risking a break, Wild slowly lowered Warrior to take a seat on the snow and earnestly dug through his pack in search of a shirt. He found one and yanked it out. It was a struggle for Warrior to slip it on, but they managed. Wild then switched Warrior’s adventure boots with his spare snow boots. That would help to maintain the little warmth he still had. They also swapped his trousers for dry ones.

“You good?” Wild inquired once they got moving again. 

“Yeah,” Warrior drowsily replied. His coordination was still off but after a little while had passed, Wild was relieved to see some semblance of color returning to his face. 

A mild case, Wild sought to convince himself. A mild case, nothing more. 

But there was no telling how long Warrior had lied there completely vulnerable to the elements. The Hebra Mountains were harsh and unforgiving. They did not hesitate to claim the lives of those who dared to venture into them. Or, in Wild and Warrior’s case, those unfortunate to be dropped into them. 

Together, they ploughed through the knee-deep snow, ignoring the flakes striking their faces and soaking into their clothing. The fog prevented them from seeing far but they valiantly pressed on. So long as they didn’t wander too close to any cliffs, Wild deemed they were safe. 

When Warrior’s head would droop, Wild would shake him back to awareness. It wasn’t rough or startling, but enough for Warrior to snap back to attention. 

“No sleeping while walking, Warrior.” Wild said lightly, hiding his worry behind teasing words, “We’ve got to find a cave, and then you can rest.” 

“Sleepwalking,” Warrior murmured, cobalt blues owlishly blinking. He stumbled a couple of times. Wild instinctively caught him, cornflower blues full of muted alarm and regret that he couldn’t do more for Warrior than he’d already done. 

“Say what?”

“The w-word you’re l-looking for...” Warrior answered with a small stutter. It relieved Wild and he huffed out a small laugh. “S’sleepwalking.” 

“Oh, guess you’re right.” Wild agreed, if only to keep him talking. It wasn’t surprising that Warrior’s mind might be a little muddled and confused. The younger teen frowned, determination flaring to life. He needed to get Warrior out of the cold and he would. If only they could find a cave...

Warrior’s eyes fluttered again, the struggle to keep them open evident for Wild to see. His lashes would stick together longer only to be forced apart seconds later. He was striving to stay awake for Wild’s sake. 

Wild exhaled deeply, a tendril of fear coiling loosely around his heart. 

“You’re alright, Warrior, you’re alright.” He whispered with conviction. Whether it was meant to comfort himself or Warrior, he wasn’t sure. Most likely both. He only wanted to find a cave and build a fire to help his companion. 

Thank Hylia Wild was adept to surviving. He’d had to learn early on what to do if he wanted to live. His world was certainly unrelenting and dangerous but beautiful nonetheless. 

His hand was squeezed suddenly and Wild perked his head up to find Warrior wearing a minuscule smile. 

“W-we’re gonna be fine, W-Wild,” The Knight assured him and Wild’s worry seemed to melt away at the trust and belief shining in those tired eyes, “We w-won’t be taken out by a l-little snow.” 

“A little snow?” Wild parroted with a minute grin. He cocked an eyebrow, “I’d hate to see what your version of ‘a lot of snow’ would be.” 

Perhaps this was why Warrior was Captain, Wild mused to himself. He remained calm and collected even during the worst of times. He was steadfast and immovable in his beliefs. Firm and resilient. Unafraid and courageous in the face of uncertainty and danger. 

The Captain always thought ahead and worked endlessly to ensure their inventory was stocked, weapons were polished and maintained, morale never sunk, and fussed over the well-being of his companions. It was slight, barely noticeable, but Wild saw it. He heard it in Warrior’s voice when he would say something along the lines of, “Take a moment to rest, Sky. Don’t need you collapsing on us now, do we?” Or-  “Settle down, Wild! You can’t go climbing every tree to fetch whatever fruit’s caught your eye! Not to mention your leg is broken and you aren’t doing yourself any favors with your constant moving! You are out of commission until Hyrule deems otherwise!” 

To which Warrior proceeded to quietly order Hyrule not to release his new patient until Wild was absolutely fine. 

Wild saw it in how Warrior took Wind under his wing and supervised the young Sailor with a keen eye. He never let Wind out of his sight and taught him all that he knew. 

He saw it in the way Warrior would stand alongside a silent Twilight come sundown, never uttering a single word and doing nothing- a feat one would consider impossible for the restless Knight. 

He saw it in the teasing and barbed jabs the Knight would fire at Legend, purposefully provoking him and keeping the snarky Hero fired up and fueled for another adventure. 

He saw it in the way Warrior would budget their expenses to include Four’s purchases of books to read when they would settle in for the night. Sometimes, when Four had nothing to occupy his mind, the Knight would lend Four some books he’d bought supposedly for himself (Wild knew they were personally purchased by Warrior for these specific occasions). 

He saw it when Warrior would surprise Sky with a new journal, claiming it’d caught his eye in the marketplace and reminded him of the soft-spoken, mild, Hero. 

He saw it in Warrior’s efforts to boost the timid Hyrule’s confidence. The extraordinary care he put in not embarrassing him in any way or putting him on the spot. 

He saw it in the way Warrior would stealthily hoard Time’s armor and weapons, studiously polishing them until they shone brighter than the sun. Every nook, cranny, and crevice was spotless, not one centimeter left untouched. When asked why Warrior would frequently undertake such a painstaking and time-consuming task, Warrior would scoff and lecture them on the importance of preventing rust and ensuring the durability and up-keeping of weapons. 

No one called him out on his bluff. Then again, Wild figured no one really knew the true motive behind Warrior’s actions and deeds. The why. 

Wild looked to his companion. The Knight deserved recognition for all he did. They were little things but they meant so much to the Heroes. 

The Hero subconsciously tightened his grip on Warrior. 

Perhaps he could return Warrior’s kindness. 

“Say, Warrior,” 

A quiet hum answered him.  

“Once we get out of here and you’re well again, how about a duel?” 

This caught Warrior’s attention. 

“Duel?” He echoed, interest piqued. There was even a flicker of excitement in his eyes. Wild nodded, 

“Why not? I’m curious about the techniques you know.” A thought struck Wild and he snapped his fingers, “Oh! How about a trade-off? I teach you some tricks I know and you teach me a few of your own?” 

Warrior mulled it over, his mind working sluggishly. 

“Deal.” 

The wind howled all around them, their hair lashing at their cheeks and eyes. Wild valiantly ignored it while Warrior barely acknowledged it. 

Wild’s gaze darting ahead in the hopes that a cave would magically appear before them, but when had Fate ever been so kind? 

Never. 

The longer they stayed out, the more danger Warrior was in. Yes, he was warmer now thanks to Wild’s clothes, but it was only a matter of time before he was freezing again. Not to mention he was already suffering a mild case and needed to be indoors out of the snowstorm. 

Stupid Hebra Mountains. 

And while he’s at it, curse Fate. 

“Wild..?” 

“Yeah?” The younger teen glanced at his friend, noting how drawn Warrior’s features had become. He pursed his lips tightly together, stubbornly squashing his rising concern. 

“Keep talking...Helps me focus...” 

So Wild did. He told Warrior about the trouble he would get into while on his adventure. How his wolf companion would more-often-than-not scold him in his own unique way when Wild would do something the animal deemed stupid. He shared some of the precious memories he reclaimed and spoke fondly of the Champions. He recited the legends and myths he’d learned and described a handful of people he’d met. 

“From what I can remember- oh look!” Relief coated Wild’s tone when he happened to glance up and see a dark crevice in the rock face across from them, “A cave!” 

He could have celebrated. 

Lugging most of Warrior’s weight, Wild dragged them both to the tiny cave they’d miraculously found. 

“We’re safe now, Warrior,” Wild found himself saying, excitement stirring as he helped Warrior down a ways away from the entrance. The Knight all but slumped against the wall, uncaring of the cold biting into his back, “I can start a fire and you will be warm in no time!” The cheer in his voice was genuine and pure.  Warrior found himself grinning upon catching it. 

He wearily watched Wild hastily drop his pack and when he blinked, found Wild dumping an armful of wood onto the cave floor. 

Warrior did a double-take. Where in Hylia’s name did he find wood? Or did it materialize out of thin air?

The younger Hero bustled about busily, setting to work on lighting a fire. It took him a couple of minutes, but he finally set off a spark and vigorously fanned it until it became a full-fledged flame. The small fire spread until it engulfed the wood whole and blazed to life.

The warmth from it caressed Warrior’s skin and his eyes slid shut in satisfaction. He could definitely say he was not a fan of the cold or snow. 

He listened to Wild moving and shifting things and only when he felt a heavy hand settle on his shoulder did he reopen his eyes. Without a word, Wild drew Warrior’s arm across his shoulders and lifted him from the ground to lead him to the makeshift bedding spread near the fire. 

Warrior blinked. When had Wild made that? 

“It isn’t much,” Wild began, apologetic, “But it should help.” 

Warrior slipped under the blankets and reveled in the warmth they emitted. He didn’t hesitate to slowly bury himself underneath them, the solid weight more than simply comforting to him. 

Goodness but moving drained him of his remaining energy. Still, Warrior sluggishly managed to tug a pile of blankets above his shoulders and turned to face the fire. 

Wild hovered nearby, making sure he was comfortable. 

“Get some sleep, Warrior. You’ll be better by tomorrow.” He promised. 

Warrior hummed, clumsily shaking an arm free and waving his hand in the air. Wild caught it in confusion. Warrior cracked an eye open, gave him a small smile, and squeezed his hand with a faint murmur of thanks. 

Wild returned the gesture with a smile of his own before urging the Knight to rest. 

