#welcome home knowledge bug au

[gremjaylin]

Not sure if I should keep Fraud Wally- just saying-

Anyway, here's the Knowledge Bug AU based on the Buzzy the Knowledge Bug games!

I'll see abt the designs for the rest of the characters later

[cryptids-of-spielzeit]

(Hello all! Welcome to "Cryptids of Spielzeit", a Poppy Playtime AU where the toys escaped from the factory after the Hour of Joy, where they now reside in the woods near the small, isolated town of Spielzeit, a former company town of Playtime's who cut ties with the company long before the Hour of Joy, and way before the company made it big.

Soon enough, the locals begin witnessing the toys, but with no knowledge of what they truly are, they are soon considered to be cryptids. Now, with a forest full of cryptids and more people catching wind of it, a certain former employee-turned-ranger is set to make sure no one finds out what the creatures are, and to make sure they don't continue what was started in the factory.

This AU was created by @jyoungbloodvo , with the banner, shown below, and some of the lore drawn and written by @abugcalledtoken

Be on the lookout for entries in the Spielzeit Bestiary! Otherwise, I'll be postin' short stories! Ciao! - JY)

Bestiary Entries So Far

Short Stories

[curveofthevalley]

Voltron Primark Universe

welcome to the primarkverse, an au in which the voltron team (and friends!) work at the primark and other shops at the local shopping centre - the paladins are all like 17/18 and shiro is in his 20s

in collaboration with my favourite children's show enabler @vanillaa-sky <3

• alfor owns primark, zarkon owns h&m

• coran is the regional manager who spends too much time in this specific store because it's his favourite and he loves the staff

• coran gives everyone lifts home in his minivan because he worries about them getting public transport late at night

• shiro is the manager and he runs that primark like it's the navy and then goes home to bitch to his husband

• curtis doesnt even work anywhere near the shopping centre but he knows all of the gossip

• keith lives with shiro and curtis because shiro drives him to work all the time, and he's not sick of how in love they are enough to move out

• keith has a second job (hmv) so he's always running late or getting his hours mixed up

• shiro tries to make keith's schedule easier because he's the best big brother

• allura's dad owns primark so she doesn't really work there but everyone lets her come in and work because honestly she's really good at it

• she's the best at dressing the mannequins

• allura refuses to be paid, plus she lets them all take home a kitten when her cat has a litter

• the kittens are all named after colours based on the colour of the collars they had as kittens to tell them apart (they have very similar patterns) and the names just stuck

• black for shiro, red for keith, blue for lance, green for pidge, yellow for hunk and white for allura

• black and keith are besties, red and lance get off to a rocky start but they bond eventually, and blue is just obsessed with allura

• keith also ends up with a wolfhound puppy (kosmo) as a reconciliation gift from his mother when they're finally reunited

• lance is kinda bad at his job but the customers really like him and he's helpful mostly so they keep him as the personality hire

• he also shows everyone pictures of his pet cow so they all bug him for more every shift <3

• lance does photoshoots of blue and kaltenecker with blue wearing a little cowboy hat and blue neckerchief and insists they're best friends

• lance is a photodump enjoyer who runs an 'anonymous' instagram account posting mugshots of the primark staff but everyone knows it's him because he forgets to post any of himself

• pidge is always on call to fix the tills when they fuck up

• she also finds a way to jack the wifi so that they actually get good signal in the break room (the game setup they all share is in there, they keep to a strict schedule of who can play when)

• matt works at game or cex to put himself through university, he's going to get an aerospace engineering degree and work with his dad one day

• pidge also plans to do this once she's through with sixth form, if it's not her allotted game time in the breakroom they're 100% studying for exams that are months away

• hunk helps and they test each other on their knowledge (they're both guaranteed all A* grades)

• shay works at a coffee shop a few stores down and practically has hunk's schedule memorised because he always comes in to buy drinks for everyone before his shift

• she remembers his order perfectly but he has to remind her of everyone else's

• hunk only goes there to see shay but he's too nervous to ask her out so they just visit each other at work a lot

• romelle worked at a different primark, with lotor, and he was so terrible at his job that he got fired

• as revenge he convinced zarkon to buy out the lot to turn it into a h&m so romelle ended up at the voltron store

• lotor and his generals (acxa, ezor, zethrid, narti) work at h&m round the corner

• lotor loves to come by and brag about being on his break but he never does any work anyway

• zarkon owns the store so lotor is a h&m nepo baby

• the generals are lovely and bring sweet treats and costa for the primark voltron team

• sometimes voltron show up at h&m to distract lotor so the girls can actually do their jobs without him being annoying

• allura had a brief thing with lotor while he worked at primark but broke up with him when he got the store closed down

• after she broke up with him the kallurance polycule formed (lance has two hands for holding both his boyfriend and his girlfriend)

the voltron brainrot has fully set in the year of our lord 2024, thank you for coming to our ted talk!

[myherowritings]

of gold stars and lotus crisps

SUMMARY. You didn’t always get along with your roommate. But with his disarming charm and genuine kindness, you soon found yourself taking a liking to Zhongli and all the little gifts he got for you. 

PAIRING. zhongli x reader

WORD COUNT. 3.0k

GENRE. roommate au, modern au, fluff

A/N. i’m in love with zhongli, did u know? 😳 anyway i think i had way too much fun writing this ahdjksd so pls enjoy 🥺💓 xx sof

Your roommate wasn’t particularly airheaded, you wouldn’t say. But he did seem to either forget or not care for the mundane, everyday things in life. 

Mundane, everyday things such as closing the door as he entered, turning the faucet off after washing dishes, bringing his wallet with him when he went shopping, eating enough meals throughout the day needed to properly sustain his health... 

Honestly, you had to wonder how on earth he’s kept himself alive all these years. It wouldn’t surprise you if he was pampered and spoiled rotten all his life. (Though, after getting to know him, you started to realize he did nothing out of malintent and he wasn’t actually a spoiled brat.)

Still, it was annoying at first—you couldn’t lie. 

Those weren’t characteristics you wanted in a roommate, but with how high rent was these days, it wasn’t like you had much of a choice. You’d rather split rent with someone who seemed fairly harmless, albeit a bit of a handful, than go house-hunting all over again.

In the beginning, it was a chore. Constantly closing the door after him or reminding him to lock it himself, paying attention to the running water in case he left the faucet open and accidentally flooded the place, cooking extra for breakfast so he could have something to eat instead of just skipping the meal— It was a lot to deal with at first.

But he was receptive to communication. After you sat down with him one night and genuinely told him about the things that bothered you, Zhongli tried to be more mindful of his surroundings and checked the sink before leaving the kitchen. He brought his keys with him and closed the door. And he even remembered to bring his wallet whenever the two of you went out to eat together! That was a feat in itself, you had to say. 

One thing he never quite got the hang of, however, was not skipping meals due to sheer forgetfulness.

“Did you eat breakfast yet?” you would ask. 

He would pause, putting his book or whatever else was capturing his attention at the time down. “Breakfast… I’m afraid I can’t remember if it was yesterday or the day before when I last ate it.” 

And that simply wouldn’t do. 

You found yourself waking up a little earlier before Zhongli had to go to work and cooking a little more than usual in order to ensure he had something to eat. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day, after all! You couldn’t just let your roommate (and friend) miss the best meal. 

It became more and more frequent for the two of you to eat breakfast together to start your day, bonding as you passed a pitcher of orange juice and shared smiles as the sun shined through the glass windows.

Mornings became a million times more pleasant with him around. 

And it wasn’t as if your friendship was purely one-sided, with you giving more than you were getting. In his own ways, Zhongli would express his gratitude and liking towards you. 

Most days, he’d come home from work or from hanging out with his friends with a gift in his hands. Whether it be a shiny figurine from an anime you liked or an obscure snow globe with indecipherable writings on it, he would offer it to you with a wide-eyed look on his face, as if he was deliberately gauging your reaction. 

“Y/N, would you care for this gift? It reminded me of you and I thought you would like it.”

Or—

“You said you were a fan of this show, correct? I’m not sure who the character on this sweatshirt is, but it seems to suit you.” 

Soon, you found all of Zhongli’s gifts to you taking up a whole corner in your room, from the clothes in the dresser to the trinkets resting on the shelves atop. You couldn’t help but smile fondly whenever you glanced at it. 

The routine became second nature, with you cooking meals for him and eating breakfast and sometimes even dinner together, him giving you random gifts and treating you out (when he remembered to bring his wallet, of course). The two of you seemed to settle into a nice, content rhythm. That was, until the past few days when you started feeling an odd flutter in your stomach and an unfamiliar race of your heart in Zhongli’s presence.

You didn’t sense those physiological changes when you were around him before… Why was it happening now? 

After hours of thinking, you came to the conclusion that these symptoms could only be one of two things: Either you randomly caught the case of a stomach bug, or you developed a crush on your roommate. 

You couldn’t say which would be worse. 

And to add insult to injury, you were having this sudden revelation only minutes before Zhongli’s arrival back home. He was out for the weekend and would be here for dinnertime. 

You decided to make a meal of Bamboo Shoot Soup with Lotus Flower Crisps for dessert— Something a little fancier than usual and something you knew he liked, and for some reason, you felt nervous at the thought of him tasting your cooking this time. It was often the case you cooked for yourself and made enough for him to have some servings, but today, you wanted to make things he enjoyed in hopes of having him be pleased by the effort you put in. 

Sure, he would’ve appreciated a sloppily put together Adventurer’s Breakfast Sandwich, but an annoying part of you couldn’t help but seek praise from your crush for a dish you put your heart into. 

Soon enough, you heard the familiar jingling of keys and unlocking of the door as Zhongli stepped inside, slipping his shoes off and removing his overcoat. From the corner of your eye, you saw him pull out a small box from the inner pocket of his coat and slip it into the pocket of his slacks. 

“Hi, Zhongli! Welcome home,” you greeted from the kitchen as you shut the stove off. “You came just in time for me to finish making dinner.”

Home. Was calling your shared space ‘home’ strange? It seemed oddly domestic and you felt your heartbeat pick up speed. It felt right to call it home, and that made you nervous. 

“It smells delectable,” said Zhongli with a smile, rolling his sleeves up his forearms before he washed his hands in the sink. While he dried off, he watched as you scooped the contents of the pot into two bowls. “The bamboo looks perfectly cooked and the pork seems tender and succulent. It’s lovely; thank you for taking the time to cook it, Y/N.” 

You felt heat flood your cheeks at his flood of praises, puffing your chest up ever so slightly. “Well, maybe you should taste it first before you shower me in compliments— What if it’s not as good as it looks?” 

“Having knowledge of your culinary skills from past experiences, I believe it’s unlikely for this meal to be anything less than delicious.” He helped you carry the bowls and utensils to the dining room table, sitting down in front of you with a fond look on his face.“After all, you made it.”

Stuffing your mouth full of bamboo shoots to prevent a dopey look from spreading and inevitably outing your newfound crush on him, you mumbled a quick, “Thanks.” 

He nodded, promptly settling into a comfortable silence as he enjoyed every bite of the soup. Like usual, the meal was on the quieter side, save for his occasional compliments and hums of satisfaction as he ate your cooking. 

“Somehow, you manage to outdo yourself each time,” he commended as he finished his bowl, carefully folding his napkin in a neat square after dabbing it across his mouth. “Thank you for the meal and company, Y/N.”

“Of course. I always enjoy having dinner with you.” 

“Maybe tomorrow, you would allow me to take you out for dinner at Xinyue Kiosk? You recently expressed an interest in having Yue cuisine so I managed to talk to the owner and secure a reservation.” 

Your eyes widened. Xinyue Kiosk was known for having a waitlist that was over three-months long— Travellers from overseas waited years just to get a taste of their Fullmoon Egg and Golden Crab. 

Just a few days ago, you told Zhongli you were craving some Crystal Shrimp from the restaurant and, while he wasn’t fond of seafood, he promised he’d take you to get some soon. Now, you knew he had some pretty powerful connections through his line of work, but you didn’t know it was strong enough to wiggle his way past a three-month waitlist. 

Did he sell his left kidney for a spot? you wondered, only half-joking. 

“Xinyue Kiosk? Tomorrow?” you repeated, wanting to make sure your ears weren’t deceiving you.

“Yes, tomorrow.” He hesitated, an unfamiliar flash of uncertainty crossing his features. “Unless, of course, you are unable to accompany me or do not wish to do so— I apologize if I have made any rash assumptions—” 

“No, no! That’s not it at all! I’d love to go with you! I was just surprised you got a reservation on such short notice,” you said hurriedly, shaking your head. “But maybe I shouldn’t be too shocked; you are amazing after all.” 

“You flatter me. I simply called in on a favor once I found out you wanted to dine on some Yue cuisine,” he brushed off nonchalantly. “It’s the least I could do for you.”

“The least you could do for me is take me on a fancy date to the most exclusive restaurant in Liyue Harbor, hmm?” you teased. “Is this a grand gesture of your affection towards me?” 

“Yes.” 

His answer was so straightforward and brief, you almost didn’t catch it. “P-pardon?” 

Zhongli smiled but didn’t say a word in response.

Was he just joking around and teasing you back? Your stomach churned in excitement but you didn’t want to get your hopes up. You tried to shake off your nerves. 

There was a beat of silence. 

“I made some Lotus Flower Crisps for us—!” “Would you care for a gift I got you—?”

The two of you blurted out your sentences at the same time, trying to patch the lapse of quiet from settling in.

“Apologies,” said Zhongli, tilting his head to the side. “What were you saying again?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine! You can go first!” 

He studied you closely but eventually relented. “If you’re sure.” Zhongli stood up to gingerly pull a mint-colored box out of his pocket, walking around the table until he was next to you. “I was only saying I stopped by the jewelers on the way home from work and picked this up for you.” 

A silly smile spread across your face as you accepted the box into your hands. The jewelry box itself felt durable and luxe, and you opened it up to see cushions of velvet holding a delicate-looking necklace in place. The chain was gold and shiny and there was a small star pendant in the center.

“Stars are bright and brilliant and never fail to light up the darkness. Such a necklace seemed only fitting for the likes of you.” 

Your stomach felt like dolphins were flipping and doing tricks inside. Comparing someone to a star didn’t seem like a ‘just roommates’ thing to do, but you’d rather not assume anything only to be let down. So instead, you just grinned. “It’s beautiful— I love it so much, Zhongli! Thank you.” 

“I’m glad it’s to your liking. Do you need any assistance putting it on?” 

“I’d appreciate that very much,” you said with a nod, watching as his nimble fingers removed the chain from the velvet cushion and gently draped it around you. 

The cool metal brushed against your warm skin, startling you enough that you almost jumped up in your seat. But that feeling of shock didn’t compare to the sparks that came when Zhongli rested his palm against the nape of your neck, taking his time to secure the gold clasp.

“It’s 24 karat gold which means the pendant, though small, may be more malleable than jewelry made of alloyed gold. If you wish to engage in more strenuous physical activities it may be best to take it off then to keep the piece in best condition. Only if that’s to your interest, of course. It’s yours and you may do with it whatever you please.” He removed his fingers from the back of your neck and you felt disappointed at the loss of warmth. “All that to say… I hope you like it.”

Zhongli seemed to have a shy look on his face, a stark contrast from his usually confident and self-assured features. As if he didn’t look cute enough already, you internally swooned. 

“Are you kidding? I love it!” You threw your arms over his shoulders, overjoyed at your new gift. A pure, 24 karat gold piece wasn’t something that sounded inexpensive, and you’d be sure to treasure it for as long as you could. “Thank you so, so much, Zhongli.” 

“You’re more than welcome.” He looked happy that you were happy, smiling as he admired the delicate chain of jewelry around your neck. “It looks stunning on you.”

You glowed at his flattery, but attempted to play it off with a small shrug. “Only because you have good taste.”

“What use is good taste if not to complement the recipient of the present?” said Zhongli, taking a seat back down on the chair across from you. “Now, what were you saying earlier?”

There was a moment of confusion before you remembered the dessert you made for him cooling on the counter. 

“Oh, right!” You stood up in excitement, bouncing over to the kitchen to pull out a tray of Lotus Flower Crisps. “I made these for you,” you said nervously, placing the sweets in the center of the dining table. “It’s probably not as good of a gift as the necklace you got but—”

“It’s better,” he said with certainty.

You blinked. “Better?”

“Yes. After all, you made it.” His voice was confident and his smile was firm as he looked fondly at you. “A gift that requires time and effort to create is the best one a person could receive.” He admired the blooming fried pastry, gently touching the part that was meant to resemble a petal. “Maybe I can make you a gift instead of buying it one day as well.”

“I’d appreciate anything from you,” you said plainly. “If you came home with a half-off candybar, I’d love it nonetheless.” 

Zhongli chuckled, taking a bite of a Lotus Flower Crisp. “You’re very generous. That’s just one thing I like about you.” 

You grew bashful. Just one? Then what were the other things?

“This tastes absolutely delicious, by the way,” he said, the last piece of his pastry disappearing between his lips, the pink tip of his tongue poking out to sweep a loose crumb off the corner of his mouth. “Thank you for making this, Y/N.”

Forcibly tearing your gaze away from his lips, you took a drink of water to clear your dry throat. “You’re welcome. I’m happy you think so. I was worried the taste wouldn’t be to your liking.” 

“No need to worry then, I trust in your culinary skills completely.” 

You shared a smile as you ate the pastry in contentment. The sweet crispness of the pink flower felt light in your stomach, the perfect dessert to complement the mood. 

Once the two of you were stuffed full, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander to your conversation at the beginning of the night. 

“So…” you trailed off, promptly gathering Zhongli’s full attention. “Earlier, when I asked if dinner at Xinyue Kiosk  would be a date and a way for you to show your affection and you said yes… You weren’t joking around?”

