#{ayy I finally got a chapter out}

[lizard-shifter-noms]

Wayward Waters Epilogue

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Ayy, Epilogue already? that was fast! but i have good news!

i have re-edited arc 1 (removed typos, made it more comprehensible etc. also shorter chapters so its not a wall of text anymore) so i will upload that some time after!

this Story contains Vore, Dont like dont read.

have fun reading!

and as always Reblogs are appreciated! (Also ASK’s are open so feel free to bother me!)

AO3 Link for those that prefer the layout there;

AO3 Wayward waters

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After the Victory Rose had anchored,  with the smaller Halcyon close behind we were finally home.

Not wanting to spend too much time in Tunstead lest there was a repeat of Naroa Island and someone didn't like that there were Nonhumans visiting.

Not like Rikaad would allow that but there were always assholes.

So instead we went straight for the castle, none of the crew of the Halcyon having seen a building this big before, or confusingly built.

Which was very evident as half of them got lost in less than half an hour.

At least Imugi had fun doing figures around the spikes at the bottom of the cliff.

We found them about two hours later, Jamie having been chased out of the kitchen like some raccoon and Ronan got brought outside by Norrin, who had scruffed him like a disobedient dog.

For some reason the Grumpy young man Leon came with us to the castle and refused to say much or leave.

We left him for now,  with Nea and Norrin around there wasn't much he could do.

I shooed the Crew to Okaleys tower,  he would have more information about the blue bracelet anyway.

Yamet had opted to tour the kitchen, stating the others could tell him later and that he'd rather see if he could trade recipes.

The tower itself was as askew and unorderly as always,  and we hadn't even knocked.

The door was missing completely anyway for some reason so we simply walked in.

I did come as a surprise though that Nea was in here,  holding a brown creature with white spots on its back.

At first I thought she was holding a fawn, but then I noticed the longer neck and nubby horns as well as the claws and long tail.

“Nea? Where the FUCK did you get a baby Drake?”

The thing in question made horrifyingly pitiful bleaking noises,  pawing uselessly at the air as Nea held it like a particularly squirmy cat.

Though it was more the size of a young goat.

“I found it! So I get to keep it!”

I was not about to Argue with her, she'd kick my ass,  Instead I stared confusedly at Oakley, who was painting the cat blue.

Oh so one of those days where nothing made sense involving him.

“Oakley, why are you painting the cat blue?, and why does Nea have a baby Drake?”

He turned to face us and shrugged.

“No idea what the insane lady here is doing but i'm trying to figure out what magic affinity our dear kitty here has! 

The paint is made of lapis lazuli by the way!

Now say who are those people behind you and why is the Zoa trying to pocket some of my Gems?”

I looked over at Jamie who hastily put some sort of clear crystal back onto a shelf.

“Uh, those are friends i made while on the ocean, long story i'll tell you later, but uhh we found another Bracelet, its blue this time”

I pointed at Ronan who in turn pointed at the Bracelet on his arm.

In less than a Second Oakley had gripped his arm with one foot and was hanging onto the wall with the other, inspecting the new Bracelet up close and with no regard for personal space.

Ronan just stared confused at Oakley, though to be fair he was already used to having to be a Perch for jamie.

“Did the creature look anything like the Ardua?”

No that it did not.

“Uh, no, it was more like a seal with big and flat hands and a long tail with a fin, does it have its own name?”

Oakley Jumped of off Ronan and walked back to where he was, rummaging through his coat a bit before pulling out a Book.

While he flipped pages, and apparently had trouble reading it? The Cat, Gloxinia trailed blue paint everywhere, jumping up the windowsill and bapping at the very confused baby Drake Nea was still holding.

The poor thing probably had a very weird day,  getting manhandled by a quite frankly rather crazy woman and then getting disrespected like that by a cat.

The thing bleaked again, trying to wind itself out of Nea’s Grip,  yeah that would be futile.

“AHA! Found it! I think translating is gonna take a while seeing as the author changes the stupid coded letters every five pages! 

And language as well!, tell ya what, imma deal with Nea now and then go back to translating, you can come back after Dinner or so”

That was reasonable, and Jamie and Akeem had left already anyway, leaving only Ronan and Imik here.

No doubt Akeem went after Jamie to prevent chaos,  and they took the clear crystal from the shelf again.

Nea set the confused Drake on Oakley table where it did a wide stance as if it couldn't decide between fight or flight,  not that either would be a good idea with Nea here.

“So! Arthur got all pissy when I brought ta lil guy with me! Said just cuz i got rid of tha big one din’ mean i could keep tha smaller one!

I say tha only one that can tell me what ta do is Rikaad! 

And i want you ta tell me what exactly this is so i can ask to keep it,  or him or her or whatever!”

The thing in question made another bleaking Noise, sniffing at the table and looking over the edge of it.

Ronan put his face close to it and the thing screeched horribly, scrambling and slipping on the old wood and nearly falling off.

In response to that Nea tossed Ronan out, literally, she tossed him out the window and Imik walked out after him to make sure he was okay.

Since Ronan had landed in a bush he only had some dirt on him, and after that they both wanted to look around the castle more instead of being near Nea.

Yeah, fair, I did however want to see how the entire Drake thing would play out so we parted ways and I went back inside where Oakley was just telling Nea that the little guy was a male.

“I'd say it's a young male,  the spots have the same reason as fawn spots, they fade with time and he should get some more tan and brown colors. 

I can't say what species exactly yet but it's possible he'll get stripes,  or colored horns.

If you're sure you wanna try taming him go ahead, i can't guarantee anything but i sure am gonna watch you try, you'd probably be the first to do that, well to be fair you gotta be a bit insane to try”

A bit was good, but I also wasn't exactly fond of anyone trying to kill something so young, and thus far the little guy hadn't done anything.

As it was he was even afraid of the cat, who was still covered in blue paint and attempting to groom him.

All that did was cover him in blue paint too and he looked rather miserable at that.

While Nea argued with Oakley about what size he could reach, apparently Nea had expected something big like a dragon but Oakley estimated something slightly larger than a horse,  so I held out my hand to the strangely fluffy creature. 

All in all it looked scraggly and scruffy,  the only scaled parts being the legs and sand colored underside as well as the rather beak-like snout that seemed to be made of cartilage.

It tentatively sniffed at my hand, bonking its head against it.

Then Gloxinia wanted all the attention and I had to pet her with the other hand while the goat sized creature was inspecting my hand with its amber colored eyes.

Maybe Ronan would have some tips for Nea since he’d sorta raised Imugi already.

I was handed a blue stained cat by Oakley who told me to go wash the color off before she decided to lick it off.

“You want me to wash a cat? 

A cat of all things who are not known for liking water?”

“Yeah! Good luck!”

And with that he shoved me out, not even saying if he'd figured out if Gloxinia had any magic or magic type.

Well, better get this over with,  I wasn't even sure if the paint was edible so she probably shouldn't lick it even if that was how cats normally cleaned themselves.

Ignoring that my own shirt had gotten blue in places,  I went to the next best water source and tried my best to keep a hold of Gloxinia who definitely did not like water.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

I looked up to see that Leon guy.

“Oakley put paint on the cat, i'm trying to get it off before she licks it,  but i don't think she likes water”

Leon stuck his hand into the water bucket,  taking it back out and flicking water at me.

“Yeah no shit, thats cold water, why the fuck would wold a cat like that, try warm water next time dipshit”

Rude, at least I was trying, and not letting her eat paint.

“You do it then! If you're so much better at that!”

At the moment neither the cat nor me were happy about it.

“Aight, bet”

With that he grabbed both Gloxinia and the bucket, slinging the cat half over his shoulder and dragging the bucket to who knew where.

Well, at least I didn't have to do it now.

And judging by the fact that Gloxinia tried rubbing her head against his ear she was also rather happy about that.

Whatever, if that guy thought warm water would make her hate it less he was free to try.

Now where did everyone else go? 

Hopefully none of them got into trouble.

As it turned out they just had gotten lost in the castle again,  which we only found out because Jamie walked along the outside of it to try and get someone that knew where the fuck everything was.

Yamet however was found in the kitchen, 

talking and working with Myril so we left them to it, whatever they were doing smelled really good so we were not going to interrupt.

As expected when two very good cooks were put in the same kitchen, Dinner tasted amazing, some sort of Goulash that heavily utilized spices.

Yamet was probably the one that had brought the spices.

After that I brought Ronan back to Oakleys tower,  also rather curious about whatever he found out.

We did do a little detour though as apparently Nea had decided to train her new Pet like a Dog, including the command to fetch things.

Well, things, she let it chase a rat carcass she had tied to some other poor Guard that had to run laps to avoid the little beast.

Not something anyone wanted to be involved in.

“Is she trying to train the Drake?”

“I think so, but i don't think she knows how to,  how did you know how to take care of Imugi?”

He shrugged.

“Fuck around find out really, Imugi was easy cuz she loved doing what i was doing, also i was the first thing Imugi saw when she hatched so i guess she imprinted on me? I'm not entirely sure she knew she was a sea creature for the first few months.

Also I gave her treats when she did good things. 

Maybe I can talk to the lady there later and see if I can help! 

I've never really seen a Drake this close! Or young!”

“You do that, 

i'm not entirely sure she won't tell the little guy to bite you though”

I Wouldn't put it past her to do that, Besides we had other stuff to do first.

So, Ignoring whatever torment Nea brought upon everyone else,  I knocked on the doorframe to Oakley tower, the Door itself still missing.

“Ah there you are! Come in! I accidentally melted the door anyway!”

I kept quiet about wondering how the fuck someone could melt a Door on accident.

“Did you find out more about the Blue bracelet? 

Does the water creature also have a name?”

Oakley wordlessly pointed at two chairs and told us to sit down, 

heaving the book he rummaged for earlier onto the table.

Flipping pages around he stopped on a depiction of the creature Ronan turned into, though the drawing on the old paper depicted spots Ronan did not have as well as a different tailfin and a more brownish coloration.

But it was still the same creature, the depiction surrounded by runes and letters that were absolute gibberish to me.

Oakley pointed at it.

“So from what I found out this is a Faraselgi,  and it's basically the same principle as for the Ardua just with a water element instead of an earth one, the rest is pretty much the same.

Well that far we got ourselves already.

“Anything else about it? Or is that all?”

I would have expected it to have at least a few more differences.

“Nope! Aside from the different creatures, which are really just based on environmental factors, it's pretty much the same!

What? Did you think the blue one got superpowers or something?”

Of course not, but after being able to turn into an Ardua I couldn't exactly know what to expect regarding those Bracelets.

“How much is the same? I mean I know about the two hearts thing, 

Is the rest also the same?”

Ronan asked, brow creasing as he tried to read the absolute mishmash of letters and runes, clearly not getting anything from that.

Oakley just nodded.

“Well yes, if you take aside the tailfin shorter hind legs and stupidly big paddle shaped grabbers it is very similar!

Oh also your thoracic vertebrates are longer,  so you sort of got a mock fin on your back, but it's technically bone”

There was the weird thing,  of course there had to have been at least one weird thing about it.

Well, weirder than it already was at least.

“So I got more bones? Awesome! Do they have a function too?”

Leave it to the biologist to find that exciting.

“I don't think so, maybe helps with balance,  don't go around trying to remove them”

A fair warning considering this was Ronan.

“Don't worry! I'm not gonna vivisect myself! 

Jamie and Imik would beat the shit out of me!”

That really shouldn't be his only concern here.

“Well then that's really all since you seem already familiar with it somehow! Just don't go around scaring people or you will find your head mounted to a wall someday!”

With that he picked up the book and shoved it back into his coat,  which shouldn't feasibly hold something that big.

“Hell yeah! Now I know what it's called! I'm gonna go tell the others! 

And Imugi! Imugi first! Before it gets dark! Byee!”

He rushed out the doorway,  well at least there would be a bit of daylight still.

“Does he know where he is going?”

“No i don't think so,  when i go back i'll inform someone to keep an eye out”

Eh, he'd be fine, he had a stupid amount of luck.

Besides, I did want to talk to Oakley a bit more.

My turn to say something that would throw him for a loop.

“I met your ex”

He spit out the tea he'd been sipping.

“What? Wait which one? 

Ah no considering where you were it can only be one”

Which one??? Dumbass, then again he was like what? Sixhundred?

It was likely he had more than one ex, or more than ten even.

“So, how is Grella doing? 

It's nice to hear she's still alive after all this time”

“She's kinda dying, just like magic,  but you knew that already didn't you?”

He stared into his mug.

“Kamerasca doesn't have any Ley lines, the closest one is where my old hut is, which is why I built it there, but yes, magic is dying.

I've noticed a long time ago,  but nobody I know could do anything about it. 

I can't do anything about it, and telling people brought nothing,  either rejoicing at the ‘evil’ becoming less or simply not caring considering it wasn't their problem.

The only ones that did care were the mages and wizards and the like,  I know a few Elemancers tried to figure out WHY it happened but when I got there they were dead already, stabbed in the back by someone that saw his magic as a curse rather than what it really was.

I debated telling you after I moved here,  but I didn't want to take your joy away so soon,  Besides, there is nothing you can do, and I didn't want to see anyone else get hurt trying to figure out what was going on with magic.

At first I even expected you guys to either not care or to actually care, and go off on some stupid mission to fix something that a mere human could never fix and die.

All the powerful and old magic users are either dead or somewhere in Valyria, which is very dangerous as is already, i bet even more died in the last two hundred years as most used magic to prolong their life.

But with magic dying all the old magic users will too, and Grella as well.

She's really the only one I feel sorry for.

How much time did she estimate?”

I stared at him, so he hadn't told me to not worry me,  but from what I gathered he would have told me eventually,  when it became relevant for me.

“She said about thirty years at most, she will die in less than twenty”

Oakley looked at his three fingered wing hand,  sadder than I had ever seen him.

“If i wasn't a coward i’d visit her, but alas i am just that”

“Why? She sounded like she still likes you, i don't think she’d hurt you”

He shook his head.

“No, i know she won't hurt me, we split because i could never really go dive into the depths with her, and the school i wanted to go to was a good bit inland, where she couldn't go, in the end our interests just didn't match anymore and we agreed both to call it off.

But there are things out there, that I made very angry,  people I made angry by obtaining what was considered forbidden knowledge.

If i were to go too far from Barmea and too close to Valyria again they would kill me, and they could make it permanent”

There was a lot I did not know about Oakley, but I knew he was not a bad person, why ever he had done it he would have had a reason to.

“So you're stuck on this continent? 

Wait, did you just live as a hermit for a few hundred years? 

No wonder you were so weird when we met you, you still are”

He puffed up indignantly.

“Well, social norms have changed a lot since I went into the forest! 

It's not my fault you humans can't stick with one thing!”

Well that was true.

“Fair, but I'm sure you could just have read up on it!”

He grinned, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

“Well i find the fuck around find out approach a lot more amusing! 

But if you insist I will head to the castle Library to get catched up now!

Also i need to get a new door, maybe i should do that first”

I looked at the doorway that let a cool breeze in.

“Yeah that has probably priority right now, well have fun repairing your door, i still need to say hi to Arthur, if i find him”

“Oh i think he fell asleep sorting paperwork!”

I nodded at Oakley and went back to the castle,  stopping briefly to grab the red blue and purple shell I had picked out for him, I did say I'd get him one.

Now I just had to find him.

Since every other hallway ended up in the throne room at one point or another that's where I went, and Rikaad and Robin were already there.

Rikaad stared with disdain at the needlessly pompous throne,  to be fair it did not look comfy at all.

“Hey! Have any of you seen Arthur? I did promise to bring him a shell"

I waved said shell in the air.

“I have not seen him, but he has to be around,  perhaps Norrin will know where-” Rikaad got interrupted by Arthur emerging from one of the side hallways.

“I hate the layout of this place! Oh you're all back!”

There was a Squeal and Robin rushed to hug the blonde, who had to hold a bunch of paper over his head to not get them scrunched up.

For some reason they had reddish brown stains in one corner.

Arthur nearly fell over if not for Rikaad grabbing his arm to keep steady.

Arthur awkwardly patted at Robin's messy head and I noticed that two of his fingers were in a splint.

“What happened to your fingers? Did Nea break them?”

Robin let go after that, inspecting said finger gently.

He did say before we left that he wouldn't doubt that Nea would do just that.

“Huh? Oh no i tried to grab at something that fell behind that longass drawer, kinda broke my finger when i slipped on paper”

Well, that still sounded painful.

But at least the next bit would probably cheer him up a little!

I handed Arthur the shell I had picked out for him, 

the blue, red and purple shimmering in the light.

“Here! I did say I'd get you a big one!”

He turned said shell over in his hand,  the thing being almost bigger as said hands.

“I didn't know seashells could have those colors! 

Thank you! OH! Also I have something as well!”

He held out the slightly stained paper, which I was now pretty sure was blood, and carefully took it, looking it over.

My face split in a grin as I read the title, 

It seemed like Rikaad had to rewrite a law pretty soon.

Man, I couldn't wait to write to Fable!

NEXT / PREVIOUS / OVERSIGHT

[coralhoneyrose]

4, 26, and 40!

Ayy! Thank you so much for sending these ^-^

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

Talking with fandom friends about aspects of the characters or pairing that make me feel insane is a big one! Revisiting fan fics I love (of chrobin or other pairings) can help get the brain cell going too, as does reading published fiction that has writing and characterization I really admire! I find settings can work well as a jumping off point for inspiration for me too, and sometimes I’ll look through photography of really beautiful places and scenery and daydream about what sort of romantic nonsense I’d like for chrobin to get up to there LOL

26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Ya know, I thought I answered this one in a previous ask, but upon looking at the phrasing, I realize now that it says *my* wildest ride, not *the* wildest ride, and that the question might actually be asking about my experience with creating it?  The answer is still probably PtLY though. The idea for that one arrived very suddenly and almost immediately consumed me once it did. It was originally supposed to be a lot less ambitious (like half the length, for one thing) but it kept growing new heads and suddenly it was like the only thing I'd been working on in almost two years. It also wound up getting a much more positive reception than I ever could have anticipated though, so that was a lovely surprise and one I'm still incredibly grateful for.

40. If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

Genuinely so happy I got this question multiple times and have an excuse to keep picking more scenes. I’d loveee to see fan art of chapter 9 of Half Orange, basically anywhere from the part where Chrom drags Robin out of the freezing river through when they’re talking together around the fire in the woods and are finally honest about their feelings for each other <3

[ofallplaceswhythis]

tcoptp thoughts pt.14

we got fluff and then got hit by the angst :D. And now that I have finished crying we can cry to more angst :D

james ily youre the biggest mood to exist

wolfstar is basically sirius flirting and remus not knowing how to react atp.

when i find walburga she wont even have a body to have a funeral

not tonya's letter, not jeremy, not anYTHING PLEASE STOP PLEAS

THEY TOLD EACH OTHER THIS IS NOT A DRILL uhfhuhshusdfih

tomny and tonya are so tragic i need a book series on them

please dont let that be the last time we see tomny

for all its worth, i kinda hate regulus rn.

and now that the titanic as sunk, ill go cry. Peace out V

AYY THE LONGBOTTOMS

hey jillian :) yea shut the fuck up who even thinks that

OHHHH SHIT HES IN THE WATER

ngl i legit cried when remus finally knew what he was. tears are coming out of my face.

snape is fucking wing manning?! wtf is happening 😭😭

when you get an opportunity to talk, fucking talk.

Sirius: Im not opening it what if its a bomb Remus: Its not a bomb just open it Remus: Remus: Nevermind, its a bomb

THEY FIGURED IT OUT!! kinda sad about the remus and his 'im empty' conversation but atleast they can talk it through <3

The 'we could pretend we kissed near the piano' conversation was so wholesome i need to read it again

God has given us mercy and now owes me atleast 2 chapters of fluff

Still gonna cry over Remus and his convo with his mum.

[gentillerascal]

Chapter 1 - Friend, my renegade

Hello, Vee here! Thanks for supporting this small story!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

The last customers have left the tailor shop. Jesperi slides the cloth beneath the needle of the porcelain white and worn-out sewing machine and leaves a neat, straight line. Just as he finishes the final portion of monotonous sewing, Jesperi hangs the shirt he made and relaxes on his favourite wooden chair from the previous century.

The bell rings.

To his surprise, it is Mari. She is a lady with fluffy hair spread all over her shoulders, a thick sweater and a tight skirt around her legs. Her face is carved out with some age, Jesperi hops out from his reclaimed throne, almost runs up to her and bows down at her.

“Hello Mari, you’re here for your jacket?” Jesperi turns to her.

“Yeah, I am here for my jacket! Is Esku still in Vandaal?” Mari, the old lady replies with a warm tone.

“Y-yeah, he is still there. He should be here any time soon, I think. So for the jacket adjustment, that should be… thirty-four legees,” Jesperi looks at his calculator.

“Alright, thank god you finished the jacket just in time because I wanted to upgrade my winter wardrobe and give it a good clean-up! You always do a great job fixing clothes and make it look like new!” Mari laughs a bit.

“I am glad I could help you with it! Do you need anything else here? Like, sit and relax, or-?” Jesperi asks, tilting his head to the seats.

“Thanks, kiddo. Besides, I am feeling a bit tired. A lot of office work needed to be fixed today,” Mari sighs.

Jesperi always offers Mari a free cup of tea. He had learnt this habit from Esku. When Esku’s friends come over, Jesperi dashes to the kitchen, cooks tea in a small metal kettle and tears open the sugary sesame crackers. Just as Jesperi returns, the bell rings above his head.

“Hello, rva Valko, hello Kärki," the middle-aged and well-dressed man cheers with his hat.

“Hello, hra Alonen, how can I help you?” Jesperi grins.

“Uhm, I’d like to have my summer vest fixed.”

“Alright, I see it has a…”

“A popped seam,” the man awkwardly smiles.

“A popped seam… I could fix that tomorrow,” Jesperi rambles,”-I just have a lot of people on my list. You can get it back tomorrow if I am making a correct assumption… That would make twenty legees, thank you!”

“Sure, thanks! You are incredibly reliable. You and your father are always there when I need you!”

The old-school cabinet slides shut when Jesperi gently pushes it with his hip. He unravels his meter and starts to make different calculations on other pieces of patchwork. Torn zipper, popped seam on jeans, popped seam on a shirt, size adjustment for a jacket… the rack always keeps filling up from the other end!

It has been an hour and Mari still melts in her favourite seat when the bell rings again. Jesperi jumps up from his familiar voice.

“Jessi! I am here!” Matias jumps in.

“Whoa!” Jesperi hops up. “Ayy, Matias! How did your May trip go?”

“It went south, let’s say,” Matias coughs. “In Iverens, my dad argued with my uncle, and my other uncle got caught smoking a whole pack of cigs even if he promised my aunt he wouldn’t do that again. Oh, and most of us got food poisoning, including my dad, I didn’t get that.”

“Fair ‘nuff! That’s why you returned earlier with your father, didn’t you?”

“Yup! Besides, my arguing uncle got annoyed at me for the rest of the trip after I decided to burn a few Rinean rockets in the backyard. Kinda ruined their flowerbed,” Matias scoffs.

“Right… so, what does bring you here?”

“Eh, just a quick chat. Is your daddy here yet?”

“Nah, he should be here in about forty minutes. Wanna come over for dinner?”

“Sure, my daddy is kinda busy in the capital region. At some damn seminar, as per fricken’ usual.”

As the boys exchange their talk, Mari and hra Alonen look at them. Mari scrunches up her face and Alonen just stands and looks at the clothes. Matias rushes to the opposite side of the workshop. Wooden cupboards slam open around the small section of the kitchen, as Jesperi tilts backwards to gain a glimpse of the view in the half-opened door.