Warrior’s consciousness declined quickly afterwards, exhaustion finally catching up with him. He barely felt his hand being tucked back under the blanket but he did register the solid weight against his back and the hand on his shoulder before allowing sleep to claim him. 

~~~~

A few hours passed and the storm outside was finally dying down. Wild remained watchful, regulating Warrior’s condition and periodically checking his temperature. The Knight was no longer shivering, something Wild counted as a blessing. His temperature was slowly climbing back to normal and Wild knew he could sleep now that Warrior was recovering from his bout of hypothermia. He couldn’t bring himself to, however. 

He feared that Warrior would worsen if he wasn’t keeping an eye on him. This, Wild knew, was irrational. He was clearly recovering, but it didn’t stop him from staying up and caring for the Knight. Until Warrior was one hundred percent back to full health would Wild allow himself to relax. 

He heaved a soundless sigh, drawing one knee to his chest and curling and arm around it. He rested his chin in his hand and peered out of the entrance of the cave. He hoped the others were safe and sound and that he and Warrior would reunite with them soon. 

He found he dearly missed their company. 

Wind’s enthusiastic ramblings, Sky’s carefree smile, Legend’s clever jabs, Hyrule’s quiet observations, Time’s stalwart presence, Twilight’s agreeable company, and Four’s musings. 

It was so silent without them. So dull and dreary. 

He looked forward to being with them again. To being a part of the colorful and individualistic group. 

His thoughts were cut short by the unusual sound of something snuffling nearby. His ears twitched when they detected something panting and Wild’s head snapped up. 

“Wolfie?!” 

There was a pause followed by a relieved bark. 

A dark form appeared in the entrance, blocking out the sunlight seeping in and Wild smiled widely upon recognizing Twilight in wolf form. 

Wolfie bounded inside, changing back into a familiar Ordonian once he came close enough. 

“Wild!” Twilight’s dark eyes shone considerably when they fell on him. His gaze shifted to where Warrior lay, still bundled up and barely visible. His relief vanished. “What happened?” 

He moved to stand by Wild’s right, crouching down and looking between the two. 

“Hypothermia,” Was all Wild gave. Twilight needed no further explanation. He could hear all Wild said packed within the single word. The Ordonian turned to Warrior with an echo of concern etched into his otherwise neutral features. 

“Is he alright?” 

Wild smothered a smile when Twilight immediately tugged his fur pelt from his shoulders and tucked it around Warrior’s shoulders. 

“He’s recovering,” Wild replied, shaking his head when Twilight began to fuss over Warrior’s well-being. His ancestor prodded at the fire, checked Warrior’s temperature, ensured he was comfortable, then moved to look Wild over. 

Wild resigned himself to his fate. He knew better than to protest. 

While Twilight wasn’t quite on par with Sky- Hylia knows the Skyloftian excelled in mothering them when they fell ill or were injured- he came close. 

“The others aren’t too far away,” Twilight absentmindedly told him, “We happened to be close to one another when we were transported. You and Warrior were the only two unaccounted for.” 

Huh. Interesting. 

“Warrior was caught in an avalanche. When I found him, he was halfway buried.” Wild shuddered at the memory. What would have happened if Warrior had been completely overtaken by the avalanche? Wild might never have known and walked away, condemning Warrior to suffocate to death. 

A gentle swat was delivered to Wild’s head and the Hero yelped in indignation and startlement. He rubbed the back of his head, directing a mild glare to an unrepentant Twilight. 

“Stop that line of thinking, Wild. You know it doesn’t help.” His predecessor lightly reproached. 

Wild heaved a sigh. 

“I know...but I can’t help but wonder at the possibilities.”

“I get it, I do,” Twilight murmured with understanding, eyes dim. He settled a hand on Wild’s shoulder, “But they didn’t happen and that’s what you need to focus on.” 

Wild frowned with a shake of his head, “I could have left him. Without knowing he was there, I could have gone about my way and we wouldn’t ever know what became of him. We would have been left to speculate, but we would never have known for sure what might have happened.”  

Silence fell as both heroes looked to the dozing Warrior. A reminder that he was physically there with them. 

“Without him...” Wild began softly, “It wouldn’t be the same. I...I don’t want to imagine what it would be like for Warrior not to be there.” Just the thought disturbed him. He knew first-hand how precious moments were. Time was fleeting and the future uncertain, something he’d learned early on and wrangled with constantly. Who knew what tomorrow could bring? 

That was why it was so important to cherish the time one was given and to treasure the little things. 

“Well, we won’t have to because he’s here and I reckon by the morrow, he’ll be up and at ‘em again.” 

Twilight’s confident words and reassurance settled Wild’s nerves and troubled mind. He believed Twilight and smiled, grateful to have been given the chance to meet him.  

“Who’ll what?” A groggy voice interrupted them. Wild whipped his head round to see Warrior rolling onto his back with a groan, eyes blearily blinking open to stare at him. “Why do I feel so awful?” 

“You’re awake!” Wild brightened, completely dismissing Warrior’s question. 

“Barely,” Warrior muttered, casting an arm over his eyes, “Where’re we? What happened?” 

Wild sat back on his heels, frowning deeply.  “What do you remember?” 

There was a brief quiet as Warrior wracked his mind for any recollection of what happened last. All he could conjure were blurred and muddled memories of stumbling through a snowstorm and something about an avalanche. He faintly recalled a voice talking to him, keeping him alert and a steady presence that never once left his side. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Twilight answered for Warrior when the silence prolonged, “What does is that he is awake and most likely needs to eat.” 

Warrior lifted his arm, peering at Twilight in confusion. 

“When did you get here?” 

Twilight flashed him a grin. One Wild recognized. It was sharp and mischievous and a little daunting to see. In any other circumstance, it would be terrifying, but Wild knew it for what it was. 

“I’ve been here.” 

“What?” Warrior’s brow furrowed and his eyes rolled up to the ceiling as he tried to remember whether or not Twilight had actually been with himself and Wild. “That can’t be right...” 

Wild rolled his eyes, casting a reproachful look at Twilight. 

“Make yourself useful and fetch the others, Twi,” Wild ordered, jabbing a finger towards the mouth of the cave. 

Twilight sputtered at the skillfully crafted jab inserted in his descendant’s words. He quickly recovered, narrowing his gaze on the snickering Wild. 

Huffing to himself, Twilight trudged out of the cave into the dawn and Wild set to work on putting together a wholesome meal for Warrior as the Knight drew himself into a sitting position and hassled him for answers on what had happened.  

When the others arrived, it was to find Warrior gratefully cradling a warm bowl of soup in his hands, a blanket loosely wrapped around his form as he listened attentively to Wild’s report on what had transpired the night before. 

With the Heroes gathered together and basking in one another’s presence, Wild decidedly felt whole again. He settled between Warrior and Twilight, listening to the quiet conversations and murmurings of his companions. 

Sky was sketching away in his journal, Legend was reclined against the cave wall simply listening, Four was sitting cross-legged beside a chattering Wind with a small smile, Hyrule was reorganizing his pack, and Time was subtly keeping his eye trained on Warrior. 

This was how the Heroes often spent their evenings. 

Wild didn’t think he’d ever felt more at home than he did now. Nudging Warrior’s side, Wild leaned close and whispered a reminder to him,   

“Don’t forget you promised me a duel.” 

The Knight grinned, flicking his spoon in Wild’s direction, “Now that I remember.” 

Wild laughed with another roll of his eyes, “Of course you do.” 

Wild was glad he’d been with Warrior when they were suddenly transported. He didn’t want to think of what might have happened. The what-ifs were banished from his mind, his sole focus being that Warrior was here in the flesh with no plans of leaving them soon. 

Wild would ensure he didn’t.  And when next Warrior took stock of inventory, he would find bottles upon bottles of cold-resistant potions. Wild figured it’d be fine. 

[avengersassemble-fics]

What Is It about You?

part 05/10 “coincidence”

masterlist

previous part

word count 2.8k

an: yea um..... this one is a tad shorter im sorry!! but we’re finally seeing a bit more interaction between kylo and reader so hopefully that's fine with y’all?? omg we’re getting to the goods AH

The silence that filled the room was both uncomfortable and welcomed. Uncomfortable because you sat on your bed and the Commander paced around the room, and welcomed because you didn’t know what to say. Neither did he apparently. You weren’t sure if the fact he had nothing to say worried you, or made you ecstatic that this really could just be nothing. But there he was, he paced back and forth in front of you with his hands behind his back and staring at the ground. He had put his shirt back on, thankfully, and marched around your quarters.

It was nothing. It was truly nothing.

Suddenly he stopped, and rushed to you, grasping your shoulders in his large hands, and shook you roughly, “For once can you just stop your incessant thinking!”

He released you but you gaped at him in shock. He began to pace the room once more, and ignored your stare. Your fist balled at your side as you now stared at the wall. Fury rose in you as he truly had made your blood boil. Of all the people in the galaxy you were stuck with, it just had to be him. The most incessant, irritating, self-centered, anger ridden man you had ever had the fucking luck of coming on contact with. If you could go back in time and refuse this assignment, you would.

You glanced his way when you had finally noticed he stopped his paces, and found him to be staring at you. You scoffed, and looked back to the wall.

“What now,” you mumbled.

“What are you doing,” he asked. You shrugged.

“What, like you can’t hear me,” the last two words came out in a mimicked voice. He rolled his eyes.

“I can’t actually,” he paused when you looked back at him, “you’re silent for once.”

“That’s too bad, I was hoping you could hear every name I was calling you,” you said in a sarcastic tone. He raised his hand like he was going to say something but balled it into a fist, he decided it wasn’t worth his time to argue with you. He grumbled and turned his back to you.

“I have heard stories, about something like this,” he started, and you shifted a bit to view his back in full, “but it’s never been seen, not for generations.”

“What is it?” You asked.

He turned to look at you, but shook his head, “It’s not possible. It can only occur between two Force-sensitive people, you? You’re just,” he paused and you crossed your arms over your chest.

“Just what,” you egged him on.

“No one. You are no one. You come from nothing, so you are nothing.” He said simply. He walked over to his robe and proceeded to put it on, also putting his lightsaber back onto his hip. He could feel your stare on his back, and heard you stand from your position.

“You may think I’m nothing,” you laughed a bit, and shook your head, “what about you? You hide behind that mask, that name, like it’s a shield. I can accept my past. . . But can you?”

It was relatively insightful, your words, and he had turned around to see you finish your sentence. He stood there for a moment, and you thought he would retaliate, but he didn’t. Instead he glanced you over and marched to the door. As it slid open he paused only for a moment, but slid his helmet on into place and left you alone.

The question you weren’t directly asking him did make his mind wonder as he headed for his personal quarters. His stomp made people turn to look but carry on as if they feared him. They probably did. And he relished in that fact. His mind had wandered before he found himself in his familiar space, and removed his helmet once more. His hair fell freely around his face and he gripped his helmet in one of his hands, and stared at it for a few moments.

It was intricate in design. He took great pride in his work. It was meant to be menacing, it wasn’t just a mask he hid behind. No no not at all. It was him. He was Kylo Ren. The strongest of the Knights of Ren. It was all him.

He had a special place for his helmet, and it went there perfectly displayed. He detached his robe and folded it neatly away, and his lightsaber went perfectly by his helmet. He removed both of his boots and sat in a chair, and grabbed hold of his datapad to scour through something. He needed to know.

He typed away as he worked to pull up a particular file. He had never looked into it, but the revelations today felt as if it was time. He easily pulled up your file and began to skim through it. Most of the information he knew, so it was a fast read. What was odd though, was this record was only four years old years old. The Academy they often recruited from was a six year program, and you stated you had been on Starkiller for two years. It even said it here. He set the datapad down on his leg as he processed that information.

Something was not adding up. With this and today’s events in his mind, he grumbled a bit to himself. The presence ehe felt inside your mind, he knew it far too well; he had felt it in his too many times. His master's involvement puzzled him, and he was sure he would be requesting his presence soon about his part in pushing him from your mind.

Whatever it was, it made him. . . Uneasy.

- - - - - - - - - -

You didn’t see the Commander after that for quite a few days. You were cleared to return to work, but not scheduled to return to Starkiller for another day. For now, you were assigned a desk job and the time was passing by slower than you had hoped for.

In all honesty, the lack of his presence around you, and in your mind, was troubling. Why? You didn’t really know why, but you seemed to be blocking your thoughts from him either way, so maybe this was for the better. Whatever this is, you want no part in it. You just want to return to your duties, and be done with everything on this Finalizer.

Your shift was finally coming to an end. You relished in the sudden freedom and was on your way to maybe get something to eat when suddenly you were pulled to the side into an empty room.

“What-” you were cut off by the sight of the Stormtrooper you were suddenly becoming friends with, you shook your head at him, “-what are you doing?”

“I don’t know,” he said honestly, he had his helmet on his hip, “I messed up, on Jakku, I disobeyed orders and they saw-”

“Who? Who saw? What are you talking about?” You asked between his rambles. He took a deep breath.

“Ren ordered us to fire on those villagers and I-I didn’t. I couldn’t. Phasma saw me. He saw me too.”

You looked at him with sincerity, because the fear in his eyes made something in you twitch. You knew what he was trying to say. You knew what may happen to him.

“Why are you telling me this, Finn?” You asked.

“The Resistance pilot, he’s here,” you blinked at him and he shifted, “I’m. . I’m going to help him escape.”

“You’re gonna do what,” you asked, and he tried to hush you, “that’s insane! If they get ahold of you-”

“They won’t,” he cut you off, “I just. . I know they won't.”

You stared at him as you let his revelations sink in, and then he grabbed your arm, “Come with me.”

“What?”

“The First Order, what they’re doing, what they’re planning--it isn’t right!” He said. You abruptly shook your head.

“No I-”

“What’s stopping you?” he asked suddenly. You stopped the shaking of your head to stare at him, and he continued, “I see how you’re treated. And they didn’t even care when you almost died.”

“I can never support the Resistance,” you quickly spat, and took your arm from his grasp, “what they stand for, what they came from. No. . Never.”

His eyes turned into soft glares, “For peace? Freedom?”

“The New Republic destroyed my home,” you said, “they took everything from me. My world, my people, my family,” you shook your head and saw his eyes begin to soften, “I can’t. I won’t.”

Silence fell between you two, and your friend grimaced at you, he looked to his helmet and said, “Are you going to stop me?”

It was a loaded question, and he looked back up to meet your eyes. You sighed a bit and closed your eyes for a moment to process it, before you met his eyes again.

“No.”

You didn’t know if your answer took him by surprise, but the moment the word settled into his mind he embraced you in a hug. You stood there for a moment as his arms were around you, before you carefully wrapped your around him, and patted his armour. He released you after a couple of seconds and nodded at you.

“If you change your mind. . .”

“Yeah, right,” you said knowingly. He slid his helmet back on and disappeared out the door, and with one final look at you he disappeared. You stepped out of the room as well and stood in the middle of people’s way for a moment as you began to process what just happened. It took you a couple of moments before you started back on the path you were on. Food. You would just get some food and ignore the fact you knew a stormtrooper was about to attempt to break out a resistance prisoner.

You made it to a mess hall and grabbed something you could easily carry back to your temporary quarters. Just to keep your pace, you could make it. Only a few minutes had passed, there was no need to panic. That would make you look guilty-

The ship shook and everyone around you stopped to balance themselves. The alarms started to sound and you sighed to yourself. Just one day. All you want is one day without anything extraordinary happening to you, or around you! Just back to the way things were a couple weeks ago!

People rushed around you and you were quick to head back to your quarters. If you could just get there and seemingly ignore the chaos around you then you would be a happy happy camper. The ship lurked again, the floor beneath you shook in a violent manner and you cursed the stormtrooper for his Resistance favoring consciousness. But if what he told you was right, maybe he could survive with them. He wouldn’t against Phasma. Or Ren for that matter.

You finally made it back and relaxed against the door. There were a few more shakes but the ship finally settled. You started to pace your room, and chomped away at the apple you had grabbed to quench your hunger. You grew on edge when you swore you could feel Ren’s presence near your door. The anxiety, the frustration, anger. . . It was him alright.

You moved to the door before it could be thrown open on its own and pushed the button for it to open freely. There he stood, in his dark robes and helmet, on the other side and stared at you. You bit into your apple as you met his stare before turning back around to pace in your quarters.