“I wouldn’t jest about such a thing,” he stated. “Besides, I was talking to Aether about you and he said we were practically dating already. I wasn’t too sure what he meant at first, but apparently it’s not commonplace for roommates to give each other gifts and spend meals together like this.” 

You flushed, having the decency to look sheepish. “Well, I guess he’s right about that. Not that it really matters what’s common or not as long as we both enjoy it,” you said assuredly despite your fluttering heart. You found your hand gravitating towards the small star pendant around your neck. You held it between your thumb and forefinger, finding both comfort and courage in the smooth metal. “Still… I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of dating.”

He smiled when he noticed you holding onto the gift he got for you. “I agree. With you as a partner, the prospect of dating doesn’t sound particularly tedious. Perhaps a nice dinner out would be a good starting point into something more… Official, I believe is the word Aether used?” 

Official. You quite liked the sound of that. “I’d love that. A real, official date sounds nice,” you said with a grin, removing your hands from your necklace only to place it over his, clasping them gently. “Anything to spend more time with you.” 

Zhongli gave you a gentle squeeze back. “It’s a date then. And I’m rather looking forward to it.” 

Fondly, you wondered how your roommate who you once could barely even stand turned into someone so important to you. You went from two objects repelling each other in space, to a binary star system, gravitational bound together. 

“I’m looking forward to it too.”

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Until the Stars Are All Alight--Chapter 20: The Pyre of Rumplestiltskin

Hello, and welcome to my entry for the Captain Swan Supernatural Summer 2019!  This au combines two story ideas I’ve wanted to explore for a while. 1. What if CS existed in a Tolkien-esque, LOTR world? 2. What would have happened if it was Killian rather than Neal that Emma ran into when she was stealing the bug?  Huge thank you to my beta, @blackwidownat2814​​​​​​, to @clockadile​​​​​​ for the amazing story and chapter art, to @kmomof4​​​​​ and @cssns​​​​​for putting this event together, and to the ladies in the CSSNS chat who have helped me think through this story.  If all goes well, I should be posting every Tuesday, and the story will have approximately 18 chapters plus the prologue and epilogue.

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Summary: CS Lord of the Rings au: When Emma Swan steals a yellow Volkswagen Beetle, she has no idea it will lead her toward an adventure filled with danger and intrigue, sacrifice and a love stronger than anything she could imagine.  Tasked with bringing the Savior home, the elf, Killian Jones of Misthaven travels to the Land Without Magic.  Can he convince Emma to fulfill her destiny before the Dark One regains power and takes over all of the Enchanted Forest?

Rating:  T

Word Count: 2094

Other Chapters: (prologue) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (21) (22) (epilogue) 

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Chapter 20: The Pyre of Rumplestiltskin

A/N: I’m sorry in advance.  It was necessary

The Underworld

The Underworld.  They’d made it.  Emma sprinted the last few steps into the cave, and then came to a stop, looking around and trying to catch her breath.  Everything about this place was hard and sharp and hot.  The stone floor of the huge cavern came to a promontory over what appeared to be a river of hot, red, molten lava.  All around them was the smell of sulfur and brimstone.

This place really was hell.

With every fiber in her body, Emma wanted to turn around and leave this terrible place, but she knew she couldn’t.  Her whole life had been leading up to this moment, and she wasn’t going to fold when things got difficult.

“Well?” Regina said from behind her, “what are you waiting for?  Destroy the damn thing!”

Emma rolled her eyes.  “Not helping, Regina.”

Didn’t the former wannabe queen think Emma would be doing just that if she had even the slightest clue how?

Emma thought back to the walk over here.  While Killian had gone off to talk to Regina, she’d sought out Merlin, looking for some last minute advice about what she was supposed to do.

As usual, the wizard was effectively no help at all.

“Never fear, Emma,” he’d said with a reassuring nod.  “When the time is right, the answers will come to you.  You’ll know what you need to do, and you’ll be given all the help and support you need to do it.”

Well the time was right, and she had no more insights into what she had to do than she had before, and now that Merlin was dead, she didn’t even have cryptic wizard advice to point her in the right direction.

Wonderful.

“Swan?” Killian said, stepping up behind her and putting a comforting hand on her lower back.   “We’re here.  You’ve got our full support.  Follow your instincts, and they won’t lead you astray.”

Emma felt a rush of love, of confidence rush over her.  She had no more knowledge than before what needed to be done, but Killian’s faith in her had always given her faith in herself.  What would she have done without him?

She took a deep breath (or as deep a breath as it was possible to take in the stale, fetid air of the Underworld) and squared her shoulders.  “Maybe I’m just supposed to…toss the sword in the lake of fire?  If the fires of hell won’t destroy it, I don’t know what will.”

“It’s certainly worth a shot, love,” Killian said, smiling in encouragement.

Emma stepped up to the very edge of the promontory, every step more difficult than the last as the heat intensified to the point that it felt like every breath she took seared her lungs.  Once she was in position, she pulled Excalibur from its sheath, pulled back her arm and threw it as hard and as far as she could.  She watched as the sword floated on top of the roiling surface of the fiery lake, and then slowly sunk beneath.

For a moment, she thought she’d done it.  For a moment, she thought the sword had been destroyed, but a part of her knew it couldn’t be that easy.

And it wasn’t.

A moment later, the sword flew out of the lake and back into her hand, none the worse for wear.  Not only was it undamaged in the least, it hadn’t even retained the heat from the fires; it was cool to the touch.

On to plan B….whatever that might be.

“Well that didn’t work,” Regina said.  “So what now?”

“I don’t know!” Emma shouted, turning toward the woman and glaring in her frustration.

Killian stepped between the two of them.  “Give her a minute, Regina.”

“We don’t have a minute!” Regina shot back.  “Any minute now the Dark One’s going to show up.  We need to finish this before he gets here!”

“No we don’t,” Emma said.  She didn’t know how, but suddenly she knew.  She had no more insight than before as to how she was supposed to go about destroying the sword, but she knew this with absolute certainty.  “We need him here.  For some reason, he’s vital to this, and without him, it doesn’t matter what I do; I won’t be able to destroy Excalibur.”

“Do you realize how insane you sound right now?” Regina shouted.

“She’s the savior!” Killian roared back, clearly losing what was left of his patience with the woman.  “If she says the Dark One needs to be here, the Dark One needs to be here.  Now kindly prepare yourself for a fight or go the hell away!”

Emma smiled, grateful beyond measure to have this man in her corner, even if no one else was.

“He’s not the only one, Emma,” she heard from the far corner of the yawning cavern. “You have many, many people backing you, and here we shall remain until the very end.”

Emma whirled around, shocked at the utterance. It was impossible; he was dead, but she’d swear the one who had just spoken to her was…

“Merlin!” she said. Impossible as it was, he stood there smiling at her, but he looked different, brighter, somehow, luminous. “But you’re dead!”

“So I am,” Merlin smiled, “but that doesn’t mean I’m gone. I told you that you would have all the help you need here at the end, and accordingly, here we are.”

For the first time, Emma noticed that Merlin was not alone. Dozens, maybe hundreds of luminous beings stood behind and beside him. Some she recognized–Robin Hood, most prominently–and beside him, Liam Jones. There was something different about Liam, though. Whereas all the others were bright, distinct, glowing, Liam was translucent, fading in and out.

“I’ve not yet passed into the spirit world,” Liam stated in answer to her unspoken question. “My fate has not yet been decided, so as now I hover between life and death, but until the battle is determined, I am your humble servant.”

But while there were people she knew in this other-worldly assembly, there were many, many others who she did not know, but whose faces were none the less vaguely familiar–a woman with curly graying hair and a motherly appearance. A man with a gray goatee wearing a crown on his head. A man with curly black hair standing beside a red-headed woman.

“You’re my ancestors, aren’t you?” she asked, looking around at everyone she could see.

“Aye,” Liam answered. “Yours and Killian’s. Just know that whatever happens, whatever befalls you, whatever is asked of you, we will be here until the end.”

“Swan?” Killian asked carefully. “Who are you talking to, Love?”

Before she could answer, dark purple smoke billowed, filling the entire cavern. When it cleared, Rumplestiltskin stood in its place, an evil grin firmly affixed to his face. Killian rushed forward with a feral shout, drawing his sword and preparing to do battle. Within moments, Regina joined him.

Rumplestiltskin giggled, the sound somehow both ominous and irritating, and then with a lazy wave of his hand, he knocked them both into the far wall. Shackles appeared, tethering them hand and foot.

“No!” Emma shouted. “Your beef is with me! Leave them alone!”

He giggled again. “My beef doesn’t have to be with anyone, ‘savior’.” He said the title as though it were something obscene. “You know what I want, and we both know in the end you’ll give it to me.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Ema said firmly. “This ends here and it ends now. You are done terrorizing this land.”

For a moment, anger flashed over his sparkly face, and it was terrifying to behold, but then the anger was replaced by a far more terrifying grin. “To stop me wil take a sacrifice too steep to be borne.”

And suddenly, in a flash she knew. She knew what she had to do, and she knew what it would cost her.

Everything. 

It would cost her everything–Killian, Henry, her new found family, any other children that could have been born to her and Killian. The sacrifice she must make in order to destroy the sword was her own life, for it would take every ounce of her life force to pull the darkness into the sword and destroy it.

Emma turned and locked eyes with Merlin. He nodded somberly, and any hope she’d had that her intuition was wrong was dashed. Her heart dropped and the tears sprang to her eyes. She had to do this; there was no other choice, but how could she leave Killian? How could she leave her little boy?

She closed her eyes, took two deep, calming breaths, ignoring the Dark One’s continued taunts. Finally, feeling she had mastery over herself, she turned to look one last time at Killian, who was still straining against his bonds.

“I love you, Killian,” she said, her voice not quite steady. “Always and forever, I love you.”

And then there was nothing more for it. With one more deep breath, she raised Excalibur high over her head.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“No!” The shout tore from Killian, from the very depths of his soul. He knew what that ‘I love you’ was. 

It was a goodbye.

This couldn’t be happening. Not again. He couldn’t lose the love of his life. He increased his struggles against the shackles holding him to the cavern wall, but all that accomplished was to deepen the lacerations on his wrists.

He was powerless to what was happening, and never in his life had he been so terrified.

Across the cavern, Rumplestiltskin suddenly realized what was about to happen. With a cry of rage and fear, he rushed toward Emma, but he was pushed back when he got within ten feet of her, as though she were surrounded by a protective force field.

With the sword raised in the air, Emma closed her eyes, concentrating hard, and suddenly, noxious tendrils of what looked like black smoke poured from the Dark One’s mouth and into the blade. Her arms shook, and a grimace (pain? exertion?) suffused her face, but she held the sword steady.

As the stream of darkness leaving Rumplestiltskin widened and deepened, Emma’s breathing became steadily more labored.

“Swan, please!” Killian pleaded. “Emma, don’t do this! The price is too high!”

He knew it was futile even before he uttered the words, but he had to try. Standing here watching the life drain from his beloved wife, unable to do a single bloody thing to stop it was worse than any torture the Dark One could have subjected him to.

Emma merely turned to him, gave him a sad smile, and then focused once again on the task at hand.

Killian didn’t know how long it took–likely only moments, but it felt like hours of agony. Finally the billowing smoke of evil coming from Rumplestiltskin slowed and then stopped. Emma fell hard to her knees. With one last defiant look at the erstwhile Dark One, she flung the sword into the fires of the underworld. With her task completed, Emma fell to the ground as the breath whooshed from her body.

“Swan!” Killian screamed, a cry of primal agony.

Rumplestiltskin yelled, diving head-first into the lake of fire just as Excalibur disappeared below the surface. His shrieks of agony as the fires consumed him were terrible to hear.

And then they went silent.

It was over.

Notes:

–Alright, before you start yelling, hear me out.  1. You all know I am all in with Captain Swan. 2. I’m also a fan of Outlaw Queen. 3. I’m basically allergic to any endings that are not completely happy. 4. There are still 2 chapters and an epilogue left to fix things. 5. This chapter may have hurt, but at least Rumplestiltskin also died a torturous death by fire, so that counts for something, right?  Okay, now your yelling may commence.

–Up next: Regina is given an opportunity that is almost too good to pass up.  Can she stay strong and do the right thing?  Meanwhile, the Underworld begins to crumble after the sword is destroyed, and everyone back in Misthaven knows Emma was successful.  They celebrate–until Killian returns with Emma’s body.

–The good news? I was on vacation last week, and I managed to not only finish this chapter, but also the first draft of the next chapter!  You won’t have to wait long for chapter 21–it may even drop by the end of this week!

                                                                                NEXT CHAPTER-->

[sasutiddy]

Ok more hokage's househusband Sasuke because i have brainrot and this AU has become a lot more than expected

Sasuke and Naruto elope right after the war, half because they just realized that they are crazy in love and half because Naruto really doesn't want Sasuke to go to jail, and mayhaps being the husband of a war hero will cut him some slack

So Yeah, they are the first of their generation getting married but they do so with only a few people present (team taka, team 7, and Iruka) right after Sakura estabilizes them, so IMAGINE everyones surprise when they come back attached by the hip and being lovey dovey

Tsunade sees that shit and goes binge drinking immediately because if she, at any moment, was doubting passing the hat to Kakashi, now she was sure SURE

They go back to Konoha alright, but the second Sasuke steps inside village territory he is forbidden from getting out until he "proves himself" to the elders, he hears that shit and immediately decides that he is going to be a bitch about this

After some fighting he gets the Uchiha compound land back with Kakashi's help and starts renovating babyy, and out of pettiness he doesn't let anyone else live in there outside of him and Naruto, the whole thing is mostly a fully planned giant forest/garden around a big house, also he puts a big ass wall around the whole thing, the elders are, of course, furious

After some months in, Sasuke kinda settles in his new Konoha life, since he already kinda decided that he'll just wait to get permission to go out of the village from Naruto when he ends up being Hokage, he decides that in the meantime he might as well learn a thing or two about caring for their house and pets and things like that (also, how to take care of the growing collection of house plants that Naruto is buying)

And with that, Sasuke starts....taking care of the house when Naruto is away, a thing that happens a bit more often when Naruto starts his Hokage training; (it's kinda earlier than expected, but Kakashi really knows that with Naruto, he'll have to pass down so much because that boy has so many gaps in knowledge) so, Sasuke learns how to cook well, specially the recipes from his mom's cookbook, learns how hard it is to clean a house, (he regrets building it so big in his lazier days) and overall learns how nice and fulfilled he actually feels while caring for his new home with the man he loves

Naruto and Sasuke quickly become pet fanatics; Sasuke starts the whole thing with falcons, but then after that he just gets a bird obssession, at one point he buys chickens, he raises chickens and he's very happy with that, Naruto, on the other hand, gets kinda crazy when he realizes he can have frogs, and fish and things like that!!! The pounds around the forest are full of frogs and pretty koi fish

Once Naruto becomes Hokage Sasuke gets his "can get out of Konoha" free card, but he mostly doesn't use it: like yeah, he goes out to see team Taka for a bit and see if he can bring them back with him (they didn't go after the war because they were kinda afraid of being locked up) and when he does finally convince them they kinda take a few weeks to just hang out and chill together, after that he takes some vacations and sometimes accompanies Naruto when he goes to other villages, but he does not go on missions and a fuckton of people are very mad at him for it

When they get kids (and they get kids of course) Sasuke is, of course, the stay at home parent, and he is an INVOLVED one at that, he is there and present at EVERYTHING, and even if both him and Naruto discovered that Naruto can be a bit of a workaholic, he gets his husband in line to be just as present in their kids lifes (he sometimes has to remind himself with how little affection Naruto can run with, and how he seems to think it's the same for everybody else, it takes a while, but they kinda fix it little by little)

Once the kids are at the academy Sasuke and Shino start a very...weird friendship, they always look like they are plotting murder when they are just talking abt which bugs would work the best in pollinating Sasuke's new flower garden or whatever

The few times a year Sasuke and Shikamaru have to see eachother are everyone's else's hell, the entire village always seems to forget how much those two like to inconvenience and bother eachother when they are in proximity, Naruto and Temari say it's because of how long they spend apart: Suna and Konoha are far away and being ambassador and literal desert princess is enough for Shikamaru and Temari to not come to visit that often, and time makes people forget how bad Sasuke and Shikamaru can get

Chunnin exams with Sasuke screaming at the top of his lungs for his kid to obliterate everyone, Naruto almost does the same but is stopped by Sakura every time before he starts a war or something

Sasuke drives people in the Hokage tower CRAZY at least twice a week, he brings Naruto lunch and they always end up making out in the office or smt like that, more than one person has entered the place just to find them in compromising situations, Sakura constantly reminds them that the place is full of windows and it's easy as shit to see them

They are disgustingly in love, and happy, and everyday Naruto gets home and says "I'm home!" and Sasuke responds "Welcome home" with a soft smile on his lips and they have a quick kiss before Naruto goes to talk with the kids, and after that, when Sasuke is all done with his chores and things like that, they'll sit in the front porch side by side, holding hands, and watch the kids run around and play or train around the forest, Naruto will talk abt his day and ask Sasuke about his, and they'll be the most fulfilled they've ever been in their entire lives

[sapphic-yearning-lesbian]

Animal Companion (RATLD-October Prompt)

Another AU where Namaari didn't try to steal the dragon gem.

I will upload it to A03 eventually.

Timeline: Still 12 years old

Warnings: None

"Pleaseeeee," Raya pouted as she sat at the end of her Ba's bed, clutching a letter close to her chest.

"Dewdrop, it's too early for this," Benja huffed as he shifted onto his side, maintaining his eyes closed. He knew the moment he opened his eyes and looked at his daughter, she would win. "I can't just drop everything and accompany you to Fang today."

"BUT--" Raya pouted as she jerked her body up and down, making the whole bed shake.

