#your thunderstorm will come. and it’ll be even better when the further away places are thinking of you without a drop of envy

[hyucks-archive]

ceraunophile.

word count: 2,274

genre: angst

member(s): huang renjun

warning(s): none!

You lift the hood of your hoodie over your head. Taking in a breath, you���re hit with the scent of rain. It’s one of the heaviest downpours you’ve experienced in a while. Your eyes are fixed on the night sky; it’s so dark tonight. There are barely any traces of light sources – the moon is probably hiding somewhere, and the brightness of the stars are probably masked by the angry drops of rain. You recognise this landscape; the thunder and lightning should be making its presence known in a while.

There’s the sound of grass cracking, hurried footsteps struggling to find its way to the only safe space amid this hilly area. You remain under the pavilion, focusing your attention in the direction of the heavy panting. You shut your eyes when the light source that the invader is utilising accidentally meets your eyes. The heavy breaths of the stranger rings in your ear; you’re sure he, she, or maybe even it, is staring at you inquisitively right now.

You open your eyes, your right brow twitching at the boy that has arrived, invading your little pavilion. He’s so busy dusting himself off, that he doesn’t notice your stare. He runs his hands through his hair, trying to smooth out the dampened tangles. You continue to watch silently – unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever it is, you recognise the boy. You’d definitely recognise him anywhere, any time of the day; the way his frame is so distinctive, and the way the small sounds of displeasure that escapes his lips, further affirms your gut feeling.

Finally, he looks up. He meets eyes with you. He reacts in the way you’d least desire for him to.

“Hey!” he exclaims, all too excitedly. “What a coincidence. What are you doing here?” he asks, immediately jumping to the point, which is one of his fortes. Naturally, he takes a few steps towards you. He sets his bag on the ground, shimmying his way out of the tattered poncho that barely shielded him from the rain.

You’re not sure what to tell him. Option number one: This pavilion is basically my second home; I put myself through the torture of climbing this stupid hill daily, hoping that there’d be a thunderstorm. Option number two: I come to this pavilion every day in hopes that it would rain. Option number three: I make daily hikes just to get to this pavilion. Scrap those. All three make you sound like a lunatic. You have no choice but to settle for option number four.

“Why do you care?”

A look of slight astonishment flashes across Renjun’s expression. He wasn’t expecting the hostility. He manages to recompose himself just as quick, though. “It’s basically storming out there,” he says, “It’s dangerous to be out here alone with such weather.”

There it is. The nonchalant concern that you hate. Sometimes, you wonder if Renjun is doing it on purpose.

“What are you doing here?” you ask, changing the topic. Thankfully, Renjun rides along with it. “I decided to hike, but then this happened,” he says, gesturing in the direction of the rain with his chin. With his arms akimbo, he shakes his head, “Never should’ve listened to Lee Donghyuck. I knew it was weird the minute he insisted that today would be a great day to hike. He probably checked the weather ahead of time.”

You nod your head. Renjun manages a smile despite his disappointment at his failed hiking trip. “I guess Donghyuck did something right, still. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to meet you here. It’s been like what? A year?”

He’s looking at you expectantly. To be exact, it’s been 11 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days. Not that it matters to him, anyway. He’s at it again – the nonchalant, heart-fluttering, passing statements. To him, they hold no weight. But to you, they basically mean everything. Your lips twitch at that; it’s so sad to spell it out like that, even though it’s been a long-established fact.

“Yeah,” you dismiss, reverting your attention back to the pouring rain. There’s going to be a crack in the sky, and then your favourite part of the night will arrive. “What are you staring at?” Renjun asks, following your line of vision. All he sees is the deep blue, almost black, night sky. But what you see, is a beautiful horizon, sparking hints of light. Then comes the rumbling of the thunder; the confirmation that indeed, the horizon will soon be decorated with the prettiest stray rays of light. Renjun shivers at the sound from the sky.

“I’m guessing you really like rain?” Renjun speaks up, trying to hold a conversation with you to distract himself from the loud roars from the sky. Still maintaining your focus on the horizon, awaiting the greeting of the lightning, you shake your head, “It’s too loud,” you answer. Renjun raises a brow. Renjun takes it that you’re referring to the fact that because of the heavy downpour, the two of you have to raise your voices in order to hear each other. So, he chooses to continue with, “Maybe if we move to the other side of the pavilion, it’ll be softer.”

Just as he finishes his sentence, there’s the crack of thunder, one of the loudest cracks you’ve heard in a while. Your heart calms at the sound of it.

Renjun lets out a yelp, cowering into himself. Then comes the second crack of thunder, and he hurries to cup both of his ears, shutting his eyes tight, as the third crack of thunder greets the two of you. You close your eyes, immersing yourself in the moment, fully appreciating the rare moment where there’s three consecutive cracks of thunder. Renjun glances up at you – he furrows his brows at how calm and composed you are. The fact that you look like you’re actually enjoying the moment further fuels his horror.

“Wait, are you enjoying this?” he can’t help but ask.

With your racing heartbeat, and your mind that is busy replaying the sounds of the thunder and the sight of the beautiful lightning, you don’t hear Renjun. His features contort further as he makes a second attempt at getting your attention. He takes a step forward, reaching forth to place a light hold on your arm. Your eyes immediately flutter open.

“Don’t you think it’s too loud?” he asks.

“The rain?” you take a pause, pursing your lips, “It’s always too loud. It drowns out the sounds of the thunder, and it also hazes the view of the lightning.”

Renjun stares at you in confusion. Did he hear you right?

“Aren’t the thunder and lightning the most amazing things?” you gush, expression lighting up just from the thought of it. Renjun’s mouth parts slightly to give you an answer, but he isn’t sure what he should say. He lets out an awkward cough. At least, you were too busy appreciating the thunder and lightning, to notice his act of cowardice. He gets shocked easily; he jumps at the slightest loud sounds.

“Let’s sit,” you suggest, fully satisfied for the night. You’ve gotten your daily dose of thunder and lightning, so all that’s left is for the rain to clear, so that you can make your way home. Renjun follows behind as you lead the way to the inner side of the pavilion. The two of you take a seat by the bench. It’s been long since you’ve sat beside Renjun like that. You miss it, there’s no lie.

“I didn’t know you’re a lover of thunder and lightning,” Renjun comments, adjusting himself into a comfortable position. You scoff, plastering on a smile, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Renjun.”

The boy raises both brows, his eyes widening. He thought he did. Or at least, he thought he had made the effort to get to know you enough back then. Maybe you’re right. Maybe he just didn’t try hard enough, so there’s still loads he has yet to find out about you. It’s not like he has the opportunity to do so anymore, anyway. The both of you are on different paths of your respective lives.

Instead, he chooses to at least try to understand your love for something that the majority of people would be afraid of. “So why do you like thunder and lightning so much?” he asks.

You ponder for a moment, mentally going through your reply in order to ensure proper and comprehensible phrasing of your words. “When there are rainstorms, it feels like the rain, together with the thunder and lightning, are washing away the entirety of the day. When it ends, it’s like a clean slate. A fresh start, with no remnants of yesterday.”

“It sounds like you want to wash away every yesterday,” Renjun comments, a small chuckle decorating the end of his sentence. You turn to look at him, a pursed smile on your lips. You nod your head, “Kind of, I guess.” Renjun’s smile softens at that.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever heard rainstorms being described in such a way.”

You shrug, “That’s not the only reason why I love thunder and lightning.” You take a pause, your vision falling to focus on your shoes. “Thunder and lightning also reminds me of someone.”

Renjun’s interest is piqued. He smiles, “Who?”

You shift your gaze to the night sky. “You know how the sky lights up for a brief moment when the lightning flashes, right?” Renjun hums in acknowledgement. “I was the dull night sky, and his smile was my lightning.” The b-roll of the variety of Renjun’s smiles you have stored in a safe section in your memory begin to play in your head. You’re still able to vividly recall the first time you had fallen for his smile.

When you were tasked to move the tables and chairs out of the classroom, everyone else had left you to it, alone. But then came Huang Renjun, along with his friends, who were bright and chirpy. “We’ll help you,” he had said, with a smile that seemed to light up the lonely classroom. You felt your heart flutter in that moment.

Renjun notices the faint smile that finds its way to your lips as you reminisce the past. He wonders who this person, who is able to elicit such an expression from you without being present, is. “He sounds like a nice guy,” Renjun says, for lack of a better reaction. You turn to him – it’s bitter, the way you have to nod your head, even though the ‘person’ is sitting right in front of you. But he’d never know that.

“What about thunder?” he asks, “What does thunder represent?”

You take in a breath, feeling a bitter twist in your heart.

“Thunder occurs for a fleeting moment. It’s not as brief as lightning, but it appears and disappears abruptly, when you least expect it to,” you explain, eyes on the ground. As though in tune with your speech, the thunder rumbles. Renjun furrows his brows at the sky. You smile. “He always appeared at the most unexpected, random moments, that would put the biggest smile on my face,” you say. The memory of how Renjun would suddenly pop by to say hi, how he’d invite you along with the boys for a meal if they happened to see you, how’d he know exactly where to find you during breaks whenever he needed something from you.

“And then he’s out of touch, out of nowhere,” you finish off, tapping the tip of your foot on the ground.

Sometimes, Renjun wouldn’t acknowledge you when you passed by. Sometimes, Renjun would say the most indirect things that’d hurt you. And sometimes, it didn’t even feel like you were friends with the boy. The most painful thing out of it all was that for the most part, he was caring, he was sweet, and he would look out for you. The little things he’d say to encourage you would make your heart swell, and the little nonchalance he showed to your feelings would make your heart crack. He never did it intentionally. You’re well aware of that.

And yet, it doesn’t change the fact that some way, somehow, you believed that Renjun was something that would last.

He used to be your thunder and lightning – your peace.

But he isn’t anymore.

“That’s kind of a bittersweet way to describe him,” Renjun says, clasping his hands together.

That’s exactly what he does. He says things in the passing, absolutely harmlessly, but his words would pierce through your heart. You scoff. That’s the price you pay for having a crush on someone whom you know will never look at you, in the same way you look at them.

Renjun reaches a hand out, placing a gentle pat on your shoulder, as he attempts to comfort you with, “You’ll get over him, eventually.”

Renjun is your thunder and lightning. He still is. And that is exactly why you can’t get over him. You love thunder and lightning so much, you can never resist the temptation to run in the direction of where your thunder and lightning is. You don’t, and will never have the power to shield yourself away from it. It’ll make its presence known, no matter what.

You swallow, taking in another breath.

“Thanks,” you manage out.

“Shall I walk you home? It’s late,” he offers.

You shake your head. You don’t need to prolong the pain.

Huang Renjun, you were the calm before the storm. It stormed. And now, you’re the distraught after the storm.

[sugawarasnjgga]

storms w/sugawara

hey guys, i'm back with another story featuring sugawara (aka. my fuckin cinnamon apple)!! this was requested by a lovely anon and i'm so glad i got this request bc suga is my favorite (wow tell us something we don't know). this one's for you anon, i hope you all enjoy!! i kinda hate the ending though so bear with me

- arson >:)

sugawara x gn reader

word count: 1.4k

warnings: very slightly suggestive moment, but it's all fluffy otherwise ;)

also before this starts: cerounophile = lover of thunderstorms

thunderstorms have always been something you’ve adored. even when you were little, and most other kids in your class ducked under tables, trying to hide away from the loud crashes and rumbles, you always sat there, staring starry-eyed out the window of your classroom. to you, there’s no better feeling than grabbing a blanket and curling up near the window to revel in the beautiful display of nature, and every time you hear that familiar boom, you feel at home.

It was a saturday evening, and you sat in your living room mindlessly flitting through the channels on your tv, when you felt your phone vibrate. your reach into the pocket of your boyfriend’s oversized hoodie and smile upon checking the notification:

[koushi <3: just picked up dinner, be home in ten ;)]

[can't wait :))] you respond.

just as you rise to go set the table, a weather alert pops up on the tv:

BREAKING NEWS: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM EXPECTED AROUND 7PM IN MIYAGI PREFECTURE, ALL CITIZENS ENCOURAGED TO SAY INSIDE

while most would see this as an inconvenience, that starry-eyed look returns to your face. completely forgetting about the table, you dash up to your bedroom and look out the window. a billow of cumulonimbus clouds has already started to form. you hastily open the closet door, searching for the warmest blanket you can find. pillows are thrown off of the bed and onto the floor near the bean-bag chair you oh-so-elegantly dragged near your window.

everything was set. pillows fluffed, blanket retrieved, and the rain had already started to fall. you plopped down on the bean-bag and curled up in the blanket. there was a childlike wonder about your face and you were so giddy you could barely sit still.

the rain was coming down hard now, and you began to feel a little worried. suga wasn’t home yet, and it had already been 15 minutes. but as soon as you heard that familiar rumble, you fell into your ceraunophilic trance once again, and all of your worries melted away.

just then, the sound of keys rattling filled the lower level of your house, as a very wet suga walked in.

“damn, it’s really coming down out there,” suga whispered to himself as he hastily made his way inside your home, observing his now soaked clothes.

“y/n i'm back, and i got your favorite!!” he shouted in a sing-songy voice.

his calls fell on deaf ears however, your focus was elsewhere, the storm capturing you in your little world.

“babe?” he questioned, worry piquing his voice, “i’m home, so come on down, the food is getting cold!!”

no response.

they probably just have their headphones on full blast again. he thought to himself.

koushi set the food down and discarded his shoes at the doorstep before heading to the upstairs bedroom. he expected to see you wildly dancing to whatever music filled your ears, but what he was met with an almost pitch black room- the only light coming from a small lantern next to the beanbag chair and the open window.

he knocked twice on the door, finally managing to break you from your trance.

“koushi!” you exclaimed, “you’re home!”

“yeah, i have been for like 5 minutes now dummy,” he chuckled.

“oh, sorry,” you laughed, a bit embarrassed, “but holy shit you’re soaked!”

“yeah it’s raining like crazy out there and i didn’t bring my umbrella, or raincoat today,”

“well hurry up and dry off honey, you’re gonna miss it,” you said, turning your attention back to the window again.

he cocked his head questioningly, “miss what?”

“just go,” you pushed. he put his hand up in surrender and compiled.

koushi began to undress, taking off his work shirt and placing it on a drying rack in the corner of your bedroom. you found yourself sneaking quick looks at him. his toned, slender frame never failing to captivate you. you tried to be discreet, but you were full on staring now, gawking at him like a kid in a candy store.

he moved to the drawers to find a t-shirt, but felt a pair of eyes boring into him. he turned his head a bit only to see you quickly shift your attention back to the window, trying to act like you weren't just ogling his abs just then.

“see something you like?” he smirked, “take a picture love, it’ll last longer.”

“just go dry off,” you said dismissively, trying to hide your embarrassment.

his honeyed laughter rang through your bedroom and he gathered the last of his clothes and went to the bathroom in search of a towel. you smiled to yourself, rolling your eyes as your attention turned back to the window.

a short time later, the smell of something absolutely delicious filled your nose. you quickly turned to see sugawara with an assortment of takeout boxes and utensils in his hands.

“i got your favorite,” he smiled, setting everything down in front of you.

thanking him, you begin practically tearing open the boxes taking some for yourself and passing some to koushi, excited to eat the meal with him.

as soon as you both were settled, he spoke up, “so, what’d you say i was going to miss?”

BOOM

immediately after he spoke, the loudest thunderclap you had ever heard roared in both of your ears and a bold streak of lighting lit up the whole neighborhood.

you and koushi, shocked looks plastered on your faces, turned to each other.

“that.” you remarked.

you both laughed at that little comment and the silly looks on each other’s faces, and settled back down in the beanbag chair to eat your meal.

thunder continued to roar outside. droplets of rain collected on the glass of your bedroom window, sliding off of it in haphazard streaks. lightning strikes every now and then, illuminating the world for a brief moment. you watched the extravagant display with pure awe in your eyes, unable to peel away from it.

but koushi... he spent his time staring at you, his eyes fixed on your exhilarated expression. he watched as the shadows of the raindrops cast on your face, he gazed at your smile, that seemed impossibly big, impossibly bright. and when the lighting struck, illuminating your features for that brief moment, you looked so… beautiful. so impossibly ethereal. like mother nature herself shone a spotlight directly on your face. he swore he had never seen something so beautiful in his life.

you tried your best to pay full attention to the storm, but the gaze boring into you was a bit distracting.

a smirk quirked on your lips as you faced him, leaning in so that you faces were millimeters apart,

“take a picture love, it’ll last longer.”

now it was his turn to turn away, flustered.

you giggled at his embarrassment relishing in the pink tint that now decorated his face.

“i hate you,” he joked, joining you in your laughing fit.

“no you don’t,” you countered, playfully swatting his shoulder.

there was a moment of air before you felt koushi’s delicate fingers caress your chin, gently tilting your face up towards his.

“you’re right, i don’t,” he whispered, bringing you even closer, “in fact- you’re the very thing i love most in this world.”

koushi’s lips brushed against yours for a moment and you looked up into his eyes. there was nothing but pure adoration gazing back at you. he meant every word- he does love you, and the kiss you then shared proved it. there was so much passion and tenderness behind the moment your lips locked. so much devotion and warmth, neither of you could help but melt into it, wanting to further lose yourselves in each other’s embrace.

however, the lack of oxygen made itself apparent and you had to pull away from each other, breathless and giddy.

koushi breathily chuckled as you reached out and held his face, brushing the mole that adorned his left cheek. giving him the same adoring gaze he flashed you not moments ago.

so cute, he thought to himself kissing your palm in return.

koushi’s arm found purchase around your waist pulling you into his chest. his heart jumped against your ears, the pace of his heartbeat slowing to match yours; your heartstrings strumming a melody only you two would ever hear. and you spent the rest of the night like this, bathing in each others’ warmth until your eyelids went heavy and you were both lulled to sleep by the sound of the roaring thunder.

[kindahoping4forever]

Hot N Cold // Ashton Irwin

Both @cal-puddies and I had to endure disgusting heatwaves last week (it was literally 99 degrees before noon for me) and were laughing that we co-wrote a hot weather trope fic and it turns out, being this warm is not sexy. I took it a step further and declared that I was so uncomfortable I wouldn’t let Ashton near me and Cass was like bitch please and instantly proved me a liar by suggesting a scenario that I eventually spun into this entirely self-indulgent fic. (Exposing screenshots available upon request 😂🤡)

Warnings: Boyfriend!Ash, slight soft!dom Ash, female receiving oral sex/rimming, ice play, unprotected sex within established relationship, gratuitous mentions of Ash with a beard and in basketball shorts because I am a 🤡, I truly cannot express how self-indulgent this is.

Word Count: 4.9k exactly! (And I can never thank Cass enough for being a problem solving, editing queen because otherwise this legit could’ve easily been 10k, I was out of control and have officially been dubbed “the Stephen King of smut”)

Cass & Crystal’s Collab Masterlist

Let  me  know  what  you  think!

Sign up for my taglist!

————-

You tap on the thermostat display, hoping that the numbers you’re reading are a mistake.

“Babe, it’s digital, that’s not gonna do anything,” Ashton calls from across the room.

You make a face and continue staring in disbelief. Last week when you invited your boyfriend to stay with you while his home underwent plumbing repairs, you had no idea there would be a heatwave sweeping the city. And as if the heat wasn’t bad enough, a thunderstorm was also predicted so it’s not just hot but humid, which drives you absolutely crazy.

You usually find it cozy when Ash stays at yours, your modest apartment a quaint contrast to his luxurious house. But waking up next to him in your full size bed (a far cry from the king size at his place), with you both already drenched in sweat put you in a sour mood and as the day progresses, along with the temperature, your mood has only gotten worse.

“How could the outside temperature and the inside temperature be that similar, what the fuck,” you grumble.

“It only feels that bad because now you know how hot it actually is, babe,” he suggests, coming up and wrapping his arms around you, kissing your neck, lightly scraping at it with his beard.

You roll your eyes. “No, it feels that bad because it is that bad, babe,” you huff, shrugging his arms off of you. In quick succession, he smirks and then pouts at your brush-off. “Ash, I swear to god, why does it seem like the second it gets above a certain temperature, you get super affectionate just to spite me?”

He grins and reaches for you, pulling you into an embrace once more. “Aww, baby, it’s not out of spite,” he laughs. “I just think you’re cute when you’re irritated.”

Ash squeezes you tight, swaying softly as he kisses the top of your head. Normally you would find yourself melting into his touch but today you just feel like you’re literally melting. 

“You’re about to think I’m really fucking adorable then because I’m gonna flip out if you don’t get away from me,” you gripe, wriggling out of his grasp. 

You decide to take a cool shower but you’re not surprised to find that it’s so hot outside, the water doesn't get any cooler than lukewarm. You let your frustrated mind wander as it runs over your sweat-covered skin. Of course the heatwave would have to be this weekend. Of course it was unexpected so all your fans are still in storage and of course all the stores in the area are sold out of their stock. Of course you live in an apartment that only has a small air conditioner that’s basically useless. Of course Ashton is annoyingly unaffected by the heat and of course you know it’s unreasonable of you to direct your hostility toward him but… seriously, it’s so annoying. Despite your agitated thoughts and the tepid water, by shower’s end, you have to admit you feel relieved. 

Ash’s back is turned when you approach the kitchen. Now that both your body and your temper have had a chance to cool, you’re much more appreciative of his presence. You stand in the doorway, admiring his considerable build: how broad his back looks even as he hunches over, digging through a drawer, how the narrow cut of his tank top makes his shoulders look even larger than usual, how his favorite basketball shorts cling to his ass. By the time his arms start flexing as he stirs what looks like a pitcher of sweet tea, you’re padding over to him and wrapping your arms around his torso.

“Heyyy,” he chuckles, slinging an arm around you and bringing you to his side. “You seem to be feeling better.”

“Better, cooler and nicer,” you declare, pecking at his chest to prove your point. “Sorry I was being a mega bitch.”

He snorts. “No offense but when I saw the heat advisory on my phone last night, I kind of knew what I was gonna be up against.”

You pinch his arm, half offended. “No, my love, I could never think of you as a mega bitch,” you offer the reply you would’ve preferred, in a mocking voice. 

He shakes his head with a smile. “Would I have gone to this much trouble if I really thought that of you?” He gestures towards the living room where he’s spread your spare comforter on the floor in front of the AC; two cold cut sandwiches, a tub of leftover macaroni salad from yesterday’s dinner and a fresh bag of your favorite chips sit on the coffee table. 

You enjoy your “picnic” and continue lounging in front of the AC long after you’re finished eating. Ashton returns from clearing your dishes to discover you sprawled out on your stomach, complaining that you sat on the floor too long and your entire body feels numb. 

He cocks an eyebrow as he lays down next to you and lands a hard smack across your ass. You yelp but honestly, you should’ve seen it coming. You glare at him, unimpressed.

“Just trying to help,” he shrugs, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Mmm hmm, sure,” you giggle, turning to face him. “Quick question, why are you like this?” 

He pulls you closer. “Don’t act like it’s just me, I felt you ogling me in the kitchen,” he teases. “I know you’re turned on, look how hard your nipples are.” He grabs a handful of your breast and pinches to emphasize his point.

You snort laugh, “I’ve been sitting in front of an air conditioner, you dummy.” 

He makes a sheepish face and you both crack up. Your joint giggle fit easily transitions into a comfortable, lazy makeout session. You’re about to finally reach your hand inside his shorts when you both pull away after hearing a noise. It takes only a few seconds of humid air on your skin for you to realize that the AC has stopped. “The power’s gone out,” you announce, gently pushing his body off of you so that you can go flip the circuit breakers. “Maybe we had the air on for too long?”

A few minutes later, Ash joins you in the kitchen, where you’re fiddling with the breaker box. “Nothing,” you tell him, frowning at the panel.

“Seems like it’s the whole complex, all your neighbors are out wandering around,” he reports. “Maybe a rolling blackout from the heat? Or I guess it could be the storm? Looked like the signal at the end of the street was out.”

“Fantastic,” you seethe.

Ash reaches for your hand, pressing a kiss to your clenched fist. “It’ll be fine, baby, this is just a good excuse for us to order dinner. And the sun will be going down soon, so it’ll have to cool off!"

You nod slowly, not believing him but appreciating the effort. "You just don't want me to be mean to you again," you tease.

You start looking for your lanterns and candles in case the power doesn't come back before nightfall. Which of course, it doesn’t. And despite Ashton's optimism, it doesn't cool off much either. You know the heat must actually be extreme when even he starts commenting on it.

He spots your cooler in the closet and offers to run down to the corner gas station and grab some ice to fill it with so you could at least have cold drinks. It doesn’t make much of a difference to you but you know he’s trying to do anything he can to make you more comfortable, so you tell him it’s a great idea. 

He returns quickly, triumphantly lifting up a comically large party bag of ice with one hand. "This was the only size they had," he explains. You smile softly and kiss his shoulder in silent thanks as you pass by on your way to gather the drinks.

The rest of the evening is uneventful. You attempt a candlelit dinner, but you both quickly agree it’s more impractical than romantic and replace the candles with your bright ass camping lantern. 