“Uhm, what on Earth are you doing there?” Jesperi leans over.

“Oh, I just tried to look for something to eat,” Matias’ voice booms from the kitchen.

Hra Alonen leaves, and Mari stares through the magazine, fully focusing on Jesperi and Matias. Matias has already found some sweet bread as he rustles with the plastic bag and grabs a few slices of bread that have a dark crust, but the inside is cream coffee-coloured. Jesperi scoffs and reclines against the wall.

“Seriously, are you gonna eat that bread? You know you should not be eating that during the evenings. I will make some rice and vegetables,” Jesperi mumbles.

“I know. It’s just too good to be true. My dad always buys some sugary white bread from Western countries, thinking it’s tasty… I never have anything proper food to eat at home,” Matias whines.

“Okay, okay… I will go back and return to working on the commissions. Just wait a bit before my dad comes!”

Jesperi calculates each move of the needle and then slowly stamps down the final line with the sewing machine. The foot makes a slow movement, like a cat’s paw that hunts down a mouse. A rapid run and ruin the untouched, rare textile. Hence, he feeds the cloth and slowly steers it, especially at the corners. Only the confident route is the perfect place to speed up.

The light from the sewing machine turns off once Jesperi is done, and the bell rings again.Esku drops a few heavy bags of textiles, decorations and other things as Jesperi already pulls in the bag and starts to sort it out.

“Hey dad! Do I sort these out?” Jesperi grins.

“Uhuh, just this bag,” Esku nods. “These are recycled, so we can use them for our projects or as a material to fix our clothes. These bags have textiles that we’ll use for creating new props for the local school!”

“Got it! Mari came here and wanted to talk to you,” Jesperi leans over to the lounge.

“I see,” Esku wanders off, “Hello Mari! How did your summer holiday start?”

“Oh, I just came down here, got bored at my home. Have you heard…”

Jesperi turns away for a moment to give both people a chance to have a private conversation as he weasels out from his seat and walks into the kitchen. The kettle is already shaking on the gas stove, trying to contain the steam and pressure rattling it. Matias twirls the tea bag inside the mug, his eyes averted from the busy scenery of the small kitchen.

“Uuuuh, Matias… are you okay?” Jesperi takes the chance to peek into the kitchen.

“Yeah… MORE THAN OKAY!!” Matias shouts.

Matias hops up, spreads his knees and spreads his arms open in an exaggerated pose. His grin curls more, as if he has so much happiness in him to share it with Jesperi.

“Y’know, that there was a tool that was used to rebuild certain things!? Like-” Jesperi peeks over.

Matias wipes the menu on a tiny blackboard, and carves in a sketch of a ring-like thing in the middle of it, with prominent shapes and intricate designs, such as thing vines and dots along them.

“See those things!?” Matias shoves the tiny blackboard. “For years I thought those were legends, until just now I actually saw one at the antique store this April!!”

“Didn’t you get your butt kicked out from there?” Jesperi looks back and forth between Matias and the board.

“I- Listen, I know this sounds cray, but I just- Well… It’s just… I remember you had it, right?”

A cold chill runs down Jesperi’s spine and shins. His eyes fixate on the wavering sketch. Where in the heavens did that guy get the idea of that bracelet!? Jesperi puts down the chalkboard and gathers his thoughts.

“I’d rather not talk about this,” he calmly replies.

“Eh? Why is that so, gotta problem?” Matias sneers.

“I don’t like talking about my past. You know I have a problem with my family.”

“Well, as a dude with family issues as well I can guess, but uhm…”

Jesperi draws a gap between Matias and the doorway as he starts to sort out the textile pieces Esku had dragged in. Matias looms over the table, staring at each rare-looking piece. He looks at each piece of rag that glistens under the dim light. Twisted flower vines with tiny rhinestones, thin and intricate details, delicate drawings and different designs from other countries show how expensive material was wasted for nothing.

“Wanna help with these? I'll pay you modestly…” Esku grins at Matias.

“Oh, sure, sure,” Matias nods.

Small mountains of textiles grow on each side. Matias throws in a few more pieces, then folds bigger pieces. In a few minutes, the table turns into a small colony of mountains at the borders. Esku measures and pops some textures by pulling by the edges. Perfect, Esku thinks to himself, these should fit his upcoming project.

Jesperi stirs the rice. He pushes it back and forth, scatters bright powdery spice all over the hot pan. He drops poultry meat, sweet bell peppers, corn and peas into the pan, and gives it a nice spin again.

“Is everything okay there?” Esku wades inside the small kitchen.

“Yeah, just cooking…” Jesperi shrugs.

“Okay, tell Matias to set up the table. Dinner will start soon!” Esku nods.

As Jesperi cooks, the bell rings another time. When Jesperi steps out of the secluded kitchen, he freezes. The blood boils in his veins again at the sight of a familiar silhouette. Thin shorts, striped shirt with tight socks and obviously oversized outdoors sandals. That's Saku for you!

“Hello. How may I help you?” Jesperi tries to balance his poker face and the plastered grin.

“Matias asked me to come over to chill.” Saku grins back.

“He is currently busy. Come another time, if you please.” Jesperi twists Saku's direction back to the door.

“Actually, I am done with the sorting!” Matias pops out from lounge, “It's a please to see you!”

“Huh? Since when you two were buddies!?”

“Eh, I wanted to give this bastard a chance to redeem himself,” Saku brings Matias closer to his shoulder.

Jesperi still doesn't shift his eyes off Saku. His sneering doesn't stop. Eventually, Saku gently guides Matias to the stairs to the apartment upstairs, forcing Jesperi to pull the duo back down.

“That's an off-limit zone!!” Jesperi speaks out with a louder tone.

“Ouch, strong hands,” Matias groans from that painful grip, “Come on, I just need to talk about the past with my best friend, Saku, right!?”

“Then… you may talk about it in my room. That'll offer you some privacy. Okay?”

The guys still shove Jesperi away. The young man retreats to the kitchen, checks on the rice. Letting it stay under a lid in a warm pan, Jesperi scavenges the vegetable net. He starts to shred the cabbage. Many years ago, Saku was Matias’ eyesore. And Matias was a target of daily abusive endurances for Saku. How come they became friends so fast!?

Still to this day, Jesperi is unable to wipe out that frame, the very scene from his mind. He had recently arrived to the town. Matias was his only friend at the time alongside a few adults. Matias was well-known at the school. He had a lot of friends, but also enemies. Saku and Matias never found the same way to communicate or act.

Jesperi remembers, how Matias beat up Saku by the end of the seventh grade. Matias was able to tackle down that pudgy dude, jam his foot into Saku's ribs and them give Saku a few blows to the face. All because Matias’ phone disappeared that day.

“Something's not alright,” Jesperi ponders to himself.

Shufling runs around from the story above. Jesperi looks up at the stairs, still wearing his hand-made apron. He leans over the steps, relying on the handrails to support his scrawny looks.

“AHEM!! IF YOU WON'T TELL ME WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE, I WILL-,” Jesperi yelps at the duo upstairs.

The ballroom of the furniture pauses for a long minute. After even longer pause, Matias comes halfway down at the staircase.

“What?” he grumbles, “Aren't we allowed to talk for a few minutes and set up your room into a conversta-”

“Nuh-uh! My room shouldn't be re-arranged and you know I hate it when my dad rummages there too without my permission!” Jesperi yells.

“Okay, chill, bro!” Matias backs up and whispers at Saku, “Alright, dude, we need to be more private, he might hear everything!”

Jesperi doesn't think much about Matias and whatever his whispering has. Probably something about his relationship with Saku, Jesperi thinks to himself. He keeps shredding the cabbage. Esku walks into the kitchen.

“You sure everything is okay? I mean, you let your friend bring in that guy… who was a nuisance to all of us in a way?” Esku mumbles.

“I don't know myself. Matias is my only best friend and I know him well, I don't think they do anything suspicious… or I do think so,” Jesperi sighs.

Minutes later, Jesperi is setting the table up as he hears the bed and the bedside table creak against the wooden floor again.

“Jumalauta. Again!?” Jesperi scoffs again.

“You said Matias entered the off-limits with Saku, didn't you?” Esku suspiciously stares at the ceiling.

“I did? I let them both have a private conversation in my room!”

“Oh dear… I should have not let them go upstairs. One of my friends who works at the garage told me that Saku tried to shoplift his products a few times!”

Jesperi's heart sinks into his stomach. He rushes upstairs, not even caring about stomping his feet against the wooden steps. At that moment, Saku tumbles down the stairs. Esku's uninterrupted gaze holds Saku against the wallpaper of the store before the young boy dashes out of the store. Matias’ calculated steps remain unheard before Esku turns his head at him.

“You could have gone to the coffee room for a quick chat, you know?” Esku mumbles.

“I know. I just… felt like his room would be more…” Matias blurts out some words.

The round table is silent. Jesperi scoops up the rice with flower-embroidered utensils on a gold-decorated plate. Matias pokes his dish with the knife. Esku keeps taking small bites of warm food. Matias grabs the toasted bread, and dips it in the oil, and tears the crust of it, ignoring the grainy, bubbly meat in it. Esku lowers his utensil, brushes his lips with the napkin and waits for the perfect window of time to drop the question.

“So, what were you doing upstairs while I was making the clothes?” Esku sighs.

“Nothing special. Just talking to Saku,” Maties doesn’t bother to look up.

“But,” Esku sips on the water, “You clearly had a tough relationship with Saku before, right?”

“Yeah. But we talked about it. Thanks for the meal, tho,” Matias smirks.

Matias shoves a few more forkfuls of the dish inside of his mouth, swings on his vest and runs off outside. Esku shakes his head and pinches his face.

“He ate only half of his dish. Poor kid, sometimes he worries me, but at times his keeping running away angers me,” Esku grabs the plate, “Guess I will have to throw away the remains in the trash bin.”

Jesperi finishes his meal too, and gets up. He pushes himself up the stairs. Once he pushes the door of his room, he enters a messy sight. The curtains are closed and partially torn. The clothes on a shelf were thrown into thousands of puddles to avoid. The chest of drawers is turned into a tiny staircase, each tiny segment shuffled into a new disorder. The carpet is tossed aside into a small valley at the table. Even the items, that were neatly placed are scattered across the table.

Jesperi’s knees weaken at the sight of the box being open. It is wide open, with soft, textured fur unravelled. Where is that item Jesperi hid from the privy eyes of other people? His heart is thumping loudly inside of his ribcage. With each chilly wave, breathing starts to cease. His limbs drop down onto the floor. For a moment, a tight and bitter clump swells inside his constricted throat.

“I trusted him…” Jesperi whispers to himself.

Jesperi doesn’t even see the change of light by his side. Esku creeps behind his son, and rubs his back, and hugs Jesperi close to him.

“Jessi… Did he steal your bracelet?” Esku whispers.

“He did. I thought… he’d never do this to me. I thought I was his best friend,” Jesperi cries out.

…

The record still keeps replaying from the same moment, just as the thought of Matias and Saku snatching away a major part of Jesperi keeps Jesperi awake. He wants to punch the wall, either shout out in the middle of a silent night or laugh and cry. Instead, he remains in the cool bed, encased in a tastefully decorated blanket with thousands of different-coloured threads.

But he isn’t letting go as easily. Probably there is time for him to steal back the bracelet. Often, while Matias’ dad is gone, Matias prepares a party for everyone to come. And oddly enough, Matias didn’t bother inviting Jesperi to his tiny “tea” party. Jesperi kicks the blanket at the opposite side of the bed, and looks around his dark room, as cerulean blue wallpaper is washed down into a morbid tree forest. Jesperi pulls on a warmer shirt, a vest, more thicker jeans and thick, slightly irregular hand-made arm warmers.

He sits on the railing, softly slides and intercepts the cold floor with his toes. He softly crawls to the door, turns off the security system, and then pulls off the chain lock. He extends his arm to the bell above the door, allowing the clapper to sit on his soft paw pad, unhinges the bell with a swift twist, and then places it on the desk at the table and locks the door. The outside weather didn’t turn out to be as cold. The trees outside don’t wave at him, the apartments at the round park have only a few windows that glow bright yellow or white. Jesperi grabs his broom and kicks off, flying off into the darkness.

“Alright, Matias, you better have a place for an uninvited guest like me!” Jesperi sneers to himself.

Across more apartments and the tiny forest surrounding the suburbs, then the sports park, and through the fields, Jesperi zips with his magical broom. At the big mansion, encased in dark and textured stone, Jesperi crawls behind the shrubs. One window shines so bright with the yellow light, spreading across the intricate botanical garden by the mansion. Flowers and trees of all kinds stay still as if a sinister force is awaiting inside the castle-like house. Light music is humming from the inside and the laughter clatters inside the house.

Jesperi circles the house. Not even the tiniest gap to slip through! The young man attempts to lift the hefty window. As he tries to pry it open, each push slides the heavy wooden box-like contraption and threatens Jesperi by falling over at any moment. Just a small gap of only three djumes. Jesperi groans and hides under the window. He decides to tap on the window.

Tap.

Tap.

In a few seconds, someone pulls the window open.

“Hmm, just a branch,” a deep voice booms from above.

“Yo Henri, get yo ass here, we’re about to play shacker,” another voice rackets much further inside the big house.

Seemingly, whoever opened the window foolishly let the window fully open. Jesperi latches onto the cold and prickly windowsill, throws himself in and plops his feet onto the carpet. And he immediately greets a sunken face. Eyes are wide open, staring across the enriched room with a chandelier and dozens of heavy bookshelves, rich with books of all tastes. Jesperi backs up slowly. Even in the dark, the features are uniquely carved out with time, the man lying in a heavily decorated armchair. His clammy skin has barely any pulse in it, but the breathing sizzles at his tiny nostrils. Jesperi just sighs.

“Poor Uncle Tommy,” Jesperi groans.

The kitchen is now racketing with the laughter and the upbeat music. Upon a closer look, a group of men are encircled around the table, smoking repugnant cigarettes, clumsily spilling wheat beverages over crystal glasses and fanning their cards.

“Alright, setting two,” one guy smirks, fixing his cigarette.

“Psht, coward, I do ya better, raisin’ four,” another man slaps the cards onto the velvet tablecloth and sneers back.

“Erm, does anyone have the ‘woody’, guys?” the third guy groans.

“Alright, I’ll give ye my raise for that,” the youngest guy replies, sipping on the beverage.

And suddenly, one of the guys pulls the chair down as the young guy settles down. As he falls his ass over the kettle, the whole table erupts into the laughter. Matias smacks onto the back of the human guy who pranked the young boy and chuckles.

“Good one, Roba!” Matias cackles.

“Uhm, is it me or does ‘one stalk us here?” one of the guys nervously chuckles, shaking his head left and right.

“Nah, it’s just yer always drunk as fuck!” the guy with the deep voice laughs back.

“No worries, I knocked out Tommy with some pills. That asshat was always a worthless moron, thinking he can jus’ snitch on me!” Matias boasts proudly, “Anyways, raising five, along with this thing.”

“Indeed, he is just as grating as that bastard Jessi!” another guy screams.

“AHAHAHAHAA- Yeah, I hate him, he always wants to share, but never brings any use to us!” one guy yelps.

Matias slams the cards, a few legees and the copper bracelet, with intricate and thin patterns between two shackles. Small chains swing as Matias places them in the middle of the table. For one second, Jesperi was so close to running inside the kitchen, yet he decided to steer clear from the no man's zone of a hallway.

“Damn, so close!” Jesperi grumbles to himself.

And soon, the light lingers across the walls of the small library where Jesperi hides. The chairs creak.

“Oh, there he is!” one of the guys yells.

Jesperi’s fur sticks up. He hides behind the tall door. His heart is running at the highest speed possible. Yet, the main door glides open. All of the guys are outside, giggling and joking. Jesperi places his hands on his forehead when he stares out of the window. A large vehicle with many bags balancing it decides to take a small nap by the mossy bed of the forest. The same half dozen settles by the tall, muscular man. They cling to him, lean and push him around, throwing random drunken gags. One guy starts to unload the bags with him, another sits on the large, heavy craft.

“Yo, you got any more beer here?” the lanky guy pulls the bags.

“Uh? Yeah, I am not coming empty-handed!” the tall guy replies.

Jesperi uses this open window of time, this wide-open kitchen with no one sitting in it. This is a time of risk for someone to grab Jesperi by his scruff and beat him. He hops inside the kitchen, and grabs the bracelet. He allows the shine to glide along the clean metal. Tiny crystal sparks a bit, and tiny lines scatter across in a pulse. The young man pulls the bracelet across his arm to his bicep. The tiny crystal sparks a bit again.

“Got it back, good,” Jesperi sighs with relaxation.

So, he peeks out of the door as he sees the tall guy again. The vest is tight around his scrawny, but slightly muscular body. His face has a scar running across his cheek and lip. Long hair is picked up into a small pinsel at the end of his head. His fur is coarse and at parts splotched from the oil and grease. Jesperi freezes. What will that korsto do next!?

“Virgil?” Jesperi squeaks.

Instead, that man points to the room behind Jesperi. Virgil shoves Jesperi into the library room again and closes the door. At that moment, the heels of the shoes clatter against the wooden planks and move around before the steps move closer to the kitchen. The silence grows louder than the laughter before.

“Alright, which one of your dickheads took the crown!?” Matias shouts.

“Well, not me, fucking moron!!” a different voice shrieks back.

“Oh really!?” Matias mumbles, “You ought to tell me what you have as a problem!?”

A loud thud scatters across the mansion, followed by dozens of thunderous slamming and creaking. A shrill roar lasts for a few seconds before an exploding bang.

“You thievin’ bastard, Saku!” Matias roars, “I should have known not to be friends with you, you damn thief!”

Jesperi turns around and dashes the windowsill. Just as his fingers grasp the wooden plank, a loud moan catches his attention.

“Aaaaah! Aaaaah,” the old man stands.

Somehow, the thin man is on his feet. He can fall over at any moment, and his weak knees are already trembling from holding up such little weight on them. Man’s body finger accusingly points to Jesperi’s face, who instead is about to scream at the pale, ghastly man.

“Urgh! Is that old man awake?” Matias mumbles angrily behind the door.

The door’s handle slams against the bald spot on the yellow wallpaper. Jesperi now focuses on the long streak of light following up to his feet. As if the light is holding him on the spot, Jesperi stands on spot to evaluate each tough-looking, drunken and wrathful man at the door. Matias doesn’t say anything. He rushes towards Jesperi, holding up a wide knife.

“GET BACK HERE!!” Matias yowls.

Quick silvery dashes cut through the cold air. Jesperi jumps out of the window, but he feels nothing to land on. For a moment, he flies down, before he feels a strong tug around his wrists. His arm warmers have unravelled into long ladder-like contraptions with irregular steps and dozens of more lines connected around his hands. He has just enough minutes to catch a quick breath before the strings lower him to the soft, mossy carpet, and then tangle around his wrists again. Jesperi runs into the deeper portion of the thin trees.

Jesperi’s eyes cannot catch a glimpse of the broom. Voices are already creeping behind his back and Jesperi keeps running. Around the familiar area, he lifts the thick branch, hops on it and flies off.

…

Jesperi is looking down at the buildings below him. He is right above the rows of apartments, as he lands at the redbricked house. Two stories, with a small attic. Dark blue roof, and intricate decorations at the edges of the almost round house. Jesperi sees light creep out of the store. He comes closer as the bell awakens his half-torpor state.

“Damn it!” he whispers.

“Indeed ‘Damn it’,” Esku echoes, “Where the hell you’ve been?”

“Uuuuh…. dad?” Jesperi now speaks in a normal voice.

“What were you doing, you almost scared me to death,” Esku cries out.

“I just… stole this… bracelet?”

Notes:

Rouva, rva. - Ma'am, Mrs. Herra, hra. - Sir, Mr. Legees - Currency in this universe, inspired by lyres and euros Rinean rockets - You know these red firecrackers from China? These rockets are the counterpart of this universe! Jumalauta - Goddamn, goddamn it Djume - About five centimeters, about two inches Korsto - Big, strong, threatening guy Crown - A nickname for these bracelets

[juliaswickcrs]

SNAKES IN THE GRASS :: CHAPTER UPDATE      ↳ the maiden in the tower

It had been his first glance at the Princess Leila since they’d shoved her away, and she looked nothing like the regal woman he’d met after the tourney, nor the Queen who’d practically defied King Viserys in one breath.

Her skin was pale, with no sun to illuminate the bronze glow she once had, and her thick dark tresses hung limply around her shoulders, not even being held back with a tie. Her doe-eyed look remained the same, yet they were ringed in purple and red. 

She had not changed from the magenta traveling attire, and it seemed she was the only spot of color in a dull, lifeless room.

Behind the Princess lay a window no bigger than her bracelet and no wider than the thinnest part of his sword. 

It was the only window in the entire room, yet it created a halo behind the Princess as she met her guard’s gaze. 

Criston nearly stumbled back before the door shut behind the handmaiden. 

FFN // WATTPAD ( COMING SOON )

tag list: @bisexualterror @foxesandmagic @booty-boggins @iron-parkr @jvstjewels @camiemendes @a-song-of-quill-and-feather @arrthurpendragon @villain-connoisseur @starcrossedjedis @drbobbimorse @noratilney @stanshollaand @kingsmakers @elmunson @darth-caillic @mystic-scripture @lizziesxltzmxn @misshiraeth98 @chrissymunson​ @asirensrage

[prettiestb4byd0ll]

Beauty & The Seven Foot Frame

Villain!Bruno X Reader

Masterlist!

Chapter Four

In case you missed chap three

CHAPTER FIVE OUT NOW!

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•

The next morning y/n got up before the younger girls and went to leave isabela’s room but as y/n opened the door there was a box with y/n’s clothes and toiletries, y/n picked up the box and walked back into isa’s room and changed behind the privacy curtain into the clothes she was given, she put on a off white off the shoulder ruffle blouse and a dusty green skirt and her shoes from yesterday.

After y/n got dressed, she walked to the kitchen, where alma, felix, julieta and luisa made breakfast for everyone “good morning, is there anything I could do to help out?” y/n asked as they all replied good morning.

“You could help felix make eggs for everyone” alma said as she kept luisa busy while julieta cooked, y/n nodded and walked and helped felix with the eggs. Slowly everyone got up and made they’re way to the table. Once y/n got her food and a cup of coffee/tea she sat down with augustin on her right and an empty seat on her left.

Y/n noticed bruno walking to the table with a plate of food and a cup of coffee in his hands, bruno had sat down on y/n’s left, that made y/n freeze for a second before relaxing. Abula stood up and started her speech about welcoming y/n into the family. It was going fine till Alma said at the end of her speech “and may you two give this family lots of grandchildren!” 

Bruno spat out his coffee while y/n felt red with embarrassment “mama!” pepa and julieta said to alma.

After a embarrassing breakfast the family made their way into town to help out the community, y/n walked to her family’s bakery where y/n’s older brother alejandro made conchas and veronica worked the cash register “ayy look who’s back mrs madrigal” fernando, alejandro’s twin said as he walked out of the bakery’s storage room “hello” y/n greeted her siblings and walked up to the checkout counter where veronica waited eagerly for her younger sister.

“So tell me how was the first night?” Veronica leaned over the counter more

“Rough I guess?”  y/n replied 

“GROSS” alejandro gagged

“EWW WE DIDN’T NEED TO KNOW THAT!” Fernando yelled as he walked over to Alejandro who still gagged.