"What's so important that you woke me up before the sunrise? Only to ask me to take you to Fang?" He asked as he frowned his eyebrows at Raya's tantrum.

"Namaari is choosing her serlot cub today, and I just really want to be there for her" Raya cut herself off, scared of the personal information she accidentally shared, "I MEAN I want to meet the cub." 

Benja yawned as one eyelid blinked open. Raya looking directly at him, with a pout on her lips, puppy dog eyes, and both hands clasped together at her chest, pleading with him. 

"Tuk Tuk needs a friend! Look at his sad face," Raya said, then pointing to her lap.

Benja finally allowed both his eyelids to open as his gaze fell to Raya's lap. The pill bug also looking up at him with pleading eyes as he silently grunted. "UGHHH," He growled as he shifted to laying on his back, looking up at the ceiling. 

Raya knew her Ba was caving; he just needed a little push. "I realllyyyy think traveling to Fang will give us more time to bound, as the trip there and back is somewhat long by foot..." She grinned as she watched her Ba close his eyes, gulping. "I get to met a serlot cub, and you make up for all the bonding time we've missed this week BECAUSE of your busy schedule."

Benja sat up, a broad grin on his face. "Ohhh, you're good." He chuckled as he nodded yes, Raya screaming in her joy, "I'll take you, but I have to arrange a few things before we go."

Raya nodded her head happily as she threw herself onto her Ba, planting a massive kiss on his cheek.

---

"Are you excited, Morning Mist?" Virana asked, reaching out and brushing her daughters hair out of her face. Namaari only looking back at her with such excitement.

"So excited!" She purred

"Princess Namaari" Atitaya voice announced, "Cheif Virana, You have vistors."  

Namaari had her back towards the General, but she watched as a wide grin appeared on her mother's face. "Ohh Chief Benja, and Raya! Welcome! It's a pleasure to see you both!"

No sooner had Namaari heard Raya's name had she fallen face down onto the floor, Raya having tackled her from behind. Everywhere Raya was touching, pulsing with a warmness that made Namaari's heart smile.

Raya lifted herself off Namaari, sitting off to the side, smiling as the other sat up looking at her. 

"Dep La! You came?" Namaari asked in disblief. 

Raya only smirked as her most trusted companion rolled off her shoulder onto Namaari's lap. 

Namaari using one hand to gently scratch his forehead as the other massaged his shell tenderly. "Of course! I couldn't miss the day you met your second best friend" Namaari's smile turned into a smirk as her eyebrows went up, challenging Raya's words.

"Who's my first?" Raya gasped as she let a hand fall against her heart.

"I'll just walk back home then," Raya taunted, but she had no intention of leaving.

"Kidding!" They sat on the floor, looking at each other, just smiling at the other. They've been communicating through letters for weeks, so now being able to see each other in person felt like the first sip of ice-cold water on a hot day.

"Princess," Atitaya announced once again, "It's time."

Both girls squealed as Namaari scooped Tuk Tuk into the palms of her hands, standing up. Once Raya was on their feet, she allowed Tuk Tuk to roll onto her shoulder again. Both of them grinning from ear to ear. "I bet I can get there faster than you," Raya stated with a bobbed eyebrow.

"Challenge accepted," Each of them exchanging a glare as they got into their running stance. "1...2...GO," both girls zooming off in opposite directions, as they didn't know where they were headed. 

After realizing none would win, they slowly jogged back to, Atitaya, Virana, and Benja. Who were engaged in conversation, patiently awaiting the return of the silly princesses.

---

"Aren't you a cutie," Raya purred as she held a female serlot up to her face, rubbing her nose against the kittens.

Namaari was happy; she was having a blast sitting on the floor, surrounded by several kittens, but she couldn't feel a connection. Or a spark. And the longer she sat there petting them, taking in their kitten breath, the more guilty she became. "I can't do this." She exclaimed as she lightly pushed three kittens off her lap, standing up running towards the door.

"Morning, Mist! What's wrong?" Virana said, beginning to chase behind her daughter only to be stopped by Benja gently gripping her arm. Virana raising her eyebrows at him as he motioned with his head towards Raya. Virana instantly understating to allow Raya to handle the outburst.

Raya had instantly placed the kitten down, running after Namaari. Yet as she was about to leave the nursery, she spotted a separate room with even younger serlots. She smiled as she instead walked into the room, looking at the four kittens, her eyes landing on the runt of the litter. 

Raya watched as the other siblings tried to gang up on it, only for the runt to hiss and protect herself. That's when Raya knew that kitten was meant to be Namaari's. So without thinking, she scooped up the kitten and ran for the door. She knew she would be in deep trouble for catnapping the kitten, but Raya had to do this for Namaari.

When Namaari exited the nursery, she walked over to a bench and sat down, throwing her head in her hands. She was overwhelmed by the cuteness, but nothing was clicking into place. She thought that she would feel something within her when she saw a kitten or even held it. Yet, she felt like she was cuddling and playing with someones else pets.

"The Namaari I know never runs away! What happened" Raya announced behind Namaari, watching her shoulders go up and down with every breath. 

Namaari shrugged as she exhaled loudly, disappointed in herself.

Raya chuckled as she stood right behind the other, lowering her voice. "You missed a couple of faces on your way out." Raya gently brought the kitten down on Namaari's head, who seemed startled. "She wanted to meet you, but you left so fast she couldn't say hi," Raya whispered as she brought the cat back up.

After having felt tiny paws on her head, Namaari quickly turned around, finding Raya holding the most petite kitten in her hands. The kitten wasn't very happy with Raya, hissing and scratching her hands as if the cat didn't want to be held.

Suddenly the kitten looked at her, and she felt a desire to hold it and keep it safe. So she reached out, grabbing it from Raya's hands. 

The moment she held the cat within her grasp, the serlot sprung into action, scratching her across the cheek. Instead of getting mad, Namaari chuckled. The kitten didn't attempt to strike her again but did continue to hiss. Even so, Namaari watched the kitten with understanding eyes, realizing the kitten was acting in self-defense, scared that Namaari was going to hurt her.

That's when the pieces made sense. This kitten was no older than a month, but she was extremely small, meaning she was the runt of the pack. Being so tiny makes her a target to her siblings, resulting in her being forced to protect herself from danger.

"It's okay! I'm not going to hurt you," Namaari whispered as she slowly pet the kitten. Its hissing increasing as its back arched, yet Namaari wasn't about to give up.

As the slow movements weren't working, Namaari placed the serlot on her lap. The kitten now tugging and biting on her clothing. She knew this should upset her, but she couldn't help but smile, thinking the whole exchange was adorable.

"Hmmm," she thought out loud as she clicked her tongue. "Of course," she thought as she brought her fingers behind the cat's ear, scratching it with her long nails. Within seconds the serlot had stopped hissing and tugging at her clothes, only purring in contentment. Finally, Namaari had connected with her new companion. 

Raya had watched the whole exchange and had just decided to sit beside the other, her hands occupied by petting Tuk Tuk, "So what are you naming your feisty kitten?" 

Namaari was okay with the rest of the world, seeing this kitten as feistily, maybe a little rude, but Namaari knew that there was a softness in this cat that she was going to enjoy unveiling over time: A softness that would only exist for her. And that was enough. "Thuy"

"That's beautiful," Raya comments as she reaches for the kitten. She was half expecting the serlot to hiss, bite or even starch her but instead, Thuy licked her, "You are gentle, making the name perfect for you." 

The princesses having no knowledge that Thuy would grow to be ice cold to everyone besides Namaari, Raya, and Tuk Tuk, while only tolerating Virana. So to the rest of Kumandra, the name Thuy was unfitting. 

--

I don't feel strongly about this piece, as I wrote it with a massive headache; even so, I'm just happy I completed it!

[thelemoncoffee]

Fuck it, i'm tired of trying to write down stuff for the rest of the casts' backgrounds cause the most of it doesn't matter for the au's plot.

Here's the rest of the main ponies's designs and just enough info to understand how they all play into the story below

all you need to know about them:

-Harmony Blossom is a Pianist who works part time as entertainment in the local cafe, and Part time as the town's welcoming comity. she's stubborn as hell and is the first to lend Hawkshaw a hoof when he needs help

-Silversoot is a traveling maid who happens to be in town working for Mayor Sapphire Snow when Hawkshaw comes, and offers to help him out when he starts to form a team out of the locals. While her magic abilities are fairly basic, she's persistent and calm. a good steady soul to real the chaos of the others in.

-Pinwheel Posie is a unicorn who trained under a earth pony martial artist, intending to prove that unicorns don't need magic to be strong, and often time refuses to use her magic at all. Harmony Blossom enlisted her to help them, her strength being of great benefit to them when the had to face off with an Ursa Minor that made itself at home in the caves.

-Lost Atlas is a traveler who loves to explore and find new things, searching for cultures and lands that ponies have little to no information on. He keeps base in HPB, and was about to set off for another month long exploration before he was dragged into the group Hawkshaw was forming by Sky Chaser

-Sky Chaser is a hot headed pony with a thirst for heroism and a love for the stars and everything night sky related. when he catches word that Hawkshaw and Harmony Blossom were creating a team to rid the town of the cursed magic once and for all, he jumped on the chance to be the hero he always wanted to be, no questions asked!- until ghosts started to get involved that is.

-Sundance is a flightless Pegasus artist whom was raised by a tribe of Zebras before coming to HPB to kick off her art career. She has tons of knowledge on alchemy from her time with the tribe. While her superstitions and beliefs can cause the group to question her sanity at times, she's extremely helpful at identifying all the dark magic plants that have been seeping from the caves into the town as of late.

-Gogga Thicket is a bug loving pony who learned to communicate with them during his time lost in everfree. hes the most gentle giant anypony could ever meet, and a big help with navigating the deep caves of Hope's Peak, and utilizing his bug communication abilities to find out more info from the cave dwelling bugs on the odd magic

-Ace Poky is a hard knocked pony, tired of life and want to just get his back on track after getting roped into some nasty illegal shit that got him taken to prison for a while. he settled down in HPB after being released, but when the dark magic that plagued the town didn't give him a chance to relax, he decided to join Hawkshaw to get rid of it once and for all.

-Jinx, despite her lack of horn, is amazing at magic- well at least stage magic. She insists she has a horn and just hides it with her hat, but nopony truly believes her. she's great at doing illusion acts, and uses them quite a bit to throw off her opponent while helping the team fight off the source of the dark magic

---

so yeah, mismatched band of ponies who are tired of the dark magic and want to do something about it get brought together by Hawkshaw to solve the mystery of Hope's Peak Basin and restore peace to the little town.

if you wanna know about the other's i've already posted and how/why they join the team:

-Bubblegum joins as a chance to test out her new inventions

-Steam Gear joins cause he wants to be useful, and has been meaning to try out some body mods Bubblegum made him

-Gingham Crown joins at first just to be a pest, but gains true interest when Hawkshaw offers him the chance to use his talent and lead them into battle.

-Makiroll joins cause Sky Chaser dragged her into the fray in attempts to get her to make friends,

-Smokey Myth joins cause he's the only one who knows enough about the source of the Dark magic to actually stop it.

-and finally Moonwater joins cause she's the villain and has been after the source of the magic for years, she uses the team to get close to it and take if for herself, but her greed backfires on her and the dark magic consumers her, leaving the others to fight her corrupt form.

[bluescarfvivi]

I love your MSA Persona 4 AU and the post you made with Vivi! If I may ask. Dungeons in Persona 4 are largely shaped by Inaba's collective perception while still reflecting part of the personal issues. How much is the icy landscape from how people perceive Vivi, and how much does it relate to her as person?

((I’m honestly very surprised to get an ask regarding the post! Before answering your question, I would really like to thank you for sending this in! It caught me quite off-guard, as to be honest I didn’t expect anyone to comment on it or want further information. So here, I’ll promise to answer this to the best of my ability! If anyone reading this wants to know about this AU, I’ll link it here! 

In regards to Vivi’s dungeon and how much of that reflects off her own inner feelings versus the town as a whole, it’s a solid fifty-fifty. You would think Vivi is received fairly well by her peers because she’s one of the tops in her class, participates in sports highly focused on teamwork, and treats those who approach her with open kindness. In fact, many people HAVE tried befriending Vivi but seldom continually pursue for such a relationship. All her activities take up most of her time, leaving barely any room for socialization. 

Since she concentrates on her studies and acing it on the soccer team, there’s some students who think they’re ‘too much of a lowlife’ or ‘aren’t smart enough’ to even say a hello. Vivi has tried several times introducing herself to others, but they either suffer through the small talk until they find an opening to escape or flat out ignore her. Few other times, several students have abused that kindness of hers for their own gain: helping them with their homework, dumping classroom duties on her, and so on. 

Vivi isn’t aware of how much burden and stress this has put on her. She accepts all these requests and tasks because then it feels like she’s seen. Maybe one of these students could stay and chat, maybe someone will want to be a friend. That’s what she thinks of it! There have been rare instances of potential friendship, but of course, most if not all were spooked when Vivi brought up any of her knowledge on anything paranormal or horror-related topics. A ‘cute, smart girl who’s into gore, blood, and ghosts? She sounds like some freak.’ 

Now in regards to Vivi’s own outlook on herself: she didn’t have many friends growing up. A girl who loved getting rough, getting dirty and picking at bugs, and spouted WAY too many ghost stories at the school’s talent show. She’s always been ‘that one weird kid’ out of the bunch.  

The sole breadwinner of the family comes from their dad, and he’s barely at home to begin with so Vivi’s mom took care of her the most as a child. There’s a large divide between herself and her father, coupled with a whole lot of concern on her mother. It’s not the ‘ideal’ picture perfect family many of the other kids had when she was in middle school. 

All of this weighs down on her shoulders, and it’s very much affected how she will initially act to new students. While desperately wished to greet them with a warm smile, most times she’ll give them a small wave and simple welcome then scurry off to the library. Off to bury herself in mounds of books and ignore anyone else. There comes a point where she gives up being kind and inviting towards others, thereby keeping mostly to herself. 

That’s why the icy landscape and jagged, frozen trees would reflect well with how she sees herself on the physical realm, and how others actions and words influenced her to get to this point. 

*breeeeeathes* PHEW!!! You made me write up a storm here! I hope this answer does some justice and satisfies you my dude. Thank you once again for sending in the question!))  

[standreamy]

You can change it - BNA AU (part 2)

Continuing from my previous post about my BNA headcanon Here what I thought as following events after season 1. Some rough ideas

AFTER SEASON 1:

After season 1 things started to change. Initially everything went smooth. Michiru had her own circle of friends being her, Nazuna and Nina (plus Marie occasionally). All this while keeping on with baseball, being beastfolk advisor (from the manga) while starting to go more on missions with Shirou.

Soon however, Nazuna became really busy as “symbol” for the human/beast-men peace. Having two jobs, her baseball career and helping Nazuna too is driving Michiru exhausted. This brings them to see each other much more rarely (also because Michiru is not officially Nazuna’s manager, but more an emotional support) and their friendship becomes weakier.

If things are turning brighter for AnimaCity and Shirou, they are not quite the same for Michiru. On a side, her work with Shirou is more and more her real work and is payed quite well. On another, she is starting to miss her parents and has yet to contact them since over a year. So, for her birthday Melissa suggests Shirou to accompany Michiru to see her parents as surprise, using the excuse that they need to work outside the city too from now on. They find her mother first at home (who mistaken Shirou as Michiru’s boyfriend) and it’s quite an emotional reunion. Michiru’s mom is resemble a lot her daughter and is very embarassing for her, but “less annoying” (as Shirou’s jokes about). Michiru’s father is often absent for work, so seeing him was already rare for the girl. It’s much more shocking that he arrives home that day. Things are nice but akward and get even more discomforting when Michiru explain what caused her transformation. Knowing a cure now exists, her dad demands why she hasn’t took it yet and if she actually has intentions to ever assume it and go back to her old life. The disappointment is big when Michiru, a bit sorrowful but convinced, says she decided to keep living as beast-woman hybrid, live in AnimaCity and work with Shirou as detective. If her mother feels proud Michiru actually found her way and turned to be a fine strong girl, after witnessing her crisis when she first transformed and stayed one year in her bedroom. Her father instead doesn’t think she is ready to be indipendent and doesn’t admire her choice to give up on school and a possible future career. He brings up basketball as one of his daughter’s paths that she fought hard to convince her dad for, claiming how she threw that away too when once she insisted for it and how he was sure she would keep changing idea. Biggest difficulty thought for him, is actually accepting that his daughter prefer to be a beast-woman than going back to be a human. Apparently he didn’t seems to hate beast-men, but didn’t consider his daughter to just... become one of them, much less permanently. As long as it wasn’t really his concern he didn’t think much of it. Things get difficult and the encounter ends in a bad note. Her bond with her parents now weakier than ever (her mother it’s okay with things, but the new adjustments won’t make it easy. So she just asks for Shirou to take care of her daughter), she feels like something needs to change. Eventually she talk with Shirou and actually consider really the possibility of leaving AnimaCity to do missions with him around the world. She needs to sort out her life and think this travel could help her. Michiru loves adventure and this help her grow a lot closer to Shirou. After the incident, they will take more peace and eventually go back to live in AnimaCity permanently, going back to help there as it’s expanding greatly. They often talked during their travels, before getting together, on how they imagined the future. Michiru grew up a lot and developed much more her like towards children, wishing to be a mother. Shirou, while confessing he never thought he would one day have a family or found someone (he sometime felt lonely but never really pondered on the matter), also grew to like the idea to have his own family, his pack (officially). It’s thought more a faint hope for him. That’s it, until they finally get together. And not much time later into their relationship and after being back in AnimaCity, Michiru discover to be pregnant. It wasn’t planned, but she is really excited and emotionate about it. Shirou, still thinking it’s too good to be true, develops a frantic side (which he tries to cover very much, even if failing miserably). Over his long life, he could gain many experiences and knowledge, but the one he very much feels lacking is “being a father”. He also becomes much more softheart (which he tries to hide, but fails to, again, with whom he is close to) and very protective (which he very willingly shows). Everything seems even more brighter, an even more exciting new experience when the two old teens discover they are going to have twins. Two baby boys. This doesn’t last for much. In my headcanon, the genetic beast factor (the animal dna that the cub picks from one of the parents) even developing rather early, it’s discovered late in the pregnancy, when its dna is much more complete and ready to be determinated. This is due to the baby developing with human-ish appearance in the mother’s belly (so a mother can carry a kid even if she/he has the beast genes of the father. Wouldn’t it be a little odd for like... a penguin mother to make an egg with then a dog kid?) Michiru and Shirou couldn’t know, but a problem started early in the pregnancy and ended up to explode much later when the beast dna was supposed to determinated. As Michiru started to get ill and feel very bad, things degenerated and she ended up losing one of the kids. Her “lucky recovery factor” thought, managed to save both her and the other cub. Doctors tried to find a cause to all this, but the closest one they could come up with was that Michiru’s hybrid human-beastwoman DNA messed up a bit the growth and development of the fetuses (basically, the moment the kids would have “picked” which genes to take; Shirou’s, so becoming silver wolves, or Michiru’s, becoming tanukis. Michiru has still some human dna, and this created like a “bug”? ^^”) and being the first pregnancy didn’t help. Of course all this devastated Michiru, who from being really emotionate and happy fell into a big depression and insecurity. “I killed one of our babies...” “I wasn’t strong enough to protect my kids” Shirou and friends try to help her but nothing seems to work. The whole situation escalates even more when her bond with Nazuna has a sudden break. (I will go further into this later) Fearing for his girlfriend and child’s safety and health, Shirou try one last thing. He visits again her parents’ home and brings her mother to AnimaCity, while explaining what happened. As much as Melissa and Gem are like parents to her and Shirou, her biological mother who raised her it’s someone irreplacable. After an emotional talk and her mother promising to not care about the consequences with her father and promising to be there in her life, things start to get better. Michiru recovers and manages to find the light in her life again, also thanks to Shirou and all her cared ones. Some time later, she will give birth to her son Henko (I changed name from Hajime)  (meaning “change”, from their perspective changing and how they changed themselves and what they wanted. Also referred as “new start”) Two years later they will decide to have another kid (this time having a carefully monitored pregnancy) and, with things going smooth, they will welcome Yukiko (which means snow and happiness. It was chosen after Mayor Rose, whom original name was “Natalia” which is a name correlated to Christmas, winter and happiness)

