#Autumn is coming and I need to find a place to swim

[noordinarymermaid]

So this is me in all glory with my mermaid tail.

Sry if this is a bit superficial, but I found the perfect top for it today and I thought maybe the H2O girlies will understand

Look at it, so sparkly. The brown top matches the colour of the tail so well. I'm so happy

[redheadspark]

hi i wanted to request from the august prompt list, i think number 8 would be absolutely great with Azriel from acotar! thank you love your writing always :)

A/N - AWWW This is so sweet! Thanks for the request, Anon!

Pace

Summary - Azriel was and will always be willing to go at your own pace.

Warnings - Nothing but fluff

“You doing okay back there?”

“Oh sure…you know….hiking was the best idea at the time,”

Azriel had to chuckle as you were trying to catch your breath while he was up head on the wide trail path.  The war sun was on your back and making you sweat into your tank top and workout pants, the cooler wind coming along from the high peaks to give you come kind of relief, but of course you are struggling immensely. 

Although it was a great idea at the time, you were not mentally kicking yourself.  What were you thinking?

You loved being Azriel’s mate, you truly did.  But the fact that he was constantly working out and staying in shape would seem like a chore to you in comparison to him.  He had to be in tip top shape as the Spymaster of Velaris and Night Court, his own physique was amazing to stare at.  You weren’t gong to lie and say you didn’t like gazing at your mate, you did.  

Yet at the same time, you were no workout fiend.  

A good hike or walk a few times a week was good enough for you, Azriel never had a problem with that.  He preferred you to be happy in your own skin and with how to felt about your body and your health than to try and keep up with him.  You loved cooking food that was hearty and filled with amazing spices and warmth, Azriel devoting every mela you made him and he would leave no scrapes behind.  You would prefer to lounge in bed or on the couch than join him in the wee hours in the morning for a training session at the Illyrian camps, yet that never bothered him.  You both were so in tuned with one another after 200 years of being mates and being married.

You suggesting hiking to a small river bank to go swimming together, it was both a blessing and a curse.

“Hey, you okay?” Azriel asked as he looked over his shoulder at you.  You waved him off and perhced yourself on a large boulder that was on the side of the trail, needing to catch your breath for a long moment since you were loosing your momentum.  You were only 1 mile away from the riverbank, already walking for 2 miles at a decent pace.  

“I just need to catch my breath,” You reasoned as he walked back over to you briskly and took off his backpack to find his water bottle and spare cloth in his bag, “It’s been awhile since we’ve hiked—“

“Drink, baby,” He said to you as he placed the water bottle on your hands, you draining in long drinks as he rubbed your thighs and arms calmly, “We can slow down, we don’t have to go this fast, okay?  I can even carry you the last mile if you want,”

Shaking your head and taking the water bottle off of your lips, “Az, I’ll be fine for the last mile..”

“I don’t mind at all,” He said to you as he swatted away some of the sweat from your forehead and pushed the hair from your eyes, “This hike was great idea….but maybe on a cooler autumn day and not during a heatwave,” 

You had to grin, knowing that it was true as Azriel went on, “Plus, I can feel it in the bond,”

It was both a blessing and a curse that you two were connected through your bond.  You sensed when he was tired after training at the Illyrian camps for hours on end, when he was frustrated or angry after dealing with the Inner Circle during an intense meeting.  He also felt it in you when you were pushing yourself a bit over the edge and within limits.  Azriel knew you were stubborn and you held your ground at times, and he knew when to calm you and bring you breath again.  

When you wanted to rush, he would slow you down and make you pace yourself.  When you wanted to go at a snail pace when making a decision, Azriel was right at your side and took your hand whole heartedly.  He would never leave you ahead or behind, not without him.  You both were each other’s better half, through the good and the bad.

“Sorry for slowing us down,” You were about to apologize, when Azriel was now the one shaking his head.

“Nope, you’re not going to say you’re sorry.  Nothing wrong with stopping and taking a break, right?  Come on, hope on my back and let me carry you,” He reasoned as he took his backpack and threw it over your shoulders to have your arms go through.  

“That’s not necessary,” You started to argue.

“You and I both know I can carry you since your light as a feather to me, or do I need to remind you of our honeymoon?” He teased with you with a wink, having you blush crimson as he then turn to show his backside to you.  His wings tucked in tightly against his back, you rolled your eyes and hopped on his back with ease.  As your legs were around his waist and your arms around his neck, his wings snug between you two while he stood up gracefully, he started walking with your plastered to his backside. 

“I feel like a monkey right now,” You grumbled as Azriel chuckled and kept his pace going along the path, as if you weight no more than a pebble on his back.

“And yet you’re sexier than a monkey,” He replied, pinching your thigh around his waist as you squealed and smacked his arm playfully.  Azriel loved going at your pace, no matter how fast or slow you were willing to go.

The End

August Prompts

[ivyyisbored22]

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭— 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐅

Note: Check Description and other chapters first to understand the story ^^♡

Chapter 5

Aria

It's been a month since I got married, I didn't properly speak to Chris after that moment in the kitchen that morning, just occasional Good Mornings and Hi's whenever he passed by. For 4 weeks he had been ignoring my presence, the only reason why I'm still alive in this huge ass mansion was because of Deliah's company.

I tried my best within these weeks to try to talk to Chris, but he didn't even bother, he claimed he was busy or arrived home late every night. Pain stung in my chest. I don't know why I still had unwanted hope running in my heart, knowing he'll be himself when he's home and we're only pretending to be people we truly aren't when we're are in front of judging eyes.