“I WASN'T REFERRING TO THAT!” y/n yelled as Veronica smirked back at her “this is the second uncomfortable conversation i’ve had today, first mrs madri- I mean mama alma made a big speech today at breakfast and don’t get me wrong it was nice and all but the end! She said she hope’s me and Bruno will bring the family lots of grandchildren!” The other Rivera siblings started laughing as y/n explained Alma's speech.

“Ohh good luck sis!” alejandro said as he wiped his tears from laughing so hard

“Ok you two get back to work, y/n follow me, fernando work the register!” Veronica told her brother as she led y/n to the storage room. “So how was the first night with him?” Veronica sat down on an upside down crate, y/n doing the same “like i said rough, we didn’t even sleep in the same room V, I spent the night in his niece’s room!” y/n put her face in her hands.

“Maybe you two just need to get used to each other,” Veronica suggested to y/n.

After y/n helped out her family at the bakery she headed back to the house, as y/n walked to the house she noticed a big thunder cloud over the house, it slowly got bigger as y/n approached

Once y/n got to the front doors, she heard pepa, julieta, bruno and alma arguing, “YOU HAVE A WIFE NOW BRUNO!” “YOU DON’T NEED TO TELL ME, I ALREADY KNOW”

“YOU MADE HER SLEEP IN ISABELA’S ROOM…ISA’S ROOM!” Pepa yelled at bruno.

Y/n finally walked in the house which made the four of them look over at her. “Mija, why don’t you go and unpack your things, their already in brunito’s room” alma suggested to y/n who nodded and made her way towards bruno’s tower “oh and after you finish get ready for dinner” y/n nodded at alma and continued her way to bruno’s tower.

Once y/n had found Bruno's little bedroom, it was nice and simple. He only had a dresser, king size bed, two bedside tables, one on each side of the big bed.

y/n had walked over to bruno’s dresser and folded and put away her clothes, while y/n unpacked she took notice of bruno’s lack of clothes in the drawers.

“Does he not have any other clothes other than his ruana and his shirt and pants?”  

Y/n snapped out her thoughts when she heard a knock on Bruno's door “come in?” y/n got up from the floor and dusted off her skirt, pepa’s head popped in the doorway “mama said to come and get you, dinner is ready!” y/n smiled and walked over to the door where a very smiley pepa stood “your very smiley!” y/n pointed out “I have an announcement to make” pepa giggled.

After everyone sat down at the table both pepa and felix stood up at the same time. That caused julieta to gasp and get up to hug both felix and pepa. “I’m confused?” Augustin said, which made Alma agree with him.

“Did we miss something?” Bruno asked the still hugging sisters, “Well me and Felix were going to announce that we are having another baby!” The room went quiet before everyone started cheering “I’m gonna be an older sister!” Dolores cheered as Isabela hugged her.

“Hopefully that’ll be you and my brunito next time” alma whispered to y/n who stood still in shock.

“y/n are you alright, you look like you saw a ghost?” julieta asked y/n as everyone sat back down to actually at this time “uh..yeah i’m fine” y/n gave a smile and a nod to julieta.

“Oh boy!”

Taglist ��: @elfwoodfae @rhys-cosmos

A/N: Lets pretend he has an actual functional part of his room for this story!

[theblogofdurin]

Cloaked in Green || Part. 2 || Chp.15: Bloodlines

word count: 2.01

summary: flashbacks and dislocated joints work different in middle-earth

warning(s): 18+ mature language,

a/n: First chapter into desolation of smaug, this chapter is full of information and memories, so I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to give this a like and comment, so that way I know that people are actually interested in Aranea and Thorin story :) THANK YOU AND BLESS YOU!

Links here: chp.14, series masterlist, readers guide

------------

"Papa!"

Little voices matched little legs as the two young twins ran to greet their father, dropping their stick weaponry as they barreled into his waiting arms. Their disheveled mother behind them, smiling as she watched her husband bent down to catch the wiggling worms. "Ayy, you two haven't been giving your poor mother any trouble."

Nodding and shaking their heads, the little ones denied any misfit. "We were good, Da" the little boy gave a toothy grin, "Angels" added the girl giving the same grin, causing their Dad to let out a boisterous laugh. "And why don't I believe that?"

"Arathorn" the woman smiled as she walked over to the giggling trio. Reaching up between the two toddlers as she placed her hands on either of husband's cheeks, before planting a kiss on his lips.

"Ewww" the children groaned as they wiggled in their father's arms, finally getting their father to set them down, the duo went running back into the makeshift Village that several Ranger's of the North called 'Home.'

"Little monsters." Arathorn murmured as he went to draw his wife nearer. "But yet, still they're-"

"Perfect" Gilraen murmured back as she kissed the corner of his mouth. "Aye, yes" he agreed. "Like you" he spoke before wrapping his lips around hers.

"Arathorn~" she groaned as they both pulled away. "I missed you my love."

"And I, you" he sighed back, leaning back to look above his small wife. "I expect everything to have gone smoothly while I was away?"

Nodding, the couple moved to follow in the direction of their children. "Yes, everyone's quite alright, let's get some food in ya and I'll tell ya of the twins' latest adventures."

"Oh, lovely"

However, I couldn’t break the others' joyous mood, quite yet. Oin and Gloin were chatting and talking to themselves and others about the various prophecies and omens that have come about, predicting the reclaimship of Erebor.

Getting down a rocky cliff like the Carrock is difficult enough as it is… but getting down with only one arm doesn't send shooting pains whenever I put the tiniest of weight on it is even harder.

Once we finally got on solid ground, Gandalf had suggested making camp early as the Eagles had traveled the company far enough east, so they all might get enough rest before continuing their journey.

I both cheered and sighed as Thorin was quick to agree to the idea of camp. Moving about a mile past the Carrock, we found a nice overhead rock that would suffice well against any potential weather.

"Bifur, Nori, Gloin gather the logs, the rest of us for now will make do with the packs." Thorin ordered as everyone began doing the respected tasks in setting up the camp.

Setting my pack down to be equaled out with the others, I moved to sit on the far end of the rock overhang next to Gandalf. Letting out a small huff as I straightened the clasp on my cloak. It was now that Oin and some of the others noticed my discomfort.

Walking over to me, Oin became his assessment. "Are you hurt, Aranea?" He asked gently "I believe my shoulder is out. " I sighed gesturing to my left arm "I was going to wait till we made camp"

"Yup, I'll need to umm-" he gestured at my cloak causing me to let out a laugh. Oin

"Nonsense, you should have told me, let me see." he lightly pressed his fingers into the area, before I flinched, maybe to loudly causing a few more to look over.

"Don't tell me you have never seen a woman without a cloak, Master Oin." I teased lightly as I gripped the seven pointed star on my chest unfastening it. A few of the dwarfs let out small laughs as the doctor only shook his head, chuckling at his own dismay.

"Nay, mistress, I only meant to show you some modesty. " I smiled kindly at him as I set my green wool companion to my side, the rough fabric hid me away the most; as my tunic and vest did very little to hide my more feminine outline.

However, Oin continued to extend my arm out slightly before he moved it closer to my chest, moving my gaze to glance at him. I asked him, "Something the matter?"

Looking over his shoulder, I could see both Thorin and Dwalin murmuring to themselves as they watched Oin and I. The wrinkle in-between Thorin's eye was more prominent than ever.

"Aye, I never seen such biceps on a woman before." He spoke slightly shocked and amazed, causing me to let out a laugh.

"Ah yes, most certainly a popped joint." Oin murmured as he gently probbed the area, before he unfolded my weak arm from my chest, I assume in preparation to 'pop it' back into its original place.

And he jammed my shoulder back into its socket with a loud crack, causing a loud curse to escape my lips.

“Ah yes, Aragorn had claimed it as his ‘rightful own’ and claimed Aranea as his second and together they protected the stump from every butterfly and leaf that came their way.” They both laughed heartily as Gilrean moved to sit in her husband's lap.

“Battle of the tree stump?!” Arathorn laughed as Gilraen giggled, pouring him another cup of ale. The couple sat outside of the small leanway cabin where their two children snored inside.

"Ah, a natural duo they make." Arathorn shook his head, smiling. "Barely walking and talking and already they are preparing for battle." His wife however shivered slightly in his hold.

"It's alright my love, they are only babes now. It's only for fun."

"I know, it's just-" Gilrean waved a shaky hand, before she began to fiddled with the collar of his shirt. "Aranea, " Arathorn interrupted, "I know, I hate the thought of such a thing as much as you." Arathorn rubbed his wife's back as he tried to reassure both her and himself.

"Element of surprise?!" I groaned out, "-fucking hell" I heard several members of the company let out surpised laughs.

"But if she is to survive this life, she will need to know how to fight well enough to win." He heaved a breath as the couple's foreheads met.

"See, the element of surprise always helps."

"Yes, either way the pain should be gone in an hour or so and the tenderness should be gone in the following days." Nodding, I thanked the dwarf immensely.

"No problem, lass." He grinned "how did this happen?" He suddenly asked "I never noticed till you sat down."

Grinning, I shrugged my other shoulder, "Ori is a lot heavier than he looks." Causing nearly everyone to burst out in laughter. The named dwarf only blushed.

Soon Bofur, Dwalin and a few others were teasing the poor boy as he stumbled over comebacks against them.

Barely glancing, I noticed Balin was now talking to Thorin, both their backs turned as Balin whispered and gestured with his hands, Thorin head nodded ever so often, causing the braids in the back of head to swing with the motion.

The said braids had silver strands woven into their raven black bundles. Adding a sort of depth to the waves in their owners hair. Normally I never liked grey or white hair on a man…but Thorin’s silver hair makes my mind muddled.

I was staring, I know I was.

Snapping out of the daze I had fallen in, I leaned over to grab my cloak, bow and quiver. I silently moved and made my way back in the woods as I have done many times before today, undetected. I quickly scouted the area for Orc tracks and signs before I started searching for game signs as I entered.

A few rabbits later, I started my way to the company, however stopping to forage at a grove of wild button mushrooms and also at a few mulberry trees. Using my cloak to gather the foraged goods, I used the same spare piece of rope as last time to string the rabbits.

My arm was still slightly tender as I used it to lift the small bundle of goods, holding it close to my chest to help the tension. As I held onto the rope with the other. I was quickly moved back to the others.

"I am almost certain of it, Thorin…" the advisor spoke as quietly as he could so no one could hear them. "The look in her eye when I walked onto the rock was undeniable."

But how can he let himself act on these emotions, even if she felt the connection. He's the king of his people and his people don't have a homeland. How can he be happy when they are not.

"I know that look in your eye laddie, and I can only tell you to stop it." Balin grumbled, Thorin shocked, turned to look back at him. "It's your one, she is your one." He stressed "No one will blame you for securing your relationship with her on this journey."

Even more emotionally and mentally tangled Thorin nodded again at his advisor. "How would it work?"

Thorin's heart was conflicted as the old dwarf told him…everything he silently hoped for. That there was some evidence that Aranea might just feel the same overwhelming warmth as he did.

Balin almost didn't hear him as Thorin barely audibly mumbled it. "There have been many dwarf and human ones." Balin gestured, "I am sure there will be no issues in the- ." Balin coughed, "in the umm…in the-

"That's not what I meant." Thorin chuckled light at his blushing advisor, ignoring his own tinted ears "I meant, how will our bloodlines work?"

"Oh!" Balin heaved an eased sigh "that I do not know laddie, but if anything is the same as ours, any children between the two of you will be first most be in line of the house of Durin" stopping for a second the advisor, ticked off a few thoughts on his fingers before adding..."but also they will be a genuine heir of Isildur, as it's just Aranea and her brother left in its entirety..” he spoke slowly as Thorin nodded in understanding.

“- so I believe it might depend on if her brother...how the potential child might fall in the line of succession but that would mean they be heirs to all-."

"Fili-" Thorin interrupted as he whispered to his advisor, "-is my heir, and Kili is his spare. That has been decided."

"Thorin-" Balin shocked his head, "That might be the honorable thing but the right thing-"

"This is the right thing."

"Again!" Aranea shouted loudly as she heaved herself off the dirt floor. The Elven swordmaster nodded as the pair both held their swords in ready position.

Lunging and trashing, the sound of metal hitting metal rang out through the training center. The girl blocked and the elf jabbed and together the two of them circled in the pit.

“Damn Wind” muttered Aragorn as he stood a hundred yards or so away from his sister. Nocking another arrow into his bow, taking careful aim of the wooden target ahead. Releasing the arrow, as he released his breath, he missed the target entirely.

Another training officer, the head archer of the Rivendell army laughed as he readjusted the lads bow arm and pushed down slightly on his shoulders " You only must relax your shoulders and raise your arms, Estel. It's a bow not a sword."

"I know, " The boy groaned. "A sword is much easier."

Another couple hundred yards away, Gilrean walks Elrond as they watch the two siblings train for their lives. Seeing the pained face on her face, the elf lord placed his hand calmly on her shoulder.

"The twins are safe here, you are safe here, Gilrean." He spoke in sindarin, " While they learned and while you rest,-" he stressed the last word. "-you will always be protected here in Imladris."

"I can not stress our gratitude enough, Lord Elrond, you have only been the most gracious." The mother held back tears, as she patted the elf hand. Elrond only smiled as he looked over her and at the two twins.

"I failed my brother, Elros that night when I didn't try harder to help Isildur, but I promise his spirit and I promise you Gilrean, I won't let Estel and Erthil fail."

.

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[toournextadventure]

I am back and feeling better than I was last week! Hopefully this analysis is better than last weeks lol.

But anyway, this weeks analysis was hard because of the Tyler picture. So that’s the one I’m starting with first. Get the hardest out of the way.

I scanned every part of this story and read through so many asks but I couldn’t find any reference to Tyler at all. I don’t know if I missed it or what (I’m gonna feel like an idiot if I missed it lol) so I’m just gonna go off if this being the first mention of him. And my reasoning for it being Tyler and not a random barista is because you could’ve used a random Starbucks employee pic instead but you chose Tyler specifically. Now, there are 2 possible things that involve Tyler. The first is that Wednesday meets him after the shit that happened last chapter. Or Marcus and Kristi know him and use his Hyde (if he’s still a Hyde in this universe) to try and keep Birb in check. That’s the best I got with the info I have.

The second picture I analyzed was the one of someone sitting by a river or creek. It’s either a reference to maybe a flashback of Birb and Nicky or that’s where Birb goes and isolates herself. A lesser theory is that it’s Wednesday looking for Birb at some point.

The next picture I looked at was the little meme. I think that little meme isn’t a direct reference to anything but more so about Birb’s mental state during everything. Like her whole life is being torn apart, she’s loosing all the progress she made but she’s still trying to pretend she’s ok.

The one of the person in handcuffs gave me a few ideas. It could be that Marcus and Kristi called the police on Birb for something. It could be Wednesday getting arrested after the two menaces framed her for something to separate her from Birb. It could be someone from Birb’s adopted family that tried to take Birb back. My hopeful thought is that it’s Kristi and Marcus getting arrested finally for the shot they’ve done.

That’s this week’s analysis! I’m looking forward to know what I got right lol. And if there was some mention of Tyler anywhere 🤣

Ayy welcome back, bestie! I'm glad you're feeling better! 😊

Okay, about Tyler, no I don't think he's been mentioned before (it's bad that even I don't remember 😪) so don't worry, you didn't miss anything!

As for everything else, you've picked up a good amount of pieces. I'll admit it's a little unfair cause I'm throwing a lil bit of new stuff in this chapter, so I'm cheating a bit but you still got pretty close even with that!

Can't wait for y'all to read it! I always love comparing y'all's analyses to the chapters, it's some of the most fun I have all week 😌

[sil-te-plait-tue-moi]

hello to all my lovely followers!

i’m really sorry that i haven’t been active for ages — in truth, i’ve just been having a total writer’s block right now and i’m not inspired in the slightest.

to those awaiting an update on my ethan hunt story, it is coming along. chapter 5 is at around 8000 words, and it’s gonna be much much longer than that cause i’m trying to fit two missions in.

i don’t think anyone’s still expecting a follow-up for the mitch rapp fic — it’s been months lmao, and i don’t even have a plot for it.

I’m gonna list my coming stories and some ideas, just cause i don’t want you guys to feel like i’m dead and not writing anymore, because i am. I’m so sorry, and i’ll be out of this slump soon (hopefully)!

my stories in progress!

william cage (edge of tomorrow: live die repeat); okay, so this is the consequence of a long drawn-out tom cruise obsession, and it’s basically porn with a plot, but i think it’s pretty interesting for what it’s worth; it’s also basically finished, so look out for it lol

pete “maverick” mitchell (top gun); ahhhh this is one of my favourite movies of all time, and omg young tom cruise owns my heart (especially cause i think it’s before he joined scientology), and it’s a series, got lots of (rough?) smut in it (ayy), and also quality goose content because 🥲 he deserved better

newt (the maze runner); yup, my newt fanfiction phase is making a return (finally oml); turns out i actually wrote loads of ideas down in my notes and just never developed them, so, right now, i’ve got a story in development and it’s basically ready to start writing soon; this plot is separate from my other newt story btw; oh and it’s basically smut so

legolas greenleaf (lord of the rings); i love this guy so much, and i have thought out (in great detail; eleven year old me was really intense lol) the future world of middle-earth, and i’m really proud of the plot i have lol, but it’s so hard to write and it’s so long and ahh i’ve been trying to write it for ages

my ideas in progress!

peeta mellark (the hunger games); peeta is such a soft boi and i really want to write for him lol; this may sound rash, but i am going to write fucking smut for this man (a bold decision for such an innocent boy lol); i went through a really intense hunger games phase at the age of thirteen and yeah

vincent (collateral); hello *insert tom cruise character*, we meet again; i’m so sorry lol but i was so attracted to him in this movie cause we always see him as the good guy so like him as a bad guy?—wheewwww; there’s also no fanfiction for this man so i’m just doing a service to the community like 🙄; (there will be mentions of smut in this as well)

edmund pevensie (the chronicles of narnia); i have always been, am, and will forever be that bitch who would die and kill for edmund (him in prince caspian can end me); this will probably be a series, i don’t really know lol

ethan hunt (mission: impossible); there are multiple story ideas in my notes for this man, and they’re all spin-offs from the main series (the world will be dead by tomorrow, and i want you to come over; long title, i know); there is a proposal fic in this and i have made it my mission to make people cry cause i always cry at proposal fics lol; there’s stuff to do with miller as well lol, as well as other characters; this is gonna be a long ass series lol (but it’s cause ethan’s hot af)

tony stark (marvel); probably smut, and that’s all i can say about it (he owns me istg)

yelena belova (marvel); bitch i fucking love this woman with my entire body, soul and heart, and don’t you dare hate on her 🔪; but i also know her character’s asexual in the comics so

clint barton (marvel); he seems pretty chill yknow, and he could definitely fucking rail me and hence ^^

benny watts (the queen’s gambit); he’s a hot chess dude and has really nice hair and hands, so obviously he’s the perfect candidate for one of my smut fics; thomas brodie-sangster, what’s uppp 😩

whitey winn (godless); an underrated legend, deserved better, hot cowboy, so need i say more?— i don’t think so; i don’t have anything but a sentence for this man lol, but i plan on just having the one story for this guy and having it be 😃 hardcore 😃 smut 😃

okay then! there you have it: basically my entire writing plan for the next five fucking years ig.

i really hope y’all are looking forward to some of the stuff on this list, cause i sure as fuck am. and please hang around to read them lol — it means so much to me when people leave comments and likes!

okay, i hope you all have a nice day! (please go drink and eat something as well!)

[shyficwriter]

You're Not Broken, Ya Hear Me?

Guardians of the Galaxy fanfic | Yondu x Reader, guest starring Peter and other Ravagers

Summary: Based off a prompt from my friend @giulscomix where Reader is coming up on a rite of passage involving having her first sexual experience and is very nervous because she doesn't wish to partake, because she's just not interested in sex at all. (i.e: Reader is Ace or Demi) She opens up to Yondu about it after he finds her hidden away and crying about it and he helps her with her problem, making her realize she isn't broken. Inspired by and using lines from this scene in Netflix's Sex Education series.

Author’s Note: Fic is SFW. Sex is talked about (obviously), but no sexual scenes occur. This also takes place in an AU where Yondu never broke the code (yet still has Peter, make that make sense lol) and therefore was never exiled from the other Ravager clans. Also, this is a long one, probably should have broken it into chapters, but here we go lol

Word Count: 10,189

The nervousness inside you grew with every passing day. You were almost seventeen- you should be happy about this! Not filled with dread about what turning that particular year would mean. You glanced at the calendar from your bed. Only three days left.

There was a rite of passage that every young man had taken before you, and would take long after you. They all whooted for joy when their time came, but you couldn't find the enthusiasm to do so, although you did your best to fake it. And as the day grew closer, the more you had to fake it.

Maybe it was because you were the only female Ravager on Yondu's team? Or maybe that had nothing to do with it. Maybe you were just... broken? Why couldn't you just be excited about this like everyone else? That thought made your chest ache as you pulled on your boots.

You didn't want to do it, this stupid rite of passage. No, it wasn't exactly like you'd be forced into a room until you "did the deed," However, you knew to refuse would be to cement your reputation as a lame prude who wouldn't know fun if it crawled up her ass. But still, you really didn't want to.

After all, who would want their first time to just be some random fuck for the sole purpose of "Becoming a man/woman" and an "official part of the crew."? Yes, you wanted more than anything to be accepted, like Peter or the others, but you wanted your first time to be with someone you loved and cared for. Now, this isn't to say that you weren't currently a respected member of the crew, but things were just... different. You knew things would change if the others knew you didn't want to go through with it. You'd be less "one of the guys" and more "the chick with the stick up her butt." You didn't want that.

You stood and took a deep breath, readying your facade before leaving your quarters to make your way down to breakfast.

As always, there were many other Ravagers also making their way from the crew quarters down to the mess hall. And, just how it had started happening the closer it got to that dreaded date, you'd encounter someone looking to congratulate you with a clap on the back, saying things like, "Ayy! How many days is it now? Bet ya can't wait, huh?" or more often, high-fives and fist bumps as your crew mates cheered you on for your upcoming "big day."

You took it all in stride, just like every other day. Big smiles, return the high-five, maybe throw in some finger guns, toss in an affirmative and that you "couldn't wait."

But each time you died just a bit inside. How long could you put on this charade? You knew you wouldn't be able to go through with it. What was going to happen then? What would the rest of the crew say when they found out? Normally it wouldn't be such a big deal for so long, when other guys came of age it was usually forgotten by the others after a few days. However, you were going to come of age the very day of the next scheduled shore leave, which was going to happen in just a few days, and for some reason this just bred excitement among your peers and they wouldn't drop it.

You tried to put these thoughts out of your head as you entered the Mess Hall and got your breakfast.

Today you got to eat in relative peace, the attention being taken up by the story Narblik was telling about his last job on an icy planet and how he hadn't been sure he'd make it back when the blizzard hit. It was when you got up to turn in your tray and leave when a few other's started back up again.

Scrote whooped when he saw you stand, crying out a "Get 'em!" at you and someone else shouted back that you were "Gonna be a man!" until someone shouted back at them "She's a girl!" earning an apology and a correction that you were "Gonna be a woman!" that earned some laughter from the others. You knew the laughter wasn't directed at you, they weren't insulting your looks. Some species on the ship just had a hard time getting genders right because the concept of gender just wasn't a thing on their homeworlds.

