#thinking longingly of the south downs

[bellisima-writes]

I….I need you.

"Work with me!.. We can be together. Angels, doing good." 💔

I'm not really sure about the colors, so there are two versions (*cry in colorblind*)

[doric-column]

Let’s talk about the moment Aziraphale *almost* denies the Metatron.

“Anything you need to take with you?”

“No. Nothing I can think of.”

His voice is uncertain. He gazes longingly through the window, where Crowley waits by the Bentley. Aziraphale hasn’t lost him yet. It isn’t too late to change his mind. We can see it play out across his face, and he wheels on the Metatron.

“I—I think I…”

What? Changed my mind? Made a mistake? Can’t do this? Can’t do it without Crowley? The micro expressions going on in this second look out the window are absolutely crushing. The hint of a smile is gone. His face is cast in shadow. He is resigned.

He’s decided. The possibility he could fix things in Heaven is too strong a draw to back out now. Crowley is still waiting out there. He’ll always be waiting. Maybe Aziraphale can make a better world for him.

“Nothing at all.”

This smile is *forced.* Aziraphale truly believes he can change the system. He needs Crowley. But the only thing he wants more than being with Crowley *right now* is the chance to be with him indefinitely in a world where they are free to love one another without fear.

The entire scene is shot in such a way that when Aziraphale is alone on screen, he occupies only half of the frame. He is only one part of a whole, and the loss of Crowley (for the time being) is palpable. Out in the street, the shot of Crowley is framed in a similar way, though reversed.

I still feel ways(TM) about Aziraphale’s decisions at the end of E6, but this little moment of “I—I think I…” is proof he considered backing out, and almost, *almost* went through with it. He could have rushed to Crowley, could have run away with him to the South Downs or to Alpha Centauri, but the system would stay broken, and any peace they would’ve had would only be borrowed. He wants to give Crowley the real thing—all of his love, all of the future, unfettered by the constant threat of a corrupt Heaven.

[nwjn-z]

Hello~ could I request Stan knocking on reader’s window in the middle of the night sad bc Randy’s being… Randy? So they go out to Stark’s Pond and sit on the bench while he rants and they drink n stargaze n stuff?

Late night confessions — feat. Stan Marsh x reader

warning(s): yelling, drinking, swearing

author’s note: OMG ANON IM SO SORRY I DIDNT UPLOAD THIS SOONER IVE BEEN REALLY BUSY, here you go tho i know it’s late asf but i hope you like it😞

It was 2:34 am, and the quite mountain town of South Park was in a peaceful slumber, but the Marsh household was anything but quite and peaceful.

“ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS DRINK AND MOPE IN YOUR ROOM ALL DAY INSTEAD OF HELPING YOUR FAMILY!” Randy seethes to his son.

“HELPING YOU WITH YOUR STUPID FUCKING WEED FARM ISNT HELPING THE FAMILY YOU DICK!” Stan spits back.

“You know what Stan? I am so sick and tired of your shit. You don’t do jack shit all day, you never want to help out with the family business, and when you do decide to help you always fuck up. You are going to get no where in life with this kind of attitude Stanley.”

All it took to push Stan over the edge was bringing up his future. Ever since starting high school, Stan biggest anxiety was what he was going to do with his life. The fear of ending up a “waste of space” kept him up at night.

“Seriously fuck you dad.” Stan sniffles as he storms out the house, wanting to be anywhere but “home”.

Stan gets in his car and makes his way to town with only his phone and wallet. He needed comfort right now. He needed to go somewhere that was familiar, somewhere that he felt safe at.

Stark’s Pond was special to Stan. Growing up it was his favourite place to be, where he hung out with his friends, where he had his first kiss, and where he had his few good memories with his dad.

But he didn’t want to be alone right now, he wanted to be with someone he could talk to, who would understand him, who could make him forget all about his problems, who could make him feel good no matter what, he needed you.

You were up late for no particular reason. It was summer so you were off your normal schedule. You mindlessly scrolled through your phone while the rest of your family was fast asleep.

When Stan made his way to your house he began to climb up on to your balcony. When he managed to do so he couldn’t help but stare at you through the space in between your curtains.

He saw you laying on your stomach swinging your legs back and fourth and holding a pillow to rest your head on while you where preoccupied with your phone.

You where so beautiful to him. You always had been since the day you two met. He loved your hair, your eyes, the way you talked, how you were always to quite yet kind, the way you made him feel so weak. He loved it all, he couldn’t get enough of you. He wanted nothing more than to make you his.

He continued to stare, looking longingly at you with hearts in his eyes until you noticed him staring and freaked out. He saw you jump and threw your pillow at your window before you realised it was him. You cursed him under your breath while you opened the curtain to open the window for him.

“You scared the shit out of me.” You told him,

“I’m sorry I just got distracted.” he replied.

“What are you doing here, it’s almost 3 o’clock!” You said,

“I know im sorry, I just really need someone to talk to I just had a huge fight with my dad and I don’t know where else to go.” He says as his mind rushes thinking back to the fight as he tries to hold back tears.

“Hey hey it’s okay I’m sorry, we talk if you want I’m here for you.” You say sincerely.

Hearing your sweet voice speak to him so gently after being yelled at and berated makes him break his composure and hot tears stream down his face.

You immediately pull him into you and caress the back of his head as he buries his face into your neck, holding on to your waist for dear life.

After some time he reluctantly pulls away and wipes his face.

“I came over to ask if you want to go to Stark’s Pond with me.” He mutters as he tries to compose himself.

“Let me get my jacket.” Is all you say in response wasting no time getting your jacket.

“We’re gonna have to leave through my window, I don’t want to wake my parents.” You say zipping up your jacket

“Okay” he says meekly.

You both make your way out your window with Stan helping you get down. You get into Stan’s car and he begins to drive.

As you make your way to Stark’s Pond, you can’t help but stare at him while he drives. He has one hand on the bottom of the stirring wheel and the other hand on the gear shift. His hands are rough from years of sports and roughhousing outside, yet whenever you felt them they were so soft.

Your daydreaming was cut short when he came to a stop and you realised you weren’t at Stark’s Pond.

“I’m gonna grab drinks real quick, you want anything?” he asked

“I’ll just have whatever you are having, even though you shouldn’t be drinking.” you say in disapproval of his habit

“Yeah I know but I kinda need it right now.” he responds somewhat bashfully.

“I guess” you say.

As you sit in the car waiting for him you start to wonder why he came to you. I mean you guys are close friends but you thought that him and Kyle were closer, that he would go to his childhood best friend for things like this. Right?

You aren’t left with your thoughts for long as Stan quickly makes his way out the store and back into the car.

He gets back into the car and after a couple of seconds he starts to drive again.

The convenient store wasn’t far from Stark’s Pond so you arrived fairly quickly.

“We’re here” Stan announces

You simply reply with a hum in acknowledgment and make your way out the car with him.

You sit down and he hands you a drink before cracking open his. You two sit in silence drinking until your thoughts from sitting in the convenient store parking lot make their way back into your head.

“Hey, why did you want to hang out with me of all people?” you say still leaning your head back staring at stars

“What?” He asks, almost dumbfounded

“I mean like why not Kyle or Wendy even, they’ve known you longer and probably better than I do so I just thought you would go to one of them for something like this.” you tell him honestly

“Do you not want me to come to you?” He asks, worry written all his face and voice.

“WHAT!? NO! I mean i just thought that like, you would think I wouldn’t be any help you know?”

“Nah dude that’s bullshit, besides why would I go to my ex about my problems.” he chuckles lightheartedly

“I don’t know I thought she would get you I guess.” you say as he shakes his head “no”.

“Oh well what about Kyle then, surely he’d be your first responder or something.”

“Kyle doesn’t know shit about me at this point, anytime I try and talk to him about the things I go through he just doesn’t get it.” he responds truthfully

“We’re still best friends and all but, he just doesn’t understand why I can’t just “get over it” you know? It gets really fucking frustrating.”

You take a minute to process what he said but before you can say anything he begins to speak again,

“You aren’t like that though. You’re always so nice and never make me feel stupid or crazy for feeling the way that I do.”

His words flustered you. Only you made him feel comfortable and safe? You felt your heart clench at the thought. Without thinking you put your hand over his and finally look over at him,

“I’m glad I can be that person for you.” You say sincerely with a smile on your face

And just like that Stan just couldn’t take it anymore. You were truly the most amazing person he has ever known. You’re sweet, kind, and genuine soul made his heart swell and his face smile. He couldn’t hold back the words that left his mouth in that moment,

“I’m so in love with you.” He says with hearts basically in his eyes.

“What!?” You respond eyes wide and face flushed

“WHAT?!” he yelps, “OH MY GOD IM SO SORRY I DIDNT MEAN IT LIKE THAT I MEAN I DID BUT NOT IF YOU DONT WANT ME TO AAAHH IM SORRY JUST FORGET I EVER SAID ANYTHI-“

“I like you too, well love.” you say honestly having waited for this moment for what felt like an eternity,

“Wait what?Really!?” Stan says, dumbfounded but simultaneously feeling his heart burst with joy

“Yeah dude” you respond with a lighthearted laugh, but before you could say anything else you felt the slight wetness of his lips on yours, relishing in the feeling you close your eyes and lean in, completely melting in his touch.

“You love me?” he asks smiling, wanting nothing more than to hear you say those three words over and over until he can’t hear anymore,

“I love you.” you say, more than happy to repeat that phrase till your voice gives out.

[iluvchick3nz]

i needdddd more teacher finn!!!! like him talking to his students about his hockey husbands 🫠🫠

Happy V-Day to all who celebrate! Have some Fish-reflections on young love while he falls in love more and more each day. :)

Love your prompts, keep them coming! I've got almost all of them written. :)

All credits to @lumosinlove <3

“Okay,” Finn said with a sigh. He fell back into his chair and looked at his students. “Time's up. Pencils down.”

There was a light clatter as they all dropped their writing implements, a few rubbing their foreheads against the inevitable headache. Finn smiled at them and clapped his hands once.

“Well done. I'll give you an MCQ packet for the break, and don't forget your Pride and Prejudice essays that are due the week we get back, on the Friday. I want your drafts by the Monday, please, for feedback.” He stood. “This AP test doesn't know what's coming.”

There was a light chatter as they all stood up to hand in their practice FRQ exams and took the packet Finn handed them. They looked tired and worn out, but they were ready. They always were- Finn made sure of it. 

“What did you think?” one of his students, Robbie, asked his classmate, Marianne.

She looked at him over her round glasses. They suited her. “We can't talk about it, you know that, Robert.”

Finn hid his smile behind a packet. She never called him by his nickname. He heard Robbie sigh and looked up to find him watching her longingly as she and her bouncy curls left the room with her friend, Claire, throwing a thank you! over their shoulders. Robbie sighed again and turned towards his backpack, catching Finn’s eye. He blushed. Finn raised his eyebrows at him.

“You okay there, Robbie?”

He nodded, but his smile was forced. “Yeah. Got a basketball tournament over break down in South Carolina. Pretty excited.”

“Well,” Finn said, standing to approach him at his desk. “You’re doing really well. You're still on track to be top of your class.”

Robbie shook his head. “I don't think so. Marianne has a higher GPA. Her entire life is academics, and the school newspaper, and the cello.” He counted each one off on his fingers. “I might get salutatorian, though.”

Finn bit the inside of his cheek in amusement. “Well, she's an honorable competitor to lose to.”

Robbie let out a wistful, airy chuckle. “Yeah. She is.” He paused and looked at Finn quizzically. “Mr. O’Hara, I have a question.”

Finn tried to hide his surprise. “Shoot.”

Robbie was chewing his lip nervously. “Did people ever,” he started. “I don't know, not take your academic achievements seriously, just because you were good at sports?”

Finn tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Robbie huffed. “It's just- sometimes people ask me why I even bother with school, you know? When I've got a scholarship to play basketball in college and everything. Especially stuff like English. They don't understand.”

“Well,” Finn said, resting his hands on the desk. “You can always just enjoy school. That's not their business. My teammates teased me all the time, but I found a purpose in retirement outside of hockey, you know?” He glanced at the shelf of books he kept at the back of the room. He let students check them out, and they were filled with his own annotations. Some of them even had Leo’s, from all the times he'd read and reread Finn’s books from college. Finn smiled. “And even if I hadn't made it to the NHL, academics gave me something else that I would've been happy doing.”

Robbie’s eyebrows shot up. “You would've still been an English teacher?”

Finn nodded, smiling widely. “Oh, I absolutely would've. But I'm grateful I played hockey. Met my husbands.”

Robbie considered this for a moment. “And do you think that you and your husbands would've still gotten together, even if you hadn't played hockey?” At Finn’s silence, Robbie’s eyes widened. He spoke nervously. “I'm really sorry, you're not supposed to ask a teacher that.”

Finn laughed. “No, it's okay.” He thought for a moment. In his head he could imagine him and Leo running into one another in a bookstore, both reaching for the same trashy romance novels they read when they were really tired. “They definitely would have. Leo loves to read as much as I do, we would've gotten along really well. And Logan…” He paused again. He could picture Logan’s green eyes and smile so vividly. “Well, he'd be hard to get rid of in any lifetime. He's pretty stubborn. And he likes to be read to.” 

Robbie chuckled, shouldering his backpack. “Well, he fights on the ice like he's stubborn, so I'm not surprised.”

Finn grinned, then blinked hard, eyes going to his watch. “Speaking off, I've got to get going soon. Gotta catch my husbands before warm-ups tonight.” He clapped Robbie on the shoulder. “Have a good break, bud.”