“How did you tell it was me-”

“Because you ooze self deprecation,” you cut him off. He came into your quarters, fist twisted.

“I’m not in the mood for your comments,” he said, and you turned back to face him.

“Then why are you here, Commander?” You asked.

“Because I know you came in contact with trooper FN-2187 before he broke the Resistance pilot from out capture,” he shouted, and you froze, “did you help him?”

“What? No! Of course not!”

He let out an unimpressed hm, and looked around your space. It wasn’t much to look at, but he did glance it over.

“So. . . That’s it? Are you going to dispose of me? Turn me over to Phasma?”

He looked back to you and stared at you silently for a few moments. You grew uncomfortable so took another bite of the apple in your hand, which finally made him shake his head.

“I deleted the footage,” he said. You suddenly inhaled, the piece of apple went down the wrong tube and you sputtered because of it. It definitely was not an answer you had expected. He watched you cough and pat your chest as you regain your composure, and he audibly sighed.

“You’re hopeless,” he mumbled, and ignored the glare you sent his way. You finally spoke, but the words were quiet as your chest recovered.

“You’re insufferable.”

“You’re running out of insults, I see,” he calmly said, walking over to a corner of the room, “tell me. What did FN-2187 want with you anyway?”

“What, like you don’t know?” You managed.

“You’ve been successful in blocking me from your mind these last few days,” he commented casually, his voice hidden beneath that stupid vocoder, “ease my apprehension in trusting you. What did he want.”

He stated it more than asked. You threw the apple core away and shook your head, “He wanted me to join him. I told him no.”

“Ah,” left his mouth, “tell me, why is that? Why do you detest the Resistance as much as I do?”

You crossed your arms over your chest, “What like you don’t know? You looked into my mind.”

He pondered for a moment. Ah, yes, that memory of the girl in the woods. You in the woods. The memory that didn’t add up the second time he saw it, “Your home. . . They’re responsible for its destruction?”

“The New Republic was,” you clarified, which made him nod, “what was lost falls all on their shoulders.”

Kylo let out a satisfied hm, and he paced closer to you, “Maybe you aren’t as much a lost cause as I first believed.”

You rolled your eyes and sighed, “What do you want, Ren?”

The casual use of his name, and the tone in your voice made him stop in his tracks. You looked. . . disheveled, tired of his presence, and he felt his fist tighten at his side. But you didn’t react, no you kept your hold on his eyes behind his helmet. He lightly rubbed his fingers together, and took another step forward.

“I can help you find the truth about it,” he whispered, “the people responsible for taking your family from you.”

That seemed to catch your attention. It was just the bait he needed you to nibble on. It wasn’t truly for you, no he needed to get to the bottom of this. Of you. Something felt wrong in the Force. But that flicker in your eyes, and the raise of your brow told him all he needed to know. You were intrigued by his words.

“Why do you suddenly want to help me?”

Your questions were insufferable, but it did make him search for an answer. One that would satisfy you. As the silence lingered you crossed your arms over your chest, and he finally erupted and said, “Because you interest me.”

Your expression turned from a glare to shock. You gaped at him once and then twice before you closed it and stared at him. He could make out your tongue running over your teeth as you pondered what he said. You sighed and shook your head, but your arms unfolded into a pat on your legs.

“Okay. Fine.” you finally said.

He nodded and moved past you to the door, and you turned to watch him leave, but he paused, and motioned to you, “We return to Starkiller in the morning. We can start there.”

You nodded, and then he was gone. You stood there for a moment before you glanced back around your quarters and closed your eyes briefly. Had that gone the way you expected? No. Definitely not. From him erasing the evidence not in your favour, to that last comment you were shocked and a bit mortified at the exchange.

You interested him. What does that even mean? As in you or because of this connection you two had? No. No, there was no connection. A coincidence. It was all just coincidental. These last few weeks that’s all it was going to be in your mind! Coincidences.

Kylo Ren was just a mere coincidence. His presence, his interests, everything would be just a coincidence. You would find out who was behind the death of your family, and finally you could move on from that hurt. Stop having that dream every night of losing them. You could find peace and not feel so small and belittled anymore. Kylo Ren would help you. That was it.

- - - - - - - - - -

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[fuwafuwamedb]

Kinktober - October 7 (Jekyll, Mordred, Hyde)

“So we tied and gagged him.” Mordred glanced over at Jekyll, crossing her arms. “What’s the plan now?”

Honestly?

He had no idea.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that they would successfully transfer his alternate and berserker side to his own physical body. For the first time in their entire lives, Hyde was not a part of him. He was his own human being with his own mind and his own- well, they didn’t know about a soul, but still.

Jekyll could feel his hands on his own waist, feeling his own shirt on his own person.

He could finally wear briefs.

The thought made him snort a little.

Of all the things to do when one was separted from their evil half, he would immediately think about having the safety and security of a pair of men’s briefs rather than the boxers that Hyde would, on occasion, decide to let him indulge in wearing.

It had nothing to do with anything right now though.

It was actually a bit perverse to be thinking about right now.

“Oi! Jekyll!”

Jekyll jumped a little, looking over to the blonde only to find his gaze returning to Hyde.

“What do you wanna do?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“What? So why did we go through all this trouble? You’ve been workin’ with Da Vinci for months on this kind of shit.”

“I know. I know. I just…”

He reached down, petting Mordred’s beast of a cat while she wound between his legs. “I’m going to um… Allow me a few moment with my thoughts. Do you mind-“

“Eh, whatever. I’ll watch ‘im. Just think of what we’re gonna do. He probably will need his own room if we’re going to register him as his own servant for Gudako.”

He processed a total of none of that information.

In fact, he was already moving out the door and heading towards his closet that he shared with Mordred instead.

His mind was on other things.

Exciting, one personality kind of things.

However, Mordred remained behind.

Mordred sighed at the man as he skipped off to do God only knew what. The excited little smile that had been adorning his face had been weird. Not in that it looked wrong or he wasn’t supposed to smile, but more in the fact that it just made her face feel a bit warm when she watched him.

There was a strange heart issue that she needed Bedivere to help her with that she got sometimes when looking at Jekyll.

I’ll talk to Nightingale about it later.

“He’s getting to leave,” Hyde warned, spitting the fabric out of his mouth.

“That’s because he doesn’t really kill people… outside of the master’s commands.” Mordred glanced over at him, propping her feet up on a nearby table and pulling out her sword for sharpening. “You, on the other hand, have a real problem with that.”

“And you have a thing for men in knots.”

Mordred paused, mid-swipe with her whetstone.

“You have me bound here, waiting for who knows what, but I noticed you brought me to your old room… away from everyone.”

“No one knows you exist separate from Jekyll.”

The man hummed, those eyes glinting.

“I don’t know what kind of shit you’re gettin’ at.”

“You have a fetish mind. You wanted me bound here. You like the feeling of standing over me like the king that you are.”

“I do- The hell you mean?!”

Hyde laughed, leaning forward in the seat. “Untie me.”

“You think I’m that stupid?”

“Come on, I’ve seen you at your worst. You could take me easily. No, I’m just saying that you don’t want to let me go.”

“And why’s that?”

“…Untie me.”

The demand was given in a weird low voice, his eyes gleaming oddly as he smiled at her.

On the one hand, he was right.

She could definitely take him if he was up to something. The sheer amount of strength that she had was far greater than Hyde. She also knew he had weak ankles, much like another servant she knew from training.

On the other hand, he had something in mind. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she didn’t trust it.

Then again…

“Fine.”

Mordred pulled the ties off, setting them aside and looking at him expectantly.

If he had something to say, like he’d insinuated, then he needed to go ahead and get on with it. What was he talking about? What had he been trying to-

His arms wrapped around her waist.

His lips, surprisingly, slammed against her own, bringing a strange feel to her being. Her legs were wobbling, losing their strength as though he were some succubus. She couldn’t fight it when he was doing magic shit to her. Her hands, grabbing at his chest, was failing to find purchase there.

Legs buckled, she found herself slumping against him before those lips were back.

More of her air was gone.

Her hands were tangling in his hair, yanking hard only to hear the moan escape his lips.

“My king,” the man breathed. “You wanted this, remember?”

She was sure she hadn’t.

She was sure…

His mouth moved to her neck, pressing to a place that made her body shiver.

“My great king, ruler of me,” he breathed, that voice by her ear. “There is no other I’d follow, no other I’d bother to kill for. I can feel your warmth against my leg. I missed this between us. That fool doctor kept taking you from me. You want to do filthy things, not lay in the same position day after day.”

What?

She closed her eyes a moment, attempting to gather up her senses.

Mordred, a voice something like Bedivere’s own echoed in her head, I swear, you and the other knights share a single mind sometimes, one that can think backwards at all.

Her eyes opened to the man moving up her body, his hands stroking at her mouth.

“I’ll pay reverence if you do the same.”

“Wh-what the hell’re you talkin’ about?”

The soft chuckle came from his lips, the man leaning in.

“You make me think there’s something better than life or death. I intend to drink you down to the last drop, but you’re going to do the same.”

Drink…

What the hell was he talking about?!

Something came to her mouth, stalling her thoughts. She could feel the fabric of his boxers against her chest, brushing against her chest and sending a thousand sparks through her body. She opened her mouth wider, gasping a moment before he pushed himself in deeper.

She gagged, watching those eyes flash.

“Take me in,” he breathed. “Please… You gorgeous king, you.”

Damn him.

The man was no better than Merlin, getting his way without having to really try.

Mordred closed her eyes, attempting what he asked.

The feel of his length was as big as it felt elsewhere, but her mouth wasn’t the same as down below. Her mouth pressed on him more, her throat itching and aching as she found him moving slowly in and out. Her teeth grazed against him, her eyes drifting to look up at him.

“Take more, my king,” the berserker pleaded, “There’s no other way but to drink it in. Come on. Yes! YES!”

She could feel her throat tighten as he went in further. She couldn’t keep this up. Even if his hands were petting her and her body was on fire. Even if all she could do was hold his hips and hold him close, trying to take more of him in.

“Mordred… Ah, my king,” the man’s hair was wilder than before, his eyes closing a moment before he cried her name out.

“…WHAT ON EARTH!”

Mordred squirmed, pushing at the berserker and flipping herself over.

Jekyll’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her further away and leaping at his other ego. Their fists rose to one another, leaving her to pant and taste the semi-sweet taste that had flooded her mouth.

That had been… different.

“C-call me king again.”

The two men paused, staring over at her.

“Let him go for a minute, Jekyll.”

She had to know what they’d just done… and what it meant. But before that-

“Call me king again, Berserker.”

[azwriting]

... Of More Woe (Forget Me Not, Kylo Ren x Reader) - Chapter Twelve

Hi everyone, here’s chapter twelve.... We are getting close to end and I hope you guys have been enjoying it so far. I only have three more chapters planned out, I don’t think im going to know what to do after that. Anyways please enjoy, feedback is always appreciated. Everyone’s comments always make my day! Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! Gif is not mine!

Summary: Ben and (Y/N) continue living in their little bubble until it’s popped by certain Resistance members.

Warnings: Language, A bit of NSFW, fluff, angst

Word Count: 7692

Kylo Ren stood attentively in the hanger of his Star Destroyer waiting. He wore his signature thick black robes and watched as the Stormtroopers maneuvered around their Supreme Leader in fear. It was times like these that he missed the security of his mask, he needed to get it fixed promptly. The groups of Stormtroopers began to make a clear path on the landing bay when two transporters and a black command shuttle descended into the Destroyer’s hangar. Kylo’s eyebrows furrowed, it was his command shuttle. He continued to scrutinize the ship as a displeasing voice spoke up behind him. 

“Ah, I see they have finally returned.” General Hux noted coming to stand beside him. Kylo stared at the man questioningly, who was returning in his shuttle? Before he could interrogate the redhead, the ramp door opened on his command shuttled with a hiss and steam pouring out. There was no movements for a moment, only Stormtroopers exiting from the other transports, until he saw the ends of pitch black robes exiting the shuttle. Then he saw the tips of two blazing red lightsabers. The mysterious figure came into full view with the Knights of Ren following closely behind. Kylo believed to be staring at a clone of himself, the mysterious figure adorned similar black robes, his gray and black mask, with a standard red lightsaber in each hand.

 “W-Who is that?” He questioned Hux, completely perplexed. 

“Don’t be foolish Supreme Leader, that is the Bride of Ren.” Kylo’s eyes fell back on the group thundering over to them, finding his theorized clone’s black robes to be framing a more feminine figure, and the mask to be smaller as well. The Bride of Ren? Was one of the Knights married? When had he granted a new member amongst the Knights? The woman stalked towards them, her gloved hands twirling the two sabers, before turning them off, and holstering them to her belt. The Knights of Ren moved past her and bowed before their Master, before leaving the hangar all together. 

The woman stepped forward after their departure, nodding silently to both General Hux and him. Up close Kylo could see the dirt and blood that stained her tight uniform and billowing cloak. “Lady Ren was your mission successful?” Hux questioned, his voice curt and straight to the point.

 “Yes General Hux, it was. The Resistance is no more.” The voice was deep, modified by the mask, but Kylo could still detect the humor and joy hidden in her tone.  “Although it would do you some good to remember,” She paused, a hint of anger evident in her words, as her hands came up to release the tight air locked gears of the mask. She pulled it off in one swift movement, “That I am your Empress.” 

The air was knocked straight out of Kylo’s lungs at the sight before him. The first thing he noticed was the red burned veins trailing up the left side of her cheek and through her one eye as if she had been struck by lightning. Then he saw the blazing red rimmed yellow eyes that were brought out even more by the black shadow coating her eyelids. The woman’s hair was loosely secured in a bun, small hairs falling out to frame her snarling face. Two red circles were painted on the center of her cheeks, with the same shade of red painting her upper lip and a stripe down the middle of her bottom lip, the indication of a Queen. Her black gloved hand shot out and Force choked Hux, “Bow before your Queen.” Her power forced him down to his knees, his eyes bugging in fear. “ Let’s hope for your sake, you don’t forget to show me some respect, next time.” Her hand released her Force induced death grip around Hux’s neck, the cowering man pleading for forgiveness. 

“I’m sorry Empress Ren, it will not happen again.” 

The yellow eyed woman nodded in agreeance, “Yes it won’t, now leave my husband and I.” The General shook as he stood, bowing messily before he rushed out of the hangar. 

Her wicked eyes turned to Kylo’s, a small evil smile worked its way onto her lips. “Hi.” She greeted shifting her mask into her other hand, before quickly leaning up to press a chaste kiss to his lips. Kylo was in shock, he did not move, nor did he kiss her back. The woman pulled away, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What’s wrong Kylo?” he grimaced at her voice, at her calling him his First Order name, and not his given name. The name she had spoken so many times in their childhood… 

“(Y-Y/N)?” His voice was thick in horror at the darkly consumed love of his life, standing before him. Her eyes seemed to glow a brighter yellow, the red seeping into the middle like fabric soaking up blood. Her concern slipped away as anger replaced it.  All evidence of the girl from his youth disappearing. 

“Don’t you ever utter that name again. You know that’s not my name anymore.” Her voice was menacing, her shoulder harshly plowing into him as she hurried out of the hangar, leaving Kylo in a state of terror. 

 Ben jolted up in bed, his chest heaving painfully. Sweat clung to his hair, face, and bare chest. He whipped to his side finding her peaceful sleeping form still lying beside him, the sun casting streaks of light onto her exposed skin. A shaking hand reached out to gently touch her arm, a relieved sigh escaping his lips. She was still there, not a factor of his imagination. What had he just seen? Vile rose in throat at the thought of her piercing yellow eyes and the raw fury that had consumed her soul. It could not have been a premonition, no he would not let it be. But the horrible thought surfaced in his mind, if he was seeing it did that mean it was already set to occur? 

No, he had dreamed of her death as a padawan and she did not die, it had only been a hologram to fool the galaxy, to fool him. Perhaps this possible outcome of the future had more to it… Ben shook away the thought, he did not want to think of that horrible nightmare again. Most importantly she could never know what he had seen. He stood from the bed and stumbled into the bathroom. He stood in front of the sink, looking into the mirror that displayed his sweaty and blotchy face. Tears were dried on his cheeks, sweat clinging to his hairline, and love bites were scattered across his skin. 