I had enough of his bullshit and needed air, I grabbed my handbag and exited his mansion, hoping to find some peace outside of these walls. I called one of my close friends, Leia, she answered after a few rings.

"Hey baby girl" Her voice was warm and cheerful, a stark contrast to my own. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my emotions.

"Hey babe, you free today?" I asked, hoping to see her. She sadly missed my wedding as she was having a book tour in Europe, her debut book was a huge success after finally publishing it last year.

"Sure I am, wanna grab boba?" I chuckled behind the phone, "Absolutely"

"Send your loc, be there in about 15. See ya" She assured before hanging up. I sent her the location to Chris's mansion and waited for her to come. Even though I was all alone in here, I did roam around the enormous gardens and other places of this mansion and even took a swim in the pool, all while Chris wasn't at home.

I got down the small steps and walked to the infinity pool in the back, I spotted Daniel, he turned to me as soon as he saw me standing and raised a gentle hand smiling softly. I waved back at him, returning the smile, turning around to inhale the fresh of the autumn morning.

The sound of a car honk pulled me out of my reverie, I turned to see Leia's car approaching the gate. Relief washed over me as she parked and stepped out, her smile as radiant as ever.

"Aria! Baby girl I missed you tons" she called out, rushing towards me. We embraced tightly, her warmth and familiar scent instantly comforting me.

"Leia, it's so good to see you," I murmured, trying to keep my voice steady.

She pulled back and looked at me, concern etched on her face. "You look like you've been through the wringer. Let's get that boba and you can tell me everything." We headed to her car, and soon we were driving through the city towards our favorite boba tea spot.

The familiar sights of the city and the anticipation of spending time with Leia helped ease some of the tension I'd been carrying. We reached the best boba spot in the city and placed our orders and sat down at a comfy spot, I finally felt like I was out of a prison.

"Alright, so spill the tea, what's up"

I took a deep breath and told her everything meeting Chris for the first time and how he didn't look so intimidating. The night before the wedding, the contract and how he's been avoiding me for the past weeks and that little incident in the kitchen. He told me no one should know about the contract but fuck it. It was driving me insane.

"Wait. So this guy had you SIGN a contract BEFORE you exchanged your vows? What in the God's name is this madness?!" Her eyes kept widening as I kept talking, she was finally updated about everything.

I nodded, feeling a mix of frustration and helplessness. "Yeah. It was all part of the agreement. And, it's only valid for a year" I said, looking down at my boba, unable to meet her eyes.

"And you agreed to this?" She shook her head in disbelief.

I hesitated for a second, then added "I had to. I didn't have a choice. After my last relationship, you know how my parents said they will get me married. And Chris's father somehow has blackmailed him or some bullshit," I caught a breath, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I didn't want this marriage and neither did he. But now I feel like I walked into trap and I'm unable to escape."

She tilted her head, "How did you meet him?" I looked up from the table, remembering when I met his father before I met Chris.

"You know my father works as head accountant for Aurelius and is well known among Mr.Bang's top employees," I told her how the CEO personally met with my parents and and convinced them into arranging this marriage. My parents were thrilled. They saw it as a golden opportunity for me, a way to secure my future.

After breaking up with my ex, a betrayal I never saw coming, I didn't want to wait for "my one" anyway. But this...this wasn't exactly what I envisioned either.

I wanted stability, but not at the cost of my own happiness. I could see the concern etched on her face as she listened to me recount the events leading up to this point.

Leia's hand gently touched mine, her eyes soften with sympathy. I looked at her trying to brush away the tears and thankfully this time I had control over them.

"Baby girl this isn't right. Even if whatever this hell is only for a year, you must speak to him" Her hand squeezed mine, her voice firm yet filled with compassion.

I nodded slowly, grateful for her presence. She was one of the fewest people I trusted and vented to, the first being my mother. I didn't have the heart to burden my mother that my marriage wasn't even a happily ever after. Chris's mansion was an hour drive from my mom's place. With the crazy traffic in the States, there's no way I could go and come back alone and also the fact that the driver only works for him.

Besides I can't leave without informing Chris anyway.

"You deserve clarity, Aria," Leia affirmed, her gaze unwavering. "You deserve to know where you stand and what this marriage really means."

She leaned forward, her eyes locked onto mine. "But more than this. You deserve someone who truly loves you, not someone bound by a contract."

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I blinked them away. "I know, Leia. I just... I don't know what to do. Part of me wants to break free, but another part of me feels like there's something worth fighting for."

Her squeeze around my hand tightened, "Whatever you decide, I'm here for you. Always."

We finished our boba tea in silence, lost in our own thoughts. I felt a renewed sense of determination building within me. As we left the café and Leia drove me back to the mansion, my mind crawled with thoughts on what I had to do.

When we arrived, we shared a tight hug and I watched Leia drive away before heading inside. But when I entered, I wasn't expecting the stoic, cold heir to be home by noon. I thought he'll come home late like usual.

My heart pounded hard in my chest as he was sitting on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees, scowling and scrolling his phone. When I entered the hall, he laid his phone. I looked at him and headed to the stairs, when his rough voice called out my name.

"Where were you?" Irritation crawled up my skin. He didn't give a shit about me before, why does he care now?

"Somewhere with a friend" I said without looking at him, clenching my bag as I heard footsteps behind me.

"Somewhere? Where exactly? Don't you think you should tell me before you wander in the streets with someone?"

I turned to him glaring as he stood so close to me, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "Why does it matter to you, Chris? You've been avoiding me for weeks. You barely acknowledge my existence and presence in this house unless it's absolutely necessary. Now suddenly why do you want to know where I've been?"