Robbie smiled. “You, too, Mr. O'Hara.”

Finn watched him walk out of the room. Just as he stepped through the doorway, Marianne approached him. She was rubbing her arm nervously and talking a mile a minute. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes wide, but Robbie’s smile was so big that it seemed to relax her shoulders slightly. She swung her backpack around onto one arm, reaching inside to pull out Pride and Prejudice, sticky notes sticking out of the top. Marianne pointed to something on the page and continued talking. It was obvious that she wanted Robbie to follow along, but all he could do was stare at her, a small smile on his face. When she realized this, she paused, blushing, and fidgeted with the corners of the pages nervously. Robbie said something gently and gestured towards the library, which was at the end of the hall and open until late in the afternoon. Marianne nodded and they walked off together. Finn smiled at their retreating forms.

“Mr. O'Hara?”

Finn jumped slightly. He turned to find another student, Daniel, standing by Finn’s desk nervously. Finn eased his shoulders and smiled. “Hey, man. What's up?”

Daniel blushed. “I was wondering if I could get an extension on the essay,” he said, his Austrian accent thick with nerves.

Finn tilted his head. “Daniel, I can only do that so much for you. You're taking an AP class.”

His face flushed even more. “I know, it's just- the English is harder than what I was expecting. I'm struggling to analyze it.”

Finn sighed. He crossed his arms and leaned his hip against his desk. “Tell you what. I have an idea, okay? And if it doesn't work, I'll give you an extension, but I want you to try. The exam is in three weeks.”

Daniel nodded eagerly. “Okay.”

Finn reached for a photo frame on his desk. It was of him and Logan and Leo on the Harvard campus at sunset. They'd gone for a visit to see a football game and to go to the library, where Finn had led them both to a dark corner and kissed them breathless. Finn smiled at the memory. He turned the frame for Daniel to see. 

“My husband, Logan. The shorter one,” he said. “He's from Quebec, so English is his second language.” He looked up to find Daniel staring hard at the photo. “I used to read to him in college to help him understand the hard texts. He found it easier, sometimes, to hear the words and talk about them with someone.”

Daniel nodded. “That's nice.” He looked at Finn. “But what do I do?”

Finn smiled at him. “What if you got Jesse to read to you? He's doing great in AP Lang, and he's an incredible writer. He took my class last year when he was a junior.”

Daniel blushed even harder, stark against his golden hair. Finn had suspected for a long time that he and Jesse liked each other, even if they didn't know it. When Daniel had moved their sophomore year from Austria, Jesse had taken right to him, inviting him to join the tennis team and always being an ear to listen, even when Daniel struggled to find the words. Finn felt his heart ache a little for them. He wanted to give them a push in the right direction, but he more than anyone knew that these things took time. So he settled for looking at Daniel's unsure face over his glasses. 

“I think you should try it, Daniel. He's a good friend, he'd be happy to help. He can read you passages, talk them out with you, read your essay back to you.”

Daniel nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, he's a good friend.” He adjusted his bag on his shoulder, taking one last look at the photo in Finn's hands. “Thank you, Mr. O'Hara. I will try it, and let you know if I still need an extension.”

Finn grinned widely. “Sounds good.” He jerked his head towards the door. “Now get outta here. I gotta go watch my husbands play some stick and puck.”

Daniel nodded with a shy smile, saying a quiet goodbye before walking out of the room in that slightly nervous way he always did. Finn laughed softly. It seemed like years ago he watched Logan carry himself the same way, guarded against a language he wasn't totally confident in. Not anymore, though. Now he could take Finn and Leo apart in two languages, whispered in their ear in the early morning or gasped in their bedroom late at night. Or both. Even watching him yell on the ice got Finn all toasty. 

Finn sighed wistfully, taking another look at the picture in his hands. He turned, placing it in its rightful place on his desk alongside all the others. There were loads of pictures spread all around his desk area, even hung up on the wall behind him. Some were of him and his Lions or Harvard teammates, some with his family. Most, however, were of him and Finn and Leo, or some combination thereof, all wrapped up in one another and smiling in every frame. Finn hadn't known that delirious happiness could be so long lasting, but he was now falling more in love each and every day and living a more blissful life than he could have imagined. True happiness, he supposed, was one of those feelings that was almost unshakeable. 

Finn checked his watch one more time and hissed through his teeth. He grabbed the grading he'd need to do over the weekend and his bag, rushing to lock his classroom door and jog down the stairs. He waved to the secretary, Mx. Tulane, on the way out and searched frantically for his keys. Logan would've laughed at him, and Leo would've gently scolded him for never putting them in the same place, and all Finn could think about was blue eyes and dark brown hair and the greatest love he'd ever known. He was desperate for some good luck kisses.

An hour later saw him slightly out of breath and flashing his pass to the stadium security guards, jogging to where he knew his husbands would both be. He was correct, and found them on their pre-game loop around the back halls of the stadium. Logan had used to warm up on the bikes, but ever since returning to Gryffindor he joined Leo in his and Finn's old warm-up.

I don't want soleil to be warming up alone anymore, he'd said. And I've spent too much time away from you both to do it anymore than I have to now. Plus, then you always know where to find us to kiss us before the game.

Indeed, Finn had known where to find them. They were running ahead of him, both in their spandex and some shorts. They were talking happily, and Leo said something that made Logan shove him playfully. Leo just laughed. It sounded like sunshine.

Finn couldn't contain his excitement anymore and ran forward. At the last second, Logan heard his footsteps and turned, eyes widening in delight. He slowed down, expecting Finn to stop, but Finn just kept running. He bent down and wrapped his arms securely around Logan's waist, picking him up and jogging a few steps before halting and squeezing him tightly. Logan was laughing freely, more freely than he did with anyone else, as Leo slowed down, too, with a smile on his face.

“Hey, teach,” Leo said. He looked Finn up and down. “You look hot.”

“Hi, butter baby,” Finn said. “And my Lolo.”

Logan wriggled around in protest, but Finn just held him tighter and kissed his cheek a few times. Logan was still laughing and turned his head to cup Finn's jaw, bringing him into a proper kiss. Finn sighed against his mouth contentedly, setting him down on the ground so he could hold Logan's face firmly with both hands. Logan's fingers were all in his hair and tugging at the strands. Finn felt a bit dizzy.

A warm presence made its way to their sides. “Do I not get a treat, too?”

“Mm,” Finn hummed against Logan’s mouth. “One sec.” He pressed a last firm kiss to Logan's mouth before pulling back with a smile. “Hi, Lo, baby.”

Logan's mouth was red. “Salut.”

Finn kissed his cheek before turning to Leo, grabbing his hips and pulling him flush. “And how's my sunshine?”

“Good,” Leo said. He smiled into Finn's first kiss. “Better, now that I'm with both of you.”

Finn just kissed him deeper. He clutched one arm around Leo's waist and one at the back of his neck, using this leverage to dip him suddenly. Leo gasped against his mouth, grabbing at Finn's shoulders. Finn loved to do this to the both of them, to take them by surprise and romance them, no matter how cheesy they thought him to be. He loved the feeling of their bodies and skin beneath his hands. He didn't think he'd ever tire of it.

After a long moment, Finn broke their kiss, staring down at Leo's flushed face and hair that seemed like it was floating towards the floor. Leo was smiling exasperatedly and lovingly at him. “You sure know how to sweep boys off their feet, huh, O'Hara?”

Finn kissed his forehead. “I've had lots of practice.” He helped Leo stand and opened his arm for Logan to join them. “How are we feeling, lovers?”

Logan kissed his jaw. “Ready. Right, Le?”

Leo traced a finger down Logan’s jaw and leaned down to kiss him lightly. “So ready. Colorado doesn't know what's coming for them.”

Logan leaned into the touch. Finn watched them love each other and smiled. He drew them closer to his body. “I missed you today.” He rested his head on top of Logan's. “I thought of you.”

Leo kissed his forehead. “Oh yeah?”

Finn nodded. “Robbie was nervous about being an academic and an athlete. I think he has a crush on Marianne, who's the smartest girl in school. She's not an athlete.”

“What'd you tell him?” Logan asked. 

Finn closed his eyes and swayed into the warmth of their bodies. “That I have husbands who like to read or be read to, and even if I hadn't played hockey and had chosen to just go into teaching, they would've loved me regardless.” He paused, then snorted lightly. “Oh, and Jesse and Daniel are totally crushing on each other. Jesse is going to help him with the hard English.” Finn could feel Logan’s smile against his shoulder.

“Mm,” Leo said into Finn's hair. “You mean we could've had a sexy English teacher from the beginning?”

Finn squeezed his hip. “Hey, you loved when I played hockey. I was a very sexy seventeen.”

“Ouais, you were,” Logan laughed. “The sexiest seventeen.” He kissed Finn's shoulder and Leo's chest. “Allez, we need to finish our warm-up.”

“Go on,” Finn said. He kissed them both hard once more each and patted their butts firmly. “I love you, good luck, I love you, you'll be amazing, I love you. Have I mentioned that I love you?”

Leo kissed his forehead and ran away. When he was far enough down the hallway, he turned to jog backwards. “I love you!” he shouted, eyes twinkling. “C'mon, Lo, I'll race you back!”

Logan pressed a fleeting kiss to Finn's cheek. “Je t'aime,” he said, then he was off and chasing after Leo. Leo's smile was bright and toothy, Logan yelling at him in French and him responding in kind, both of them laughing hard. 

Finn couldn't help the fond feeling that arose in his chest as he watched them run away. He missed them with every step they took, but no matter- they'd be back in his arms in a couple of hours, ready to go home and read a book before bed. Finn bit his lip around a grin and turned to go to the family box.

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - December 2nd

Hey, y’all! Here’s what I read over the past two weeks. Enjoy and be sure to give your author a comment & kudos! 

~

immutable as gravity by Areiton 

There’s something about flying that he can’t explain.

There’s a freedom to it that he’s never felt, anywhere else, doing anything else.

It’s like inventing and the best first kiss of his life, like anything is possible, as he hovers between earth and space, and only the strength of his bird around him.

There’s other things in his life that have been better--but he can count them on one hand and still have fingers leftover.

it might just have been you by Areiton 

"You have the whole world in front of you, Tony," Steve says, slowly. "When you get off this boat, there's nothing to stop you from living the life you want. If that's as a mechanic with a nice Alpha--you can have that. Just because what you grew up with is trash, doesn't mean that all alphas are. You can still have exactly what you want."

Tony laughs, and it feels brittle, sharp, cutting at his throat as it spills between them. "There aren't nice Alphas, Captain. No one is nice enough to walk away from a billion dollar fortune for someone like me."

"I would," Steve says, and it feels like a confession, like something he doesn't mean to share, and all the more precious for it. 

It Takes a Village (or a team of superheroes) by aven_garde

Three months after the Chitauri attack, Tony received a phone call that changed his life. (Or, the one in which a group of remarkable people come together and balance battling villains and raising a child).

Harrowed Beginnings to a Familial Pack by Arminius461

Steve is the sweetest, gentlest alpha in existence, completely in control of his instincts. After a mission goes south, he's suddenly affected by an unknown substance, making his instincts rage. He needs to be with his omega and pup. The only problem is that Tony is out at Peter’s science fair, and Steve and Tony don’t have a pup of their own…

Baby, Just Say Yes by betheflame

In a world where Tony's life looks a lot like Taylor Swift's, Steve realizes there always more to omegas than meets the eye.

a fool for you by earliebirb 

“I keep telling you, you should tell him how you feel.”

“Stop talking nonsense. It’s against protocol,” Steve says, eyes once again staring longingly at Stark, who is listening attentively to whatever Potts is saying.

Bucky rolls his eyes. “As if Stark ever cared about that.”

Just when Bucky thinks that the conversation is dead, just like the million other times Steve has shut Bucky down whenever he attempts to talk some sense into his best friend, Steve says in a quiet voice:

“Besides… they’re engaged.”

rearrange my heart (to fit your smile) by starklystar

"You dare," Howard's chair makes an ugly noise as it scrapes against the stone floors, the chatter of the room shifting into hushed whispers and stolen glances. "I am your father and your King!"

"My King is my husband," Tony tips his chin up, defiant. "And I refuse to hear you suggest that my husband has been anything other than good to me."

Next to him, he feels Steve's shoulders stiffen in surprise.

Howard's fist slams loud on the table. "Your husband does not even love you!"

Tony jerks back, burned. He knows that. Knows that Steve did not marry him for love – does not need any reminder of the cold truth, of what he desperately yearns for and can't even hope to have – but the harshness of Howard's words was scalding, and Tony can't afford for this to go any further.

Humbugs and Heart by MountainRose 

Tony's hurt, and there's only one place Jarvis knows he'll be safe. At least they have met the man, or this would be exceedingly awkward.

(It's not awkward, Steve would never make this awkward.)

For AngeNoir as part of the 2015 Captain America/Iron Man Holiday Exchange. I hope you like it, ;)

There's A History Between Us (and people think it's mine) by IamShadow21

A moment is all it takes to open up the box and confirm his suspicion.

“I think you're right, Cap,” Tony says. “This isn't my area.”

don't dream it's over by robertdowneyjjr

Steve thought they were happy. That their relationship was going strong, and they had forever ahead of them.

But apparently Tony thought otherwise.