[ruensroad]

of angels and swans

This is a little AU I made with @this-solaris-life​ inspired by Swan Lake. It’s a Sangyu, so it’s also for @dyabolos​. Got to keep working that Sangyu agenda!

The setting is inspired by Tang dynasty China, in a magistrate’s courthouse and home. And since I couldn’t find a good gif that would load for me of black swans, I edited a lovely photo and I do not own it.

---

The building read Qinghe Courthouse when he flew over it and considered landing for the first time since his barely successful escape from the Capitol that morning. There was a welcoming, burbling fountain that fed into a wide pond, with lily pads and lotus and what looked to be a generous schooling of tri-colored carp, as strange to him as the name of the county he was in, and with dusk swiftly approaching made his choice and landed on the slightly overgrown lawn next to the water.

The perks of being a swan afforded perfect camouflage and excuse to trespass. Still, Mo Xuanyu held his breath a long moment, glancing around the courtyard for guards or servants that surely had heard his wingbeats. When no one appeared, he hurried under the bough of weeping willow to wait out his transformation and prayed to any and all gods that still cared to listen that he would not be discovered in this new hiding place for at least the night.

Of course, the worst that could happen as a stranger was to be thrown into the street. It would mean a boring night walking the streets, but still a safer fate than what he’d escaped from, so he told himself to breathe and do his best to melt into the trunk of the tree as the sun set and the magic pulled him back into human shape and the shimmering black robes that formed his feathers. He touched the enchanted silk, then rubbed his fingertips together as the magic tingled in his skin. His eyes caught on the leather straps wrapped around his wrists and closed his eyes a moment, remembering searing pain and fire, before slowly wrapping his fingers around it.

Qinghe, he thought on that, leaning back against the tree and giving the leather strap a pull. He did not know where Qinghe county even was, or how far from the Capitol, but the enchantment of his binding held firm, proving that it was still not far enough to break the spell. If that was even how it worked.

He prayed one day the bindings would slough off if he flew far enough. Even if he had to fly to the ends of the earth and heaven, he would if it meant being finally released from his enslavement. Because the only other option he had, for someone to willingly remove them for him, was laughable at best. His “masters” had more than proved that.

At least this place was warm and quiet, a comfort after a day of flying. Mo Xuanyu took another moment just to breathe and resettle into his body, feel the breeze tease his hair, feel the faintly damp earth under his palms. The world drifted away to the sound of water and playing fish, if only for a moment, and like a trusted friend the tree shielded him from the shadows in the inner courtyard beyond, the bustle of servants and guards little more than a rush in his ears.

He didn’t dare move again until the lights in the outer court were extinguished, casting the pond in barely lit shadows, and then it was only to find himself stumbling on legs that did not remember how to hold is weight, or how not to waddle. Flapping his arms, he managed not to face plant into the willow’s rough bark, but still slipped on the roots and went rolling into the grass.

The water twinkled with laughter, the stars above winked in delight. Face aflame, Mo Xuanyu settled for a half crawl to brace himself on the bank, legs trembling and toes splayed as though that would help at all on the slippery stones. There was a wonderfully large, smoothed out sitting rock on the edge of the pond that took his weight without wobbling, and he sat on it with a wince, still feeling the tumble.

The fish came up in curiosity while he settled his feet into the water and he smiled to hear their bubbling thoughts and gaping mouths on his toes. Thinking of the small round pellets he’d seen the Imperial Concubines feed the fountain fish in the courtyard of his prison, he slid his hand up the sleeve of his robe and felt the pouch hidden inside. Already, the magic had it swelling with the food and with a secret smile he tossed a handful out over the water, soaking up the feeling of it splashing his robes and the otherwise quiet of the night.

He was safe, for once. What a concept. And even the sight of a swinging lantern over slightly stumbling footsteps did not erase that feeling, even if the rest of him froze in a vain hope not to be seen.

But he had never been a lucky man, though fate seemed on his side this night, if only a little. The man standing there was handsome and red faced, rumpled with the smell of drink and slightly listing to the side. He squinted at Mo Xuanyu with not alarm, but blank confusion, and Mo Xuanyu felt an odd urge to laugh at the pitiful sight he made.

“Are you drunk?” was the first thing the man said, voice cultured and sweet if slurring around the edges. “I know I’m drunk, but are you?”

Mo Xuanyu considered that question, thinking of what a sight he must’ve made bumbling around the pond, and shrugged. “Not to my knowledge, Young Master.”

“Servant?” the man tried again and edged closer on the fine walkway a step above the grass. He was even more handsome up close, lit by the candlelight and his once very fine hairstyle starting to unravel. Amazingly, he smiled as though the thought of Mo Xuanyu being a constant presence in his household actually pleased him before he carefully stepped down onto the grass.

Thinking fast, Mo Xuanyu decided the man was tipsy enough not to raise an alarm, or truly did not care about his unexpected visitor and went for a bit of honesty. “I heard a black swan had nested in your fine garden,” he told him, wary as the lord came closer and closer. “You will have to forgive my impudence, but i had to come see if the rumors were true.”

“A black swan?” The lord’s round face scrunched up in thought, as did his curved nose, and Mo Xuanyu felt another urge to laugh startle through him. He bit it down with a hard swallow. “I have not seen one today, but I hope the rumor is true. This garden is too empty.”

It was not a proper invitation to stay, but Mo Xuanyu felt the magic thrum in answer. The tickle of it against his wrists had him pausing, wondering an impossible thought. But then the young lord was smiling and the world started up again, lit by firelight and stars.

“I suppose it is,” Mo Xuanyu agreed, hesitant, and looked down at the carp still dancing around his feet. “Perhaps a swan will yet grace your pond, Young Master.”

“Huaisang,” the man slurred, his eyes bright and childlike. He stepped even closer, until Mo Xuanyu could smell sandalwood incense and honey on the fine silk of his sleeve. “Nie Huaisang.”

Mo Xuanyu tilted away before he could be smacked in the face by the swaying lantern, then quickly reached up to steady him when he stumbled out of his courtly bow. “Do you often give strangers your name, Nie Huaisang?” he had to ask, shaking his head in amusement.

“It’s good luck to tell your name to an angel,” Nie Huaisang said pointedly, smiling down at him, and Mo Xuanyu felt his stomach drop a little into a free fall to be on the receiving end of such sweet eyes. “You’re not drunk but i’m drunk and I’m pretty sure this is a dream.”

Of course it was a dream. No man was this genuinely kind while sober, nor so accepting of strangers in his own home. The sting of disappointment had long been easy to sweep away and he did so now, smiling politely back at the glazed expression Nie Huaisang’s face was crinkling into.

“You are dreaming,” he said readily and gently used his grip on the man’s wrist to turn him back to the walkway. Like every obedient drunk, Nie Huaisang happily did so, humming a little as he swayed in place. “Go back to bed, Nie Huaisang, and keep dreaming your dreams.”

“Okay, angel,” Nie Huaisang said, a blissful sigh around the word, and it would be sweet indeed if not scented with fine wine. Mo Xuanyu watched him stumble off and only let go of his breath when the young lord disappeared into the inner chambers, drenching the pond and garden back into darkness.

“Angel,” Mo Xuanyu echoed to the fish, cheeks warm and a shiver playing through his magic robes.

He couldn’t stay, he knew that, but he felt the exhaustion and hunger from his frantic flight like an ache in his bones. The idea of flying more with a bare night of rest and no food had his stomach lurching all the more and it was a sad conclusion to reach, knowing he had no other choice. At least for now.

The morning would come and so would his transformation. Swans were constantly doted on by gentlemen like Nie Huaisang which meant free food to fill a smaller frame, much easier to satisfy than Mo Xuanyu’s own. There was safety here, behind these walls, with no one who knew him. With Nie Huaisang, perhaps, who would delight in a swan eating his grass down and feeding on the moss and water bugs.

After all, he’d been invited. The magic was still singing from such genuine words and that gave him enough strength to at least try. If nothing else, he’d stay just one night more, rest up, and be on his way. As long as the sun shone, he could fly, and if danger came for him he had the means to escape.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something… more to the warmth tingling around his wrists, under the cold ice of the binding spell. Something like freedom and hope. Something like courage. Perhaps he would stay longer than a night. Perhaps this could be a haven, not a prison, and he could stop running. A foolish dream, of course, but maybe, for once, not a hopeless one.

And he had always been a fool.

[aurelacs]

Ten of Wands

An Ezra/F!OC Red Dead Redemption AU

WORD COUNT: 3.6k

CONTENT: mentions of spousal abuse, character introductions, setting the scene

A/N: Here goes! My first multi-chapter fic! I’m not sure how frequently I’ll be able to update because of work, but I do have it all planned out. This is set in the Red Dead Redemption universe, however there’s no spoilers for either game, and you don’t need to have prior knowledge of the games to understand the fic. I’m just using RDR for the setting and the time period (1899). Hope you enjoy!

chapter list | masterlist | read on AO3

I. Temperance

In terms of nightmares, it wasn’t the worst Annie’s had: screaming for her life as she frantically stumbled through her minuscule cottage, trying to avoid her husband and his wrath. He was holding a knife, always the one he used to break down deer, a gift from his father. He was always walking so slowly that if she wasn’t stuck in her mind, she would have no trouble running out the door and far away from him. She always walked slower, stuck in an invisible molasses as her husband encroached, ever closer. The doors were locked, the furniture sturdily held in place, so she couldn’t move anything to block his path. On bad nights, he reached her; the engraved handle of his butcher knife glinting in the afternoon sunlight before coming down and waking her. Good nights, like tonight, were the ones where she managed to wake up before he caught her, or somehow opened the door and ran, far, far away, leaving her husband in the dust. 

Neither of them were reflections of what actually happened. 

Her husband did chase Annie around the house with his favorite knife. He had called her a ‘wasteful wretch’ for using up his last hunt too quickly. He had hurt her before, threatened her, but never like this. Unlike her dreams, however, their cottage actually had a small set of stairs that led to their bedroom, where she grabbed the shotgun he kept under the bed, and fired. Annie’s dreams never made her rewatch her husband’s lifeless body crumble down the stairs. She knew, somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, that the law wouldn’t look favorably upon her; would take no sympathy in her story or her situation, and would gladly see her hang. So she ran. 

For three months, Annie wasn’t sure if she was even wanted. She and her husband lived far enough from the nearest town that if neither of them weren’t seen for a couple weeks, it wasn’t out of place. She indulged in the delusion that maybe his body would never be found. No one would miss him. When she left their cottage, she cut her hair and wore her husband's clothes in an attempt to disguise herself. She didn’t call herself Annie. If people asked, she had never been married, had no suitors of which to speak. Annie figured she could lay low for a couple more months before trying to return to some sort of normalcy. In the local saloon, she had overheard a couple people talking about a ranch outside of Armadillo that was always hiring. It seemed like a promising lead but a stagecoach was too expensive, and the trains were notorious for keeping the law on board in case of outlaws. 

Initially, she thought she was safe in Valentine. It was a decent sized town that took a couple days from her home to reach, far enough that Annie thought she could safely let the mental pictures of her husband and home bleed away. The people were quiet and mostly kept to themselves. No one seemed to blink an eye when she attempted to interject herself into the day to day. Annie would ask around for small jobs, taking what she could when she could. She did her best to keep her head down. It wasn’t until one day, as she was passing by the sheriff’s office, that she saw the notice board. Annie’s blood ran cold as her eyes frantically scanned the ‘wanted’ poster bearing her likeness. 

WANTED

ANNIE GRAY NÉE COBB 

BOUNTY : $50

FOR: MURDER AND EVADING THE LAW

CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS

WANTED ALIVE FOR QUESTIONING

The site of the poster overwhelmed her with nausea to the point where she sincerely thought she would throw up in front of the sheriff. Annie chose to bury her grief and guilt, to let it fester in her stomach until it eventually ate her from the inside and left her for dead. It’s how she wanted it. Seeing the wanted poster forced the images of her husband at the bottom of the stairs back into the forefront of her mind. She knew she killed her husband. She knew this was what she deserved, and yet she didn’t want to confront it. The months she had spent in Valentine, she played the part she wanted to have. Not the one of the self-inflicted widow, but of the resilient wife who couldn’t take her husband’s abuse any longer. Annie liked to pretend that her husband was still alive. A defense mechanism to keep the bile at bay. She loved her husband. Loved him when he first courted her, loved him when they got married, loved him when he told her she couldn’t write to her mother anymore and beat her when he found out. When he spat out her cooking. When she couldn’t bear him children. When his face twisted itself in hatred as she greeted him after a day of hunting. Loved him so much that when she fired the shotgun into his chest and killed him she couldn’t find it within herself to scream. 

Annie could feel the sweat beading on her forehead. She searched frantically, made sure no one was watching as she ripped the poster off the notice board and stuffed it into her satchel. Hopefully it hadn’t been up for long and if anyone realized the poster was missing, they would assume a bounty hunter had accepted the task. The situation sent Annie so off-kilter that she opted not to find work for the day, and instead made the trek directly back to her camp. She slept, the stress somehow managing to quiet her racing mind. She dreamt not of her husband or their home, but of a stagecoach passing through a dusty town full of tumbleweeds that smelled of horse manure. Her coach passed by a sign that read “Welcome to Armadillo.” Annie took it as fate. She would find her respite two states away no matter the cost. The sooner she left, the harder it would be for bounty hunters to track her, and the faster she would be able to raise the money to pay it off. 

The morning sun warmed Annie’s face as she rose the next day. She stamped out her fire and packed up her tent, wrapping it into her bedroll and strapping it onto her back. Her husband’s shotgun slung comfortably over her shoulder. She had settled on her plan while she slept, not just to go to Armadillo, but how to afford it as well. The intent, as foolish as it was, was to rob Valentine’s general store of money and provisions, and perhaps a horse from the stable across the way. She felt herself somewhat justified with the act. Annie wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t necessary. It’s not like she would be hurting the shopkeeper, just scaring him into giving her the money. In the back of her mind she even managed to convince herself that she would find a way to bring back the horse. 

Annie’s camp was an hour walk outside of Valentine, and with every step she took closer to the sleepy town, she felt her confidence wane. Her mind raced with every way her plan could go wrong. The law would be alerted, and they would laugh at her before dragging her into the sheriff’s office. They would mock how her bounty poster claimed she was dangerous. Maybe they would release her with the thought that there was no way this was the same woman. Who could kill a man but not rob a store? If that did happen, she resolved that she would neither kick, nor scream, nor demand penance. The guilt still weighed heavy on her shoulders. She knew she deserved a noose, but was afraid to face it. But if she was caught, who was she to deny fate?

Valentine appeared suddenly, expanding over the horizon like a threat. Doubt creeped in further. She could turn back. Perhaps Armadillo was closer than she thought, and the stagecoach was a luxury meant for the rich and the lazy. She could just steal the horse. The stable was the first thing she passed as she walked into town, it was easy enough. Her legs continued to carry her. Annie kept the shotgun slung over her shoulder as she walked toward the store, greeting those who walked by her. No one seemed suspicious of her as she continued to tread, her paces slowing as she finally approached the old wooden steps that lead to her goal. In the morning light, they still managed to appear a dark, foreboding mountain that she had to climb. They creaked as she walked up until she was flush with the door. It was metal, painted white, with a screen to keep errant bugs from flying in and ruining the fresh produce that was sold inside. Annie prayed that it was locked, or that the store was closed for the day, but as she focused in, she could faintly hear talking from behind the door. She recognized the shopkeeper’s voice.