His jaw clenched at the tone of my voice. I didn't care if I pissed him off. His expression was unreadable, his eyes were burning fire as he glared back at me, I was sure that stare itself could burn upto a thousand degrees.

"I have every right to know where my wife is."

I scoffed. "Oh, now I'm your wife?" I retorted, unable to hide the bitterness in my voice. "Funny how you remember that only when it's convenient for you."

"Don't speak me to me in that tone" He warned me. I took a step back, my hand clenched the strap of my bag more tightly.

I squared my shoulders, refusing to back down. "Or what, Chris? What are you going to do? Ignore me some more?"

His nostrils flared, his patience clearly wearing thin. "You know what, Aria? This attitude of yours isn't helping."

"Oh, I'm sorry. So now my attitude is the problem?" I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe if you actually talked to me instead of treating me like a stranger, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Chris took a step closer, his voice low and controlled. "I've been trying to give you space, Aria. That's what we both needed."

"Space?" I scoffed again, my frustration reaching its peak. "Is that what you call it? Ignoring me? Avoiding any real conversation? That's not space, Chris. That's avoidance."

"I fucking told you not to have any expectations of me. This is who I am alright? If you find this behaviour annoying, you shouldn't have agreed to this in the first place" His voice was thick, filled with anger as he growled at me, I began shaking, trying to stop myself from falling down.

"I'm not having any expectations of you or of us. But just—" I sighed. Whatever I say wasn't gonna change his mind.

"But what sweetheart?" His head tilted, a mocking smirk playing on his face. I hated when he called me that when he didn't mean it.

"Stop calling me that" I said pointing my index finger at his chest. "And yes I did expect more," I continued, my voice gaining strength despite my shaky resolve.

"I expected us to at least try to make this work. To communicate. It's fine if you don't want to treat me like a wife in these walls but I thought at least we could be friends"

Chris's face hardened at my words, a mixture of frustration flickering in his eyes. He opened his mouth as if to respond, then closed it again, his jaw clenching visibly. The air around us felt heavy with unspoken tensions and unresolved feelings.

"I didn't agree to this marriage expecting a fairy tale," he finally said, his voice quieter now, but no less intense. "I thought we both understood what this was."

"I do understand," I replied, my voice steadier despite the storm of emotions raging inside me. "But understanding doesn't mean I have to accept being treated like I don't matter."

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in a gesture of irritation. I had enough of his bullshit. I turned away from him and walked upstairs to my room. He grabbed my wrist but I twisted it off his grip, running to my room and shutting the door behind me.

Throwing my bag and phone onto my bed, I pulled my hair down from my ponytail and headed to the shower. The lukewarm water cascading down my body felt better. Like a hug.

I stood in the shower for good half an hour before coming out wrapped in my bathrobe, to find Chris SITTING on my bed.

What the fuck

"What are you doing here?" I snapped at him, keeping my voice calm yet mixed with irritation.

"Waiting for my wife to come out of the shower" He looked at me, a sly grin playing across as his eyes roamed my body. Water was still dripping down my hair and droplets sliding down my chest, his eyes were on my cleavage before it met mine again.

Why didn't I lock the god damn door

"It's rude to enter someone's room without permission" I stated firmly, my voice laced with annoyance as I tightened the belt of my bathrobe.

"Didn't need permission since this is my house" He said coolly.

"But it's my room. You assigned this to me, so I want you to respect my privacy"

He scoffed and met my gaze again, he got off the bed and walked to me, closing the distance between us slowly. I stood where I was, feeling exposed under his scrutiny. "Your room or not, I will do whatever I want. You live in my house"

His tone was smooth yet edged with arrogance, each word deliberate and cutting through the air with a sense of entitlement. My hands curled into fists, I knew arguing with him will only escalate the tension between us further.

"You might own this house," I retorted, trying to keep my voice steady despite the unease churning inside me, "but that doesn't mean you can disrespect boundaries."

Chris's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. "Boundaries?" he echoed, his voice low and dangerously calm. "You don't get to set the rules here, Aria. You're here because of the agreement, remember?"

His words stung, reminding me once again of the contractual nature of our marriage. It was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that our relationship was based on anything but love or mutual respect.

"What do you want?" I asked, closing my eyes and turning away from him, having enough of his shit for the day.

"To fuck that little attitude out of you" Chris replied sharply, his voice cutting through the tension in the room like a knife. His words held a cold edge, filled with frustration and impatience.

Don't slap him. Don't slap him.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself before I turned back to face him. "My attitude is a direct result of your behavior, Chris. If you want it to change, maybe you should start treating me with respect."

He scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Respect is earned, Aria. And frankly, you haven't exactly made it easy."

I shook my head, disbelief and anger mingling in my voice. "You think I owe you respect after the way you've treated me? After all the times you've ignored me, dismissed me when I tried to talk to you, or made me feel like I'm nothing?"

Chris's expression hardened, his jaw tightening.

"This marriage was never about love. We both know that. You and I were both pressured by our families and here we are. It's a civil arrangement, and in a civil conversation respect is earned through cooperation."

"Only 335 days more of your bullshit and I'll be out of this hell" I walked away from him to my wardrobe, indicating that he should leave.