There he was, like double cherry pie by Wolfsheart

Five times Tony comes into the bakery to flirt with Steve, and the one time Steve goes to the garage to flirt with Tony.

love can do some damage by parkrstark

Steve knew he was different since he was a little boy growing up with Bucky, and girls didn't make him feel the same way they made Bucky feel. There were only two people who ever knew: Bucky and his ma. And he planned to keep it that way. "They'll throw us in jail. If we're lucky." 

Steve had heard horror stories of castration, life in jail, and even death. 

"They won't throw me in jail for murdering thousands, but they'll throw us in jail for kissing? Seems kinda backwards." Tony leaned in for another kiss, and God did Steve want it. "'Sides. I know the Sheriff. He wouldn't throw us in jail."

Last Stop Before Malibu by justanotherrollingstony (adoctoraday) 

Steve stands under the hot sun, hoping that the next trucker to roll in will bring him enough money to eat tonight, enough to save a little, to get out of this place and go somewhere new.

What he doesn't expect, is to meet a man who changes everything.

When Tony leaves, Steve follows and finds a place in his home, his bed, and maybe, his heart.

Nobody Panic, Everything's Fine by itsallAvengers

Steve doesn't get jealous. He doesn't. Honestly.

It's just...well- Tony's been spending an awful lot of time with a new employee. Who's smarter than him. And funnier. And more interesting and generally a better match for Tony than he ever would be.

But he's not jealous. Honestly.

Drawn to You by jellybeanforest

In a world where what one writes on one’s own skin appears on their soulmate’s body in exactly the same place until it’s washed off or fades, no one has ever responded to Steve’s questions written in pen.

Who are you?

Where are you?

And once, out of sheer desperation: Wer bist du?

He has tried writing up and down both arms then across his stomach in pictograms when he reckons that perhaps his soulmate is a double amputee and illiterate, but nothing. No response. He is uncertain why he is so surprised. Everything else about Steve is broken, so why not his soul?

But when he points the Valkyrie downwards to crash into the deep, knowing he is about to die, he spares a few precious seconds to scribble one last message to his possibly-nonexistent, potentially-blind soulmate.

Twenty-five years later, Tony Stark is born with a single phrase on his left forearm written in messy old-fashioned script. And as he grows up, the words never change:

“I love you”

It is both a blessing and a curse.

Remix of “the words written on our skin” by Cathalinaheart. For the 2020 Cap-IronMan Remix Madness.

Operation Spank Bank by fohatic

Tony really shouldn't be hacking into classified SHIELD files behind Steve's back. Steve is a SHIELD agent, now—as well as Tony's captain—and this sort of thing reflects badly on him. So why is there a locked file titled "Operation Spank Bank" on Tony's private OS? And why hasn't Steve been briefed about any such operation?

The file is password protected, but Steve has an eidetic memory and has seen Tony enter it, before -- it would serve Tony right if Steve were to 'hack the hacker' and learn for himself what "Operation Spank Bank" is all about...

There's an App for That by Annie D (scaramouche) 

Thanks to the modern gig economy, Steve is the successful owner of a break-up service, i.e. people pay him to break up with their partners for them. One day, he gets the first break-up request for Tony Stark.

(what is hate) but jilted love by LemonGrenade

After a messy mission, Tony winds up injured and unfit for duty. To keep the press and anyone else overly interested in the current post-Accords Avengers unaware, Tony elects to hide from the public eye at his cabin in the Canadian wilderness. His plan is simple: lay low and work on his projects until he's recovered enough to make it back.

And then Steve shows up.

with a decent happiness by torigates

Tony Stark is Iron Man. Steve Rogers isn't, and never was Captain America.

Or, the one where everything is the same except Steve is a kindergarten teacher.

Star-joined Lovers by Ellster

Decades apart two boys are born with identical stars on their chests. As they find each other, their marks come into color.

In Our Arms by tinystark616

Having a threesome with Mark 42 was Tony's idea. Of course, he enjoys watching Steve with the suit more than he thought he would.

your heart breaks in my chest by deathsweetqueen

Steve Rogers was never more happy the day that his soulmark came in, but it led to nothing but disappointment and shame when his soulmate ignored everything he scribbled across his arm; as the years went by, the reason became unmistakable: why would his soulmate want a weak, wretched little thing like him?

Tony Stark was born bitter cold, like he was made of hailstone, and when his soulmark carved itself across his pulse point, he realised why; so, what is his life worth, what could it ever be worth, when his soulmate is dead and he would never have been worthy of him had he been alive anyway?

Patriarch by spqr 

Steve ducks into the hall and comes back with a warm, freshly-laundered towel, which feels so good when he wraps it around Tony’s shoulders that he almost lets out a moan. “There we go,” Steve says. “Don’t want you to catch cold.”

“Thanks, daddy,” Tony quips, because he’s an idiot.

Except Steve’s close enough, his hands wrapped around Tony’s biceps through the towel, that Tony can feel his full-body shudder.

[countrymusiclover]

50 - Uniting North and South

The Lion Knight and Dragon Princess

Here it is y'all. The final chapter of this story. I really enjoyed writing this one ❤️

Tags- just send an ask to be added @cdragons @kmc1989 @starkleila @noirrose21-blog @lover-of-books-and-tea

One year later - Winterfell

Amethyst’s shriek came over the winter castle of House Stark. The snow gently fell upon all the land and was a welcoming change from the warmth I always felt living in the south lands of Kings Landing. Keeping my head tilted up towards the sky I had my eyes closed just letting the gentle snow fall all over me enjoying the simplicity of it all.

In King's Landing I was Queen of the Eight Kingdoms. But here I wasn’t addressed as Queen. I was simply Vaella Lannister.

Footsteps came up behind me crunching in the packed snow on the ground and I could recognize that scoff from across the room always. “I don’t mean to complain too much but how can you stand out here and not freeze to death.”

“I’m the daughter of a dragon if you've forgotten. The cold doesn’t bother me as bad as it does you.” Slowly turning around to face him I held back a laugh seeing Jaime shivering and all bundled up in furs as he approached me.

He stopped in front of me attempting to wrap his fur cloak tighter around himself more than it already was at the moment. “I don’t ever think the North will grow on me like you think, Vae.”

“Well maybe it would help if you moved around more like our children are.” I suggested pointing my index finger over his shoulder and he saw that our four children were playing in the snow.

Rhana launched a snowball right at her older sister but she ducked and it ended up hitting Rhaegar in the back of his head. “Hey! Oh you're gonna get it.”

“Ahh! Chan help me.” Rhana screamed when he chased her, calling for her younger brother.

Except he wasn’t helping her. Instead Luciya was helping the younger boy build a snowman. Jaime turned his attention back to me, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. “I have a better idea on how to keep warm..” He bent down burying his face in my neck kissing the crook of my neck longingly.

“Jaime -“ I must admit that he looked handsome dressed in his red and yellow furs. His beard had some grey hairs in it, making him look almost like a Northerner.

He lifted his head connecting our lips together in a slow and tender kiss. “Vaella, I know just as well as you know me. Besides we know for a fact that my broker shall be sharing the eldest Stark girls bed tonight. We should follow their lead.”

“Just because your brother is getting married doesn’t mean we have to have sex tonight too.” Pushing my hands against his chest I blew some of my loose strands of my hair out of my face. I was wearing a red and black fur cloak over a thick red and gold gown. My hair was loose except for the crown braid on top of my head.

I had chosen to not wear my crown when we attended the wedding. For Sansa Stark was the Queen in the North, the independent kingdom.

My golden lion husband rested his forehead against mine, sighing heavily. “I suppose you’re right. But at least think about it will you. It’s been some time since we have Vaella.”

“I still love you with my whole heart, Jaime Lannister.” Draping my arms over his shoulders, leaning up and drawing him in for another kiss.

Jaime squeezed my waist kissing the crown of my head gently, light shining in those dreamy green eyes of his. “I love you too, Queen Vaella.”

“Forgive me my lord, my lady.” A knight approached our little family making the kids stop playing their games and me and my husband put our focus on the Northern knight. “The Queen is ready.”

Our family hurried inside the grand winter castle with the direwolf flag flying from every corner of the room. Entering the grand hall I noticed Tyrion standing at the end of a long line of Northerns standing on either side of the room creating a wedding aisle. Jaime and I took our place behind the dwarf and our children lined up from oldest to youngest right beside us. “Presenting her highness Sansa Stark, the Queen in the North.” The double doors opened revealing Sansa dressed in a grey and white gown and a simple silver crown upon her head.

“Queen in the North. Queen in the North!” The Northern men and women cheered when she made her way towards her soon to be husband. Her brothers Bran and Jon were standing by her younger sister Arya.

"You may now cloak the bride and bring her under your protection." The sept spoke softly, wrapping a white ribbon around their intertwined hands. "In the sight of the seven. I hereby seal these two souls. Binding them as one for eternity. Look upon each other and say the words."

Squeezing my husband’s hand that was in mine I watched Sansa bend down as low as possible so her soon to be husband could place the Lannister cloak over her shoulders. Sansa rose upright and the two faced the Septon once more to finish the wedding ceremony.

"Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crown, Stranger. I am hers and she is mine from this day until the end of my days." Tyrion and Sansa said in unison together with genuine smiles on their faces.

"Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crown, Stranger. I am his and he is mine from this day until the end of my days."

Tyrion and Sansa shared a kiss with everyone clapping and cheering afterwards. Tyrion led his wife by the hand over to Jaime and I yet to my surprise the pair went to bow and address us like they would be in the South. “Queen Vaella. Lord Jaime-“

“There’s no need for that. In fact - apologies Queen Sansa.” Picking up part of my dress I curtsy to the girl with auburn hair, bowing my head to her out of respect.

Jaime bowed with one hand behind his back. “Queen Sansa.”

“My Queen, I must confess to you that I might not immediately return to my duties as your Lord Hand. I don’t wish to resign from the job, it’s just now I have a duty to my lady wife.” Tyrion nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his freehand.

Raising up a hand I shook my head reassuring my friend, he deserves to have all the happiness in the world after what he had been through. “Tyrion, you don’t have to apologize. Jaime and I can rule without your advice to guide us everyday. I got my happy ending and now you and Sansa deserve the same.”

“Be happy, little brother.” Jaime bent down on his knees embracing his little brother in a joyful hug.

Tyrion tightly hugged his older brother with tears in his eyes. “Thank you, Jaime. Thank you for my life.”

“It appears we were both supposed to be Queens, Sansa.” I clasped my hands together in front of my dress seeing everyone in the room start moving into the dining hall for the feast and the dancing that would go late into the night.

The woman standing before me was no longer the little bird just like I was no longer the sweet daughter of the Mad King. We had both grown up despite what others may have thought about us. “I suppose you’re right, Vaella. The North and South are finally allies because of you. I will do my best to keep that going for many years to come.”

“The North is your kingdom and the South is mine. I know it’ll stay peaceful so long as we sit on the thrones.” I spared her a smile watching her and Tyrion take hands and head to the dining room. Our four children had already gone inside with Arya leaving me and my golden knight alone for a moment. Tilting my head to the side with a cheeky grin forming on my lips I eyed my husband. “Jaime, perhaps we could slip away like we used to do when you were my golden knight.”

A smirk crossed his lips with him scooping me up into his arms, rushing through the hallways in the direction of our chambers. “Whatever you want, princess Vaella.” I giggled lightly hitting him in the chest at using my old nickname, locking my lips with his the second he set me on my feet outside our chamber door.

My mother had proven to be right all along, the Lion Knight and Dragon Princess were always supposed to belong together now and always.

[prettypetals-900]

Come Back…

Pairings: (2007) Leonardo x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Angst, discouraging, heartbreak, long-distance, letter reading.

Leonardo went to South Africa, and when you say that this is the hardest thing you can go through. You still talk in letters, but what happened?

“Y/N…

Everything is going well over here. The quietness is way different than it is in New York. I almost miss the police sirens and rude people. Know that I think of you everyday and I love you.”

-Leo

You looked at the letter, rereading it so many times you mesmerized it by heart at this point. You clutched it towards your heart; hugging it tightly as though it was Leo and he was here right in front of you. You sighed. “I love you too Leo, so much…” you whispered to yourself looking out the open window.

Hopefully wishing that the breeze that flew in would take your whispered promises to him. You quickly wrote your letter. Your hands shaking with the amount of words you wished you could express to him but words couldn’t fit all of them in paper.

“Leo…

I’m so happy and proud of you. I’m counting down the days till I can see you again. Glad I never left your mind cuz you never left mine. Your brothers and father miss you, April and Casey are living adult life. I am excited to live that kind of life with you. Get home safely and I love you so much.”

-Y/N

You folded the letter making it fit the envelope perfectly. Pasting the stamp in front of it and giving it a kiss. You placed it on your dresser making note to mail it along with his fathers and brothers letters first thing in the morning.

“Y/N…

Everything over here is way different. Innocent villages get terrorized, and I’m their only savior. It’s a lot easier than it is in New York I’ll tell you that. I have no time to write but I still think about you.”

-Leo

This letter seemed rushed, his usually neat handwriting written as though he had no steady surface. Dirt smudged the ink though it was not eligible. Though it wasn’t carefully thought out as his others you still cherished it with all your heart.

You carefully placed it in a shoe box along with his other letters, pictures, wild flowers and anything else that y’all have collected together or he’s given you. You brought out your paper and pen. Making sure to grab a surface to write on.

“Leo…

It’s alright as long as I know your safe. Please continue being the hero I know you are. The villages must be more than grateful for someone like you to look over them. I went out to brunch with April earlier. It was alright and I went to mediate with your father. Meditation as he says is great for the mind. Please be careful and I love you a lot.”