A soft smile worked its way onto his face as he recalled the night before with his love who slept just beyond the wall in front of him. “Breathe Ben, its okay. I love you.” Her words from the night before seemed to calm him down, remind him to be rational. He wanted to be with her forever, even longer if possible, but she could not go Dark, not for him. She was too pure. Splashing cold water onto his face, he willed away him dream, and the fear it instilled in him. Grabbing the small cotton towel to his right, he dried his face, catching sight of something in the background of the mirror, and an idea popped into his mind.

 A rough hand trailed up and down (Y/N)’s bareback, eliciting a small moan from her lips, as it woke her from her slumber. “Take a bath with me.” A raspy voice sounded from right by her ear, lips pressing feather light kisses to her surrounding skin. Eyes closed, she shifted onto her side and outstretched her arms searching for Ben. She was much too tired to walk anywhere. A small chuckle echoed through the room as she felt Ben’s arms pull the sheets off of her and lift her up out of the bed. In her right mind, perhaps she would have been timid about Ben carrying her naked body, but no she only clung to him tightly. He carried her with ease into the bathroom, only stopping before the bathtub. The steamy room smelled of sweet lilacs and roses. 

“I need you stand for a moment, Love.” (Y/N) nodded slowly and felt as she was lowered onto her feet inside the warm bath water. Her eyes finally opening to see the white, purple, and red petals and whole flowers floating along the surface of the water. Oh how she loved him… Ben’s hands stayed firmly wrapped around her waist as she heard him step in behind her. He sunk down into the water, pulling her to sit down between his outstretched legs. A moan slipped from (Y/N)’s lips as she submerged into the water that soothed her tired muscles. She leaned back against Ben’s chest, feeling his head duck down to place lazy kisses onto her warm wet exposed skin. Her dominant hand lifted from the water to the side of Ben’s face, gently running her fingers through his messy locks. 

 It was late, everyone asleep in their huts at the Jedi Temple, except for the two lovebirds. It was the night after their wedding and (Y/N) and Ben were crammed onto the small cot, their breathing ragged as they came down from their high. She was tucked loosely in his arms, her index finger drawing tiny stars on his chest. They were quiet, skin sticky with sweat, listening to the insects buzz outside, their minds still in a lovesick haze from their climaxes. “I love you my husband.” (Y/N) breathed out, still in awe over the word, in awe over the fact that he was forever hers. They were bonded together in every humanly way possible now. She wanted to thank the Stars for bringing her to him, her eternal love. They would love each other for the rest of their days and then into the Netherworld. She was content with that, with him forever by her side as it was meant to be.

 “I love you my wife.” Ben mumbled against her forehead, drinking in her presence. She would probably never get over hearing him call her that. They laid there for a while longer, sleep a distant thought with the electric current pulsating through their veins. Ben was a live wire, every touch he graced her with, only left her feeling warm and alive. She felt Ben’s hands start to dip down her body, teasingly grazing across her upper thighs, as he shifted down to press open mouth kisses to her lips. 

“Already?” (Y/N) giggled in disbelief over his sudden onset arousal. Ben hummed against her lips, pulling her into his intoxicating taste, his hand drifting closer and closer. 

He broke away suddenly with a wide mischievous grin on his face, “For you my wife, I could go all night.” Her eyes widened at his words, the idea floating through her murky mind. (Y/N) opened her mouth to make a snarky comment back, but was cut off by her trying to hold in a moan, Ben’s hand finally finding the place that awaited him ever so eagerly. 

 (Y/N) returned to the warm flowery smelling water and the kisses being pressed against her shoulder. “Hmm what did you see?” Ben hummed against her wet skin. 

She sighed, taking in the feeling of his mouth on hers, “I saw my plans for the next few days. What did you feel?” Ben dragged his bottom lip against her neck junction, his warm tongue swirling along with his kisses. Oh how she could just fuse into his soul entirely… 

“I felt happiness…” He placed a hot kiss to her neck. “Love…” Another kiss was placed higher up. “And Lust.” His hands tightened around her waist as he sucked lightly at her sweet spot just below her jaw. (Y/N) melted under his touch, her eyes closing in a haze, transfixed on solely him. She shifted in his grip, turning to see his handsome face. His eyes lifted to watch her diligently as she leaned forward to close the gap between them. They kissed each other gently, with passion flowing over each time. (Y/N) wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as the confines of the bathtub would allow. Ben’s large hands were tangled in her wet hair as their tongues lazily danced with each other. 

They kissed, and kissed, and kissed, until the water began to grow cold. Ben was the first to pull away, knowing (Y/N) would simply ignore it until she began to shake. “Let’s get cleaned up and go eat.” Ben moved to grab the bar of soap and fresh square cloth, lathering it, and immediately working the soap onto (Y/N)’s skin. She could not protest, only sink into his grip as he cleaned her.

 With a towel wrapped around her body, (Y/N) exited the bathroom with Ben following closely behind her. She flopped down onto the large messy bed, still holding her towel closed in her one hand. Her skin felt warm from the sun streaming in through the window and from Ben’s touches. Ben chuckled down at her, leaning over the bed to kiss her once again. A part of him, that was quite massive, wished to take her again. To hear her moans, her confessions of love, to feel her surrounding him so tightly. But he knew she needed to eat, to gain energy, and then he could bring her right back to bed. (Y/N) watched as he stood back to his towering height and walked over to the drawers and wardrobe pulling out clean clothing. All dark shades per usual. A soft blush dusted her cheeks as she took all of him while he dressed, paying no mind to her prying eyes. He was hers and she was his. There was simply no other way it was meant to be.

 “You get dressed and I’ll go start breakfast, okay?” She nodded quietly still lying on the bed. Ben gave her a smile, before he headed to the door, although he stopped in his tracks. Spinning on his heel, he flew back to her side laying a forceful kiss onto her lips. “You lying in this bed, barely covered, is not helping me keep rational thoughts.” He mumbled against her lips.

 (Y/N) only smiled and stroked his still wet hair, “No one asked for rationality.” 

Ben groaned, a hungry kiss following, “You’ll be the death of me.” With one more kiss, he pulled himself away and left for the kitchen. (Y/N) stayed cemented to the bed, basking in the sunlight, in a lovesick haze. She thought of Ben, of how connected she felt to him and to even herself. He of course was not the end all be all of her existence, there was more to her than just him, but there had been very little of (Y/N) (Y/L/N)’s life without Ben Solo. He was her sun. A selfish part of her thought of the two of them hiding away here for forever, letting everyone else rage on their war. In a fleeting moment the thought had passed, leaving her to feel guilty. They had a part in this war, a huge one, and it was time for it all to end. 

 A faint noise woke her from her thoughts. It was hard to describe; it sounded like a loud hum mixed with something else, something she could not place. (Y/N) rose from the bed, securing her towel under her one arm, heading towards where the noise came from. Across the room, the wardrobe seemed to shine in the daylight, beckoning her forward, the noise coming from inside as well. She opened both of the white doors, finding clothes to be neatly hung up and a black bag resting at the bottom. It was the black bag she had seen Ben pack inside his room on the Star Destroyer. Her hands were quick to pull it up, the noise vanishing as she did. The bag was empty beside for the cylinder shaped item still wrapped in torn brown fabric. 

Carefully she lifted the object, finding the grooves of the cylinder to feel familiar. Unwinding the brown fabric, (Y/N) let out a tiny gasp at what she found. It was a black and silver lightsaber, her lightsaber. The cloth dropped from her hand as she lifted her lightsaber up to examine it closely, finding black necklaces tightly intertwined around the base of the lightsaber. The sight elicited another sharp inhale from (Y/N) as she brought the items up to her chest, clutching them with a firm grip. 

 Exchanging her towel for clothes, she exited the bedroom and headed down the hallway towards the main area and kitchen. Ben was setting down two plates of food when she came out of the hallway, his eyes immediately traveling up to hers. She was silent as he glanced over her, his eyes sticking to her lightsaber she still held firmly. He sighed, “I should’ve figured it would call to you sooner or later.” (Y/N) looked down to the body of the saber once again, her thumb skimming across the metal pieces.

 “I forgot about it, forgot that I dropped it that night. You’ve kept it all this time?” Her head lifted to Ben again, his eyes watching her intently, a single nod coming from him as well.

 “It was all I had left of you, besi-” He cut himself off searching for the black necklaces that should have been tied around the body, only to find them gone. Worry filled his being, where were they? Before he could question if she had seen them, (Y/N) shifted her left hand that gripped the lightsaber, a silver band shining on her ring finger. The concern left Ben, instead filling with something else entirely. She had put her wedding ring back on… 

(Y/N) did not even realize he had noticed before his looming figure was in front of her, and lifting her into a heated kiss. She kissed him back eagerly, her hands grabbing a hold of his face, the cool silver ring such a striking contrast to their burning skin. “Where’s mine?” His question took her by surprise, her cheeks burning even more.

 “I um, I left in the bedroom. I didn’t think you’d want to wear it…” Her voice wavered, nervous and unsure of her answer, unsure of his question. Ben let out a low chuckle, nuzzling his nose against hers. “If you’re wearing yours, I’m wearing mine.”

 With that, he headed towards the room still holding her up and into him. Only once they were inside the room did he set her down, him grabbing the black necklace (Y/N) had carefully laid down on the dresser. His long fingers worked to untangle the silver band from the necklace and once he did, he wasted no time sliding it onto his ring finger. The sight was all consuming for (Y/N), they were Husband and Wife again, well they always had been but now they were acknowledging it. Finally wearing the rings they no longer needed to hide. “I’m surprised it still fits.” Ben laughed a real genuine laugh, his eyes lifting from his hand. His eyes enveloped her whole, she felt locked in place by his gaze, until he set her free with another breathtaking kiss. He could kiss her for eternity and she would never have enough, nowhere near it. Although for the time being, she could settle for these spontaneous bursts that came from him. 

“C’mon let’s go eat.”

 “Must we?” Ben groaned against her mouth. (Y/N) nodded, freeing herself from his grasp.

 “Yes, whatever you made smelled too good to go to waste.” She turned for the door, leaving a pouting Ben behind, although she did not get very far. In one swift movement she was tugged back and tossed lightly onto the bed. 

Ben hovered over her pressing sloppy kisses to her neck, “I can just make it again.” (Y/N) wanted to protest, but she could feel his hardening cock pressing into her open legs, the pleasure of the friction making her eyes flutter shut.

 “You make a compelling argument.” Her hands were tugging the ends of Ben’s hair, a moan slipping from his lips, as she lifted him into a messy kiss.

 After Ben had to make them a second breakfast, their first growing cold, soggy, and unsalvageable, the two were cleaning up the kitchen and plates. 

Drying the last dish, (Y/N) spoke up, “I have any idea.” Ben turned to look at her, his hair still messily sticking in different direction and his clothes wrinkled and ruffled up, she was positive she looked the same. 

“So do I” He said with a smug little smirk.

 She snorted lightly, “Easy Spaceboy, there will be time for that later. I was thinking maybe we could train…” 

His eyes widened at that, “What?” Was she suggesting for them to spare like they had done in their youth? He could not imagine igniting his saber anywhere near her, let alone fighting her. He could imagine the red casting an ill looking shadow onto her glowing skin. It only reminded him of his nightmare, of her two red lightsabers.

 “C’mon I haven’t in years, let’s see if I can still kick your ass!” Ben grimaced looking down at her, trying to fight his conflicting feelings. He needed to forget his dream, to forget that possible future, and maybe this could help. Seeing her with her purple lightsaber, all pure goodness radiating off of her.

 He offered her a hesitant smile, trying to downplay his thoughts, “With a remark like that I guess we’ll have to.”

 Lightsabers gripped in their hands, eyes watching each other like one of their prey, (Y/N) and Ben stood on the flat ground just beyond the lake. Their figures were rigid as they circled each other, studying their movements. He threw her a smirk, quirking an eyebrow, and (Y/N) ignited her saber for the first time in over a decade. The one side of her face was consumed by the vibrant purple light and Ben’s turned red from his crackling crossguard saber. She tried not to seem distraught by the difference, that his one blue saber, was now blackened and bleeding red. 

He seemed to sense her dejection, “Don’t worry I’ll go easy on you.” 

His attempt at a joke earned him a scoff, “Way to take the fun out of everything. Don’t worry though, I won’t on you.” She shot him a teasing grin, before she sprung off the balls of her feet, pouncing toward him like a fearless predator. Ben was quick on his feet too, his saber clashing against hers briefly as he moved to the side. They turned to face each other again, determination written in their eyes and smiles on their lips. It was just like old times… 

The two danced around the field: quick, precise, and strategic movements coming from both. Head to head, their lightsabers hit each other every minute, Ben’s strength and experience starting to give him the upper hand. As he swung his lightsaber forward, he carefully used the Force, sending (Y/N) down to the floor softly. She was quick to the floor, her grip still holding her saber tightly in her one hand, as Ben came to pin her down. Sweat clung to his forehead, seeping into his black hair, his breathing ragged as he taunted her. 

“I guess you can't still beat me.” A huff came from (Y/N) as she wiggled underneath him. She leaned up to graze her lips against his, distracting him long enough to bring her leg up. As a cover she teased his inner thigh before rapidly lifting it higher and kneeing him in the stomach. Ben let out a groan releasing his grip on her, allowing for (Y/N) to flip them around. With her lightsaber a few mere inches from his throat, she gave him a snarky smile, his surprised eyes narrowing at the sight. 

Grazing her lips against his once again she spoke up, “Guess again.” 

“That was a cheap mov-” (Y/N) cut him off, pressing a rough kiss to his mouth. Ben obliged happily, their lightsabers soon turned off and forgotten entirely.

“Ben!” (Y/N) cried out, nails digging into the skin between his shoulder blades. Her shouting only seemed to encourage him more, his thrusts moving quicker and sloppier. Both of them were moaning messes, chasing their climaxes for the second time that day. She had half a thought, in her clouded mind, that if they carried on at this rate they were bound to break the bed. Her legs were wrapped around his hips, each thrust hitting deeper and deeper. It was knocking the breath straight out of her lungs. “I-I’m going to-” Another loud moan poured from her lips as her orgasm washed over. Ben let out a series of incoherent words as her walls tightened around him, inducing his own. Breathlessly the two stared at each other, in a daze from their love filled highs. Slowly he slipped out from between her legs and fell to the side of the bed next to her. With what was left of her strength (Y/N) scooted into his waiting arms. They laid there motionless for awhile, allowing their breathing to come back down and their minds to stop floating up with the stars. Ben’s fingers lazily danced across her sweaty skin, his thumb faintly running over the curve of her breasts. 

“I shouldn’t be allowed to be this happy.” 

(Y/N) perked up at that, “What?”

 He let out a sigh still tracing odd shapes, “People like me aren’t supposed to have someone like you, I think fate was being harsh on you.” His words struck her by surprise, by his vulnerability and for how familiar his words sounded. “Simple, men like you don't care about people like me!” It was she had said to him in his room on the Star Destroyer, when he was simply Kylo Ren and she was (Y/N) Stryker. So much had changed since then, there were so many things she had not known. That she was a Force user descended from a well known Jedi Master, that General Organa had been her surrogate mother, that she had fallen in love with her son. Fate, Destiny, the Stars, the Force, and even the Maker seemed to have brought Ben and her together, there was no cruel hand by it. 

“Ben, stop. Fate was not being harsh on me, you’ve been the greatest gift of my life, despite it all.” His fingers stuttered in their movements, a heavy staggering sigh coming from his lips. She could feel his self hatred rise within, she could see it as plain as day written on his face. “I could never not love you.” She added, a silent tear rolling down his cheek in the process. He nodded, inhaling sharply as a few tears followed. He had been through so much over these years, over his whole life, and she simply wished she could have prevented all his pain. If only she had not been so naive and blind in their youth, perhaps she could have stopped the darkness from rising in him.

 “I-I’ve done so many bad things (Y/N), I don’t deserve anything of this.” She was unsure of how bloody his hands were, but working for the Resistance she had a pretty good idea. He did not say it, nor did he need to, but she could feel his regret, personal sorrow, and hatred. She was not sure what to say. Yes he had done atrocious things, she had to, but would he have survived if he had not? Would Snoke have spared him if he did not shed blood across the galaxy? She knew the answer and she knew he did too. He just needed to accept his past and learn to forgive himself, learn how to make amends for his mistakes. Instead of bringing death, he needed to bring life to the galaxy. Then he could return to the Light with her. He was already so close she could feel it. As long as she stayed by him he would turn. Pressing her hands against his wet cheeks, she consoled him.