He laughed a cold laugh before he left my room saying,

"Can't wait for the day"

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

Thank you for reading!

xx,Ivyy

Next Chapter

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

hello! can I ask if you have any head canons for Peeta getting to do normal, typical teenage boy things once he returns to 12 after the war? things he didn’t really get to do while he was fearing and fighting for his life? Like annoying and irritating Haymitch, finding cool looking rocks and junk to excitedly bring home to show Katniss, and other similar dumb but adorably endearing things? Also maybe some HSc of Everlark just generally getting to be free and fun teenagers together post-war? 🥹❤️

Oh ho ho, Anon. You have come to the right place. *cracks knuckles* Currently raising two teenage boys, so I am ready for this ask like you would not believe. Some of these are pure fluff and some of them have a little more spice to them (which are NOT inspired by my boys lmao).

Corny jokes. Like all the damn time. His goal becomes to make Katniss roll her eyes or groan. He comes up with an elaborate point system. A "Joke Score" as a play on a training score. Getting a soft, inanimate object such as a napkin or a pillow thrown at him in combination with a verbal response earns him a perfect 12 for that joke. Examples! When they are going through everything in their Victor's Village house(s), deciding what goes and what stays, Katniss starts labeling everything with pinned/taped on notes. They say things like Donate or Give to Delly or BURN/TAKE AN AXE TO in the case of the giant desk that Snow once sat behind. And one day, Katniss goes to ask Peeta a question, and when he turns around, he's got one of the notes, in her handwriting, that says Keep taped to his forehead.

He gets perverse joy out of tickling Katniss until she can't breathe and/or is about to pee her pants.

He helps Haymitch give the geese absolutely ridiculous names

Katniss is the one who brings him pretty things from the woods. A blossom, a freshly fallen autumn leaf (look at the colors! this one's almost your favorite color), a neat looking rock. He keeps them on the kitchen table for a day or two before returning them to nature.

The cloud game, where they lay in the meadow and give names to the shapes of clouds, the more ridiculous the better, which Peeta usually wins (an alligator swallowing a garbage truck... no it is, look!)

"IT WAS A FISH I SWEAR!" in the lake... It was not a fish swimming up her shirt Peeta, you naughty boy. That was your hand.

Sitting upside down on the sofa to watch Plutarch's ridiculous new show that he won't shut up about so they watch it once. "Why are you sitting like that?" "Just getting the proper perspective."

Everything is a competition. Like... everything. Who can hold their breath longer (Katniss), who can toss their clothes across the room into the laundry hamper during sexy times and actually make it into the hamper (Peeta, which Katniss is MAD about btw and totally starts cheating by um... kissing or grabbing sensitive areas), who can kiss better (a tie but we need to try again to be sure), who can toast their bread faster in the fire (Katniss, but now it's burned, can I have yours, Peeta? *pouty face* only if you marry me, Katniss. Psssh we're literally already married, you goob), who can shovel snow off the walkway faster (Peeta but he does a sloppy job of it and Katniss makes him do his half of the walkway again and no it is totally not so she can check out his ass (narrator voice: it was totally so she could check out his ass)), who can eat the most *insert food item here* (Katniss, every time), who can make the most ridiculous silly faces (tie again unless there's alcohol involved and then it's Katniss), who can wash the dishes faster (...undecided, Katniss thinks Peeta is cheating by putting extra dishes in the sink or moving ones she's already washed back into the dirty pile. Once, when she accused him of cheating, he grabbed a dirty plate and licked it like he did in the cave scene. "All clean! See! I helped!")

Pillow fights, food fights, water fights, snowball fights, paint slinging fights... pretty much ALL instigated by Peeta, many of them because...

Whenever Peeta tries to teach Katniss how to bake something new and she gets frustrated, his go to method of getting her out of her head and to relax is to smear frosting/batter/dough/flour/whatever is closest on her face.

Singing very loud and off key in the shower to get Katniss out of bed when it's not really a bad day, but not a great day either.

Dunking food in milk. Like all of it, to try it out. Dropping candy into different beverages to see how it changes the flavor. "I'm experimenting for the bakery, Katniss!"

Dramatically flopping on the bed when he's had a long day and whining that he's not moving until Katniss *insert whatever kind of affection and or bribe he wants to glean out of her such as kisses, cuddles, foot rub (ew Peeta, I've smelled your dirty socks and that's not happening -- what if I wash my foot first? or here *presents her with his prosthetic foot* rub this one! but you might have to put some oomph in it before I can feel it)*.

So many one leg/amputee jokes

Pretending to be asleep when he's definitely not and Katniss is clearly horny... just to see how far she'll go.

Both anti-depressants and depression call kill sex drive, but when they're in the mood... they're not seen for at least a day and a half so Peeta has to work up a discreet signal to let Haymitch know not to come a knockin' because the first time it he didn't know, Katniss screamed bloody murder and Haymitch dropped a bottle of "perfectly good wine what is wrong with you two? Is that the chair I sit in for dinner?!?!?" It was not, but Katniss was mortified. And other smutty shenanigans happen on occasion, despite how carefully both Katniss and Peeta guard their privacy and intimacy.

"Hey Katniss, remember when I called you 'pure?' ... I take it back." *pillow to the face*

"Hey, Katniss, watch this..." *does something ridiculous like getting a ball of dough to stick to the ceiling.*

"Hey Katniss, remember when you broke your butt and I had to carry you around?" "I bruised my tailbone, Peeta.. And you had to carry me because I twisted my ankle too." *said with great exasperation right before he hoists her off the ground and carries her somewhere because he can. The shorter and more ridiculous the distance, the better. "We have to move the laundry!" *carries her to the fancy new machines Effie sent them as a toasting gift.* She tries not to laugh or snuggle in close. She fails.

Tucking silly notes everywhere. In her game bag, under her pillow, on her plate at the table, on the window sill where she likes to sit and read/watch the rain, in her shirt when he's feeling extra naughty.