You make it an early night, not because you're tired but because you need the day to end. You thought fresh sheets sounded cooling but when Ash enters the bedroom, he finds you sitting defeatedly in the middle of the half-made bed and in the dim candlelight, he can’t tell if it’s sweat or frustrated tears he spies falling down your face. “OK, that’s enough,” he announces, reaching for your arm to drag you up from the bed. “You’re getting in the shower, I’m dealing with this.”

You’re pleased to find the water has cooled and the candles you have illuminating the bathroom makes for a much more relaxing environment than your previous shower. You haven’t been in long when you feel Ash’s beard scratching your back as he presses small kisses to your shoulders. You smile to yourself and face him, wrapping your arms around him. “You had to put up with a lot from me today,” you start. You peck along his neck and jaw, landing at his lips, which you kiss softly. “I just want you to know I appreciate it.” 

He holds you against him. “It was a long, shit day,” he shrugs. “I was just sorry to see you having such a bad time. Wanted to do what I could."

You lean in and you make out sweetly, enjoying the feel of each other's lips and the cool water. You feel him start to dip his hands in between your legs but you gently push them away. "I'm good, baby, just wanted to thank you." You peck his lips and leave him to finish showering.

You’re in the middle of putting lotion on when you feel Ashton’s hands on you again; he hasn’t even bothered with a towel, as if he couldn’t waste a second moving from the shower back to your body.

"Ashhhh,” you giggle. “I promise I’m fine… and where’s your towel? You’re dripping everywhere.”

His hand has found its way between your legs again and he swipes a finger through your folds. “Well, I’m not the only one,” he quips. "I knew you were getting riled up over there." He sucks and nibbles at your neck, causing you to groan. "Baby, you've been stressed all day. Let me get you off, it's the least I can do."

You sigh and nod, unable to deny the way you’re throbbing for his attention; he lifts you onto the bathroom counter and you find yourself almost involuntarily spreading your legs for him. “That’s my good girl,” he coos, kissing your inner thighs, running his beard along them the way he knows you like. He uses the tip of his tongue to flick at your clit, chuckling to himself as you instantly shudder and tangle your fingers in his wet hair.  

You pant heavily while he flattens his wide tongue and laps at your pussy. By the time his lips wrap around your clit, you’re bucking up onto his face, begging him for more.

You’re puzzled when he suddenly draws you down from the counter and pushes you over it, remaining on his knees. He spreads your legs again and swirls his tongue around your clit; he then licks all the way from your clit to your asshole, fluttering his tongue over it several times. A guttural whine rips through your throat.

“That a good noise, baby?” Ash asks, kneading your ass in his hands. “Want me to keep going?” 

All you can manage is a pitifully whimpered “Uh-huh” and he smirks to himself as he dives back in, spreading your cheeks with his thumbs and rolling his tongue over your tight ring. You can’t remember the last time you were this turned on and it’s overwhelming, the added sensation of his beard making it even more stimulating. You nearly shriek when his hand starts working your clit.

“Please Ash... yeah… oh FUCK...” Nonsense spills from your lips as he licks you and you can’t help but roll your hips against his hand. His mouth pauses for a second and you’re about to complain when suddenly he’s pressing his tongue inside your hole. “Jesus Christ, Ash!” You cry out, white knuckling the edge of the counter.

He groans in response to your outburst and you can feel the vibrations of it as he pushes his tongue in further. You reach back and grab at his hair, desperate for something to hold onto, desperate to pull him even closer. His tongue darts in and out of your ass while his fingers rub tight, relentless circles around your clit. 

Your orgasm hits you without warning and for a second, you’re not sure if you’re going to live through it; your entire body shakes, your legs feel like jelly and your eyes are squeezed shut so tight you’re seeing stars. He reaches his free hand up to support you and continues to lick and rub you as it goes on, even as your fingers viciously yank at his hair.

You let yourself slump over the counter, enjoying the cool feeling of the marbling on your heated skin. You feel Ash’s lips softly kissing up your back and his hand stroking your hair. “You did so good, baby, thank you,” he praises, rubbing your back. “Thought you deserved a treat after the day you've had.”

“That was… wow?” You rasp, surprised at your voice’s scratchiness; you didn’t realize you were screaming but you must have been judging from how wrecked you sound. “ ‘M all sweaty though, gonna need to rinse off again,” you laugh.

“Oops,” his giggle echoes through the bathroom. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” He helps you stand upright and presses a kiss to your head. You note that he’s fairly hard but he leaves the room before either of you mention it.

You enter the bedroom a few minutes later and discover it empty; you’ve just pulled on a cotton slip nightgown when your shirtless boyfriend appears, carrying two bottles of water and two cups filled with ice. He sits yours on the nightstand and wanders over to where you’re towel drying your hair. You lovingly roll your eyes as he immediately wraps his arms around you; he’s changed back into his shorts and they’re doing nothing to disguise the erection you noticed in the bathroom. 

“Always love this nightgown on you,” he breathes, mouth biting at your earlobe, hands running up and down your sides. “Do you remember you wore it the first time you stayed over at mine?”

You smile at the memory. “And I thought you only liked it because it’s see-through in the light,” you tease, spinning out of his hold. You love him like this so you don’t want to outright reject him but you also can’t imagine having sex in this sweltering bedroom and aren’t about to take your fourth shower of the day.

You prop your pillows up so you can drink your ice water and check your phone while you still have some battery left. Ash sits next to you and you can already feel the heat radiating off of him. He absentmindedly places his hand on your thigh, squeezing every so often as it creeps higher. You slide your hand into his, bring it to your lips and kiss his knuckles briefly before setting it back on his own leg.

“I really should’ve let you buy me that bigger bed like you offered when you first started sleeping over,” you joke, hoping he’ll understand your meaning.

He chuckles and searches your face sympathetically, “Am I making you warm, baby? I’m sorry,” he pouts. “It’s getting better though, I opened the window before our shower and the storm’s bringing a breeze in.” He snakes an arm around you and leans you closer, pecking your cheek.

“It’s still pretty bad in here… and you’re still kind of a radiator, Ash,” you gently complain.

He frowns, then pauses and his face suddenly changes expression. “I know something we can do to take your mind off that…” 

You make a face. “Baby… I know you're hard but it has been such a ridiculous day," you gently explain. "I'll kiss you while you jerk off if you want? I just cannot fathom having you on me right now.”

“First of all, I never said I wanted to be on you,” he notes. “Second, I just feel bad you’re already so tense again, babe, we gotta get you to relax.” He massages your neck as he talks and you didn’t realize how stiff your muscles were until that moment. “I know it’s not gonna be an easy night sleeping in here and I was just thinking you always sleep so much better right after you cum...”

Despite the heat, your body is buzzing at his touch. “Goddammit, that’s a fair point,” you concede and he laughs under his breath. “Feel like whatever you have in mind is only gonna make me feel even warmer though.”

His eyes shine with playful desire. “Not necessarily…” he replies mysteriously. “Trust me?”

You hate how curious you are and how much his vagueness is turning you on. “You get five minutes to prove this is worth it… or until I start sweating, whichever is first.”

Ash chuckles, “I think we both know you’ll be begging for my cock long before then.”

You shake your head at him and then he's kissing you and laying you down. "Close your eyes," he requests. You look at him skeptically. "I'm assuming you think it's too warm for the blindfold," he points out and you nod in agreement.

He hovers over you and brushes his lips lightly against yours. "So gorgeous laying there, just waiting for me," he whispers low, knowing the praise will make you swoon. "Can you get your tits out for me, baby?"

You slip your thin straps off your shoulders and tug your nightgown down your torso, exposing your chest. Your breath is already heavy with anticipation when you feel Ashton's hands run up your thighs on his way to knead your breasts. His touch feels warmer than you'd like but his firm, calloused grip is always welcome.

His hands disappear for a second and you hear some generic rustling; you assume you'll be feeling his mouth next but what you don't expect is the intense cold of the ice cube he has in between his teeth. A squeal escapes your throat and your eyes shoot open at the sensation of him dragging the ice down your neck and in between your tits; the combined heat of your skin and his mouth starts melting it instantly and freezing water drips down your body. 

“Ash, what the fuck?!” You cry out with a shocked laugh. He tugs your nightgown lower and continues his travels, bringing the cube down over your stomach, water dissolving all over your midsection.

You whine as he pulls back and grins. “OH, did... did you want me to continue?” He taunts, chewing what was left in his mouth. “Didn’t take long for you to decide this was ‘worth it,’ huh, baby?”

He reaches for the cup on your nightstand and drops another cube in his mouth before lowering himself to your chest. His cold fingers play with one of your nipples while he sucks the other between his lips; his tongue swirls the ice around your pointed bud and the dueling feelings of the frozen cube and his warm tongue is unlike anything you’ve felt before.

You hold his head to your chest, running your fingers through his damp, curling hair. “Ash, babyyyyyy,” you breathe dreamily as he moves his attention to your other nipple. “This was a good idea, you were right.” Even with his mouth around you, he manages to grin at your concession and you arch your back into him.

“Love it when you talk dirty,” he smugly responds. He brings the remaining portion of his cube to the front of his lips and traces it over yours before slipping it back in his mouth and kissing you deeply. You whimper as he slowly transfers the cube into your mouth with his tongue. He tugs your lip between his teeth as he pulls away and you moan loudly at the realization that you can’t feel it because your lips are numb from the ice. 

Ashton sits back on his knees and you reach for him, immediately missing his attention. "Want you," you admit, stretching your arm until your hand lands on his bulging crotch. “Need you. Need this.”

He takes a page out of your book and pulls your hand up to his lips, kissing it and sitting it away from him. “Oh I know you need it, baby,” he teases, slipping his hand inside your panties to feel your wetness. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it... but first… can’t let my last ice cube go to waste.”

He smiles at your annoyed sigh as he snatches the cup from the table and moves down your body. You know that look in his eye and for once tonight, you know what he’s thinking. He starts to raise the cup to his lips as you whine, “Oh my god, Ash, don’t,” pushing him away with your feet.

He cocks his head and rubs his hands up and down your legs. “You know your word,” he replies and looks at you expectantly. You hold each other’s gaze for several beats and then his hands yank your panties off. Your nightgown is still bunched around your waist and you finally pull it all the way off, making yourself bare for him. 

Ash raises the cup in your direction in mock cheers and finally slides the ice into his mouth. In the time it takes you to blink he’s already between your legs, running the tip of the cube up and down your lips. You shift your hips to meet his touch and he lightly slaps your thigh to get you to settle. 

He moves through your folds, nudging at your entrance for just a second before moving on; you brace yourself as he reaches your clit. He teases around it first with only his tongue and your heart pounds as you wait for the cold to shock you. After what feels like half a lifetime, a burst of piercing iciness shoots through your entire body, starting at your core. You let out a long, low moan as he alternates flicking the frozen cube over your clit and then running his warm tongue against you in raging contrast. 

He sucks at your clit softly before moving to kiss up your inner thighs as he sits up. You didn’t see it happen but he apparently slipped the ice into his hand because now he’s pressing it directly on your clit, letting it melt, causing you to moan and writhe. 

"ASH PLEASE… oh my godddd…” you cry, grabbing his wrist. You’re not quite sure if you want him to stop or to keep going until you cum so you just hold onto his arm, begging. “Fuck me, please, need you to fuck me, Ash!”

Smiling, he firmly grinds the last of the cube against your clit and you thrash as it melts within seconds. He slips two fingers inside you and you shudder at how cold they are. “Knew I could get you begging for me, baby” he growls, smirking as he kisses up your body. “You sure it’s 'worth it'? Maybe you’re right, maybe it is too warm? This pussy feels pretty warm to me.” He skillfully juts his fingers in and out of you as he taunts you.

You whimper pathetically in response and he chuckles. “Alright, baby, you’ve been so good for me tonight, I’ll let you have my cock,” he declares. “Hands and knees for me, gorgeous.” 

Ashton pulls his shorts off while you do your best to get into position, unsteady from all the stimulation. You can’t help yourself and as soon as you get up on your knees you lunge for him, capturing his mouth in a filthy kiss and your hand tugs at his cock, easily coaxing out a trickle of precum.

He murmurs into your kiss, letting you have your moment and then in one swift move, he swats your hand away and pulls you off his lips by wrapping his hand around your throat. “I said hands and knees, baby,” he reminds you, squeezing lightly.

You can’t quite find your voice to moan but if you had, it would’ve been the loudest yet. You get into position and for the first time tonight, you notice the curtains billowing as the long-promised stormy breeze fills the room. You’re about to point it out but you decide to bite your lip instead because the head of Ash’s cock is pushing up against your entrance. 

You sigh restlessly and slowly push back on him, eager to have him inside you but he promptly halts your hips and roughly smacks your ass for trying. “Don’t be desperate,” he reprimands sternly. 

You mumble a pitiful “Sorry” and he rubs over the stinging redness of his handprint in acknowledgment. He slides his cock over your pussy a couple times, slicking it with your arousal, enjoying how your legs shake every time he juuuust misses running his tip over your clit. Then he starts pushing in for real, at an agonizingly slow rate; he knows you’re already on the verge of overstimulation and he knows you’re aching to cum but he loves teasing you, loves making you feel every inch of him as he enters you.

You hang your head, breathing his name so softly you almost don’t even hear it yourself. The thrill of finally having him inside you combined with the sublime stretch as his thickness gradually fills you is overwhelming; if you wanted to, you honestly think you might be able to cum from this alone. For a moment it crosses your mind to tell him this but in the next, you realize he already knows.

“Love watching you take me,” Ash praises you, finally bottoming out. “You’ve really gotta see it sometime, baby, there’s nothing like it.” 

You whine at his words and your sounds increase as he thrusts into you, wasting no time setting a punishing rhythm, you’ve both waited long enough for this. “Feels… so… good… babe…” you pant, voice quivering as his hips hit forcefully against yours. Your hands are cramping from how tightly you’re gripping the sheets in front of you but you don’t know how else to handle the intensity of what you’re feeling.

Ashton grunts, slapping your ass once on each cheek. He fucks into you rapidly and it's not long before his fingers dig into where he’s holding your hips; this means he’s getting close. You slide your hand to your clit and start rubbing, burying your face in the bed as you let out a choked sigh. He speeds up the pace when he notices. “I’m almost there too, baby,” he puffs. “Go ahead and cum, baby. Fuck, you deserve it.”

The soft howling of the wind, the vigorous slapping of Ash’s skin on yours and your muffled moans are all that can be heard for the next minute or so. Your sounds gain volume as your pussy begins to throb and you finally feel your walls tensing around him. He fucks you through it, murmuring about what a good girl you are, how beautiful you look. 

As your orgasm reaches its end, you hear Ash continuing to mumble but you realize it’s mostly nonsense; seconds later you feel his cock pulsing as he empties his load inside you. He groans loudly, running his thumbs over the fresh marks he’s left on your hips and slowly pumping into you a few more times before sighing and pulling out.

He pecks a kiss on the small of your back and then he grabs the tissues on your vanity to clean you up. You lay on your stomach, sleepy but satisfied; when he’s done, he lays beside you. “How are we feeling?” He asks, running his hand through your hair.

You smile dreamily at him. “Like I’m gonna sleep real good tonight,” you joke. You scoot closer to him and lightly kiss his bearded chin. “Like I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through today without you. Like I love you a lot.”

Ashton’s eyes shine fondly at you through the darkness. "I'm happy to hear that, there were a few times today I wasn't sure if you still liked me," he cracks. You poke him and he kisses your pouted lips. "I love you too, by the way."

You finish getting ready for bed and as you blow out the candles around the room, Ash instinctively moves closer to the edge of the bed; he's sure you'll want to sleep as far apart as possible. "Is it supposed to be this hot again tomorrow?" He asks.

"Yup," you answer, surprisingly unbothered, getting back in bed.

He frowns. "What do you think we should do?"

You surprise him again by curling into him, tangling your legs with his. "We've got all day and half a bag of ice left," you grin mischievously. "I think we'll be fine."

—-

Tag list: @cal-puddies @mymindwide @suchalonelysunflower @pxrxmoore  @loveroflrh @ghostofmashton @sexgodashton @feliznavidaddycal  @castaway-cashton @boomerash @cashtonasfuck @megz1985 @ashdork-irwin @ashtonangst @angelicfluffs @findingliam-o  @abadaftertaste

Click here if you’d like to be tagged for future fics and click here if your name is on my list but crossed out (Tumblr won’t let me @ you) 

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Guardian of creatures; AU! Queen x oc female x reader Chap. 10

*Author’s note*

Hey guys well happy New Year and happy 2021! Hopefully we have a better year than last year was and a new year means new fanfics! And to top it off I’m gonna start off with a new chapter for my GOC story. Also I’ve got 8 new chapters of my new Borhap Disney AU series so I hope you all love that but for now I hope you all enjoy this chapter here. Also I hope you all enjoy the little surprise at the end.

And if you need a refresher playing Seraffel is Jensen Ackles and Thor is Jared Padalecki.

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things​

@waddles03​

@psychosupernatural​

@ixchel-9275​

@simonedk​

@glitter-at-the-panic​

@queensdivas​

@queendeakyy​

@geek-and-proud​

@wormzteef​

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels​

@kinole009x​

@queen-paladin​

Chapter 10,

Preparations beings

__________________________________________________________

With no time to spare, John and Serafina use their magic to further disassemble the mansion and soon there stood a suitcase and it soon locked up.  John took the suitcase while going up towards Seraffel (both boys were now back in their dragon forms) while Serafina went up to Thor.

You noticed that now she was growing slightly hesitant towards the storm dragon.  Her hand held up midway towards his snout but she stopped herself.  You then watch as Thor nuzzles his snout right into Serafina’s chest.  Deep, soothing rumbles come out of his throat that almost resembled the soft sound of thunder.

“Come on. We can’t stay here. Everyone pick a dragon and prepare for a long flight.” Freddie said as he slithered his way towards Thor and wrapped himself around the storm dragon’s back.  You noticed how unlike before when Freddie used his coils to subdue the Wyvern, he wasn’t squeezing or even trying to strangle the storm dragon.

Brian joined John on top of Seraffel and of course Roger went with Freddie and Serafina.  Now it was up to you to decide which dragon you would go with.  But before you made any decision, you suddenly found two giant dragon heads leaning barely an inch away from you.  You stared into the deep ocean blue and amethyst eyes of these great beasts you had only read in stories.  Both had a slitted pupil, like a cats as they pierced your very soul.

You could feel each intake and breath of air they exhaled as they stared at you.  The earth almost seemed to move underneath you as they let out soft growls.  It was then Seraffel made the first move and pushed his head against you.  From his throat, deep yet loving growls came out as he kept pushing himself against you, his scales rubbing up against your stomach.

“Push your weight against him.” John said to you.  You looked up at your teacher and did as he told you.  Seraffel’s growls became more loving and affectionate as he now allowed his brother to do the same.  This time you felt Thor’s snout actually stroke and nuzzle your back as affectionate growls came out of him.

“They’re thanking you for reuniting us.” Serafina said with a soft smile.  You smiled and decided to give them affection back.  You gently headbutted the side of Thor’s face as he circled his long neck around you in an affectionate dragon hug.  Seraffel’s head soon came back into the game and you did the same thing.

His eyes closed as he gave your forehead a gentle headbutt back.  He also gave you a dragon’s kiss.  His cold tongue nipped at your left cheek while your right cheek was also licked by Thor’s warm one.  A perfect mixture of warm and cold.

“You’re welcome.” You said to them. The two dragons stared down at you before bowing their heads to you and actually letting you soft purrs. You then walk over to Seraffel and he gladly moves his blue-finned tail closer to you.  You grab a hold of his tail and he slowly lifts you up onto his back and Brian helps you get situated.

“You might want to hold on tightly.” Brian tells you.  You wrap your arms around the Elven lord’s waist and he tells John that we’re ready.

“Volant Seraffel.”

“Volant Thor.” Both John and Serafina say at the same time and soon your stomach lurches downward as you are first hovering over the ground, but soon the ground becomes smaller and smaller as the air grows a little bit colder.  The clouds wisping past your bare arms, never did you think you’d ever get to feel what an actual cloud feels like but there you were.

Soon the clouds disappeared and all you could see was the full moon and a sea of stars.

“Not many can say they’ve truly earned a Dragon’s loyalty.” Brian’s voice said to you.  You look at him and he turns to you, a soft gleam in his eyes (in fact they almost seemed enhanced underneath the light of the stars. A richer color of blue). “Only two other people I know of have earned that level of trust. And you’ve been taught by them.”

“So—these two are really John and Serafina’s children? I mean they’re dragons. But John and Serafina are sorcerers. How did they—”

“Adopted.” Ohh okay that makes sense. “They were adopted by John and Serafina at birth. But it doesn’t make them any less their own. You see, they were abandoned by their nests well over 700 years ago. Serafina still could sense life within their eggs so she and John took it upon themselves to see if they could hatch them. At least give them a chance at life unlike their real families did.”

“That’s so cruel.”

“It’s nature. Especially for dragons. For them only the strong survive. Any egg that doesn’t hatch along with the rest of its nest is considered infertile. So they abandon their unhatched eggs without a second thought.”

“How long did it take for them to finally hatch?” you ask him.

“Those two waited on those eggs hand and foot. Then finally when last leaves of Autumn fell and the first kiss of Winter came; Seraffel was the first to spring right out of his egg. Three months later during the first spring thunderstorm, Thor arrived.”

Wow so these dragons are just three months apart from each other.  But they’re so big since they’re technically considered runts.  I mean if it’s the same sort of situation like with other animals like dogs or pigs when you get the runt of the litter, John and Serafina must’ve really loved and cared for these dragons to get this big.

“Can I ask—why John and Serafina never really……”

“Had children of our own?” John suddenly spoke up.  You turn to see John staring towards Serafina riding on Thor.  Seraffel let out a growl towards Thor before letting out a few grunts and huffs.  Thor let out a soft rumble before flying a few feet ahead. “It happened just shortly after the two of us ran away from the cult. We had been caught in an ambush. Serafina and I had gotten trapped by my psychotic mother and her vicious sisters and cousins. My mother gave Serafina a curse. A dark curse that almost killed her had it not been for Brian and Roger. But—it had severe consequences.”

“You see, Serafina had taken a blood curse. And a curse like that destroys you from the inside out. Severe internal bleeding, organs slowly shutting down till finally……” Brian stopped and took a sharp breath in. “No living sorcerer has survived it because there’s no counter spell to reverse it. Thanks to Freddie’s advance knowledge of brewery and Naga magic she miraculously survived. However it had come with a price.”

“One was her natural appearance. As I’m sure you recall from when Freddie showed you our past, she had black hair and brown eyes. Well it changed her hair and eye color to the color of blood. First it was her eyes then her hair slowly but surely became blood red. Then—we found out she had become infertile.”

Infertile? You mean as in…….

“John and Serafina longed to have a family of their own. Especially once all this mess had been put behind them. But when they asked Freddie about her other symptoms after her hair started to change, he gave them the cold-honest truth. Serafina could never bare any children. Not even he could change that.” Brian explained solemnly.

Poor Serafina. Not only did she lose her entire family but she also lost a shot at making one with the man she loves.  You could tell by John’s posture that it hurt for him to even speak of it.

“We were both devastated, especially Serafina. She felt like she had failed me because she knew how much I wanted to be a father. But I assured her it wasn’t her fault. None of it was. But I guess fate was on our side because eventually we found these two.” John placed a comforting hand to Seraffel’s neck who let out a soft purr as he leaned against his father’s touch.

“Then how come you guys weren’t around when I first met you all?” at that point John went quiet and lowered his head down.  You saw his shoulder softly shake but Brian placed a comforting hand on your master’s shoulder and he whispered in Elvish to him.

Now you didn’t know much about the language but there were a few words you did pick up.  Basically Brian was telling John to calm down and you heard him mention Thor and Seraffel’s names.  John then rested himself against Seraffel’s neck, clinging onto him and stroking his black scales.

“In the summer of 1309, we had another run in with John’s family in Scotland at the time of the battle of Bannockburn. A few years after William Wallace had been beheaded and his limbs cut off to be displayed to the 4 corners of England and Scotland……”

“It’ll take all night for you to explain it!” John snapped. The tremor in his voice trying to hold back a sob but mostly came out in anger.  He levitated himself over Brian and sat between the two of you.  He placed both index and tall finger at each side of your temples and said. “I’ll show you what happened that day. But just know it wasn’t her fault.”

His fingers glowed purple and soon you felt your mind being flushed down a vortex and you found yourself hovering over a battlefield.

A whole bunch of witches and wizards were fighting.  But the clothes told you the difference of who was on what side.  You recognized the black robes from John’s family while wizards with not only swords and shields on hand but waving the Scottish flag with pride showed you that this was a wizard duel between the English and the Scottish sorcerers.

They were badly outnumbered but you soon saw Seraffel and Thor working together to help the Scots out.  Thor sent down lightning bolts upon John’s entire family while Seraffel covered them in ice barriers.  Soon you felt yourself being pulled a certain direction and you saw John and Serafina battling against John’s parents, his brother and cousin Crowley.

“Give it up Johnny boy, you can’t last much longer!” Crowley sneered as his quickly stuck out his tongue in that sneering way.

“Your magic is nothing compared to a troll’s level. Slow and miniscule.” John sassed.