 “Shush Ben, everything will be okay. I love you and you love me, that's all that matters.” He stayed silent as she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him. She could feel the tears splashing onto her shoulder as Ben sunk into her hold. Everything would be okay, it had to be.

 Almost two weeks had gone by, (Y/N) had been with Ben just shy of a month. The days seemed to blur together and speed past her. Their days continued on much like before: meals, activities, sunsets, but many hours, days, were spent in bed. Their hips rocking together roughly, his curls between her legs, their moans echoing throughout the house more than once a day. They were touch starved, spending every opportunity to be flushed together as one. A few sets of sheets had been ruined in the process. 

 The night of her 24th day with Ben, the two were lying in the plush green grass of the garden after a lovely dinner. Left hands clasped together and eyes to the sky, watching the twinkling stars. She was content like this, could see herself never having another worry besides how sore she was from constantly having him between her legs. But there were worse things to worry over… ignorance could only be blissful for so long. “Do you remember the ball on Chandrila?” 

Ben’s eyes shifted away from the sky to look down at her, hers doing the same. “Yes, why do you ask?” 

(Y/N) smiled softly, a glow to her skin. She felt so alive with him by her side everyday. “I was just thinking about how we danced all night.” Ben bit his bottom lip, the memory felt so far away his mind. 

“We did, didn’t we?” She nodded gently, her fingers dancing with his. She thought of their blue and purple bodies waltzing through the banquet hall, paying no mind to the rest of the people surrounding them. “I just remember how you stole my breath that night, one of the many times.” A large grin spread across her cheeks, eyes twinkling in love. 

“That was the first time I realized I wanted to be with you more than become a Jedi.” Ben tightened his grip on her hand, leaning over to press a chaste kiss to her cheek. 

They turned back to the stars, before Ben spoke up. “Becoming a Jedi was all my family ever wanted for me, to live up to that mighty Skywalker blood, and for awhile I wanted it too. But in retrospect, all I ever wanted was you, to have you by my side.” Her heart hammered in her chest, she was more important to him than his lineage. (Y/N) leaned over and slowly kissed him, her tongue swiping across his bottom lip. Ben let out a hum and held her head in his massive hands. They stayed like that for awhile, mouths never moving far from each other as they continued to consume each other’s essence. “Dance with me, my wife.” Her eyes gleamed at his words, she took such pleasure in hearing him say the words it was almost too much to bear. Without a moment more, the two stood and fell effortlessly into each other’s embrace. Tucking her head against his, they took small steps dancing slowly. They needed no music, just one another as they swayed in the night sky, ignorant to the rest of the Galaxy.  

        Ben watched as (Y/N) ran back inside, only for a moment, to grab a sweater. The night becoming a little more frigid and the wind picking up. He stood in the garden, awaiting her return, a hopeful smile on his face. It fell almost immediately when he felt something in the Force, a presence. His eyes scanned the open fields in search of the unwelcome guest, his conscience chastising him for not keeping his saber on hand. “You can come out, I know you’re there!” He called into the darkness. A dark haired man stepped out from beside the other corner of the house, blaster drawn and pointing at Ben. 

He recognized him almost immediately, “Ah, the best pilot in the Resistance. I should’ve known you’d come.” 

The man gritted his teeth, his grip tightening on the blaster, “Where is she?” His voice wobbled, as if in fear. Ben knew the man did not fear him, not one bit, not even after his painful interrogation when he had captured him on Jakku. No, the pilot feared for (Y/N), feared what a monster like him would’ve done to her. Ben could hear his thoughts, he knew his mother had told him part of their history, and yet the pilot still believed he would have harmed her. He elected to ignore his question, his eyes vaguely flickering over to the door of the house. 

“Where’s the Jedi and traitorous Stormtrooper you’re friends with?” Ben turned the nonexistent spotlight back on the pilot, his eyes widening at the question. 

The dark haired man’s thought betrayed him, they both were close by along with the Millennium Falcon, his father’s ship. “I said where is she?” The blaster shook for emphasis and Ben almost had the heart to laugh. 

“You’ll just have to shoot me.” 

The man across from him laughed, “That could be arranged.” Ben could sense him going for the trigger, his fingers itching at his sides in adrenaline, just waiting to stop it. The blue blast shot out from the blaster, stopping midway between the two men. Ben looked at the shot, exasperated. It was not him holding it in place… 

Two sets of eyes turned to find (Y/N) standing there, arm outstretched locking the blast in place. In her other hand, she held her lightsaber, her thoughts giving her away too. She had thought it was the First Order, not Resistance.

 “Poe?!” She called clearly in shock. The pilot, Poe, let out a relieved sigh at the sight and sound of her. 

“(Y/N), you’re okay?” The utter disbelief in his voice made Ben release a snarl. Poe walked carefully towards (Y/N), his blaster still raised at Ben. 

“Yes why wouldn’t I be?” She answered him confused, letting go of the blast that shot past Ben into the distance.  Poe gave her a look that seemed to silently ponder her sanity, but he dismissed it for the time being. 

“C’mon the ships just beyond that ridge, let’s get out of here.” His hand closed around her upper arm for a solid moment, before he was sent flying to the ground. 

Ben was quick to pull (Y/N) behind him, “Don’t touch her!” Poe was up on his feet in a matter of seconds, blaster pointing at them both. (Y/N) could sense his lack of understanding, until his eyes landed on her hand peeking out from behind Ben’s tall figure. More specifically, her left hand and the silver band wrapped around her ring finger. His silent questions seemed to be answered, his arm and blaster dropping down in shock. Ben let out a short huff of amusement, “Something the General forget to mention it seems.” (Y/N) gave him a sympathetic look, trying to convey how sorry she was for Ben throwing him, how sorry she was that he had found something completely different than he had expected. 

“Poe, give them some time.” A feminine voice called out from behind them. Rey stood attentively, Luke’s blue lightsaber fastened time her belt. Her eyes fell onto (Y/N) and Ben, a look of sadness swimming in them. She could feel Ben stiffen at her side as Poe stalked away towards Rey. The sight reminded her that there was a war raging on outside of this planet's atmosphere. A war Ben and her had a duty in. They could no longer hide in paradise. It was time to put an end to it. They had grown so close over the past few weeks, the Light practically surging out of him, now it was time to use their bond to save the Galaxy.

Once they were out of sight, (Y/N) turned to Ben with a hopeful, anxious smile. “Come with us! We can put an end to all of this Ben.” Her hand extended outwards to him, his eyes staring blankly at it. She could feel his conflict rising once again, the Dark and Light fighting for dominance. Hope filled her, yes he could break free of the Dark and become Ben Solo once again. 

“I-I can’t (Y/N). I don’t belong there.” Her hope faded, the Dark creeping into his soul, twisting its menacing hooks further into him. She could feel the anger working its way to the surface in her, as she tried to repress the sadness. 

“You don’t belong with the First Order either!” Her words seemed to float right past him, his expression showing no indication that he even heard her.

 He shook his head slightly, “We could change things, end this war and rule side by side. Make things in our vision.” Her stomach dropped, she knew what he was implying. It was the same thing he had asked of her eleven years ago, on this very planet. 

“I can’t.” She tried to swallow her tears, but they were swimming in her eyes already. Deep down she knew what was coming. 

“Yes you can, I’ve seen it! You ruling by my side as my powerful Empress.” Tears fell at his words, he had a premonition of her going dark? She staggered back needing to put some space between them both. Her parents death swirled in her thoughts, reminding her of the darkness she had felt as a child. Perhaps she had always been tempted by the Dark side and it was the path she was destined to follow. No! This was not her, it was only a possible outcome of the future not her destiny. 

“It won’t happen, I won’t act on it.” Her statement was strong, stronger than her will had been moments ago. Even if she chose not to turn, she could not follow him. Not to the First Order, the very thing she had spent over a decade fighting against. Ben let out a frustrated sigh, the Light beginning to vanish inside. “I-I thought you were coming back to me…” His hardened eyes looked up to her, his silence providing her the answer. She had presumed wrong. How could she have been so foolish? He was never going to come back to the Light again, that was why he fought it so much. “You deceived me…” 

He took a step closer, “I never lied to you.” She scoffed lightly, another realization surfacing in her mind.

 “Let me guess, your meditation time… you were really contacting the First Order?” He fell silent at that and more tears fell in response. 

Her Ben was truly gone then, she could not stay by his side, not like this. (Y/N)’s right hand enclosed around her left ring finger and ripped the silver band off roughly. A pain filled howl fell from Ben’s lips. “N-No, please not again. I can’t lose you again. Y-You’re my life.” Tears continued to slip down (Y/N)’s face, her head shaking in disagreement.

“No, we were hormonal teenagers blinded by the idea of first love, we are nothing more than that.” She was hurt, her heart shattering just as it had been mended. 

“NO!” He barked loudly, “You don’t believe that, you don’t feel that. We were destined.” With that she stepped closer, grabbing a hold of his dangling hand. “No we weren’t.” Numbly she placed the tiny silver band into his massive palm. She closed his fist around it and looked up to him through his tears. 

“Goodbye Kylo Ren.” His lips wobbled, tears cascading down his cheeks as (Y/N) turned away from him. Both of their hearts shattering into a million pieces as she left him. The skies began to cry as the two separated once again. Yes, they were destined, she had lied to him. Destined to love each other but never be within grasp.         

Crying silently to herself, she boarded the Falcon that was hidden just beyond the ridge. Rey, Poe, and Finn stood waiting at the top of the ramp, their eyes dropping at the sight of her. Rey stepped forward, her own sorrow clear as day on her face, she cared for him too. “He’s not coming.” (Y/N)’s voice was barely above a whisper, her body trembling. 

Poe put a gentle hand on her shoulder, “I’m sorry.” A part of her knew he was not all that sorry, why would anyone want Kylo Ren to join the Resistance? He only felt bad for her pain. She nodded numbly, Rey and her sharing sorrow filled looks. “Let’s go then.” 

The trio moved for the cockpit while (Y/N) shuffled to the main hold, she did not want to be around anyone. She did not want their sympathy, no she wanted Ben. Another sob escaped her blubbering lips, he had hurt her again, and this time she could not forget. No she would carry this pain until the end of time, just as he would stay in her heart. The Falcon began to lift off the ground, her hand shooting out to stabilize her on the round table, dropping her saber. 

A weird sensation overcame her at the exact moment, (Y/N) gasping at the feeling. She could feel more power surging through her from the Force, the power having a distinct energy to it. Him. They had connected through the Force somehow, their energy adjoining. She could feel his sadness, anger, and pain. And she knew he could feel hers. Her eyes fluttered shut trying to drown out his overpowering presence and Force. 

“We’re stuck!” Rey shouted, confused. The Falcon was stuck in midair, the thrusters not moving the ship at all. 

“What do you mean?” Poe stood behind the pilot’s chair, while Finn leaned over the co-pilot’s chair, where Chewie sat. Rey shook her head in confusion, she was not sure how it was possible but they could not move, they were locked in place. An intense shake began to rattle through the ship, jolting them around in the cockpit. A heart wrenching pain in her chest tore her attention away from the control panel, the girl immediately standing up. Outside of the cockpit windows, she could see the small house in the distance, and the dark figure that loomed outside its entrance in the pouring rain. She could feel his pain, his anger, and his sadness, but it felt intensified, like it was not just his.

 “It’s Kylo Ren, he’s holding us in place.” Finn exclaimed looking out the window as well. The exterior of the house seemed to be crumbling from an immense pressure, they could see chunks of it falling to the ground. 

Poe shifted over to see, a groan escaping his lips. “I don’t know why I assumed it would be so easy to rescue her, they’re so very obviously connected.” Rey’s eyes widened in realization, connected.

The scavenger was quick on her feet, pushing past the boys and heading for the main hold of the ship. Finn and Poe shouted after her, afraid of what she was doing, before they chased after her too. The three came staggering into the main hold, finding a shocking sight. (Y/N) stood in the center of the room, her arms outstretched and hands fisted, her eyes were closed as tears continued to fall. Boxes, supplies, and miscellaneous objects in the room were all floating around her. The Falcon continued to shake as (Y/N)’s fists clenched tighter and Rey could feel her pain too. It mixed so well with Kylo’s she had not realized what was happening. They were connected through the Force, their combined power destroying the small house and holding the trembling Falcon in place. 

“What do we do?” Poe shouted over the creaking metal of the ship. Rey was unsure, she needed to do something or else they would destroy the Falcon. 

“I don’t - I don’t know!” The sacred Jedi texts had not disclosed anything about bonds like this, at the very least she had not read that part yet. Her concerning thoughts were silenced as a blast seemed to project out from (Y/N)’s center, knocking the three down to the floor of the ship. At that moment the Falcon began to stop shaking and stuttered out of it’s locked place. “Punch it Chewie!” Rey shouted, still lying on the floor in a tangled heap with the two very confused boys. The Falcon quickly flew off into the sky, heading for space. (Y/N)’s bright (Y/E/C) eyes shot open, glistening with tears, as she dropped to her knees. The objects floating around the room dropping with her. Rey could feel the connection was gone and so was the Force from (Y/N)’s soul.

The connection was gone and all (Y/N) felt was pain. She sobbed heavily into her hands as she sunk further into the floor, unaware of the watching eyes. No all she could see was the sweet brown eyes she had loved. She could bear to feel his pain, hers was enough, so without so much of a second thought she closed herself off from the Force. No Force, no each other. A vicious cycle they seemed to be repeating. 

Taglist:

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[houserosaire]

The Capture of the White Rook

           Honore didn't come in for tea. Silvaineaux spared the flurries of snow starting outside the windows a glance, and wondered for just a moment whether his brother was off running up a tab in one of the bookstores in the Jeweled Crozier.  Shrugging, he scooped up his own cup and a tea cake and took it back to the fireside with him. There was no use sitting formally at a table when no one else was home.

           Silvaineaux sipped his tea the way he had spent so many hours lately, staring at the chessboard on the low table in front of him. The 'game' in progress was certainly not of the orthodox sort. For while the full ranks of black were arrayed upon the checkered board, the white fielded but three pieces and none of them were kings. A small number of pieces in a third color were also marshaled on the board, fine carved reddish cherrywood: King, Queen, Knight and an assortment of pawns.

           He shifted a piece occasionally as he sipped, nibbling the accompany teacake with an absence of mind that was a disservice to the care that had been put into its baking. There had to be a way to win, but short of Lord Mieux hopping onto the board and scattering the red and black he couldn't see it yet.  The thought of the cat drew his eyes from the board to the clock. Nearly an hour had fled while he puzzled over it. Lord Mieux was as absent as his brother, and likely in the same place.

           What if he moved the white rook thus? He had just caught the fine carved piece up between his fingers when the door from below stairs burst open and Basile from the stables stumbled into the room, shedding flakes of snow as he came. "My Lord!"

           Silvaineaux's fingers curled around the rook, closing the ivory piece into his palm as he took in Basile's wide eyes and panting breaths. He rose immediately to his feet. "What is it?"

           "It's Troubadour, my Lord. He's come home without a rider."

           His fingers tightened around the chess piece until it's fine carved edges dug into his palm and he could feel the shape of it, the tower's crenellations, the top of the bow and nocked arrow of the tiny archer atop it. "Is he injured?"            "Not that I saw, Baron, but I thought I had better come straight in. I haven't given him a thorough going over."

           "Quite right." He said, aware that his voice sounded crisp and calm, even if he felt as though a lance had struck him full in the chest and stolen all his breath. "I'll go down with you."

           Basile nodded, turning to rush out the way he'd come, not troubling to see if he would follow.

           No, not Honore. Please Fury, not Honore. He thought as he loped down the back stairs two at a time and followed Basile though the side door and into the stable yard.

           He could hear Troubadour even before he saw him, the bird's constant chirping and trilling sounding higher pitched than usual in his distress. Silvaineaux forced himself to walk calmly up to take the reins from Pharamond, rather than rushing the chocobo. "Hello there, Troubadour." He said with a gentle calm he did not feel, and only then realized he still carried the white rook. Tucking it carefully into his pocket, he reached up to stroke the bird's neck, smoothing the ruffled feathers under his hand. "What has happened? Where's your rider?" Where's my brother? Oh Fury, where is my brother?