You passed Horuz and a young green man named Rahi who high-fived you with an "Ayyy!" as was becoming the custom greeting for anyone wanting to congratulate you on it being almost your big day. You returned the greeting. He had just turned 17 three days before along with another young man he often ran around with, and you heard him talking with some others (There were about 5 or 6 of you all either about to turn the big 17 or who recently had since the last shore leave 3 months ago. It was an abnormally large amount of young people coming of age this time around, which you suspected was further reason why some were making such a bigger deal about this upcoming shore leave.) about being excited for shore leave, as that's when they'd be able to 'become men,' aka, would be able to find a whore to screw. Younger crew often had more of the cleaning jobs aboard the Eclector, and unless assigned with an older crew mate, didn't get to go on many away missions where they could try and woo a willing partner, and even then, Yondu liked quick turnarounds on jobs so there wasn't a whole lot off "goof off" time without being reprimanded. There was no real rule about screwing crew mates either, but most avoided it just in case things got weird after. Easier to just bang someone random on shore leave and then get back to work. No muss no fuss.

Horuz teasingly asked if you had any studs picked out yet and you just laughed and said "Ha, one of these lot? You're joking!" as you put your tray away.

You heard Yondu playfully scold the two from a couple tables over, telling them, "Oh, leave the poor girl alone, yer embarrassin' her!" as he laughed. Horuz just shouted back, "Aw now, I didn't even get to tell her about Oblo here's first time!" This was met with Oblo, who was sitting nearby, choking out a "Hey!" and punching Horuz in the arm.

Kraglin laughed now, "I think she's already heard that one! Let's not ruin anyone's meal now."

You shivered. You had heard the story before. It involved a broken member and many stitches. You weren't looking forward to hearing it again. "I'm out!" you say, looking for a way out of this conversation. "Got work to do." With that you turned and started to leave the mess hall.

"That's what I like to hear!" Yondu laughed from behind you. "Some of you lazy gits should start acting like her, don't wanna work unless yer told to." He knew you were just escaping having to hear the story again, but he wasn't going to miss an opportunity to razz up some of his crew.

You finally make your way out of the mess hall and allow your grin to fall. You run a hand over your face, making your way toward the laundry where you had been assigned to repair one of the machines. You were grateful it was both early in the week as well as early in the day as you entered the room. Most of the crew waited until they were completely out of clean clothes to do their washings, which typically resulted in most of the crew crowding the laundry at the end of the week, so you were sure to have at least an hour or three alone to yourself.

You made your way to the back left-hand corner of the room towards the broken machine. It should be an easy fix, the complaint was that it wasn't draining properly, so you figured it was just a clogged drain hose.

Upon opening up the machine you found you were right. it was just a clog. You retrieved a plumbing snake from a nearby supplies trunk and got to work fishing it out. Unfortunately this menial task gave you enough time to dwell on your problems rather than engaging your brain enough to force them into the back of your mind.

You kept thinking the word "broken" over and over. You couldn't get it out of your head how you couldn't bring yourself to just be excited over something everyone else seemed to love.

Your chest tightened. "Broken.. Loser..." Why couldn't you get over it? Why didn't you have these feelings like all the others?

You latched onto the clog and worked to pull it out. "

Broken..." Why was this so hard? "Broken... Stupid... Wrong..." What was wrong with you? "Stupid... Broken..." Why couldn't you just be like everyone else?!

With that last thought you pulled the clog out with an audible "Pop!" that almost made you fly backwards. You looked at it in disgust and dropped it into the nearby trashcan before re-attaching the hose and sliding down to the floor. No one was going to show up to the laundry this early, might as well take advantage of this time to wallow in your own misery.

That's what you told yourself at least. In truth you could feel tears burning your eyes and didn't want anyone to see you cry. Better to let it happen alone than risk another crew mate seeing you and thinking you were weak.

What you didn't know was that Yondu was also well aware of his Ravager crew's laundry habits, and took advantage of the empty communal laundry room at the beginning of the week to wash his own laundry undisturbed. He made his way down after breakfast, actually having forgotten he had assigned you to fix one of the machines, and was therefore quite surprised to walk in on you sat in the corner crying.

"What d'we have here?" he asked, more puzzled than anything. He never once seen you cry, which now that he thought about it was rather surprising. He saw grown men cry at least twice a week, most of them Peter, but still. He tried to cover up any concern with humor. "Did Halfnut leave his dirty drawers in the machine again? Smell's bad enough to make anyone cry."

You had been startled when he first walked in and you were currently trying to quickly straighten yourself up. "Nothing. Sorry Captain." you said, not looking him in the eye as you bent down to pick up the plumbing snake. "Nearly done here." you say, unable to hide a sniffle.

Yondu plopped his laundry basket on one of the long steel tables running up the middle of the room and sighed, turning to walk towards the door.

You look up in surprise as you heard the lock engage.

He looked at you, arms crossed, and said, "Ya really think I'm gonna buy that? Yer not leaving here until ya spill it. Now what's wrong? Somebody bein' mean to ya? Yer feminine-ly cycle -or whatever it's called- hurtin' ya again?"

You blushed and gave him a sharp look before placing the plumbing snake back where you found it.

Yondu rolled his eyes as he moved his basket over to a machine and tossed his clothes in. "Fine, be that way. But I meant what I said. Ya ain't leavin' til we sort it out. Might as well talk or it's gonna get mighty borin' in here." He turned on the machine and hoisted himself up to sit on the table, patting the space beside him.

You begrudgingly approach, not meeting his eyes, and lifted yourself up to sit down on the table.

"Now what's wrong?" he said again.

You fix your gaze on your lap and sigh. "You're just gonna make fun of me." You say sadly.

Yondu smirks. "Maybe. Still wanna hear it though." Upon seeing your face fall further he elbowed you and said, "I'm jus' kiddin'! What's the long face?"

Your eyes remain down and you quietly say, "I... don't wanna do it."

Yondu raises an eyebrow. "What?"

"I don't wanna do it." you repeat.

"Ya dun wanna do... what?" he asks in confusion. He at first assumed maybe you didn't want to do your assigned morning task of fixing the machine, but it seemed like you had already finished it, so he had no idea what you could possibly mean to even begin to be angry for any disobeyed orders. Also, he doubted he found you crying over something as silly as not wanting to fix a washing machine.

"It," you say, "You know, IT." you make a crude gesture with your fingers, forming a circle in one hand with your thumb and index finger and inserting the index finger of your other hand in and out of it, to hopefully get the point across.

Yondu's eyes widen a bit. "Oh!" he says in surprise, before continuing in confusion, "I don't get it? Ya seemed just as excited as could be a bit ago?"

"I've been faking it. Don't want the others to make fun of me."

"Come now! They won't ma-"

He's cut off by you giving him another sharp look. He looks forward again and nods, sighing, "Yeah, yer right. They will."

The two of you were quiet for a couple moments before Yondu awkwardly broke the silence. "Ya mind if I ask why? Like are ya scared or somethin'?" he looks at you with a raised eyebrow, slight concern painting his features.

He remembered his first time. As a battle-slave he didn't exactly see much action; the Kree weren't exactly fond of the idea of their battle-slaves reproducing or having any fun; and by the time Stakar freed him he was in his twenties. It was shortly after when with some other young Ravagers that the subject came up and he admitted he had never done it, only for his mates to excitedly cheer that they were taking him with them on shore leave so he could "become a man." He had been nervous, though he never expressed it out loud, not wanting to appear weak. He knew they meant well, but screwing a random whore just to fit-in and say he had wasn't something he had exactly been looking forward to, however peer pressure had encouraged him to go through with it. It wasn't too bad, he realized, but even knowing that he himself had come to enjoy the act, he always remembered the knot in his stomach leading up to his first time, and hearing you say that you might be scared of doing it made a similar knot form, only higher in his chest and feeling more like... pity? No, that wasn't quite it. Empathy? Yes, that was probably more accurate. Damn sentiment.

"It's not anything like that... it's just... I don't feel anything like that. I'm not even sure I'd know what that feeling is. It's just not there. I'm not scared, or even disgusted, I just feel... nothing."

"I'm not sure I follow..." Yondu said honestly. He supposed you feeling nothing was better than you being scared, but he still didn't quite understand.

"Ok, like, imagine you're surrounded by a feast, with everything you could ever want to eat, but you're not hungry. That's how I feel. I just don't want any of it," you said. Your voice cracked as you continued, "...and it's just so frustrating. Everyone else gets to be normal, while I just don't feel... anything. I don't want to do it-with anyone. When I think about it I feel nothing- it's like I'm broken." You covered your mouth, still not meeting Yondu's gaze as you tried to hold back frustrated tears.

Hearing you say that you thought you were broken tore at Yondu's heart. He wrapped an arm around you tightly and said in a firm voice, "Ya listen here. Yer not broken. I don't wanna hear that again. Look here."

You reluctantly do as he asks.

"Yer not broken," he said again, his face stern. "Sex doesn't make a person whole, so how could ya ever be broken, girl?"

You inhaled sharply as fresh tears pricked at your eyes. You hadn't realized until then that that was exactly what you needed to hear. You quickly wrap your arms around him, burying your face in his chest to hide your tears.

Taken aback at he sudden gesture, Yondu patted you on the back comfortingly and returned the hug. Good thing he locked the door. He doubted that any of his crew would be bothered to wash their clothes this early, but still, it would halt the possibility of new rumors that he was "going soft on the Terrans." He honestly wasn't sure he'd sleep tonight if he had to scold you for crying to save face with his crew right now.

You pulled back almost as soon as you went in, straightening up and quickly wiping your eyes.

"Feel better?"

You nodded.

Yondu sighed, "What to do now..." he said thoughtfully. "Ya know, I never actually liked this whole 'rite of passage' thing, to be fully honest. Crew just gets too wound up. Yer not the first to have reservations 'bout it. Handful of lads have come to me over the years, confiding that they were nervous, but scared of being bullied by the rest of the crew if they didn't go through with it. I suspect there might have been more, but were too scared of lookin' weak to tell their captain. I guess I can understand that."

Surprised by this honesty, you asked, "What did they do?"

"Faked it. They'd go on shore leave, pay a whore to put on a good loud show, yelling and banging on the walls 'n stuff, then lap up the congratulations of the rest of the crew for 'becoming a man.'"

You were further surprised that any of the the crew would have been that open with their captain to admit faking it. "Really?" you ask. "They told you about it after?"

"Who d'ya think told 'em to do it?" Yondu said, huffing a laugh out his nose.

That makes you smile, though you aren't quite sure why. After a moment of thought you say, "If you don't like the whole thing, why don't you stop it?"

Yondu sighed. "I don't think I could if I tried. It's widespread over all 100 Ravager factions. Doubt it do well to tell one faction they couldn't participate. Enough of them look forward to it they'd probably riot." Yondu laughed sardonically. "Not that I haven't thought about trying to steer the culture around it in a different direction. I can tell some of my older crew have the same thoughts, even if they won't admit it."

"How do you know if they never said?" you asked.

"The way they keep passing off horror stories as funny tales to the younger crew. Or did ya miss the story about how Vorker-"

"Nope! Heard it!" you cut him off suddenly. "I remember! I don't need to hear it again, please!" You held up your hands almost as if defending yourself from hearing it again, eyes wide. You most definitely did not need to hear a retelling of the time Vorker caught something very nasty off a girl he met on a job and the details that came with it. There were some rumors that it was how he really lost his eye, but you weren't sure of the truth behind those claims.

Yondu chuckled, patting you on the back. His expression changed when he said. "That's prob'ly what ya should do."

You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Fake it, I mean." he clarified. "Ya should wait til ya want to do it, with someone ya want, if that should ever happen. Not just go through with it to fulfill some dumbass rite of passage." He stared off into the space in front of him. "I can't really see another way to go 'bout it." he admitted. "If I called out for a change among the crew now they'd no doubt see the connection, think I was going soft 'cause yer the only girl here, and then it'd blowback on you. I ain't gonna let that happen." He gave you a look that you understood without him having to explain further. He actually cared about you, in a way similar to how he cared for Peter. He didn't want to see you hurt or bullied over something stupid like this.

You nodded in understanding, returning your gaze to the floor.

"Next shore leave is in a few days. I'll take care of it." Yondu said, his words surprising you.

"What?"

"Consider it a gift." he said, lightly punching you in the arm as he said, "Don't say I never gave ya anythin'."

"I don't understand?" you say, lightly laughing in confusion.

Yondu dramatically rolled his eyes and said, "Guess I gotta spell it out fer ya... I'll arrange for a "fake visit" from a nice whore-bot for ya. It actually costs more for them to fake it, if ya can believe it."

You stared at him, speechless. "I- thank you?" you finally say, blushing. You give him another quick hug.

"Ya, don't get used to it." he replied in his usual gruff fashion when you released him, but you knew better. The old softie.

Just then the machine buzzed, alerting that Yondu's clothes were finished washing. He stood from the table to switch them into a nearby dryer. Once done he turned back to face you. "Well, ya probably got other duties ya need to get to. Better get on 'em."

You smiled, giving him a mock-reluctant, "Yeah," before following him to the door.

You weren't expecting what happened next.

Yondu opened the door and exited, you following out behind. The hallway was no longer empty, and you heard the same young man from earlier, Rahi, call out from a group of two other Ravagers, "Ow Ow! Looks like she finally lost it to the Captain!"

No doubt he thought he was being funny, but he really, really, shouldn't have done that.

Yondu's whistle pierced the air, his arrow quickly finding its way to rest against Rahi's throat. "Ya wanna try that again?" Yondu growled.

Rahi couldn't find any words, just babbled out incoherent nonsense as he nearly shit his pants. The other two Ravagers in the group weren't laughing, just cowering with their friend afraid they'd be next once Yondu finished with him. Other crew mates standing within the hall also stopped to stare in stunned silence.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't run my arrow through ya for speakin' to yer captain like that? Even worse offense for implying I'd screw around with a child." Yondu's eyes were dark and full of rage. Even you were a bit frightened, enough to almost let the child comment slide, and you weren't even the target.

"Dude! He's so old! Ew!" you shout over to the terrified young Ravager, hoping to help the situation by making it clear that nothing like that was ever going to be a thing. And, if you were to be honest, slight payback for Yondu calling you a child.

Yondu whipped his head around to you, and you caught a momentary expression of "You little shit!" before he said, "And don't ya forget it!"

He turned back to Rahi. "I'm waiting." he said, still glowering and crossing his arms expectantly.

Rahi was still busy freaking out. It looked like he was about to cry. He eventually managed to squeak out a, "I'm sorry!" among his pleas for Yondu not to kill him.

Yondu called back his arrow. "That's what I thought. For yer smart mouth you and the other two there are gonna wash the outside of the Eclector, and yer all gonna keep at it until the whole ship's clean." With a smug smile he added. "Guess yer all gonna miss out on shore leave."

This obviously didn't go over well with Rahi's friends, who were now glaring and smacking him at the back of his green head. The next shore leave after the upcoming one wouldn't happen for another 3 months.

"Ya heard me. Git going. And yer still all responsible fer yer other duties too." Yondu added.

The three young men begrudgingly started making their way past when Yondu stopped them again with an, "Ah, Ah, Ah." making them turn back, dreading what else he might have to add.

"I think ya better apologize to this young lady too, for thinking she'd want her first time to be with someone so old." He looked at you pointedly as he said this and you squinted back at him, a nervous giggle escaping your throat as you rubbed the back of your head. Shouldn't have spoke up and called your captain old, now he was going to have to make an example of you as well for mouthing off. "Yer gonna be cleaning out the brig for that one, missy." he said, loud enough for everyone else to hear. Had to make it look good, after all.

Rahi muttered out an apology before scurrying away with his now very irritated mates, but not before Yondu cried out after him with a, "I'm startin' to think some of ya are gettin' a lil' too wound up about this lil' rite of passage among ya young-ins. It'd sure be a shame if you were the reason I decided to put an end to it." He said this with a thick veil of warning. It was a threat, and one you hadn't expected to hear after the conversation you just had with him.

It was clear that no one else in hallway had expected to hear this from their captain either. Looks of shock were exchanged among the Ravagers in the hallway. Rahi and his buddies' eyes all widened in shock when his words finally sunk in and their scurry turned into a sprint to get away before they could make things even worse. That comment Rahi made had apparently pissed the captain off bad.

"What the rest of ya staring at?" Yondu said, startling the rest of the hallway dwelling crew into motion. "I know ya'll got shit to do, get on it!" He looked at you and cocked his head as if to say "Get moving." and you obeyed, making your way toward the brig to complete your extra cleaning duties.

Yondu did his best to hide a smirk as he made his way down to his quarters. He knew rumors would start spreading like wildfire about Rahi nearly causing Yondu to put an end to the rite of passage after that display. It was bound to piss more than a few of the younger crew off. He didn't care much for the lazy shit anyway, so it was better the crew think he was the reason for any upcoming changes rather than you, and if it succeeded in helping him end the whole culture around that particular thing, even better. They really did get too wound up about it.

***

The morning of shore leave came and you were nervous as hell. Yondu had pulled you aside the night before to let you know he had taken care of what he promised, and described the whore-bot he paid to help you fake it so you would know which one to accept. Still, even knowing it was taken care of you couldn't help the growing pit of nervousness in your stomach, though you did your best to hide it.

Since clearly the Eclector couldn't dock on the planet, being about a mile and a half long and all, Ravagers on shore leave would pool together on M-ships for the journey to and back, kind of like a funny buddy-system.

As per usual, you pooled in a ship with Yondu, Kraglin, and Peter along with Tullk, Oblo, and Horuz. Yondu and Kraglin sat up front to pilot, Tullk, Oblo and Horuz filled in the middle, while you and Peter got put in the back, as always.

While the older men laughed and carried on in front of you, you felt Peter nudge you in the arm. You looked over to see him looking at you with a raised eyebrow. "You ok?" he asked, having noticed how you were unusually quiet and fidgety.

"Yeah, I'm great." you lied, "Never better."

Peter rolled his eyes with a knowing smile. "Don't give me that. Are ya nervous?" he asked, obviously knowing full well what everyone expected you'd be doing on this shore leave. "You can tell me. I won't tell anyone."

You gave him a look, saying, "No!" before coming clean with a, "Fine. A little." as you turned your gaze down into your lap to fidget with your watch some more.

"It'll be ok," he assured, "I was a little nervous my first time, too," he admitted. Peter was a few years older than you at 20, and it was hard for you to picture him having been nervous about it, seeing as he now seemed to be trying to work his way through every cute girl in the galaxy.

"Really?" you asked, eyeing him skeptically.

"Yeah. I mean, I was still super excited, but I was a little nervous too. Those horror stories the older guys tell us really get to you."

You giggled with him, remembering what Yondu had told you the other day.

Peter continued, "But anyway, you're gonna be fine. But I did want to give you this." He pulled something out of his jacket pocket and handed it to you. It was a condom.

"Peter!" you whisper-shouted, blushing.

"Hey, if you're gonna do it, I wanna know you're being smart about it. Always use protection. Even with the Love-bots. Can't ever be too careful." He held his hand out more insistently.

You blushed harder and accepted the gift, even though you knew you wouldn't be needing it. "Thanks."

"Come on now, don't get all frowny on me. I'm just looking out for you." Peter teased, aiming a few pokes at your ribs, knowing it always got a good giggle or two out of you.

It worked. Giggles escaped your throat as you twisted in your seat and swatted at his hand, "Quit it!" you squeaked, but his mission was accomplished anyway, you were smiling now.

"There we go!" he teased, grinning at you.

"Shush!" you replied, sticking your tongue out at your friend and laughing when he flicked you in the arm for it. Soon enough the two of you were in a slap battle. You weren't really fighting, and neither of you struck with the intent to hurt (well, not much anyway) it was just how the two of you played sometimes. This carried on until you heard Yondu announce that you all had made it to your destination, and then the nervousness started to creep back into your belly.

Peter and you were the last off the ship. Yondu and the other men headed off, leaving the two of you to your own devices with calls to behave yourselves, but "not too much" *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

You almost wished he had stuck around longer, but you knew he had already done his part. It would look weird if he stuck around to hold your hand, so to speak. You look to Peter, wanting to stall just a bit longer. "So, ya hungry?"

"Figured you'd want to get right to business," he teased. He knew you were probably stalling, but decided to go along with it anyway rather than abandon you straight away. You had been here before, but he knew this time was different. This time there was a pressure to do something new, and you had already admitted you were nervous about it.

"Uh, can't do it on an empty stomach," you say, forcing a smile.

He ruffled your hair. "Good point. I'm starving." He suggested you two grab some fries at the nearby bar inside the brothel (the whole place was the brothel, let's be honest) and you followed him.

When you both had finished you tried to think of something else to stall, maybe play some pool? However, you never got the chance, for a whore-bot with green hair and looking to be around your age came over to your table to greet you. It was the one Yondu told you to look for, and it asked if it could "show you a good time." You looked nervously at Peter who shot you a thumbs up while trying not to laugh. You glanced back at the bot and tentatively nodded, which Peter took as a sign to high-tail it out of there, leaving you alone. The bot asked for your ID, as you knew it would, and part of you wished you "forgot" it back on the ship, knowing that the bots were programed to refuse service to anyone under the age of 17 and required ID of younger-looking patrons to prove it.

After scanning your ID, the bot took you by the hand and flirtatiously led you across the room to a set of stairs. You began to hear some cheers as you ascended the stairs behind the bot and you were blushing too hard to even attempt to ham it up for their benefit.

Once in the room the bot turned to you. "I understand this isn't meant to be an ordinary engagement. Mr. Udonta left instructions to only perform counterfeit coitus, correct?"

You blushed and nodded, taken aback by the professionalism of the sex-bot, before wondering if you were being rude by assuming otherwise.

"Have you done this before?"

You shook your head, still blushing.

"It's alright. There's plenty of time to figure it out. I've been booked for three hours."

You sputtered. "Excuse me?!" you cried, trying not to be too loud. "Three-? What are we supp-"

The bot gave a laugh and held up its hand. "Do not worry, Miss. I was paid extra to deliver that joke. Mr. Udonta felt it would be very funny. I've only actually been booked for an hour, the standard amount of time."

You let a sigh of relief. You still felt that an hour was going to drag on, but at least it wasn't flarkin' three. "So, what do we do?"

The bot took your hand again and led you to the large bed in the center of the room. "Lie down here." You looked at the bot nervously and it clarified. "The noises will be more realistic if both our weights are on the bed."

You did as the bot instructed and it climbed over you. "I understand this may be awkward, but I'll ask that you trust the process. I will do this," the bot began to rhythmically rock its body back and forth, each rock ending in its hands hitting the headboard and making it knock into the wall behind it. "and then you can start making moaning sounds, you can repeat after me." The bot then started moan, encouraging you with a gesture of its hand when you were too busy blushing to follow the lead. You did your best to mimic the sounds. "We shall continue like this for 10 minutes, and then rest." the bot instructed, ushering you again with more hand gestures when you paused to give it a puzzled look.

After several minutes the bot prompted you to get louder, and then louder again still a few moments after. You realized it was coaching you to simulate you approaching the climax and you got nervous again, not knowing what to do when "that moment" was meant to happen. The bot read your face and told you to relax, just follow it's lead as it thumped against the wall faster and it moaned louder.

You followed its lead until it told you to make a last few loud "Oh's!" and then it began to slow its thumping before coming to a stop.

Whoops and laughter could be heard from the bar outside the door shortly after, and you blushed harder as the bot crawled off of you. "We will now have a few minutes of rest before beginning another simulation."

You sat up. "So we'll just keep repeating like this until the time's up?" you asked.

"Not quite," answered the bot. "We'll change things up a bit, different positions, different sounds, helps to keep it interesting."