“Why you little—”

“He’s stirring you up cousin. Besides, we’ve got something bigger on our side.” His brother Draco said.

“What are you talking about?” Serafina sneered lowly as she aimed her wand at Draco.  It was then Ronan rolled up his sleeve and there you saw the very mark that had branded itself on your chest, however his was a black marking (like someone had put charcoal on his arm).  A green light shined from his forearm as he soon let out a yell.

It almost sounded like a roar as his arm glowed brighter and brighter.  You turned to the sky and saw a large black storm cloud of smoke charging right for them. It brushed past Thor and he looked down curiously before he then let out a roar towards Seraffel and the two of them proceeded to fly towards you.

The black smoke landed with a hard thud and soon revealing himself before them was John’s grandfather Grindelwald.  In his hand he held a skull with an orange tube around it and at the end of the tube was some kind of golden piece to it that almost resembled an upper-class cigarette holder.

At his appearance, his brother and cousin bowed, his mother smirked maliciously as she raised her wand to her head giving a crazed tilt of her head like an insane person.

“As Sorcerer Supreme none can resist a spell he casts. No effect on the bloodline itself, but to others they submit.” He spoke in that low, soft, whispery voice of his.  His eyes turned directly towards Serafina as he took the golden end of the tube and put it in his mouth inhaling deeply.  The inside of the skull glowed, it’s eyes shining a bright yellow before he exhaled the smoke right towards Serafina.

As the smoke slowly encircled around her, she suddenly began to fidget and lose absolute control of her body.  She was screaming as she held her head in what seemed to be pain.

“Serafina?” Serafina continued to try and resist the spell she was being put under. “Serafina my love what’s wrong!?”

“Witness true strength John. The strength of will over magic.” Soon Serafina’s fighting ceased as she now stood tall but her eyes were now pure white as she stood erect, staring directly at Grindelwald.

“See brother, in the face of it. You…..are…..nothing!” his brother Draco snarled.  Grindelwald then turned towards John but didn’t say a word.  Soon slowly turned towards John was Serafina.

“What did my grandfather just tell you?” you then saw his mother take something out from behind her back.  It was the urn.  The very same urn that was in the NY Times office.

Oh no you knew where this was going now.  You watched helplessly as John’s brother and cousin held him down while Serafina slowly walked towards John, under the control of Grindelwald, her wand at the ready while John’s mother opened up the urn cackling.

“Serafina! No, no, no my love you’ve got to snap out of it! Please! This isn’t you! Serafina no! Melda!” he said ‘my love’ in Elvish. “Serafina!” She then soullessly spoke out a chant as her wand glowed pure white.

Aldruon En Lenthranall

Losolomirus Nor!

As the blast headed towards John, you saw a younger version of Seraffel and Thor land in their human forms before John, taking the shot for their father.

You found yourself pulled back to reality and as you breathed heavily you looked at John who was looking down with tears in his eyes.

“They used me as bait. To get rid of our Aces. Of course that’s all they saw the boys as. It destroyed us, especially Serafina. That urn could only be opened by the very magic used to seal whom or whatever is inside. So for 200 years we searched for the urn, when we ran into one of my aunts about it. She told us that they had melted the urn. At that point we—we feared that our boys were lost forever. Until you came along.”

So when you touched the urn back in the storage room, since you had been taught Serafina’s magic…..that’s why it was able to unlock so easily! It all made sense now.  You were the one to free these two after 600 years.

“And now the boys are forever in your debt for freeing them and reuniting them with their parents.” Brian finished.

Seraffel and Thor continued to fly long into the night and as the sun began to rise overhead, they slowly descended downward.  You moan as you start to wake up from your slumber.

“Where are we?” you said with a yawn.

“We’re going to see an old ally of mine and Serafina’s. Not only that but the boys need to rest, especially Seraffel.” John said.  As you looked down you saw nothing but sand. Sand for miles on end, but what also caught your eye were some of the most familiar landmarks you’d ever seen.

The pyramids and the mighty Sphynx.  Holy shit you were in Egypt! You had always dreamed of coming to Egypt and now you had arrived at last! The land of the pharaohs, one of the most vast cultures of mythology and History known to mankind (next to Greece and Rome).

Seraffel and Thor landed on the ground and you all got off their backs.  John and Brian helped you off and soon both Seraffel and Thor shifted into their human forms.  Meanwhile you saw Serafina go over to Freddie and cling onto his arm and he leaned up against her as she waved her fingers down towards his tail and soon you actually saw Freddie’s tail turn to human legs.

“I’ll do my best to also convince the muggles here that you are a normal human Freddie, but the spell itself won’t last long I’m afraid.”

“Just as long as we get moving as quick as possible.” He told her.

“Right so we’ll need transportation, new clothes, and some supplies like water and food.” Brian said as he took out his bag and pulled out some Egyptian pounds and gave them to each and every one of you. “Buy only what you need and don’t. draw. Attention. To. Yourselves.” He emphasized and eyed everyone, especially Roger.

“You act like as if I’m gonna screw everything up.” Roger snapped offensively.

“Well anything in a dress or skirt you do howl over like the hound dog you are.” John sassed as he counted his pounds.  Roger growled.

“Enough you two we don’t have time for your petty squabble. Anymore lip from you two and I’ll swallow you both do I make myself clear!?” Freddie hissed.

“Yes sir!” both Brian and Roger said.

“Right now let’s get our supplies and be done with this village.” Serafina guided Freddie towards the marketplace of the village nearby while John went along with Brian and Roger to make sure they didn’t cause trouble.

“Guess that leaves you with us kid.” Seraffel said.

“Yeah guess so. Hope you don’t mind.” You answered the ice dragon.

“Not at all. Plus we can get to know our savior a bit better.” Said Thor as the three of you went towards the market to buy yourselves some new clothes first.

You told them everything about your life and how you met their parents along with the rest of their little ‘family’.  After your tale and now with new clothes on, you asked the two dragons.

“Now this is just me asking out of curiosity, why couldn’t we just keep flying on you guys? I’m sure we’d get there a lot faster and find this ally of your parents’.”

“True but there are complications.” Thor responded. “One, due to this intense heat, Seraffel won’t last very long flying so close to the sun.”

“I really don’t get why their informant had to be here in the hottest continent of all!” Seraffel growled lowly.

“And two, there are stricter laws about—you know creatures like us exposing ourselves.”

“You mean Egyptians are prejudice against dragons?”

“Not just dragons but other creatures as well.” Thor said.

“Look you know how you humans have your customs and traditions?” Seraffel started off.  You nodded. “Well the supernatural world has their own rules and laws. Some are slightly flexible like Europe and in America, but for other countries like Russia and some countries here in Africa, it’s illegal to expose yourself to the humans. If we even so much as put one claw out of place, we’d get slammed by the Wizarding community of this country.”

“And cause we’re also on the run from our great grandfather as well as the rest of our dad’s psychotic family, we risk exposure to them as well. Last they know we’re still in New York.” Thor finished for his older brother.  You nodded in understandment and soon you found Serafina and Freddie with your transportation.

2 camels and 6 horses.  Freddie was already on top of one of the horses who was already going uneasy, probably feeling his snake-like skin and probably his tail too.  Serafina gently stroked the black horse’s muzzle whispering in Elvish to him which made him calm down.

“Pick your ride.” Seraffel and Thor took the camels while the rest of you took the horses.  You found yourself riding on top of a yellow mare with a white mane and tail.  She tossed her head back whinnying happily and you gave her a pat on her strong neck.

“Seems you’ve picked yourself a good one. She likes you.” Brian told you as he steadied his pure white horse.  John tacked the supplies onto the backs of Thor and Seraffel’s camels.

“Now make sure those don’t fall off. I know how stubborn camels can be.” He told his boys.

“No worries dad we got this.” Thor said assuring his dad. “And Seraffel, keep this over your head so you don’t overheat. We’ve got a long walk ahead of us through the desert.” He handed Seraffel a dark brown fedora with extended brim (to you it almost looked like a cowboy hat).

He took the hat and placed it on his head.  John patted his son’s leg and looked up at him worriedly.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay riding by yourself?”

“I’ll manage pops. And if I keel over I’ll give you and mom a heads up.” John nodded then hesitantly walked over to his pure black Arabian horse and rode up beside Serafina who was riding a chestnut brown mare with a heart-shaped white patch on her forehead.  John’s black stallion lovingly licked and nipped at Serafina’s mare (of course they would get a mated pair of stallions, only fitting).

“Alright, let’s move out. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover if we want to reach the tribe before we’re discovered here.” Freddie said and soon you all rode out of town and into the desert.

God no wonder why people complain about the desert! It was dry, sand literally blew everywhere even without the assistance of the wind, and to put it all out it was TOO FUCKING HOT!!!

You tried to shield yourself with your own hat that you managed to buy and take a sip of your water.  Serafina told you that out here you have to ration your water intake cause it can easily go away if you continuously drink it.  As you rode by Serafina you asked her.

“So just who is it that we’re going to see that lives out in the middle of the desert?”

“He goes by the name of Ardeth. John and I met him shortly after we ran away and took refuge here. Of course we underestimated the power of the desert and got ourselves lost. During a sandstorm we somehow managed to find him and he saved us. Took us to some water after five days without water.”

“What exactly is he like?”

“Mysterious. I’ll only say that.” But you could tell that Serafina was hiding something.  It was like she was trying to hold herself back from saying something else. “We didn’t stay for long cause he had to keep moving along. The Medjai sorcerers are a nomadic tribe after all. Moving from one place to another, even if they travelled alone.”

“And he was the only one to find you and John?” she nodded.

“Our encounter was roughly 10-15minutes long but he—he seemed wise, knowledgeable about the land. But he told us if we ever needed help again to go to the Medjai tribe and say his name, then they’d know we’re on their side.”

“You mean there are cults that don’t agree with John’s family?”

“Yes. And those are the cults that we side with. Most of Europe, mainly England’s wizards follow the Sorcerer Supreme, no matter who sits on the throne. But there are some cults that since the reign of Thomas Riddle Deacon have broken off from the loyalty of the Sorcerer Supreme because they refused to follow in the lead of a mass murderer. As punishment some of them were wiped off the map, while others went into hiding. Only coming out till this war begins, and the Medjai have our trust.”

“So there really is going to be a war?” you asked hesitantly. Yes you have taken this training and agreed to help out but you were still scared.  After all you’ve never really fought in a war before, you were but a child during the Great War and that was with moral guns and ships, this time you’re facing dark wizards with spells that can kill you with a single phrase and a quick flick of their wrist.

“Yes dear. But with any luck you won’t have to fight in it. Only do what you’ve been destined to do.”

“I—remember seeing a brief vision when I first met Freddie. Of me in a battle but……what exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Only you can decide that. When the time comes you’ll know just what you’re destined to do. But for now we focus on getting to the tribe. There John and I will have to speed up your training in order to at least be deemed strong enough in real combat.” You nod and you all continue your way throughout the desert.

The sun continued to beam down upon your heads and it felt like an eternity before the sun started to set.

“Let’s set camp up right here.” John said.  Roger got off his horse and immediately fell to the ground exhausted and dehydrated.  You exclaim his name and race over to him.  You could hear him panting but he assured you.

“I’ll be fine. Just a little dehydrated.”

“Do you want me to get you some water? How long can you survive like this?”

“With some shade and rest I’ll be right as rain. Don’t worry kid I’m fine.” He stood up but you could tell from his staggering footsteps and faint but heavy breathing he wasn’t.  Guess Seraffel’s not the only one you all should worry about.

“He’s as stubborn as a mule but there’s no changing his mind.” Freddie spoke beside you.  “I’ll see to it he at least gets some water in his system.” His tail now fully out, slithered towards Roger and the two of them proceeded to have a quiet conversation.

“(Y/n), come help Serafina and I set up these tents.” John called out to you.  You walked over to them and like normal people do, you helped them set up the tents so that everyone had a place to sleep for the night.

The Deacon clan would share a tent together, Freddie took one for himself, while you, Brian and Roger took the last one.  As dusk came and the hot air finally became cool enough you all had a quick but plentiful dinner before retiring for the night. Almost immediately as soon as you head rested on your sleeping bag pillow, your eyes fell shut and you went to sleep immediately.

*3rd Person POV*

Soon the rest of our travelers fell into a deep sleep knowing they still had a long journey to the Medjai tribe.  Taking advantage of the cool night air, they left their tents open to allow the cool air to enter inside.

In the Deacon tent, Serafina and John were cuddled up together as usual along with Thor and Seraffel circling around them.  The four of them slept peacefully unaware that a mysterious glowing figure was walking towards them.

The figure stopped beside John and Serafina’s tent and as the figure stopped, the sound of thunder quietly rumbled in the night sky. Serafina woke up to the sound of the thunder and could feel a couple of drops of rain land on her forehead.

“Thor! Did you cause this?” She softly hissed to her youngest son.  He groaned out tiredly.

“Mom….I’m trying to sleep.” That’s when a deep, ghostly voice said to her.

“It was I who caused it.” Her body stiffened and she suddenly felt a cold brush of air flick at the back of her neck.  She crawled out of her tent and when she looked to the right she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

A giant specter.  The ghost stood probably well over 11-12feet tall.  He wore ancient blue wizard robes along with a red cape that fluttered behind him.  His face was well defined with cheekbones so sharp you could swear you’d cut your hand if you’d slap them.  His eyes soulless and blue with a pure white pupil.  He also sported a goatee style like beard and a small smirk grew upon his cupid-bow lips.

“Well don’t just sit there gawking like a codfish. Get up.” The ghost said to her in a teasing tone.  

Serafina couldn’t believe it.  Her mouth dropped as she couldn’t believe just who this ghost truly was. She had seen many creatures before in her lifetime, and specters were no different but never did she believe she’d ever meet the ghost of…….

“Ba—Balthazar?”

“As I once told you and my descendant……” the spirit before her disappeared into an Egyptian man with shoulder length black hair, Arabic markings on each cheek that said WARRIOR and LOYALTY.  He had deep brown eyes and stood about 6 foot and was a strongly built man in black Egyptian robes. 

“You can call me Ardeth.” He said with a quirked grin across his lips.

[lovingtheway]

Un Mundo Raro

Note: This is gonna be a shortish series I think? I'm not completely sure how many chapters it'll be but I do know where I want it to go and how it ends so I just have to actually get there fuck ��� I'm actually really excited about this and I had fun writing this part, I hope you all like it 😊💜💜

The idea (and song they’re dancing to) came from Un Mundo Raro by La Santa Cecilia (although if you want a depressed emotional version, personally, I love the Jose Alfredo Jimenez version for those late night drinks) The song is in bold and I’ll put the translations at the end

Shoutout to mi querida @murdermewithbooks who is always so lovely when I send her things to read and always so helpful. I love you 💜💜

Summary: slow dancing with Javi at your wedding

Warnings: angst, longing/yearning, and please let me know if you catch anything else

Word count: 2.1k

Pairing: Javier Peña x Reader

Cuando te hablen de amor y de ilusiones

You smiled as Javi led you out to the dance floor. You lit up the hall with that smile, the simple white dress you wore doing little to mask the natural beauty you held. The dress could have been rags for all he cared, you practically radiated happiness as you turned to face him. He squeezed your hand lightly, smiling back at you before he placed a hand on your waist and pulled you in.

Y te ofrezcan un sol y el cielo entero

Marriage looked good on you. Your eyes shining with all the love they held. Your vows rang in his head as you began to sway with the music. Your vows to stand by his side and love him forever no matter what tried to force its way between you two. Your vows to love him through thick and thin and always keep the love you had found in each other alive. His heart flooded with emotion as he recalled your words. Your beautiful declarations of love.

Si te acuerdas de mí no me menciones

Porque vas a sentir amor del bueno

He remembered the first time he told you he loved you:

“But it's so pretty,” you whined as you leaned on the window.

“You can't,” he replied, skimming a book that was meant to be his homework. College was kicking his ass and while normally you'd be the one pushing him to 'ponerse las pilas' and focus on his studies, right now you were insufferable with your want to go outside.

“You're not the boss of me,” you mumbled, a pout on your face as you moved closer to the door. You kept an eye on Javi as you slowly moved closer to the door. A smile crept onto his face as he realized you were trying to get outside to the thunderstorm raging outside. He tried to call your name but the door swung open and then you were out on the front porch.

He shook his head, trying to hide his amusement and followed you out. You were already on the grass, your arms held out as you spun in the rain. The droplets clung to your clothes making them stick to your body.

His heart was pounding in his chest, his breath hitching in his throat as the longing clenched his lungs and heart as he watched you. Your face was alight with joy as you laughed and danced in the rain, able to see the beauty in something that was just an inconvenience to everyone else. You looked up and caught his gaze, a giggle escaping your lips as you ran towards him. He stepped back as you came at him. He knew what you were going to do and was barely just warning you when you crashed into him. Something burst in him as he wrapped his arms around your waist holding you tight against him. Your legs wrapped around his waist as the rain that clung to your clothes soaked him, cooling the heat that burst in him.

"I love you," he blurted out without thinking, the overwhelming need to let you know getting the best of him. Your legs loosened as you met the ground once more, looking up at him with curious eyes and a shy smile. He opened his mouth to correct himself but your eyes were alight with a flame he'd never seen before. A flame that lit only for him. A flame that flickered and fell with his emotions, in tune only with his heart proving your love for him was too pure for him to keep.

"That's not going to make me take it easy on you, Javi," you teased as you yanked him out into the rain. He gasped at the cold rain that struck his skin but your hand was burning hot in his as you pulled him further into the rain.

"I love you too, Javi," you whispered, wrapping your arms around his neck so that he was trapped out in the storm with you. The wind howled around you but everything seemed to slow down in your presence, the storm stopping and all he could focus was you. Your eyes were the color of the whiskey he downed on hard nights. The only person he ran to when everything became too much for him, the only one that kept him sane.

Y si quieren saber de tu pasado

Es preciso decir una mentira

Di que vienes de allá, de un mundo raro

"I want a love so pure, the gods'll be jealous," you admitted one night.

At the time he wondered if you knew that he'd give his life for you. Just like that Aztec story you told countless times, the one about the princess and warrior. He'd give his life to look after you and love you forever, making sure to scare anyone before they even thought of hurting you.

Que no sabes llorar

Que no entiendes de amor

Y que nunca haz amado

His arms tightened around you as your soft voice sang along to the song. You always told him how when you listen to music your heartbeat syncs to the beat of the song. He wondered if you knew his heart always beat in sync with yours. You were so embedded in his soul that he wasn't even sure of who he'd be without you. You had burrowed yourself so deep in his soul that he'd spend years just thinking of pushing you out, he couldn't even bear to actually imagine himself without you.

Porque yo adónde voy hablaré de tu amor

Como un sueño dorado

You two had grown up together. Your love having spent years growing and depending on each other that the idea of you two ever being apart was too ludicrous to even think about. Who else could ever know of how to talk him down from his self-destructive phases after a particularly bad day? Who else could know how to calm you down when your emotions got the better of you? Who else knew how to hold you when the world caught up with you and you realized you couldn't save anyone? It was only fate that you'd end up together forever.

Y olvidando el rencor

No diré que tu adios

Me volvió desgraciado

That's why telling you that he was leaving for the DEA so soon was so hard. Your face had fallen at the news, your eyes looking around frantically as you tried to find a way to keep him in Laredo. But you'd known for years that saving the world was his weakness. No matter how much he said he loved you, his own selfishness rarely trumped the greater good.

He took your hands when you took a step back from him, betrayal already sinking into your bones and the strongest urge to run took over your senses.

"Querida mírame," he murmured, one of his hands going to your chin to angle your head up so you were facing him. Your eyes met his, already rimmed red with unshed tears. His heart fell and he almost backed out but he merely pulled you into his chest, feeling your arms wrap around his waist and gripping the back of his shirt tightly. "I'll be back. It's not forever."

Y si quieren saber de mi pasado

He'd loved you for so long.

The pit of dread was growing in his stomach as he realized the song was coming to an end and he'd have to let you go.

Es preciso decir otra mentira

It should have been him you married.

But when this new man walked into your life, it took him too long to recognize the threat. He was certain that you knew how he felt regardless of the fact that he'd never voiced his feelings. He thought you knew you were the only person who truly knew him and the one person he stayed in Laredo for.

Les diré que llegué de un mundo raro

But then he started to seduce you. Your eyes finding a reason to giggle in someone else's smile. Javi should have known you wouldn't wait for him forever, but the further you fell in love with this new man the more he hoped you'd choose him. Despite the fact that he never made it known that he wanted anything more than what you two already had. He thought he was so obvious but you deserved someone who could give you the very stars in the sky.  

Que no se del dolor

And despite the fact that he'd burn his hands raw catching them all for you, this new man held the stars in his eyes and you lost yourself in him. And after years of Javi forcing any hopes of wishes being real, the stars ran from him, desperate to keep away from such a lost soul.

Que triunfe en el amor

He made his way through countless women when you got together with Matthew. And after a while, you stopped rejecting his dates, any hopes of you choosing Javi gone. Javi wondered if he pushed you further away with all the women he slept with. When he mentioned them, your eyes would flash dark reminding him of the clouds that day he told you he loved you, before you looked away hiding any hurt that might reside in them. Any tears that might manifest in his presence.

Y que nunca e llorado

He let go of your hand, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you closer to him. Your hands met his shoulders as you braced yourself against him, ignoring the looks of your guests. Your eyes met his and you could have sworn you saw tears in his eyes.

Que no se del dolor

He got the call to be sent to Columbia a few days after you announced your engagement. The newspaper that published your engagement had a picture of you and Matthew. You were smiling brightly at him, your eyes alight with love. Love that Javi hoped could have been aimed at him.

Que triunfe en el amor

He remembered deciding to tell you he was leaving. A part of him wanted to just disappear but when you mentioned how important it was for you to have him and his family at your wedding, you guilt tripped him into telling you he was going to Colombia. He knew for as long as he lived he'd never forget your excited eyes losing the light in them, any illusions of love escaping them before you forced them back to the surface. He couldn't leave when you needed him so much. It didn't matter how much he had wanted to leave then anymore, he wouldn't have given up this last dance with you for anything in the world. No matter how much he loved you, he knew you'd be safer with Matthew than you'd ever be with him. And if Javi could come home to you alive, even if it was with someone else, that would just have to be enough.

Y que nunca e llorado

He didn't even recognize the prickling of tears in his eyes as the song came to an end. Your arms were wrapped tightly around his neck and he had his face buried in yours, his breaths tickling your skin.

The song came to an end completely and he pulled away before the suspicious eyes became too much for you or your new husband. He met your gaze, glistening with your own unshed emotions. He let out a soft breath and forced a smile into his face, reassuring you that you were making the right choice. Regardless of the fact that he wanted to beg you to go with him. Beg you to choose him.

He pressed his lips to your forehead, his eyes closed tightly to hide the tears from you. The last thing he wanted was to change your mind. You deserved to be happy, even if it was without him.

"Te quiero mucho, querida," he mumbled against your skin, trying to ignore the way his heart shattered in his chest. The pieces slipped into his bloodstream, poisoning him further. He knew that he'd never be able to love anyone like he loved you. And you'd never be able to love him as long as you were with Matthew.

"Javi," you murmured, your voice desperate for him to convince you. For him to plead for you to choose him but his mind was made up. You needed to be safe and happy, away from him. He was no good for you.

He caught sight of your husband walking towards you both. "Goodbye, mi vida."