           Troubadour chirped and trilled in answer, the sounds holding all the cadence of the speech he attempted and none of the sense.

           "Are you hurt?" Silvaineaux asked, his hand moving steadily over the ruffled feathers on the chocobo's chest as he looked to the grooms for answer.

           "I don't see any injuries, my lord." Pharamond answered. "He's hale and hearty, but upset. Something's frightened 'im I'd think."

           Silvaineaux stilled his fingers against the bird's chest, feeling the thrum of the great heart beneath, racing the same way his own suddenly was. "Do either of you know where Honore had gone?" He asked as he offered the reins to Basile again. Calm, he had to stay calm even if he was far too sickeningly reminded of Seraphin, the guards' birds that had come home alone.

           Basile shook his head. "I'm sorry, my lord, I don't. I was over with the hatchlings."

           Pharamond frowned. "'e said..." He stroked at the bird's chest too, trying to calm the continual stream of noise that almost drowned out all their voices. "Something about a Pris Arc or something? I think. Is that a name?"

           "Priarch." Silvaineaux corrected absently, running his hand over the stirrups and the seat of the saddle, as though the leather could speak to him, tell him something useful. But there was no sign to be had there either. One of the wicker baskets affixed to the back of the saddle quivered at his approach, though, a low and plaintive yowl rising to greet him, followed by the scratching of frantic and angry claws.

           He worked the latch of the basket, hastily then reached in to lift the angry cat within into his arms. Lord Mieux hissed and spit, claws drawing blood before he relaxed and stilled. Silvaineaux closed the trembling beast gently into the circle of his arms, petting his ears automatically as he tried to think past the panic tightening his chest. "Put Troubadour away. Saddle Joyeux, roust Sers Olivier and Telesphore, tell them to make ready to ride out with me."

           His feet carried him back inside through force of habit, and he deposited Lord Mieux gently on the couch. His eyes strayed briefly over the chessboard as he did, the two remaining white pieces. He paused just long enough to fish the rook from his pocket and set it down beside the board, among the other captured pieces. "Fury help me."

[bladekindeyewear]

HS^2 bloggin’ upd8 2020-01-17

Alright, morningblogging yesterday’s 2020-01-17 upd8 to Homestuck^2 let’s go!  Spoiler-free again.  I kinda don’t want even the next chapter names image-spoiled above the cut anymore so I’m going to have to figure out WHAT to put above the cut in these liveblog posts for visual reinforcement... a unique silly icon?  Going back once I’m done with the upd8 and posting something non-spoilery but weird-looking out of context?

Eh, can’t be assed.  Just know that after this I’m going to pony up for the Patreon commentary and skim it for anything plot-useful to y’all (in a separate post).  Let’s get started.

Okay, what’s next:  Any bonuses?  Oh, none!  Phew.  Unless those are coming faster too and just staggered differently, which would mean I gotta overcome my irrational pre-Homestuck-reading anxiety even MORE often.  :T

No Homestuck you don’t GET to ask how my-- ah, right.  :P

(FYI, HS^2 has been good to my emotions so far, quite a balm for the epilogues, so once I START reading I’m usually fine; but after being hurt so badly how could I possibly convince my lizard brain to trust it until it’s right in front of me?  Seriously, just hearing that the upd8 has landed messes me up a bit until I come fix it by reading w/ y’all here.)

Okay, so whose feelings?  As much as I’ve been waiting for Jade, I hope this isn’t about Jade.

> ==>

Ah fuck, we’re finally with the Pursuit Crew.  Bracing myself.  That means we get to see probably sleeping Jade ( :C ), full-swing DaveKat (approving nod), the first canon onscreen look at masculine-mode Roxy (<3), a probably pretty pissed off Kanaya (possibly either the feelings target, the one Saying How Are Your Feelings, or both), and uh... did they drag Callie along?  Or leave her back there with her meta freakout?  Probably left her back there, but... hm.

Let me turn up the brightness on this screen to sear these next pages into my retinas.  (Also, it feels odd to still be using a four-person “==>” for these, although if Jade is still asleep the numbers might fit on both ends... :c )

> ==>

I don’t think Dad is in the spacefaring business, so this is probably one of Jake’s shittier spaceship designs.

> ==>

...well that’s a touch disturbing.  Is that a Jade-occupied bed or are those just pillows?

Oh what the fresh fanfic’y heck is this command.

> i enter.

Okay that’s great.  I got a kick out of that.

JADE [in calliope red]: the prince’s power grows.

--but that’s not.  That explains the narrative command text, it’s alt!callie talking through a still conked-out Jade.  Please let her wake up between speak-throughs, please tell me you’ve learned that trick??  I already know you’re gonna pull an “oh she was asleep pretty much all of those THREE YEARS OF TRAVEL” thing on me and that’s hard fucking enough to deal with.

KARKAT: JESUS CHRIST!

He’s actually using the full curse correctly, huh?

...These commands.  Guess part of the puzzle is how much alt!Callie is being typically morbid and how much she might actually be wising up enough to get a kick out of this.

> the knight of blood falls.

DAVE: dude can you chill for like even a single fucking second DAVE: also are you ok

Has CallieJade chilled for even a single second this entire trip??  Is he asking just if Karkat’s okay or Jade too???

--yeah I’m overblowing things out of nervousness.  Just wait and see a bit, boots.

Alt!Callie has at least learned to be more of a smartass:

> karkat is characteristically appreciative of the alarm call.

Shirt trade Karkat, nice.  And uh, Jade’s dress sure is a... dress.  Hm.

(Did alt!Callie alchemize adjustments to did she just luck out to have a red-symbol’d Bec belt and accent leggings?  I’d prefer the former, because as much as it would be acceptable within Homestuck proper, using the transition between the epilogues and this new-author’d work to just HAPPEN to give her a fitting outfit without an excuse via providence is kind of lazy.)

KARKAT: OH, PARDON THE FUCK OUT OF ME FOR OVERREACTING A LITTLE WHEN MY GOOD FRIEND "POSSESSED JADE" BUSTS INTO MY RESPITEBLOCK AT 5 AM! KARKAT: NEXT TIME I’LL JUST PULL THE COVERS BACK AND LET HER CLIMB IN! JADE: i am uninterested in that scenario. KARKAT: GREAT! POSSESSED JADE ISN’T EVEN HORNY! HOW FUCKED UP IS THAT?

...please let that mean he’s not used to her being possessed all the time and she wakes up sometimes.  PLEASE.

DAVE: but im pretty sure i locked that door JADE: i unlocked it with my mind. DAVE: fuck KARKAT: FANTASTIC. JADE: the prince’s powers are growing, but so are mine.

Dave, I’m pretty sure regular-ass no-Green-Sun Space powers can flip a few lock tumblers too.  (--though, I guess from context this was a Jakeship technolock.  Confirmation on the ship’s bad taste in design.  --I think I’m foggily remembering it said in the Epilogues that they took one of Jake’s ships just like Dirk did, too... man, being depressed so much by the Epilogues sure took a lot out of my ability to recall them decently.)

KARKAT: LIKE YOU DON’T FLOAT AROUND LIKE A CREEPY PIECE OF SHIT ALL DAY AS IT IS?

God DAMN IT she’s been asleep and possessed the whole fucking time.

> sleep is abandoned, coffee sought.

More obligatory DaveKat being cute, somehow only emphasized by the embarrassing glowing-with-power observer who doesn’t really get any of it.

Ah, here we go:

> the rogue is also awake.

Oh huh.  Cool!

Hero outfit, understated...  her his choice of heart-shades color-coded to stand out from Dave more to avoid further mistaken identity cases.  Works well!  (Holy shit I only JUST remembered at the end to go back and correctly gender Roxy as him, that was close. I blame the epilogues for a lack of visual reinforcement; I shouldn’t have as much trouble soon enough.  Seriously, I don’t remember ANYTHING without visual reinforcement, I think that’s why I remember so much of Homestuck proper so clearly.)

KARKAT: OH SHIT, THERE SHE IS! I DIDN’T EVEN HEAR HER FOLLOW US! ROXY: sometimes a girls just got to get her drift on i guess ROXY: it be like that

ilu roxy.

I missed Roxy so much, you guys.  I need more of him remarking on all this crazy shit if I’m gonna stay sane though all this.  (And I need more of him and AWAKE JADE kicking ass independently or together if I’m going to continue to believe there’s justice in the world.)

> ==>

We rarely saw Rose drinking anything but the rare coffee in canon, but I think Kanaya would have gotten her plenty into tea, yes.  Or at the very least, wanting the aesthetic of drinking tea with Kanaya would have gotten Rose into tea even if it never crossed Kanaya’s mind to try the stuff.

ROXY: well i mean who knows what she drinks now ROXY: dirk probs tossed the coffee machine out the space window right away ROXY: dude doesnt "believe" in "substances" > the prince is contemplated for a moment in silence.

FUCK, Dirk can see the narrative all the way out here???  No wonder alt!Callie’s forced to have possession turned on 24/7.  That’s fucking disappointing.  How the hell are we going to get any proper Jade time with THAT hanging over our heads?  She’d only be able to do anything when Dirk’s knocked out, and maybe not even THEN!

I was virtually promised more of actual non-asleep Jade getting shit done in HS^2.  Now there’s an even longer wait on it than I expected.  This sucks.

(EDIT: BOY did I misread that link line. Thinking “is contemplated” meant is sitting contemplating, when it meant "is being contemplated by everyone here". That was dumb of me.)

*clicks that next link*

Oh my goodness, Roxy joined the Bird Hair Crew.  It makes him look like a fucking asshole but I kind of love it.

KARKAT: IS THERE MILK?

I can’t believe Karkat is okay with drinking milk.  --yes, culturally Trolls are more comfortable with animal excretions than we are, but you would’ve thought years of railing against Equius would have purged any tolerance the idea of milk from his psyche.

I guess Dave introduced him to cereal, and it was all over from there.

DAVE: this is more like a castle DAVE: a castle of idk DAVE: twenty something ennui

Sounds like a relatable mood.  Especially considering Dirk probably decided to conquer reality out of almost nothing but twenty-something ennui.

Alright.  You aren’t going to turn Kanaya into an alcoholic or anything on us are you?

> the knight of time seeks a sylph...

--this is the shittiest shipboard starship aesthetic.

> ...and finds her, momentarily.

WOW that looks fucking depressed.  :(

> ==>

...okay you know what?  Never mind.  That outfit has wrapped straight back around into Trying Too Hard and is now hilarious.

DAVE: you ever feel like our whole lives are eventually gonna end up like this DAVE: just blasting through space on a sweeps long journey to ""somewhere"" chasing after or running from some vague enemy thats sometimes a god modded pet dog and sometimes your dad DAVE: without the faintest fucking idea of whats going to happen when we get there DAVE: thats a little specific but you know what i mean

Why do you think the epilogues upset us so much?  We thought we’d won free of that bullshit.

> ==>

Oh jesus christ that’s the most depressingly sad I’ve ever seen Kanaya drawn.  :C

--Karkat got you to watch Serendipity?  That’s amazing, Dave.

KANAYA: You Arent Reminding Me Of Her As I Rarely Think Of Anything Else KANAYA: I Close My Eyes And I See Her KANAYA: I Keep Them Open And I See Her

Fuck.

Y’know how little showing these two in love and actually HAPPY together we’ve seen in this entire comic and its subworks?  Despite them having spent at least a few happy years together we only saw in tiny screenclips?  And how Candy alluded super hard that they most likely couldn’t get that in this real timeline where shit’s going down?

Seriously, FUCK.  You could at least pretend to give us some hope, here.

Oh no, don’t ask for the nursery story, Dave.  Unless it turns out to be a funny one or a Rose twist on an old story or something.  Which it probably is, I should stop worrying.

> ==>

KANAYA: Oh Its A Wriggler Story About A Young Prince And The Beloved Flower He Loved And Lost DAVE: flower DAVE: like a plant KANAYA: Its A Fairytale Dave DAVE: right KANAYA: A Singular Wild Rose He Failed To Cherish When He Had Her KANAYA: And His Journey Of Discovering What She Meant To Him All Along KANAYA: Culminating In A New Quest To Find Her And Win Her Back

Dirk you PIECE OF SHIT did you rewrite the narrative of the fucking STORIES SHE TOLD CHILDREN?!??  Does the fact that alt!Callie is only in the present mean he can rewrite ANY past event we didn’t literally SEE???  FUCK you.  Seriously fuck all of this.

Please tell me she was kidding just then, or realizes there’s fucking something wrong with what she’s saying and getting angry or.

(EDIT: shoutyourporpoise replied: "Hey, idk If you picked up on this, but the 'nursery story' Rose told to the wigglers is just The Little Prince, which is maybe a BIT early for them to read, but I don't think that's a case of Dirk changing the narrative; its just Rose being Too Adult as usual." Oh, damn, I didn't even CATCH that it was that story. That makes all of this a lot more forgivable, even if pretty unforgivably leaning into the fiction that Dirk used to brainwash and kidnap her. Maybe that's exactly why it worked -- fiction, a story so blazed into the public consciousness? Hm. Thanks, shoutyourporpoise.)

KANAYA: But In A Way I Feel As If It Is the Greater Universe Trying To Tell Me Something

Mother fuck I’m even going to have to see our protagonists warped by Dirk when they’re ostensibly FULLY SHIELDED aren’t I.  There’s only so much of that I would be able to take, you know.

KANAYA: It May Simply Stem From My Longing To See Her Again And How Much Is Indicative Of Something More Sinister KANAYA: She Is A Goddess Of Light And The Only Of Her Kind We Know Is Alive After All KANAYA: Maybe Shes Wrested Dominion Of The Entire Concept In All Its Appearances Within This Frame Of Reference

Hm.  Well, it being a product of Rose’s ascension instead of Dirk’s is possibly a more charitable take, with Ultimate Rose projecting the delusion enforced on her backward, visible to past Rose’s Sight when she isn’t paying attention and thus paving the way for Dirk to paradoxically exploit that “ideal” as something Lighty and Important and “Perfect”.  I still don’t fucking like it though.

> ==>

DAVE: sorry i know you say you got your badass monster powers but kanaya you look tired as hell DAVE: not that im tryna psyche you or whatever but youre waxing poetic in the dark which i guess is maybe on brand but still

Yyyep.

DAVE: unless terezi is lurking in the vents somewhere and now that i bring that up its actually not out of the question so im kind of gonna be thinking about that one for a while

Pffff.

DAVE: youre the only person i know whos still basically the same as when i met you

--Which is kind of going to have to change, right?  She’s got some other cosmic purpose ready to change her a little more than she changed pre-human-troll-meetup, you’d think.

> ==>

Cute as hell.

> ==>

KANAYA: How Are Your Feelings

There’s the title drop.  I’d think Dave’s doing pretty well, considering?  Still fucked over by Dirk betraying and tricking Rose away who he’s been close with all his life, but.

> ==>

DAVE: except sometimes your best friend disappears and your other best friend goes into a ghost coma and your third best friend fucks off to space with your dad DAVE: the dude youve spent the last 7 years convincing yourself isnt an egomaniacal anime villain DAVE: and who isnt actually lying in wait to completely decimate your life and your emotions and shit

Ah... yeah.  A little worse than my casual list, huh?  Forgot that Jade vanishing into a possession-coma for THREE FUCKING YEARS is going to be hard on people inside the comic too, fuck.

DAVE: maybe it was naive to think that a bunch of twenty something trauma victims could run a society

I was honestly surprised they TRIED to run society at all.  Jasp even just highlighted a big reason why not in the bonuses.

DAVE: cool how earth c existed for centuries then we show up and manage to ruin society in seven fucking years

:(

Well, the trolls got THEIR lesson on why they didn’t deserve to rule over their new universe like gods; I guess some of y’all needed that lesson too?

DAVE: every serious conversation i have inevitably falls apart into riffing on a casual acquaintances ass

True.

Dammit, Dave didn’t feel like he could just be Some Guy even on Earth C.  :(

> ==>

...don’t think I’ve forgotten that nursery story, though.  I don’t want to think that it was something that ACTUALLY past happened, especially not without manipulation.  Like maybe past Rose was foreseeing the false purpose that Dirk wrote for her or the like, a cooperative misunderstanding between the two instead of Dirk or Rose literally reaching back in time.

> meanwhile...

KARKAT: WAIT, WHY THE FUCK AM I EVEN ASKING? HE’S OBVIOUSLY NOT FINE. KARKAT: ARE ANY OF US? ARE YOU? ROXY: not rly KARKAT: EXACTLY.

:(

--Oh right.  I remember that Callie and Roxy were going reasonably steady in Meat even though it was only alluded to, she didn’t freak out and stay awol or what have you.  That’s good to remember.  But it means Roxy deliberately left her behind to go on this dangerous quest, for years.  :C

KARKAT: KANAYA BARELY EVEN TALKS, CALLIOPE WON’T LEAVE THEIR CABIN, JADE JUST FLOATS AROUND LIKE A CREEPY BALLOON THAT’S MOSTLY MADE OF HAIR.

Oh, SHIT.  I should have read one line further.  They DID bring her.  Alt!Callie being here too must really FUCK with her.  ...maybe she can actually learn to accept that alternate way her life might’ve played out, though?

KARKAT: THE REALLY FUCKED UP THING IS I MIGHT BE THE MOST OKAY OUT OF ALL OF US, WHICH IS HOW YOU KNOW SHIT HAS REALLY GONE GLOBES UP.

Quite true.

ROXY: ur kinda an intense dude anybody ever tell u that KARKAT: NO.

Pff.

> ==>

KARKAT: AGAINST PRETTY MUCH ALL ODDS, AND DESPITE ME NOT DESERVING ANY OF IT, I ENDED UP GETTING PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING I WANTED. KARKAT: OVER AND OVER AGAIN. KARKAT: SOMETIMES IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE WHATEVER SLATHERING MONSTROSITY OF A COSMIC HELLBEAST THAT PUT ALL THIS SHIT INTO MOTION...ACTUALLY LIKES ME?

Well, if you want to blame Lord English for instance... we never saw Caliborn and Karkat interact much, but the parallels between the two were drawn so severely that Caliborn was basically the idealized, multiverse-threatening Ultimate Kismesis that he’d always dreamed of.  And operated against him without him even ever quite realizing it.

If a level of “respect” went from Caliborn to Karkat, too, from his Lord-Englishy vision nigh-omnipresent, then this outcome isn’t very surprising at all.