Annie took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and kicked open the entrance to the general store, her husband’s shotgun aimed toward where she thought the shopkeeper might be. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the elderly shopkeeper’s horrified face: a ghostly white that made her fear that he was about to faint. To his left was another gentleman, his face a combination of annoyed and... amused? His left arm was resting on the counter. In his hand was a pistol that gleamed in the sunlight that shone through the shop’s window, and Annie could just see the delicate engravings in the barrel. The man seemed out of place for Valentine, doubly so for an outlaw. 

Her first thought was that he looked nothing like her husband. 

He stood nearly at her husband’s height, but he stood up straight, like he had less burden to carry. He was well groomed, too. His beard was closely trimmed, enough to keep the definition of his jaw intact and still slightly mask the two small patches on either side of his chin. The hair poking out from under his derby hat looked a little wiley, and Annie could see a small tuft of blonde sticking out from under the brim. There was a youthful look in his eyes that betrayed the wrinkles on his forehead and the ones by his eyes. His clothes looked fresh as well, save for the mud that caked his shoes and the hem of his pants, a rarity in a ranch town like Valentine. Even more perplexing was the faint scar that traced over the cushion of his cheek. The man’s accent was distinctly Southern.

“I do believe you are interrupting my robbery.” 

His voice interrupted her thoughts. It felt like the first time Annie had looked upon a man since she married her husband. He felt like an outsider to her, despite being an outsider herself. All the while the shopkeeper still managed to stand, hands still in the air, eyes back to focusing on the man’s intricate pistol. Once the gravity of what was in front of her sunk in, Annie panicked. He was the last thing that stood between her and Armadillo. Every extra second she wasted in the store without the money in her hand was a second the law could use to catch up to her. To find her. To kill her. If the law was going to catch her, she didn’t want a robbery charge on her as well. Annie mustered up more courage, more voice, than she had had in months.

“No. I think you’re interrupting mine.”

The man seemed stunned, but the look of amusion still sat on his face, almost like he enjoyed the situation. This was a funny joke someone was telling at the saloon across the street, not a real life occurrence. Or perhaps that’s how those kinds of jokes came to life. The man tucked his pistol into its holster and bowed, his arms held out wide and gesturing to the shopkeeper. Annie swallowed, hard. The barrel of the shotgun trembled with her as she slowly crept closer to the old man. She wasn’t sure who was shaking harder. 

“I-I need the money.”  

His trembling hands impeded the speed at which the shopkeeper could open up his small, black till. He almost dropped some of the bills as he handed them to Annie, who stuffed them into her satchel, shotgun still poised at his chest. The amount didn’t seem like much, but by Annie’s estimation it felt like enough to get her a stagecoach to Strawberry. Her heart seized in her chest. It wasn’t that great of a distance between her and her home, but it was a start. And Strawberry had a small hotel with baths and rooms. When she believed the ordeal to be over, she lowered her weapon, forgetting about the man that almost beat her to her ticket out, until she heard the click of a pistol being cocked.   

“Now, now, little bird. Do you or do you not agree that I am entitled to some of your newfound, bounteous wealth.” Annie found herself staring down the barrel of his gun. He still had the same smirk on his face. No, no, no. This man had been a thorn in her side for longer than she had the patience. Maybe it would be easier to die here. Maybe it would be easier to kill, now that she’s had the experience. Before Annie could raise her gun, she saw the man’s eyes flick to an area behind the shopkeeper. She could make out what looked like a back closet with a door.

“It seems as though we are at an impasse. Perhaps we could discuss this stalemate elsewhere, away from prying eyes.”

She got the hint. The man stepped to the side to let Annie pass behind the counter. She could still feel his gun trained on her as she walked toward the area. The shopkeeper followed the two with his eyes as Annie opened the door. It led outside and the man slammed it shut behind him. 

“If you want to make it out of this town all creamy, I suggest you follow my lead.”

The man took one of Annie’s arms and pinned it behind her back. With his other hand, he pressed his pistol into the middle of back and pushed her forward.

“I am not going to shoot you, that I can promise. Act natural.”

They walked in tandem through the back throughway of the shops. Nearby, Annie heard what she assumed was the shopkeeper scream. A shrill whistle sounded in the distance, and the man picked up his pace, urging her forward as well. To passersby, they looked like a couple walking unreasonably close to each other. Annie spotted a horse hitched on a post next to the auction yard that she assumed was the man’s. She figured he would kill her there and take the money when the rumbling of hoofbeats interrupted her thoughts. 

“Stop right there.” A posse of  five men formed a semi-circle in front of them. Each one had a repeater trained in their direction. The fear that built up in Annie was enough to make her scream, but the feeling of the man pressing the gun to her head silenced her. “You’ve been accused of robbery. If you surrender now, we won’t shoot.” 

The silence rippled through the grass. Annie was ready to surrender now, to submit to the pain she earned. The tension flooded her veins and she wanted to break from his grasp. She had no reason to trust his word, but no reason to not trust him, either. 

“Gentlemen, let’s be reasonable. There is no reason as to why you would put an innocent, young woman at risk.” The barrel felt cold against the heated skin of her temple. “If you let me leave, I swear you will never see my face again in Valentine, and the lady will be brought back with nary a scratch.” He pointed the pistol at the group of men. “However if I leave, and I sense that one of you is following me, I will ensure that Hell rains upon this little shitheap of a town, and she will be the first to go.”

Annie could feel his heart race against her back. It betrayed the confidence that his voice exuded. His breaths, when not speaking, were shaky. When the posse did nothing but stare silently at him, he began to gently pull against Annie and walked backwards. He kept his eyes trained on the men until he realized he had backed into his horse. Slowly, he let go of her arm. 

“Get on, on the front,” he mumbled, outstretching his newly freed hand to assist her up. Annie scooched forward on the saddle to make room. She watched as he unhitched the horse and hopped on behind her. “I have camp set up by the falls,” he whispered in her ear. “We’ll ride and discuss our little predicament there.”  He set his horse into motion, still checking on the posse behind him. To her surprise, they weren’t following them. 

“They will most likely wait for a spell before tracking us, but we’ll be long gone before they are able to find where I set up,” he said, as if reading her mind. 

The man, who introduced himself as Ezra, had his camp set up by Cumberland Falls, along the Dakota River. By the looks of it, he was in the same situation as Annie. The camp looked lived in. The grass around the fire pit was colorless from the smoke. His bedroll was adjusted in an odd position in his tent that was most likely meant to keep the rising sun out of his eyes. He had even set up a small post to hitch his horse. Ezra insisted on getting off the horse first, and helping Annie off by outstretching his hand once more. He waited until she had sat herself on her own bedroll before speaking. 

“Now, little bird, do you mind telling me how you interrupted my robbery back there?” There was no anger in his voice, but the annoyance permeated throughout.

Annie remained silent. She picked at her ragged cuticles and clutched her satchel closer to her chest.

“I do not like to be made a fool.” Her silence vexed him. He crouched down next to her, close enough that when she looked over at him, she could count the moles that freckled his neck and chest. “And I need that money.” That struck a chord in her.

“I need it more.”

He made a face, the corners of his lips pulling down and his eyebrows rising. “That is. A fair assumption. However, I spent weeks planning that robbery, so I do believe I am entitled to my due share. Half, at least. I will not accept a penny less.” 

Annie reached into her satchel and counted the bills. Fourteen dollars. It felt like so much and so little at the same time. Fourteen was more than enough to get her to Strawberry, maybe even Blackwater with some persuasion. Seven would get her to Strawberry, but immediately leave her in the same position she’s in now, possibly even worse off if the shopkeeper told the law that it was in fact she that robbed him. 

“Maybe we can come to a compromise.” 

Ezra scoffed. “I don’t think you’re in the position to be negotiating-”

“Without me, those men would’ve shot you dead.” 

“And without me, you would have left that store with your tail between your legs and not a cent to your name. The last thing I expected to see in all of New Hanover is a woman trying to be an outlaw. Do you mind telling me what had you so inclined to ruin all of my hard work?”

Annie hesitated. What could she get away with telling him? If Ezra needed the money as much as she did, telling him about her husband would lead to him turning her in for her bounty. Fifty dollars was a lot of money for anyone, even for outlaws who were so meticulous as to spend weeks planning a robbery. She thought about lying, telling Ezra that she was on the run from her husband, banking on whatever sympathy he might have.

“I need to get to Armadillo.” 

Ezra burst into a fit of laughter that knocked him back into the grass. It was the only sound the river carried through the air around them. As he continued to laugh, Annie grew more cautious. The thoughts of all the times her husband acted the same way before exploding on her ran through her mind, and she began to crawl backwards away from him. His horse was too far to reach without him catching her. She could run right now and keep the money.

“Where are you going, birdie? I am merely laughing at the serendipity of our shared quandary.” He stood up and brushed the grass off the seat of his pants. “I, too, have dealings in Armadillo that need to be tended. It is why I found myself in Valentine in the first place. Admittedly, I have many dealings in many places, but if you need to get to Armadillo, I can oblige. That is, if you would allow me.” 

Annie honestly, truly, couldn’t believe her luck. She was flummoxed at the prospect of a man so easily and willingly wanting to help her. There was a worry, in the back of her mind, that he might eventually exploit this. But for now, she let the concern pass. Armadillo, for the first time, seemed within reach. 

They shook hands, and silently agreed on a deal.

Tag List: @immundusspiritu​ @borderlinedindjarin​ @aforces​

[glassworkspiderlilies]

oh traveler, take heed (additional notes)

some extra notes for my giyushinoweek day 8 fic, oh traveler, take heed! i wrote that one in one shot last night, so it’s like, extra-hastily written haha. somehow i still ended up thinking of a bunch of background info though??

the general idea for the roles were as follows:

-Shinobu as the Butterfly Witch. She turned out to be a little bit like Rui (the spider demon) ability-wise, re: combat ability with threads/spidersilk in what i wrote. But!! she’s more of an “insect-witch” and draws her ability from various bugs and insects, so i suppose her array of physical combat would stem to like, poisoned needles/darts/knives, or some kind of created piercing weapon via magic. she wouldn’t have a sword in this au, but the combat portion of her magic would still draw from her Breath style. she’s a master at general healing and poisons, but also an expert on curses and hexes and suchlike. originally i kind of wanted her to have this exaggerated, not-so-good reputation, more befitting of a scary witch kind of thing, but in the end it’s more mixed. some will find her kind, some will find her cruel. again, i wanted to draw from CLAMP’s xxxholic, or necromancer by soga shina, where requesting help from shinobu is sort of like...”be careful what you wish for, as the results will not always be what you expect.” sometimes, curses are in place for a reason, or sometimes, what one person sees as a curse another sees as a blessing. the price that shinobu extracts is because she uses that “value” or “energy” to combat the curse/hex/illness/whatever. it is not often that she keeps the price, itself. ailments that she can cure with herbs and whatnot she’ll dispense for free--she has no need for money, since she’s still a princess. but magic of her particular kind has a price, and cannot/should not be used so easily. 

-Giyu as the “Grim Reaper”. He was supposed to be more scary!! He’s Sabito’s loyal knight, and also has the ability to lay souls to rest. He’s more in line with a canon demon slayer--that is, in this au he’d be of the few that can kill demons via cutting off their head. (witches can also kill demons!) he’s also of the few that can combat shades, remnants, the undead, and suchlike. to be honest, he takes it upon himself to do the dirty work that sabito would never ask him to do; it’s never anything terribly immoral, as he shares everything with sabito and makomo, but it pains sabito nonetheless that such a thing is necessary. some call giyu the reaper in fear, and some in hope. theoretically, he also has some necromancy abilities, but he’s not actually aware of it yet, and it’s something of a forbidden art. spirits who will willingly do his bidding are one thing, forcing them into a vessel is another. because his ability revolves around death, the common people find him very difficult to be around. it doesn’t help that he’s normally quite taciturn. sabito, giyu, and makomo are childhood friends, but before he met them, giyu was raised more by the dead than the living. (tsutako’s ghost, perhaps?) 

-Sabito as the Fox Prince. sorry, that’s it, i didn’t think any further than that LOL. he has some latent abilities too, but i didn’t think on that long enough to flesh them out. he’s a very good swordsman himself, and is often away from the castle amongst his people. he’s very well liked and has a very strong sense of justice and protecting the weak, and is constantly looking for ways to improve the kingdom. he’s a bit of a workaholic, and relies deeply on makomo and giyu. he kiiinda usurped the throne, but to the relief and benefit of everyone, since before him, it was the hand demon that was sitting on it, who had killed and eaten the previous king and all his family and heirs. he sleeps poorly, hence why makomo says that she hopes he’s at least dreaming well in the fic. (he’s not, unfortunately. the poor boy.)

-Makomo as the Fox Witch. Lady Makomo is the Prince’s companion and assistant in running the kingdom! she also acts as the ambassador to the surrounding kingdoms. she’s also kind of like a shadow operative within the kingdom--like a spy, i guess? her magic is a little unclear, but ranges more on the defensive/communication side. i imagine it extends to foxes also, like she can communicate with them and possibly transform into one. she’s the last line of defense.

-Kanae as the eldest Kochou Princess. Kanae is not quite a witch, more of a seeress or oracle. she tells fairly accurate common fortunes, and has a very good sense of incoming danger. this is also why their small kingdom has remained at peace for so long. she can be a little careless with this ability--shinobu thinks they should have kept it much more hidden. it’s not exactly widespread, but kanae would be safer had she not been so selfless. a more extended fortune-telling would need a more formal ceremony, and so the kochou kingdom will receive requests from high-ranking people on occasion, which the kochou sisters decide together whether or not to take. as such an in-depth telling would drain kanae, taking her days to recover, and so they do not take these requests very often, no matter what they’re offered. kanae’s combat ability affects the mind--she can scramble and distort thoughts if she concentrates, though this can also affect her negatively. she has very strong mental fortitude as a result of her magic. i’d like for her to also have a physical means of defense, so she can probably also swing a sword, haha.

-Kanao as the youngest Kochou Princess. Kanao has some seeress ability, and so is training under kanae, mostly, to hone/develop these. when she was young, she was able to hear voices which were other people’s thoughts. but because she grew up in the slums and no one was really around to explain her abilities to her, she and others believed she was cursed, and she broke under the stress of others’ emotions until she was picked up by kanae and shinobu. kanao was trained by shinobu in combat, and so she’s also kanae’s bodyguard while shinobu is away from the castle, especially when kanae is performing rituals which leaves her defenseless. 

-Doma, as the second prince of demons. There are twelve princes corresponding with the twelve demon moons. i guess there should also be twelve minor princes or nobles, to coincide with the lower moons? anyway. his followers attacked the kochou kingdom once and were repelled, largely by shinobu’s tactics. he’s been in love(?) with her ever since, but has marked her elder sister, because he knows that’s more motivation. 

misc other things:

- the village that shinobu told giyu not to go to--she was, in fact there, releasing the village from a “curse”, but it was one of those things where the releasing the spell was actually more detrimental to the village, but it’s the village’s problem of their own making because they’ve clung to traditions due to malice. the villagers end up being their own undoing, and the “curse” was actually to keep worse things from happening. it’s super vague since i didn’t think that deeply into the actual details of what happened--again, i just wanted that feeling of “be careful of what you wish for” type of thing. 

-i actually wanted shinobu to travel with giyu for a bit before they go to sabito! i wanted something like, giyu takes a small retinue of knights/people from a local village or something while on the search for the butterfly witch, and shinobu slips in and pretends to be one of them (though i was worried her height might give her away lmao). after a side mission is all said and done with, maybe that’s when they all go to the kochou castle, and giyu’s like, “i’m looking for the butterfly witch” and kanae laughs and says “but haven’t you already found her?” and giyu’s like “what?” and kanae’s like “she’s next to you, isn’t she? welcome home, sister.” and shinobu reveals herself and is like “hello. :) thank you kanae, i’m home.” and everyone loses their mind. i love dramatic reveals!! i wanted there to be a dramatic reveal!!!

-the “fox kingdom” (lmao kingdom names are hard and i didn’t actually come up with any proper ones, so i just. vaguely referred around it) and the kochou kingdom are officially allied. sabito saved kanae’s life once, and he and makomo are friends with kanae and shinobu. kanao and giyu were for some reason not present during when this happened LOL. but this is also why makomo tells giyu to search for the butterfly witch. the butterfly witch’s status is not actually public knowledge, hence why makomo tells giyu to go to the kochou kingdom. she would’ve explained more/the fact that the witch is also a princess, but giyu left before she could, lol. 

-originally i was gonna have giyu end up being shinobu’s familiar but then i was like......that’s too much too complicated so he’s just her traveling companion and partner to kill doma lol

hmmmm i guess that’s it for now!! thanks for reading!!

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Until the Stars Are All Alight–Chapter 5: The King of the Broken Kingdom

Hello, and welcome to my entry for the Captain Swan Supernatural Summer 2019!  This au combines two story ideas I’ve wanted to explore for a while. 1. What if CS existed in a Tolkien-esque, LOTR world? 2. What would have happened if it was Killian rather than Neal that Emma ran into when she was stealing the bug?  Huge thank you to my beta, @blackwidownat2814, to @clockadile for the amazing story and chapter art, to @kmomof4 and @cssns for putting this event together, and to the ladies in the CSSNS chat who have helped me think through this story.  If all goes well, I should be posting every Tuesday, and the story will have approximately 18 chapters plus the prologue and epilogue.