*with the most serious expression ever* "Real or not real, Katniss... this cheese is the stinkiest cheese that ever cheesed?" *shoves some seriously stinky cheese under her nose before she can react* "UGH! GROSS, PEETA!"

Over the top dramatics when he asks her to dance. Only every now and then, though because Katniss also loves to slow dance with him and act stupidly romantic with him, but you didn't hear that from me.

Ice cream for dinner

Blanket forts

Raspberries. You know, when you put your mouth on someone's bare skin and blow out air really hard and it makes a sound like someone is farting? Yeah, those.

"You sleep with the windows open! Of course I'm going to hog the blankets!" Katniss shouts. Peeta solves this by laying on top of her and saying "I'm a blanket!" until she's laughing and agrees to share the actual blankets.

Smearing literal cinnamon and dill all over his body after she confesses that she liked that smell on him.

Attempting to build a catapult to launch cheese buns from the kitchen to where Katniss is sitting on the couch when she's pregnant. Okay, let's be real. It happens BEFORE she gets pregnant with toastbaby the first, but he perfects it during that first pregnancy.

Peeta can't shoot an arrow, but they start making a list of everything he's hit that he WASN'T aiming for... the ground, that patch of violets, the tree next to the tree you were aiming for, the stream, that giant rock, that thankfully unoccupied bird's nest ("thankfully? I would've called it a good shot if you'd hit something we could eat," Katniss says).

"I'm a fluffy bunny." If you don't know what that means, I cannot help you.

"Real or not real, you are the most beautiful woman in the entire world." "No more cough syrup, Peeta--" *LOUD BUZZER NOISE* "WRONG! The correct answer is REAL, Katniss."

“Who ate the last *insert food item here*?!?!” Peeta from the other room around a full mouth “Not me!”

And if you think any of this stops when they have kids, oh boy are you wrong. The kids just get to get in on the fun (of the not spicy variety, of course.)

[thelov3lybookworm]

Caged In (part 5)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Day 5: Family

Summary: Some long due confrontations take place.

•○●⛦●○•

A/n: this one's... something.

@lucienweekofficial

•○🌑○•

"You're my son..." Helion whispered, his eyes moving frantically over Lucien's face. "How..."

Lucien begged himself to not show any emotions as he spoke. "One would think you would know that."

Helion swallowed, his eyes swimming with something like regret and guilt. "How did you find out?"

"Apparently Feyre figured it out. Y/n told me about it."

"Oh."

He looked so at loss for words that Lucien felt something like pity swirling through him. He decided to spare Helion the struggle and got to the point.

"Why? Did you two have a secret relationship?"

Helion took a deep breath, as if steadying himself. "No. We didn't see each other after she was married. Except that one time. We were both desperate that night, and Beron was out on some trip."

Lucien nodded once, waiting for him to continue. He did.

"She was the daughter of a Lord in Autumn Court. I fell in love when I visited Autumn Court with my father, who was the high lord then. I hoped I would get to marry her, but I didn't want to force her. So I began sneaking out to meet her. At first, she resisted me. Told me to leave her alone. But slowly, she warmed to me.

"The few years that I got to call her mine were the best years of my life. Even if we had to keep it a secret, I was happy. She was happy."

Helion began drinking his wine directly from the bottle now. "One day, when I went to meet her, she was crying in her room. I asked her what happened. She told me her father had fixed her marriage to the new High Lord of Autumn. And I think I lost my mind then.

"I walked straight into her father's office, slamming the door, and demanded that he stop this wedding from happening. Which was not the best choice, but I was young and madly in love. I did not want to consider the consequences of my actions. All I knew was that I wanted your mother."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Her father refused. Said it was too late, that Beron would have his head if he stopped the wedding. And even if it wasn't too late, he wouldn't marry his daughter to someone from another court, that I wouldn't be able to give him what Beron could.

"He had his sentries throw me out, and I had to return. I did meet your mother one last time before the wedding, and she told me to stay away. That it would be too dangerous to meet now that the wedding was near."

Lucien simply stared and stared, trying not to feel anything. But he did. He wished his mother could have what she wanted.

He wondered what his childhood would have been like if he had grown up in day court, with Helion as his father. He wondered if his family would have been a better one.

"When did you..."

Helion swallowed. "It was autumn equinox, and I got a letter. It had no name, but I knew it was her. It was her handwriting. She invited me to the celebration, saying Beron would be away. Of course, I went. She told me that Beron had been in one of his worst moods that week. And so, for equinox, he was going to bed another female. No reason. We had not planned on doing anything other than talking, but as the night progressed, we couldn't stop ourselves."

Lucien tried not to be disgusted. It was not that he was angry his mother had slept with another male despite being married. It just felt weird to hear his father talk about how he was conceived.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, coming to terms with the new information dumped on them both.

Finally, Helion broke the silence.

"Do you... what are we going to do now?"

"I don't know."

"Would you like to stay?"

"I– do you want me to stay?"

Helion's eyes softened. "It's your choice Lucien."

Lucien nodded distantly. He'd never had a choice in picking where he stayed, and so being given that choice now felt like something new.

"I... I think I need time to think."

Helion–his father– nodded. "Take however long you want. The gates to day court will always be open to you, son."

There it was. That word.

Son.

Lucien didn't know why it affected him that much, but it did. Lucien swallowed before standing. "Have a good night." He mumbled, walking towards the door.

"You too." After a pause, his father stopped him. "Lucien? If you don't mind me asking, is there something between you and Y/n? Or do you have feelings for her?"