He let go of you and walked towards the exit knowing your new husband would be there to pick up any pieces he left behind. He didn't deserve to keep you together. Not when your heart belonged to someone else.

~~~

When they speak to you of love and illusions

And they offer you a sun and the whole sky

If you remember me, don’t mention me

Because you’re going to feel the good kind of love

And if they want to know of your past

It’s necessary to tell a lie

Say you come from over there, from a strange world

That you don’t know how to cry

That you don’t understand love

And that you’ve never loved

Because wherever I go, I will tell of your love

As if it were a golden dream

And forgetting the resentment

I won’t say that your goodbye

Made me miserable

And if they want to know of my past

It’s necessary to tell another lie

I’ll tell them I came from a strange world

That I don’t know of pain

That i triumphed in love

And that I’ve never cried

Ponerse las pilas- literally to put on your batteries? but basically translates to get motivated or to get to work, get your head in the game

Querida, mirame- my dearest, look at me

Te quiero mucho querida- I love you

I’m sorry bc I hurt my own heart with this one tbh

Thanks for reading! Any and all comments are appreciated and loved! 🥰💜💜

Tagging the lovelies: @murdermewithbooks @pablopascal @rosamedina92 @hiscyarika @mostly-megan @brittritz @scarlettwitcher @laubeck10 @spacemacandcheese @hdlynnslibrary @daydreamin24-7 @dillylila @keeper0fthestars @cryptkeepersoul @demigod-dragonrider-schoolidol 

[silverfootstepswrites]

Lullaby [70%]

10%   20%    30%    40%    50%    60%    70%    80%    90%    100%

Read Equinox here and come back!

“Your tummy is soft,” Sakura commented. Her head rose and fell as Itachi let out a sigh. 

“Don’t rub it in. It’s all that late-night pizza and ice cream,” he groaned, crossing his arms behind his head. 

“Oh. I wasn’t making fun of you. I love it,” Sakura assured him. She patted his knee as they laughed.

She had balked at the idea of buying a mattress that came in a box, but she couldn’t deny that it was comfortable. And the pricey sheets that covered it didn’t hurt. The lavender-scented candles sitting on the nightstand had never actually been lit, but they smelled nice all the same.

“Your place is super-nice,” Sakura remarked, not for the first time. 

“Mm, it is,” he agreed. And then he stretched his arms high above his head.

“What’s the plan for tonight?” she asked.

“Well, you just told your shoes to go to hell when you walked in,” he began. But before she could protest, he added, “Which is where they should go. So I was thinking of a relaxing night in. I’ll make dinner. Maybe put on some Edith Piaf?” 

“How could I say no to Madame Piaf?” Sakura agreed.

As Itachi washed his hands and tied on his apron, Sakura wandered over to the record player. She took her time picking through the shelves while Itachi’s knife tapped away on the cutting board. Not that it was difficult, because Itachi was always so organized. All the artists were grouped together by genre and by last name. 

She placed the tip of the stylus on the record and the swell of violins and brass filled her ears. Hugging her arms around herself, Sakura hummed along to the lyrics. When she turned around, she saw that Itachi had set his knife down. He leaned his elbows on the counter, watching her instead. 

“Dance with me!”

“And what about dinner?” he replied, still letting her take his hand to pull him away from the counter. Laughing as he wrapped his arms around her, swaying back and forth in time to the sweeping melody.

“You feeling alright, Bunny?” 

“Other than feeling like a beached whale, I’m great,” Sakura replied, biting her straw between her teeth. 

“That’s why I keep telling you to work from home. You need to rest,” sighed Madara, patting the top of her head. His tail curled around her water bottle and pushed it closer to her hand. 

“She doesn’t listen to anyone. You know that.”

Madara started. He peered over Sakura’s shoulder in time to see the lump of blankets on the sofa stir. Silver hair peeked out past the dark blanket. Along with a haggard pair of eyes.

“What happened to you?” Madara wondered. 

Tobirama’s head flopped back down. He sighed.

“I’ve been having Braxton Hicks contractions. He’s been up all night losing sleep,” Sakura explained. She braced her hand on the desk and pulled herself out of her seat. 

“I knew John Braxton Hicks. He was a terrible poker player. His tells were so obvious,” Madara recalled, tapping his chin with his pointer finger. And then he turned back to Sakura, who raised her eyebrows at him.

“I know it’s in poor taste to ask, but the suspense is killing me. Whose is it?” he asked.

And while Madara was right that it was a rude question, she appreciated the directness of it. Unlike everyone else who gave awkward looks behind her back as they wondered. 

“We’ll know in the delivery room. Siren babies are weird, honestly,” Sakura sighed, rubbing her stomach as she thought. 

“Sometimes it’s a baby on the ultrasound. And then sometimes it’s just.... sound waves,” Tobirama agreed, lifting his head again. 

“Oh, I understand. Demon babies are born from literal hellfire. Takes decades for them to cool off and take a solid form,” Madara commented. And Sakura raised her eyebrows again, nodding. She always learned something new when talking to Madara.

They all looked up when Sakura’s phone chimed. At the same time, Tobirama’s buzzed. 

“What’s it say?” Tobirama asked as Sakura unlocked her phone. She tapped on the notification. 

“It’s Itachi. ‘Baby shoes’,” Sakura read out loud. And then she held up her phone so Madara could see. Itachi had sent along a photo of tiny designer sneakers. She gasped when she saw the price tag underneath.

“Tell him it’s pointless since the baby won’t walk for a while,” grumbled Tobirama. Before Sakura could type anything, their phones buzzed again. 

“Kiba sent the emoji of the monkey covering its eyes. Oh, wait. Kakashi just responded too. ‘If you stopped buying junk and invested it, the baby would be all set for college by now’.” 

Sighing, Tobirama finally pulled the blanket down to peer over at her. “Do you think it’s a vampire thing?” he asked her.

“No. I’m pretty sure it’s a him thing,” she replied. 

And then, in a very quiet voice, Madara commented: “I think they’re cute.”

A thunderstorm descended over Old Pines as summer approached. 

Sakura’s eyes opened as she listened to the rumble roll across the horizon. The wind swelled, billowing the curtains inward. It took a moment. But then, slowly, she heard the droplets begin to patter softly, then all at once against the roof. The cool air whispered against her neck and back. 

Her eyes opened as lightning illuminated the skies. Followed by another growl of thunder. 

“You were right,” Sakura said. 

“Told you. I can smell the rain,” Kiba bragged, tapping his nose. He rolled onto his back to stare up at her, his arm draped across her lap. “S’not gonna last long, though. It’s a little storm.”

“You must be tired. You did a lot today,” commented Sakura, pushing his hair off his forehead. 

Kiba began listing his accomplishments, counting off on his fingers as he went. “Finished installing the sink in the new bathroom, installed a bunch of lights. Uh, what else? Oh yeah. And I assembled the shelves and crib for the nursery.”

“You’re my hero,” Sakura declared, leaning over to press a kiss to his mouth. He grinned as lightning flashed bright, filling the window with blinding white light for a moment. Several seconds later, thunder rolled through again like a drumroll. 

“I feel like there’s still a million things to do. And somehow the list keeps getting longer,” he lamented. Sakura laughed. 

“Me too. But I feel like we’ll never actually be ready,” she pointed out. 

“Yeah. That’s what my mom says too,” he agreed. 

Sakura gasped when she felt a jolt in her abdomen. She grabbed Kiba’s hand to place it on her stomach. He became very quiet as he waited. And then he could feel the flutters.

Slowly, he rubbed his palm back and forth across her stomach, following the movements. 

“I’m really scared, Sakura.”

Her chin jerked up. Eyes widening. 

But Kiba’s gaze stayed on the swell of her stomach. He seemed to be deep in thought before he decided to speak again. “Like, what if I’m a bad dad? What if I screw this kid up because I say something dumb?”

“Hey,” she said. He lifted his head to look at her. She smiled. Hand cupping his cheek, she pulled him in for a kiss. 

“Everything’s gonna be alright. We’ve got our family, don’t we?” she assured him. Sighing, Kiba laid his head down on her stomach. 

“And, worst case scenario, we’ll ask your sister to do damage control,” Sakura then added. 

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Kiba conceded, finally laughing again. 

When Kakashi walked in a few hours later, he was just in time to witness Kiba preparing to flip a pancake. Sakura sat at the kitchen counter, her hair knotted on top of her head. She glanced back when she felt Kakashi’s arm wrap around her waist. Her kissed her shoulder, then her mouth. 

“It’s almost 9. Why is Kiba making pancakes?” Kakashi wondered. 

“Why? Do you not want a pancake?” Sakura challenged. 

“I never said that. Do we have syrup?”

“Itachi brought over some from his business trip to Canada,” Kiba responded. And then he cheered as he flipped the pancake and caught it in the middle of the skillet. Sakura and Kakashi applauded together.

Kakashi kissed the top of Sakura’s head before he went off to grab plates and cutlery. 

“Smelled an outsider in the woods a couple hours ago,” Kakashi said, setting the plate down beside the stove. Kiba’s head perked up. Balancing the pancake on his spatula, he looked over his shoulder at Kakashi. 

“Along the river?” he asked.

“No. Further west. Past where I can reach,” answered Kakashi. 

“I’ll go out and take a look tonight. The Mayor asked me for a favor so I’d be in the woods anyway,” Kiba told him. He dropped the pancake onto the plate. Jiggled the pan to keep the other cakes from sticking and burning.

“Guys, be careful,” Sakura couldn’t help but fret. 

“No one knows these woods better than we do. It’ll be fine,” Kiba assured her, flashing a grin. But his smile faded as she continued to stare at him. He leaned his hip against the counter. He rubbed the back fo his neck. Beside him, Kakashi blew out a long sigh. Kiba glanced at him as he heard Kakashi scratch a hand through his hair.

“Kiba,” Kakashi said.

“Huh?”

“Can you make a lot of noise and spook them east? I can help you flank him once he gets close enough to town,” Kakashi asked. Kiba thought for a long time, scowling. 

“I guess so,” he finally considered.

“It’ll be safer if we have each other’s backs. And that way Sakura won’t feel as stressed,” Kakashi added, looking Sakura’s way. She smiled, rubbing her stomach a little. 

After they finished the pancakes, Kakashi insisted on staying to do the dishes. Sakura walked with them to the door. Waddling, actually. 

“Bye, baby,” Kiba said, kneeling in front of Sakura to kiss her stomach. Sakura swatted him away, pulling her shirt back down. Getting to his feet, Kiba took her hands and grinned. 

“Bye, baby,” he then said, kissing her on the lips. Sakura laughed as she nudged him off the porch. 

“We’ll be careful,” Kakashi assured her, kissing her too. 

Sakura couldn’t help but feel nervous. Even after Kakashi’s parting words. She boiled water. And while the tea steeped, she wandered out of the kitchen, into the little mudroom Kiba had added onto the house. Perching on one of the benches, she stared out the window. Past the blackberry bush and the peach tree. Out into the darkness. Wondering. 

She woke up to Itachi, who had come home for the weekend. Suit rumpled and his stubble growing in. He rested his hand on her forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Why’re you sleeping out here, Bunny?” he asked.

“Mm- what?” Sakura mumbled. She dragged her wrist across her eyes. The inside of her mouth felt dry. Her lower back hurt. But it had been hurting for the past several days, so it wasn’t anything new.

“Why’re you out here, Bunny? It’s late,” Itachi asked again. 

“Oh. Hi,” Sakura greeted him. “Kakashi and Kiba went to investigate something in the forest. I’m just worrying for no reason. It’s stupid. I know.”

“That’s not stupid,” Itachi answered. His hand slid down her arm, fingers linking with hers. 

“Go to bed, Bunny. I’ll wake you up when they get home,” he then told her. She sat up, wincing at how her body ached in all the weirdest places. Itachi helped her to her feet. 

“Sorry, Itachi,” Sakura said, looking up at him. His eyes widened. “I didn’t even ask you how your day was. That was selfish of me.” Because that was usually the first thing out of his mouth each time he saw her. 

‘How are you?’, ‘I missed you’, and ‘I’m glad I’m home now’- in that order.

A smile filled his face. His eyes glittering just a little as he pulled her against his chest. “Great. But we can catch up when you’re not half-asleep and I’m not half-starving.” 

Sakura pulled away. He followed her as she walked into the kitchen. She opened up the refrigerator door to stare at the contents within. She felt him hovering over her shoulder as he looked too. 

“There’s some peach cobbler Hana dropped off yesterday,” Sakura pointed out. Itachi wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He shook his head.

“Apples?”

She tilted her head in time to see him wrinkle his nose. 

“Plum?”

His eyes lit up. He reached out to grab one of the dark purple fruit. 

“I can wash it for you,” Sakura began to say. Itachi made a face as he held it out of reach instead. 

“You can help me by going to sleep,” he told her instead. As Sakura scowled, her pressed light little kisses to her mouth until it was smiling again. 

“Go,” he urged again. 

“Alright,” Sakura finally conceded. Hand on his cheek, she pulled him down for another kiss before she slipped out of his arms. She listened to the rush of water as he rinsed the plum off in the sink. She fell asleep to the sounds of Itachi humming as he washed his face in the bathroom. 

Tobirama drove into Old Pines early in the morning. He had planned to be back the night before. But Sakura had scolded him about not driving after drinking- even if it was only a couple beers with Madara. So he had crashed on the sofa in Itachi’s empty apartment. Relatively unworried since he knew that Sakura wouldn’t be alone, at least.

The drive in from the city wasn’t so bad this early in the morning. As he crossed the border, he felt the subtle shimmer of the magic curtain part. He took the turns that led to the familiar home at the end of a small road. 

“I’m home,” Tobirama announced as he opened the front door. The smell of fresh coffee washed over him. Itachi raised a hand in greeting as he turned away from the kitchen sink. 

‘Is Sakura sleeping?’ Tobirama mouthed. He mimed pillowing both his hands under his cheek. 

Itachi shook his head. And then he pointed in the direction of the backyard. 

Tobirama backtracked out of the house. He looped around the outside, walking into the yard instead. Familiar voices drifted over, paired with laughter. He was glad that a heightened sense of smell wasn’t one of his gifts when he finally saw the source of the commotion.

"There he is,” Kakashi announced. 

Sakura sat on the wooden steps of the porch, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. When she spotted him, she made an exasperated noise. Kakashi stood on the top step of the porch, in a wrinkled t-shirt and jeans instead of his usual uniform. He held a mug of coffee in one hand.

“Tobirama! Look at this mess,” she complained, pointing. 

Next to the blackberry bush lay a very large lump of.... something. A huge wolf lumbered out of the woods, fur looking stained and wet. It closed its teeth around the lump and rolled it over to reveal tusks and a flat snout. 

“Is that a pig?” Tobirama demanded. 

“A wild boar. They’re an invasive species,” Kakashi informed him. Tobirama came to a stop in front of Sakura. He sat down beside her. She spread her arms to let him get under the blanket too. Kakashi leaned over to pull the edge of the blanket over Tobirama’s shoulder before he stood up straight again.

“So the intruder in the woods was a boar?” Sakura questioned. 

“No. It was a were. Probably just separated from his pack. He looked pretty small,” Kakashi answered. And they all watched as the wolf bristled. He bared his teeth as he gave off a faint shimmer. The fur receded into his skin, his limbs twisting and shrinking until Kiba stood there, his hands on his hips. 

“We didn’t hurt him too bad. Just enough to scare him off,” Kiba added. Before Sakura could yell at him. She didn’t stop scowling.

“I still don’t get where the pig came from,” Sakura insisted. 

“Oh. We just ran into this. And wolf-brain was all ‘feed family’,” Kiba replied with an easy smile. 

Kakashi took a long slurp of his coffee before he said, “I tried to stop him.”

“I figured,” snorted Tobirama. 

“So.... what do we do with Wilbur?” Tobirama then wondered. Sakura swatted his arm. He smiled, not looking at her. 

They all turned at the sound of Itachi’s voice. His upper body stuck out of the back door. He held a cooking knife in one hand and a half-peeled apple in the other. 

“I called the Mayor. She told us to bring it down to the beach to roast it. Said the Akimichi’s are already down there digging a pit,” Itachi told them. 

“Oh, a pig roast. That’s not a bad idea. What kind of salad should I make?” Kakashi mused, rubbing his chin. 

“Ooh. The one with grapefruit and avocado,” Sakura suggested. 

“With sunflower seeds,” Tobirama agreed. 

“What should I do?” Kiba asked. 

All eyes returned to him. 

Kakashi let out a long, long sigh. “How about you put some pants on first, Wolfman?” 

[kachuwritings]

NCT Dream reaction to you being afraid of thunder and lightning

anonymous asked: If you could please do an ot18 reaction to you being afraid of thunder and lightning,, not like rain but the sound of thunder and seeing lightning makes you really scared (not excessively but lol I’ve cried because of it) ,, if you can only do one unit then please do the dreamies<3 I love your blog sm and ily<3

a/n: I'm sorry, I could only do the dreamies because I'm getting busier and busier and study 24/7 basically, and also, I've spent the whole afternoon at the doctors, so I couldn't write for all 18 members :( but hopefully you'll enjoy the dreamie reaction! thank you so much and ily too!♡

Mark:

You'd lie in bed together one evening, trying to fall asleep. It would have been raining for hours already but that didn't bother the both of you. Mark would already be drifting off to sleep when suddenly, the whole bedroom lit up, followed by a really loud thunder. You, being afraid of it, would jump out of shock and fear. The movement your sudden outburst of anxiety caused would wake up Mark and he'd look at your shaking form in confusion.

"Jagi? Is everything okay?"

You'd try to shrug it off when a new flash of lightning struck, followed by loud thunder a few seconds later and you'd jump once again, trying to hide under the covers.

"Oh, are you afraid of thunderstorms? C'mere, honey, I'll protect you," he'd then say, hugging you tightly to himself, so you could hide your face in his chest and feel safe. That way, you'd finally be able to fall into a deep and peaceful sleep, despite the nasty thunderstorm outside.

Renjun:

A sudden scream of yours would make Renjun stop everything he'd be doing at that moment to come running to check up on you.

"What happened, Jagi?" He'd ask, when he saw you curled up on the sofa, shaking ever so slightly. You'd turn your head towards the window and try to signal him with a head motion that you were afraid of the raging storm outside.

Another stroke of lightning would flash into your living room, causing you to shriek.

"Awww jagi~ you're afraid of the storm, gosh you're so cute," Renjun would exclaim while walking up to you. "Let's cuddle and watch a movie, it'll distract you and I'll be right by your side."

Jeno:

On a rainy evening Jeno and you would be cuddling on the sofa when all of a sudden, thunder and lightning would strike, making you wince and grab onto Jeno's arms in terror. He'd be surprised by you suddenly grabbing onto him and basically shaking and shivering right beside him.

"Jagi? Are you afraid of storms?" He'd ask you confusedly. You'd nod frantically and tighten your grip onto him. Your reaction would make him smile softly because of how adorable you were.

"Don't be afraid, darling. A storm can't harm you, here, in our apartment. You're safe inside and you're safe with me. I won't leave your side until the storm passes, would that make you feel better?"

Haechan:

You'd be preparing dinner with Donghyuck one evening while a storm raged outside. You'd be hoping it was only rain and there won't be any thunder and lightning, since you were afraid of it. But unfortunately, luck wasn't on your side that day because sooner or later a flash of lightning would strike and you'd drop the spatula and jump out of fear as soon as you'd hear the rumbling thunder.

Donghyuck would look at you with an unreadable expression on his face before he'd burst out laughing. He'd think the sudden thunder would have only scared you because you didn't expect it but when he realized you were seriously scared of it, he'd stop laughing immediately and rush towards you.

"Hey, hey, sweetheart. It's okay, it's only thunder and lightning, they won't do you any harm. Hey, look at me, I'm here and I'll protect you, okay? Just relax in my arms honey~"

Jaemin:

You'd be waiting for your boyfriend Jaemin to return from dance practice when suddenly a heavy thunderstorm would scare you. The lightning lighting up your apartment and the thunder so loud, you'd have to cover your ears would make you hide underneath the covers of your bed and listen to music with headphones in.

When Jaemin got home, he'd call out for you but wouldn't get an answer, since you wouldn't be able to hear him over the loud music coming from your headphones. Suddenly the covers would be pulled away from you and there stood a confused Jaemin with a questioning look on his face.

Before you could explain yourself, another stroke of lightning hit, causing you to jump and scream out of shock. Seeing your reaction to the lightning, Jaemin would understand why you were hiding in the first place.

Without a word, he'd crawl underneath with you and hold you tightly in his arms. "Shh, Jagi. I'm here, everything is okay. Don't be afraid."

Chenle:

Chenle and you would be watching some movies and munching some chips and popcorn one rainy afternoon when suddenly the storm outside intensified drastically.

At first you wouldn't be bothered too much about it but as soon as a flash of lightning struck, you'd be in panic mode. The following thunder was inevitable and it made you quiver even more.

You tried to hide it as best as you could because you haven't told Chenle about your fear of thunderstorms and you were a little embarrassed to do so. But after further observation, you realized Chenle had caught on to what was going on and he clearly noticed how you were desperately trying to suppress your fear.

"Jagi...You're afraid, aren't you? You don't need to hide it from me, I'm not going to judge you or laugh at you, alright? C'mere and let's cuddle, I'll protect you from the evil storm."

Jisung:

Jisung had been working on learning a new song for the upcoming comeback when he realized he hadn't seen you for a while. Technically speaking, he hadn't seen you since the storm started raging outside. Confused as to where you could have disappeared to, he walked around the apartment to find you. Checking all of the rooms, he'd find you sitting on the bathroom floor, legs pulled up to your chest and arms hugging your knees. The bathroom was the only room with a tainted window, so you wouldn't be able to see the flashs of lightning so clearly.

"Jagi, what are you doing on the bathroom floor and for how long have you been sitting here?" Jisung asked you with an arched eyebrow.

"Storm...lightning...thunder...scared," you'd stumble, still too scared to form a coherent sentence.

"Oh no, honey. You should've told me. Take my hand and let's go cuddling and drinking some hot cocoa, it'll distract you and I'll make sure to keep you safe, alright?"

[centeris2]

Ydris was not surprised when Justin appeared in the fortune telling tent the next day. Well, not surprised Justin had come to confront him, but surprised Justin would do it in so private a place. It’d be so easy to turn Justin into an actual flea, who would ever know?

“Well well, a-”

“Oh shut up,” Justin snapped, not sitting down. With Ydris sitting Justin actually felt some sense of security, or at least wasn’t intimidated by the Pandorian towering over him.

“But I am a fortune teller! I must speak!” Ydris smirked and added a dramatic flourish over the crystal ball, causing shadows to fall over Justin’s face.

“Alright then tell me, what are you planning?” Justin demanded, gripping the back of the chair in front of him and leaning forward a bit.

“You were at the house, you heard my discussions with your friends,” Ydris teased.

“I mean what are you really planning? If you-”

“Spare me the threats, you could never hurt me. But put your little mind at ease, I have no interest in hurting your lady friends,” Ydris said with a sneer, choosing his words carefully.

“Oh what, now you’ve suddenly seen the light? Now you’re going to be a good guy? Bullshit,” Justin sneered down at the Pandorian.

A slow and wicked smile grew on Ydris’ face, gaze going right through Justin.

“I have always been ‘the good guy,’ is there nothing more noble than saving multitudes of innocents?”

“You would have destroyed an entire planet, an entire reality! That’s not saving anyone, that’s murdering billions of lives!” Justin argued.

“And what was your plan?” Ydris asked, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest, smirking at the boy.

“What?”

“You wanted to harness Garnok, tame that power, to what? Rule the world? Force peoples and nations to bow to you so they could keep warm? Decide who could afford to live?”

“That’s- not…” Justin grew pale. How did Ydris know? How could he know?

“You knew it was never about benevolence or generosity, it was about power, the power of money and the power of Garnok. Enough to rule this world and beyond given time. The power to have anything you wanted,” Ydris tilted his head, sneering, relishing in Justin’s panic.

“That’s not true! I never-! It was meant to help!” Justin protested, taking a step back. He didn’t move any further away from Ydris, trapped in this little tent, unable to get out.

“Tell that to the darkness in your heart, in your blood. I can smell it. You reek of blood that isn’t yours, I can see it on you,” Ydris raised an eyebrow, looking down from Justin’s face to his hands. Justin swallowed hard, refusing to look down, refusing to look at the illusion of blood on his hands. It wasn’t real. It was just an illusion. The hot, sticky blood on him wasn’t really there.

“I was going to be merciful,” Ydris continued, slowly looking back up into Justin’s eyes, “unlike you. How long did you make her suffer?”

“Stop it,” Justin tried to back away, tried to turn and run, but every step went nowhere, every turn brought him facing Ydris once more.

“Stop it!” Justin begged, covering his face before jerking back, the blood covering his hands getting on his face.

“Amusing. You think you deserve forgiveness, think you can make it right. You think maybe if you help her enough, please her enough, do enough, that somehow it’ll make those pain and memories and scars go away,” Ydris continued, ignoring Justin’s pleas to shut up and stop doing this.

“Why are you doing this!?” Justin screamed, hating that smug expression, hating how the Pandorian had remained seated and nonchalant.

“Because I want to know why you think you deserve to help her when I do not. Surely there must be a fascinating reason. Guilt? Jealousy? Fear?” Ydris suggested, slowly, purposefully, dragging out each word as Justin bit his tongue and tried to block it out.

“It’s not fair!” Justin screamed, unable to take it, “I spent so long trying to get her to forgive me, to trust me again! And you just show up and waltz in after saying you want to destroy everything! I don’t deserve forgiveness so why should you!?”

“Ah, the flea admits his feelings, hush now,” Ydris cooed, Justin surprised by the smell and feeling of blood disappearing from his hands and face, “the hurt is only temporary.”

“How long before it goes away?” Justin muttered, holding himself as he looked at Ydris, not expecting an actual answer.

“When you die,” Ydris sounded reassuring, but the words didn’t match.

“That’s not temporary! A lifetime isn’t temporary!” Justin argued, angry that here Ydris was threatening him, and everyone else, again.

“Ah, but it is! Humans have such short and tiny little lives, your pain will be over before you realize it!”

“So what, hurting us doesn’t matter because we have short lives?” Justin snapped.

“Of course it still matters, that’s why I was going to make it short and as painless as possible. But the lives of pests are insignificant to the lives of other, better, beings,” Justin snarled, hating how Ydris was looking at him as a lesser being.

“So why bother helping us poor parasites?” Justin demanded, annoyed when Ydris snorted.

“I’m not,” Ydris smirked.

“Ha! I knew it! You’re just fucking with my friends, well I won’t let you hurt them!” Justin swore, growling when Ydris burst into laughter.

“I already told you, your lady friends have nothing to fear from me,” Ydris repeated himself.

“But you said-”

“They are not fleas. You, however, and the druids and the humans of this wretched reality are expendable,” Ydris bit his lip, savoring the look of confusion on Justin’s face. Did the foolish boy really not know? He even had a few drops of magic in him, he was slightly more than a human, yet he couldn’t tell? Xin may be replaced, this boy was truly a fool.

“I don’t… but they’re also human,” Justin stammered, Ydris laughing again.

“Please, boy, let me look into your future,” Ydris begged, gesturing to the seat Justin refused to take.

“No thanks,” Justin grumbled.

“Then I shall look into Rebecca’s future,” Ydris said with a wink.

“Wouldn’t she need to be here for that?” Justin asked, fighting back a blush. He wouldn’t mind knowing if Rebecca stayed in Jorvik and with him…

“Oh I’ve known her future for a while now,” Ydris teased, “don’t you want to know?”

“No, that’s her future, that’s not something I should know if she doesn’t know,” Justin refused.

“She knows, or at least she is coming to realize it,” Ydris reassured Justin, “don’t you want the truth about her?”

That made Justin sit down, though he mentally kicked himself for being drawn in like this. But Justin knew there was more to Rebecca than he knew, more to Louisa and Anna and Lisa and all the soul riders. Something beyond him that the druids wouldn’t tell him, and the girls wouldn’t either.

“Ahh, there,” Ydris purred, satisfied Justin was finally sitting down.

“Just tell me,” Justin muttered, looking away.

“You know she is special, you aren’t that blind at least,” Ydris began, Justin noticing the tent growing darker, “but you have no idea how different you are. No human could ever possess her, they’d have better luck possessing the sun. Nor can you ever understand her-”

“Oh and you can?” Justin interrupted, hating the patronizing tone. Ydris just smiled and pleasantly answered Justin.

“Of course, much more than you ever could. You are so small, so short, so mortal, just a tiny fleeting thought, a moment in eternity,” Ydris loved the perplexed expression. Humans really understood so little.

“She’s also human,” Justin pointed out.

“A vessel does not define its contents,” the wizard teased.

“What are you saying?” Justin asked but the Pandorian kept smiling in silence.

“Fine, what about the others? The soul riders? Louisa? Anna?” Justin asked, hoping to get more answers.

“Similar, contents constantly passing between vessels. Oceans occasionally held in bottles, thunderstorms temporarily in cups,” Ydris didn’t explain at all, the crystal on the table going dark, only the candles giving off light.

“What does-”

“It seems our time is up,” Ydris cut him off, gesturing to the dark crystal ball, “please come back tomorrow for another fortune.”

“You can’t just-” and then Justin was outside, the tent having no discernable way inside. He groaned and rubbed his face, glad the feeling of blood was gone.

[downtowns-universe]

52 stories #22

A story about a promise being broken

Character: Zian

Words: 6622

(part 1)

Zian followed Viviano through some alleyways, at a seemingly random pattern. He got the feeling his guide was trying to make him lose his sense of direction, but he wasn’t so easily fooled. Also, it wasn’t very hard to reorient with the mountain looming over the village on one side, but Zian decided not to point this out and instead let him have his fun. The part of town he’d taken him to was less fancy than where they’d come from, and certainly smelled worse.

At one point Viviano suddenly halted and disappeared into a doorway. Zian followed him inside, fully prepared to walk into an ambush of some sort. Instead they’d ended up in a tiny house – more of a shack, actually. There were a couple of chairs standing around a table Zian thought could collapse at any moment, a tiny place to cook, surrounded by some dirty pots and pans, and a bucket of water for washing. In the corner lay a pile of blankets which he suspected to be the bed. Viviano quickly gathered the papers off the table into a stack which he then put away, and removed a coat which was full of holes from one of the chairs.

“My apologies for the mess,” he said, gesturing around him. “And please take a seat. I know it’s not much, but it’s what I call home… for now.”

Zian pulled out one of the chairs, which made a terrifying creaking noise when he sat down on it.

“Want something to drink?”

“Uh, no thanks,” Zian said, eyeing the collection of dirty cups on the shelf – the exact ones the tavern was using, and no doubt taken from there.

“Suit yourself,” Viviano said while pouring something from a bottle he’d procured from inside of his coat. Zian suspected it had also come from the same place, grabbed in the moment of confusion his leaving had caused.

“Alright, so what was it that you wanted to talk about?” he asked while setting himself down on the chair across from Zian.

“Me? You said you could help me with something and then dragged me all the way here! What do you want?”

Viviano shrugged.

“I could go for a decent meal and a good pair of shoes.”