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Summary: CS Lord of the Rings au: When Emma Swan steals a yellow Volkswagen Beetle, she has no idea it will lead her toward an adventure filled with danger and intrigue, sacrifice and a love stronger than anything she could imagine.  Tasked with bringing the Savior home, the elf, Killian Jones of Misthaven travels to the Land Without Magic.  Can he convince Emma to fulfill her destiny before the Dark One regains power and takes over all of the Enchanted Forest?

Rating:  T

Word Count: 5275

Other Chapters : (prologue) (1) (2) (3) (4) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (epilogue)

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Camelot, around 22 years ago

Queen Guinevere stood at the window of her husband’s tower room looking out at her broken kingdom as the cooling autumn breeze made her belled sleeves flutter.

Her heart ached as she looked out at her beautiful Camelot, her home, once one of the greatest kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest.  How had it come to this?  How had it disintegrated into a place of fear and mistrust, of paranoia and retribution with such unbelievable swiftness?

Guinevere knew her husband, King Arthur, was to blame for some of it.  Growing up as a commoner, only gaining the crown thanks to a twist of fate, he’d always felt a fair amount of inferiority, and this inferiority had driven him to more and more desperate, paranoid actions.  His latest obsession was in finding the mighty sword Excalibur, and the obsession had threatened to consume him whole.

Until, that is, a far greater threat made his way onto Camelot’s sparkling shores.

Several months ago a new man had appeared at court calling himself Neal Baelfire.  Guinevere had been immediately on her guard.  This man, this Neal, had an air of cunning about him, an air of trickery and evil.

But Neal Baelfire also possessed something else--an uncanny ability to flatter King Arthur to the point that her husband was utterly put under his spell.  Within a week, Arthur had made Baelfire his closest advisor and had taken his advice unquestioningly since.

This oily, silver-tongued worm had swiftly become the de-facto leader of Camelot while King Arthur merely sat upon his throne, compliant and quiet.

One day as Guinivere sat in her garden, she’d been joined by Sir Lancelot, knight of Arthur’s roundtable.  Before the arrival of Neal Baelfire, Lancelot had been one of Arthur’s greatest friends and confidantes, and Guinevere’s heart ached to remember those halcyon days of peace and prosperity, for Lancelot was calm and steady.  He had a wisdom and kindness beyond any man Guinevere had ever met.  

“What troubles my lady on such a beautiful day?” he’d asked her, taking a seat on the bench beside her.

“It’s Arthur,” she said, turning tortured eyes his way.  “He’s fallen completely under the spell of Baelfire.  What do we even know about this man?”

Lancelot had offered to quietly look into the new advisor within their country, and what he found sent icy tendrils of dread down Guinevere’s spine.

For Neal Baelfire was none other than the beloved son of the Dark One himself.  Their danger was even greater than she’d previously believed; the threat to all that Camelot held dear had just risen astronomically.

Armed with this disturbing knowledge, Guinevere and Lancelot had gone to the king himself, trying desperately to open his eye to the danger that threatened their entire domain.

But their pleas fell on deaf ears, for Neal insisted on being present at the meeting and Arthur refused to dismiss him.

“Very well, my king,” Guinevere said, standing tall and sending a beseeching look toward her husband.  “If I must have my say before your newest counselor, then so be it, but have my say I will.  I have great concerns about matters in the kingdom.”

For a moment, Guinevere thought she’d get through to the king.  He smiled at her and inclined his head for her to proceed.  But before she was able, Neal cleared his throat.

“Is this truly necessary, my lord?” Neal asked gently.  “Your queen is a delicate, fragile flower.  We mustn’t burden our womenfolk with matters of state.”

Arthur considered it for a moment, and then turned toward Neal.  “Perhaps, you are correct, Baelfire, but it can’t hurt to let the queen have her say.”

Guinevere couldn’t help shooting Neal a triumphant look, but her triumph was short lived.  She’d no more than stated her belief that Neal was attempting to poison Arthur’s mind and take over the kingdom himself, when Neal scoffed and quickly got to his feet.

“Perhaps we’d do best to consider from whence the queen obtained her so called information,” he said, glaring down both Guinevere and Lancelot in turn.  “Could it be that the knight, Sir Lancelot poured this calumny into her head?”

“Yes, your highness,” Lancelot stated calmly, stepping forward.  “In response to a request made by Queen Guinevere, I did some research on Neal Baelfire and found the information your wife so succinctly gave you.”

Neal shook his head, his face falling in an assumed air of reluctance.  “I didn’t want it to come to this, Your Majesty,” he said sorrowfully, “I truly did not, for I feel the news I have now to share will break your heart, but it appears now a matter of national security.”

Arthur’s brow furrowed.  “What news?”

“I fear it is the worst news,” Arthur said, sending a triumphant smile Lancelot’s way, a smile that sent dread spiraling through Guinevere.  “It seems your most trusted knight is attempting to cuckold you, my king.  On more than one occasion, I’ve caught Sir Lancelot with Queen Guinevere.  Oh, they’ve done nothing untoward in the public eye, of course, but their closeness spoke of an intimacy that goes far beyond what a man of honor should have with a married woman.  There’s no doubt in my mind, what goes on behind closed doors is not lawful even to be spoken.”

Guinevere and Lancelot had both vociferously protested against the charges, of course, for they were blatantly false.  She had great regard for Lancelot and found him to be an exceedingly handsome man.  Perhaps if she wasn’t already wed things would be different, but as it was, she was a married woman and he was a man of honor.  Any feelings the two of them might or might not have for each other were neither spoken nor acted upon by either party.

To Guinevere’s relief, Arthur had rejected the accusation, suggesting Neal had misunderstood what he’d seen.

And yet the damage was already done.  Suspicion had been sown.

Now here, this morning, she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that covered her like a blanket.  The king had sent her a formal summons to his chambers for an hour hence, and Guinevere feared the worst for what might await her when she arrived.

For last night had changed everything.

Yesterday had been her birthday, and as was their custom, the villagers had been invited into the outer courtyard for a party celebrating the occasion.  Year in and year out, the party was a time for joy and merriment for all involved.  Arthur and Guinevere provided their villagers with a lavish feast, with music and dancing.  Guinevere had begun a tradition some five years ago of giving her villagers gifts upon her birthday. They were small tokens really, but they never failed to elicit delighted thanks from the hard working people who helped to make her kingdom as prosperous as it was.

Guinevere had begun the festivities in a rather morose mood.  King Arthur had promised to join her in the celebrations this year.  He’d promised to put aside his quest for the sword and spend time with his wife on the day celebrating her birth, but as the sun set and the party began, Arthur was nowhere to be found.  Guinevere sat alone upon her bench, feeling a tear trace its way down her cheek.  The bench dipped beside her, and Guinevere looked over to see Neal seated beside her.

“You are so alone, are you not, my queen?” he said softly, gently, almost tenderly, and it took everything in Guinevere not to recoil from him.

“I am not,” Guinevere said, hating the sound of tears in her voice.  “I have an entire kingdom behind me.”

“And yet, I have their king behind me,” Neal said speculatively.  “But we need not be at such an impasse, Your Majesty.”

Her brows furrowed as she sent him a questioning look.

���So fair, and yet so cold,” Baelfire murmured, cupping her face with his hand, the touch making her skin crawl.  “Like the icy tendrils of winter before the spring thaw.  But I’ve no doubt I can warm even your cold heart.”

Guinevere felt frozen in horror as she watched him lean closer, puckering his lips and closing his eyes.  The feel of his fetid breath upon her face snapped her out of it, and Guinevere sprang to her feet.  “Your words are poison!”

Neal scowled, getting quickly to his feet and advancing upon her.  He grabbed her arms in a vice-like grip, and fear started coursing through Guinevere.  “Poison they may be, but you will be mine.”

Guinevere fought against his hold, kicking out, trying to hold him at bay, but he was too strong for her.  What was she to do?

“I believe the lady refused your advances Baelfire.”  Never had a voice been more welcome to Guinevere than Lancelot's at that moment.  She looked up to see the knight’s sword pointed directly at Neal’s throat.  Taking advantage of the distraction, she broke free and came to stand beside Lancelot.

“Perhaps you’d best not meddle in affairs that don’t concern you, knight,” Baelfire spat.

“The defense of the queen very much concerns me,” Lancelot said, sending a steely gaze upon his opponent.  “I’ve sworn to protect both her and my king, and you threaten both.  I suggest you slink away into whatever hole from which you slithered here.”

Neal looked from the sword to Lancelot, weighing his options, before finally stepping back and raising his hands in surrender.  “You will pay for this,” he ground out between clenched teeth.

Lancelot lowered his sword but did not sheathe it.  “If so, it is a price I am willing to pay.”

Neal had indeed slinked away afterward and the remainder of the night had been rather enjoyable.  Sir Lancelot had escorted her back to her party, where he presented her with an entire cart filled with Middlemist roses.

“From the king,” Lancelot said.  “He sends his deepest regrets at being delayed, but he wishes his queen to have this token of his affection.”

Guinevere was no fool.  She knew the offering had not come from her husband.  She knew how he got when he was deep in his obsessions.  Nothing and no one (save, perhaps for Neal Baelfire) could break through.  The roses could have come from none but Lancelot himself, and Guinevere’s heart burst at the generosity of the good-hearted man before her.  This night alone, he’d saved her from a fate worse than death at Neal’s hands, he’d given her a veritable garden of roses, and he’d given the credit to her husband.

A better, nobler man, Guinevere had never met.

And so she’d asked him to dance.  He’d graciously accepted and they'd danced the night away, a look in his eyes that told her quite plainly that the feelings awakening for him in her heart were far from unrequited.

But when the dance came to an end, they both stepped away before anything more could come of it, neither of them willing to betray the man they both cared for.

It was a night Guinevere would never forget, and yet she couldn’t shake the nagging fear that her encounter with Neal at the start of it would have further consequences.

It was a fear that proved to be all too well founded, as she learned at the meeting King Arthur had requested.

She arrived at the meeting to find both Arthur and Baelfire already in attendance, thundering frowns on both their faces.  When Sir Lancelot arrived only moments later, Arthur got to his feet, turning furious eyes upon his best friend.

“It has come to my attention, Sir. Lancelot du Lac, that you have betrayed me in thest vile way imaginable.  You have begun an affair with my wife under my very nose.  Therefore, I sentence you to be hereby banished from Camelot and all its surroundings forever.”

Guinevere had jumped immediately to Lancelot’s defense.  Insisting nothing untoward had ever or would ever happen between them, insisting if anyone should be banished for betraying Arthur in ‘the most vile way imaginable’, it was Neal Baelfire, telling Arthur of his advisor forcing his own advances upon her.

But none of it was to any avail.  Arthur was implacable, and that very day, her one ally and defender within Camelot’s castle was forcibly removed from her life forever.

Guinevere was well and truly alone.

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Land Without Magic, present day

Killian knew he’d never forget the day Emma Swan, Princess of Misthaven moved into his apartment.  To say it was a day that changed his life forever would be a far more melodramatic statement than even he would make.

But it was a day that changed his life forever.

He’d opened his door to find her there with nothing more than a single box of possessions, looking more than a little sheepish.  He’d swear his heart stopped for a moment and then pounded.

“So that loft room,” she’d said hesitantly.  “I was thinking.  Is it still available?”

If anyone asked him, he’d have told them that the smile that seemed permanently affixed to his face from that moment on was due to nothing more than his relief that having her under the same roof, as it made his mission that much easier.  It was the mission that mattered.  The sudden awakening of his broken heart had no part in it.

For she was the princess, and he’d do best to remember it.

The first inkling he had that he might be very much in trouble came a week after she moved in.  Killian came back to the loft after a particularly long and frustrating day at the harbor.  He wanted nothing more than to order take out, collapse on his couch, and convince Emma to join him for the next installment of the Star Wars marathon she’d insisted he watch with her.

(She'd introduced him to the epic space tale the evening after she moved in.

“Are you kidding me, Killian?” she’d asked, her tone scandalized.  “You’re telling me you’ve not only never seen Star Wars, but you’ve never even heard of it?  Where did you even come from?”

The question had made him distinctly uncomfortable, of course.  He’d like nothing more than to tell her exactly where he--and she--was from, but he knew that she was not ready for such answers yet.  He’d laughed it off, mumbling some nonsense about being busy with the navy, waggled his eyebrows and then flirted outrageously.

She’d tossed a throw pillow at him and then proceeded to open the Netflix--something Smee insisted he needed--made what she called her specialty (“My secret, Killian, is that I mix the milk duds in while the popcorn is still hot so they get all melty.”) and then settled in next to him to fix the obvious lack in his cinematic knowledge.)

Killian was still thinking about that day when he turned the key in his apartment door and then opened it to the distinct scent of something burning, the sound of Emma using language that would make most sailors blush, and the sight of her angrily stabbing a knife into his toaster.  She was dressed casually in an oversized flannel shirt and sweats, and her hair was piled haphazardly on her head, but to Killian’s eyes, her beauty was not one whit dimmed.

“And what precisely has the toaster done, darling, that you should attempt to murder it?” he asked, shedding his leather coat, draping it neatly on the coat rack and then striding forward to rescue his appliance from the avenging angel before him.

She glared at him for a minute, and then she seemed to wilt, falling rather dramatically onto one of the kitchen stools.  “I just--I wanted to do something nice for you,” she said. “I wanted to make you dinner, but nothing is working out right.  Nothing.  I don’t know how to make much more than breakfast foods, so I thought I’d make breakfast for dinner, but the bacon burned, and I couldn’t get your gas stove to work the right way, so the eggs are runny, and the toast--”

Here she stopped, pointing an accusatory finger at the toaster he was currently holding.  “That absolute piece of crap in your arms is worthless.  First time I put the bread in, nothing.  Then I put it down again, and just look!”

She picked up a blackened piece of bread, waving it in his face, the acrid scent of burning making his nose wrinkle.

“It’s no matter, Swan,” he said, setting the toaster down and then taking the toast from her hands and tossing it in the trash bin.

“But it is a matter!” she said, the tears flooding her eyes.  “It’s a huge matter!  I can’t find a job, and now I can’t even cook dinner to earn my keep around here.  Serve me right if you tossed me to the curb.  I’m useless.”

His heart had broken at the way her voice had become smaller and smaller until she’d nearly whispered the last word.  Quickly, he’d closed the distance between them, enveloping her in a hug.

“You’ll find a job; you’ve only just begun looking, and I didn’t invite you to live here to be my maid or my short order cook, Swan,” he said, rubbing her back soothingly.

She pulled back enough to look critically up at his face.  “Why did you invite me here?”

How he wished he could tell her the full truth. Because you’re the lost princess of Misthaven, daughter of Queen Snow, the former elf ,and King David.  I’ve come to bring you home to save your people.  

“Because you and I, we understand each other,” he’d settled for.  “You have the look in your eye of one who’s been left alone.  I was lucky.  I had someone come to my aid--my brother Liam--when my world fell apart. I thought perhaps to repay the favor by giving you the boost you need.”

She’d given him a watery smile, reaching up to swipe at her damp eyes.

“And one more thing,” he’d said giving her his best imitation of a stern look.  “I believe I’ve already established that you’re anything but useless.  Now what say we go out for dinner and then come back here to see what further adventures your Luke and Leia and Han Solo find themselves in?”

But as much as the burnt toast incident had awakened his heart, it was nothing to the incident that happened the following week.

Killian had gone off to work that morning as usual only to realize when he reached the harbor that he’d forgotten his talking phone.  Still early for his shift, he’d returned home to retrieve it.

He’d walked into the apartment just as Emma, clad in nothing but a tiny towel, emerged from the flat’s only bathroom amid a cloud of vanilla-scented steam.  He stopped in his tracks, his hand still on the doorknob, and his mouth going slack.

With her long legs and the tops of her creamy breasts on full display, her damp hair trailing behind her, she looked like a goddess.  She was so beautiful, it almost hurt to look at her, and Killian felt his body reacting in spite of herself.

Emma was the first to move, clutching the towel more firmly to herself and averting her eyes as she moved toward the stairs to her bedroom.  “Sorry, I...I didn’t realize you were still here.”

The spell broken, Killian realized he was staring in a most ungentlemanly manner and he swiftly turned his back.  “The fault is mine, Swan,” he said, voice coming out rather more breathless and needy than he would have liked.  “I had to return for my talking phone. Forgive my intrusion.”

That was the moment Killian realized he was more than just in trouble.  He was lost.  Try as he might to remind himself that she was the princess, that he was here merely to bring her home, that he must retain a professional distance from her, he knew it was useless.

For he had fallen in love with Emma Swan, and a part of him wished to forget about his mission entirely and simply remain here with his love.

But duty and honor and love of his people was so firmly ingrained in Killian Jones that he knew he mustn’t abandon the mission.  He mustn’t.

Still, he was no closer now than when they’d first met to figuring out how to broach the subject of Emma’s beginnings with her.

As it happened, fate, and Emma’s own innate connection to her homeland, offered him the opportunity to take the first step toward making her believe.

It was an ordinary evening sometime in the middle of the second week after Emma moved in.  A spring thunderstorm raged outside, but it was quite cozy and domestic inside.  Emma sat upon the couch, her legs tucked beneath her as she read a book.  Killian sang idly to himself as he practiced his knots on the other side of the couch.

Ú i vethed...

nâ i onnad.

Si boe ú-dhanna.

Ae ú-esteli, esteliach nad.

Nâ boe ú i.

Estelio han, estelio han, estelio,

estelio han, estelio veleth.

 Killian didn’t even realize he’d sung in the Elvish Sindarin language of his people, until he looked up to see her staring at him with wide eyes.

“Where--where did you learn that language?” she asked, her eyes wide and unnerved.

Killian scratched at the back of his neck.  “It’s the language of my homeland...the language of Misthaven.”