Lucien froze.

"Why are you asking me that?" He said coldly, turning halfway.

His father smiled knowingly. "I saw the looks exchanged throughout the whole night."

"There is nothing between us." Lucien went to again walk out of the doors, but of course Helion wasn't done.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me. Just keep in mind to act on your feelings. Don't wait too long." Lucien glanced at him, his hand on the door handle. "I waited too long, and look where it landed us."

His voice was bitter with memories buried under layers of masks and protection, and suddenly Lucien wondered if there was more similarities between him and his father than there were differences.

•○🌑○•

The little girls came sprinting up to him, giggling and laughing, their copper hair, exactly like his, streaming behind them. The twins stopped at his feet, grinning up at him with chocolate all over their face, between their teeth and around their mouth, on their hands and clothes. Everywhere.

He smiled, kneeling in front of the two as he smoothed their hair back.

"Hi. Where's mommy?"

"She's in there, baking cookies." One of them responded.

Lucien nodded, kissing both of them on top of their head and then girls ran off to wherever they were going.

Lucien walked into the kitchen with a sly smile, anticipation building in his gut as he imagined his wife's reaction to his return after his long trip.

"Y/n." He called in a singsong voice as he stepped into the kitchen, and then he came to a standstill.

There she stood. But she wasn't alone. Next to her stood Azriel, his arms around Y/n's waist as he leaned in to kiss her.

Lucien watched them for a moment, dumbfounded. Then the two of them glanced at him with smiles on their faces, and it broke him out of his trance.

"What the hell!? Get away from my wife!"

Y/n furrowed her brows, the smile still on her face. "What are you talking about? He is my husband." Y/n pointed to Azriel, who nodded.

"No he is not. I am." Lucien started to turn to call for his little girls, but they were already standing in the doorway.

Except now, they didn't have his red hair. Now they had Azriel's dark raven hair. Lucien gasped, his eyes flying between the four of them as tears started streaming down his face.

Then Helion's voice reached Lucien, and he turned to find his father smiling at him. "You took too much time, and now you lost her."

Lucien shook his head, a chant of denial spilling from his lips, and he wished that the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

And that's exactly what happened.

He fell into the deep void that opened beneath his feet, his screams lost to the laughing darkness.

•○🌑○•

Lucien shot up in his bed, his chest heaving as his eyes darted around, looking for his wife and Azriel. Where were they?

He scrambled out of the bed, making a beeline to his door, across the hallway and to Y/n's door. He took a deep breath, trying to reign in his thoughts before knocking.

The door opened a few moments later, and Y/n blinked up at him blearily.

"Lucien?" He could barely make out the words as he pushed into her room, letting her close the door behind him as he searched around every corner of her room.

By the time he was done, she seemed more awake. And she was glaring at him.

"May I ask what is going on?" She folded her arms across her chest, and that was when Lucien noticed what she was wearing.

A skimpy little nightgown hung from her frame, barely reaching to the middle of her thighs. The neckline plunged nearly too deep, and the whole thing was held up by dainty little straps.

Lucien realised he was practically gaping at her, so he shut his mouth with an audible click.

"Where– where is Azriel?"

Y/n blinked. "What? Why would he be here?"

"He was with you. He was kissing you. You had kids, but they were supposed to be mine. You are mine. You are my wife, no one else's."

So lost in his ranting, Lucien didn't notice that he was practically chest to chest with Y/n now.

Y/n simply stared up at him in confusion, and Lucien slowly realised that he had been dreaming.

"What are you talking about?"

He sighed. "Sorry. It was a nightmare."

Y/n started grinning softly. "About me being Azriel's wife? Why would you have a nightmare about that? Wouldn't it be a happy thing? You should be happy for me."

Lucien growled low in his throat, and Y/n's smile faded as she realised that he wasn't in the interested in jesting at that moment.

"You are mine." He grabbed her jaw, tilting her head back, and her hands unravelled from her chest.

"Lucien..."

But he wasn't in a mood to talk as he stared at her beautiful lips.

And then he did what he would never have done unless he was drunk. Wasted. There were consequences to think about.

But in that moment, as he watched her lips part, he didn't care for consequences.

"I love you." He mumbled.

Right before he crashed his lips into hers.

•○🌑○•

Part 6

General Taglist: @bubybubsters @eos-princess @nightless @lizziesfirstwife

[from-izzy]

this summer... | tbz lee jaehyun | hyunjae

» ​PAIRING: tbz lee jaehyun x fem reader​ » TROPE/AU​: don't think there's a trope for this one 🤔 established relationship au! » GENRE​: summer break, holiday with friends, boyfie hyunjae, hyunjae's cute curly hair makes an appearance!, very fluffy patient hyunjae, very cute hyunjae, comforting and lovely hyunjae, summer holiday cause we all deserve to rest, maybe around...4/5 comfort level (in my standards!), hyunjae tucks your hair behind your ears, reader blushes because of boyfie hyunjae, long-haired reader who uses her hair to hide from hyunjae, standing infront of the mirror together as you both face your insecurities (hyunjae is also taller than you) » WORD COUNT: ​6384 » ESTIMATED READING TIME: ~25 mins » WARNINGS (lmk if i missed anything!): insecurities, weight and body image

repost for @deoboyznet's 📢❤️ first house event!

just went back and fixed up the grammar and writing mistakes (there were a lot, i don't know how i missed it 😭)

Summer holds a very soft, warm spot in your heart.

For one, it’s the way the season is conveniently placed in the middle of July to the end of August which is the best time to destress after almost half a year of studying your ass off.