-Y/N

You did your little routine for his letter. Making sure to give it an extra long kiss. You sat in your bed looking longingly in the memory box. Staring at a little Polaroid photo. You and Leo in your apartment.

Laying on your bed you were giving him a kiss on his cheek, eyes closed while he smirked at the camera though a blush was faint on his cheeks. You smiled softly at it. Your just happy Leonardo was safe, and that his training was almost complete.

Looking towards your calendar you looked at the circled date of his arrival. Smiling and giddiness spread through your face and body. Happily skipping to your dresser as you placed the letter on it. You jumped back to your bed.

Your dreams consists of him.

Today was the day! You happily skipped your way to the lair. There at the lever you pulled light spilled across you happy features. You made your way inside balloons following behind you. Don’t even ask how you got it down there. (Such a fucking pain the ass)

You made it in the common room where you saw Donnie and Raph sitting on the couch. Watching something that certainly would rot their brain. “Hey raphie, Hey D.” Donnie waved as Raphael grunted. You put down the balloons and made your way into the kitchen. Passing by a banner that hung you read it.

“Happy birthday Welcome Back LEO!!”

You giggled slightly at the last minute job and very noticeable happy birthday signed hanging. Walking into the kitchen you saw Mikey trying to bake to what seems like it’s gonna be a cake? “Wassup dude, wanna help a turtle out here?”

You giggled and helped decorate the cake as Mikey hummed. “Where’s Master splinter?” “Oh he’s in his meditation room. He said he had a feeling or something. Whatever that means.” He shrugged though you didn’t put much thought into what he said.

Everything was set. The cake, the decorations, everyone was there. Leo was supposed to come through that door any minute now and you couldn’t help but bounce your feet In excitement. You all sat there even though Raph still had his scowl you knew deep don’t that smirk meant he was just as excited as you are.

1 hour…

“Maybe he’s running late. I’ve looked at the traffic it’s completely congested right now I’m not surprised if he isn’t stuck in it.” Donnie said as you all nodded. Right it’s only been an hour. You guys have all day.

3 hours…

By this time Mikey has started playing video games on the tv loudly as Donnie went back to his lab “Give me a holler when he comes!” Me and Raph were the only one looking at the entrance. Trying to spot any movement. April and Casey leaving about an hour ago. “Tell Leo we said sorry that we will make it up to him!”

You and Raph will of course keep watch not wanting to miss a second of him walking in, a whole new leader.

7 hours…

By now it was almost midnight. You stood there motionless. Tense as you can see raph’s silent rage. Mikey and Donnie stood in the back of y’ll waiting for someone to say something, anything. They heard Splinters came tap the ground as he made his way towards y’all.

“Y/N…my sons…” he quietly said. Raph though couldn’t hold his silence any longer interrupting his sensei in a fit. “He ain’t coming right?!” He looked down. That was the answer you all needed. Shoving you and everyone in his way to the side he rushed to his room slamming the door.

It shook the entire lair, though it didn’t bother you. You were still shocked, standing still watching the empty entrance. Mikey and Donnie slowly making their way to their own rooms before you felt a hand on your shoulder. “He’s not coming, is he?”

Looking down you saw it was master splinter. “My child it is much to late to go home now. Come please sleep in Leonardo’s room. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.” You nodded stoic faced before walking slowly to his room. It was untouched from the last time he was here. Everything in place. His books, his bed.

Slowly you later in his bed making sure not to crinkle the sheets too much. Talking a deep breath was the biggest mistake you could’ve done as you got his scent. It wafted towards your throat, making the bubble that was already there pop.

Sobs started to shake your body. The silent cries more painful than any wound that was inflicted on you. You couldn’t stop till you passed out from exhaustion holding his pillow tightly to your body, as though you were holding him closely.

“Y/N…

I’m not coming back home. I feel as though I made no progress in my training. An unfit leader for the guys and Master Splinter. Please don’t wait for me. Live on with your life.”

-Leo

You gripped the letter. Though this isn’t with love. It’s felt with pain and dread. Rereading the sentences again, and again, and again till the words and letters started to smudge. Not only in your head but in the paper as heavy globs of tears fell onto it.

Your throat burned as the yells of his name and acid clogged your throat. It felt as though your heart was absolutely ripped out of your chest and stabbed till it no longer beat. You shook as you wrote your letter, knowing damn well he wouldn’t respond. Thought it was messy and sloppy u threw it in your dresser.

Cuddling your pillow, you dreaded the day to come. Having to mail the last ever letter to him. Thinking of that made your heart ache and fresh tears fall silently on your face.

“Leo…

Though I know the letter I have received will be my last from you, I just want you to know this. I will never move on, no matter what you think I will keep on waiting for you and loving you till you come back. I will love nobody else but you. Stay safe and come back to us…please.”

-Y/N

Leo read your letter, losing count on how many times he read it till remembering it by heart. His heart burned looking at the tear stained papers, the ink smudging and handwriting sloppy. Though it was from you.

And it kills him inside. Though he isn’t ready. He’s a disgrace to his brothers, to his sensei, to you. He will come back a better leader and he will never blame you if you aren’t in the picture anymore. He has done that to himself.

He looks down to the letter he’s written. Rereading it thought it seems that words aren’t enough. And why keep refreshing your pain? Reopening your wounds? He ripped up the letter angrily throwing it in the wind. Looking at the other direction from his tree, the wind hit his face making the tears that slipped cool.

The ripped letter blew around before a piece got stuck in a branch. Flopping hazardous before it smoothed out. Revealing the words written out on it…

“I’m Sorry…”

Thank you so much for reading this! I hope you all enjoyed this piece it surely was fun to write! Feedback and ideas is highly recommended! Till next time MUAH!🤍🌻

[namiraswriting]

With the window left open, curtains dancing in the soft breeze, the Odai river can be heard below. More so than the water itself is the echoing of boats sloshing about, towing cargo and travelers alike through the heart of Balmora.

A young girl, a servant working for the house, had come through earlier in the day to open all the windows, letting the air in. The homes here, hollow stone things with tall ceilings, were built to let in cold air off the river, keeping the buildings cool during hot summers.

They could, of course, open the windows themselves, but it might be overstepping.

"Don't bother with it," Denanu had said to him once before, "someone will find it rude, and then we'll have an issue on our hands."

He's never had servants before, who quietly slip in and out of rooms, making his bed and setting out his things at the start of every day. These people, he imagines he might have drank with them in the South Wall years beforehand. Now they don't look him in the eyes, bowing their heads when he speaks

The river smells green, algae and soil wafting in on the wind, almost nostalgic to him now. The place he'd lived in before wasn't grand, and it certainly wasn't waterfront, but he used to come stand beneath the shade of the bridges, watching local fisherman hauling in the day's catch. These days, he stays in a manor, one he's not permitted to leave without some sort of house chaperone breathing down his neck.

Sitting at a low table, he gingerly picks up a soft white cake, roughly the size of his palm. It's warm still, coated in powdered sugar and smelling of marshmerrow. He tries in vain not to get powder on the dark silk of his robes while he takes a bite, spare hand cupped beneath his mouth. It's chewy and sweet, with some spice in the background that he doesn't recognize. With no one there to watch him, he places an elbow on the table, slouching forward and contemplating the flavor of his food with a bored expression.

He's not a fan of sweets, never has been, but he has nothing better to occupy his time than to eat. Set out on the table before him is an elaborate spread; fresh yam bread paired with spicy scrib jelly, sliced honeydew, pickled pumpkin, steamed saltrice, fried fish, and ash hopper dumplings. And, of course, the powdered marshmerrow cakes.

All of this is paired with imported flin from Cyrodiil, and an easy blend of gingergreen tea. His own cup had been poured for him when he'd sat down, nearly twenty minutes ago now, and he uses the cold tea to wash away the sticky taste of cake.

He's alone, for the most part, with very little to do until company arrives. He'd dressed for the day - bathed and shaved and dutifully put on what was selected for him to wear. He'd read over notes a few times, things written down by Denanu to help keep track of who's who, and to manage his ever growing schedule. He'd stared longingly out more than one window, smoking his pipe and thinking of the local street food that he's not permitted to enjoy.

[forgetfulshadow]

❝Why be selfish, when you do that enough for the BOTH of us?❞ It's a quick witted little jab. Nothing MORE. And with it out of the way, she allows him to continue while she INDULGES in another sip of wine. If the party below were to go as INTENDED it would be rather boring in her mind, so might as well get a little tipsy. Though his words HAD sparked a promise of MORE a moment ago, so she wouldn't indulge TOO much. One glass between them couldn't hurt though, right? Right.

Shadowheart continued to smirk in his direction as he went on about the stones and knowing that they were better off as a TEAM than enemies. Perhaps he was right, but still she couldn't stop the urge to roll her eyes - just a little bit. He always managed to speak to her as if talking down to a child. It would be INFURIATING if she only allowed him to get under her skin, but as it stood? She was able to brush such comments off and instead turn her attention down to the stone of his in QUESTION.

❝You sure DO worry about my pretty little head a lot don't you?❞ Her smirk melts away into something more sickly sweet and without any further notice than that shift upon painted lips, one hand reaches out to almost LOVINGLY stroke the stone upon his hand. It's a gentle little move, one that shouldn't make him JUMP back with a scare or anything and then she sighed. Just as LONGINGLY as one would if she truly DID wish to acquire his stone, but in fact it was the exact opposite of what she wanted to do.

NOT because of the energy it would require like he had mentioned, but she simply didn't want to get in over her head. The plan was ALREADY risky enough, and Shadowheart KNEW she needed to be realistic. If things went SOUTH she would need to drop everything and disappear on a moments notice. If she had not ONE, but TWO stones, all eyes would be on her. It would be impossible. So no, she didn't REALLY want to steal his stone. But a girl could TEASE just a little more.

❝But purple really IS my color, don't you think?❞ In one fluid motion, fingertips JUMP from his stone, and end up on the one upon her necklace instead. The thing dangles there between her breast and suddenly she cocks her head to one side as she regards him just as intensely as before. ❝You must think so ... if you went out of your way to match this to your own.❞

He had a great deal of respect for Shar and her followers. They were dangerous, efficient—their operations were not altogether dissimilar from those of the Banites. They dealt heavily in the trade of information, and they knew how to exploit an opportunity when it fell into their hands. He certainly felt he had more in common with Shadowheart than their other conspirators: Ketheric, a forlorn bag of bones swept straight from the crypt, and Orin, a frenzied hunter who made a habit of breaking the rules. Both of them had the potential to eventually become a problem. But Shadowheart? She was elegant, practical. For all that she liked to tease, she knew the benefits of their alliance outweighed any petty differences.

There was only one tenet of the Sharrans he could not seem to reconcile: their utter lack of worldliness. For all their power, for all their ambition—traits blessed by Bane—they chose to deprive themselves of worldly pleasures. Gortash understood the virtues of hard work as well as anyone; but what was it without a bit of play?

“Your devotion to Lady Shar is most admirable,” he remarked, relinquishing the goblet without fuss. “But I do wish you’d be selfish once in a while. How might that black heart of yours indulge if you just let slip the leash?”

It wasn't lost on him—the vaguely predatory slink in her steps, the spark of the hunt in emerald eyes. Perhaps he should have felt threatened under the gaze of a Sharran Justiciar, but fear never got him anywhere. He'd earned his place, the same as she. They were monsters alike, cut from the same violent cloth. The danger in her stare simply made him smile as he poured himself another cup of wine.

“And why should I want your stone? So that I can command complete control of the Elder Brain? Please. There’s ambition and then there’s foolhardy. If I wanted the stones all to myself, I never would have brought you into this scheme in the first place. The Elder Brain is exceptionally willful—I’ve no interest in expending all my energy trying to bring the damned thing to heel.”

A pause. He considered her there, a paragon of beauty draped in silver, the handsome sapphire necklace a chain of stars around her neck. “And while we’re on the subject, should that pretty little head of yours be considering a plot to acquire my stone, might I suggest you reconsider? We’ll get nowhere trying to rip each other apart. The only way we succeed is if we work together.”

[beautouslysandy]

Long Time No See

By-Sandy

Sodapop Curtis x GN!Reader

Warnings: Soda + Fluff = Death By Cuteness

-You and Sodapop have been friends since grade school, you, Sodapop, and Steve are best friends, you have had feelings for each other since junior high. -Neither of you have ever said anything, for you it was because no matter what Sodapop said the group of 3 friends would change forever and there will be no going back, for Soda it’s because he is to nervous and feels he doesn’t deserve you…he had feelings for you tucked away even when he was getting serious with Sandy.

-You live on the south side…..now. Your dad got a once and a life time offer, the only downside was leaving your home and friends. You would see them periodically at school but now it’s only Steve. You don’t have any classes with Steve. It wasn’t that you felt you could no longer talk to them cause you live on the south side it’s because there is no time to talk. Your heart is broken in pieces, and the only person that can fix them is your friends. You miss them and they miss you but Sodapop misses you enough for the three of y’all.

You were walking around the Nightly Double (drive-in) with a couple of “friends”. They really were just people you knew from school who are a fond of you. You sat down in a chair next to “your closet friend” the person you knew the most. You had some familiar voices chattering behind you but didn’t look behind. After the movie you turned around and saw Sodapop and Steve. You felt a huge smile grow on your face. You headed over to say hi, your friends said they would catch up with you later.

As you got closer, Sodapop saw you and grinned widely.

“Y/N!” He cheered, running up to you and gave you a bear hug.