Zian sighed.

“What did you want to tell me?”

His host looked nervous.

“I’m doing you a favour, you know? Taking you in here,” he started.

“And why’s that?” Zian sighed, already tired of his games.

“Because I’m not the only one out there.”

“The only what?”

“The only one who can see you for what you are,” Viviano whispered, as if there was someone listening in.

“You mean those people in the tavern?” Zian asked. “They don’t scare me.”

Viviano shook his head.

“No, no, not them. The others.”

He’s a nutcase, Rena’s voice sounded in his head.

Possibly, he replied.

“The other what?”

“Medians. There’s a bunch of them in town.”

“Mediums? Why should I be afraid of those?” Zian chuckled.

Viviano let out a dramatic sigh.

“Not mediums, medians. Do you see me talking to ghosts or something?”

I can surely imagine it, Rena smirked.

Don’t you have some creatures to chase down, or something?

Zian could really do without the commentary.

I can multitask.

Great.

“Medians, huh? That’s why you knew I was a Natural?”

Viviano nodded.

“It’s a miracle no one else has found you yet. Your magic, it’s…” he paused to look for words. “…it has a strange taste to it. It’ll attract them like a beacon.”

“Taste? That sounds… interesting.”

“It’s hard to describe to something who doesn’t experience it. It’s like…” – he kept making hand gestures while he was talking, as if that would make it any clearer – “our senses react differently to each type of magic. That way, experienced medians can distinguish between creatures, or, when spending more time around them, individuals.”

“Alright, so what you’re saying is that there’s a group of magical sniffer dogs on my trail, and you took me here as some kind of protective measure?”

Viviano nodded, although he didn’t seem to be too thrilled about being compared to a dog.

“So why are there so many of them in this town? Is this related to the strange things going on here? And if so: what is your role in all this?”

He leaned forward, as if to tell his companion a secret.

“And you’d better not lie to me: you’ve seen what I can do.”

Viviano swallowed, visibly uncomfortable, and cleared his throat before he spoke again.

“There’s so many of us because they won’t allow us to leave,” he explained.

“Who is ‘they’?”

“I’m not sure. They look like Ascer and smell like Fae, but with more earthy undertones. They want us to bring them anything with magic we come across, but it’s a small town and there’s not that much going on here. It’s turned into some kind of competition, and some are willing to go to lengths to bring in something decent.”

“Where are they taking them?” Zian asked.

“Up into the mountains. I’m not sure what they do with them up there, but whenever they’ve been brought a gift there’s a surge of power that sounds like ice and smells like lightning, and they’re never seen again.”

Zian decided not to question how ice sounded or lightning was supposed to smell, but did realise this corresponded with the stories of hail and thunderstorms he’d heard of.

“How are they making you do this?”

“They’re not forcing us or anything,” Viviano explained. “But we can’t move away from the village too far. It hurts. It’s like a magical fish hook, I guess. Smells like pine and smoke – not that that will mean anything to you. It makes a high pitched sound, too. All the time. Drives me crazy.”

“Sounds annoying, but why are you telling me all this? Aren’t you supposed to get me to go up there or something?”

“I should be. I’m starting to get sick of this place and I haven’t had much luck trying to get a catch. Usually others get to it before me, and when I do find someone first I can’t get them to come with me. I’m… not a great liar.”

Viviano hesitated before continuing.

“A-and I guess I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

Aww, he has a conscience, Rena sounded.

“I was thinking… maybe we could help each other out here,” Viviano continued.

“I’m listening.”

“Well, uh… you’re strong. I know the area. I could take you up there and maybe we could find a way to put an end to all this. We could free all the medians that are trapped here. A-and perhaps there’s still Naturals being held up there! Like I said, I don’t know what they’re planning to do with them.”

As Zian considered this in silence, Viviano seemed to get more restless by the second, fearing Zian wouldn’t agree to working together. Perhaps he was even scared of being taken out. After all, at this moment Viviano was the only one who knew about Zian being there at all. Removing him from the equation would solve his problems and allow him to leave before the others would find him. And even if they did; what would they be able to do against him? They didn’t have any power, they’d only notice he “tasted weird” before he’d disappear.

But Zian already knew he wasn’t going to do that. After all: he’d gone to this place specifically to find out what was going on here, and if it turned out his fellow Naturals were being hurt that was all the more reason to stay. Freeing the medians wasn’t of much concern to him; they were often being used by hunters or other people – like Fae-Ascer creatures, apparently – to hurt magical beings by locating them. On the other hand, if he could get them to trust him, they could be a great help in setting up his network.

“What would you suggest we do?” he asked Viviano.

“I, uh… I’m not sure. I’m not good at thinking up plans.”

“Well, you’d better work on that skill if you want this to work out, Viv – can I call you that?”

“Sure. You can’t seem to be bothered to use my full name anyway. I’ll just think of something to call you in return. Wait… what is your name, actually?”

“Zian.”

“I’ll call you Zi, then.”

“No, you won’t.”

“I could always just call you Magician,” Viv smirked.

“…Zi will have to do.”

“Nope. Too late now.”

Zian sighed.

“Let’s try to stay focused, alright? What does it look like up there?”

“There’s a road going along the side of the mountain, leading to the town on the other side of it. I can just about reach that town without getting hurt, by the way: just can’t move away from the mountain. At some point there’s a path splitting off from that road, leading to a steeper, rocky part. There’s a plateau there, hidden from the town’s view by a rock face. That’s where they are at. There’s only one entrance, and don’t even think about flying in because they’ve put up shields.”

“And the entrance isn’t shielded?”

“Nope. Can’t really lure in unsuspecting victims that way if it was.”

“I guess. So what does the inside look like?”

“Uh… there’s a flat area, surrounded by rocks. I think there’s caves further back but I haven’t been there much. There’s symbols on the floor, and something like an altar? It all looks very satanic and creepy. They all wear these robes, too. And masks. Creepy, white masks.”

“You haven’t seen their faces?”

“Only once. When they captured me, the one who used his magic to trap me took off his mask and looked me straight in the eye. Felt like he could see straight into my soul. I think that’s how their magic works, whatever it is. So I would advise not to look at them.”

“Thanks for the tip.”

Zian thought for a moment.

“So, we only have one way in, it’s an open terrain, and it’s shielded. Doesn’t sound very ideal. They’ll probably spot us as soon as we arrive.”

“What if I go in first and act as a distraction? I’ll make a scene and beg them to let me go or something. And while they’re distracted, you sneak in while invisible.”

I don’t trust him, Rena objected.

I can’t read him very well, Zian hesitated. Perhaps it’s best if you get over here, just in case.

Rena agreed.

“It’s not the best plan,” he said out loud. “But I’m afraid it’s the best we can do. And when things go south, I’ll always have a backup plan.”

“Using that thing you did at the tavern?”

“Exactly.”

“They won’t see that one coming,” Viv smiled. “I sure didn’t.”

“That’s kind of the point. Now let’s go.”

Zian got up and moved towards the door.

“Wait! Let me go first, to see if the coast is clear. I don’t want to have to explain to the other medians what we’re doing.”

Viv moved out and disappeared down one side of the alley. Not long after, he returned and nodded.

“Let’s go. Quickly.”

Again, they moved through a tangle of streets, this time keeping the mountain in front of them. Soon they arrived at the road Viv had mentioned. In the streets they’d seen some people going about their daily business, but up here there was no one out there but them. It was like the town felt that there was something up there they’d better avoid. It also might have to do with the dark, threatening sky, most likely the sign that a storm was approaching over the mountainside. It had appeared out of nowhere, since earlier that day it had been nice and clear.

“So… how often are Naturals brought up here?” Zian asked carefully, not sure if he was prepared to know the answer.

“It changes,” Viv said. “Sometimes nothing happens for weeks, probably because there’s no one to be found, sometimes multiple a week. But it’s not only Naturals, there’s all kinds of creatures: vampires and werewolves are most common. I’m not sure if those get the same treatment, seeing as I don’t know what they’re doing at all…”

“How long have you been here?”

“It’s getting close to two years,” Viv answered after counting on his fingers. “There’s one or two others that have been here longer, but most of the medians have arrived after me.”

“How long do you think they’ve been doing this?”

“I’m not sure. According to the oldest of us, they’ve been doing this for years, but the increasing amount of medians being captured and put to work is something of the last year only. It’s almost like they’re trying to expand their business.”

“That usually means some kind of profit is being made,” Zian pondered. “I wonder what they’re gaining from all this, and who benefits from it.”

Viv shrugged. “If they are making a profit, none of us medians ever got to see our share of it.”

He gestured to the side.

“Here’s the path.”

Zian would definitely have missed it if he hadn’t pointed it out, seeing as it wasn’t exactly a path, and more of an opening between some dense bushes, the branches of which they had to push aside to get through. After a few meters the vegetation got less dense, and they could actually see the dirt path in front of them, leading up to the rocks, where it became much steeper and required some climbing. At some points a wooden railing was attached to parts of the rock wall for support, at others Zian felt like one misstep would cause him to tumble down. Since he could fly this didn’t worry him much, but it did make him question what the ones before him had thought at this point.

“Wait here.”

Viv grabbed his arm and pointed at a boulder lying next to the path.

“They can’t see you from up there, but as soon as you go around the corner, they will. Just wait here for a minute, so I can go ahead and distract them, then follow.”

“Alright.”

Viviano nodded at him one last time before he disappeared around the corner to make his way up. Zian leaned against the boulder, again questioning why exactly he was doing this. But he had to, if he wanted to learn what exactly was going on here. From what he’d heard, it sounded a lot like some kind of cult, consisting of magical creatures who aimed to capture other magical creatures. Viviano had described an outburst of power whenever someone was brought in, leading Zian to believe that some kind of magic was being released on them. Perhaps they were being used for magical experimenting, perhaps they were being enslaved, just like the medians. Or their powers were being extracted, to be used for something else. But how would vampires and werewolves fit into this? As far as Zian knew, there wasn’t anything to extract from those creatures, except maybe blood. He supposed the only way to know for certain was to see for himself.

When the time was up, he turned invisible and rounded the corner to climb the last bit of the path up to the plateau. He could see the narrow entrance between the rocks not far ahead of him. There was no guard posted outside, Zian chose to believe this was a good sign. Still, he approached slowly, keeping to one side of the path for cover, even though they wouldn’t be able to see him. He could see the vibrations in the air above the rocks, indicating the presence of a shield, but, like Viv had told him, the entrance was clear.

Zian moved forward, still pressed to the side wall, until he could look inside. He saw a flat surface, grooves carved into it, like Viviano had described. There seemed to be several stone structures reaching to about his hip. He couldn’t see the back wall very clearly, but there were decorations painted onto it and there might be a cave entrance of some kind.

Great. Small spaces weren’t what he’d hoped for.

There was no one to be seen, so he figured Viv must have led them away somewhere. Carefully, he moved away from the wall and stepped forward. When going through the entrance he sensed a tiny spark, the smallest hint of magic reacting to his, and immediately stepped back. When he felt the force field against his back he called upon his powers, but they responded sluggishly, as if confused by whatever magic surrounded him. His moment of helplessness only lasted a handful of seconds, but it was enough for a pair of masked strangers to move in, grab him, and slide some kind of collar around his neck. As soon as it closed with a metallic click, the magic he’d been gathering slipped through his hands and disappeared. He tried to call on it again, but it was like he’d suddenly forgotten how to. They hadn’t taken it from him; he could still feel it inside, but something was keeping it out of his reach.

Moving on to plan B, he grabbed one of the hands holding him and by twisting his body managed to escape from its grip. With his free arm he elbowed the other person in the face, getting free to put some distance between them. Seeing more masked figures nearby – where had they suddenly all come from? – he drew his sword, pointing it at them while quickly scanning his surroundings for a way out. There wasn’t any, as Viv had already described, and moving into the caves wasn’t very high on his list of escape plans. Most likely they’d be a dead end anyway. A fight it’d be, then. Luckily he didn’t have to depend solely on his magic.

He lunged at one of the figures, wanting to get the first strike in before they’d have him surrounded. Before he could even reach them, they lifted a hand and a jolt of pain cut through his body, targeting his muscles and making him drop to the floor, his sword clattering on the stone next to him. The figures moved in around him, standing perfectly still.

“You won’t be able to lift a finger against us as long as you’re wearing that,” one of them spoke, their voice a gravelly whisper.

“But don’t worry, you won’t be wearing it for much longer.”

One of the figures turned around, gesturing for someone pressed to the rock wall to come closer. Zian hadn’t noticed Viviano before, but seeing him made perfect sense now.

“Your information has turned out to be correct. An admirable catch, mister D’Antona.”

Zian said nothing, but sent him a look that made him take a step back, even though Zian wouldn’t be able to hurt him right now. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest, not even disappointed – he didn’t know the guy well enough for that – only very, very angry.

His betrayer recomposed himself, cleared his throat and wiped his sweaty palms on his clothes, all without daring to look in Zian’s direction again.

“Will this be satisfactory?” he asked with the tiniest voice, at a pitch higher than usual, almost as if he was pleading.

The masked figure nodded.

“Please proceed inside until you can be prepared for relocation.”

“Relocation? To where?”

“You will receive this information once you are ready for your next task.”

Viviano furrowed his brow, trying to work out what they meant.

“Wait. I thought I’d be free to go once I’d met my quota! Are you telling me there’s another job?!”

The figure tilted their head.

“What use would you be to us if there wasn’t another ‘job’?”

“You promised to let me go!”

“We never made such promises. Now, please stop making a scene and proceed inside if you want to continue working with us. And to be sure there is no misunderstanding this time: the alternative would be death.”

Viviano balled his trembling hands into fists, and for a moment seemed ready to take them on, but then his shoulders sagged, possibly when he realised his odds, and he started to walk towards the cave entrance.

Zian couldn’t help but feel bad for him, even considering what he’d just done. He’d been lied to and used, perhaps treated nothing better than the Naturals being captured here. Then he pushed the thought out of his mind. Surely Viviano wasn’t about to die, something Zian was quite certain was about to happen to himself soon.

The figure turned back to his captive.

“Secure the Natural until all preparations are finished.”

“Preparations for what?” Zian asked as they dragged him upright, but the ones holding him did not respond and pushed him towards the cave.

Before entering, Zian took a deep breath, as if about to dive under water, and tried not to panic. He couldn’t freak out about something so stupid as a small space while his life was on the line, he tried to reason with himself. He also knew very well that this reasoning rarely prevented an attack from happening. He tried to block out everything around him as they kept pushing him forward, and instead focussed only on rage.

At some point they stopped, then shoved him forward, causing him to lose his balance. He heard a door shut behind him, and after the footsteps disappeared he was left alone in the dark. Zian sat up straight and tried to control his breathing, like he’d been taught during magic lessons. Again, he tried to locate his powers, but they still didn’t respond to his call.

When he dared to open his eyes he realised that the cave wasn’t as small as he’d thought. In fact, it was a big open space, dimly lit by torches placed along the walls. His cell was simply a niche in the wall, covered by a metal gate. On the side across from him smaller parts of the space had been fenced off by wooden panels, no doubt serving as living quarters for the masked people. The rest of the space was occupied by strange machinery and tables with scientific equipment, surrounded by a collection of crates and trunks of various sizes. Tharryn would have a field day here, Zian thought while trying to figure out any kind of clue as to what they were using it for.

Then something in another corner moved, catching Zian’s attention. As he turned his head, the person froze, hesitating.

“You could at least show your face, you traitor,” Zian called out.

Viviano sighed and walked up to him.

“Look, I didn’t have a choice, okay?” he tried.

“Sure you did. You could have left me alone.”

“I’ve been stuck here! For two years! I was hoping bringing someone in would actually set me free of this place. Clearly I was wrong…” he added, mumbling.

“Clearly.”

“But we still have a chance!”

Viviano’s tone changed to an enthusiastic whisper.

“I didn’t tell them what you can do!”

“What use is that? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I can’t use my powers, you idiot!”

“You can if I use this,” he said while showing him something metallic.

“Is that a key?”

“This? No, this is just a piece of metal I just found on the floor. But I could pick the lock for you, and the lock on that collar!” He hesitated. “If you’ll let me, of course.”

“There’s no lock on it, I’ve checked,” Zian sighed, letting his fingers move across its smooth surface again just to be sure. “They probably unlock it with magic, which means none of us can get it off.”

“Well, I could still open the door and we could make a run for it?”

“Until they decide to fry me on the spot,” Zian said while pointing at the collar. “And I doubt they’ll be letting you go after helping me.”

Viv sighed and leaned against the cell door.

“Fair point. I’m afraid I’m out of ideas then.”

“I still have one,” Zian admitted. “But it requires waiting.”

“What is it?”

“Do you really think I’d tell you after what you did?”

Viviano looked hurt for a moment, but then shrugged.

“Another fair point, magician.”

They sat in silence, the sputtering of torches the only sound. Then Zian got up.

“Could you check out that area for me?”

He pointed at the science equipment.

“This a part of your plan?” Viv asked, glad to be doing something.

“No, but we have to wait anyway.”

He moved to the middle of the cave and looked around.

“What exactly am I looking for? I don’t know anything about magic. Or chemistry.”

“Me neither. Well, not about this kind of magic. I just want to know what they’re doing.”

“I don’t think I will be of much help with that, to be honest.”

Zian sighed.

“Just try, okay? What’s in those crates, for example.”

Viviano moved over and tried to pry one of them open. This didn’t work out very well as he didn’t have any tools, so he moved on to one of the trunks. After a bit of fidgeting with his piece of metal, the lock clicked open. He put his hand in and took out a vaguely glowing container, which he then brought over to Zian.

“This isn’t going to have some weird effects, right?” he asked while presenting it to him, arm stretched out as far as possible.

“Probably not.”

The item started to glow brighter as Zian took it, causing Viv to take a precautionary step back. He turned it around in his hands. It didn’t look very special – apart from the glowing – just a simple container made of glass and metal. Even with the collar dampening his powers he could tell that it held a lot of energy. The type of energy felt familiar to him, but at the same time made him feel a bit nauseous – he couldn’t tell whether it was the collar or the container causing this.

Although he tried, he couldn’t make the energy inside the container do what he wanted; the effect was the same as when he tried using his own. There was however one difference: his collar seemed to protest every time he tried tapping into it. Just to see what would happen, he held the container against it. He felt energy rapidly building up at the place the two items touched each other. Quickly, he removed the container and the reaction stopped. He turned the container over in his hands; it was warm to the touch.

“Whatever that was, do it again!” Viviano urged.

“Are you crazy? Energy like that could blow my head off!”

Viviano pointed.

“It also damaged the collar.”

Zian brought his fingers up to his neck. He’d been right. The collar felt hot, like the container, but its earlier smooth surface now felt rough, as if the metal had taken a blow. Zian still feared it would explode in his face, but he was most likely about to die anyway. At least this way the masked creeps wouldn’t get to do their experiments on him.

Carefully, making sure to aim at the exact same spot as before, Zian brought the container up to his face again. Before the two made contact again, he turned his head away as far as possible – which wasn’t very far, seeing as he couldn’t move his neck while doing so – and closed his eyes. There was a build-up of energy again, and Zian felt the collar become very hot, burning his neck and throat. This time there was no metallic click, but he could feel exactly when the collar opened as he regained control over his powers. As fast as he could he pulled the thing off his neck and hurled it against the wall. The container still glowed in his hands, feeling hot, but not as sizzling as the collar had been. Zian tried, but still couldn’t access its power, so he decided to put it into his pocket for later examination.

“A-are you okay?” Viv asked while he was getting up, eyes fixed on the burns around his neck.

“I’ll be fine,” Zian grunted, trying not to turn his head, as it hurt like hell.

“Good. Now let me pick that lock for you.”

“No need,” Zian said and the lock sprang open by itself.

Viv stared at it while Zian walked past him. It had been his intention to impress him, and not only because he was easily impressed. He wanted Viviano to realise how lucky he was not to be torn to pieces. And also that if he ever tried to pull something like that again, he’d wish Zian had left him to the masked figures’ mercy. They’d be kind, compared to what he was planning to do.

Zian walked up to the chemistry set-up and pretended to study the contents of one of the glass containers, a blue liquid slowly dripping into it from a tube. In reality, he didn’t have the slightest idea of what he was looking at, but he still had some time to kill.

Viviano looked around nervously while trailing behind him.

“Shouldn’t we try to get the hell out before they discover you broke free? What if they can magically tell that the collar is broken?”

“If you want to go, then go. But if I were you I’d wait just a bit longer.”

“I’m not going out there on my own! I’m defenceless!”

Zian threw him an amused smile.

“You only helped me so you’d have a chance at escaping, did you?”

“I…” Viv stammered. “Well, it certainly plays a part in it. But mostly I just felt bad. I never wanted to be a part of this. I knew the Naturals were being brought up here to be killed, and I refused to have any part in it. That’s why I’m still around here: everyone who brings in a creature of sufficient strength gets to leave this place. I just…” he sighed. “I naively thought the others were being set free.”

Zian looked up from the papers he’d been rummaging through.

“If you were just tricking me into going up here, why tell me the whole story? A lot of people wouldn’t willingly walk into danger.”

“That’s the point,” Viv explained. “I could tell you weren’t just anyone. There’s… something about you. It’s something I haven’t seen before. I genuinely hoped you could help me fix this.”

He looked away, fumbling with his lock pick.

“…But I also like to spread my chances. So, in case it wouldn’t have worked, I built in a little insurance for myself.”

“You do realise that trying to play it safe almost cost us everything, right?”

“I know. And honestly, I understand what you’re doing.”

“What I’m doing? What do you mean?”

“You’re stalling, so they’ll come here to collect you. Then you’ll escape using your magic and leave me here at their mercy. Honestly, I would have done the same.”

“I don’t know where you get these ideas from, but if you have any more I suggest keeping them to yourself or else you might give me some ideas,” Zian grinned.

Viv gave him a confused look.

“So… you’re not going to leave me behind?”

“Nope. I can think of way more creative punishments.”

He laughed at the horrified look Viv returned him.

“Besides, if I want to figure out how to free the medians, I’m going to need a test subject, aren’t I?”

“You’ll help me?”

“I’ll help them. And if you can make yourself useful during that, I might consider helping you.”

Viviano nodded gratefully, but mostly relieved.

“I’ll try.”

He shot another glance at the cave entrance.

“So, if we’re not waiting for them to come find us… what exactly are we waiting for?”

“My insurance policy,” Zian grinned.

“What?”

“My plan B. She’ll be here any minute now.”

“She?”

“Yes. Technically I can take them on myself, but I promised her some fun,” Zian explained.

This did not make things clearer for Viv at all. Zian wasn’t planning on explaining himself further: it would only ruin the fun later. He kept rummaging through the science notes, putting some of them in a bag to take along – a present for Tharryn. Hopefully he’d be able to make more sense of them.

After a few minutes he looked up.

“Alright, she’s almost here. Time to take down the shield before she gets here.”

He turned back at Viv.

“If you want to come along, I’d advise you to stay right beside me, or stay behind until I say it’s safe.”

“I’m not staying behind,” Viv objected, hurrying towards Zian.

“Okay then, but I’m going to use magic on you, if that’s alright.”

“Fine by me,” Viv shrugged, then quickly added: “I’m assuming you mean protective magic, not the painful kind.”

Zian grinned and nodded.

“We’ll be invisible, please be quiet.”

Zian extended his energy to Viv, and gestured for him to follow.

“Are you sure we’re invisible?” he whispered while looking at his hands.

“You can still see yourself when invisible, you idiot.”

“How am I supposed to know that?!”

“Shut up!”

They snuck outside, where the masked figures were still busy preparing something, standing in a circle around one of the altars. Zian stayed close to the rock wall, looking for the best place to break through the shield. The weak spots were usually located where the shield touched the wall; there were always small gaps someone could pry open if they wanted. Zian found such a spot not far from the cave, and sent up some energy to squeeze through the tiny opening. Once he’d gotten a grip, all he had to do was send in a stronger burst, and the shield cracked like an egg. The masked figures looked up from what they were doing, probably sensing what was going on above their heads.

As they stared at the cracked sky, something came crashing down through it, scattering the shield into tiny, glasslike pieces which then vanished. Something big. Something red. Something furious about them daring to hurt her human.

The masked figured scattered, running for cover as Rena growled and snapped at them. A very high-pitched scream was heard from somewhere to Zian’s left. Viv’s face had been drained of all colour as he slowly backed away towards the cave again, pressing himself against the wall. Zian would have let him go on if that hadn’t been the exact place some of the masked people were heading for, which Rena was currently aiming her fire at.

Zian sprinted towards him, slowing time just enough to get to him before the flames did without annoying Rena – she didn’t like being frozen – and called a shield.

“I told you to stay close to me!” Zian shouted as the flames brushed across his shield, leaving them alone in a bubble surrounded by fire.

“Well, you could have told me about that!”

“That is Rena, and she would have roasted you to a crisp since she is not very fond of people who double-cross me,” Zian sneered as he dragged a still shaken up Viv along and planted him on a rock a little bit further.

“Stay.”

He stepped away from the rock, leaving the shield-bubble around Viv, but now securing it on both sides so he couldn’t get out. When he walked up to Rena she’d already finished taking care of the masked figures outside, and was now growling in front of the cave entrance, debating whether to go in in human form or just send in a ball of flame.

Please don’t destroy their research, Zian suggested. Leave them to me.

She grumpily moved aside to let him through, but took on her human disguise to follow him, just to be sure. Inside, the figures that were left had grouped up to form some kind of defence, holding weapons that featured some of the glowing containers like the one in Zian’s pocket. They fired, but he simply brushed them aside with a movement of his hand. He froze time, taking in their panicked faces – or not really, seeing as they were still wearing masks.

He stood still in front of them, focusing his powers to bend time in a way Dai had once suggested to him. He hadn’t tried it before, so he wasn’t sure if it was going to work – but even if it went horribly wrong, he’d still succeed in a way. Time inside the cave moved slower now, a skill he’d used before, but this time he included the masked figures into his exception circle, which was what he called everyone who was excluded from his power and thus aware of time being frozen. The thing was, he’d only pulled them in partially, which resulted in them still being slowed, but now painfully aware of the fact that they were.

Zian smiled and took out a knife. This could take a while.

***

When he was done and came back outside – a little more bloody but a lot less angry – Viv was still waiting where he’d left him, his arms crossed.

“Can I finally leave this stupid rock now?” he shouted. “Do you know how long I’ve been on here?”

Zian tried to think of how time had moved out here, but his head was being fuzzy. Doing this had taken more of his energy than he’d thought.

Rena, who had turned back into her own form now, growled at Viv while she moved in to support Zian.

You should rest.

“I agree,” he mumbled.

He called back the shield, and Viv must have been able to tell since he immediately jumped up to stretch his legs. He didn’t dare move any closer to Rena than he currently was, though.

Zian hopped onto Rena’s back – a bit less graceful than usual – and extended a hand to Viv.

“If you want to help me free the medians, hop on.”

“Hop on?! I’m not getting onto that thing!”

Can I eat him? Rena suggested.

Not yet.

“Rena is not a thing, and I’d stop calling her that if you want your head to stay attached to your body,” Zian sighed.

“That’s really not very convincing!”

“I wasn’t trying to be.”

Zian leaned forward against Rena’s neck. Sitting up suddenly had become too hard a task.

“Look, I want to get out of here, so I’m only going to say this once. And besides, you betrayed me, so be glad I’m making you this offer at all. Get your ass up here if you want to help your fellow medians. If you don’t, you’d better hope we never run into each other again or Rena will eat you.”

Viv hesitated, looking at Rena’s sharp teeth, then slowly moved towards them.

“So… how do I get up there?”

“You figure it out. I’m done for today,” Zian mumbled.

Viv touched Rena’s side, trying to find something to grab onto, as she decided to take matters into her own hands and wrapped her tail around his waist – perhaps a little bit too tight – and roughly set him down behind Zian.

“Oh,” was all Viv managed to utter.

“Hold on,” Zian grinned, knowing this was going to be one entertaining ride.

Viv hesitantly grabbed onto Zian, not seeing anything else to hold onto. Then Rena took off, disappearing into the overcast sky, accompanied by a terrified shriek.

[finiarels]

SAKANATACHI NO LOVE SONG - CHAPTER XIX

Summary: A Nogizaka46 fanfiction based on Sakanatachi No Love Song MV

Main Pairing: Shiraishi Mai X Nishino Nanase

[read on Wattpad || JPH!P]

She tried not to grunt as she increases her walking pace along the sidewalk. Out of all days, her bike could act out, it has decided that the day where a thunderstorm is predicted to happen from late afternoon till night is the day. She squeezes the handlebars tighter as if the old rusty bike will understand how much it’s condition irate her. Her eyes gazing forward, squinting as she tries to look for a nearby shelter to shield her from the merciless rain. After several minutes of soggy half-run while pushing the white bike her eyes finally catches the sight of a convenient store ahead.