> ==>

(I don’t quite feel I get why Roxy shifted to this exasperated-Dave expression, but I get logically that he’d been waiting for Karkat to make a breakfast choice... Homestuck proper rarely pulled a “last line said corresponds to next-panel’s expression” without either leaving the conversation blank or having the NEXT lines of the conversation reinforce it, to prevent this inelegant misunderstanding.  Andrew was really damned talented in getting his point across visually, in that regard.  Just like, that careful visual intent delivery.)

Alright, I guess that’s it for this short upd8!  Meeting the pursuit crew was both more and less difficult than I expected.  Hopefully I get desensitized a bit as the characters continue to feel semi-almost-sorta-fine.

I have NO idea how this group is gonna work as a proper crew when we get to whatever weird other-players’ session this shit is going down in, though.

[danurso]

Pain

Glynda: and that's all the time we have for today class, i expect you all to deliver the assignments on the next friday, you’re all dismissed. *gets up, gathering her papers and walking away*

Jaune: *never taking his eyes out of her*

Yang: *with a grin* well, well, well, looks like someone has a crush on Proffessor.

Jaune: w-what? I don’t have a crush on Ms.Goodwitch, this is ridiculius. *gets up, walking away with the rest of his friends*

Yang: come on, spill it out, you’re always staring at her ever since we got into Beacon, you can’t say you don’t like what you see. Damn, i'm a girl but even so i wouldn’t mind having a piece of that Witch’s booty.

Jaune: i d-don’t have a crush on here, i-im serious.

Nora: suuuuure, it's not like you’re always tripping when she’s around because you can’t take your eyes off her, right?

Jaune: im just clumsy! you should be used at this point!

Weiss: being clumsy doesn’t excuse your strange behaviour when she is around.

Jaune: i'm socially awkward, it's natural for me to get nervous like that.

Yang: Then spill it out, why you’re always staring at professor Goodwitch?

Jaune: i'm not always staring at her!

Glynda: yes you are.

Jaune: *flinches, looking behind him* M-Miss Goodwich!?

Glynda: i forgot to return your assignment from last week mr.arc. *hands him a few papers*

Jaune: oh. . .right. . .

Glynda: well Mr.Arc, Ms.Xiao Long brough up an interesting question, why are you always staring at me?

Jaune: i don't-

Glynda: and don’t try to deny it, i'm a professional huntress, i noticed your looks since you arrived at beacon, i just never questioned you about them, but since Ms.Xiao Long brough the subject up i would like an answer.

Yang: damn, vomit boy just got busted by his crush.

Glynda: Mr.Arc doesn’t carry these kinds of feelings for me Ms.Xiao Long. *turns to her* Mr.Arc is far from the first guy to keep constantly staring at me. Some of them stared at my body with lust, and some others with desire, but Mr.Arc’s eyes never carried either of them.

Ruby: really? Then why is he always staring at you?

Glynda: that's what i would like to know miss rose. *turns to jaune* so, what is your answer Mr.Arc?

Jaune: . . .*looking down, clenching his jaw and shutting his eyes tightly*

Pyrrha: jaune? What's wro-

Jaune: *traps glynda into a tight hug*

RWBY/_NPR: *completely shocked*

Glynda: *surprised*

Jaune: i know you’re not her. . .and i know you’ll never be her. . .but. . . *tightens the hug* can you please let me stay like this for just a bit?

Weiss: w-what do you think you’r-

Glynda: *shakes head at weiss before turning back to jaune and hugging him* its okay, you can stay for how long you need.

Jaune: *pulls her closer and starts to cry on her chest*

*some time later*

Jaune: *slowly letting go and wiping his tears* I-i'm sorry professor goodwitch. . .i shouldn't have done that.

Glynda: it's okay, we all need to let it out sometimes. But, would you mind explaining what was this all about?

Jaune: *sighs* well. . .it's because of this. . . *pulls out his scroll showing a picture of a really young jaune hugging a blonde woman*

Yang: wait, wait, wait, is that Ms.Goodwitch?

Ruby: you two already knew eachother!?

Glynda: it can’t be me. Me and Mr.Arc first met on beacon, i would remember something like that.

Nora: wait, how can you take a picture and don’t remember about it.

Jaune: that's because this isn’t Ms.Goodwitch, this woman died ten years ago.

Weiss: if she’s not Ms.Goodwitch, then who is she?

Jaune: . . .her name is irina. . .irina arc. . .my Mother.

RWBY/_NPR: *complete silence*

Glynda: Oh. . .i'm sorry for your loss Mr.Arc, she must've been a great mother to raise someone like you.

Jaune: *looking down* she was the best, almays singing for me, baking my favorite sweets, cheering me up when i was sad *chuckles* it was funny because when we were alone she called me by an nickname that only we knew about, not dad or even my sisters knew about it. . . . *sighs* i'm sorry about that Ms.Goodwitch, i know you're not my mom but i just couldn’t hold back anymore.

Glynda: i said it's okay, i know how painful it is to lose a mother, but i can’t imagine myself living in a place with someone identical to her, i can only imagine how hard it has been to you all those months here at beacon.

Jaune: it wasn’t easy.

Glynda: but at least you have friends to support you with that, right?

Jaune: *nods* yeah, i think so.

Yang: wow. . .now i kinda feel bad for teasing you, sorry vomit boy.

Jaune: its okay, you didn’t knew about that, no need to feel bad.

Yang: stop being nice vomit boy! It just makes me feel even worse! That's it, we’re taking you out so stop being gloomy! *starts to drag jaune*

Nora: its a cheer up party! Let's go renny! *drags ren along*

RWB_/Pyrrha: *walking along with them*

Ruby: yeah! Well make a huge party, and you’re not allowed to be sad on it!

Jaune: *chuckling* right, thanks guys *looks back* and thank you for everything Ms.Goodwitch.

Glynda: You're welcome. *turning around and walking away* now go with your friends and try to have some fun. . .

Jaune: i will. *looks back ahead*

Glynda: . . .my valiant knight.

Jaune: *flinches, snapping his head back just to see an empty corridor*

Pyrrha: Jaune? Is there something wrong?

Jaune: . . .no *opens a small smile* it's okay.

Yang: yeah, yeah, c’mon Mr.Gloomy pants, that party isn’t going to happen if we stay here. *starts to drag him again*

Jaune: right, right, i'm going already.

(on the next day a new teacher arrived at beacon to substitute professor Goodwitch who disappeared mysteriously after that)

[lefaystrent]

In a magical kingdom far away...

Fandom: Thomas Sanders, Sanders Sides

Pairings: none

Summary:  The evil Lord Of Logic descends on the land, forcing all it touches to obey the laws of physics.

Notes: The summary is a prompt you can find here. @katie-the-noble-fangirl suggested the prompt to me a while back, and in all of my infinite wisdom, I decided that last night was the perfect time to write it. When I was drunk from a celebration. I fixed up all the typos but left everything as a whole untouched.

In a magical kingdom far away, a valiant knight wandered the capital’s streets. His name was Roman, a man who held immeasurable power and acclaim.

“I am powerful,” he said to himself, sauntering down the street like he owned it. He might have; you can buy streets and name them sometimes. If Roman bought a street, he’d probably name it Glitter Lane, and he’d encourage a royal decree to have glitter poured down it every Tuesday, because fuck any other day. “I am solid,” he said.

In the middle of this beautiful day, the sky turned cloudy, stormy. It looked like it would cry.

“Tissue?” Roman offered the Heavens.

In the middle of the atmosphere, a being emerged. He wore a cape, long and flowy, and down upon the land he descended. The magic-inclined citizens cowered, not sensing any magical flow from the new arrival. It’s like sensing Feng Shui really. You go into a house, see a couch in the wrong place, say to it, “You are a sad thing in this world,” and feel better about yourself. Maybe set it on fire.

Roman approached the figure when everyone else shied away. “Who falls into our kingdom so unmagically?”

“I am Logan. Not Wolverine. The distinction is important,” the man said.

Roman grimaced like he’d stepped in dog poo. Nasty. “And how does a Logan fall into our realm without the aid of magic?”

“It’s called gravity. Read a book,” Logan declared.

Roman didn’t read books. He just stabbed them with his sword and absorbed the knowledge through magical osmosis. Reading books was for the poor saps who couldn’t afford a magical education. And anyway, Roman had never heard of this ‘gravity’ thing before. He was a knight of magic!

“I don’t like your tone of words,” Roman said, mostly because he was confused and trying to cover it up. Honestly though, this guy was just dumb. “What’s a gravity?”

“Science,” Logan said, sweeping his arm out. He held an apple flavored jar of Crofters, the most magical jelly in all of the land. “What goes up must come down,” he said and let the jar fall. It smashed to pieces on the cobblestone road.

Roman drew his sword. “For such disregard of this yummy casualty, I must hit you with my sword until death happens. Are you prepared to die?”

“I am the master of logic. You cannot hurt me with your magic.”

“Fair enough,” Roman said and stabbed a bitch. Logan looked surprised at the blade embedded in his gut. Not like he won the lottery surprise. A bad kind of surprise. A stabby surprise. Ow.

“How?” Logan demanded, voice choked with the shame of his ancestors.

Roman smirked. “It’s just a sword actually, no magic needed.”

The sword was removed and Logan fell to his knees. His haggard breaths stuttered out, hand clutching the wound. He would have expired shortly after had a radiant light not enclosed around him, healing him.

“What sorcery is this?!” Roman screamed. “No really, who is magicking this right now? I do not approve. And I’m a knight.”

“Yo, waddup, it’s ya boi,” Virgil said, rolling up. Roman knew him as a mere stable boy. He passed by him on his daily patrols and loved to exchange in banters.

“You traitorous scum!” Roman bellowed. “How dare you heal this villain?!”

“Hear me out, but I think he might be on to something,” Virgil said reasonably. Reasonably. Disgusting.

“A denier of falsehoods?” Logan asked hopefully. He rose to his foots. Not feet. Foots! Screw you English! You’re just a mess of letters! “I never thought I’d find one here in this land so reliant on magic.”

Virgil shrugged. “It’s a life choice really. Also, ‘gravity’ sounds so metal. I want like nine boxes worth.”

“It’s…not something you really… You know what? I’m not looking you in the mouth, gift horse. I’ll get you nine boxes of gravity if you help me spread the word about science.”

“You would go against the kingdom, Virgil?” Roman accused, pointing the bloodied sword at him. It was really rude, because that wasn’t even Roman’s blood he was pointing with. He should really give it back. Hey Logan, he should really give your life liquid back.

“My life liquid?”

Yeah, that go-go juice that makes your heart go badumpy-dump.

Across land and sea, there lives a Patton who quietly murmurs, “Badumpy-dump.”

“Thanks fam,” Logan said to the author and pointed a serious finger situation at Roman. “As that blood is mine, I demand it be returned.”

Roman glanced at his blade incredulously. “Like…shove it back in?”

Logan’s eyes did a no-nonsense glare. “You would stab an unarmed man?”

“Oh my goodness, you’re absolutely right,” Roman said, as if he hadn’t already done that before. “Here you go, my mistake.” He handed over the sword.

Sword in hand, Logan turned to Virgil. “You know, I knew the people here were stupid, but are they all this bad?”

“He’s just an overachiever,” Virgil said.

“Noted.” Logan nodded and chucked the sword over his shoulder. A pained scream followed shortly after, but surely that couldn’t be related. “At any rate, I am here to teach you wayward souls. Global warming is coming, and I am a harbinger of coolness. Do you accept my tutelage? Or shall you perish?”

Virgil slapped a hand over Roman’s mouth before he could speak. “Do me a smart, oh wise one.”

“Very well,” Logan said and threw science textbooks at the populace. He pulled them out of his cape. It was like Mary Poppin’s bag, but a cape. I don’t know how it worked, but I’m sure there was a logical explanation behind it.

And from that day on, the lord of logic educated the kingdom in ways beyond the magical. Roman wasn’t very happy about it, so he quit being a knight and went into the mountains to fight bears.

General Tag List: @spectralheartt @a-pastel-pan @notalwaysthevillian @rose-gold-roman @ijustrealizedhowdumbmynamewas @katie-the-noble-fangirl @yourroyalydramaticanxiousness @aroundofapplesauce @merlybird500 @beach-fan @jemthebookworm @whats-going-on-kiddos @randomsandersides @gamerfreddie @unring-this-bell @that-royal-ravenclaw @analogicallythinking @lilygold23 @punsterterry @naw2702 @levy-the-b00kw0rm @iolanomsgranola @tacohippy56900 @accio-hufflepuff-power1 @just-another-rainbowblog @georganabanana @grey-says-heck​ @crookedlyoptimisticdestiny @thesynysterunknown @idont-know-what-im-doing

[the-second-circle-ffxiv]

Meet the character - Asagi Homura

► Name ➔   “Asagi Homura. Please, call me Asagi.”

► Are you single ➔ “I am, but I could say Im married to my job. Running the Second Circle keeps me busy, and I dont really have time for dating. Maybe someday.”

► Are you happy ➔   “Well, thats an interesting question. Yes, I think so. For now.”

► Are you angry? ➔   “Very rarely, actually.. I used to be when I was younger, but anger clouds your discernment, and will lead you into sticky situations. Im usually trying to keep my cool.”

► Are your parents still married ➔  “My adoptive parents are, and very happily so. Mom is working as a blacksmith in Kugane. Dad got his retirement couple of years back. Used to work as a cook in a local restaurant. ... I should visit them more often...”

NINE FACTS

► Birth Place ➔ “In a village, somewhere deep in Golmore jungle. I got... taken away when I was very young. I hardly remember anything of the place. I spent most of my childhood in Kugane.”

► Hair Color ➔ “Grayish white. Used to be black, though.”

► Eye Color ➔ “Left is blood-red, right is grayish white. Both were amber-coloured once.”

► Birthday ➔ “19th Sun of the 4th Astral Moon.”

► Mood ➔ “Right now? What could I say? Hopeful maybe?”

► Gender ➔ “Female.”

► Summer or winter ➔ “I like summer. Especially the time when the cherry-blossoms bloom. One thing I dislike here in Ishgard is the weather. I have rather poor tolerance for cold, and well.. Its always cold in here.”

► Morning or afternoon ➔ “Afternoon. I close the bar before the first light, and go home to sleep. Usually I wake up around afternoon hours, and thats kind of my own time for me, before I go and open the doors once again.”

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

► Are you in love ➔ “No, Im not.”

► Do you believe in love at first sight ➔ “In some cases I do, because I have seen that happening. Some people just seem to be made for each other. Thats very rare though. But it does happen once in a blue moon, so yes. I do believe in love at first sight.”

► Who ended your last relationship ➔ “I did. I moved to Ishgard, she wanted to stay in Kugane. The distance did not work out for us. It was a shame though. Time to time, I find myself thinking about her, but.. past is past. She’s married, and I think she even got a baby recently.”

► Have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔  “As you can imagine. My moving to Ishgard broke her heart. Her eyes, after I told her, broke mine.”

► Are you afraid of commitments ➔ “No, not really. As you can see, I established my own bar, built my life here in Ishgard.. and the business is fine and growing. So no. Not afraid of commitments.”

► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ “Last person I hugged was my sister, but that was almost two weeks ago. Does carrying drunkards out count? You kind of have to hug them to keep them on their feet.”

► Have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ “Not to my knowing. Of course there is always someone yelling something obscene to you, when you pass their table, and they have had couple of drinks over their own head... But would not call those “admirers”.”

► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ “I think I answered this one already? Are you listening? We can continue tomorrow, if you are tired? Need a cup of coffee, maybe?”

SIX CHOICES

► Love or lust ➔ “Lust for now. As I said, Im not looking for love at the moment. Still, I may enjoy a hook-up now and then. No commitments.”

► Lemonade or iced tea ➔ “Not a fan of either. But if I have to pick one, then iced tea. With couple of ice cubes.. And a drop of rum.”

► Cats or Dogs ➔ “I dont like animals...  But I will say cats. They are independent. Dogs are too clingy and... needy.”

► A few best friends or many regular friends ➔ “This is a hard one. Im kind of dividing my friends into two categories. The ones I trust, and the ones I dont. They are all my friends, none the less. But some close ones have certain... benefits.”

► Wild night out or romantic night in ➔ “Definetely a wild night out. Maybe a bar-tour. A night at Gold Saucer. Anything can happen! Im not a candlelight dinner and rose petals in a pink bath-type of person... at all.“

► Day or night ➔ “Night. Thats when we are open. I love my job, and I get to meet new people. Hear all the new rumors around the city.. and make some gil on the side! And as I mentioned, Im mostly sleeping at day-time. Or doing some numbing inventory. Just last week I had a clash with the wine delivery. The shipping from Wineport is constantly late.”

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

► Been caught sneaking out ➔ "We used to sneak out with my sister when we were young. To roam around the market at night. Most of the merchants knew our mom though, so we usually got caught sooner or later.”

► Fallen down/up the stairs ➔ “Show me a person who has not, and I show you a person who is lying.”

► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ “Maybe once. But past is past, as I said.”

► Wanted to disappear ➔ “Couple of times, when we were kids, I guess. Being a viera in a city full of auri and hyur.. Not to mention having an auri parents.. Some of the children kept tormenting us for it.”

FOUR PREFERENCES

► Smile or eyes ➔ "Have you ever kissed someone, and felt them breaking into a smile in the middle of kiss? Smile for sure.”

► Shorter or Taller ➔ “For a partner? I usually like shorter. Does not mean I could not date someone taller than me. Not at all. I just prefer shorter.”

► Intelligence or Attraction ➔  “Can I cheat a bit and pick a mix of both? No? Okay, intelligence then.”

► Hook-up or Relationship ➔ “Hook-up for now. Maybe a relationship on a long run. I just dont have time for that right now, as I said. But I would like to have a partner by my side one day.”

FAMILY

► Do you and your family get along ➔ “I have very loving parents, so yes. Absolutely. My dad got bit annoyed when he found out Im gay, but he got over it quite quickly. We have always been close with my sister, and I love my older brother, even if we are not related by blood.”