You laughed “Hey, Soda!”

As you both pulled away from the hug, he stared into your eyes with a sparkle in his. You got a little pink. ———

Your friends ended up sitting in front of where Sodapop and Steve were going to sit. They let you sit with Soda because they all totally think you guys would look cute together and are totally rooting for y’all.

“Y/n, you want some popcorn or something?” Sodapop asked randomly turning to look at you almost with awe.

“Yeah, sure. Do you want me to come with you?” You replied with a smile.

Sodapop got a like pink and with a sheepish smile said “Yeah.” You both headed to the concession stand and got popcorn and drinks. “Sodapop got a like pink and with a sheepish smile said “Yeah.” You both headed to the concession stand and got popcorn and drinks. ”Thank you so much.” You said to the cashier with a smile who replied with a forced smile.

You could hear Sodapop chuckle under his breath as you guys left the concession stand you ask “What was their problem?” With a chuckle

“No clue, if you smiled at me and said thank you. I would be smiling ear to ear.” He said with chuckle and took a sip from his Coke.

You got a little pink, you felt Soda getting closer to you. You began to wonder if he felt the same way you did. ———

“It was great seeing you, guys!” You said with a big smile hugging your two old friends.

“Yeah it was awesome seeing you, Y/N!” Sodapop said just as cheery with his big ol’ grin. “It was great seeing you, Y/N.” Steve said chuckling at began talking with a friend of yours.

The was a minute of silence as you and Sodapop looked into each others eyes. It was like a scene in a movie with you just staring into each other’s eyes longingly. “Will I see you again?” You heard Sodapop asked with a slight grin.

“Do you want to see me again?” You asked with a more noticeable grin.

“I asked, did I?” He replied with a chuckle.

Once those words left his mouth you felt like you had a whole bucket-full of butterflies in your stomach, your heart was pounding, and you felt your face growing red. You nodded with a smile and laughed about your reaction. “Want to go get some ice-cream?” You asked with smile trying to change the focus off of your tomato face.

“I would, let me ask Steve” He said but the stopped himself “Is it okay if Steve comes or do you want this to be a one on one?” He asked kindly with that ear to ear smile.

“Steve can come, haven’t seen y’all in ages. The more the merrier.” You said with a grin because at this moment you were so unbelievably happy.

———

Sodapop pushed the ice cream parlor door open and the bell on the door jingled. He left you go first, such a gentlemen. “What flavor are you getting, Y/N?” Steve asked, he looked at the double fudge ice cream with joy. “F/IC/F, you?” You asked on instinct even though you already knew the answer.

F/IC/F: Favorite Ice Cream Flavor

“Double fudge, what about you Soda?” He said with a grin.

“I might have strawberry. I am not sure.” He replied, looking at the ice cream.

(I am sorry but I could totally see him taking his time to chose an ice cream flavor)

After y’all ordered your ice cream, Sodapop ending up getting your favorite flavor, y’all sat down at a table outside. Steve left early for some reason, Sodapop said Steve and Two-Bit we’re gonna go to a party. “This is nice.” You said taking a bit of your ice cream.

“Yeah, wanna walk?” Sodapop replied with a smile.

You guys were walking along the neighborhood and soon got to your street, he turned to you and said

“Y/N…ever since we met…what 14 years ago, you have always carried a little piece of my heart with you. I have never had enough courage to say anything but now I do. So I was wondering if you would like to go on a date sometime…with me.” He said dreamily with his adorable smile but it was a little sheepish.

You grinned and once he saw his face lit up, you replied with “Sodapop Curtis, I would love too.” You chuckled.

Right then and there he kissed you, you kissed him back. He then told you goodnight and to call him next morning.

“I don’t have your number though?” You called out as he walked away.

“Look in your pocket!” He cheered and looked back with a smile. You looked in your pocket to see a small piece of paper with his house number on it with a little heart. You smiled widely and looked up to see Sodapop stopped at the sidewalk smiling at you.

“Good night, Soda.” You called back with a flustered smile and a laugh.

He grinned back and replied louder with “Good night, Y/N!”

-Hey y’all it been a while since I have wrote anything and I apologize for that. I will try to do better! Love y’all and enjoy!

[obsessivelyloved]

Someone asked to see it so here it is. I might re-write this because i do like the concept I had

______________________________________

Long ago, in the country Blaggerdorf, a civil war broke out. In the end, neither side was victorious. But they each came to an agreement, to build a wall that'll divide the south and north. Over time, one side became a hell on earth, while the other was a near perfect society. And thus the tale of our two lovers was born.

Edd looked longingly at the wall that separated him and his love. He didn't understand how Tord was able to climb it, it was completely and utterly terrifying! Speaking of Tord, Edd wondered what he was doing, he was usually here by now. Edd sighed in sadness. If only their country didn't go into a pointless civil war and build this idiotic wall. Then he and Tord could be together! Even though it was a beautiful dream, Edd knew it was a fantasy that could never come true. For not many people in this country supported same-sex relationships.

"Why so down my love?" Edd looked up to see Tord sitting on top of the wall. Edd's face immediately broke into a grin.

"I'm not down!" He protested, "I'm just thinking."

Tord laughed with a sly smile, running a hand through his brown locks. "Could it be that you were thinking about me?" Edd blushed, which in turn made Tord laugh even more.

"I don't blame you, I am quite handsome after all." Tord teased.

Edd stifled a small smile, "No my dear, I'm handsome, you're cute." Tord laughed and climbed down off the wall.

"That's what you think," Tord smirked. Edd rolled his eyes and took his backpack off his back. Tord was immediately interested in what was in it. Edd pulled out a small container of cake and Tord's eyes widened in awe.

"Want some?" Edd asked as he opened the container.

"You should know what my answer is by now," Tord said as he snatched the container away from him. Edd didn't mind, he knew that since Tord lived on the bad side of the wall, he didn't get such things as pastries. Edd rummaged through his bag for a fork and handed it to Tord, who took it gladly.

"What's… what's it like living on the other side of the wall?" Edd asked hesitantly. Tord immediately stopped eating the cake, his appetite gone.

"It's like living in hell." He answered quietly.

"C'mon It can't be that bad!" Edd exclaimed. "I could go live with you!" As soon as Edd said that, something inside Tord had snapped.

"Absolutely not!" He barked at Edd. Edd snapped his gaze down at the grass.

"It was only a suggestion," He muttered. Edd's green eyes brightened back up a minute later.

"I know, what if you lived over here with me!" He exclaimed in happiness. Tord sighed.

"You know perfectly well why I can't live over here with you Edd," He said quietly, picking at the hem of his red shirt. Edd ran a hand through his brown hair. Just as Edd was going to respond, a shout made their blood freeze in their veins.

"DEMON!" Edd and Tord started at the man who shouted in shock. Their minds numb with panic, they sat frozen. The man kept chanting "demon" but when a crowd started to form, Tord snapped out of it and helped Edd climb the wall. He then proceeded to climb it himself.

"That was close," Edd breathed out. He could still hear the chants from the other side of the wall.

"Oh God," Tord whispered, holding his head.

"What's wrong?" Edd asked, his voice thick with concern.

"You're on my side of the wall," Tord choked out, starting to panic. Realization dawned on Edd's face.

"What should we do?" Edd asked Tord shakily. Tord stood there for a few minutes, deep in thought.

"I know," He said, his voice jumping uncharacteristically lighter, "We should-

BANG!

Edd's eyes went wide as he fell to the ground, the gunshot ringing in his ears. Blood began to seep through his green shirt. He looked up at Tord and whispered, "Why?" Tord looked at him with an excited smile, his amber eyes twitching.

"Because now my love," Tord whispered into Edd's ears as he held him close, "Now we can be happy together forever.”

With that, Tord leaned in for one last passionate kiss before turning the gun on himself and pulling the trigger. Tord pulled Edd closer and died in the embrace of red and green.

[lostinwildflowers]

vii. Broken Spirited

Summary: You've come to accept life as a princess, and Zeke has started to make an impression on you that you weren't expecting. Yet there is a part of you that can't let go of Porco, and when you suddenly turn ill, things change.

Word Count: 2.1K

Warnings: Angst, Swearing, FLUFF??? (somehow), Pining, Mentions of vomiting

A/N: Hehehe! Here is chapter 7 of this series! Wowza this one did not turn out like I expected, but this is a love triangle after all! Please enjoy "Broken Spirited"! -Birch<3

Masterlist

Next: That Night To Remember

Previous: White's Not My Color

The next few days in the castle are quiet, the world that you had known totally crumbling, and your will to fight the monarchy crashing.

You’ve become silent, simply going to the meetings you were required to go to, taking notes through the lectures that you found incredibly boring.

You somehow managed to make it through your riding lessons, as every time you rode all you could think about was the way Porco would help you get on and off, the teasing remarks he would make before galloping away.

You’ve been the best princess in training you could be, and it was disheartening to see. Both Armin and Mikasa had stayed in contact with you, as Eren had asked them to watch over you when they could.

Eren himself had actually checked in with you every once in a while after he was told what happened at the Galliard farm. Usually it was late in the evening when everyone had gone to sleep, and he would let you talk if you wanted, but he generally led the conversations.

In fact, he had told you that he thought it was a shame what had gone down on your wedding night. He thought that Porco would have been ecstatic to see you, and he believes you shouldn't give up on the blonde-haired blacksmith.

You didn’t have the heart to tell Eren how Porco yelled at you, the way he pulled away from you, the way he looked at you.

Instead, you just shrugged, stating, “He’s probably just working to cope with everything. That’s how he’s always been, and I’m doing the same.” Eren didn’t have much to say after that, and then he left you alone for a while.

The shift in your attitude was shocking for most, but in particular, it was a huge change for Zeke. You had managed to sit in his presence, even going as far to listen to him talk about things, things that weren’t even necessarily related to politics and running the castle.

Just… casual things.

Like how the horses were enjoying the warmer spring weather, and that the birds were starting to return from the south. Conversations that you never thought you would be having, you were sitting through, although not always pleasant.

“I’m still not having your children,” you state firmly, standing in the doorway leading out to your balcony. Zeke was behind you, sitting on a plush chair, running his fingers through his hair as you spoke.

Zeke opens his mouth to interject, but you cut him off as you turn around and say, “However, I will be fine to attend the next ball tomorrow evening with you.”

Zeke blinks in surprise at the shift of your tone, but stands up and straightens his clothes out for a second before walking up to you. He tilts his chin down, his icy blue eyes locking onto your own (colored) ones.

“And what of the meeting we are both to attend the following morning?” he asks lowly, his eyebrow quirking inquisitively.

You face off with him, your neck bending so you could hold his gaze evenly, and with a confidence you never knew you had, you simply whisper, “And that too, I will attend. And any matter of courtship where our presences are required.”

Zeke whistles smoothly at your response, shocked that you had given up your prior ideals that fast.

But he’s no idiot.

He noticed that you had put that “P” shaped pendant away. He noticed that you had covered up the fading marks on your neck with makeup. He noticed you stopped looking longingly out at the fields with melancholy in your eyes.

Zeke figured something must have happened between your wedding night and the present day, but he’s glad you aren’t fighting him every step of the way. It was a slight pressure off of him to know that your old life was behind you and that you were focusing on becoming the best princess you could be, and eventually, queen.

Zeke just nods at your statement and then looks away for a moment, his eyes catching sight of something outside on the balcony. In his moment of silence, you take in the man who is now your husband.

His golden locks were wavy, every day. His beard- trimmed and neat without a single wild hair in sight. His eyes were a light blue, reminiscent of ice in the wintertime, or the blue of an early dawn.

As much as you hated to admit it, you could see why girls from surrounding countries, and even within Marley, were attracted to what had been the single prince.

And after letting him talk and sitting through conversations you had believed to be boring, he was quite the intellectual. Yes, he liked things a certain way, was firm in his beliefs, and made you know it, but he was a great listener.

He took in every word you said, formulating concise and direct responses that sometimes caught you off guard. After spending time with him, you were beginning to see what everyone else saw, and it scared you.

Because he wasn’t Porco. And it’s not that you suddenly were in love and happy. It was just the fact that he wasn’t quite the villain you had made him out to be, and that he was indeed quite human.

You are broken out of your thoughts when Zeke’s voice rings out and he says, “I know I’ve given you the space that you’ve wanted for the last week or two, but I would suggest in a few weeks we should move to share my bedroom. It’s only-”

“That’s fine,” you say softly, shrugging as you move stray pieces of hair out of your face. Zeke closes his mouth in surprise, giving you a small nod before taking a step back. He clasps his hands in front of him, your eyes catching on the gold band located on his left hand.

You watch him silently for a second before he replies, “Well then, I shall let you return to your studies then, Y/n. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

You curtsey to him and with a minuscule smile you say, “Have a nice day, Zeke.” He had walked to the door, and as he grips the handle to shut it behind him, he gives you a small smile in return and says, “Have a nice day, Y/n.”

The next few weeks slide by slowly, lazily like water drifting down an idle river. The days grew warmer, the sun shone brighter, life should have been happier.

But you weren’t.

You had found yourself moving into Zeke’s bedroom, and while it was surprisingly clean and neat, it didn’t feel right. He had cleared one-half of the room for you, leaving a walk-in closet for yourself, as well as a door that led to a small nursery of plants.

You enjoyed time tending to the plants, organizing your things, but some days, Zeke was insufferable. He was and wasn’t the man you thought he was on the day you found out he would be your husband.

He was neat, yes, but that was expected of him. What you didn’t know was that he had a tendency for smoking, especially late in the evenings.