Secondly, it’s the way that you would shout “cannonball!” whilst you and your friends linked hands and jumped into the backyard, outdoor swimming pool.

Thirdly, it’s the way that you can flexibly work your schedule for a short amount of time: waking up, sleeping whenever you want to, studying when you want to and hanging out with the same friends when you want to.

Fourthly, it’s the way that every single food tastes so much better in the sunny summer compared to other white winters, the sneezy spring and the awkward cold-but-not-too-cold autumn.

But it’s also the way that you met your boyfriend in this beautiful season two years ago when he transferred to your school, alongside the fact that he shyly (but confidently, at the same time) asked you to be his a year ago at your favourite beach. You remember the way his cheeks flush with surprise when he turns back upon Younghoon and Jacob’s mischievous giggles, telling him to turn back to see you stare at him in bewilderment. The truth was revealed later on that your friends plotted the confession, complaining about your blindness of the lovesick eyes that you both sent to each other yet doing nothing about it.

To celebrate your last high school summer break together, Jaehyun’s closest two friends, Younghoon and Jacob, would come together with your slightly bigger group to spend a little four-day, three-night getaway at Jeju Island.

All of you have been talking about this for ages and how it would be a fun treat for making it through the last decade of compulsory high school and to give an encouraging pump for the last half a year left before you all finally become adults and take your own pathways. You all saved money like crazy even when you all reached the budget that is needed (you never know what could happen!) and the exciting day finally starts off tomorrow with Jacob driving one car while Seoyoon drives the smaller 4-wheel drive. It’s a shame that they couldn’t find a single car for all six of them at a reasonable price but they are all thankful for the opportunity to even share these memories together. 

“Are you all ready for tomorrow?” Your mum peaks in after she knocks on your bedroom door. She was just as excited as you are, seeing how much you worked so hard both at school and your efforts on saving money for the last three years, “Give this to Jaehyun for me as well.”

“Hm?” You took your eyes off your still messy luggage to see, what you assumed to be, a black leather jacket that was folded neatly with a red ribbon wrapped around it; don’t forget the simple small card with his name on it, slipped in the middle of the ribbon. 

“It’s his birthday gift. It was his birthday recently, right?” Your mum’s considerate act made you smile brightly and you jumped up from your knees to give her a tight hug. With your arms around her neck and your neck on her shoulders, you squeal in happiness, “Okay, okay I get it, you love him very much.”

You jump, still in your mum’s arms with your head in the clouds as you picture your loving boyfriend that you will be able to spend time with nonstop for the next four days or so, “I really really do. He’s just so perfect, mum.”

“Yes, yes. I’ve heard this way too much. Now let go of me, child. You need to finish packing.” Your mum rolls her eyes playfully and you know there was a big smile plastered on her own face with the way her words were delivered so clearly.

“Okay, okay.” With a quick kiss on her cheek, your mum disappears to the other side of the door. You let out a sigh of happiness, putting Jaehyun’s gift next to your luggage as you imagined how cute, good, hot, handsom---

“Also,” You jump a bit, hands on your chest when your mum surprised you this time with no further notice of her presence, “stop stealing his clothes.” You just giggle guiltily as her uninteresting eyes direct themselves to your overfilled, messy closet, “One, you already have a lot. Two,” back to your giddy figure, “he’s going to go broke.”

The whole house was sleeping, recharging from their own personal tiring events from the day. You should probably be too as you’ve all planned quite an early morning to get the most out of your holiday together. Instead though, somewhere in the middle of your packing, you couldn’t help but call your boyfriend, “Can you…” 

“Hm?” Jaehyun on the other side of the line was also about to call you earlier and his face lit up when your name popped up on his screen, the familiar and specific ringtone bouncing around his four walls excitedly, “What’s wrong?”

The both of them curled up in their own respective beds with hushed voices full of love and adoration. Their phones were near their own faces as they lay down on their side to face each other’s respective profile pictures on their phones. At first, they wanted to do a video call but Jaehyun adamantly refused as per experience, they would not be able to sleep until about an hour before they were supposed to wake up. As much as you both know that you (probably) shouldn’t be doing that during school times, sitting next to each other during recess and lunch, with your head resting on his shoulder and his on top of yours as you both tried desperately to recharge quickly for the next periods, you both concluded that those late night (early morning) talks have always been worth it.

“Can we just…not sleep tonight?” You offered, your cheeks red as you pulled your blanket further up your face to hide as if Jaehyun could see you over his phone, “And just talk?”

“You know we shouldn’t, bubs.” Jaehyun hums, whispering back to you softly, “Plus we will literally be together for four days.”

“Well,” You grumble, sighing out as you finally voice the rough mathematical sound in your head, “technically less because we won’t be in the same room and then after that, there will be toilet breaks and then we lose milliseconds when we blink our eyes and then we won’t be in the same car as well, which is a big deal and it’s ju---”

“Okay okay, so maybe it’s not for a full ninety-six hours.” Jaehyun’s amused chuckle made you softly smile again, closing your eyes to focus on his comforting voice, “But we should get to sleep now, hm? Let’s just keep the phone on, okay?”

“Ah! I forgot to tell you abou---”

“Bubs.” Jaehyun scolds you playfully. You could make out the grin on his face and the way his eyes form little crescent shapes as you just whine about not wanting to fall asleep yet, “Tell you what.”

“Hm?”