"This seems like a lot of work?" you say.

"Yes, well we're paid to put on a show here. Might as well ensure it's convincing," the bot answered with a shrug and a smile.

You winced as you realized you could hear similar noises you had just faked coming from the rooms next to yours and then more whooping and cheering once they, too, stopped. "The walls are kinda thin in here, huh?" you say awkwardly.

The bot smiled sympathetically, "It seems that way, but not really. Only the louder noises make it out. Normal conversation levels are typically left unheard from outside the rooms, so you're clear to speak freely if that was a concern."

"Good to know," you say. You honestly had been a little concerned about that. "So, do we just sit around then?"

"I could give you a massage, if you'd like."

"That... actually sounds really nice. Sure, thank you." You accept the offer, realizing you could use a little stress reliever. "What's your name, by the way?" you ask, feeling a bit guilty for not having asked the bot's name before then and wondering if you should feel silly about that or not.

"You may call me Finn," the bot answered, not seeming fazed in the slightest. "Would you prefer to remove your clothes or leave them on?" The bot- Finn- motioned for you to turn around to give it access to your back.

"Um, clothes on, please?" you say, reaching for your zipper. "But I'll take off my jacket."

"Alright." The bot said, it's tone not caring in the slightest, and you supposed it very likely didn't care one way or another. It went straight to work, starting slow by gathering your hair and pulling it back and up almost as if it were going to tie your hair in a ponytail, but instead of securing an elastic it just repeated this motion a few more times. It was actually very relaxing, and it made you wish you had someone around to play with your hair more often.

With a final gentle tug the bot moved one hand to your forehead while the other worked at the back of your neck, kneading where the nape of your neck met your skull, making you close your eyes and sigh deeply.

To your delight the bot then threaded its fingers through your hair, scratching gently at your scalp. A soft hum escapes you as you stopped yourself from leaning into to touch out of shyness, and you almost let out a whine when the scratching stopped. However, you were soon soothed by the bot beginning to knead into your neck and shoulders.

You had just barely stopped yourself from moaning once when the bot then pressed into another spot that made it impossible to not make a sound, though you tried. Finn speaks up. "Let yourself relax fully," the bot encouraged. "It's alright to allow yourself to be noisy here, may even work to your benefit under the circumstances."

You giggled slightly and blushed. Finn was right, after all. If there were any time to just let go and relax it would technically be here and now. Before you could think much further Finn had dragged the knuckles of each thumb up each side of your spine with just the right amount of pressure to coax a genuine moan out of you, surprising you as it happened. You had never really realized before just how much stress your work as a Ravager took out on your back. You began to wonder if these Love-bots were also designed to be professional masseuses, because Finn seemed to know exactly what they were doing, and it was amazing.

Finn ended the massage a bit later by working back up your back and working their fingertips back into your hair for a last bit scalp massage.

You were almost disappointed when it ended, but when it was over you turned to look at the Love-bot. "Thank you, that was really nice." you say.

"Anytime." Finn smiled. "We still have twenty minutes left, shall we begin another simulation?"

You sighed. "I suppose. He paid for an hour, might as well act like I'm using it." You smiled, not feeling quite as bitter about the situation anymore after the massage. Finn really did have magic fingers. Or state of the art massage programing. Probably the latter.

"Indeed." Finn answered. "After all, there are no refunds."

You let out a slight chuckle at the bot's bluntness. "Alright, so what now?"

The next simulation involved you both standing on the edge of the bed with the wall to hold your balance as you bounced slightly up and down to make the bed squeak. The bot encouraged your to make similar noises as before, but to also throw out some curses, like, "Oh! Fuck!" It even did the same, occasionally calling out a "Yes! Right there! Oh, yes!" that made you raise an eyebrow. You had to fight from giggling the whole time at the situation. It was pretty funny after all. You were both jumping on the bed like children.

When that simulation had finished you sat down on the bed and looked at Finn. "Do you guys... er...-bots?... feel anything?" you asked, referring to the language the bot had used earlier. "Or are you just supposed to say stuff like that as an act?"

"We don't have nerve endings, and therefore we don't really 'feel things' like you might, but there are certain sensors that can be activated during a session with a client and prompt a correct response. However, as this session is only a simulation, I suppose you can call my dialogue 'acting.'"

You half-grinned when the realization of the bot's words hit you. "Are you saying... you're like a 'sexy' arcade game?" you say, trying not to giggle, before becoming suddenly afraid that might have been offensive. "I mean- obviously you're not a toy- I mean- I didn't mean to offend you."

The bot chuckled. "There's no need to worry. There are certain similarities, one could see how you might draw that conclusion."

You blushed again and attempted to change the subject. "So... what are we going to do with the last simulation?"

"You have a couple options. We can simulate against the door, or we can simulate bending over the bed. We could also simulate oral, but the noises you made during the massage more or less already worked in its favor."

You blushed at that. You already knew the door was out of the question, as you had an admittedly irrational fear that it might pop open as you were faking the deed. "We can try over the bed."

"Very well. This one will require less movement of you, you may remain seated there." Finn said as they stood up and moved to stand with their legs between your own. "This one may also be a bit awkward," the bot warned, "as it requires thrusting into the bed on my part. Ready?"

You nodded hesitantly and the bot began a steady rhythm of motion against the bed, making it creak.

The bot was right. This was more awkward, and you were grateful when it was finally over with about five minutes to spare.

You stood from bed and grabbed your jacket. "Thanks. This wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be." you said truthfully. In fact, you really almost thought you'd come back if for no other reason than to get another back rub.

"You still have five more minutes, is there anything else I can do for you today?"

You smiled shyly and said, "Well, I won't argue if you play with my hair again..."

***

You were of course greeted with congratulatory cheers and high-fives when you exited the room along with the other few crew mates who had recently come of age... and had still been allowed to attend shore leave that is. R.I.P Rahi and his friends. (They hadn't died, but you can bet they were probably really regretting pissing Yondu off.)

A few fellow Ravagers bought you some congratulatory drinks and the rest of the night seemed to fly by.

Eventually you caught back up with Peter and shortly after that Yondu announced it was time to head back, which of course received some disappointed grumbling among the crew. However, nobody argued, knowing it might cost them their next shore leave if they got "fussy like toddlers" as Yondu would say.

You and Peter got back to the ship to find Tullk and Oblo already there waiting. Horuz showed up just after and sighed to see Yondu and Kraglin weren't there yet. Yondu and Kraglin were the only ones with keys to Yondu's M-ship, so you all had to stand outside and converse among yourselves as he took his sweet time getting there.

He was probably just paying the Sneeper woman who owned the place and would be there any minute, but 'any minute' still felt like forever when it was cold.

Eventually he and Kraglin did show up and unlock the ship so you could all get in.

Once inside the ship and mostly everyone had strapped in Kraglin called back to you from the co-pilots seat with tipsy laughter in his voice. "So d'ya have fun? Feel any different? Any horror stories to add to the list?" He looked teasingly at Oblo and Oblo flipped him the bird.

Yondu swatted at him, saying, "Aw, leave the girl alone," but there was also laughter in his scolding, so he wasn't that serious.

You answered anyway. "Ya. Had a blast, Kraglin. Smooth sailing. Just a little sleepy."

This made the other men chuckle, though you weren't entirely sure why, although you could guess.

Yondu piped up. "If she falls asleep Quill's gotta carry her in."

Peter scoffed with a laugh. "Why do I gotta?" he said, before turning to you to add. "You better not fall asleep then."

"Well if you fall asleep I ain't carrying you in! Probably break my back if I tried. You can just stay sleeping in the ship." you laughed back.

"Why you little!" Peter cried out with a grin, aiming to poke you in the ribs, but you dodged him, returning a swat of your own to his arm. And, like on the way over, the two of you were engrossed in another slap battle. The others just let you two carry on, busy with their own conversations and laughing amongst themselves.

Eventually you and Peter did tire yourselves out and Yondu chuckled to the other men when after docking the ship he noticed you had both fallen asleep, curled up in your respective seats. Oblo snapped a picture, cooing, "Aw look! Ain't that precious!"

"Send that to me." Yondu said with a grin. "Might blow it up, hang it in the Mess Hall." This earned a laugh from the others. He looked at Tullk with a grin before exiting the ship. "Ya better wake 'em. I'm sure as hell not carryin' them to bed."

***

The next morning Yondu was alone in his quarters when he decided to call up Stakar.

After a few rings Stakar's face comes up on the screen, and the two men give a Ravager salute in greeting before Stakar asks what's brought Yondu to call him.

"I wanna talk to ya about that whole coming of age and having sex thing."

Stakar raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Younger crew just get too wound up about it. It ain't healthy." Yondu responded.

Stakar still looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Ya know what I mean." Yondu said firmly. "They get all wound up like it's the most important thing in the world, and it's because everyone makes a big old deal outta something silly like that."

"It hasn't been a problem before?" Stakar said thoughtfully. "What's changed? It's that Terran girl isn't it? Of course. She just came of age." Stakar shook his head. "I don't care what you say, you're soft on her and Peter. You can't get attached and let them influence your judgement like that, Yondu."

"No, it ain't like that," Yondu said, trying to cover his ass and continuing before Stakar can interrupt him. "It's got nothin' to do with them. I just can't have my crew bullying their mates just cause they don't wanna fuck yet or lettin' the whole thing get to their heads makin' them all disrespectful-like. Almost had to keel-haul a few boys who suddenly thought they were big enough to start disrespecting their captain over it."

Stakar looked at him suspiciously. "No, we can't have that... What do you propose then? It's not like we can stop them. You tell young people they can't do something, they're only gonna do it more."

"I know that- Look. I'm not sayin' we do away with it entirely. I could care less what they do on shore-leave. But we can maybe make them realize it's not such a big damn deal. Ya know, slow-like. Maybe they'd stop getting so wound-up about it." Yondu said, quickly adding, "If they're less focused on that maybe they'd work harder."

Stakar thought for a bit. Yondu was right, he thought. He had noticed the younger crowd getting a bit wound up about it, and sometimes they did let the excitement get ahead of their duties... "Maybe you're right," he conceded. "If it's affecting their jobs maybe we should try and change the culture around it... I'll talk with some of the other captains and get back to you."

Yondu grinned and nodded. "All I ask."

***

You felt like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. It was the day after shore-leave and no one had brought up how you "Became a woman" at all. It was as if the previous week's excitement had been completely forgotten, and you couldn't be happier.

You did notice in the following days that Rahi seemed to be getting a bit of flack. He hadn't been particularly well liked before, always trying to push his duties off on other crew mates or blaming others for things he had broken, but now he was practically a pariah. Even his buddies didn't seem to want much to do with him, though that could be because they were still mad that they had been dragged under into his punishment despite not having done anything to deserve it other than be with him at the time.

You almost felt bad for him until Peter explained that along with the 'written' rule that Ravagers don't deal in kids; harming or forming inappropriate relationships with children and teens (i.e: having sexual relations with younger crew) was also a HUGE no-no. Even worse if the offender is someone high-ranking. Rahi, though he just thought he was being funny, had more or less unwittingly falsely accused Yondu of breaking that part of the code with the joke he made, hence why Yondu had been so offended and pissed. Peter was honestly surprised Yondu had let him live after that.

He also added that no one wants to be around someone who thinks it's funny to make those particular jokes. Real accusations of that nature are taken very seriously among Ravager Clans, so if someone is found to just be flippantly saying crap like that, the general feel is that it makes it harder for real victims to be heard, so the crew will tend to shun the offender to make it clear that behavior isn't acceptable. And well, if the offender didn't learn their lesson pretty quick and get back into the good graces of their captain and crew, they'd quickly find themselves to be cannon fodder.

Even Ravagers know there's a line between raunchy and unacceptable.

There may have also been the matter that when Yondu had said "I'm startin' to think some of ya are gettin' a lil' too wound up about this lil' rite of passage among ya young-ins. It'd sure be a shame if you were the reason I decided to put an end to it." much of the crew, after the rumor had gotten twisted up a bit via game of telephone, had taken it to mean that Rahi had almost gotten shore-leave taken away from everyone- forever. And well, that just didn't sit right with a lot of folks. It was a final nail in the coffin, if you will.

However, what you didn't know was about Yondu's conversation with Stakar.

Stakar did go talk to the other captains, and more than a few did finally admit similar instances among their younger ranks after having heard through the grapevines about a giant stink a lad called Rahi had caused on Udonta's ship. They admitted to instances of bullying, pressure, and disrespect occurring and directly related to the particular rite of passage and collectively agreed with Yondu that a change surrounding the culture could be beneficial, much to Yondu's surprise, and also his relief.

He never did tell you about his conversation with Stakar, though he was sure you may start to suspect if everything went well and things started changing regarding that particular aspect of life. As long as no one else had to feel like he saw you feeling that night in the laundry, he'd be happy.

You had come to his quarters the day after the visit to Contraxia, knocking almost as soon as he had hung up with Stakar. You had wanted to thank him him for helping you, both with the advice and with the Love-Bot. You told him how you felt so much better after having that talk with him, and how you no longer felt broken.

He'd never say, because screw sentiment, but it warmed his heart to know he helped you realize there was nothing wrong with you, that you had never been damaged. You two parted with a hug and he let you know to not be afraid if you needed to come to him about stuff like that in the future, just not to make a habit of telling the others lest they accuse him of going soft.

You were his little girl, something else he never intended to say out loud, because again, screw sentiment. He felt a responsibility for your well-being, even if you could be a little shit like Peter sometimes.

Ah, fuck sentiment. He knew you two were his kids, and he was damn proud.

***

About a week after shore leave you and Peter happened across Yondu outside the Mess Hall doors as you were heading in for supper.

"Hey, look! It's Terran One and Terran two!" Yondu said, oddly loudly.

"Um, hi?" You gave him an odd look. "What's up?"

"Now why would ya think somethin's up? Can't a captain greet his crew outside the Mess Hall before dinner?"

'Something's definitely up.' you thought, sharing a glance with Peter who was clearly thinking the same thing. "Are we in trouble? Did we do something?" Peter chuckled nervously. He didn't know about you, but he had maybe definitely rigged a supply closet in the control room with some firecrackers, and he wasn't sure if some poor soul (probably Kraglin) had already fell victim to it, meaning he was about to be in hot water.

You were also grinning nervously. You didn't know about Peter's firecrackers, but you had also maybe definitely hidden some poppers under the cushion of Yondu's desk chair that morning when he was busy on the other side of the ship, but you weren't going to just turn yourself in without more information, now were you?

"I dunno, you tell me." Yondu said, smirking. "Are you in trouble? Ya'll got a guilty conscience?"

You and Peter shared a nervous glance. You both knew you both were most definitely guilty of something, however you two had a code. Never turn yourself in, and never turn your buddy in. You looked back at Yondu, suppressing a nervous giggle. "No? I don't think so?"

Kraglin then came outside the Mess Hall doors to stand with Yondu. Kraglin had a big shit eating grin on his face, almost as if he were trying not to laugh when he saw you and Peter there.

Yondu threw him a glance which Kraglin returned with a nod. You noticed this and you exchanged another look with Peter. Something was definitely up. This felt like a trap.

"Well, what're ya waiting for? Get in there and grab some supper!" Yondu ordered, grinning strangely. He opened the door for you- oh shit something was absolutely up here.

You and Peter eyed him suspiciously but obeyed, entering the Mess hall without a word.

Once inside you noticed the rest of the crew inside were all oddly quiet, all staring at the two of you with grins and some suppressing giggles behind their hands. You heard the doors shut behind you and turned to see Yondu and Kraglin standing in front of them, both donning the biggest shit eating grins of all time.

"Cap'n has a surprise for you guys, d'ya- do ya like it?" Kraglin asked, trying to suppress his own giggles.

You heard Peter exclaim a, "Oh hell no!" and you turned to see what had caught his attention, noticing the crew had finally broke out into loud raucous laughter around you.

Hanging high on the wall about 10 feet to the right of the Mess Hall entrance doors was a humongous blown up photo of you and Peter. It was the photo you guys didn't know Oblo had snapped when you returned from Contraxia. It showed the two of you each curled up asleep in your respective seats of Yondu's M-ship. Peter was sucking his thumb. You were cuddling one of Yondu's softer dash toys.

You both paled as you stared up at the giant poster hung high on the wall. Hung conveniently high enough that neither of you would be able to reach it to rip it down, although Peter made a few good attempts.

Your eyes narrowed at your captain as he approached you, his laughter matching that of the crew. He pulled you towards him and ruffled your hair as he asked. "What's the matter? Ya don't like yer surprise?"

You glared up at him as Peter was now climbing up on a chair in a vain attempt to reach and pull the photo down. "This so means war, blue man!"

"Don't pick fights ya can't win, pipsqueak." Yondu laughed. "Consider this payback for those poppers in my chair, and ya can tell Peter this is for those firecrackers in the supply closet."

You sighed and punched him in the arm, but he only laughed and pulled you in close to ruffle your hair again, "Oh lighten up! Ya don't really expect me to just let my kids have all the fun, huh?"

You jerked your head towards him with a surprised expression, and it seemed it was only then he realized what he had said. Grateful that no one else would have heard it over his noisy crew he attempted to backtrack. "Uh, don't read too much into it." he said, clapping you on the back and announcing to Kraglin that he was going to grab some food. Kraglin, who was busy laughing at Peter, who had seemingly given up his attempts to rip down the photo in favor of walking dejectedly back over to you, nodded and joined his Captain in obtaining some supper.

Peter and you turned to face the photo again, the laughter from the crew still not having died down. Peter spoke first. "This means war, right?"

"Definitely. I had already set up a dye pack in Yondu's shower earlier. He'll be a weird shade of purple by morning," you affirmed with a grin.

"Nice. We gotta get one on Kraglin too."

"Absolutely," you reply. "After supper?"

"Yeah. After supper." Peter agreed.

The two of you made your way to get your supper, ignoring the laughs and teases of the other Ravagers along the way and discussing further options of getting Yondu and Kraglin back for this.

He may be like a father to you two, but that didn't mean he'd get off easy.

[thatsgay-writes]

Lin Beifong x Reader

(Pre-LOK)

(This is my first time writing a fic based off of a song, apologies if it’s bad.)

The song that goes with this chapter

Who's that knocking at four in the morning (Four in the morning) 'Cause it don't rain, but tonight it's pouring (Tonight it's pouring) Uh, you like it more when I ignore it (You like it, yeah)

The pounding on your door was way to consistent for it to be the rain like you had originally thought. It had been clear skies all day until around 5 when a random storm hit and caused an almost total lockdown in your neighborhood and the surrounding ones. Who is banging on my damn door? You thought as you stood up from your bed and slipped on your slippers. You let out a groan as you walk into the kitchen and notice the clock. 4am! Whoever was at your door better be dying or have some really important news. You peeked out one of the windows in your kitchen and saw the outline of a woman at your door. You knew almost immediately who it was. You didn't have many friends, especially female friends, and you knew only one person who would willingly follow you to the Fire Nation.

Considering the rain, you would have opened the door right away but you were pissed. Lin had broken your heart and you weren't about to let her in immediately. You turn on the light in the front room before running back to the kitchen window. You wanted her to know that you knew that she was there. You watched for a few minutes before you finally opened the door and allowed her in. It was silent between the two of you as she took off her coat and shoes at the door. You silently walked to the couch in your front room and sat, waiting, watching, wanting to see what she would do next.

And since I left, LA got boring (Since I've been gone, yeah) Hey, I'm back on my bullshit You're a Libra, I'm a Taurus Heard you hooked back up with your ex And now you're asleep on my doorstep You're way too hot to be acting like that Acting like that, acting like that You're way too hot to be acting like that Acting like that, acting like that I don't wanna talk right now You're asleep outside my house You're way too hot to be acting like that Acting like that, acting like that

Lin, for the first time in her life, was a woman of many words. She poured her heart as she kneeled in front of you. She explained everything, barely taking a pause to breath. She told you how she messed up when she slept with Kya... again. The two of you had been in the dating phase of your relationship, so close to being girlfriends, when Lin slept with Kya. You wish you could lie and say it was the first time it had happened but it wasn't. Kya had been a big reason why you and Lin never got past the dating phase. "I... I came yesterday too, but you never answered... Where were you because I accidently fell asleep and you still never exited or entered your house." Lin confessed and you blushed a little at the memory of the other night. While you were heartbroken about what happened about Lin, you didn't have the best coping mechanism and when two beautiful women threw themselves at you at the same time... Well, could you really blame yourself? Lin took your silence as an answer and continued her rant.

You barely listened as she explained how much she missed you, how boring Republic City was without you. You would have forgiven her if the speech wasn't the same as it was last time, except with the added part about the City being boring without you. You knew what would happen the moment you let Lin into your house. It happens every time she apologizes, the only thing you didn't know was if it would be the last time.

I heard that today you gon' entertain You don't ever stay, I think I'm okay Never gonna change my mind Never gonna change my mind And I don't think today is the last time You got bright eyes in the dark side I can see that look in your eyes I can see that look in your eyes, yeah Now I can't sleep, I'm all alone And what we reaped was what we sowed So can we meet somewhere in the middle (Yeah)

You ignore Lin as she speaks, having flashbacks of all the times this had happened. Flashbacks of what made you leave Republic City for good. The first weeks of living in the Fire Nation were so... lonely. You didn't know anyone in the town, you didn't even have a job waiting for you until you talked to Zuko and Mai. Your move to the Fire Nation had definitely been a surprise. Not knowing anyone wasn't even the main reason you felt lonely. How do you go from sharing a bed with someone on an almost regular schedule to laying in a queen size bed alone? The heat and comfort from the other person missing.

You refocused on Lin some, enough to focus on her but not what she was saying. You knew this would be the last time you saw her. You knew she needed to apologize so she wouldn't feel guilty about it. You knew that once she said her piece and walked out the door, she would walk out of your life. You watch as the light casts a light shadow over her face and how it made her green eyes seemingly shine brighter. Maybe you could give in one more time.

Without saying anything, you grabbed Lin's face and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Lin didn't know what to do for a second and tensed before finally returning the kiss with equal passion. Just this once, just this once... You repeated that over and over in your head as Lin picked you up and carried you towards your bedroom. You knew you shouldn't have given in, you knew you should have kicked Lin out or just never opened the door.

You're way too hot to be acting like that Acting like that, acting like that You're way too hot to be acting like that Acting like that, acting like that I don't wanna talk right now (Right now) You're asleep outside my house (Asleep outside my house) You're way too hot to be acting like that Acting like that, acting like that La-la, la-la, la-la La-la-la La-la, la-la, la-la La-la-la Ayy Calling out my eye I fell in love again I know you'll regret me in the morning But you're gone again

You rolled over the next morning, expecting to hit a body, only to find the bed empty. You closed your eyes and punched your pillow in frustration. Of course Lin was gone. You had told yourself she would be the night before. But some small, dumb but small, part of you had hoped she wouldn't be. You looked around the room to see that everything had been put back the way it was originally before your wild night. It's like it never even happened. You redress yourself and walk to your kitchen to make yourself a cup of coffee. You looked around a little and realized she didn't even attempt to leave a note or anything. That small part of you filled with hope completely went away. You were done, you thought you had been done once you moved but this time it was final.

Yeah You're way too hot to be acting like that Acting like that, acting like that You're way too hot to be acting like that Acting like that, acting like that I don't wanna talk right now (I don't wanna talk right now) You're asleep outside my house (You're asleep outside my house) You're way too hot to be acting like that Acting like that, acting like that La-la, la-la, la-la La-la-la La-la, la-la, la-la La-la-la

The next time Lin showed up on your doorstep, you didn't answer. You were way too hot to be acting like that over Lin, it was time to move on.