Zeke would try to slip out of the shared bed, quiet for the most part, but the sound of the balcony doors opening and the light from his match had you awake.

Had you missing nights with Porco, untainted by the smell of smoke and the glowing end of a cigarette.

You didn’t mind sleeping next to Zeke, it was something you were going to have to get used to. But your heart longed for Porco, longed for the love the two of you would share in the shadows of the night.

The late-night conversations about the future, the playful banter as the two of you changed into your nighttime clothes. You missed the feeling of his lips of yours, the warmth he radiated when he pulled you close to his chest in the middle of the night.

Yet, you needed to remind yourself of your reality: Porco didn’t want anything to do with you anymore.

It wasn’t just the relationship with Porco that you missed, though. It was the years of friendship the two of you had built together. It was the bond that you had with his brother, Marcel, and all of the memories the three of you would create together. The two brothers were your best friends, and now they were gone, and you were alone.

And that night, with Zeke smoking on the balcony, you fell asleep on the giant king-sized bed, lonelier than ever.

Even more time passed by, and things had taken a turn. At first, it was just a month. You found yourself in pain with aches and cramps in your stomach, vomiting in the middle of the night, and sometimes growing pale.

It had been going on for a week or so, but not every day. Some days you looked strong and confident like the princess you were trying to be, and then others looked like you needed to be carried from room to room.

With being in close quarters with Zeke over that time, you had established your routine. And in a strange way, the two of you began to care for each other. Not necessarily romantically, but making sure the other was presenting themselves the way the future rulers of the kingdom should.

Yet tonight, you found yourself pushed awake by the sudden urge to puke. You fumble, trying to shove the bed covers off at the intense heat that seemed to burn the ends of your nerve fibers, and you bring a hand up to cover your mouth to stop yourself from hurling at that moment.

You get up out of bed hurriedly, the grogginess of sleeping leaving as you race toward the attached bathroom in Zeke’s room. Thankfully, Zeke hadn’t blown all of the candles out, so there was some lighting as you launched toward the toilet, emptying your guts into it.

You were so caught up in trying to not vomit everywhere that you hardly notice the warm hands that brush the hair out of your face, gathering it into a makeshift ponytail.

Zeke’s hands were rough, not as rough as Porco’s, but still gentle as he rubs your back and pulls the hair up off of your neck and out of your face.

“Hey, hey. It’s alright,” he mumbles softly, sleep thickly coating his voice as you finish emptying the contents from your stomach, sobs gently starting to rack your body. You didn’t know why you felt so sick, but you did appreciate that Zeke wasn't being an asshole about it.

You allow him to comfort you at that moment, your walls finally crashing down. You felt broken, sick, and alone. Zeke pulls you to his chest, his long torso giving you plenty of room as he gave you a loose hug.

You try to shakily stop the tears from rolling down your cheeks, and in being so caught up in your head, you barely hear Zeke’s next words.

“Y/n, I think it’s time we have you visit the doctor, okay? Go ahead and get cleaned up, I’ll send for him first thing in the morning,” he whispers softly, the glint of his eyes in the candlelight softer than you had ever imagined possible.

But you give him a nod, pulling yourself away as you regain your composure. You didn’t know how to feel about Zeke at the current moment, your heart was still attached to Porco, but proximity to Zeke had your mind reeling.

In all honesty, you really only spoke to Zeke when you needed to, it was a rare occasion if the two of you had actual time to sit down together and talk about anything other than charters, military, farming, and politics.

You didn’t know how to feel, so you ended up feeling alone. Even Eren, Mikasa, and Armin pulled away from you a bit, usually spending all of their time together. You never wanted to bother them, so you were left alone.

And while you did feel lonely and out of place most days, through all of the sickness you had endured the last week or so, you had this feeling in your gut that something was going to happen.

You couldn’t truly believe that Porco could just leave you like that, he loved you. The one thing getting you through this blip wasn’t Zeke, Marina, Eren, or the guards. It was the fact that you still had that pendant Porco made you, and never once thought about getting rid of it.

Tag list: @xxdragonwriterxx @tejxswini @mysterystarz @mortedeveles @vs-redemption @kal0psi-a @gin-no-g @starstruckkittensweets @kitacharm @sukosie @shirari @animated-moon @mitzwinchester @elitparadox @yumeyooa @angels-main @missyasma @sasha-geyo

[andypantsx3]

war paint | 5 | hot water

pairing: Bakugou Katsuki / Reader

length: 27,765 words / 10 chapters

summary: Desperate times force you to disguise yourself and join the kingsguard. When a suspicious string of crimes strike the palace, however, Captain Katsuki Bakugou starts paying extra close attention. (spin off of in cinders)

tags: mulan AU, secret identity, romance, reader-insert

warnings: aged up characters, some violence, eventual smut

You laid low over the next few weeks, avoiding Captain Bakugou to the best of your ability.

You didn’t make eye contact during your drills, shifting behind Kaminari and Sero’s shoulders when you could. You kept to your bunkroom when you weren’t on duty, and ate quickly in the mess halls, leaving as soon as you were finished lest he come dine with his battalion. You left the palace grounds only to post your wages to your family, and hurried back quickly in case Bakugou came looking and found you gone.

You also steered clear of Nishimura and his idiot friend Hasumi, taking alternate routes when you saw them on the training grounds and saying nothing about the animals and bugs you continued to find in your sheets.

Your only relief was your continued patrols, especially when you were assigned to Sero or Kaminari. Kaminari in particular was good at getting you out of your funk, tripping over himself to make you laugh and forcing you to socialize with all his palace favorites like Hagakure the laundress or on one notable occasion, Ochako Uraraka, companion to the princess-to-be and wife of the prince’s trusted valet, Izuku Midoriya.

His favorite stop, however, continued to be Mina’s workrooms and you found yourself getting quite comfortable with her, relaxing into her bright and cheery presence. She kept you well entertained with easy humor and palace gossip.

“I heard Captain Bakugou told the prince he’ll have the thief in chains before the wedding,” Mina said one evening as you and Kaminari finished up your rounds. “But it’s hard to know where he’ll strike next. There’s no discernable pattern in the rooms he targets or the things he seems to take.”

“Wow, never thought anyone would be able to stump that guy,” Kaminari said, kicking his feet up on Mina's worktable. Mina growled, shoving his muddy boots off the bright fabrics. Kaminari overbalanced and only just managed to stop himself from face planting, grabbing her chair tightly.

He shot Mina a dirty look but continued. “Bakugou’s basically like a bloodhound. I thought for sure he would have sniffed the thief out by now.”

Mina sighed. “I know! And it’s giving the servants ideas now, too. One of them stole Lady Yaoyorozu’s best gown right out of the laundry rooms last Sunday. The housekeeper’s had a right time of it trying to track down the culprit.”

You thought back to your own patrol on Sunday, but it hadn’t taken you anywhere down near the laundry rooms. Nishimura and Hasumi’d been on that route and you wondered if the theft had occurred right under their noses, the pair of fucking idiots.

“If I were the thief,” Kaminari said, “I would steal an entire tray of those little cinnamon buns cook Rikido makes.”

You laughed. You had yet to try one, but from the way the other soldiers waxed poetic about them, you didn’t doubt they were worth stealing.

“Ooh, I would pilfer those sweet cakes he does,” Mina said longingly. She looked as though she was thinking wistfully of a long lost lover.

You thought to yourself. If you were any kind of thief, you’d steal money, most likely, to send back to your family. Or maybe something of the captain’s to burn. You wondered if he cared enough for anything that you could get him to beg you for it back. You quite liked the image of him on his knees before you...

A chuckle from Kaminari brought you out of your fantasy.

“Maybe we should take up a life of crime,” he said.

Mina eyed him. “Think of how fast Bakugou would figure you out and say that again. He’s the smartest person in this entire castle.”

Kaminari winced. “On second thought, protecting and serving is my passion. I’ve never so much as looked at a stolen pastry. If someone approached me with one I’d report them straight to the captain.”

You’d heard from Mina exactly how the prince’s future bride had bribed her way into the mid winter ball, so you weren’t buying it.

“In other news,” Mina said, “The new servants' baths are finished. You lot might get to try them! I heard they’re only waiting on an inspection from the steward to open. Hagakure said she already snuck in for a dip in the ladies’ baths and just about melted.”

Your interest piqued. You hadn’t had more than a rushed scrub down in weeks, and if the baths weren’t open yet, your chances of being disturbed were few.

“Where are they?” you asked, trying not to look as interested as you felt.

Mina described their location and dropped the tantalizing fact that they’d been built over a natural hot spring just south of the castle. Mentally, you could feel yourself rubbing your hands together with glee. Maybe tonight you could soak away all the stress from the past few weeks.

Kaminari yawned in disinterest. “No wonder you’ve got such a girly face, L/N. You’re basically as bad as Mina.”

You scoffed. “There is nothing wrong with being clean.”

He raised a golden eyebrow. “You even sound like Mina.”

Mina patted your arm sympathetically. “Denki was born to repel women, L/N, don’t hold it against him. A woman likes a well groomed man. Keep it up and you’ll have your share of ladies hanging off you when you grow up.”

You stifled a laugh. You certainly hoped not.

Kaminari, however, looked absolutely incensed and he bit out a retort at Mina, storming out of her office and bodily dragging you with him. You suppressed a smile and followed him through the rest of your rounds, trying to look appropriately chastened when he told you off for not defending him.

You felt lighter than you had in ages, though, and you looked forward to an evening spent in the baths.

Late that evening, hours after everyone went to bed, you crept out of the barracks and followed a worn path to the south of the castle. The baths proved tricky to find in the dark, but soon enough you stumbled upon the entrance. In case Hagakure was around for another illicit dip, you stuck to the men’s side, not wanting to explain to the laundress why her friend the soldier suddenly had sprouted a pair of breasts.

You lit a match and followed its light into the steamy heat of a dark room. You pressed it to a set of sconces set into the wall which, when lit, revealed an open pool sunk into the floor of the room. The light wasn’t enough to see the bottom of the spring by, but you could see steam curling off the surface of the water and you shivered in delight.

You quickly undressed, leaving your clothes and your breast bindings in a neat pile by the side of the pool, and climbed into the dark water. The heat instantly loosened your shoulders, and you could feel what must have been months of tight knots unraveling within your muscles.

You let out a sigh and sank in up to the top of your head, letting the water sluice over your shoulders and hair. You grabbed for your soap and washed down thoroughly, luxuriating in a feeling of total cleanliness that you hadn’t felt in months.

Then you let yourself float, feeling near ecstasy in every single nerve where the warm water touched your skin. The gentle lap of the water against the side of the pool and the steam curling up around your face lulled you into a stupor.

Until the scrape of a boot at the entrance reached your ears. Cussing, you ducked back down in the water, swimming over to press your chest up against the side of the pool, your heart beating frantically like a frightened rabbit.

Your stomach dropped when light caught on a lock of unruly blonde hair, and Captain Bakugou slipped into view.

“Interesting place for me to find a soldier who’s supposed to be in their bunk,” he said, smirking. His eyes were bright in the torch light.

You wanted to rush out of the baths and leap into your clothes, but you could only hold still in fear as he stepped closer. He looked like he’d come from his own bed, only wearing a loose linen shirt over a pair of soft breeches, his usual uniform conspicuously absent. You tried to ignore the peek of a well defined pectoral through the low collar of his nightshirt.

“Captain,” you said quickly, “I, um...I couldn’t sleep.”

He moved to the edge of the pool, staring down at you. “And you think that means you can just defy my orders, pretty boy?”

You flushed. “No, sir. I’m sorry, sir.”

He looked you over, scarlet eyes running over your wet hair and shoulders. “You look awfully comfortable in there. Not gonna get out?”

Your heart shot into your throat. You couldn’t get out, not in front of him. Not if you didn’t want this whole charade to be ruined right here, right now. You didn’t know if Bakugou would knife a woman, but you didn’t want to take your chances and find out.

“I’m, um, embarrassed to, Captain,” you said by way of explanation. You stared at his boots, not daring to look up into his handsome face.

“Well aren’t you delicate, princess,” he quipped. His boots shifted and all of a sudden his face was in front of yours. You startled, shooting back from the rim of the pool, water sloshing loudly around you. You covered your chest protectively -- you didn’t know how well he could see in the low light of the torches but you didn’t want to test it.

A gleam of interest came into his eye and his gaze picked over you again. He looked disconcertingly curious, his head cocked to the side, like a wolf considering which part of the prey to tear into first.

To your horror, his hand moved to his shirt. Before you knew what he was doing, Bakugou grinned and pulled his nightshirt over his head. You had a glimpse of strong arms and a defined chest with a mouth watering set of abs before you panicked and whipped around, staring hard at the opposite wall.

“What are you doing?” you asked, your voice coming out high and squeaky.

“The fuck you think I’m doing, shrimp?” he asked. You heard the mortifying sound of his belt being undone and the scuff of his boots as he stepped out of them. “I’m testing something.”

“C-captain,” you said. “You’re not coming in here.”

You heard a low chuckle. “Don’t wanna share, princess?”

“Th-that’s not it!” you gasped, spine locking up as you heard his pants hit the ground. There was a slosh and water rushed over your back in a small wave. “Captain, this isn’t right.”

His rough voice was coming too near. “It’s a communal bath. We’re communally bathing. You some kind of pervert or something?”

You certainly felt like one if the way your eyes had tried to stay stuck to his chest was any indication. “And if I am?” you asked.