► Would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ "I had my messed up years, but not anymore. Things are finally rolling on their own weight, and Im quite proud of what I have built here.”

► Have you ever ran away from home ➔ “We ran away once, yes. We had a little argument with our mother, the three of us, and we ran away to an abandoned farm, not far from Kugane. I think we came back home the next day, when we ran out of food... Oh, how we were young and silly.. Silke is still silly.”

► Have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ “Well, I told you my father did not take me, coming out gay, too well. When he found out I had a girlfriend, he kicked me out. I lived at my girlfriend’s house for.. maybe a week or so. Then my dad suddenly knocked on the door, asking me come home, and bring my girlfriend for a dinner too...”, A slight smile creeps on Asagi’s lips.

FRIENDS

► Do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ “No, I dont. I would not call them my friends then. I do hate some of my mutuals, but in my line of work, you have to try to get along with everyone.”

► Do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ "Absolutely not.”

► Who is your best friend ➔ “My siblings, Silke and Kojiro. They are two people I can trust, no matter what. They will always have my back, and vise versa.”

► Who knows everything about you ➔ “Once again, Silke and Kojiro. They know most. Yet even they dont know everything. We all have our little secrets, right? Now... it has been a long evening. Can I get you something? That coffee maybe? Or something with a kick? First one is on the house.”

Tagging: @ahumblewoodcarver @ludojenkai @a-knight-in-savage-lands @averdantsoul @archon-ffxiv @thedarkestdragonknight @mavericdafoux @unspoken-vows @eorzeanhorrorstory @tsukikotanshi @tutankthotnunh & YOU!

[callboxkat]

(Un)Broken - part 4

Author’s note: Deceit is in this part! The plan is to make his storyline separable from the rest of the story, though; so if you’d like to skip parts that include him, you’ll still be able to enjoy the fic.

Warnings: Deceit, death mention, swords, some brief passive aggression

Word count: 1218

Look for the masterpost in the notes!

...

The gallant knight slowly unsheathed his sword and held it aloft in a fighting stance, slowly and purposefully circling his opponent. His feet were sure on the slick floor of the cavern, and his bright eyes gleamed in the dim light as they took in the man before him. His free hand slowly rose to beckon him closer.

The villain smirked and slid his own weapon free of its sheath. He sauntered forward with the sword, and the golden beams of light illuminating the space glinted off of its sleek metal. He pointed it at the knight with a calm, unconcerned ease.

“You will never again terrorize this kingdom, foul demon,” the knight proclaimed, unperturbed. “If we need fight, then we shall. And I will surely triumph. You are surrounded. My fellow knights near with every second. Even so, I offer you one final opportunity: surrender, and I shall spare you your life.”

The villain stared, almost in disbelief. The knight waited, ready. As proof of his claim, the sound of hooves neared, growing louder and louder, a thunder of sound promising death.

The villain’s sword dipped down, just slightly.

“I...” the villain’s eyes, poisonous green, squinted. They drifted down, towards the cold stone floor. The man who had terrorized a kingdom for a decade sighed in defeat. “I accept your gracious offer.”

The knight, satisfied at the villain’s good sense, reached to take the hilt of his weapon.  But then, at the very instant his fingertips brushed the hilt, a loud clang echoed through the cavern. The knight stared in shock as his faithful, beloved sword, a gift from his father the king, was knocked to the ground. The hero was barely able to roll out of the way of the next attack as the villain advanced, his dark cape flowing out behind him.

“Deceiver!” The knight cried, getting to his feet.

The man before him merely grinned, his white teeth glittering. He swung down again for another strike, which the knight dodged. A leather-gloved hand came up and gripped the wrist that held the sword, barely keeping it from claiming his head. His opponent’s eyes widened in surprise.

The knight, without his weapon, had to think fast. He curled his free hand into a fist, and in a desperate hope, he swung—!

And far, far too quickly, Roman’s acting partner jerked away.

Roman pulled back. “What was that? It was going so well!” he cried, practically whining—but who cared? The magic was ruined! He himself had been all but lost in the scene, and judging by the silence around them, so had most of the cast and crew watching the practice. Now they all seemed to be coming out of their trance, and conversation and movement surrounded them once again.

“I told you,” D snapped as the crowd dispersed, dropping his prop sword to the wooden stage with a huff. “Not from the left! The punch has to be from the other side.”

“But that doesn’t work,” Roman pointed out for what was probably the tenth time. “The angle is much better for the audience—and besides, my other arm is kinda busy with your sword.”

D glared at him. “It looks far better the other way.”

“It does not,” Roman countered. “You know that.”

“Well,” D drawled. “I’m glad you’re so sure about that. Perhaps my understudy will agree.”

Roman stared. “What?”

D studied one of his gloves. “It would surely be a shame, wouldn’t it, if you had to switch costars with only a month before the performance?”

Roman gaped at him. “You wouldn’t drop out of the play over one bit of choreography!”

“Oh, no, of course not,” D drawled, looking back up at him, although the glitter in his eyes promised otherwise.

Roman frowned, bending to retrieve his own prop sword from the floor. He slid it slowly back into its faux leather sheath. No, he didn’t really want to test that. As nice as D’s understudy was—a far more pleasant guy, really, who hadn’t abandoned one of Roman’s friends when he was in need—he was not exactly going to win any awards in acting. If Roman wanted this play to turn out as he dreamed, he needed D as his costar.

“I’ll look into it,” he finally obliged, frowning up at D once more before turning and exiting the stage, his scarlet cape billowing out after him.

As he put away his props and costume, several of Roman’s costars came to congratulate him on a great practice, and on his play as a whole.

That was part of why Roman was especially determined to make this play’s performance unforgettable. It was his play. Twice a year, the college he attended put on a play written by one of its students. This honor was almost exclusively offered to senior screenwriters; so the fact that Roman, a junior, was one of the students chosen this year was no small feat.

He had to make sure it was perfect.

…

The next afternoon, although they did not have rehearsal, Roman made his way to the theatre department. He knew the man he was looking for tended to hang out there.

And, indeed, there he was, lounging on top of an old bit of scenery backstage: part of what had probably been a balcony.

“Oh, you. Did you fix it?” D asked as Roman approached, looking down at him from his perch.

“I told you, I’m working on it,” Roman sighed.

“It’s a simple fix, I really don’t see the problem,” he said languidly. “What do you want, then?”

“Well, you know I’m supposed to submit the final promotional flyer tonight,” Roman said. “And, you know, we kinda need your name. For the program.”

“Seth.”

“Seth?”

“That’s my name.”

“I have never once heard you go by Seth. Yesterday you told Camden your name was Dennis.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I never said that,” D said, smirking like a Cheshire cat. “If you simply must know, my name is actually Delilah. Seth is my middle name.”

“Riiiight,” Roman said blandly. “Look, you don’t want to give anyone your actual name, fine! Plenty of people don’t like their given names. Just give me something to put down.”

D opened his mouth again, probably to give him another blatant lie, but Roman cut him off.

“Give me a stage name. You’re never going to get anywhere in theatre if you don’t have a consistent name, are you? It doesn’t have to be your real name. Just give me a stage name. Just pick one.”

D seemed to ponder for a moment. Then he brushed his blonde hair—long on only one side for whatever reason—from his face, leaned forward, and grinned down at Roman. “You know what? You’re the playwright. Surprise me.”

Roman scoffed, turned around, and walked away.

When he sat down at a computer soon after, he sat there for a while watching the cursor blink in the blank spot where his costar’s name was supposed to go.

Finally, he began to type, shaking his head as he did so. If D hated it, it was his own fault for making Roman choose. He hit ‘submit’ on the final document before he could rethink it.

Coming April 26-28:

KNIGHTS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

Starring: Roman Reyes Espinosa and Deceit.

…

Tag list: @patton-loves-coloring @starryfirefliesbloggo @purplesoul-at-hogwarts  @gaylotusthatexists @quoth-the-sparrow @awesomelissawho @amuthefunperson @faithfreedom @heck-im-lost @gayfandomsaremything @bunny222 @syndianites @astraastro @momolinia @captainswan618 @hamilin-manuel-miranda @goldenkiddos @afilhadehades-blog @virgeofselfdestruction @theresneverenoughfandoms @iris-sanders-athena @super-magical-wizard @rainbow-sides @thefallendog @fanficptsd @zodiac-awesome @lookitsthatquietgirl @nerd-in-space @pearls-of-patton @ab-artist @angered-turtle @im-so-infinitesimal @raygelkitty @dr-gloom @whats-going-on-kiddos @the-dumbster @oh-star-how-the-mighty-fall @fillyourteacup @kittiebrick @youtuberswithalex

[killiantaylorua]

Chap 2 The Start Line, And a Skill Gap

Chap 2 The Start Line, And a Skill Gap

The Names Jaqueline Roberts, but I have already thought about my hero name. JaqRabbit. I used to tell my friends everyday, that I would be one of the best pros in America. Fame and fortune, and a large record of saving lives. Oh, my quirk, well technically i have two. Rabbit, all the gifts that entails, that includes super jump, incredible speed, exceptional hearing and smell, and finally powerful claws that aid in combat and digging, exceptional for those caught in mudslides. Thanks mom for an awesome quirk! My secondary quirk is JackHammer, my legs have a motor that vibrates up and down, striking the ground or whatever surface I am standing on and smashing it apart. However, if im not careful and I overuse the motor, I get the shakes in my legs. I cant move them till they stop moving from the recoil. Thanks Dad, for something. His quirk ended up pairing up with my rabbit quirk, providing my legs a passive boost that causes my jumps to shatter the surfaces i jump from unintentionally. Makes trying to be a QBall player very difficult.

What! You have never heard of QBall! So normal sports became hard to regulate, so a new one was created. Q ball, or Quirk ball, based around soccer, an indestructible ball is put in the middle of the field. The teams using their quirks have to get the ball from the center into the enemies net. The net is similar to a soccer net but with tough metal chains instead of the regular netting. You can do anything to get the ball into the other teams net, however, teleport quirks and others that are far beyond everyone else ability, blitz type runners specifically. You know, cause no one can stop because they are so fast. The teams are made up of a brute, one runner, two offenders, two defenders, and one net guardian. UA America has one of the best QBall teams, and i Intend on getting on that team. As well as become a hero. Wouldn't it be awesome if i became a hero and a Qball Athlete. I could do both!

The start of my dream though. It's the spring UA America Entrance Exam, which is today. I left my house in a hurry, excited and ready to begin an awesome adventure. I ran there and i came upon the opening gate. I walked forward headed toward the entrance. As I walked, I noticed two guys that made the news but i couldn't remember who they were.. One a shaved head, red skinned guy, covered in muscle wearing sneakers, a wife beater, and some khaki shorts. He had a big stupid grin as he stared at the entrance to the school.

“This School, think it'll be useful Corvus? Give us some experience we haven't seen in the field, haha?” His voice was slightly higher, he spoke with some cockiness, oozing with pride.

“Careful Thermite, this may bore you, but we could use the exposure. Imagine, if we showed how strong we are, we might get some interesting villains to hunt us.” This one was drastically different. A black turtleneck, black jeans, black socks, black sneakers, even a weird black mask covering the top half of his head. It gave his head a dome like appearance. He had a shy voice, but intelligence and curiosity seemed to sprout from his voice. Also hunger. He was also muscular but the turtleneck and jeans were a little big so his body was mostly hidden. He seemed to be much more humble. I tried to walk over to say hi and listen to their conversation, but…

“Ooh i'm so sorry!” I ran directly into the strangest person I have ever met. He wore a forest green hoodie, black gloves, blue jeans, white socks and some gray sneakers. He wore a mask that covered his entire head and seemed to go under his hoodie. It was black, skin tight and had a weird hypnotizing effect. When you moved it switched from black to crimson constantly, it was… calming.

“Oh, no, I'm so sorry, i… I didn't see you, just oh i'm nervous I didn't see you, I oh!” He had a kind voice, nervous, scared, high energy. Yet oddly, i dunno cute.

“No it’s alright, I walked in front of you, it's my fault.”

“Oh…” Suddenly he ran off. Way too terrified. I looked at my watch and nearly fainted. The orientation was about to begin. I ran into the building, following the signs to the orientation room. I made my way to the back of the room. And stared out over the crowds of people. The lights blacked out, and on a stage in the center of the room, a square of the stage fell out, and a man rose out. He was dressed in some nice brown slacks, shoes, socks, and a brown coat over a yellow button up with a crimson ascot. He wore a brown top hat, and a smile from ear to ear. He seemed to be constantly bouncing, spinning around on a solid brown cane with a mic on the top. Speakers came down from the ceiling, and screens with old timey black and white backgrounds came down. Swing music, played primarily by sax and jazz played through the room. Suddenly an old time radio voice, accompanied with what we thought was an old radio filter but was just his voice.

“Hello, hello, wannabe heroes! Welcome to the hardest test you will ever have. HaHa!”

Suddenly his voice changed, it went from jovial to serious. “Its been over 6 months since we lost the symbol of peace. So.. we altered the test! You will be fighting robots in different fake cities. Each robot has different points, except for one, the strongest, as it has 0! Get the most points and the top 40 of you will officially be added into our hero program. However a twist has been added. Normally we have something called rescue points and that usually is related to helping your fellow heroes, however, thanks to HUC or the Help us Company have volunteered to be some civilians. Simply bring them to the safe zones and you get your points. There is also a surprise, But I can't ruin My fun! HaHa!”

“In front of you cards have been given, they tell you what cities you will be battling at. We made sure to split you up, so you would have to team up with other heroes if you want to buddy up. Oh beforehand, you have a written test, but now the pressure of the fighting will disrupt you brains! Heroes have to be able to think with stressful situations! Have fun!”

We were ushered out to a similar room and had the written test. I gotta admit, i'm a very physical person, don't care much for education. But I did practice. After 6 hours, it was time for the combat. We were bused out to different cities. I got city E along with Thermite. As we approached the city, we saw huge concrete walls and an equally large door. It completely shielded the city from sight so we never got a good idea of what we were entering.

We hopped out of the bus and I limbered up. Gotta stretch before crushing some, and what the hell is happening? An explosion ripped through the walls of the city. As the smoke cleared, we saw a burning city and sidekicks of some of the Pros.. The sidekicks met us at the entrance, wearing numbers, points, wait.

“So trainees, there might have been a slight lie. Instead of robots, sidekicks will be your targets! And we begin in , 3, 2, 1! Sorry kids but this year is…”

Before he could finish Thermite jumped in. He was covered in flames, white flames! He swung out and the pro hero was sprawling on his back. Thermite was giving off so much heat that when he got close the sidekicks were burned and had to fall back to avoid 3rd degree burns. Thermite removed his flames, and put his foot on the sidekicks and they surrendered immediately. Thermite turned back to face the others.

“Ok heroes,” Thermite called. “Outta my way, if you get burned, know you idiots were warned. I'm gonna take down every villain i see. Time to show these sidekicks who the true best hero is! Now get Lost! He turned and ran into the city. It was at that moment The conversation he had earlier made more sense. He was cocky because he knew how good he was and had the strength to dominate the competition. Suddenly I remembered who he was. He was part of the duo of villain hunters in Anderson. Thermite and Corvus, captured 30 villains on their own. Corvus never takes credit, saying Thermite did everything, but Thermite gives him credit anyway, though no one knows why.

Two more Sidekicks came out, but known of us knew how to proceed. “They’re wearing weights, slowing them down, making them easier to defeat.” A powerful voice tore through the air coming from the back. A man wearing a suit with a Black vest, white button up with white gloves, black dress pants, and black dress socks, and black dress shoes. His eyes were a ruby red, he looked young, and highly analytical, though he seemed to be focused. Black metal started leaking from his mouth, before he suddenly through his head back. He opened his mouth and it coming pouring out covering his face, hands and shoes. It hardened looking like knights armor on those parts. Yet more poured out of his face, falling on the ground. It formed a battleaxe that he picked up and swung it at the heroes. 

“Let me eviscerate you!” He shouted. He moved with extreme speed and knocked the two sidekicks too the ground with the flat side of the battleaxe. They didn't get up absolutely terrified. 

“Surrender weakling heroes,” This man start laughing hysterically, insanely.

“If you weaklings are gonna stand out here, then I'm going to have so much fun,” He tried to regain his exposure. His voice Cracked, “Sorry, battle lets some, emotions out. Come on, let's clear this City.” He ran into the city, and I looked at the others. It was time to take the courage and step forward. I'm going to be on that Qball team, and a hero. Whatever. I run forward into the city ready for anything, or so i hope!