[wormstacheangel]

El Chacal con la trompeta while everyone chants FUERA! at Dean.

Read the first 3 chapters of my latinenatural Aqui (I know I can't believe it has chapters either)

Dean ran up the stairs to the 4th floor, where Sam said he was waiting. His adrenaline was pumping too hard to even wait by the elevator doors.

He got lost trying to find the room because nomas puede pensar que su hermanito ya sabe su secreto.

“Fuck!” Dean said out loud as he turned into another hallway while his head repeated, “No estoy listo! No estoy listo!”

Finally, Dean stood outside the closed glass door with the nameplate that read ‘C. Novak’ with his job description nicely engraved at the bottom. Dean knew Cas had a great job and knew his family owned a successful business; he just didn’t know that his family cleaned their building.

He stood outside the door for a second longer, letting out a shaky breath, before turning the handle on the door and letting himself in.

He didn’t know what he expected to see when he walked in. He was preparing himself for the yelling and the disappointed looks, but he didn’t get any of that. Instead, when Dean walked in, he was practically ignored.

He stood by the doorway watching Sam sit behind the desk while Cas stood behind him teaching him how to do some paperwork. Sam was smiling from ear to ear as he asked question after question while Cas answered them patiently. He was pointing and explaining as much as he could before Sam interrupted him with another question.

“Ya mamón, dejalo en paz.” Dean walked closer to the desk as both heads lifted to look at him.

Cas gave him a small smile while Sam completely ignored his words, eyes shining with excitement, as he pointed at the screen. “Dean! Mira, Cas is teaching me how to read a contract!”

Dean was close enough to read over his shoulder now and looked at the mess of words on the screen, humming as if he could understand any of it, before looking towards Cas.

“Sorry, my little brother is bothering you.”

Dean winks at him as Cas shakes his head, a blush growing at his cheeks.

“Not at all. Sam just mentioned he was interested in law, and while I don’t do any exciting Law and Order stuff, I thought I could show him some basics.” Cas put a hand on Sam’s shoulder to get his attention. “I’ll ask about our internship program and send some paperwork home with Dean.” Cas then looked towards Dean, looking unsure. “If that’s okay with you?”

Before Dean could answer, Sam spun around in his chair and stood up to shake Cas’s hand with both of his. It looked painful, but Cas chuckled with every tug of the arm.

“Really? Oh my god! Thank you, Cas!” Sam then looked at Dean, still looking like a kid locked in a candy store. “Dean, you have the best boyfriend ever! Si haces algo para arruinar esto, te mato.”

Dean’s eyes turned to meet a wide-eyed Cas who smiled awkwardly. “Oh, actually we aren’t-”

Dean’s body took a step forward without really thinking, but he knew what he was about to say as he took Cas’s hand away from Sam’s grip.

“Callate, menso. Cas, if my boyfriend. Tu piensas que no sé qué he's the best.”

“Boyfriend?” Cas looked like he had stars in his eyes as he turned to look back at Dean, his hand squeezing back before the familiar squint replaced it. “Really?”

Dean shrugs, acting as if it was no big deal while the butterflies in his stomach turned into a wasp nest. “Si quieres. If you want.”

All fear melted away as Cas nodded a few times, a growing grin stretching over his lips as big hands reached to cradle his face. Cas’s thumb was barely grazing his bottom lip, making Dean weak in the knees.

“Sammy.” Dean reached with his free hand to slap the back of Sam’s head. “Vete.”

Sam was sitting down looking at the screen again when he turned his glare on him, but Dean snapped his fingers and pointed at the door. His eyes stayed glued on Cas’s face, following the movement of his boyfriend’s tongue licking his lips.

“What? But we haven’t even talked about-!”

“Talk later.” Dean hissed, turning to give his brother the most ‘Si no te vas ahorita te voy a chingar’ stare he could give him.

“Dean,” Cas started as he dropped his hands and took a step back.

“No. No. No. No.” Dean wrapped his hands around Cas’s waist to hold him close because he knew that tone. “Cariño, por favor.”

He ignored Sam’s dumb snort of a laugh--he’ll kill him for that later--as he snuggled his nose into the side of Cas’s throat. He didn’t even care who saw right now; he wanted to make out with his new boyfriend in celebration.

“You two should just sit down and have a conversation. Anyways,” Cas took Dean’s face between his hands to hold his gaze, watching with his right eyebrow lifted to make sure Dean was listening to his words even though Dean was already swallowing hard at the look. “You’re working. So, how about I stay a little later and then I can drive you home after? Is that okay?”

Dean nodded, turning his head just a little to kiss Cas’s palm. “Lo que quieres.”

Cas excused himself to make copies while also asking Dean for his keys to the rooms to go into his brother Gabriel’s office to grab some of the things he essentially borrowed. Dean watched his novio walk out of the office before once again smacking the back of Sam’s head.

“Ow! Dean, si me pegas otra vez-!”

“Que? ¡A ver dime! Que vas hacer, pinche mamón?”

They ended up wrestling on the floor for a few seconds until they both grew tired and sat down behind Cas’s desk, looking out the window and into the night sky. They didn’t say anything for a while until Sam finally broke the silence.

“So que? Eres gay?”

Dean didn’t respond right away, trying to find the right words, but he knew there was one word that would easily explain it, but he has never said it out loud before. His throat dried up at the mere thought of it escaping his lips, but he knew it was time to finally come out. Sam already made it so easy by announcing how much he liked his boyfriend, su novio--fuck, tiene un novio.

Jamás pensó que iba a tener un novio. Let alone a rich white boy. What Cas sees in him, he will never know, but Dean didn’t want his fear and doubt to stop him from being happy.

“No,” Dean answered before clearing his throat. He wiped his sweaty palms on his thighs as he looked down, trying to make himself say it. It was just a word. Nomas es una pinche palabra pero--fuck. “No soy gay. Soy-soy...ugh, mierda this is hard.”

Dean could hear his voice break. His vision blurred as the word sat at the tip of his tongue, wanting to be set free but also fighting to stay hidden away. He was starting to become frustrated with himself, feeling like he was making a big deal out of nothing, but he felt like the world may explode if this didn’t go well.

Que va ser if Sam no cree en bisexuality? If Sam gets mad at Dean for not choosing one or the other because he thinks everyone is pretty great. Otra vez, Dean tenía miedo de perder a su hermanito.

Dean felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Sam looking at him in understanding. It wasn’t disgust or hatred like Dean feared, but he almost looked...proud?

“It’s okay, Dean. You don’t have to say anything. But just reassure me, are you happy with Cas?”

Dean let his shoulders fall and let out a heavy breath he held before looking down at his shaking fist. When he stretched his hand out, it burned, but he felt a little more relaxed because this, he could say.

He looked back at Sam and tried to smile while failing to hold in tears. “I really like him, Sammy. De verdad, yo pienso que me estoy enamorando de él.”

Sam’s eyes widened at the words, but then tears started to fall.

“Dude,” Dean rolled his eyes at Sam’s tears, trying to ignore his sliding down his cheeks. “¡No llores! You’re making it weird.”

“Sorry.” Sam chuckled as he wiped his tears, and then it was quiet again as they stared out the window.

“Okay, ya terminamos de hablar.” Dean slapped his leg before standing up. Giving Sam his back real quick so he can wipe sneakily wipe his face from any snot or tears. Sam copies him, and they head out of his boyfriend’s --tiene un novio con una officina!--office. “So let’s hurry up and finish so I can go make out with my--Ayi, esta!”

Cas was walking back towards his office with his arms filled with books and a large plant. He looked up when he heard Dean’s voice and sighed with relief.

“Oh, good! You’re still here. Can you help me with this? I still have one more plant to get, but it’s much heavier. I swear if Gabriel steals my shit again, I’m gonna make him into fertilizer.”

Dean’s heart raced as he grinned. He nudged his brother once before whispering, “No le digas nada pero lo quiero mucho.”

Sam only nodded once, his face scrunched up in confusion as if he wasn’t sure if he could tease him before Dean ran over to help Cas carry the big plant back to his office.

He held his cheek out for a kiss as soon as he dropped the plant where Cas wanted it, but instead of receiving a nice kiss, Cas started to push him out of his office.

“Okay, go to work so we can leave already.”

“Ni un besito?”

“No besito.”

“Pero, Angelito,” Dean kicked the door close once he was close enough and spun around to wrap his arms around Cas’s waist. Tugging him close until their noses touch.

Cas chuckled as he stood utterly still, almost challenging Dean with the lift of the eyebrow. “Yes?”

Dean clicked his tongue, pretending to be annoyed, as he dropped his hands.

“Nada. Nada. I’ll go back to work.”Dean reached for the door handle and quickly said, “Okay, bye. Te quiero.”

“Te qui-What?”

Dean opened the office door only for Cas to push it close again. He turned around to see his boyfriend looking at him con ojos azules y brilloso, watching him like he wasn’t sure if he heard it right.

“You um, you said-” Cas eyes watched his face as he nervously tried to read Dean’s face. “You explained that-that means two different things, and I’m just not sure if you mean-”

Dean interrupts Cas’s rambling with a kiss. It was short, but he couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I love you. I do.” Dean reached to gently wipe a tear from Cas’s cheek, smiling as he repeats himself. “Te amo, Cas.”

Cas opened his mouth, reaching for Dean, but they both jumped when they heard loud pounding at the door.

“Dean! Bobby’s coming.” Sam hissed through the door, and Dean could hear his name being faintly called along with curses.

“Shit, I left all my things on the floor. El viejo va estar enojado.” Dean kissed Cas’s forehead before opening the door and whispering, “I’ll come get you when I’m done.”

He was out the door when Cas called for him.

“Dean, wait-”

Dean and Cas were now standing face to face with Bobby, who looked between them with a questioning glare—mainly aimed at Dean. Sam was standing behind Bobby, knowing what to do as much as Dean.

“Hello.” Cas stepped forward with his hand stretched out to shake Bobby’s. “Sorry to keep your workers busy. They were helping me move some things in my office.”

Bobby shook Cas’s hand with a grunt. He pointed with a raise of the chin towards the office. “Oh. That office?”

Cas looked and then nodded. “Yes. Sorry. I didn’t introduce myself. Castiel Novak. Nice to meet you and sorry again.”

Dean could read Bobby’s face. Nope. Bobby does not like him.

Hijo de puta.

[bobathirstaccount]

Hard to Find Someone Like You

Boba x fem!reader, Fennec is your gal pal & boss, slow burn to smut (tomfoolery starts end of ch 2 & sex starts in ch 3, I gotchu), some romance, fair amount of plot, Post-Mando 2 Boba

You are a merc serving under Fennec at Fett’s Palace. It’s business as usual until a certain helmet starts tilting in your direction...

Translations:

Ayy - Twi’lek name, means star

****

CHAPTER ONE

TW: 1x mention of noncon/abuse

You fiddled with your lucky charm as you waited to speak to Fennec. You shifted the weight of your back pack from one shoulder to the other. She was attending to Fett right now, acting as his right hand as he held court. Several groups had been fortunate enough to be granted an audience with the Great Fett today. He almost looked like a statue of a Mandolorian rather than a real, living being.

Finally there was a break in audiences. Fett leaned back, relaxing his posture slightly. Fennec turned away from the throne, and noticing you, walked over to speak with you.

“Well?”

You presented the backpack, unbuckling the straps as you did. Fennec lifted the flap. It was the target’s head.

“Interesting way to show proof of death.”

You simply shrug.

“I’m not touching that. Come with me.” You follow Fennec without really thinking about it, assuming you are going back into one of the private rooms to speak. Instead, she steps in front of the throne, directly in front of the step up. You stop next to her, nearly bumping into her. You grip the backpack, already feeling Fett’s heavy gaze on you.

“Hasrgrid is taken care of. We have proof of death. She pulled back the flap to reveal the top of his head.


“Show me,” he commanded.

Fennec looked at you expectantly. You realize why and grab the head by the hair, dropping the pack. The head hangs from your left hand. You raise it up and dare to look up at Fett’s visor. He very clearly looks from the head to you. He pauses for a moment. You realize he’s leaned forward again. Finally he says, “Good.” He waves a dismissive hand. Fennec ushers you from his presence.

“Get rid of the head now, babe,” she says, smacking one of your ass cheeks.

You put the head back in your back pack, nodding. You wait for further instruction. She tilts her head towards the stairs up out of the throne room, “Head out and relax for now.” You nod again and turn wordlessly.

****

The third floor dance club was still active. Fett kept it open for his ‘esteemed guests.’ While there were no longer slaves, there were hired entertainers, who danced on raised diases scattered throughout the club area. You were allowed up there as one of Fennec’s go-to mercs. You nursed a spotchka and watched your friend dance. She winked at you and you gave a half smile. You were bored, waiting for a job.

Suddenly Ayy jumped down off her dias. Your eyes snapped up out of your daydream. She cowered on the floor, crying and shaking. You got on her level immediately. “Ayy, what’s wrong?” You reach out a hand to comfort her.

“That’s the one,” she breathed shakily. You whipped around, eyes full of hate. You saw a group of Twi’lek males who were just entering.

“He’s the one,” she whispered.

“Which one?”

“The one in blue,” she shivered.

You unsheathed your vibroblade and stood up, walking deliberately. You would keep your promise. You walked up to him, a confused expression on his face as he saw you approaching.

”And what do you wa-“

You slashed down at one of his lekku. It plopped to the ground. Someone screamed. In a fury you slashed up, connecting with his throat, slitting it. He went down gurgling. Blood flowed to your feet; you stood while it crept past you. His companions had long fled. You stood over him, still filled with anger. A fine mist of blood covered your face, twisted in rage. Ayy came up behind you.

“Thank you,” she said through hiccuping tears. “Now what will happen?”

You turned to her, fire still in your eyes, “I don’t know, but just go back to dancing.”

She nodded and returned to her dias, still shaking.

***


Fennec had been furious. The Twi’lek was part of an alliance that Fett had some kind of doings with. You had apologized, but you weren’t really sorry and it probably showed. Finally she dropped the bomb.

“You are in trouble. I can’t shield you from this. Fett wants to see you.”

You stared at her in surprise. You swallowed down your fear. “When?”

She crossed her arms, “Now.”

Your body started to buzz. Kriff.

You followed her through a short corridor, a secret short cut to the throne room. It was empty save for Fett, who sat impassive on his throne. Fennec came to stand before him.

“Here’s the merc,” she said simply.

He nearly imperceptibly tilted his head to observe you.

“The one with the head,” he said.

“Yes,” Fennec said, amusement clear in her voice despite the situation.

He leaned back a bit, “Tell me, little one, why you killed my guest.”

You stared at his helmet for a second before a response formed. Anger shone in your eyes as you spoke. “He kept my friend as a sex slave for years. He separated her from her sister. He made her do terrible things.”

Fennec turned her head slightly, a look of understanding crossing her face. Fett stayed still for a moment. You figured he was deciding how to kill you. Finally he said, “Understandable. Do not make a habit of killing my guests. Leave.” He waved you away.

“Stay,” he said to Fennec. You retreated hastily.

***

You were drunk for once. Ayy and some of the other dancers had made it their goal to get you sauced for your birthday. You had regretted mentioning it. They brought you shots and drinks all day long, singing to you and dancing for you. You admired their graceful movements and their soulful voices.

By the end of the evening, you were hanging off a pole, dancing with Ayy. You had watched the dancers enough to be able to pretty successfully emulate them, if not quite as smoothly. They hooted and encouraged you.

You smiled, letting loose a bit for once. You noticed a group come in, but ignored it. You were having a good time. Overheated, you shed your jacket. You jumped back onto the pole with Ayy, and you both spun around, laughing and smiling.

Finally you took notice of the group, only because you saw Fennec. It was rare to see her on this floor. It must be someone important. Curious, you peered at the other faces. You stopped spinning on the pole, stunned. Fett himself was over there, sitting with a group of what appeared to be other Mandolorians. Your mouth was slightly ajar. Suddenly you saw Fett turn his head slightly. It looked like he was staring directly at you. You shuddered and got off the pole. Chastened, you took your seat. Ayy looked down, “What’s wrong bae?”

“Fett’s over there!” You exclaimed.

She nodded, “So? It is his palace.”

You gesture vaugely, “But I’ve made a fool of myself!”

She gave you a withering look, “As if he kriffing noticed.”

You considered. Of course he wasn’t looking at you. You relaxed a bit. She tsked at you and returned to dancing.

[jungshook69]

Love is a myth :: 04 (Finale)

DISCLAIMER: This doesn’t represent the members’ actions or the army’s actions in any manner it’s pure fiction. This is an original work, do not copy. The taglist is open if you want. Taglist is now closed.

WORD COUNT: 4.8K words (it’s the finale y’all don’t look at me like that)

MAIN PAIRING:  musician! Yoongi X waitress! female reader

SIDE PAIRING/S: Jungkook X female reader ; Taehyung X female reader

GENRE: FWB! au ; Strangers to lovers! au

WARNINGS: Implied smut (Forgive me cuz I suck at writing it, no puns intended) ; Mentions of alcohol and smoking (I do not condone smoking) ; Profanity ; Mentions of infidelity ; Heavy angst ; Self loathing (Namjoon’s about to wack me in the head with his slipper) ; I apologize in advance if there’s any spelling errors.

SUMMARY: "You covered your bare form with the silk sheets beneath you, as you watched him walk out your door without a word." // "Love is a myth. All that existed between you two was pure lust." // "The last rule was if anyone of the two of you caught feelings for the other, the deal would be off."

SERIES MASTERLIST: Trailer » Meet the cast » Chapter #1 » Chapter #2 » Chapter #3 » Chapter #4

STATUS: Complete

You were even more motivated than ever to get ready for that blind date. Your fight with Yoongi from 4 hours ago was still fresh in your mind. You needed to get your mind off of things, and this date provided the perfect escape. You looked down at your phone that flashed with a new message.

 New message from ‘Michael “Jackie”-son’(2):

‘Dress in something fancy’

‘Address: XXX, 47th street’

 After ripping through every dress in your closet, you finally settled on going for a sleek, deep wine-coloured, silk gown that hugged your curves, but also loosely flowed to your feet. A slit ran down your left thigh up to your ankles through which your black lingerie stocking was sticking out. Yes, you’d chosen black lingerie for the night. It was the one you felt most confident in. Your hair was pinned into a simple, elegant, low bun, some loose strands of hair framing your face. You wore a simple chain choker, some elegant bracelets, shiny black pumps, and tiny pearls on your ears. Your lips were tinted in a gorgeous wine-shade, and your eyes were lined with a black liner. You knew your bear arms would feel cold, but you felt confident in your looks for once. But sadly this much reminded you of how your mother would dress. You pushed all these thoughts aside and grabbed your clutch, before you could make a tardy first impression.

 You stood before the building, drinking in the beauty of the exterior. You weren’t too surprised as you had worked at a 5-star restaurant for the majority of your life, but you were fairly nervous as you had never been on the receiving end of such ambience, ever since you had run away from your family’s wealth when you were 16.

 You walked in and were immediately greeted, “Good evening ma’am, how may I help you?”

 “Ummm… I have a reservation for two under the name Mr. Kim?”

 “Okay, I’ll check that for you.”

 You looked around and observed the luxurious decor of the place while the hostess went through the registry. She finally cleared her throat and spoke up, “Yes ma’am, Mr. Kim has been here for 2 minutes already, if you follow me, I shall take you to your seat.” She said smiling.

 Your palms start sweating as you follow the hostess to your table. Why were you so nervous? Was it because he was rich? Was it because he’d treated you to such a fancy place just for a blind date? Was it because you were afraid to break it to him how you were only expecting to have a good time, and not a committed relationship?

 Your brain most definitely started malfunctioning when you saw the hostess motion you towards a man sitting at what you presumed was your table. You took small strides as you made your way over to the intimidating man. He pulled back your chair for you and seated himself in front of you.

 And when your friends said this man was devilishly handsome, they weren’t exaggerating. His skin was clear and almost glowing. He was dressed in a fitted black blazer and trousers to match, along with a classic white button down underneath. His eyes were deep and intriguing, making you want to sit and stare into them all day. His lips were perfectly curved and looked inviting. You noticed two cute moles, one below his lip, and the other below his nose. His hair was a gorgeous jet black and was gelled back. A single strand cascaded on his forehead making him look even more suave. His poise held confidence, his shoulders held high, which seemed intimidating enough to you.

 “Good evening Miss. Y/N.”

 You thought his looks had attacked you enough. But that wasn’t the end of it. It’s when he spoke that you melted. His voice made goosebumps travel down your spine. What had you gotten yourself into? There’s no way this man was going to give you just a night of fun! What was Jackie thinking?

 “G-Good evening Mr. Kim.” You said trying to cope with his formalism.

 “Can we drop the act?” he asks, your eyes widening in surprise.

 “Pardon?”

 “I meant I know I’m intimidating, but like this is a bit much isn’t it?”

 “Wha… but you…”

 “Jackie said, and I quote, ‘You got money right? Flaunt it!’.” He says smiling.

 “Oh god.” You say trying to hold back a smile and failing.

 “Sometimes I wonder how Mark tolerates her.” He says giggling.

 “They do love each other a lot.” You say sighing.

 “Hey ummm… Y/N?” he says.

 “Yeah?”

 “Wanna get out of here?” he asks, eyes shining.

 //

 You were sweating and panting as you held onto his shoulders.

 “Taehyung, go slower, you’re killing me!” you yell out.

 “Jeez what are you? 60?” he scoffs.

 “Ayy you try walking in my heels!” you roll your eyes.

 You were both currently walking up the stairs to an old skating rink that overlooked the entire city. Taehyung held a takeout bag with 2 simple diner style burgers in them, while his other hand was clasping yours, helping you get up the last flight of stairs. You finally reached the spot he told you about and gasped at the sight you saw. You could see the entire skyline from here and it was a gorgeous sight to enjoy while eating the perfect comfort food.

 You both sat down and Taehyung handed you your dinner. “I much prefer these burgers than some expensive ass Pacific Bluefin tuna.” He says with a mouthful of food.

 “I’m surprised at how humble you are.” You say sincerely.

 “Yeah, the key is to never forget your roots.”

 “Sometimes people need to forget their roots…” you whisper unconsciously.

 “What?” he asks.

 “Uhh… the burgers are delicious.”

 “I know right? Mark doesn’t like them.”

 “Well Mark can go jump off a cliff.”

 “I couldn’t agree more.” He said smiling wide, as you admire his beautiful smile.

 “To be honest I never thought you’d be such a breath of fresh air when I first saw you.”

 “I tend to leave such a first impression.”

 “Umm… actually… I just wanted to clarify.” You say as you finish your burgers. “I don’t wanna lead you on. I’m not looking for anything serious.”

 “Well you’re lucky, because I’m not either. I tend to travel a lot. And I tend to fool around here and there and not stay emotionally grounded with anyone.” He says shrugging.

 “I hate commitment too. I just like to have a fun time.” You murmur.

 “Want me to show you a fun time?” he asks smirking.

 //

 30 minutes later, you were back against the wall of your apartment, as your lips were engulfed by Taehyung’s. His tongue felt hot, clashing against the walls of your mouth, as you shamelessly moaned into the kiss. His blazer had long been discarded on your floor, and your hands were tangled in his soft black hair. His hands roamed on your body rather daringly. His hands travelled up the length of your leg, causing goosebumps across the skin of your exposed thigh. His long fingers gripped around the meat of your thighs before he lifted you up. You wrapped your legs around his waist and gripped onto his shoulders to balance yourself.