“But…” Emma said slowly, “that’s impossible!”

Killian’s brow furrowed.  “Pardon, love?”

“It’s just--never mind.”

Killian slid forward until he was next to her.  “What troubles you, Swan?  Is it the song?  It means…”

“I know what it means!” she said.  “Something about ‘this is not the end, something, something, something, if you trust nothing trust love.”

This time Killian’s eyes widened.  “Swan, are you telling me you understand Sindarin?”

“That the language you were speaking?” she asked.

“Aye,” he said with a nod.  “As I said, it’s the language of my homeland.”

“But that’s impossible!” Emma said again.  “It’s not real.  It was just a dream.”

Killian felt hope swell in his chest.  Was it possible that Emma may somehow remember more than she knew?  He took a deep breath and then let it out.  “We seem to be going in circles love.  Perhaps you’d best start at the beginning and tell me about this dream that features my mother tongue.”

“You’ll think I’m crazy.”

He shook his head.  “Impossible.”

“Fine,” she said, getting to her feet and beginning to pace.  “You see, I’ve been having these dreams for as long as I can remember.  I’m in this really, really beautiful place full of trees and flowers and a fine, gentle mist.  It’s always springtime and the sweet scent of flowers is always on the air.  There’s this woman there, and it’s always the same woman.  She’s pretty; has long dark brown hair and green eyes and a kind smile. Sometimes this guy is with her. He’s a blond, and he’s always smiling at me too.  I never remember what exactly happens in the dreams, but I always wake up feeling this incredible feeling of being loved, really, truly loved.  And the woman in my dreams?�� Sometimes she sings me songs, and when she does, she always sings in that language you just used, but somehow I understand it.  I think--I think she even sang that very song you were singing, but that’s impossible.”

Killian’s heart pounded.  He didn’t know how it was possible, as she’d been sent away from the realm mere minutes after her birth, but there could be no question.  Emma was describing her parents and Misthaven.

He was quiet for a moment, thinking furiously.  How to begin showing her the truth without scaring her away?

“Perhaps it’s less impossible than you think, Swan,” he said slowly.

“What?”

“You’ve told me yourself you don’t remember much about your beginnings,” he said.  “Is it possible that you could be from somewhere other than where you’ve always believed?”

“You mean, like your home?  Your Mist-whatever-you-called-it?”

“Misthaven,” Killian corrected.  “It would explain how you understand my language.”

“But,” Emma asked, taking a seat back on the couch, “if I was from some other country or whatever, how did I end up in Maine?  Why did my parents just dump me along the road in some other country?”

“Perhaps there’s more to the story than you know.”

“Maybe,” she said skeptically.

Killian saw from the look in her eyes that she was more than a little unnerved with the conversation.  He’d pushed as far as she was ready for this day at least, and he quickly turned the conversation to safer and much lighter topics.

Perhaps this mission would be less of an impossible task than he’d first believed.

 Notes:

--I am soooooooo sorry for my long, long delay in updating.  It’s just been such a busy time getting ready for Christmas, and then when I did get back into writing, it was so slow going.  I’ve found I really need to take my time with this story, more than I’ve ever had to with any other story.  I make no promises about the speed of updates in the future, but I will say I have a bit more time on my hands until we get close to Easter, so it’s my fervent hope to get the next chapter to you sooner.

--The song Killian was singing was “Evenstar” by Howard Shore from the LOTR movies.  The translation is: “This is not the end… It is the beginning. You cannot falter. If you trust, trust nothing else. Trust this, trust this, trust. Trust this, trust love.”

                                                                                           NEXT CHAPTER -->

[code-of-creation]

Octavo OC first draft: Screamo

Name/Nickname: Scream Tavo (Screamo)

Universe/AU: Foundling (Shifting AU’s easily obtained through the unpredictable magic of the lost woods.)

Age: 21

Species: Appears Hylian, carries Picori/Minish blood.

Likes: Wide open spaces, animals, kindness, warm food, places with good acoustics, calm warm weather, being read to, hearing bards that sing good stories, dry socks, stability.

Dislikes: Noisy places, strong winds he cannot control (It interferes with his hearing), rude people, religious zealots, the unique smell of churches/houses of prayer, cold wet weather, snow (It obscures his ability to “see” the terrain), wet socks/shoes, others yelling, being seen as an invalid.

Personality: Screamtavo is surprisingly friendly, but is awkward and has a hard time interacting with people as he expects everyone to be cold and unpleasant. Being nice to him will almost immediately make you a friend. He has very little self worth, but tries to brush it off with self depreciating humour. He is superficially happy on the outside, but if you manage to scratch past that, which is usually easy but it varies, he is a mess of trauma from his past.

Abilities: Naturally he has minor echolocation abilities that vary due to terrain, material used in obstacles, the ambient noise of the area, and other interfering factors. His sense of hearing is far superior to the average Hylian, due to recessive Minish genes emerging in him. His hearing goes beyond just what he can “see” through his echolocation. He can hear the mice in the walls, large bugs skittering across the floor in the next room, the breathing of the people around him and so on.

Once he gains the mysterious red gem in the mail, his abilities strengthen and he gains control of the wind to a certain degree, and an incredible increase in his hearing ability, which he can control very well. With this control he can lower his hearing to the normal pre-gem levels, or he can elevate them to hear at great distances or the smaller sounds around him. This is difficult though as ambient sounds will often overwhelm him as there are just too many different noises or they are too loud.

With his ability to “See” through sound, he mentally maps the movement of sound, meaning he can also “see” sound. He cannot produce magic through the sounds he makes (Sleeping songs, confusion screams) but being able to see the sound, once he identifies the frequencies used for specific spells, he’ll remember them. Unfortunately the sound has to reach him to be recognized, if the spell is short he might not be able to protect himself. If it’s long he will cover his ears and block it out. He can teach this knowledge to those capable of sound magic.

Appearance: He has the typical Octavo colouring, grape purple hair, golden eyes, purple-grey skin.

Since losing his vision to a severe stroke, his eyes don’t focus any more, they still look normal however and move towards the sources of sounds. It appears as though he refuses to make eye contact however, which effects his interactions with people. He loves having long hair as he’s always felt it looks better on him, as well as it being a comfort thing. He brushes it every morning and every night, and used to braid it until it got too long for him to do so. His arms get tired now.

His clothes rarely match in colour and often clash, he prefers durable and comfortable clothing. With tunics and leggings so popular in Hylian culture, he often finds himself with such. He has a long light brown/tan leather jacket for wet and windy weather, if it’s a dry cold he’ll prefer a thick dark purple wool sweater that he invested good money in. The sweater is too long in the sleeves and hangs on him like a tunic, he loves squishing the cable knit designs and does so for comfort when stressed. His boots are undyed leather, and instead of paying for proper boot laces, he uses cheap ribbons the store had on sale. He asked for purple ones of course.

History/Brief Backstory:

Infancy: Screamo tavo is a foundling, left as a naked new born bundled in a threadbare pillow case on the steps of a church of the golden goddesses. The priestess of the church was very strict, as were the members. They all raised him out of a sense of obligation, but told him all his life he was inferior due to his “Gerudo” eyes and purple hair. He was an abomination and needed to pray to the goddesses for forgiveness.

Childhood: As a child, he was an outcast. He was denied education. He was made to do chores as soon as he could hold a broom and cleaned not just for the church but whoever called upon him. Basically the church’s free “members only” housekeeping. When he was not cleaning he was made to pray on his knees. He never blamed the goddesses for this, but came to hate the church he grew up in.

Teenage: As a young teenager he was attacked by the drunken teens of the village. He doesn’t remember much of the attack, but does remember being told he had been smashed in the head by a brick. He had been left until morning the next day, laying in the street bleeding, bones broken from the group beating. He was only brought to the church to get him out of the street, being an eyesore. Initially, he received no treatment for any of the open wounds sustained during the beating.

Injury continued: He laid in pain on the floor for a day, trying to hold back his sounds of pain, until he went quiet. Having a stroke that evening, no one realized what had happened until the next morning. Finally the priestess got the town “doctor” to come treat him. He was cared for by the doctor and church for three days until he regained consciousness. Upon regaining consciousness, he did not feel right. At first, he couldn’t talk, he couldn’t see, what he heard became scrambled into distortion his head . After a lengthy and unpleasant recovery, he still did not regain his sight. His other senses returned and he regained his ability to speak and understand others.

After injury: More of a burden than ever before, Screamtavo stayed for a mere year afterwards to adjust to living without vision. During this time he learned to rely on his hearing more, and realized that he could sense how far walls were by the ever so faint sound he heard echo back. He started clicking his tongue to hear the sound, but the clicking was annoying and discouraged by the members of the church. Shortly before leaving he began singing, something he had never tried as he was expected to stay quiet his whole life. 

Leaving: Armed with only a staff used for ceremonies by the priestess, the clothes on his back, and a bag with two days of food and water, he left in the middle of the night. He chose that night to leave because the priestess would need the staff for an important ceremony the next day and he wanted his last act to be a grand gesture to the church. He walked along the single road out of his town, singing the whole way. Once finding his way to a larger town full of traders, he stayed for awhile to sing for rupees, earn what he thought he’d need, and eventually head off. He walked until there was no more road to follow. He walked as he started hearing trees. He walked as the trees grew bigger. He wasn’t sure if he could survive in the forest, but he felt at home here, it had called for him without him even realizing it.

Into the woods: Unbeknownst to him, he had gained the attention of Farore once he entered the lost woods. recognizing not only the blood of the Picori but the gift of wind in his soul. She welcomed him into the forest with her protection and blessing. He does not know this and does not question why he is never attacked in the forest. He is naive of the workings of a forest and rolls with it.

Adjusting to the woods: He finds a very convenient hollow formed in the side of a hill near a water source and many fruit trees. With his needs met, he starts living there. He does not question any of this as he knows so little of the world and doesn’t know if this is normal for a forest or not. He lives comfortably in the forest, creating a map of the place in his head by singing everywhere he goes. He accidentally finds rupees everywhere when he sweeps the long grass with the staff to make his way around. He only goes to the towns when absolutely necessary to gets supplies.

Fun fact: He refuses to eat meat for two reasons, he hates the thought of a living animal dying for him to eat, and it upsets his tummy. If given meat by accident, he will either spit up the unfamiliar texture and refuse the rest of the meal, or he’ll mistake the texture for something else, eat it all, and end up spending a small fortune on toilet paper for the next couple days.

[cakesunflower]

Not Immune [Greaser!Calum AU] Part 1

Disclaimer: A couple of things: First, this is a one shot, and it’ll probably be only two parts. Second, as you read this you’ll probably see some of the terms are definitely some “1960′s slang” because that’s literally what I Googled looool. Hope you guys enjoy it! Let me know what you think hehehe.

All Parts:  Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 [Finale]

“We were having a blast—what’re you getting ticked off for?”

Y/N rolled her eyes at Joey’s words, her boyfriend’s loud voice superior to the buzz of the cinema they were currently walking through, the smell of buttery popcorn strong as Y/N practically speed walked towards the exit. She was growing more and more irritated by the second, wondering why Joey couldn’t understand she had other obligations than to just hang out with him.

“Because you’re bugging me,” she retorted, pushing the door open and stepping out into the warm summer night air.

She heard Joey scoff behind her as they walked to his parked car and he sarcastically responded, “Excuse me for wanting to hang out with my girl.”

Y/N stopped to glare at him over the front hood of the car, distinctly smelling cigarettes in the air, but too focused on the man across from her to realize the scent was coming from the group of guys hanging around their parked motorcycles a few ways away. “You don’t wanna just hang out. You wanna score. And I told you I have to get back to finish my homework.”

Honestly, what was so hard to understand about that? Y/N enjoyed spending time with Joey, she wouldn’t have been dating him for the past three months if she didn’t, but more often than not he would try to get her to prioritize him over every other responsibility she has in life. Despite her initial hesitance, Y/N had done just that a couple of times, and usually ended up in hot water with her parents or teachers because she would give into Joey’s pleading and spend the time she normally would use to finish assignments on Joey, causing her grades to slip.

Her boyfriend often called her an egg head for her studious nature, but Y/N saw nothing wrong with that, nor did she care for the term. She enjoyed school, and she let Joey pull her attention from it too often. That had to stop.

Joey’s eyes narrowed at her words and she recognized the irritated look on his face. It was one he often got when he got into it with the Greasers on the south side of town, though Y/N never understood why he got so wound up. It was him and the rest of their Prep friends that went looking for trouble with the Greasers. Every time something happened to their cars—or even their faces—Y/N couldn’t help but roll her eyes, especially when they trash talked and complained about the south siders. What else did they expect the Greasers to do? Y/N could never really voice her opinions on that, being a Prep and all, but it was how she felt.

“So what if I do?” Joey taunted, giving a careless shrug. “A man’s got his needs, you know.”

Y/N’s lips parted slightly at that, knowing there were people around that could most definitely hear their conversation, but more than anything her anger at the man in front of her was rising. “Find someone else to help you with that,” she hissed indignantly. That was it. It only took a few words from Joey, but they were gross and insulting enough for Y/N to want things between them to be finished once and for all.

Joey’s jaw clenched, his own anger showing through, not even trying to save the crumbling relationship as he snapped, “Works for me. Find your own fucking way home.”

He didn’t even give Y/N a chance to react. Within a matter of seconds, Joey unlocked the car and got in, before the engine roared to life and he peeled out of the parking lot, leaving rubber on the road as he drove off without Y/N.

She stood staring after him, jaw dropped and anger replaced by complete disbelief. It was nearing ten thirty at night and he just left her there? Y/N’s heart was pounding in her chest, though she was unsure if it was because of residual anger from their argument or if it was the prickle of fright that rushed through her at the knowledge of being stranded by herself in the middle of town, where the north and south sides met. As much as Y/N liked to think she could protect herself, she was still a seventeen year old girl by herself at night—whether it be Prep or Greaser, there was bound to be some freak lurking in the shadows.

She couldn’t believe Joey would be this big of a dick to split and leave her completely stranded.

Scoffing incredulously, Y/N gave a shake of her head before she started walking, arms tightly crossed over her chest as she made her way down the sidewalk in the direction of her house. She knew it would take about half an hour of walking to get home, since she lived at the peak of the north side, and once again she began cursing Joey in her mind, wondering what she ever saw in someone who would leave a young girl stranded by herself. Did he really not care for her? What if something happened?

Y/N was so lost in her angry thoughts that she hadn’t heard the motorcycle approaching her only a few moments after she started walking, not until whoever it was was riding right next to her at a slow speed. She stopped and the bike did too, looking to her left with widened eyes because only Greasers rode bikes, her heart picking up its pace as panicked thoughts began fluttering through her mind. Shit, this had been exactly what she was afraid of.

But then her eyes shifted to the rider, recognition flashing across her eyes when she took in the boy on the bike, especially when he spoke up in an Australian drawl, “Need a lift?”

Calum Hood.

Y/N stared at him in confusion, truly wondering if she was gassed despite not touching alcohol because that seemed to be the only appropriate explanation as to why Calum would be offering her a ride. She’s only seen him a handful of times over the years because of the social status of the town. Y/N has always kept to the north side; the closest she ever got to the south side was when she went to the cinema, since it was the only one in town and shared with the north and south sides. But she rarely ever saw Calum.

Everyone knew who he was, though. One of the most popular Greasers, a cool guy amongst the south and a badass in the north. However, Y/N knew of him specifically because while Calum was one of the very few Greasers no Prep chanced to confront, he was always the first one Joey went after when he was looking to bother the south siders. So Y/N’s in a bit of shock. She’s had her fair share of encounters with some Greasers, the boys of the south side never truly differentiating between girls and where they lived if they were cute and the boys were interested, but the absolute last person she expected to interact with was Calum Hood, despite Joey’s confrontations with him. Her, now ex, boyfriend was the only one wild enough to try and pick a fight with Calum, despite knowing that the Greaser was the toughest one of them, unafraid to throw a punch and ready to step into a brawl if it meant fighting alongside his friends.

Y/N knew he was tough, knew that him offering a lift was out of the ordinary, especially with her being a Prep. She wants to say no, especially when Joey’s voice is snarling in her head, repeating the words she often heard from him, “Hood’s nothing but a piece of trash Greaser.” But he proved himself to be an even bigger douchebag tonight. So after a few minutes of hesitance, her eyes taking in the expectant quirk of Calum’s eyebrow, his tight pants and leather jacket that seemed too hot for this weather, Y/N found herself asking, “Do you have a helmet?”

If Calum was surprised that she seemed to be actually considering his proposal, he didn’t show it. Instead, he smirked, which unexpectedly caused Y/N’s heart to skip a beat as he assured, “I’ll go real slow.”

Y/N can’t believe that’s all it takes for her to swing her legs over the motorcycle behind him, surprising herself when she realized that she’s not too afraid of riding the vehicle, but wishing she hadn’t worn a dress. Despite it only ending a couple of inches above her knees, she tugged it down as much as she could as a futile attempt to hide her exposed legs as she sat behind Calum, instantly surrounded by the scent of leather, cigarettes, and something that wasn’t too different from fresh rain.

It was a combination she couldn’t help but enjoy, the scent intensifying when she heard Calum say, “Hold on,” after she told him her address. He started the bike again and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist as she felt the vehicle move.

Much to Y/N’s surprise, Calum stayed true to his word—the Greaser didn’t go at a dangerously fast speed she knew the south siders often went at, and she found herself enjoying the wind hitting her face and flowing through her hair. For a moment, Y/N forgot she was on the back of a bike of the Greaser she often heard everyone she hung out with bad mouth and curse. She forgot that if anyone saw her she would most likely be in serious trouble if it got back to her parents and the topic of conversation of the north side. But she didn’t care. Not right now.