There was another low chuckle, this time right by your ear. “Awful shy for a pervert.”

You stood still, hardly daring to breathe. Your thoughts raced wildly from one topic to the next. What did he think he was doing? How were you going to get out of here without him figuring you out? If you pushed him, could you make it out of the baths before he caught you? If he caught you, what would he do?

A broad, hard chest pressed right against your back and your brain froze completely. You stopped breathing.

What was this? This was beyond teasing. What was the captain trying to accomplish?

“Still embarrassed?” he rumbled in your ear. A shiver went through you and your arms tightened around your chest, praying he couldn't see anything over your shoulder.

“This is the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to me,” you blurted. You tried to will your mind to disconnect from the nerve endings in your back. He was so, so warm.

He snorted, and there was a moment of hesitation before he sloshed away from you again. You sighed in relief as the heat of his body left your back. “Not counting you getting your ass kicked in the mess hall.”

Irritation flashed through and you would have rounded on him if you could have turned around. “I wasn’t getting my ass kicked.”

There was a splashing sound from behind you. “Oh, were you only pretending to be losing spectacularly?”

You clenched a fist under the water. “Look, why are you here?”

There was a beat of silence.

“You ain’t the only one who can’t sleep,” Bakugou admitted roughly, surprising you. You chanced a look at him over your shoulder, only to whip back around, shame-faced. Yep, his abs were still there.

“W-why can’t you sleep?” you asked for something to say, voice a little shaky. You cleared your throat.

“Why can’t you?” he asked.

You frowned. “I asked you first.”

He let out a low chuckle. “You’re such a pain in the ass.”

You could feel your cheeks heat, and you tamped down on an indignant so are you. A soldier didn’t talk to their commander that way, nor a peasant to a marquis.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me, princess,” Bakugou said. His voice sounded smug, like he knew what retort you were clamping down on.

You thought for a moment on what you could tell him. You couldn’t exactly admit to waking in the middle of the night to bathe without having your gender revealed. You could be vague, though, and still tell the truth.

“My family,” you said. “There were some things that, uh, led me to the kingsguard, and I was thinking about that.”

Bakugou seemed to accept that. “I was thinking about how I'll kill that thief nice and slow when I get my hands on him.”

You shivered despite the warm air of the bath house. The thought was unsurprising, but Bakugou being kept awake by it was. “You’re more bothered about this than I would have guessed.”

A loud, gusty sigh echoed from the other end of the spring. “They’re fucking with my territory. And they’re bothering the shit out of Shouto and his dumbfuck valet.”

“The prince?” you asked, surprised.

“He’s a...friend,” Bakugou admitted. You were somewhat shocked by the admission that Bakugou had anything like friends. You wondered what the prince was like, to be so unbothered by Bakugou’s rough manner. Or maybe Bakugou didn’t try his usual tack with a member of the royal family.

“I’ll kill anyone who fucks with him,” Bakugou growled quietly, “Or that green-headed little snot rag.”

You guessed he meant Midoriya, the valet. He sounded oddly protective for someone he called a name like snot rag. You wondered wildly if, despite the disturbing terms in which he spoke of them, he considered the prince and his valet something like family. It would explain why he was so bothered by the thief when he was normally so unflappable.

“I hope you find them,” you said, the sincerity in your voice surprising even you.

“Oh, I will,” he promised darkly. You shivered again.

A loud splashing from his end of the spring distracted you and you looked back over your shoulder, only get an eyeful of a very chiseled butt leaving the pool. You yelped, covering your eyes.

“What are you doing?” you gasped.

Another low chuckle reached your ears, along with the rustle of fabric. “Leaving. Didn’t you want that, princess?”

You took a breath. “Well--yes.”

There was more rustling. “I’ve had my fun with you,” he said, and you heard the scuff of his boots as he pulled them on again. “Don’t let me catch you out of your bunk again or I’m fucking discharging you.”

You nodded, heart beating wildly. Had you really gotten away with this? “Yes, sir,” you answered dutifully.

Bakugou let out another derisive snort. “Get to bed,” he said imperiously, and then he was gone.

You turned to stare after him, listening to the tread of his boots grow further away. Finally, as the sounded faded, your knees gave out and you sank back under the water, feeling horribly relieved, and yet more confused than you had ever been before.

You'd escaped, but...what the hell had just happened?

[105nt]

Strike-Walk #1

Simpson's-in-the-Strand to Denmark Street

The Silkworm, chapter 37

Strike set out for his office beneath a sky of dirty silver, his feet moving with difficulty through the rapidly accumulating snow.

This walk, which "would take a fit and unimpaired adult perhaps a quarter of an hour" occurs after Strike's lunch with Jerry Waldegrave. Strike walks from their lunch venue - Simpson's-in-the-Strand to his Denmark Street office, and is pursued by Pippa Midgley.

Simpson's-in-the-Strand still exists, but its doors are sadly chained shut. Twitter suggests that the restaurant closed due to COVID in March 2020, and there are suggestions elsewhere online that it will be reopened, date yet to be confirmed. [1]

After spending "his entire week's food budget on a single meal" Strike lights a cigarette and walks eastwards down the Strand, turning north (left) into Wellington Street and passing "the fluted columns of The Lyceum Theatre" (which is currently showing The Lion King. [2])

He thinks about the Quine murder case, and by the time the "scarlet facade of the Coach and Horses" comes into view, he's thirsty (really, mate? it's been like, two minutes since lunch). He makes himself resist going in, but of course I didn't, and can confirm it has gleaming brass beer pumps and convivial clientele.

It is when he glances longingly towards the Coach and Horses that he sees Pippa Midgley for the first time, "scurrying along the ... pavements behind him". It sounds as if they are on the same side of the road at this point, and this would be consistent with them both being on the east side of Wellington Street, the same side as the pub, walking north.

He keeps tabs on Pippa by looking at her reflection in windows and brass door plates, and there's no shortage of door plates that side of the street. So far so good.

We soon reach the junction with Russell Street where things get a bit more difficult. According to the book, as Strike crosses Russell Street, Pippa ducks into the Marquis of Anglesey.

The problem is, if you stand on the south side of Russell Street, looking north, the pub is in front of you on the other side of the road. But Pippa is supposed to be behind him, so either she has overtaken him at some stage, or he is on the west side of Wellington Street and she is on the east, in which case she might have drawn level with him as he waited to cross the road, (hence the need to dart into the pub so as to allow him to draw ahead again).

Unfortunately, on the west side of Wellington Street, between the Coach and Horses and the Marquis of Anglesey, there's not a single brass plate to be reflected in (although there are some windows) and it seems unlikely he would be able to use reflections from brass plates on the other side of the road. Perhaps Strike crosses Russell Street diagonally, both E to W and S to N, and she catches up with him that way, while allowing him to use all the brass door furniture up to that point.

(continued...)

1.https://twitter.com/Simpsons1828/status/1241107324087029760?t=2VaXfxVhBYUyFxwt85DtYg&s=19; https://www.thesavoylondon.com/restaurant/simpsons-in-the-strand-restaurant/ (accessed 25.8.22)

2. https://www.thelyceumtheatre.com (accessed 25.8.22)

[jimmys-zeppelin]

ghostin'

chapter twelve

(table of contents)

(chapter eleven)

april 6, 1976

As Ellie left the studio the next night, she got into her car and rustled around her purse for her pack of cigarettes and lit one once she was able to pull it from the carton.

A taxi pulled up beside her car across the street, Ellie looked over as she took a drag. The figure emerging from the vehicle was dressed sharply in a long collared leather jacket, a tight-fit black t-shirt and nicely ironed slacks. It could only be her best friend.

The two quickly made eye contact and started laughing as he gave her a hug through her open window. "Let's go, I was coming to pick you up." Andrew said in a cheerful voice, tapping on the edge of the car's window before coming around to the other side and hopping into the passenger seat beside her.

"Where are we going?" Ellie asked, taking a drag of the cigarette as she started the car.

"Lafferty's of course." Andrew said, naming the pair's favorite bar just south of Los Angeles. Ellie squealed excitedly, shifting into drive and speeding down the road in the direction of the pair's preferred spot.

☆

That morning Ellie was woken by a throbbing pain in her skull, a sharp ringing once her hearing had returned to her. The doorbell was ringing. Why was the doorbell ringing?

Looking over at the clock, it read 11:05. Ellie groaned, looking down at her clothing situation and deciding to go downstairs to answer the door anyway.

The door swung open and the biggest bouquet of flowers she'd ever seen had been presented before her eyes. A head poked out from behind the bushel and smiled at her. The teenager holding her flowers took out a card from his pocket.

"Ellie Saunders?" he asked.

"Yes, that's me." Ellie said sweetly, "who sent me flowers?" she asked.

"Someone by the name of Jimmy." the man replied, handing Ellie the bouquet, "There's a card in there explaining what the different flowers mean along with a note from Jimmy. With the little I know about flowers, I'm assuming he loves you a lot. Congratulations. Enjoy."

"He does..." she said, taking a long look at the flowers, noting a specific red flower among the all the white ones, "thank you!" she smiled at the boy as he walked off.

Closing the door, Ellie took a light whiff of the flowers, a fluttering sense of love flowing through her at the scent. Placing them on the counter, she was quick to find the cards attached. Reading the one with picturesque decorations of flowers first, Ellie compared them with the flowers in the bouquet.

Baby's Breath

A batch of baby's breath signifies innocence; usually to celebrate a child or a recent union between lovers. Compassion is at the heart of your sender's reasoning for sending baby's breath.

Daisies

The daisies in your bouquet indicates your sender's sense of loyalty to you. Your love is what keeps them going and they are true to you as you are to them. 

Primrose

A single primrose says that your lover simply cannot live without you. You are a guiding light in their life and you are as important the air in their lungs. We want what you have.

Ellie's eyes drifted back and forth between the flowers and the card. Tears began to brim in her eyes as she set down the card and looked at the note hidden inside of the tiny envelope. Gently tearing it open, Ellie unfolded the note.

Eleanor; my love, my light. Since I cannot be with you in person, I hope these flowers will aid in my overall presence with you during this time. You've made it clear to me that life between us is what you truly want. I admit, I was not fully open to it at the prospect, but I am ready to do this with you. As soon as we can see each other again, I hope to be in your embrace forevermore. Keep moving forward. I believe in you. I love you.

With You in Spirit, Jimmy

"Fuck," Ellie whispered to herself, wiping away at the tears uncontrollably watering her cheeks. She plucked the single primrose from the bunch and looked at it longingly. Contemplating whether or not to call him, Ellie twisted the stem around between her thumb and forefinger. Maybe she'd give it a moment. Or what if he was waiting for her to call him?

The phone beat her to the punch when it started ringing. She could only assume it was him, "hello?" she answered, trying to compose herself.

"Did you get the flowers, my love?" Jimmy's voice, lighter than air, came through the phone.

"Yeah, they were all rotted and disgusting." Ellie said, teasing him with a laugh.

"El—"

"I'm kidding....I know you'd probably commit a crime if they came to me that way. They were lovely, Jimmy. Thank you. The primrose was my favorite. I know you're obsessed with me."

"I guess you could say that." he chuckled. "So I'm assuming you read the part about me willing to try, yes?"

Ellie froze for a second, not expecting to talk about everything at that exact moment, "uhhh," she trailed off, "yeah. I read it."

"And? Do you want to go through with it?"

"Well, I don't want to force you into any—"

"Els, I want to." He cut her off.

"It's a big decision, I figured you'd probably need a few days." Ellie tried to dissuade him.

"I have another six months and I've already thought about it."

"Oh okay."

"Ellie, is this not what you wanted?" Jimmy asked, more than confused.

"I do, I just...I didn't think we were gonna plan on it. Or that you'd say yes so soon."

"Well, I'm ready whenever you are, my love, so...as soon as I get back we can...go at it like bunnies if you so please." he said the last part in a pained voice.

Ellie laughed at his choice of words, "Got it," she replied, "So what have you been up to?"

Jimmy stammered out a response, not exactly sure what to update her on, "I've been doing lots over the last few days, if I'm honest, hehe."

"Any extracurricular activities?" She asked, testing the waters.

"A little bit, yes." he answered honestly. "But you know how it is...you sound a little bit tired, what fun were you getting up to last night?"

"I sound tired because I am tired. Andrew dragged me to the bar last night after I left the studio, we had to get a taxi home because I got a bit hammered. Then I wake up to these beautiful flowers at my door."

"So you had a good night?"

"Yeah, there was some good music, we had some laughs. Good drinks....you know how it is." she repeated his phrase, although with a different connotation to it.

There was a long pause bedore Jimmy took a breath, "El, I have to go, Peter's here shaking his watch at me."

"Alright, we'll talk later."

"Okay."

"Thank you again for the flowers."

"Of course my dear, I'll call back soon." Jimmy said. After saying their goodbyes, Ellie hung up the telephone. She eyed the primrose in her hand before putting it back in its vase with the other flowers.

"I'm going back to bed." The blonde muttered to herself, padding back upstairs to her bedroom where she promptly fell back asleep.

---

masterlist | playlist

Taglist: @diaryofafan17 @tophats-n-lespauls @witchesdust @jonesyjonesyjonesy @paginate54 @hejustsatisfiess @salixfragilis @princesspagey @reincarnated70sbaby @rebel-without-a-zeppelin @kyunisixx if you want to be added to the list lmk!