 The kiss was sloppy and heated with none of you willing to stop for breath. His hands undid your hair and let your curls fall around your shoulders. His fingers thread through your long locks and he pulled on your hair, biting your lip as he broke the kiss. “You’re gorgeous.” He murmured shakily. You gave him a sly smirk and pulled his neck, connecting your lips again. He broke apart again, and stared into your eyes. His deep brown orbs were completely blown out, drowning in lust, and you were sure you matched it with the same darkness in your eyes. His voice was breathless as he said, “Why is the god damn zipper so tiny?”

 You couldn’t help but giggle at his urgency. “What’re you laughing about?” he asks furrowing his eyebrows.

 “It’s just you sound like those guys who struggle with a bra clasp and end up giving up in frustration.” You laugh out loud.

 “Oh I’m not giving up. You best believe I’m getting that god damn dress off of you.” He says, his voice husky.

 He turned you around and dropped you on your bed. He climbed over you, his leg landing between your thighs, his hands working on taking off your dress. He devoured your lips with an almost animalistic hunger when he’d finally exposed your lingerie to him.

 //

 Your chest was heaving as you stared up at the white ceiling fan. You had a déjà vu from about 2 weeks ago, from one of the many nights with Yoongi, where you had watched him leave after satisfying both your needs. You turned your head to see Taehyung’s angelic face next to you, as you catch his eyes already on you.

 “Why’re you staring at me like that?” you ask smiling.

 “I’ve slept with a lot of people ‘for fun’. But trust me when I say I’ve never wanted to stay back and cuddle as much as I do with you.” He says sighing.

 “Don’t fall in love with me Kim.” You say rolling your eyes.

 “It’s next to impossible, but I’ll try.” He says sarcastically, receiving a playful nudge from you in response.

 “Pillow talk has never been part of my routine…” you speak out, sincerity lacing your tone.

 “Me too…” he whispers and what he does next shocks you. He places his head on your chest, his face burying into the crook of your neck, and his arms wrap around your waist, sending shivers across your bare skin.

 “W-What’re you doing?”

 “Don’t think about it too much, just relax.” He huffs out, his breath running against your warm neck.

 You relax under his touch and involuntarily find your hands wrapping around his head as you nuzzle him closer. You let out a shaky breath as this reminds you too much of your college boyfriend. “Do you have to leave tomorrow?” you ask in a daze.

 “Sorry but yes… but I have a feeling I’m not gonna lose contact with you like I do with other people I sleep with…” he said smiling.

 “Me too…” you say letting your tired eyes flutter shut.

 //

 You wake up to a different sound everyday it seems. Today you woke up to the sound of what sounded like empty plastic bottles falling. Your eyes met with Taehyung’s, who came stumbling out of the washroom. “Sorry if I woke you up, I accidently dropped the shampoo bottles on your counter.”

 “No it’s okay.” You say smiling as you got up and put on your robe onto your naked form.

 You watched Taehyung, as he was folding the sleeves of his white button down to his elbows. His hair cascaded over his forehead in a messy, but still intimidating manner. He looked up at you as he grabbed his coat. “Well I should get going, my driver’s downstairs.”

 “Oh okay…” you murmur softly.

 He walks up to you and lifts up your chin ever so lightly. You meet his warm smile and you instantly melt. He leans in and lands a soft kiss against your lips. “I left my number on a note on the night stand. Promise me, we’ll stay in touch.”

 “Sure.” You say sighing, with a sad smile.

 “Hey, I meant to be friends, not for just hooking up again…” he says chuckling lightly.

 “Oh…” your eyes were wide.

 “Well I have to go now, bye Y/N I had a great time…” he says walking away, his hand slipping from your hold.

 You watched as he left your place, and you went to take a shower. Somehow this time when you heard the familiar click of the door, you didn’t feel hurt. Even though Taehyung was gone, you didn’t feel sad. Did it have anything to do with the affection he had shown you, besides the lustful sin you had committed?

 //

 Yoongi walked up the stairs of your building. His hair was a mess, his eyes were swollen from not getting enough sleep. He didn’t like the way he had yelled at you yesterday. He wasn’t in the right mind and he was just angered when you had told him that the memories he held dearest to his heart were a mistake. He finally reached your floor at 9 am in the morning, hoping he could resolve a few unspoken issues. Confrontation was always Yoongi’s go-to method.

 But Yoongi stopped in his tracks when he saw a man with tussled dark hair close the door to your apartment. He could only assume the worst by the sight in front of him. The man passed by Yoongi, bowing out of courtesy on his way to the stairs. All his obsessive thoughts started coming back to him. Maybe you didn’t want to go back to being friends. Maybe you should stick to the deal you had made. The slight bit of confidence Yoongi had when he was making his way to meet you was wiped away as he turned on his heel and made his way towards the exit.

 He needed some time. You needed some time. Alone.

 //

 The next whole week had gone by in a blur. Yoongi was procrastinating on whether or not to talk to you, ultimately deciding against it. You had continued to ignore Yoongi’s presence in your workplace the whole time. He didn’t walk you home every night since. You had also begun texting Taehyung from time to time, and you both had settled on being just friends, since you learned you both much enjoyed each other’s goofy side. Your life was in a constant loop, going to work, ignoring Yoongi, reaching home, and sleeping, only to repeat the same schedule every other day of the week.

 But today was a bit different. It was a Saturday night, and tonight was important for you, and every other employee. Tonight, all the heads and managers of the other branches of this ambiguous chain of luxury restaurants, were here to dine. Along with the CEO of this chain. You knew you were a waitress, but you had assisted in cooking tons of times before. Tonight they had all the experienced heads, like you assist in cooking, while they assigned the newly trained rookies as hosts and hostesses. You were all told to be super attentive and to make your nerves worse, you were being supervised by your head chef and manager Kim Seokjin.

 But the timing was completely wrong. Today your thoughts about your personal life were unnecessarily heightened. Seeing Yoongi working his fingers across the monochrome keys of the sleek black piano, he himself being dressed in an all-black suit and shirt tailored to be strained across his firm chest, was extremely distracting. You tossed the meat into the pan, aware of the powerful gaze of Seokjin standing in the corner of the kitchen.

 You tried to vaporize the alcohol by doing a simple flambé. You had done it tons of times before. You tilted the pan so the fire could catch the alcohol and a flame could erupt in your pan. But your mind being lost elsewhere you were shocked when the flame came on, and failed to move out of the way in time, burning your exposed forearm in the process. You yelped in surprise and pain as Maya took the pan from you for relief.

 “Chef, focus! This is no time to slack!” Seokjin’s voice rang through the loud kitchen.

 You huffed in annoyance and took the pan back from Maya explaining to her you’re okay, and began tossing the meat, ignoring the searing pain in your arm and the mark that was beginning to darken. As soon as all the dishes were made, you were given a 5 minute breather, till you waited for new customers to arrive. You stood in the corner, your hands cupping the burn on your hand in pain. You looked up in surprise when you heard a slam on the table in front of you. You watched Seokjin walk away, as you looked down at the ice pack he had left for you on the table. You couldn’t help but land a small smile as you iced the burn on your arm.

 It wasn’t 10 minutes later, and you were already pan frying zucchinis and slicing cherry tomatoes. Your break had barely lasted 2 minutes, before you had been called in to make a very important dish for the CEO’s family which had just arrived. “Move it! Move it! We don’t want to keep Mr. Kang waiting!” you heard Seokjin clap his palms together.

 What didn’t help your sense of urgency and added to the pressure was Yoongi entering the kitchen, as he stood in the corner having a chat with Seokjin. You knew that they were close, but you never knew Yoongi was close enough to lay a hand on Seokjin’s shoulder like that. You immediately placed the dish onto the counter, your mind distracted by Yoongi’s presence.

 Before you knew it there was a sharp call of your name leaving Seokjin’s lips. “CHEF Y/N?!”

 You rushed towards the counter, scared out of your wits. You watched as Yoongi’s eyes met yours in a sense of panic. “Y-Yes Mr. Kim?”

 “DID YOU DROWN THIS SALMON IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND PLACE IT ON THE CEO’S PLATE?”

 “N-No sir…”

 “IT’S SALTIER THAN THE BOTTOM OF THE PACIFIC! YOU KNOW WHAT COULD’VE HAPPENED IF WE SEND THIS PLATE OUT? YOUR HEAD IS NOT IN THE GAME CHEF! WE DON’T HAVE ROOM FOR AMATEURS IN THIS ESTABLISHED CHAIN!”

 “I-I’m sorry sir…” you said trying not to let the humiliation get to you.

 “You are one of my trusted employees so this is a warning, but if this happens again, I’m gonna have to let you go, you understand that chef?” Seokjin finally calms down and says.

 “Y-Yes sir…” you feel everyone’s eyes on you.

 “Retire for the night chef. You’re too distracted. We’ll fill in with someone else. You can leave.” Seokjin announces before leaving the kitchen. You take off your apron and before any of the others can ask you any questions, you stride out the back door. You sit down on your heels in the dark alley and hold your head and pull on your hair in frustration.

 Damn you Min Yoongi.

 Your cheeks stained with long gone tears, you held a cigarette up to your lips, as you tried to calm yourself down. You heard the door to the kitchen creak open.

 “Don’t try to ask me if I’m okay Jackie because frankly I’m n—” you speak out without looking.

 “The name’s Yoongi, Min Yoongi. Not Jackie.” A low voice echoes down the walls of the alley.

 All you can do is let out a huff of frustration and crush your cigarette under your shoe. “What do you want from me?”

 “I don’t want anything from you… just wanted to check on you…”

 “Since when do you care about my feelings?” you ask rhetorically, not expecting an answer.

 “Since last month I suppose, since when we walked to your apartment that night.” His straight forward answer surprises you.

 “What are we doing Yoongi?! What the hell is going on with us?!” you ask frustration lacing your tone. “We’re supposed to be fuck buddies. And we haven’t even had sex in 2 weeks! And before I know it, we’re sharing deep secrets with each other and talking to each other like we’ve known each other for years, and kissing each other like we’re in love—”

 “Because I am in love.”

 //

 Yoongi stops your little rant and shocks you with his words. You weren’t expecting such a direct answer to leave his mouth. You stood up, brushing out your skirt and muttered softly. “W-What?”

 “You heard me. I’m in love.” He enunciates.

 “But why?” you ask, oblivious. “I’m damaged goods. I’m toxic. We both are in a toxic relationship.”

 “But I’m willing to work to fix that.” Yoongi says with soft eyes. “I want to fix that gaping hole that the bastard left in your heart 6 years ago.”

 “Listen I really like you too, but I don’t want to… hurt you…”

 “You would never intentionally do that…”

 “I-I’m not ready…”

 “I’ll be here for you when you’re ready. This is new to me too! We can work through it together, please Y/N just trust me.”

 You sigh loudly. Before you could think you grabbed his collar and landed a kiss on his lips. He stumbled, but eventually his arms snaked around your waist, holding you so tight, afraid to let you go. You broke the kiss and looked into his beautiful deep brown orbs. “You really wanna do this?”

 “Yes.” He smiles and lands a small peck on your cheek.

 You smack his chest playfully and say, “You’re creeping me out, what happened to the Yoongi who could never even give me a straight compliment?”

 “Well I’m afraid someone changed him…” Yoongi says after thinking.

 “Oh really? Who may that special someone be?” you smirk playfully.

 “This woman at work. I’ve known her for 4 years, but never got around to talking to her until about 2 months ago.” He says chuckling.

 “Wow what a coward.” You scoff.

 “Well I don’t care, because I proudly simp for her now.” He says, his precious gummy smile making a rare appearance.

 You tug his collar, and smile as you look into his eyes. You lean in painfully slow, your breath ghosting his lips, but never coming close enough to touch them. “Quit playing me like that.” Yoongi whines making you giggle.

 “Well maybe I should—”

 “Miss. Y/N— oh sorry, please meet me inside, I need to have a word with you chef.” Seokjin says from behind the door.

 You immediately shove Yoongi away and walk back into the restaurant, your cheeks on fire. “Yes sir?” you say once you’re inside facing him.

 “I’d expect you to be a bit more professional. I didn’t peg you as the type of person to have a romantic rendezvous behind your workplace, but go off I guess.” He sighs. “Well getting to the point, I just wanted to say that, please maintain your work ethic. Your professionalism is something I’ve always respected, and something that made you stand out in this field. And I’d love to keep you in this kitchen, so please focus on your job.”

 “Yes sir.” You say softly, feeling a bit relieved.

 “And… I apologize for over reacting a while ago. I was not in the right head space. It’s just the CEO never stops pestering me on the tiniest details, and I wanted to prove him wrong, and show him that I can run this place. So if he received an overly salted plate, he would hold that against me my whole life.”

 “I understand sir. You don’t need to apologize. I’ll be sure to maintain my work ethic and never make a careless mistake like that again.” You say smiling.

 “Great. Well have a good night chef.” He says before bowing in courtesy and exiting the empty kitchen. You noticed that all the dishes had been done, so you went back to grab your coat and exited the restaurant to your new life waiting for you in the dark alley.

 //

 You were pretty sure you made the cab driver uncomfortable, but it’s nothing he hadn’t seen before. You both had long forgotten the sweet kisses and passionate hugs you guys had given each other merely 30 minutes ago, when you confronted each other, and now you were busy devouring each other’s lips, your tongues twisted in a feverish make out session.

 You stumbled into a familiar apartment, not yours, but in fact Yoongi’s. It had been 3 weeks since you’d last been here. You wasted absolutely no time as you both hurriedly discarded all your clothes onto the floor. Yoongi gripped your hip, with enough force to bruise it, as he lifted your form across the house and dropped you onto his bed. You drank in the familiar scent of Yoongi’s sheets around you, and the sight of a hovering Yoongi above you. His eyes mirrored yours, drowning in lust. His hair was disheveled and he looked at you with hunger. His lips landed on your neck, as you tilted your head the other way to make room for him to explore as much as he could. His hands ran along your sides as your hands raked his back. Your eyes fluttered shut, as you let out an uncontrollable moan, when you felt his teeth nip into the skin at your collarbone. You felt his warm tongue lick the mark he had made on you, as he continued his way down your torso.

 “You sure you wanna do this?”

 “Bitch, we’ve fucked 15 times before!” you laugh out loud.

 “Jeez woman, I’m out here trying to make it romantic, and you just rail me like that?”

 “Just shut up and do it. I need you right now.” You whine, which seems to turn him on.

 //

 Your eyes flutter open and you’re surprised that you aren’t woken up by any displeasing noises. The sunlight partially blocked by the semi see-through blinds, cast a dim light in the room. You found your head resting on Yoongi’s chest, a soft rhythmic breath leaving his chest, sounding like music to your ears. Your hand laid across his naked chest, while his hand was wrapped around you, his palm laying across your bare back. You yawned and suddenly flinched when you felt Yoongi’s lips on your forehead.

 “Good morning.” He said, his voice raspy and gruff.

 “Good morning.” You reply smiling.

 “I’ve never wanted to wake up next to someone this badly…” he sighs.

 “Why’re you so cheesy? What happened to Yoongi? Who are you?”

 “I don’t know Y/N… but I’m open to change.” He says smiling, looking down to meet your eyes.

 You chuckle in response. You watch as his fingers run across your hand which is laying on his chest. His fingers brush your knuckles and he looks as though he’s in deep thought. “Where’s your ring?” he asks unconsciously.

 “I took it off last night. It’s on your night stand.” You say smiling.

 “Oh… well I hate to break it to you, and I know it’s a Sunday, but I booked us a brunch reservation at a nice café down the street.”

 “You really didn’t have to…”

 “But I did. We’ve been sleeping with each other for 2 months, and I haven’t taken you out on a proper date, like ever!”

 “Well food does sound like a good idea, I’m starving.”

 “Well then get your tiny tushie outta bed.” He says playfully pinching your cheek, and jumping out of bed to freshen up.

 After you both had showered and gotten your clothes on, you were wearing your heels by the door, when Yoongi walked out of his bedroom, “You forgot this!” he says handing you your silver ring. His curious eyes watched, as you took the ring from him, and slipped it into your purse instead of putting it on your finger. “Come on let’s go.” You said grabbing his hand, unaware of the wide smile your bare hand had brought onto Yoongi’s face.

 //

 Brunch was delicious. And so was the dinner date you had a week later. 2 weeks had gone by, smooth sailing for your new relationship. Your fingers remained naked, no ring in trace, in the entirety of the last 2 weeks. It was a cold Friday night, and you were now sitting at the piano bench, in an empty restaurant. You glanced over your shoulder to see Yoongi’s eyes, focused on the keys in front of him. For once in a long time you could truly say you were happy. Your life was blissful.

 “Y/N…?” Yoongi says interrupting your thoughts.

“Yeah?”

 “Could you sing…?”

 “Sure.” You said smiling, as you already knew which song he wanted you to sing. You cleared your throat as you begun the first verse of ‘My Heart Will Go On’.

 There you both were, all alone, doing the things you loved, with the person you loved beside you, and you couldn’t have asked for more. No more did you feel lost. No more did you think of love as a myth. You had finally found someone to keep your heart safe, in this cruel world. And you couldn’t be happier, that your savior was Min Yoongi.

«Previous :: Masterlist 

A/N: Y’all I still can’t believe I wrote a whole ass series. I’m usually one to write really long oneshots or two shots, but I decided to turn this into a chapter wise series. Anyways, I hope you guys really liked it, and stay tuned for more works from me, in the near future :)

Don’t forget to follow @jungshook69​ for more content:) You can check out more works of mine here. Have a great day:)

TAGLIST: @kookieebangtan​

[danny-chase]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Titans (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Garth & Dick Grayson, Garth & Donna Troy, Garth & Dick Grayson & Donna Troy Characters: Garth (DCU), Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Lian Harper Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, snuggling and fluff, self indulgent fic, Cuddling, Hypothermia, Canon Typical Violence, Swearing, POV Garth, Fluffy Ending, no beta we die like Garth, Dick Grayson needs to sleep more, Cold Water, inflatable rafts, Garth has the power to make a mini hot tub, Titans, Titans (1999) feels, Blankets Summary:

The one where Garth has to save his idiot best friend from dying of hypothermia. Incredibly self indulgent with many snuggles.

.

.

.

Garth decided that the next time he had a bad feeling about something, to ignore Dick, and say no. It was for his own good.

 Then.

One of the best parts of living in Titans Tower was that he could set the temperature of the indoor pool.

 It was the middle of February, outside, temperatures had dropped below freezing, but inside the heated water, he was nice and warm. Gliding through, he spun and twirled just for fun. And of course, to show off for his delightful little niece Lian.

“Catch me!” Lian ran off the diving board, a gleeful expression on her face as Garth dove up through the water, snatching her out of midair. He leaned straight back to create a massive splash (not at all enhanced with his powers). All the while keeping Lian completely dry. “Again! Again!” She cried, laughing her head off as he carried her on his shoulders, depositing her on the side.

 “One more, then bedtime. Promise?” Lian was tough to bargain with, a real smooth talker – just like her dad. As it was, the precocious little five-year-old titled her head to the side with a frown.

 “Hmm. I want two more times.” Two? He’d be getting off lucky, he’d been planning on three.

 “Deal.” He immediately replied. Lian padded off towards the board again, carefully walking (they’d told her enough times not to run).

 “Lian, sweetie.” Garth turned to see Dick and Donna walking in, in uniform. He frowned; they didn’t have a mission scheduled for tonight. Lian changed course, veering off at Donna’s call.

 “Hey, sweetheart.” Dick intercepted, swinging Lian up in his arms into a hug. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and Lian giggled back. “It’s bedtime for you, little bird.” Her face morphed into a frown.

 “But Uncle Garth said-”

 “Sorry kiddo, I gotta talk to your uncle Garth.” Dick smiled at her lovingly. “Can you go with Auntie Donna? She’s going to put you to bed with Aunt Toni. Okay?” Garth swam to the edge of the pool, Lian’s lower lip was forming into a defiant pout.

 “Sorry, fishsticks, we can do it tomorrow. Three times.” He promised. Somehow, he knew he wouldn’t be getting out of the third round. Fortunately, his luck held, and Lian decided three times tomorrow would be good enough. She nodded, squirming towards Donna.

 “Okay.” She replied. Dick passed her over and stuck a hand over the edge of the pool. Garth took it, and they both pulled; he nearly flew out of the water.

 “Here.” Donna passed him a towel as she left. “See you in a bit.”

 “Bye, fishy.” Lian called as the exited the room, giggling as Donna gave her a little tickle. Lian was such a precious child, Roy was truly blessed to have her.

 He turned his attention to Dick. ‘Have you been sleeping?’ is what he wanted to ask; he was paler than usual, and the bags under his eyes were becoming more pronounced (again). But Dick never took to the question kindly, and at this point, Garth had learned to pick his fights. “What’s up?” He asked instead. Dick gestured towards the locker room.

 “Quick mission, you, me, and Donna. I’ve been hacking the H.I.V.E.’s servers, they’re receiving an arms shipment tonight in about an hour by boat, you game?” Garth nodded hesitantly, the bad feeling from before returning. The others were busy tonight, they likely wouldn’t have any backup.

 “How long did that take you?” He asked nonchalantly. Dick shrugged, but his bloodshot eyes spoke for themselves. Garth repressed a sigh. Fighting Dick Grayson would be counterintuitive, at least if he went, he could keep him out of trouble.

 “Meet in the bay in fifteen.” Dick instructed. “Glad to have you on board.” He grinned, and Garth did his best to ignore how unhinged he looked. This was a bad idea.

 Now.

“I knew this was a bad idea.” Garth grumbled. Cold wind stung his face, as he ducked another punch from the enhanced guard. Dick finished off the normal guards on the left, and Donna was locked in battle with another meta to his right. Fighting in cramped spaces was never fun.

 “Quit whining Gill-for-brains.” Dick teased he’d just finished off the last goon. He turned, chucking a wing-ding into the meta’s palm. The man roared with fury and charged.

 It seemed to happen in slow motion, the wind picked up on the rickety little speedboat, Dick stumbled as he dodged, the minute mistake was all the meta needed. Garth ran, but the meta was closer – he didn’t have a chance.

 “Shit.” He cursed as he watched Dick tumble off the side of the boat, into frigid waters.

 *SPLOOSH*

 “Fuck.” Donna muttered next to him. The meta turned back towards him, invigorated by his victory. Garth cursed, he couldn’t leave Donna alone with two of them, Dick would have to wait, but he needed to hurry.

 “Fucking asshole!” Garth yelled, anger burning in his chest. He let out a violet blast and kicked the man in the knee. “That was my friend!” The meta swiped at him, but adrenaline was coursing through his veins. Ducking, twisting, turning, blasting, he unleashed a barrage of fury on his opponent. All the while, they sped further and farther away from where Dick went under.

 Garth screamed in fury, unleashing a final blast at the man’s head, and finally the man stayed down.

 “Go, I’ve got this one.” He was way ahead of her, running to the side of the speeding boat. His muscles burned from exertion, but he pushed through. “I’ll meet you with the copter!”

 “Nightwing!” He called, diving off the side. Swimmingly in the opposite direction, he scanned the horizon for motion – damn Dick for making his costume so hard to freaking see against the night. “NIGHTWING!” He repeated, frantically picking up speed.  

 His pulse pounded in his head, it was cold out, and while he was resilient to the sub-freezing waters, Dick was human. It didn’t matter how well-crafted his suit was, it wasn’t watertight, and in this weather, it wouldn’t take long for hypothermia to set in. The currents were strong, and the boat had been moving fast, it couldn’t have been more than ten minutes since Dick fell in but, he was no where to be seen. Garth tore on, cutting through the choppy waves.