She took a deep breath before leaping forward and make a sprint for it.

Well, she has heard some theories about how running through a rain will only make it worse, but she couldn’t care less as she’s already soaked from head to toes, even her shoes have become a mini pond by now.

Her heel hit the metal stand near the bike gear to help it stood in front of the store, she wiped out the droplets of rain from her face and decided to tie her wet hair into a ponytail. Thankfully the store has a little bit of roof in front of it, which is kind of good to keep her rain from pouring on her.

Sighing she decided to inspect the condition of the chain, hoping that it’s something that she could fix while waiting for the rain to pass. She was grumbling at her bike’s hopeless condition when a jeep passed at a full speed, causing her to jump back in surprise as it’s causing the puddle to splashed right into her.

It was pointless, though.

“DAMN IT!”

Nishino Nanase is not one for cursing, but the last half-hour has been too challenging to keep them away, so she couldn’t help it anymore. She sits down on the wet concrete floor, trying to control her emotion that has gone into rampage mode, silently cursing the school rules to forbid phones because if she has one with her right now she could have notified someone to help her.

Slowly she started to work again, her hands delicately trying to pull the greasy chain into the gear ring. However, whenever she tried to test it, it’ll get stuck in just a matter of seconds. She gently massages her temple as if a horrible migraine had hit her and that’s when a car slowly stops right next to her.

Nishino sighed as she dragged the bike a bit further back so it wouldn’t block the door car from opening. A second later the passenger door on the back opened and a familiar girl stepped out to approach her.

The girl is a bit taller than her, wearing the same sailor seifuku like her beneath a dark cream cardigan and a grey coat that reach a little bit past her knees. Seeing how many layers the other girl wear makes Nishino started to realize her stupidity for not even bothering to at least bring a raincoat.

“Nishino-chan, do you need any help with that?” The girl asked as she crouched down beside her.

“It’s fine, senpai. As much as I appreciate that but I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do,” she answered honestly, hoping the senior will just proceed to go buy whatever it is she wants to buy and leave her alone as soon as possible.

“Not true. At the very least, I can do this,” The older girl said stand up to take off her coat and drape it over her shoulder.

Considering how soaked she is right now the coat doesn’t really help to restore her body heat, but well it might help to cover the soaked white uniform to be see-through. Still Nishino started to protest, “I’m already drenched, now you’re getting your coat drenched too….”

The truth is she is afraid to bring the coat back with her because she knows if she use it she will need to dry clean it.  And that kind of service will be too much for her to afford.

“It’s fine, right now you need it more than me. You can always give it back to me anytime. You can even have it since I have more of those in my closet.” she shrugged as she tried not to shudder upon the cold wind of the rain, “Also. I could get you home and have someone get the bike repaired.”

Nishino raised her eyebrows, starting to think that the girl doesn’t have any intention to buy something in the store from the first place. She was probably the reason why the car stopped, not the store. “No, it’s fine.”

The girl in front of her frowned, totally not used to rejection. She was going to say something else when the driver door opened and a man came approaching the girls, “Ojou-san, is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is fine,” Nishino answered for the girl curtly, hoping she would get the point and stop bothering her.

“Actually, Ijiri-san, do you think it’s okay if we go to Nishino-chan home first? I’m not in a rush for anything anyway.” The girl asked.

“I can’t just leave my bike here, senpai. It’s okay,” she reasoned.

“I believe I know someone who can repair it and get it delivered to your place afterwards. It looks like the rain is not going to stop soon too. It’s better if you come with us, I promise you’ll get home safely.” The man said kindly.

“Not trying to put a pressure on you but you will catch a cold if you stay here any longer,” Shiraishi urged her. “just consider this as an apology after everything that had happened.”

“You have given me enough apologies, senpai.” Nishino frowns remembering all the gifts in fancy boxes that she had to send back because first, she doesn’t feel like it was necessary and second the stuff that was sent to her was too overboard like a white box of white strawberries bouquets.

“But you’ve never actually taken my apology,” Shiraishi pouted a little bit as if trying to show how that hurts her feelings.

Nishino look at the girl in front of her in disbelieves. She realized that Shiraishi is not going to stop unless she took the offer, she sighed before surrendering to the demand. “Fine, but after this, we’re even.”

“Good enough for me,” the upperclassman smirked a little as her chauffeur excuse himself to get something from the store first.

Nishino grumbled as she opened her bag to get the bike’s chain and lock, carefully using the chain to tie the bike to the metal pillar and secure it with the lock afterwards. She catches Shiraishi’s eyes watching her, “I mean it, senpai. After this, I don’t want any present or anything similar.”

“Fine fine, you have my words. You can even have your friend to punch me again if you find me getting on your nerves. Now shall we get in the car?” the other girl answered, not even bothering to wait for her answer and started to usher her into the luxurious sedan.

Nishino tried to use as little space as possible inside the car, not because there is no space for her but because she felt guilty for wetting the leather covered seat from her soaked outfits. Her fingers gripped the fabric of the upperclassman coat, hoping it will help her to gain a little bit of warmth as she started to feel light headed.

“Are you okay?” Shiraishi asked, scooting closer to Nishino side and observe her features, “you look pale.”

Nishino was too focused on keeping herself conscious rather than answering, her body feels hot and cold at the same time, her vision blurring. The last thing she could feel was her body slumping forward followed by some panicked sounding words that she couldn’t comprehend.

 Shiraishi Mai had saved her back then.

She had saved her so many times after that too.

Yet Nishino Nanase wasn’t even able to save her that one time. That one time where Shiraishi Mai is the one who needs saving. She wasn’t there.

Nishino sighed, pulling herself to present time as she observes the sleeping woman next to her. Smiling a bit as she remembers those old times they lay on the bed like this. A lot has happened since then. Thinking about that her expression slumped into a guilty one.

Slowly, Nishino leaned forward, closing the distance of her lips to the sleeping girl’s forehead, “I’m sorry, for not being there with you.”

She didn’t realize that when she did that, her eyes have started to water and that drop of water lands on Shiraishi’s index finger, causing her to slowly stir herself awake.

“Nanase?” The older one asked, looking at her with eyes full of questions. “Why are you crying? What’s wrong? Are you hurt!?”

Shiraishi has basically jolted herself up, inspecting the girl intently to find any clues to what is going on.

“No, I’m just-” Nishino contemplates. “I’m just happy that you’re finally well.”

Shiraishi raised her eyebrows, seemingly surprised by her answered. “Well, they patched me up pretty good.”

“I know,” Nishino smiled sadly as she nodded. She looks away a bit before finally facing her girlfriend once more. Catching the date on the digital alarm clock next to the bed. “I hope you’re ready for today.”

“I just want this to be over with so I can claim my full portion of the company with nothing holding me back.” Shiraishi had said it so calmly that it looks like she’s emotionless. That would have been bothering Nishino if not for the expression slowly melted into a concerned one. “Are you sure you want to come with me today? I promise you I’m going to be okay, you don’t need to take a day off just for this.”

Nishino shook her head, she had made her decision and that decision is she will come to see the trial. Even though it’s just a little, there is still a chance they would lose and Shiraishi will be taken away. She wants to be near her, no matter what happens.

However, once she’s there, sitting among the small group of attendees, she could feel fear starting to creep through her mind. Telling her to run.

In her life, this is the second time she has been on a court. Both are a closed to public ones. Both are also related to child custody case. The difference is this time, she wasn’t the one standing in plaintiff position, Shiraishi is. And unlike Nishino, Shiraishi also has a lawyer to represent her, which basically means that she doesn’t need to explain the situation. That will be the job of Shitara Osamu. Who’s currently standing as he read point per point of Shiraishi demands.

These demands are really simple.

First, Shiraishi demands her mother to pull back her custody right on her.

Second, she also demands her mother to get a restraining order in which she won’t ever come near Shiraishi.

Shiraishi Mai hadn’t even demand any lawsuit money, she already has too much of that. She only needs to get her mother away from her. Something that she has been sure of ever since she was notified of the case.

“Your honor, the first point that we would like to put bring in this trial is how Wakatsuki Kirei, has never been present for a long duration in any case of Shiraishi Mai’s life. She left her a week before her first birthday and after that has avoided any means of contact with her daughter, choosing to act like she doesn’t know her until the day of the accident.

The second reason being that despite being her mother, Wakatsuki Kirei-san has shown lack of capability of being a guardian. On the case, we have presented a camera video taken on the night where Shiraishi-san had a car accident. Despite helping her, Wakatsuki Kirei-san turns her back on her daughter and left the scene.

The third reason being Shiraishi Mai-san is a full grown adult who has her own consent. And Wakatsuki Kirei-san didn’t receive any of that when she signed the guardian paper which will make it invalid.”

The judge nodded, assessing the file on the table intently before looking forward once more. “I call Wakatsuki Kirei-san to the stand.”

Nishino Nanase has never seen Shiraishi’s mother in person before, only a few times from pictures. Even with her close relationship with Wakatsuki not once the woman has been home when she’s present. Now that the parent and child are both in the same room, their resemblance it’s hard to miss. Not only their physical appearance but how the woman moves and speaks are also strangely similar to Shiraishi.

“Is it true that you have never been present in your daughter’s life for the long duration of time?”

“Yes, your honour. But she’s still my daughter and I love her very much.”

“Why is it?” the judge looks at her

“My relationship with her father ended quite badly. He wouldn’t let me visit her.”

“So you’re saying that you weren’t avoiding her? It’s just that you can’t get near to her?”

“Yes, your honor.”

“And what about the video. The footage which shows you standing less than 5 meters away from your daughter. Your daughter that had been hit by a car in front of your eyes. Yet, you turn your back away. Do you have any explanation on that?”

“That night I was scared. Because I believe that wasn’t just an accident, rather an actual murder attempt.” The woman voice starts to crack, she pulls out a handkerchief from her suit pants pocket to wipe out the tears. “They saw me there and they, one of them lower a bit of their window and points a gun to where I stand. I- I wanted to help my daughter. I really do. It’s just I am afraid.”

“Bullshit!” A loud voice cut the woman sob off, everyone who was observing the mother solemnly now averted their attention to where Shiraishi Mai stood. “You could have called the ambulance as you run, but the reports say that it wasn’t you who made the call. No. You just fled the scene, trying to act as if nothing happened.”

“Enough!” The judge slams his hammer to take control of the situation, “Shiraishi-san, an objection has a manner in the court of justice. Please choose your words carefully.”

“I’m sorry, your honor. I will make sure of that.” Shiraishi looked down before she goes back to sitting position.

The judge sighed, moving his focus back to the woman who’s was testifying, “you may continue to your defense.”

“I’m going to read it, your honor. I believe my client needs some time to calm herself down.” A voice who belongs to a really young looking lawyer said. Terada Ranze, Shiraishi had learnt that name earlier. The girl looks like she’s around Ikuta’s age, yet her demeanour tells that she is not exactly a newbie in the attorney field.

The judge nodded. Waiting patiently for the lawyer switched position with her client.

“You honor, the reason of why my client demands the full custody of Shiraishi Mai-san, is because as a mother she wants to protect her. She feels like right now, Shiraishi-san is under an influence of Nogizaka company. Who’s been experimenting on her. They implement this idea that they had saved her, but the truth is they experimented on her without any guardian consent.” The young woman eyes confidently making contact with the jury before she points at the screen in front of her. “The first evidence that my client wants to point outdated back when Shiraishi-san was declared dead by the hospital. We have provided the death certificate that has been signed by the hospital. Yet we suspect that she wasn’t dead from the first place. It was a well-planned kidnapping.”

Shitara Osamu stood, one hand up in the air to have the attention, “objection, your honor. It couldn’t be classified as kidnapping as back then Shiraishi-san’s father herself was the one who plans all of that. The father who was also the legal guardian of Shiraishi-san. I think the word “kidnapping” is unjustifiable in this case.”

“I will put that clarification into consideration, you may go back to your seat.” The judge dismisses Shitara who nodded before sit down to where his seat next to Shiraishi. The judge looks at the female lawyer, “you may continue your defense.”

“Thank you, your honor,” Terada said. “The second point that I would like to bring up is that Shiraishi Mai-san is on a high dosage medication to provoke her emotion. I believe this will make her unfit to make any decision, especially when we consider her current standing.”

“Objection your honor,” Shitara stood up once more. This time, waiting for the judge to give him a nod before defending the statement. “Shiraishi-san has been able to continue her activity without emotion enhancing drugs. The file for this is included in my client’s evidence document. She had even checked herself into 3 different psychologists to support this.”

Wakatsuki Kirei couldn’t help but look at her daughter in surprise, observing the girl who looks calm despite the situation before finally averting her head to the judge once more.

“Thank you, you may go back to your seat.” The judge says, nodding in acknowledgement before he continues. “You may continue your statement.”

“The third evidence that I would like to point out is like Shiraishi-san has seemed to develop a substance addiction. This includes over counter drugs such as aspirins and alcoholic beverages-”

Shiraishi frowned starting to get a bit confused about where do they even got that sort of information when Shitara suddenly stood up and said loudly, “Objection your honor! That has nothing to do with the case.”

The judge raises his hand and said, “you need to keep in mind that we’re only bringing things that relate to the case in this table.”

“I do, your honor. I and my client believe this relates to the case. With how Shiraishi-san life is going, we believe it’s the best if her custody goes to her mother for a moment. Until the situation calm down and we are sure that she can live her life normally.”

“And do you have any proof of this point that you have been explaining to us, Terada-san?”

“We do. After her passing, my client who is also Shiraishi-san’s mother visited her daughter apartment in Tokyo. Only to found bottles of alcohols and a lot of over counter drugs laying around. We did go back to take a picture of that with one of the deputies from the police department to ensure that it’s genuine, which you can find in the evidence. Considering how Shiraishi-san wasn’t exactly doing well on her last couple of weeks before the accident, it’s no surprise if she has a substance addiction. Which could be concerning.”

The judges look at the photograph intently, his forehead wrinkled as he squints his eyes as if trying to make out each pattern of pills and bottles he could find there. Then he nodded, “do you have anything else to add to that?”

Terada Ranze shook her head, “that’s all. Thank you for your consideration, your honor.”

Everyone in the room seems to fell into complete silence, only the buzzing sounds of the air conditioner and Terada’s heels reaching their ears for a while.

“I call Shiraishi Mai to the stand,” the judge break the emptiness.

Shiraishi had been notified a possibility of this and has practiced several scenarios with her lawyer, making sure that she would be able to pick the best words. Yet after the last point of the statement, nervous starting too creep into her body.

Yet she still stands, albeit a bit shaky, and walks the place where everyone could see her perfectly as she gives her statement.

“I’m here, your honor.”

The judge fixed his glasses before continuing, “Let us clarify from the first statement. Were you in any way conscious of what happened during the first point, where they had declared you as dead and brings you to Nogizaka facility?”

“No your honor, I was… in a coma back then. I wasn’t conscious and most likely wasn’t going to last long either if not for my father quick thinking.”

“So you approved of your father plan?”

“Yes, I believe my father knows the best for me.”

“And what about after his death, the plan was worked on by his step-daughter. Do you approve of her plan?”

“Yes, Erika is one of my trusted person.” Shiraishi nodded as she answered confidently.

“Now we don’t need your statement regarding the second point as you have provided evidence against that.” The judge flipped the case document on his table. “Moving on to the last point, do you confess to any possession of this evidence that you can see on the screen?”

Shiraishi Mai is at lost for words. She knows that she used to drink at her last days, probably a little bit too much. However, there’s no way those will be hers. She herself only live in that apartment every holiday time, that is also for a short duration. And drugs, that’s a little too much, even for someone like her. “No, your honor.”

“So you do not admit to possessing and using this evidence that was found in your own apartment.”

“No. In my defense. On my last days, I was overseas to pursue my education. I was only back in Japan for short while. Often while it’s a holiday season. And I can swear that I did not own nor use any of that substance in the picture.”

“Enlighten me a little. If this is not yours, why is it inside your house?”

“That must have been because I gave my keys to some of my friends. So they can use the place when they need it while in return cleaning and take care of it.”

“And do you by any chance knows who does these stuff might belongs to?”

Shiraishi halted, her mind form a single name, the only other person besides her who have the key to the apartment as this person is the one who was living there. However, that sounds impossible, so she sighed as she shook her head. “No your honour, my mind is a bit jumbled from the accident. Such things are hard for me to remember.”

“Thank you, Shiraishi-san. You may go back to your seat.” He nodded, flipping the last of the document as he looked at both sides of the trial.

Every single person seems to be tense, wondering how the verdict will turn out. “Based on the evidence and testimonies that were given today. Taking both sides into consideration. Wakatsuki Kirei-san is proven guilty and therefore she’ll lose her rights as Shiraishi Mai-san full guardian. Wakatsuki Kirei-san is also obliged to 8 months of the restraining order of which she would have to keep her distance 20 meters away from Shiraishi Mai-san. By the end of this term, there will be a reassessment of whether this will need to continue or not. The court is adjourned.”

After the hammer hits the table a couple of times. Everyone in the room stands and started to leave. Shitara gave Shiraishi a quick hug and smile, muttering something about how she had done a great job. Wakatsuki also gave her a quick nod. Shiraishi is not sure if Nishino wanted to talk to her or not as she was just giving her a look from where she stood with Sakurai, but before she could process what to do Ikuta already jumped her into a hug.

“I told you it’ll be fine.”

Shiraishi could only nod, truth to be told she is overwhelmed. Sadly, this isn’t because she had just won the case, but however, this is because of the last point of the opposing party defense. She looked at her girlfriend, who is still looking at her with a mixed expression, however, instead of walking towards her Shiraishi walks toward the other side of the room. To where her mother is standing.

“What the hell was that?!”

Her mother raised her eyebrows at her, “isn’t that what I’m supposed to be asking you?”

Shiraishi couldn’t handle it anymore she raised her hand up and yanked the woman collar, causing people around her to start asking her to stop. “WHY THE HELL DID YOU BROKE INTO MY PLACE AND TRASH IT WITH YOUR FUCKING DRUGS!?”

Her fist was a second away from punching her own biological mother when she feels like someone gently pushed her back, another person gets between the two of them.

“I thought you were really on my side, I can’t fucking believe that I trusted you still on that! This is just another job for you, isn’t it?” Shiraishi spat. “A job to sabotage people trusts on my company. By connecting me with drugs cases. I can’t believe you.”

Shiraishi turned her back on her, letting her sister who had placed her hand on Shiraishi’s back to calm her down led her away from the confrontation, eyes closed to keep the anger down.

“Just for your information, it wasn’t me who trashed your place. It was like that when I reach there. You really should be more careful with people that you trust,” the woman said, halting Shiraishi steps for several seconds before she finally lets Ikuta lead her out of the building.

~ To Be Continued ~

[veliseraptor]

it’s time for the 150 WORDS MEME, also known as “enable Lise’s writing habit, get her to write in all the things she should/you want her to work on”

way this works for those new around here: send me a number of any fic below the cut and I will write 150 words in that fic. 

there are ten fics eligible for this round below the cut; if you don’t know what a fic is you can consult the WIP list (titles are in parentheses).

1. Oh, Norns, Loki thought.

Or, more accurately and more pithily, oh, fuck. (Life in Reverse)

2. Val narrowed her eyes and set down her glass. “If you’re going to mope you can leave.”

Loki wrinkled his nose. “I am not moping.”

“Yes,” Val said. “You are.”

“I suppose you would know,” Loki said. “You probably spent a few centuries moping.”

“Nope,” Val said, the ‘p’ popping loudly. “I skipped right to the drinking and punching people stage.” She nodded at his bottle. “Are you going to drink that or just stare at it?”

Loki glared at her and picked it up. “Actually, I think I am going to go with my original plan.”

“Works for me.”

Loki got about halfway back to his room before he remembered that Thor might be there still. He went to Thor’s room instead, drank the entire bottle of alcohol, and fell asleep on Thor’s bed. (the ship at the end of the universe)

3. “You’re awfully bold,” the Grandmaster said, sounding less amused. “Waltzing onto my planet with nothing to offer. Refusing all my simple requests.” He seemed almost about to pout. Steve tensed, glancing around at the people surrounding them, looking for their best exit.

“Well,” Loki said, and Steve heard the shift in his voice and turned sharply back in his direction. “I might not refuse all your requests.”

“Loki,” Steve said, a prickle going up his spine. He recognized that tone, and hearing it directed at someone else - at this...pervert - made him feel ill.

“Well now,” the Grandmaster said, seemingly ignoring him. “An interesting proposition.”

“Loki,” Steve repeated, lower and a little louder. “Don’t.”

“Mouthy one, isn’t he,” the Grandmaster said, without even glancing in Steve’s direction. Loki did, his expression warning Steve to keep quiet. Steve’s nausea intensified.

“It’s part of his charm.” Loki’s eyebrows lifted, the quirk of his lips almost coy. Steve knew that expression, too. He’d seen it many, many times when Loki was teasing him. He wondered what the Grandmaster would do if Steve threw up on his feet. (the hills on fire for miles)

4. Steve followed Bucky inside. He and Loki were staring at each other, both rigid, Loki’s eyes a little wild. Bucky relaxed first and moved further inside. “Not gonna welcome me back?” He said, and again it was that flash of the Bucky Steve had known that hurt to hear.

Loki’s eyes narrowed. “No.”

“That hurts.”

“Everything all right?” Steve asked. One of Loki’s shoulders twitched in what was almost a shrug.

“Fine.”

So something had happened, Steve translated, but Loki wasn’t going to say what. He held back the urge to sigh. He couldn’t quite keep his “glad to hear it,” from sounding a little dry. Loki’s eyes flicked away and Steve suppressed his grimace. (Steve Rogers’ Halfway House for Notorious Supervillains)

5. “Say this Thor, Lord of Thunder, wins tomorrow,” the Grandmaster said. “You get anything your little heart desires. Well, not quite anything. Gold, mostly. Bragging rights. Bigger room. Bragging rights.”

“And if you win?” Loki asked.

The Grandmaster’s grin was almost charming. “You stop being such a tease and give up what you keep dangling in front of my nose.”

Oh. Loki swallowed. “That doesn’t seem like a particularly fair wager.”

“I’m open to suggestions if you have anything else to bet. Not too open to suggestions, though. I like my idea better. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Loki was less sure about that. But much as it grated, the Grandmaster was right: he didn’t really have anything else to offer.

Thor, he told himself, could beat any contender. He would be fine. And with money...he could do more, if he had some of his own money. People could be bought. He’d be fine without having to take his clothes off.

“All right,” he said, with a dazzling smile. “I’ll take that bet.” (what you want, not what you need)

6. “Loki,” Thor said. He did not feel any shame for the rawness in his voice, the layers of feeling: anger, relief, confusion. “Is it truly you?”

“An interesting question, semantically speaking,” Loki said, and it was his voice, caustic and clipped and achingly familiar. “What does it mean to be truly oneself?”

Thor worked moisture into his mouth. “You – you are alive.”

“Apparently.” Loki turned at last, though his eyes skated over Thor without meeting his gaze. “We need to get away from Asgard. It isn’t safe here. And apparently the door that used to be here is no longer viable, so-“

Thor reached out to grab Loki’s arm and held it fast. “Explain,” he said, his voice vibrating. “Explain to me. Did you – I felt you die. You did not breathe, your heart was still-”

“I know what death is, Thor,” Loki said, trying to shake his hand off. “I lived it. As it were.” (Sword Age, Wolf Age)

7. “Where is he,” Steve demanded. Coulson blinked placidly at him.

“Excuse me?”

Steve’s hands slammed down on the desk, leaning forward over it. “Don’t play games with me. What did you do with Loki?”

The hint of a frown appeared on that bland, inexpressive face. “What makes you think I did anything with him?”

Steve felt a surge of anger. “You, SHIELD - this was the last place he went before he just vanished. Because you called him in for more questioning. So fess up-”

Coulson leaned forward slightly. “We didn’t call Loki in.”

Steve’s heart stopped. His stomach plunged. He’s lying, he thought immediately, and stiffened. “I’m not an idiot, Agent Coulson.”

“I’m not lying to you, Captain Rogers.” (Thunderstorms)

8. Steve was pretty sure that was the first time Loki had ever actually thanked him. Here and now it just made his skin prickle uneasily. “You’re welcome,” he said slowly. “I’m happy to...come again. There are other games, too, or books...what kinds of things did you do on Asgard?”

Loki made a faint sound in the back of his throat and looked away. “Most recently, treason,” he said distantly, and stood. “Did you wish anything else of me?”

Steve felt his heart sink. “Do you need anything else?”

Loki made a quiet sound it took Steve a moment to register as a laugh. “Nothing you can give,” he said, and turned his back. (Tear My Castle Down)

9. Loki stumbled and fell in the thigh-deep snow, gasping for the cold that stabbed into his lungs like knives. His face burned for it, the wind howling in his ears. He took a moment to breathe, even if it hurt, his thoughts drifting to Asgard.

They must have found the guards by now, and the objects missing from the Vault. Hopefully someone would have put together who it had been. Had they summoned Thor back?

No. He could not think of Thor. Could not afford to think of Thor. Think of your blessings, slim as they are.

He had expected this, or something like. But Asgard was safe for at least another day. Thanos might have ordered him to Midgard, which would have been...problematic. He would have done it, but it would have required some quick thinking. But Thanos had been merciful.

(Was this mercy? Or was it Thanos toying with him, letting Loki tie his own noose?)

He pushed his doubts away. Jotunheim waited. (I’ll pull the devil down with me (one way or another))

10. Thor found Loki lounging with his back against a tree and apparently making notes in the margin of a book. “Loki,” he said, and Loki looked up slowly and blinked once, eyes ever so slightly too wide. 

“Yes?” 

Thor felt his lips twitch. “The mortal sorcerer Strange wishes me to ask you if you’ve been visiting his library.” 

“I would never,” Loki said, eyes still too wide. Thor narrowed his eyes. 

“You’re not even trying to lie, are you.” 

Loki pressed his lips together like he was just barely holding back a laugh. “Not really, no.” (Petty Vengeance)

[drreporting]

Echo Pt.1

I’ve got about five parts of this story already written up. Stay tuned.

“Really?” Owen scoffed as he looked over his shoulder and noticed that Amelia had wedged a pillow in between their sleeping spaces.

“You said you didn’t want to make a scene in front of the kids, right?” she recalled as she brought the covers closer to her nose, “It’s this or you sleep outside.”

Truthfully, neither of them could remember why they were fighting right this second. It had been going on for months now. It had begun with Amelia somehow finding out that Owen’s sister was still alive, through discarded notification mails that Owen seemed to casually ignore when they came in. Once she’d found out, they had a big argument about trust and all those other things, with Owen reminding her that she too had lied about Ryan being alive once. They fought about Ryan and Megan and everything little thing that ticked them off. It led to Owen having episodes and being drunk almost 12 out of 24 hours of the day, purposefully ignoring his wife’s sobriety. And, now, it led to this; the two of them in bed, not even facing the same direction.

Owen sighed and flipped over. “Amelia…” When he heard no response, he moved the pillow to the side and scooted closer to her.  Hesitantly, he placed his hand on her hip. “What are we even fighting about anymore?”

She chuckled, not flipping over. “Owen, you’re drunk right now. How is there nothing to fight about?”

“It’s stupid,” he said, nuzzling his nose against the side of her neck. His hand drifted from her hip to the inside of her thigh.

“Don’t,” she whispered angrily, placing her hand over his to stop it from going any further, “Not this again.”

Sighing in frustration, he surrendered, flopping onto his back. “So what, then?”

“I don’t know.” She flipped over to face him now, her heart racing at the thought of the words coming to her mind. “Maybe you should go away for a little bit.”

There was stark silence now. Owen sat up on his side and looked at her. “If…If that’s what you want.”

“It’s not what I want,” she mumbled, tracing a circle on his blue shirt, “But maybe it’ll give you time.”

“Time to do what?” he exclaimed, “Get better or be okay with you divorcing me?”

“I’m not divorcing you, Owen,” she sighed, “I just want you to have time with your sister, with yourself.”

“It sounds like you’re letting me down easily.”

“Just…” She brought her hand to his cheek. “Think about it, okay?” She was about to turn back over to sleep when she felt him pull on her hand.

Averting his eyes, he begged, “Please don’t leave me again, Amelia. I’ll get better, I promise.”

She simply stared at his sad blue eyes. “I’m not going to leave you. But the drinking needs to stop.”

He nodded solemnly, pressing his forehead against hers.

—

30th May, 2019. 1.5 Months Later.

Amelia stared mindlessly out the window at the clouds passing by, thinking about everything and yet, nothing.

“Trouble in paradise?” Nathan slightly joked as he took his designated seat next to her.

Amelia looked over at him before rolling her eyes. “You’d just love that, wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah, actually, I would,” he laughed, “Any revenge to get back at Hunt for almost turning my eye black a month ago.”

“Can you just say nothing for once?” Amelia sighed, putting her attention outside the plane’s window once more.

“Hey, I was just joking,” he said in a softer tone, “Whatever you and Hunt are fighting about, I’m sure it’ll resolve itself somehow.” He placed his hand on her lap and squeezed her thigh sympathetically. Amelia looked at him and hated that her eyes had strayed to his lips. She felt sick for even thinking of kissing him.