Not when her arms were wrapped around Calum, her eyes taking in the way his dark curls, which she was surprised to see weren’t styled back like Greasers were known to have. Her eyes then peered around his figure, trailing down to his hand, catching sight of the rings that decorated some of his fingers. Y/N rolled her lips into her mouth; no Prep boy wore rings, so the sight of them on Calum’s fingers was different and, as Y/N realized with a dry throat, damn attractive.

Y/N looked away, watching the street and trees and neighborhoods around her whiz by. It was mostly empty for a Friday night, which was unusual, though Y/N didn’t mind. The quiet of the night, only disturbed by the engine of the bike, was welcomed. Mostly because Y/N had a feeling if someone were to catch sight of her on a motorcycle with a Greaser, it would be the talk of the town.

What would’ve been a thirty minute walk ended up being a near fifteen minute drive, and soon enough Calum was pulling into Y/N’s neighborhood before she told him, “It’s that one. On the left.”

Calum pulled up in front of the house, which was dark save for the front porch light. Y/N knew her parents were asleep, her mom always going to bed early and her father working on Saturdays, and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t totally relieved. She didn’t need her parents catching sight of her getting dropped off by a Greaser, didn’t want to get interrogated about her whereabouts and how she knew the Greaser, even though she didn’t.

Which, now that Y/N thought about it, made her appear quite thick for accepting a ride from someone who she only knew by name and reputation.

Calum hit the kickstand once he killed the ignition, and Y/N placed her hands on Calum’s shoulders before using him as leverage to swing her leg over and expertly get off the bike. She was surprised she hadn’t fallen off or something as she smoothed down her dress, taking a breath as she lifted her gaze to look at Calum.

He sat on the bike, leaned back slightly and hands on the handles, his dark eyed gaze on her as she stood on the sidewalk. Y/N took a good look at him; at his dark eyes and full lips and the tattoos he seemed to have, peeking from underneath the neckline of his white shirt. There was no doubt about it—Calum was definitely the most handsome guy she’s ever laid eyes on, and Y/N almost felt guilty for thinking how attractive she is when she literally just broke up with her boyfriend tonight. But one reminder of Joey’s behavior and words tonight and the guilt was gone as quick as it came.

“Thanks for the ride,” Y/N spoke up with a genuine smile as her eyes met Calum’s dark ones. She knew that there were lots of people that were afraid of this guy, so Y/N felt almost strange for not feeling that same kind of intimidation.

And how could she, when Calum’s eyes that always hardened at the sight of a Prep seemed so soft, like melted chocolate, when he looked at her?  

“No biggie,” Calum shrugged, regarding her thoughtfully. Y/N felt her skin tingle slightly at the way he looked at her, wondering what he could possibly be thinking about, wondering why this unfamiliar feeling was igniting her now, with Calum. She dated Joey for three months and never once felt the excitement at the tip of her nerves like she did in this moment. “Your boyfriend’s a dick.”

Y/N wasn’t even taken aback by his statement, though she was mildly embarrassed that Calum probably heard the exchange between her and Joey earlier. She hadn’t even thought about that, and her cheeks warmed in renewed irritation towards her ex. “Ex-boyfriend,” she clarified with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head as she looked away at nothing in particular, just down the empty street. “Any man who’d leave a girl out alone at night is a piece of trash.”

Calum cracked a smile at her words, the justified outrage clear in her tone. He agreed with her. He’d witnessed the scene between that panty-waist Prep and his girl when he was out smoking with his buddies at the cinema, the two of them too busy getting into it with each other to notice their group, which was funny because every time Joey caught sight of any Greaser, his first instinct was try to start something. But not tonight, not when he was in the middle of it with his girl, whose name Calum knew to be Y/N, since he’s often heard Joey talk about her.

Not that she was his girl anymore. His smile transformed into a smirk as the thought crossed his mind.

“Anyway,” Y/N cleared her throat, her gaze meeting Calum’s once more, her irritation dissipating enough to offer another smile. “Thanks again. I should, uh, head inside.”

Calum nodded, watching as Y/N offered a single wave before turning and walking up the path to the front door. He watched after her, eyes trailing her figure and gaze burning into her back, and as Calum brought up the kickstand, he couldn’t help but call out, “See you around, Prep.”

Y/N paused for a moment right when she got to the porch, feeling a smile tug at her lips as she glanced over her shoulder, catching sight of his silhouette where she left him. “Goodnight, Greaser.”

                                                               *****

There were often times when there was a party in the south side, north siders would end up crashing it just for the fun of it, just to get a rise out of everyone and start trouble. The same was true the other way around, and many of the parties Y/N attended always ended up with Greasers crashing it to start something. Y/N knew Joey to do the same with his friends off on the south side, which she never approved of because why go looking for trouble? She never understood boys and their need to prove who was tougher.

It had been a week since she and Joey broke up, which annoyingly enough became the talk of the school, which she ignored to the best of her abilities. She hadn’t spoken to him since that night outside of the theater, and although it wasn’t surprising, Y/N did felt downcast that it’s been just as long since she’s seen Calum.

That is, until tonight.

Y/N had been enjoying herself with her girlfriends at Harvey Monroe’s house party, not drunk yet still having fun, when shouting that didn’t align with the music playing erupted towards the front of the house. Y/N frowned, one arm linked with her friend Diana, as they stumbled through people to see what was going on.

“Greasers!”

She saw the boys in leather jackets and white shirts show up, heard them yelling and whooping and most definitely crashing the party over enthusiastically, and Y/N’s eyebrows shot up. She was used to this as Diana and a few of her friends pulled her along to leave the house, knowing if this kept up for a few minutes longer then the fuzz was going to show up and she had no intention of getting popped.

But everything was suddenly a mess and during the commotion of hearing loud Greasers and glass shattering and Prep boys trying to kick the Greasers out, she managed to lose her friends. Y/N didn’t understand how that could happen, especially since she stumbled out to the front porch where her friends were going anyway, and looked around to try and find them.

Y/N frowned, flinching when she heard glass shattering once more from somewhere inside the house, running her fingers through her hair before getting shoved into the railing of the wrap around porch, gripping it as she glared at the pair of Greaser and Prep boys throwing punches. Of course.

She needed to get out of here, but how was she supposed to do that when she had no ride home and had no sign of her friends?

Gathering her bearings, Y/N made her way towards the steps, her ears ringing from the commotion going on around her with people yelling and fights breaking out and others trying to escape being collateral damage. She was on the fourth step, just one more to go, when someone collided with her back, forcing a gasp out of her before she lost balance and, before she knew it, was sent tumbling down.

Y/N squeezed her eyes shut, dreading the impact of the hard ground, when she felt something wrap around her waist from the front and instead of hitting the ground she hit what felt like a chest. Someone had caught her, and whoever it was stumbled back a step before easily regaining their footing, and suddenly the smell of booze and pot was replaced by cigarettes and leather. And rain.

Opening her eyes, Y/N looked up, throat drying as she realized she was looking up at Calum. The tall, dark haired boy in his signature white shirt and black jacket had his arms wrapped around her waist, peering down at her with brown eyes and slightly furrowed eyebrows. “You good?”

Now I am. But she was too in shock to say anything other than, “Y-Yes.”

She felt his fingers on her waist, which dug into her when she vaguely heard someone shout, “Pigs!”

In the distant, the sound of police sirens could be heard, and suddenly Calum cursed under his breath before one hand let go of her waist, only to grasp onto her own hand as he grunted, “Let’s go.”

And then they were gone.

                                                        *****

“What are we doing here?”

Those were the first five words Y/N uttered since the second Calum pulled her away from Harvey Monroe’s house, onto his motorcycle, and rode off at a speed that had her clutching him as if her life depended on it. It did, in a way. But now they were at Venture Creek, an area in the woods at the south side of town that Y/N had obviously never been to, but was now unexpectedly visiting.

Not to mention it was nearing eleven-thirty at night and Y/N had never been to the south side before, so to say she was a bit apprehensive and nervous would be an understatement. She didn’t know why Calum brought her here, neither of them had spoken a word to each other—Calum didn’t seem like the talkative type, Y/N had quickly deduced, and it wasn’t helping her increasing anxiousness.

“’M not gonna kill you; no need to get rattled,” came Calum’s bemused response, bringing Y/N’s gaze over to him. He sat down on the ground where grass met gravel on the creek shore, bringing his knees up to rest his arms on top.

Y/N bristled at his words, eyebrows twitching into a frown. “I wasn’t thinking that,” she defended, uncomfortable with herself that such a thought even crossed her mind. But she was a girl, alone in the middle of the woods with a guy she didn’t know. Greaser or Prep, Y/N would’ve been reluctant to be here anyway.

Calum snored at her response, turning his head to look out at the water. It was dark, but the moon was full and bright, right above the creek that was surrounded by trees yet was allowed ample moonlight. The water shimmered, and Y/N couldn’t help but think it was beautiful as she found herself walking over to Calum.

He didn’t glance at her as she settled down next to him, her skirt forcing her to lay her legs out in front of her, grass and gravel biting into her skin. Though, she didn’t find herself caring much as she asked again, “So? Why are we here?”

Calum was silent for a moment and Y/N didn’t think he would respond until his smooth voice said, “I like the quiet.”

Y/N looked at him, eyebrows rising in mild disbelief, taking in the sharpness of his jaw and dark eyes glinting against the moonlight. However, she couldn’t mask her surprise well enough as she asked, “Really?” Somehow she doubted a Greaser would prefer the quiet over anything else.

“Yeah.” Calum rolled his eyes, casting a boyish, heart stopping smirk her way as he said, “I like parties and fucking with your Preps but bailing to enjoy a peace of mind is better than all that.”

Not for the first time, Y/N was surprised by Calum. She was led to believe, and what she’s witnessed only attested to that, that all Greasers were wild and looking to get into it with anyone who looked their way wrong. Especially Calum, from what she heard Joey and her other guy friends say. But already he’s come to her rescue twice and she was beginning to push away the many things she had heard against Calum Hood.

Looking out at the water, Y/N mused, “For someone who says he likes the quiet, your wild reputation contradicts you.”

“A guy can be both.”

A smile spread on Y/N’s lips, taking a breath as she consequently inhaled the mixture of scents Calum carried, the combination Y/N decided that she quite enjoyed. Lifting her chin slightly, Y/N hummed, “A Greaser who likes trouble and peace. Interesting.”

Calum heard the teasing undertone in her voice, returning it with his own words of, “A Prep who doesn’t look at a Greaser and think scum. Even more interesting.”

Y/N laughed at that, shaking her head as she leaned back with her hands bracing her on the grass behind her, as Calum glanced at her with a small smile tilting at his lips as he listened to her laugh. What a pretty fucking laugh the chick had.

And then they talked. For probably the first time, a Greaser and a Prep sat side by side and talked to each other about themselves, about their lives. Only right now, they weren’t a Greaser and a Prep. They were just a boy and a girl who were never around each other but were finding contentment in each other’s company, listening intently to the words being spoken in the otherwise quietness of the creek.

Y/N talked about what she hoped to study and Calum told her about his own passions, she spoke of her parents and he brought up his three best friends that he lived with. They sat talking for who knows how long, getting to know more and more about each other, and it wasn’t lost on either of them how easy this was. The rivalry between Greasers and Preps has been long and withstanding, yet somehow it seemed like none of that existed right here.

Neither of them tried to think of how, during their conversations, they started to feel as though something was there. A kind of connection neither of them expected, but didn’t question as they kept talking, kept listening, kept enjoying the company they had. Y/N didn’t feel an ounce of uneasiness, and Calum, for the first time, was enjoying someone else’s company other than his buddies.

There was a lull in the conversation, both of them looking at the water and the moon and listening to the light breeze rustling the leaves. Though, it only lasted for a few moments until, with her eyes still on the creek, Y/N pondered out loud, “Do you think the water’s cold?”

Calum spared her a glance. “Dunno,” he answered truthfully.

Y/N twisted her lips to the side, eyes narrowing briefly before she stood up. She felt Calum’s gaze on her as she toed off her flats before making her way towards the water, feeling the gravel bite the soles of her feet before the sand of the shore started softening her feet. The water met her skin, not too cold, probably the same temperature as she took her showers on a day where neither hot or cold water seemed appealing to her.

She took a few more steps forward until the water came up to her ankles, before turning to face Calum, who was still sitting down, eyes on her. “It’s nice,” she informed him.

He raised his eyebrows as the moonlight glinted against the rings on his fingers. “So what now?”

Y/N paused, pressing her tongue against her cheek as her thoughts ran through her mind. She knew exactly what she wanted to do, but actually doing it was something she was unsure of fulfilling. Y/N was anything but shy and she had only become increasingly aware of her attraction to the dark haired boy throughout their conversations, so really. . . There was nothing stopping her.

So, she undid the button of her skirt, gaze never leaving Calum as she saw the way his eyebrows rose, the surprised and disbelieving expression on his face clear as day as she pulled the skirt down her legs before stepping out of it, making sure she didn’t get it wet before tossing it back on the shore. It landed right next to Calum, but he paid it no mind, eyes glued on Y/N, who had a small smirk curling at her lips, goose bumps from pure excitement raising on her skin as she grabbed the hem of her loose spaghetti strapped tank top.

She didn’t know what had come over her, didn’t know what made her want to strip into nothing but her underwear in front of a boy she’s only met twice but already knew almost as well as she knew some of her closest friends. But there was just something about Calum. Something about the way he listened to her, talked to her, looked at her that made her want him to keep looking at her, to never waver his gaze.

She wanted him. That much she was completely sure of.

Lifting her top over her head, Y/N threw that too to join her skirt, left standing in her underwear as she began taking a few steps backwards, further into the creek. Calum’s eyes were still on her, taking in the sight in front of him, and Y/N’s smirk widened as she answered his question, “Now we swim,” before purposefully falling into the water, dunking herself underneath.

She swam further away for a bit, heart pounding because she really just stripped in front of him, hoping that she hadn’t just embarrassed herself in front of arguably one of the most attractive boys she’s ever met. Truth be told, Y/N was almost afraid of resurfacing, unsure what would be waiting for her when she did, until the choice of the matter was taken from her altogether.

For the second time that night, arms wrapped around Y/N’s waist, this time for behind, and she held her breath despite her shock as she was pulled up. She let out a gasp once air was available to her, pushing her hair out of her face as she turned around in the water, catching her breath when, under the moonlight, her eyes adjusted to what she was looking at.

A boyish, yet devilish, grin on Calum’s handsome face, brown eyes bright under the moonlight and dark hair wet and sticking to his forehead as he looked at her. Water droplets on his face, Calum raised one hand to slick his hair back, while Y/N could still feel his other arm around her waist. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she looked up at him, before her gaze began wandering.

She noticed the cross necklace he wore as well as the tattoos on his skin, the ink decorating his collarbones and arm. He was practically glowing under the moonlight, his front pressed against hers, providing a warmth she hadn’t expected but welcomed nonetheless. Y/N’s eyes then raised to Calum’s lips, which appeared extremely inviting and unfairly pink, and she could feel her heart picking up its pace even more.

His grip around her waist tightened as he pulled her even closer, as if there was any space between them in the first place, and Y/N’s breath hitched in her throat as her eyes met his. Despite the comforting temperature of the water and the warmth of Calum’s body, goose bumps raised on Y/N’s skin, especially when Calum muttered, “I can do you one better.”

And then he truly closed the distance between them, lips finding hers in a heated kiss that that Y/N instantly melted into. Her hands gripped his biceps, feeling the muscles underneath as she kissed him back, her lips parting instantly when Calum’s tongue slid across. Every other thought escaped Y/N’s mind as he kissed her, all of her attention on him and the way his lips moved with hers and his hands gripped her thighs as he wrapped her legs around his hips, his rings biting into her skin deliciously.

The creek wasn’t too deep, enough for Calum’s feet to actually touch the bed of it, and so as his tongue met Y/N’s in a fiery dance, he moved them until they were towards the end of the body of water, familiar enough with it to move them to a spot where he could press Y/N against the particularly large boulder as they remained in the water. She paid no mind to the roughness of the rock on her back, too focused on the hands and body against her as she lost herself in the feeling of Calum.

He broke the kiss a few moments later, his lips leaving searing kisses down her jaw and neck, finding the spot that made her tilt her head back easily as Y/N felt his teeth and tongue, definitely intending to leave marks that she had no issue wearing. Her hand found the back of his head, fingers gripping the wet strands as Calum’s lips worked on her skin, her mouth parting with an expelled breath.

Her eyes opened, dazedly staring up at the moon shining down on them, her heart hammering and her skin on fire and fingers tightening on Calum’s wet hair caused by the pleasure she was already experiencing. She’s only felt his lips and Y/N’s head was already spinning and she was desperate to feel more. So much more.

“Tell me somethin’,” Calum rasped, using his grip on her thighs to lift her higher in the water, nipping at Y/N’s collarbone. “You ever been with a Greaser, sweetheart?”

Y/N wanted to laugh at that, though the sound was stilted when she felt one of Calum’s hands leave her, shifting between them and her hazy mind registered he was pulling down his boxers. She then felt his fingers tease the waistband of her own underwear, stomach clenching when he moved the material aside. But she was too busy feeling the anticipation rush through her veins to answer Calum’s question, only being able to let out a quiet whimper when his fingers dug into her skin.

He smirked against her at her lack of answer. And then he slammed into her.

She hadn’t been with a Greaser before, but there was always a first time for everything.

tags: @gotta-try-something-new @crownedbyluke @lipstickstainfading @angelbbycal @cals-babylons @irwinkitten @spookyashton @luke-0-lantern @vaporlewk @perfectlycake @tothemoonmikey @kaloncal @calumh-excess @bitchinbabylon @calistajs @grreatgooglymoogly @calumthoodsyonce @biggestslutforcalum @cosmixcalum @babygirlcashton @thebodaciouscth