5-10-21

8-2-21

[mirasolis]

My Star, Your Light

Punz x Reader

Tangled AU

Part One

★──────────★─────────★

This is just you and Punz thrown into the world of Tangled, as requested by @thequeenofuwu . We are both Punz simps, I know it.

This is going to be in several parts, and I will link each part when I finish them under here.

Part 1 Part 2

Enjoy!

★──────────★─────────★

This, is the story of how I was killed. But don’t worry, it’s a happy story, and truth be told, it’s not even mine. This is the story of a girl I met, named (Y/N). It all starts with the stars.

Years ago, a piece of the stars fell from the skies, and from it sprouted a magical, silver flower. Now this flower had the ability to give you your greatest heart’s desire, if you knew what to to say; or rather, if you knew what to sing. People had searched for the flower for centuries with goals of becoming rich or powerful.

But then one day, a man named Dream had stumbled upon it and decided to keep it hidden from the world so he could one day use it. He made it keep him alive, while he grew with power and became immortal, but he had no purpose for it yet.

Even more centuries passed, and a kingdom grew. It was bright and prosperous and happy. All except for the beloved King Phil and Queen Samantha, who had longed for a child of their own to have. Now, around this time, people get pretty desperate, and royal scholars had found research about the star flower, and decided that the whole kingdom was to search for this magic flower. The kingdom loved their rulers and respected them that they searched for days on end.

Now, back with the immortal Dream. He still had no proper way to use the power of the star flower, and continuously hid it. But by chance, he left it exposed to the naked eye when he heard that people were searching for it. When the people found the flower, they rejoiced, for their king and queen would smile once more. The monarchs conceived their first child, a beautiful baby girl. I’ll give you one guess. Yep, that’s (Y/N). To celebrate her birth, the kingdom released silver lanterns in the sky to represent the stars from which the flower had come from, all while shooting stars passed by. Later that year, the king and queen gave (Y/N) her younger brothers, Wilbur and Techno.

For a while, the kingdom was happy. But all that ended when (Y/N) was almost two years old.

Dream had plotted with his crew, men who went by the names George, Sapnap, Badboyhalo, and Callahan. They stormed the castle, sneaked in, and stole away the princess. The kingdom’s soldiers and people searched across the lands, but she was nowhere to be found. Deep within the woods, a magical barrier disguised the home of Dream and his crew from sight. Within that, there was a tower from which you could only enter through the window and a rope. There, the princess was hidden away, with her rapidly growing (H/C) hair coloured with silver streaks. There, (Y/N) was raised, never seeing the outside world again.

Dream, posing as her brother, was one day tending to (Y/N)’s hair when she asked a question. He hummed in response. “Why can’t I go outside?”

“Well (Y/N), the world outside is a dangerous place. I don’t want you to get hurt or used for horrible means. Keeping you here means you can be safe,” Dream responded.

(Y/N) nodded silently, humming a gentle tune.

But the king and queen never stopped hoping that their child would come back. And the barriers cutting (Y/N) from the rest of the world could not hide it all. Every year, they continued the tradition of releasing the star lanterns every year. They hoped that this could serve as a signal so that one day, their princess would return.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

17 years later…

A young girl snuck around, looking for her companion, a small multicoloured sheep named Puffy. Dream had given her the sheep not too long ago and they already bonded nicely. They were currently playing some hide and seek.

“Oh Puffy!! Where are you?” (Y/N) called out in a singsong tune. The sheep was currently hiding along the flower bed that was on the window sill of the tower entrance. (Y/N) looked around with wide eyes. “Well, I guess she’s back inside…

“…NOT!”

(Y/N) manoeuvered her hair to wrap around Puffy and pulled her from her hiding place, dangling her in the air. She laughed as she grabbed Puffy and held her in her arms, snuggling into her wool.

“Oh Puffy, I know you want to go outside, but I can’t bring you there. We just have to wait ‘til Dream gets back so you can get some grass. Besides, we’ve got plenty to do in here!”

(Y/N) danced around, her growing as long as the tower was tall, and tall it was. She bounced from activity to activity, bringing Puffy along for the ride. She finally slowed down when she gathered her paints and illustrated a beautiful depiction of her gazing at the stars.

“I wonder what they’re like…maybe Dream will let me see them this year…”

Meanwhile…

Three men were jumping along the tops of the castle, looking for the right building to infiltrate. One wore a mask coloured with red, yellow, and black, and was called Ponk. The next one wore a significant amount of purple clothing, such as his purple coat and shoes, and was appropriately called Purpled. The last man wore a white plain shirt with leather cuffs covering his forearms and keeping the sleeves in place, and over that he wore a very light grey vest on top. He had blonde hair and he went by the name Punz.

The three of them were a team of mercenaries and they were on their latest job, stealing the tiara of the first princess. While Purpled and Ponk were making sure they had found the Crown Room, Punz was holding onto a castle tower and looking at the view.

“Guys you gotta look at this view!” He exclaimed.

“Dude, we don’t care about the view, just get over here and grab the crown!” Purpled urged.

Ponk scoffed. “Dude, you can find another view like this when we get the money!”

Punz brushed them off and dropped down with the two men lowering him down an escape rope. He stepped down quietly, gazing at the beautiful crown adorned with jewels in front of him. Just as he had his hands on it, a guard sneezed. As common courtesy goes, Punz just naturally said bless you, grabbed the rope, then signalled Ponk and Purpled to pull him up. About halfway to the ceiling the guards turned around and looked up to face Punz who was waving the crown around triumphantly, smirking.

In a hurry, the guards organized themselves and searched for the mercenaries while they were long gone, running into the forest, away from the main city.

With (Y/N)…

(Y/N) could hear the calls of her brother asking her to let down her hair, as the tale goes. She bounded for the window, excitedly letting her hair down while looking at Puffy.

“Puffy! This is it! I’m going to ask Dream today!” She declared as she pulled Dream up to the tower room. As he entered, he pulled off his cloak and took off his mask, revealing some wounds on him. Dream set down his items, leaving a nice patch of grass for Puffy by the window.

Dream sat down in a chair, while (Y/N) rushed around to make everything comfortable for him. She hummed a song, healed Dream quick and got straight to the point.

“So, Dream, I was wondering…I turn 18 tomorrow, I become an adult and I was wondering…if I could see the special stars!!”

Dream looked in her direction in alarm. He was thinking to himself. His plan would soon come into fruition, but if she left now, it would all go south.

“Oh, (Y/N), I think you mean the regular stars,” Dream tried to sway her mind.

“But Dream, these stars are special! The patterns of these stars are not constant. These move in every which way every year, and they only appear on my birthday Dream! I want, no, need to see them up close, and understand what they are!”

“Oh please! (Y/N), you’re too fragile for the outside world! I keep you here because its to keep you safe! It’s a scary world out there! I do this to protect you, you’d be taken advantage of! And imagine what would happen if they found out what your hair could do! (Y/N), please promise me to never ask about leaving this tower again? You must understand!”

(Y/N) contemplated her choices in her mind before she agreed. “Okay…”

Dream picked up his cloak and headed for the window to leave. “I’ll be in the village talking with George and Sapnap. I’ll see you in a bit.”

As (Y/N) let her brother down to do business, she looked at the world below longingly.

In another part of the forest…

Punz, Purpled, and Ponk were running through the forest still, hopping over logs and lakes. Punz stopped to catch a breath when he looked at a wanted poster of him and began to panic.

“No no no no no. I can’t believe this! They drew my face wrong!” He showed the poster to his partners, and they saw that Punz’ nose was severely misshapen and his hair was too long.

“Dude, who cares?!” Purpled questioned.

Ponk urged the two of them along until they came upon a short cliff they had to climb. Punz turned around to face them and told them, “Okay, you guys launch me up there, and I can pull you up.”

Purpled and Ponk shook their heads. “Give the crown first,” Ponk demanded while gesturing to the bag that held the crown.

“Ouch, that kinda hurts. You guys don’t trust me? After all our escapades as fellow mercs?” Punz asked.

“The satchel. Now,” Purpled ordered.

Punz sighed, resigning the bag to them. He climbed the rock with their help, reaching the top.

“Now pull us up Punz,” Purpled requested.

Punz laughed. “Sorry, can’t carry any more!” He flashed the satchel before slinging it around his body and running off while hearing his partners’ screams.

Punz kept running, and the castle guard was on his tail. Even worse, they were accompanied by one of the Crown Princes, Technoblade. Punz grimaced and recalled Techno’s history as a renowned fighter, leading the kingdom’s army and winning every battle. He urged his legs to work harder, to run faster.

Punz hopped through a fallen tree’s branches, cutting off most of the palace guard. Technoblade made it through and continued giving chase to the white-clad mercenary.

“We have him now, Carl!” Techno declared to his faithful horse.

Punz kept running, grabbing a forlorn vine and swinging around a tree to knock Technoblade off his horse and taking his place. Punz grabbed the reigns and tries to ride Carl away from the guard, but the horse tries bucking him off. They go back and forth, between trying to ride forward and grabbing the crown, not noticing that they were heading for a cliff.

The satchel flew away from the fighting pair’s grasp and landed on a single branch on a tree dangling sideways on the cliff’s edge. They wasted no time in reaching for the bag, not knowing the tree was breaking until it was too late. They fell off the edge, the crown ending up in Punz’ hands.

After that nasty fall, Punz woke up and sighs in relief when he sees the crown is still in his possession. He hears the distant neighs of a familiar horse, and looks for a place to hide. He tries feeling for a hole big enough for him to fit it, when his hand passes through a tree, a green glow around the part where his hand entered. Taking a risk, he threw himself into the trees and ended up in a dark cave just as Carl passed by.

Punz let out a tense breath and walked along the cave’s path until he came into a clearing. A tall, majestic tower loomed over him, casting a shadow over the land. Behind it, he could see a few houses. But the tower piqued his interest more. Maybe there were more valuables inside. He smiled and got to work climbing the tower using the sturdy vines that lined its walls.

After a tedious while of climbing (thankfully, no one had spotted him), he burst through the window doors and entered the tower’s main room. He sighed, opened the satchel, and took a breath, looking at the crown. “Alone at last.”

Then he was knocked out. Simple as that.

(Y/N) held the cast iron frying pan in her hands, retracting it from its position from when it knocked out the intruding Punz. She shrieks and dashes away from Punz’ unconscious body, slowly creeping up on it to make sure it was safe. She checked to make sure he wasn’t dangerous, flipping away a piece of hair that covered his eyes. (Y/N) leaned in closer when he suddenly opened an eye. In a panic, (Y/N) smacked him in the head again, not considering the possibility of a concussion.

(Y/N) looked for a place to hide the man while saying to herself and to Puffy, “I knocked him out! All on my own! Holy! If this isn’t enough to convince Dream that I can be let out of here for one day, then I don’t know what will!!”

She ended up stuffing him in an empty closet, being successful after a few tries. She looked at the satchel the mysterious man dropped, paying attention to the small shine emanating from it. Curious, she opened the pouch, revealing a piece of metal embedded with several precious jewels. She looked at Puffy, trying it on like a bracelet. Puffy’s wool shook with her head in denial. She peeked through one of the jewels, but that didn’t seem to be the purpose. Finally, (Y/N) tried putting the piece on her head. It looked like it fit perfectly. Then Puffy shook her head again. Then a noise sounded from below.

The girl heard her brother’s calls and she grew excited. As per usual, she let down her hair, and pulled Dream up. (Y/N) was very eager to tell Dream about her surprise.

“Dream! Oh you won’t believe what I have to show you!! It’s a big surprise!” (Y/N) bragged.

“Oh? Well I bet mine is bigger than yours!” Dream chimed.

“Doubt it!”

“Well, I am going to be making you your favourite dinner tonight!”

“Well, Dream? There’s something I want to tell you…” (Y/N) began to segway the conversation into her being able to leave the tower.

“(Y/N), I hate leaving you after fights. Especially when I’ve been in the right the entire time,” Dream vocalized.

“Okay, so I was thinking about what you said earlier today…” (Y/N) began to speak, but was interrupted by Dream.

“I hope you’re still not set on seeing those stars.”

“I’ve told you! They aren’t stars!” (Y/N) insisted. “I’m leading up to that!”

“I thought we were gonna drop the issue (Y/N),” Dream said sternly.

“No, Dream! I’m just saying you think that I’m not strong enough to take care of myself.”

“I know you’re not strong enough, take it from me.”

“Would you just-“

“We are done.”

“Why can’t you just-“

“I SAID WE ARE DONE.”

(Y/N) shrunk away from her brother, never hearing Dream’s voice so loudly before.

“I…all I wanted to tell you is that, I know what I want for my birthday now…”

Dream, fed up with me, asked coldly, “What.”

“Umm, the paints that dissolve with water? And perhaps a canvas? No bigger than my torso.”

“You know that it’ll be a long trip? And I’ll need to take someone with me?”

“I just thought it would be better than, than the ‘stars’.”

“Will you be fine (Y/N)?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine right here.”

“…Okay. I’ll be back soon.” As Dream prepared to leave for the trip, he looked back at (Y/N) one more time. “Love you, sis.”

“Of course, brother.”

As Dream descended from the tower, he thought to himself. He needed to carry out his plan fast. He rushed to his house to discuss with George, his right hand man. They set off, not for paints, but for items needed to extract (Y/N)’s power from her.

(Y/N) wallowed in her pity in the tower, then remembered the whole ass human in her closet. Puffy hid behind (Y/N)’s legs while she opened the closet doors.

The man just slumped out. Like a limp noodle. It made her jump, but ultimately decided to tie him up in a chair with her hair while hiding in the shadows.