Patting his hand, she offered in a sarcastic, friendly tone, “Go comfort Maggie next.”

“Maggie, stop asking me about it,” Owen said for the fifth time as he stared out his window.

“Well, there’s clearly a reason you’re sitting here, instead of Riggs,” she reasoned, “I just want to know why.”

“Because Amelia switched our seats, okay?” he finally answered. “She doesn’t want to sit next to me.”

Her initial look of annoyance turned into one of sympathy, “Oh Owen, I’m sorry.”

“Thank you for your pity,” he muttered, “You should’ve given it to one of the old residents when they failed their boards.”

“We heard that,” both Jo and Stephanie said, looking over the backs of their seats at Maggie and Owen.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, returning his attention outside the window in the hopes of avoiding more women quarrelling with him.

Jo and Stephanie turned back around. Leaning over Alex’s seat, Jo pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Having fun with Cross?”

“Peachy,” Alex grumbled, glancing over at the comatose third year resident, “At least he doesn’t snore.”

“I’m not asleep yet,” the resident murmured, smiling cheekily.

“Great,” Alex groaned, making Jo giggle.

As night approached closer to morning, and most of the doctors fell asleep, Amelia still laid awake and restless. Staring out the window at night wasn’t really useful when everything was black; the lightning wasn’t exactly the most calming thing to stare at. Shrugging off her Grey Sloan coat, she made her way to the bathroom at the back of the small plane. She didn’t really need to use the bathroom; she just needed to be active, to get her mind off of what she once deemed the perfect life. It was funny how quickly her perfect life became not even remotely perfect. She washed her hands and dried them, about to leave when someone opened the bathroom door.

“Sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was awake,” Owen said.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she shrugged, “So I pretended to use the bathroom.”

“Okay.” He leaned against the doorframe and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he looked down at her. “Are you still pretending to use the bathroom?”

“I am.”

“This bathroom is a little small,” he said, analysing the room.

“There’s enough space,” she answered. His attention peaked at her response. Knowing her all too well, Owen closed the door behind him. She shrugged his hand off her shoulder when he placed it there. “Owen, no…”

“I’m not drunk,” he answered quickly, “I haven’t had any alcohol since I left the house, I swear.”

She wasn’t sure if to believe him or not. “Still, this isn’t the most appropriate place to do this.”

“You said it yourself,” he murmured as his fingers traced the outline of her waist, along with his eyes, “There’s enough space.” He looked up at her. “I just want to be close to you again, Amelia. I feel like I’m losing you.”

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel the same way. Things had been so sour between them that she’d truly presumed that their was no saving them anymore. This was nothing like the car accident.

She surrendered to his touch and, before she even knew it, he had her propped up on the sink as they kissed, fumbling for the tie on her scrub pants.

A half hour later, Amelia ventured back to her seat, hoping Nathan was still asleep.

“There’s a little red thing on your collar bone,” he casually told her, making her face turn red, “Right by the collar of your scrub.”

“Once again I ask, can you just say nothing for once?” she groaned, throwing on her coat to hide the mark. As she looked out the window again, she kept telling herself that she was only rewarding Owen by having sex with him. At the same time, she couldn’t help it. Denying sex from one other was never either of their strong suits. She sighed, finally feeling sleepy as she looked at the thunderstorm passing by them.

The next time she awoke, she was on the ground looking up at the sky, Alex yelling at her to wake up and help them find the others.

[yume-tsuki]

Lost final chapter

Hi guys^^  last part of my little werwolf AU fanfiction to @rkcart​ great werwolf ffxv au I hope you like it :3 preview: https://asakacc.tumblr.com/post/167376727592/lost-chapter-3 couples: The pack,kids and relationships are the same, only two differences, the main couples here are NoctxNyx and NoctxIgnis. damn I fell in love with Noct and Nyx x3 and Ardyn is still alive (just because I over read that he died when I started the fanfiction xP) Genre: angst, malepreg, boyslove, sfw,fantasy plot: Noct and Ignis are waiting for their puppy to be born, when they get attacked by Ardyn and his pack. Ignis decidet for Noct it would be better to run away to the river, Noct fell into it, blind from water and the fire in their territory he lost his orientation. Far far away from a stranger he got saved together they have to find a way back home. a little warning, male pregnancy birth thingy and death but just a little bit

They had to find a safer place. And soon they did it, in the sign of a hut. One night became days, weeks, until winter came. “In the city we would be safer. But it's so far away. "Nyx looked at Noct, who was nursing his child. “You say that every day. And yet we don’t move on. " „Because it's too dangerous. The little one would not survive this cold. " Noct looked to his son, whom they called Sirius, after a star. "I know ..." Nyx sighed and put his hand on the other's head. "Alright we can do it." He pulled him closer.  Noctis had become very used to him, and he loved to fight him. To feel his closeness when the night came.  "Nyx, I..." "I'm sorry ... I know I'm just a vice for you." The other man went to the door. "I go hunting... see you then." Noctis looked after him, his heart was heavy. What should he do? He had fallen in love with this man. And part of him wanted to stay with him while the other yearned for his family. "I do not want to lose you." ... The winter was coming to an end, the warm breeze announcing the new spring. "Well, my little one. Do you want to go wild? " In his wolf form, Nyx sat on a rock and let the sun shine on his fur. Sirius the little black puppy with the bright spot on his forehead looked up at him with a frenzied tail before he let himself be rolled over his huge paws.  "Careful my little one." He licked him and turned him on his back until he jiggled playfully with him. Noctis had packed the things and approached them. "Didn’t we want to go?" "Yeah!" Nyx looked over at him. "Give me half off." He took the heavy bag on his back while Noctis his son, now as a human, hoisted on the back. "Hold tight!" Grumbled.  Nyx smiled and took turns kissing the little one and finally Noctis.  "It'll be hard for me to leave you." Noctis felt the heat of his snout on his.  "We do not have to, maybe Gladio will pick you up."  "But I am also an alpha, he will never be able to accept me." Noctis reviewed the words before shaking his head.  "We are looking for them now! I was gone long enough. They will not tamp my lifesaver and nail him to the wall. "He joked and tapped off what pleased Sirius. "Hey! Wait for me." Nyx lunged for them, playfully grabbing Nocti's hind leg.  "Hey." Noct laughed and ran as fast as he could with little Sirius. Nyx jumped around them like a deer, stopping Noct again and thrusting him in the side.  Again and again they did, careful enough not to throw Sirius down until it happened. High on a ridge surrounded by flowers and snow, the little one tumbled between them. He had changed in fright, the little one sneezed and shook his head, pollen and flowers flying around his face and sticking to his fur. "I love him so much." Noctis licked his face clean. Nyx looked at them proudly. "Me too, both of you." Noct raised his head as he looked into the gray eyes of the other, the world disappeared around them. Back turned, they suddenly lay in each others' arms kissing each other intimately.  "I love you." Meant Nyx. "I will fight for you." Nyx was very different, he liked that he loved it, the other was as strong as Gladio, as brave as he was and so selfless. And yet so playfully funny, he felt so wonderful with him. Sirius was still a wolf, he had seen the game for a moment before a butterfly caught his eye. Dreamily he padded after him trying to snap at it when it had sat on a flower. Again and again the little one drove the game before his paws met snow, cold and so different from the warm grass. Curious, he licked it until he shook his head. It was so cold! The little one took a step further, he had already run on snow with his dad! It was OK. He remembered more or less. Sirius looked up at the tip of the mountain. It was so far away! An eternity, with Blizzard and wild wolves must have passed before the puppy had climbed the hill. At the top, he looked over the hill before he turned around and looked for his parents. But they were not there! Panicked, he looked around, where were they? In a panic, he lost his footing and rolled down the small hill until he lay between flowers and grass. Still without screaming he ran back and forth. The tail between the legs. Where are they?  Just where? Suddenly he stopped at some hairy legs. Then he felt a heavy snout on his head.  "What are you kidding around here so much?" Nocti's voice made him relax immediately. "Do you want to go on? Or do you need a break? " The puppy heard him call, but didn’t understand. He just looked at his dad, who trotted on and lovingly nibbled him.  "Let's move on." He grabbed the kid and put him on his back.  "It's my turn!" Nyx said and danced away.  "Haha, whatever you say." Noctis grabbed his tail, as he liked it, or his ear. He loved to nibble on his ear. ..... It took almost three months, not without a lot of breaks, now they were getting closer and closer to their destination and the breaks became longer and tormenting. When they arrived at the edge of the territory, it was time to say goodbye.  "I will not come with you." Noctis turned around. "What? Why? "  "I can’t lose you ... I can’t do that with my heart. The time we spent together was the nicest I could imagine. But you belong to your family, not to me." "But we don’t even know that they live." "But do not you smell it? Their scent marks are fresh and strong. Gladio must be an impressive alpha. Unfortunately, I know him only very briefly. " The wolf turned to go. Noctis ran to him, leaving Sirius on the edge of the territory. The prince threw himself against the other's chest. "Do not leave me alone now, not now  .."  "Shh! I just hope that you guys will be fine. And do not break the bond when number 3 is there. " He stroked Nocti's belly even though nothing was yet visible. Then, without warning, a thunderous thunderstorm broke in on them. Gladio threw himself at the other's neck, teeth dug into the flesh of the other's life.  "No Gladio! No, stop! "Noctis changed and tried to drive Gladio down.  Nyx was torn, he stopped but didn’t want to hurt him. Something else in it said that was the only way to forget Noctis. But it wouldn’t be right. Then there was a howl to hear the other wolves appeared. "Ignis! Help me, Gladio, kills him! "The desperate cries of Noctis went unheeded. "What did he do to you ?!" The growl came from Gladio, none of the other dared. "Nothing at all! He saved me! Stop it, you kill him! " Noctis bit his nose, so Gladio could not help but let go and stagger back. Nyx had explained that nasty little trick to him.  Protecting he stood over the heavily wounded. "One step closer and I forget myself!" Ignis and Prompto had turned back and came closer. "Calm down Noctis, we're sorry." Noctis looked at him, "Stop!"  "He dies if we do not treat him, Noct." Prompto ran to him.  But Noctis growled at him, he was out of his mind, all he had to do was protect him. Then he heard Nyx agree, "Let it be ..." he gasped and Noct squirmed. "... it ends with me ..." he gasped.  "No, do not say that!"  "... I'm sorry ... I would have liked to see them grow up ..."  "Noctis!"  Ignis had taken the moment and stepped to their side. "We'll take care of him, maybe he'll make it." Noct nodded.  "Thank you." They took Nyx to their camp and it took a long time before Ignis came back. "He's very weak, we have to see how he's doing tomorrow."  Noct nodded.  "What happened to you?" Noctis looked at them, his children pressed against him. "After I had expelled the others, we looked for a new camp. Quite simple." Said Gladiolus and sat down. "I'm sorry about that earlier, I smelled Alpha and thought he was going to attack you." Noct shrugged, he didn’t know what to say. "I like him ... Gladio ..." Noct's fear and grief, which he had tried to suppress, came forth and he began to cry bitterly, so that Ignis and Prompto tried to console him.  "If he survives, I'll talk to him," says Gladio, watching the spectacle for a moment. Two days passed, slowly Noctis felt at home again, only the fear for Nyx remained anchored in his bones. Until Gladio came to them. "He feels better, and he offered to submit to me without argument. Noctis, I see how you suffer and we all suffered when you were not there. We have been looking for you for so long, to see you suffer again, I don’t bring the heart. He may stay. " Noctis was pleased. "Thank you." He gave Gladio a kiss on the cheek before he ran to Nyx, who had to spare himself.  "You can stay, I'm so happy we can all be together."  "Me too." He said weakly and kissed him.

[svartalfhild]

The Paladin and the Prodigy

Rating: K Words: 2,522 Genre: Friendship, Hurt/Comfort Summary: Heliodoro is a young half-orc Paladin of Corellon just a year outside of his training, making his way in the world as a stage actor.  In the middle of the High Forest and halfway to his next performance at Loudwater, he has a fateful meeting with a girl in silver spectacles.

A/N: This is the true story of how the new DnD characters @betweenrivers-betweenworlds and I made met (they tell a very different story to other people).  They don’t yet belong to a campaign, but I’m so excited by all the little ideas about them that we’ve come up with that I felt compelled to write some of their story.  I may write more of their adventures in future, especially if people turn out to like this.  If things get really out of hand, I may even do a webcomic, because I just love these two so much. As far as setting context goes, these characters exist in the Forgotten Realms setting and this story takes place on 4 Tarsakh 1487 DR.

- - -

The scent of a recent thunderstorm clung to the air, seeming to add a further softness to the damp soil beneath Heliodoro’s feet as he walked along a well-trodden path within the High Forest.  It would have been a refreshing sensation if not for the evening fog that permeated the area, lending an eeriness to the atmosphere that, while delightfully dramatic, had him uneasy.  He was well aware that this land was ruled by elven tribes and fey who would not necessarily show him mercy let alone any kind of friendliness.  Even the most beautiful places could be dangerous.

Something was about to happen.  He could feel it in his gut and like a tingling under his skin.  His dark eyes scanned the area, alert for anything out of the ordinary, made no more easy by the fog, as he could only see perhaps twenty feet ahead.

And then he heard it.  A shifting of foliage.  It was faint, barely audible, but he caught it, coming from somewhere at the left side of the road up ahead.  He gripped the hilt of the sheathed sword hanging from his hip more tightly, anticipating a surprise of some sort.  But one never came.  Not really.

What he found instead was a woman, thin as a switch with a pair of cracked silver spectacles on her pallid face, curled up on the ground, partially obscured by wet underbrush.  He rushed to her, feeling her wrist for a pulse.  She was still alive, but not by much.  Her skin was cold and clammy to the touch and her vital signs were fading. Placing his hands on either side of her face, he closed his eyes an concentrated, thinking of his oath to Corellon.  There came a soft gasp and he opened his eyes to find the woman’s had a little as well.

“It’s alright.  Corellon smiles upon you,” he told her, giving her an encouraging smile.  She didn’t say anything in response, only weakly grasping at his sleeve and giving shuddering breaths.  She needed proper healing, that much was obvious.  “I’ve got you.”

Putting his arms under her, he lifted her up and returned to his path along the road.  It would be no trouble, he was sure, even as far as he still had to go to the next trade outpost.  She weighed about as much as melon to him.  He supposed that most people might be concerned that she was actually a nefarious person, but he sensed nothing untoward about her, even with the aid of Corellon’s sight.

A light rain began to fall, creating a chorus of soft pings against his fine half-plate armor.  He quickened his pace.  His new companion would not recover if she was kept out in the cold and wet much longer.

He walked for what must have been a few more hours without incident. The woman he carried had been lulled to sleep by the gentle motion of his strides.  He knew it would help her recover, but it still made him a tad nervous and he checked her pulse every now and then to be sure that she hadn’t slipped away.

They were almost to the trade outpost when he heard the sharp snap of a stick and he turned to look where the sound had come from.  Instead of seeing the culprit, he felt an arrow swish past his head from behind, leaving a cut along his left cheek.

As he set his companion down and drew his sword and shield, bandits descended from the trees, surrounding them.  He puffed out his chest in a bold, challenging stance.

“Come at me, if your dare, but know that you are facing a Paladin of the Protector,” he declared.  The bandits were not deterred, some of them seeming even more enthusiastic, in fact.  They rushed him and he dispatched the first few with a hard shield bash and a thrust of his blade, but he took a kick to the small of his back, causing him to lose his footing and stumble.  He swung wide, slicing open the gut of a bandit about to attack him from the side, leaving just two to harry him.  His sword was knocked from his grip as he tried to recover, and he was put in a choke hold by a ruffian who was even larger than him. The remaining bandit lunged and he kicked, keeping his enemy back as he attempted to free himself from the other.

And then there came a horrible cry of pain in his ear and suddenly he could breathe again, leaving him free to roll out of the way of a sword thrust to the gut and recover his own blade, which was followed by another cry of agony.

When Heliodoro looked around, he saw the woman on the ground, propping herself up on one elbow with her other arm extended out as if she had thrown something.  There was a definite look of steely determination in her grey eyes and in his relief and surprise, he couldn’t help but give her a broad, tusky grin.  He wiped the blood from his blade on a bandit’s cloak and sheathed it before he returned to the woman’s side.

“Are you alright?” he asked, slinging his shield over his shoulder and helping her into a sitting position.  She nodded silently and tried to get up, though her legs were too weak and her feet kept slipping out from under her along the mud of the path.  Heliodoro was quick to take her by the shoulders and hold her steady.  “Let’s get going. You’re not well and I don't think either of us want this to be your grand finale.”

He made to pick her up again, but she recoiled.  She seemed determined to walk on her own two feet.

“Alright, but at least hold onto me.  I don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself,” he told her, which she silently accepted, leaning on him and holding his arm with an unexpectedly tight grip.

It was slow going the rest of the way to the outpost and it continued to rain steadily, but Heliodoro didn't make any attempt to pressure his new companion into speaking, even to learn her name.  He had a feeling that she was easily spooked in her current state.  He said nothing at all until they had finally reached the inn.

Her cracked glasses fogged over upon entering the building and Heliodoro helped her into a chair before pressing a dry handkerchief into her small hand.  She looked away, as if she were embarrassed to have to take further charity from him, but he didn't call her out on it. Instead, he turned and approached the bar to introduce himself and request a pair of rooms and two hot meals.  The innkeeper looked a bit confused at first, seeing only him, but when she leaned over to look past his broad half-orcish shoulders, she spotted the woman he'd brought in, soaked and shivering in the corner.

“Who's your friend?” the innkeeper asked with a concerned frown.

“I found her unconscious by the side of the road.  I think something terrible may have happened to her,” Heliodoro explained, bringing deep sympathy to the innkeeper's face.

“Oh, the poor dear!  Gods smile upon you for helping her, sir.  Too many people ignore the misfortunes of others these days and who knows what might have claimed her if she'd been left out there.”

“Well, Corellon says that lifting up the helpless is an important step towards a better and more beautiful world, and I live by his teachings.”  At this, the woman took notice of the silver crescent amulet hanging around his neck and she smiled warmly where once she had regarded him with a polite distance.

“Any holy man of the Protector is welcome in my inn,” she told him before looking back at his companion.  “I think I have an old dress of my daughter's that might fit her.  It's nothing so fine as what she's wearing, bit at least it'll be dry.”

“Thank you kindly, ma'am.  I'll let her know.”

“It's no trouble, dear.”

With a smile and a small bow, Heliodoro turned away and sauntered back over to the corner.  He slid the key to the half-elf's room across the table to her and she silently took it, at which point, he noticed that the lenses of her spectacles were no longer cracked.  Oh, now that was interesting.  He decided, however, that he'd leave that discussion for when she was more comfortable.

“The innkeep says she might have some dry clothes for you.”

“What about you?”  The question was the first words he'd heard her utter in the entire few hours since he'd found her and he beamed, unable to hide his delight at her finally speaking.  He had been beginning to doubt that she could.  Her voice was quite soft, but there was an unmistakeable brogue to her accent that he knew to be common among the dwarven citadels and parts of Luruar.

“I'll be fine.  I know how to pack my things so that they won't get wet.” This answer seemed to satisfy her, as she nodded and passed back his handkerchief.  She was very wobbly on her feet as she got up and he watched her carefully as she made her way over to the bar, ready to leap for her if she should fall, but she made it alright and she allowed the innkeeper to patiently guide her up the stairs.

About an hour later, Heliodoro was lounging at the corner table, out of his armor and sporting dry clothes, when he saw his companion return. She looked much recovered, if a bit uncomfortable in the woolen cornflower blue dress she'd been given.  Her gait was steady but apprehensive as she approached him and reclaimed her seat across the table.

“I believe I haven't properly introduced myself.  My name is Zvezda Eliander, but I much prefer to be called Heliodoro.”  The paladin offered his hand to shake.  He didn't normally give out his real name, but he got the distinct feeling that if he was going to get anywhere with this woman, he was going to have to be very honest with her.

There was a long, awkward moment in which she gave no response beyond staring at him and his hand fell to rest on the table.

“What do you want from me?” she finally asked pointedly and he took notice of her very guarded, distancing posture.  Oh.  That explained a lot.  She clearly thought that he'd helped her with the idea of incurring a debt or to otherwise use her for his own gain.  Well, he would just have to set her straight on that.

“Nothing, I promise.  Just doing my duty to Corellon,” he told her, tapping the amulet hanging around his neck.  She narrowed her eyes at him, as if she were trying to discern whether she believed him or not. Whatever she saw must have satisfied her, because she stopped glaring at him.

“You're a paladin of the Order of the Protector, aren't you?”  She had switched to Elvish with this question, which surprised him, but his smile did not falter.

“I am indeed.  When I completed my training last year, I decided to travel and honor my patron through the theatrical arts.  I'm currently on my way to Loudwater for my next performance,” he replied in equally flawless Elvish.  He seemed to have passed another test, because the woman relaxed from her defensive posture.

“Mornath,” she said.

“Sorry?”

“My name.  Mornath Sparrowswood.”  At this, Heliodoro beamed at her and offered her his hand once again.

“It's wonderful to meet you, Mornath.”  She seemed startled by his warm, sunny disposition, but she nonetheless shook his hand, which almost completely swallowed hers to rather comedic effect.

It was at this point that the barmaid appeared with their meals, setting two steaming plates before them and mugs of ale to match.

“On the house,” she told them, winking at Heliodoro.  He winked back. Mornath raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't comment until the barmaid had walked away.

“So you're that kind of holy man.”

“No, I just like to be friendly is all,” he laughed.  Mornath said nothing to this and instead simply looked very pensive as she dug into the baked potato on her plate.  It was odd.  For someone who was so clearly approaching the particularly worrisome stages of starvation, she was not showing it at all in how she ate.  She used her knife and fork and chewed her small morsels slowly, like some upper class lady who had had her knuckles smacked with a stick as a child for reaching for the wrong spoon.  It made Heliodoro even more curious about her than he already was.

“Mornath, you don't have to tell me anything about yourself that you don't want to, but I must admit I'm very intrigued by how notably unbroken your spectacles are,” he piped up after a long silence between them. She seemed startled by the comment and looked around as if she were afraid that others might be listening in.

“It was a simple Mending spell.  I'm, er...I'm a mage,” she confessed in a hushed voice, nervously tucking a lock of her damp bluish pale hair behind a pointed ear.

“You do arcane magic?  Well, color me impressed.  It's one thing to beseech a god for power, but to command the Weave through shear personal effort?  That's just badass,” Heliodoro practically gushed.  He could count the number of mages he'd met on a single hand and each of them had left him with the distinct feeling that arcane magic was this mysterious, formidable force that should not be trifled with.  It fascinated him.

He had not at all expected the bright sound that came out of Mornath in response.  It took a moment to register with him that she was giggling.  He found that he quite liked it and wanted to hear more of it, even if it was directed at him.

“Laughing at me, eh?”

“No, no!  It's just...you're so genuine.  I don't think I've ever heard someone talk about magic like that,” she replied through her laughter.  “My father would not like you in the slightest.”  Upon saying this, a sudden gloom came over her.  She stopped laughing and a look of abject misery took hold of her features, almost as if she were in pain.  Heliodoro was smart enough to realize that the reason he'd found Mornath in a ditch might well have had something to do with this father she spoke of, but he didn't pry to find out.

“Do you know where you're going?” he asked, trying to steer the conversation away from whatever was upsetting her.

“No,” she murmured, not looking at him.

“Well, you're more than welcome to come with me to Loudwater while you're figuring that out,” he offered, giving her another bright smile. For the first time, she gave him a proper smile in return.

“I'd like that.”

[muffinmunch-blog1]

ThunderStorms - BatFam X Reader

WARNING: Fluffiness Ahead!!!

It had been no-stop raining in Gotham for the past three days (not surprising really.) and that had made going on patrol kind of difficult. Damian and Tim had slipped (multiple times) and hurt themselves, Jason had almost crashed his motorbike and Dick had almost fallen off a building more than once. Great right? You hadn't suffered such ego-killing moments because Bruce wouldn't let you out. He insisted that in this weather you would 'Be more useful right here, on the computers, in the Batcave.' He seriously said that, making sure to stress the words 'Here' and 'Batcave'.

But it enough talk about the weather, right now you were snuggled up in bed reading a book. Bruce had gone on patrol by himself tonight, considering that with this weather not even the villains seen to want to do anything, so he can handle it on his own. You had offered to go with him but he left before you could even walk towards your costume. Bruce was considering, but he did need some help at times, he was only human after all. Even if he was Batman, he didn't have invincibility like Clark or Diana, or super speed like Barry. You were not saying that he couldn't do what they did, you were saying he did still need to be careful.

You looked over to the clock on you side-table that read 10:26pm. You sighed and decided that you probably needed to go to sleep soon, so putting down your book you hoped out of bed and padded downstairs to the kitchen. When you got there Alfred was sitting at the table that was placed in the middle of the room with a book and what looked like a cup of tea.

 "Hey Alfred. Do you know where the boys are?" You asked. He looked up from the book. 

"I believe they are in their room's Mrs. (y/n)." He replied. 

"Thanks Alfred." You said as you grabbed a biscuit from the jar and walked back to Your bedroom.  

You were on the verge of sleep when a loud crack made all those idea's disappear. You sighed, knowing that it'll take at least another 10 or so minuets until you would get back to the point of sleep that you were at before. You were almost there when the creak of the door alerted you to another presents in the room. You sat up, probably not a wise thing to do if it was a robber or maybe a villain, but it wasn't.

It was Damian.

"Damian? What's wrong?" You asked. Another clap of thunder rand overhead once you finished causing Damian to run onto Bruce's side of the bed and cover himself with the covers. It suddenly dawned on you what the problem was.

He was scared of Thunder.

"Damian... Are you scared?" You quietly asked.

"What!? N-No, of course not." He says and instantly you knew he was lying... And he knew that. 

"You won't tell the other's will you Ummi?" Damian asks as he pokes his head out from the covers. You smile and shake your head. 

"Course not Dami, I wouldn't think of it." Another crack of thunder rang out and he snuggled closer to your side. This wasn't like Damian to be like this towards you. He smiled at you at times, rarely called you Mum(or Ummi.) and it was even rarer for him to cuddle with you. But then again, it hasn't rained quite like this since you've been here.

"Father does like you, doesn't he? Just like how you like him?" Damian asks as you run your fingers through his hair. 

"Why do you ask that? Of course he does." You reply. 

"Well... You'd have to be ether crazy or in love to stick around us as long as you have." His explanation made you laugh and then he was giggling along side you. Another crack of thunder arose.

In ran Dick.

He slammed the door closed behind him leaning on it afterwards. He looked like he just tried to run a marathon. Damian tried to hide beneath the covers but Dick has already seen him.

"Is that Damian?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"It's a dog."

"Dad let you get a dog?" 

"Do you have to ask so many questions?"

"So it isn't a dog?" 

At this point Damian was sending you a look from under the covers. It said everything, by everything I mean: 'Did you seriously call me a dog?',' I'm not as small as a dog, am I?','This 'Dog' must be pretty big, like a St. Bernard.','Saying I was a dog was a horrible excuse, you know that right?', etc.

 Also at this point you had totally given up on trying to argue with Dick. You sighed and snuggled deeper into your covers. Thunder cracked again. Dick ran onto the bed and buried his face in the covers. 

"Another?" You whispered to yourself.

He was afraid too. 

The boy wonder, the First Robin and Nightwing, who wasn't afraid of ANYTHING... Was afraid of Thunder. 'I swear if Bruce trained, payed or even put the idea into these boy's heads that it is a good idea to be afraid of thunder, I'll kill him.' You thought.

So right now you had Damian snuggled into your right side and Dick was trying to bury his head into you stomach. Yay!

More thunder echoed throughout Wayne Manor. 

The window opened, and a buff figure fell onto the floor, dripping wet too. You reached for the knife that you hid between the headboard and mattress, for this exact reason. The figure stood up and said something about the windows being further away from the floor. You sat up and caught a glimpse of a red helmet.

The one Red Hood wears.

"Jason?" You asked. 

He looked over at you. 

"Did I wake you up Ma?" He asked as he took of his helmet. 

"You woke me up." Damian muttered, you laughed at this. 

"No." You told him, who had, by now, took off his boots and Jacket, and had cuddled up on your left. (Did you understand that reference?) You looked over at Jason and he looked up at you. 

"Why are you here?" You asked softly and ran your fingers through his hair gently. 

"I got scared. The Thunder, i-it's so much like the..." He started to choke up, and you knew why. All of you there knew why. Even Damian. The explosion that had 'killed him', it must sound like the thunder. You shushed him and pulled him closer, giving him a kiss on the forehead. You pulled them all closer.

Well not really ALL of them. Dick was on top of you so you couldn't really pull him any closer than what he already was. You mentally laughed, all you needed now was Tim.

More Thunder. The three boys cuddled harder and snuggled closer. (If possible.) You could hear rushed footsteps coming closer and before you knew it the door burst open. 

You rolled your eyes.

Tim

Could there Possibly be ANOTHER???

"Todd, you better get out of my spot." Tim said with a scowl. All Jason did was groan. 

"Tim," You started."There is room here for one more, I'm sure of it." You told him with a smile, and his face changed to a smile too.