 Finally, he caught a spattering of bright yellow on the horizon – a small inflatable raft was tossed about on the rough sea. There was only one hero (okay probably Batman too) that kept a life raft on him. Fear seemed to pierce through his chest as he willed the water to push him forward. “Nightwing!” He called again, surfacing just next to the little vessel.

 No response. His chest clenched with anticipation and worry as he carefully placed a hand on the lip of the float. Gingerly, he pulled himself up, careful not to overturn it.

 Dick was sprawled on the other side, violently trembling, as one of his arms dangled over the side. His skin had a grayish tone, ice had frozen chunks of his hair. Panic clawed at Garth’s sides. “Dick?” No response.  He scrambled across the raft and pulled the shaking figure into his arms. Dick’s eyelids fluttered behind the lenses on his mask.

 “-ayy?” He mumbled a string garbled words, weakly squirming as Garth pulled him close to his chest. “-oo ‘ot” He protested, Garth kept his grip firm, and stood, hoisting Dick in his arms and willing water to flood the little raft.

 “I got you, Rob. You’re okay.” He murmured into Dick’s hair, the old nickname slipping out, despite the new costume. Shifting Dick over his shoulders, he plunged his left hand into the raft’s water are brought it up to a warm temperature, careful not to make it hot. “You’re going to be okay, just hang on a moment.” He kept his voice steady and soothing, ignoring the anxiety clawing its way up his throat. He had to stay levelheaded, focus on maintaining the water temperature.

 He gently lowered Dick into the make-shift bath, keeping an arm wrapped around his torso, securely locking him in place against his chest. He twisted his legs around Dick’s preventing him from kicking around. Using his left hand, he held Dick’s head above water, and carefully melted the ice in his hair. He hummed platitudes in Dick’s ear, and after a few moments, he settled down.

 “-arf?” He let out a breath of relief at the acknowledgment.

 “You with me?” He gave Dick a gentle squeeze.

 “-ere’s ‘ay-on?” He gulped in surprise, he wasn’t sure, but that sounded like Jason. Dick never talked about Jason. “-e ‘kaay? -iing.” Garth ran his hand through Dick’s hair and thanked the gods for the faint sound of a helicopter approaching in the distance.

 “You’re all right, love, everything’s fine.” He assured, willing Donna to speed up. “Keep still.” Dick was squirming again, but in his current condition it was a fruitless endeavor. He warmed the water slightly, bringing it back up to temperature. Dick’s head lolled against his chest. “Stay awake.”

 “’ired.” Dick complained. Concern tugged at his insides.

 “I know, buddy, it’s okay, you gotta keep your eyes open for me, alright?” Dick mumbled in acknowledgement. They sat in silence for a moment, tremors wracking Dick’s small frame. Humans were so tiny. “How are you feeling?”  

 “’s hot.” Dick wriggled, trying to pull out of the warm water, again Garth just gently restrained him.

 “Sorry, big brain, you gotta stay put.”

 Dick began mumbling again, Garth only caught the word “skiing” from the gibberish. The wings of the Titan’s helicopter drowned out whatever it was Dick was trying to say. Donna swooped down moments later, scooping them both up, and carrying them up to the small cabin.

 “Great Hera.” She shook her head, fretting as she unzipped Dick’s suit. Garth quickly discarded his wet clothes, vigorously toweling off before hopping in a spare set of pants from a bin they kept in the back. He yanked out boxers and sweatpants for Dick.

 “He’s not making sense.” Garth advised, tossing the clothes onto a nearby seat. Dick swayed on the spot as Donna removed the top half of his drenched suit, and Garth quickly made his way over, placing an arm on his side to keep him upright.

 “Well, that’s what happens when you decide to go swimming in Febuary.” Donna rolled her eyes, but her tone was worried. “You won’t do that again, will you?” Dick’s teeth chattered as he stared past her in response. Garth grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his torso, swapping places with Donna to take off the bottom.

 “The things we do for love.” Donna said wryly, passing him dry clothes. She started toweling off Dick’s hair, as Garth gently patted down his legs with another towel.

 “-ing on?” Dick muttered. “onna?” Garth guided his feet into the pants and pulled them up.

 “I’m right here, sweetheart.” Donna pressed a kiss to his temple.

 “Alright, almost good as new.” He grabbed a blanket off the dash. “Donna, care to join?” She grabbed a second blanket, and the two of them half carried a stumbling Dick Grayson to the cot in the back.

 “I’ll have to take over when we land, but we should be good on autopilot for now.” They threw the blankets over the group, sandwiching Dick in the middle. Garth breathed a sigh of relief, slipping his arms around Dick’s torso and pulling their chests together, making skin-to-skin contact. Donna shuffled closer, scooping his legs together and curling around them, leaning her head against Garth’s side. He leaned back against the wall, together they made a little cocoon of warmth, his naturally high body temperature easily heating their little nest under the blankets.

 “Methinks, we should take a vacation. Somewhere warm.” He suggested, contentedly cuddling Dick close to his chest, the anxiety of the last hour dying down at last. Donna snorted next to him.

 “You remember our last ‘vacation’?” She asked sarcastically. Garth nodded. A disastrous trip to a remote island, plagued with storms and infighting, the latter of which was caused by a villain with a grudge. With a specific dislike of their shivering friend.

 “Dick thinks it’s a good idea, don’t you?”

 “Mm?”

 “Close enough, I’m taking it as a yes.” Donna laughed; warm air tickled his arm.

 “Shall we go to the Grand Canyon?” She teased.

 “No.” Dick stated, catching them both off guard. “Garth is a fiiiish.” Even delirious, at least Dick understood Garth plus hot, dry climate equals a bad idea.

 “Well, he’s not wrong. I am a fish.” Garth grinned. “We could go to another island. With more houses.” He suggested.

 “’ruce hass a islaand.” Dick noted. Of course Batman owned an island. Though, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go to an island Bruce had bought.

 “Okay, that sounded like an endorsement. Boy blunder, are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Donna put a hand on his forehead, brushing his bangs to the side.

 “’m fineee.” Ah, yes. Dick Grayson; the pinnacle of good health.

 “See, he’s fine Donna, sheesh, what are you getting so worked up for? The man wants his vacation.” Donna rolled her eyes.

 “He’ll kill us if we drag him on vacation.” She muttered. Though, in his current state, that was highly unlikely.

 “Donna, I’ll kill him if he tries to get out of bed for the next two days.” He assured. Dick would be a nightmare to deal with, but on the bright side, he’d been scheduled to babysit the next few days, and Lian would love another friend to join in watching My Little Pony and Barbie movies.

 “Agreed.” Donna noted.

 “Dooon’t, kill meee.” Dick squirmed again.

 “Dick, Garth won’t hurt him, he doesn’t have it in him.” She knocked her head against his shoulder. “He’s a big old softie.”

 “Heee’s fiiishy.” Dick agreed, relaxing back into his arms.

 “Okay, no one let him near Lian.” Garth joked, taking Dick’s hands in his. Color seemed to be returning to the surface of his skin. He pressed the side of his face to Dick’s ear, nestling his head back against his chest.

 “Youuur warm.” Dick let out a long yawn, sending shivers down Garth’s spine.

 “A yes, another brilliant deduction from the Boy Wonder, Wondergirl, how does he do it?” Garth teased. He felt almost giddy now that Dick was in better shape than before. They’d still need to be careful, but the stress of the situation was slowly leaving him as they snuggled together.

 “It’s his big head, it makes space for his big brain.” He laughed at Donna’s remark and pressed a kiss to the top of Dick’s head. It was a big brain, but a dumb one sometimes too. The conversation hit a lull, and they sat there, in silent companionship with one another.

 After a while, Donna passed him Dick’s legs. “I’ve gotta to land, take care of bird-brain.”

 “Tweet.” Dick commented as she left. Garth wheezed to stifle laughter.

 “You think you’re cute, don’t you?” Donna called from the front.

 “Am.” Dick muttered.

 “Can’t argue with that.” Garth asserted, tucking his legs up underneath Dick’s. As they neared the landing pad, he breathed yet another sigh of relief. He wasn’t thrilled with the state of events, but they’d been lucky tonight. He wouldn’t be attending another funeral tomorrow. Dick’s heart was steadily beating, his breath seeming to get easier with each passing moment. As they landed in the bay, Garth decided, that for tonight, that would have to be enough.

[p1nkymilk]

PhuTian enemies to lovers AU part 2: The Wound

holy crap somehow i knocked out 3k words, this is extremely angsty and definitely OOC and hellla self-indulgent so proceed with caution hahaha

warning for spoilers, and mentions of wounds and blood but nothing too graphic

Once my AO3 acc gets created, I''ll post there too but till then its on here as well sdogbsdigbosid

note: in this AU, Tian did not own the car, and it wasn't his friend that killed Torfun. She died of a random car accident. And also, Tian knows of his father's involvement. Here, they had to strike a bargain such that Tian would only be allowed to leave if his father had eyes watching out for him there. Phupha is ordered to keep a close eye on Tian, but he only knows that Tian's health isn't that great. He thinks that the main reason that he has to escort Tian around is because Tian is rich and privileged. At this point, he only knows very vaguely about Tian's health problems so he doesn't take them seriously. Also warning Phupha is definitely acting like an ass, but he will redeem himself in later chapters

The next morning, Tian got up and stretched, sighing because of the ache of his back from the hard mattress. The hard mattress and the tiny teacher's house didn't bother him as much as the memories from last night. It wasn't that Tian was in love with the obstinate, cold chief by any stretch, but when he first arrived, he was so impressed with the chief, his dedication, his skill, and most of all, how much he truly cared for Pa Phun Dao and its people. He wanted to make a good impression on the Chief, but even with Tian trying his best, it wasn't possible. And it hurt just a bit more because the Chief was handsome, one of most handsome men that Tian had ever seen in his entire life.

Well, it's a good thing I'm not here to fall in love, Tian mused as he picked up his brush and toothpaste. For a second, he took a deep breath and stared at Torfun's old name tag, which flooded him both with guilt and strength. I'm here for you, Torfun. I need to go on. I need to finish what you have started. Although, I really don't know what you see in Phupha.

Tian went outside and brushed his teeth, and then went back in and changed his clothes to a fresh pair. There was a knock at the door. Tian quickly answered it, opening the bamboo door wide.

To his absolute and utter shock, it was Phupha, glowering like a raincloud, standing up straight in his forest ranger uniform, looking a bit like a Greek--er, Thai God in the morning sunlight.

"Chief, why are you here?" Tian asked, surprised, just managing to conceal the frown off of his face.

"I have to walk you down to the school. It's special orders, that's why a rich kid like you gets a chief to walk him down the fifteen minute walk," Phupha responded curtly.

Tian winced. He knew that his father was using his influence to make sure that Tian, with his fragile health, was protected in this physically taxing environment. It was the most he could do just to convince his father not to have another, more medically advanced teacher's house built for Tian to stay in.

"Okay," Tian responded quietly. "Let's get started then, the sooner that we leave, the sooner you can be finished of this chore with my subpar company."

Tian was hoping for a flicker of pity, something, from the ranger's eyes, but all he got was a steady glare of stone, and then Phupha started walking.

"Hey, slow down!" Tian said. "I can't keep up!"

Phupha rolled his eyes, and slowed down a little, but not enough.

Tian tried to make small talk throughout the walk, but Phupha never responded well, more than a few short words. He clearly did not want to continue the conversation. It didn't stop Tian from doing his best through the conversation, but Phupha was a wall that did not move an inch.

Phupha left Tian with the much friendlier Yod and went on to continue his duties with a nod towards Yod and nothing towards Tian.

Yod winced. "He's really not a bad guy. He'll take some time to warm up, but he has a good heart. In the meantime, Rang and I are here to support you! And Dr. Nam, he is a good guy as well." "Thank you so much sir," Tian said gratefully, his eyes full of warmth. Yod's heart softened for the young volunteer. He was a little privileged, sure, but it was clear that he was a good person. He made a note to speak to Phupha about going a little easier on this young man. It was already difficult for Pa Phun Dao to receive volunteer teachers, and no one should ever look a gift horse in the mouth.

Tian introduced himself to the kids in the school house, the boisterous boy Ayi, the curious Khaoneung, the quiet Inta, the inquisitive Meejoo and the sleepy looking Kalae.

"Your name is Tian? Like Seetian!" Meejoo exclaimed, grinning.

"Not quite--" Tian started, but was interrupted by Ayi saying "What are we going to do today Seetian?"

"Today...." Tian said, thinking for a while. "We are going to go on a field trip!"

"I don't know if it's a good idea," Yod said hesitantly.

Tian wanted to prove himself, he wanted to show the world (and himself) that he really could be a teacher who helped his students, even if he was just doing this for Torfun.

"Us teachers--we are showing our students how to understand the world, right? What is a better way than to immerse the students in it?"

"Alright, if you say so...I'll come with," Yod said. "Stick with me at all times!"

Tian flashed Yod an excited grin. "Thank you so much, sir! Come on, guys!"

The kids were bursting with excitement, just like Tian and Tul back in secondary school, the morning right before the field trip to the aquarium or science museum. Tian smiled. Some things are just universal.

The group set out together, and Tian pointed out the different colors of all of the items around them, teaching them how to say each one in English. Meejoo especially was drinking in the knowledge, her eyes bright.

They were walking across the bridge to go to the waterfall. Yod suddenly got a call on his walkie talkie that something urgent came up. Tian convinced Yod to let him take the kids, promising that they were safe in his care. Yod didn't look like he wanted to agree, but he nodded anyway and sprinted off.

Tian and the kids finally got to the waterfall, and they had fun splashing around and swimming. Tian taught them the names of all of all of the items in English, and taught them about the scientific properties of water. They were drying off and getting ready to walk back. Suddenly, Inta asked, "Where's Kalae?"

Tian looked around the shore but couldn't find him. Heart racing in alarm, he swept the water with his gaze and saw Kalae sitting on the ground in an outcrop of rocks in the water, clearly in pain and very scared.

"KALAE!" Tian shouted in alarm, and ran through the water, swimming through when it got deeper. He got to Kalae, thankfully, and clambered onto the rocks, lifting him up, and carrying him back through the water. When he got onto the rocks, he stumbled and skinned his knee, but he didn't care about that at all. All he cared about was getting Kalae to safety.

"AYI! GO GET HELP!" Tian yelled. "GET THE DOCTOR!" Ayi was the oldest, so he'd have the best chance of success. He nodded and sprinted off. Tian laid Kalae across the grass once they got back to the shore. Kalae had a bad injury on his shin, the skin split open with blood streaming down his leg. Not only was he wincing from pain, he also looked terrified at the amount of blood flowing from the wound.

Tian forced himself to stay calm. "Kalae, look at me. I want you to answer these math problems while we wait for help. What's 7 plus 5?"

Kalae struggled to even formulate the thought, but he eventually answered, "twelve..."

"Good job Kalae, good job, now--don't look down!-- tell me what's 13 plus 5?"

"Seetian, I don't feel good, it hurts, it hurts..." Kalae cried, his chubby cheeks wet with tears.

"I know, Kalae, and I am so sorry. For now, focus on me. Tell me what 13 plus 5 is."

"eight....teen..." Kalae said.

"Hey, Kalae, I'm here now, you'll be okay," a smooth, assured voice sounded from next to Tian. He turned and saw a man in a white coat with an honest looking face.

"I'm Dr. Nam," He said quickly as an aside to Tian. "You can step back now. I can take care of this."

Dr. Nam cleaned the wound, holding Kalae's hand through the sting of the antiseptic, and then securely wrapped a bandage around it. Kalae was then helped onto a stretcher, and Yod, who was manning the ambulance, drove him to the clinic with Dr. Nam right next to him.

Tian was, firstly, relieved that Kalae was going to be okay. But then, guilt and self-loathing hit him out of nowhere. All he could do was stand there, stare at the waterfall, his heart turning and turning inside him, making him feel nauseous with guilt. The wound on his knee from the rock hurt and stung, but he wasn't even focusing on that. Kalae got hurt way worse, and could have died because Tian didn't have an eye on him.

Phupha walked up to Tian, storms brewing in his eyes. Tian internally prepared himself for whatever hurtful thing Phupha was going to say. Even more, Tian didn't mind that Phupha was going to scold him, because he deserved it. His first day, and it was such a disaster. It honestly couldn't have gone worse.

"You should go back," Phupha said shortly. "Back to Bangkok. At least there, you will not hurt anyone else." After saying this, he didn't even look for Tian's reaction, just walked away.

Without even being conscious of it, Tian's eyes started to tear up. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he stood there, barely able to blink.

"Chief, that's too far," one of the other rangers called out, walking closer to Tian. "Hi, Tian, I'm Rang," he said in an even-toned, kindly voice. "I'm one of the other forest rangers stationed at Pa Phun Dao along with Chief, Yod and Dr. Nam who acts as the medic. It's true that you probably should have looked out better for the kids, but this was an accident that could happen to anyone. Please remember that. It could have happened to anyone. Even the chief."

"Thank you, sir," Tian responded mechanically, mustering up as genuine of a small smile he could for Rang.

Later that night, Tian was lying on his hard mattress again, still in the same drenched clothes earlier from that day, his knee throbbing. He couldn't stop thinking about his mistake, that resulted in Kalae getting hurt. He didn't even want to start to think about how everyone in the village would see him, with distrust, and the rangers just with a cold pity.

There was a knock on the door, suddenly jolting Tian from his thoughts. He slowly walked to the door, putting weight on his right food because his left leg was hurt, and opened it. Tian saw who was on the other side and groaned internally. He wasn't equipped to deal with anymore cruel words that day, even if he deserved them.

Phupha's eyes narrowed in distaste. Tian just stayed quiet.

"Meejoo told me that you got hurt. Why didn't you say anything?" Phupha said, surprising Tian. That was not what he was expecting.

Tian kept silent for a second as he tried to figure out what to respond. He wanted to say "because I didn't think you care," but he decided to be more mature and not cause more problems. "I didn't think it mattered, Chief," he responded, voice devoid of emotion.

"If the wound gets infected, my supervisor, who reports to your father, will kill me for messing with the son of an important government official." Phupha responded after a couple seconds of silence.

Tian winced internally. Somehow, without realizing it, he had hoped--a little, just for some kindness. He should have realized that it wouldn't come, not from him.

"Show me the wound," Phupha said. "I've brought antiseptic and bandages. I'll dress it."

Tian moved forward to try to roll his pant leg up, but suddenly the wound sang with pain and Tian tipped forward, right over the steps. He thought he would fall on the ground, but thankfully he was caught. Not so thankfully, it was by Phupha. For a short second, Tian's hazy brain forgot who it was that caught him. He felt so safe and secure in the strong embrace, his face cradled tight against Phupha's chest. But he realized that it was Phupha's chest, and he scrambled back instantly. Phupha's arms shot out to catch him, and Tian looked up into eyes that were flatly annoyed. "Relax. If you fall over again, that will just cause more wounds and more problems." Phupha guided Tian by the shoulders outside to the bench right under one of the orange lantern. His movements, although precise, clinical and clearly trying not to touch Tian more than he had to, were not rough.

The Chief reached over and rolled up Tian's left pant leg.

"How did you know the wound was there?" Tian asked, thunderstruck.

"That was the leg that buckled first," Phupha responded shortly, continuing to roll up the pant leg until he got to the wound. He took a quick breath in.

"Tian, this wound is pretty big. You need to be transparent about when you get hurt."

On a day when Tian was more well-rested and less emotionally wrecked, or a day where Phupha hadn't said cruel words beforehand, Tian would have been able to interpret that statement for what it was, a clinical concern. But to his exhausted brain, Phupha was somehow saying that not only was Tian selfish, he was also someone who was trying to cause problems by hiding things.

"Don't worry, Chief, if the wound gets infected I won't tell anyone, and definitely not my dad. That way, you won't have anything to worry about," Tian said back, his voice completely devoid of emotion.

Phupha looked up at Tian for a split second, and there was a flash--a milisecond flash-- of regret in his eyes.

"It's not just that, Tian. You're the teacher of this village. Your health is important," Phupha said, trying now, for some reason, Tian didn't know why, to sound more diplomatic.

"If it were up to you, I wouldn't be the teacher of the village starting tomorrow. But I'm not going to go back. I made a horrible mistake that resulted in one of the kids getting hurt badly. Tomorrow I will go and apologize to Kalae and his parents. But I am not going back. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I can't, I can't go back, I can't--" What started out as a measured and rational sentence was slowly unravelling into panic.

"Tian," Phupha said sternly. But Tian wasn't even listening. He was thinking about Torfun. He didn't deserve this heart of hers. She did. Not him. But he has ended up with it. That's why he needs to stay, that's why he needs to dedicate his life to Torfun, so he can do a pale imitation of whatever greatness she would have accomplished. Torfun would not have let a child get hurt. Tears started to stream down his face again.

"Tian!" Phupha said, louder this time. Tian snapped his head back down to Phupha, startled by the loud noise.

"Tian, I shouldn't have told you to go back. I apologize," Phupha said tersely, looking into Tian's wide, shocked, tear-filled eyes, and then studiously continuing to dab antiseptic onto Tian's leg. "I shouldn't have said that, alright? I'm sorry. So stop panicking. No one is going to make you go back." Phupha looked right into Tian's eyes, holding his gaze.

Tian just nodded, wiping his face with his sleeve and sniffling.

Phupha wrapped the bandage slowly and carefully around Tian's knee.

"Can you stand?" Phupha asked quietly. Tian nodded, and slowly got up. Phupha stood stock-still for a moment, and then moved slowly to help Tian. But Tian didn't want to lean against him. Tian just wanted to go to sleep. Tian wanted to be born with a healthy heart. Tian wanted to be someone else: someone strong, someone capable, who didn't let kids get hurt. Someone with a shine so golden it could compare to Torfun's. Someone so bright that Phupha wouldn't hesitate to treat them tenderly.

So Tian moved away from Phupha, the movement sudden and jarring. Phupha saw that, and then his eyes, so strangely open in the lamplight, closed up again and became the pools of black stone that they usually were. Tian moved back towards the house, his movements jerky, and he brushed past Phupha, his arm touching--for a milisecond--Phupha's arm. And that was all that was needed. For suddenly, Tian was catapulted into a memory again. Here, Memory-Phupha was the one who was crying. He was crying silently, his eyes closed shut, and Tian could feel his memory self wrapping his arms around Memory Phupha, and stroking his head softly. "It's okay, it's okay, mountain of mine, you're here with me now, I forgive you, it's alright, you're the only one for me, don't you know that, the apple of my eye? " And then memory Phupha didn't say anything at all, but cradled memory Tian to his chest. Memory Tian melted into the warmth. Memory Phupha used his hands to move Memory Tian half a foot away, scrutinizing his face, and then he tenderly wiped the tears from Memory Tian's face, that Tian hadn't even realized were falling while he was giving Memory Phupha that reassuring smile. And then memory Phupha kissed above the high points of memory Tian's cheekbones, right where the tears were falling previously, quickly in succession, but so, so tenderly. Tian sighed in relief, and the memory suddenly faded.

Phupha had the strangest look on his face. There was still refusal and anger, which hurt Tian's heart, but something else that frankly, Tian was too exhausted to figure out.

"Thank you for dressing my wound, Chief. Goodnight," Tian said politely but emotionlessly, struggling to get up the steps, but ultimately succeeding. Without turning around, he opened his door, closed it behind him, fell on top of his mattress, and instantly went to sleep.