~~~ Time-Skip to the Morning~~~

That Morning Bruce came back from Patrol. He found the Manor Completely deserted. Even Alfred wasn't around. He wearily walked up to your shared room, what he saw shocked him.

A lot.

All four of his boys, on the bed, sleeping with no worry in the world, not even bickering, SLEEPING for goodness sake!

All four of his boys, around You.

Alfred was at the door looking at the peace.

"It's amazing what a Mother can do." Bruce said.

"Or a Thunderstorm, Master Bruce." Alfred added.

A/N: I think this has a slight resemblance to a scene in The Sound Of Music. Don't you think?

[thecleanbonesgone]

HOLLY AND REUBEN

So i found this, something i wrote back in the summer of 2013 and had completely, completely forgotten all about until unearthing it just now. It’ll never end up anywhere, so it belongs here.  Holly and Reuben are Taking Small Steps 1. HOLLY: Can we go for a drive? Can you take me somewhere I don't know?REUBEN: I will take you for a drive. You will chart the journey yourself with a homemade map. I will not assist you in making this, and we will not stop along the way. You will not touch me. You will not attempt to touch me in the car when we drive to the place you do not know. And can I? Yes, I probably can. Whether I may or not, that’s a different question entirely. Come on, Holly, you know this. 2. HOLLY: Do you think you could please let me stay for a few days? REUBEN: You can stay for a few days and you will help me to water the garden and mow the lawn. When we have completed the outside work we will begin to polish all of the oak furniture except the furniture in the spare room, which can be as clean or as dirty as you want it to be. 3. HOLLY: I have parked my car directly next to yours. Can you come outside and sit in your car so we are sitting, parked up together? REUBEN: You will sit in your car and I will sit in mine. I will climb through the passenger side and we will roll down our windows so we can hear each-other speak. You will hold my hand over the distance between the cars. I will retract as soon as our hands touch. You will apologise and I will say it's okay Holly, I'm not angry at you. Why would I be angry at you Holly? No, honestly, I'm not mad at you at all. I wish you wouldn’t think that. 4. HOLLY: I have noticed the weather is so close there may be a thunderstorm. I’m going to confidently state that there actually will be a thunderstorm, and do you know how I know that? I know that because I  feel suffocated by the pressure bearing down on me. It is warm, and intense, and deep. I can see ripples appearing in the river by your old house. The bright coloured flowers are brighter against the grumbling sky, like still-open eyes on a dead, bloated face. I'm sorry if sometimes my metaphors distress you, Reuben. REUBEN: You will comfort me through the thunderstorm because I will maintain that I am afraid of them. This is a trick I will use because I know you're a firm believer in exposure therapy ever since you forced yourself to go back to the pub where it happened over and over again until you stopped having panic attacks. You will tell me we need to go out walking during the thunderstorm. You will walk me to the top of the highest hill in our immediate vicinity and we will stand on top and you will tell me this will put an end to my fears. I am not scared. Our arms will be around each-other but it won't be sexual, I’m not about that right now. Your skin and my skin will be wet together. I will be able to feel the shape of your breasts against my chest. I won’t say anything about it. I haven’t noticed enough to mention it. Secretly you are hoping you are struck by lightening. Not so you will die, but because you believe you will become electrified. I already am, but again, I’ve decided not to mention it. Besides, you will not notice this because I will be hiding it exceptionally well. Your metaphors don't distress me, Holly. The only thing distressing about that metaphor was that it was predictable. 5. HOLLY: I have stopped taking the pill. Do you want to risk it? I think people would describe me as "glowing", I could be one, round, delighted woman for you, Reuben. I want you to gift me with the most beautiful little baby girl. Just one child, is all I’m asking. You know what happens to a woman’s eggs don’t you, the older she gets? REUBEN: You will let go of this ridiculous notion immediately, Holly. How am I supposed to consider loving you again, if you bring with you a second you? You have your job at the local charity. Concentrate on that for a while. Jesus Christ, Holly. You’re giving yourself no time at all. 6. HOLLY: Please can I fall asleep with you in your bed tonight? REUBEN: You will not fall asleep next to me, I do not want our bodies to be that close for that long an amount of  time. 7. HOLLY: I have to move house soon. Will you rent out a van and drive me to it with all of my things in the back? Can we listen to Duran Duran on the journey? Can we make jokes together, can we start acting like we know each-other?REUBEN: You will not put Duran Duran on for the journey but you will put Depeche Mode on. I will write down all the jokes we've ever made and order them by ascending levels of humour, inferred intimacy and obscurity. The jokes that score highest in all three, are the ones we will make first, and then as the journey goes on and our interest in the activity wanes, we’ll be working our way down the list and the quality level of the jokes will descend perfectly with the tone and mood of the van. Also, I will time the journey so that the jokes are made at the most poignant parts of the journey, for example: just as we are exiting your old street, just as we drive past the restaurant we last had dinner at, just as we divert to your ex-boyfriend's house and you are overwhelmed with sadness so I attempt to console you by saying: "Cheer up Holly, it's 2015 and you're a beautiful woman!" because it's 2013, but do you remember that time I  got the date wrong and you never let me forget it? My whole family were there. It was really funny. It's 2015, Holly, and you're a beautiful woman. Now let's try and shift this Welsh Dresser out the back. 8. HOLLY: I have decided I will try to love you. REUBEN: You will not try to love me. You stopped loving me a long time ago. I will not permit you to fall in love with me because it would be deeply insincere of you and you would only end up hating yourself more and if you hate yourself I’ve then got the burden of convincing you that you’re inherently loveable, and whilst I may believe that, you’ll take far too much convincing and I have a full-time job. But I will weather all the changes that to most would seem imperceptible, I will sit out your storms and praise you highly for even the smallest of your achievements. If you want to put a window through I will give you the stones and we'll find some windows in any abandoned house. I know of a few houses. There are ~5 abandoned houses I know of. I'm quite the Abandoned House Guy. That’s something you didn’t know about me but you don’t need to know everything. You need to always be learning new things about me, just as I recently learned you can’t make custard from scratch and whilst this isn’t a big deal you get really angry at yourself about it.  I gave up smoking for you. Went down from 30 a day to nothing. I still haven’t picked that habit back up again. My will-power is astounding, truly. But then you know that. 9. HOLLY: I want you to sit on the sofa with me and those cheap, old game shows. I want you to be adorable to me in all situations. I want to order pizza and chicken wings and drink Port because it's left over from Christmas. So will you order a pizza, collect it on your way over and on the way, do you think you could possibly just stop the car mid-road causing a panic and a minor collision (which you will then ignore) and run down to the shore of the beach near where we now live together, can you stand there with your hands stretched outwards and push the sea away from us, can you make it stand up and be repelled from you like opposing poles of a magnet, can you do that? Can you push the sea back, for me? REUBEN: I cannot push the sea back for you. My first problem with this request is it is so nauseatingly amateur dramatics, this isn’t your A Level screenplay, Holly. Besides, the sea; it is not a solid but a billion bodies working together as one. If I cannot influence one body I certainly cannot influence a billion. If you had asked me to push the moon further away I might have been able to do that with the right amount of strategic planning, but your expectations of me have always been too high. I will buy a bottle of water on the way down. I’ll pour it out the window as I’m driving. When it has fully run out, that’s when I’ll stop the car causing a panic and a minor collision. I will run down to the sea and capture some of the seawater in the bottle. I will put the lid back on then get back to the car and drive back to you, and then you will drink it. It will taste weird and then I will lie you down. I will kiss you at all five of your points and summon the moon out from you. I will perform oral sex on you and you will remember why you stayed with me for so long. That's the best I can do, Holly. Do you remember when I used to dare you to be quiet and it gave the whole thing a new taste? You will taste a bit like the sea and I will fall back in love with you. May I remind you again that I gave up smoking for you? 10. HOLLY: Why haven't you come home from work yet? I feel the sun finally coming back out. I think I'm getting better. I think I'm actually getting better. I think I've got it all worked out, darling. Come home immediately, I've made a cake from a recipe of Nigella's. I did a test. REUBEN: I'm caught up in a meeting. I've sent you an email from my phone with a picture of the meeting. Look how stupid my boss looks. All puffy-faced and fat. All I can think about right now is when you kiss my sternum. Put popping candy on my sternum and then lick it all up. Kiss me and put your tongue in my mouth and let it snap and pop as they tickle. You will not ask me why. I will not ask you why. We will not need to ask why. We're adults, we can do what we like. We won’t read too much into this. 11. HOLLY: Let's move away. This is going so well. I cannot believe how well it's going.  Let’s move just anywhere. Maybe London. Maybe if we moved to London we could start again. Your hair’s starting to go grey isn’t it. Right at the temples. I forget the age difference sometimes, as if ten years is just a drop in the ocean, but it separates us, generationally speaking. REUBEN: We will not move away. We will stay right here. What are we running from any more? Would you prefer it if we were still running? Why must you only love us when our feet are off the ground? Besides, aren’t I a little old to be constantly on the move? You can’t have it both ways. 12. HOLLY: Can we go for a drive? Can we go live somewhere we don’t know, or compromise with a camper-van? REUBEN: I will take us for a drive. You will chart the journey yourself with a homemade map. I will assist you in making this, and we will stop everywhere along the way. You will touch me. You will touch me in the car when we drive to the place you do not know. Besides we probably can, but whether we may, that’s a different thing altogether, come over, I hate the phone and I miss you.