You make out the shuffles from the other side of the line, telling you that Jaehyun is getting into a more comfortable position. This made you kick your legs and squeal into the phone as you knew what he would say next. Jaehyun shakes his head at your obviously delighted response. He sits up on the bed, laying his back on the bed frame. With his phone on his lap, he continued to make his little ‘deal’, “I’ll sing and you sleep.”

“Fine.” You rolled your eyes but the tone of your voice gave away what you truly felt, “Night, Jae.”

“Goodnight, bubs.”

You woke up refreshed, the tune that Jaehyun sang to you last night replaying in your head. You forgot to charge your phone last night so when you said ‘good morning’ and didn’t receive a response back, you were worried that something happened to the other line. Quickly jumping out of bed to reach for your power bank and starting your phone up with a series of impatient ‘come on, come on’, you thought you could beat your boyfriend’s text first.

With a bear and a heart next to his name, your notification showed the ‘good morning, sleepyhead.’ and the ‘beat you to it first, bubs.’

You slap your forehead gently to scold yourself. Forgetting to charge your phone overnight during an overnight phone call isn’t new to you and you made a bet with Jaehyun that the next time it happens (which is, just then), you would be the first one to send him a ‘good morning’ text, beating his unbeatable strike of twenty-three.

“Well, that’s twenty-four now.” The heartwarming feeling spreads through your body again and the smallest things that Jaehyun did made you feel so loved that you felt that you were out of this world.

You plop back down on your bed, stretching your arms out to the ceiling with your phones in your hands as you watch the ‘ringing’ switch to a stopwatch to show the duration of the call, “You beat me.” Jaehyun chuckles through the speaker mode.

“Good morning to you too.” You see the request to turn the voice call into a video call and you pick it up immediately, “Ah, my girlfriend is so pretty in the morning.”

“Lee Jaehyun, stop.” You pull your hair over to hide your face, peeking through the gaps to see him blow a kiss at you. You blew one back, your cheeks still flaring red and warm, “If I look pretty then you’re a masterpiece.”

“As if.” With the new angle of the phone facing towards the ceiling, you observed the way that your boyfriend enters a new room, turning on the lights to start his morning routine. Jaehyun puts his phone against his bathroom mirror but due to his height and the lower table, you can no longer see his face. But you didn’t need to see his face to know what he was going to do. 

Your regular morning and night phone calls served as a kind of ‘get ready for’ something together and it also allowed you both to become more comfortable with each other during your first stages of dating. When you were just friends, these calls weren’t regular and only happened when you both needed to get something off your chests, or maybe rant about a nightmare that you had and needed some comfort. When you both started dating, it naturally became a regular thing you both indulged in, spending hours studying or watching movies together at night and spending your morning hours together before you hung up when you both were back to each other physically.

So you knew very well what Jaehyun was going to do when he let out a loud exhale and plugged his hair straighter into the power plug on the wall where the phone was near, “Straightening your hair?” You didn’t ask this question often. Most of the time you asked is either because you both weren’t currently talking or were too busy in your morning routines.

“Yeah.” He lets out a loud exhale and you observe how his chest leans forward toward the mirror, presumably to take a better look at a part of his hair that is already straightened, "Just…" another sigh, "yeah."

You nod at his words. Turning over to lay on your stomach to be in a more comfortable position, you just watch Jaehyun's arms moving left to right, up and down as he readjusts his hair with the help of his mirror. The series of 'tsk' from the other side of the line made your heart clench and you couldn't help but reassure him, your chin resting on your arm, "I love your curly hair, Jae."

You know how much Jaehyun gets insecure about his natural hair sometimes. The very first time you saw it was when you arrived at Jaehyun's house really early when you both were only friends. He opened the door for you to wait inside but due to his nervousness about unexpectedly having you over and walking to school with you for the first time, he forgot to finish his morning routine.

You remember greeting him with a shy smile and 'good morning' and he didn't even get the chance to say it back because your eyes travelled up to the very different hairstyle he has compared to the one you see at school. No need to say, he shut the door on you and the whoosh of wind left you stunned at the front door for a while.

When he opened the door again, you sweetly smiled at him, complimenting the natural shape of his hair. His worries about you seeing him as different (and possibly in your eyes, ugly) all disappear when you offer to straighten his hair for him.

Lee Jaehyun was a tomato throughout it all, especially when you said you like boys with curly hair. Like, what was he even supposed to do with that information?

"R-Really?" You lift your chin, coming closer to the phone screen when Jaehyun's face comes into view, "I-I just…I look so ba---"

"You look gorgeous." You quickly interrupted and you relaxed when Jaehyun let out a genuine sigh of relief. You took note of how his smile grew and his eyes looked at you thankfully, "I promise."

He retrieves his phone back to his hand and places his now gleaming face in the middle of the screen, "Thank you." He blew a kiss to the screen and you returned the gesture back before finally starting your own morning routine before Seoyoon arrived.

It's only around thirty minutes later when Seoyoon texted her arrival and you scurried down the stairs with all your necessities chaotically, "I think I'll hang up now. Lyla will not let me live otherwise."

"Yep, even though she's the biggest contributor to our relationship." Jaehyun remarks, "See you soon, bubs."

"Love you, see you soon!"

You turned off your phone, pocketed it safely and dropped your luggage in the trunk of the car. Hopping in with an excited feeling, you were quickly attacked with your own words that you said a couple of minutes ago.

"Love you, see you soon!!" Lyla imitates you, a series of eyebrow wiggles and teasing smiles on her face when she turns her body over to face the back seat where you just groan and roll your eyes.

"Hey. You and Jacob aren't any better." Seoyeon defends you swiftly and you poke your tongue out at your now-defeated friend.

"They're so cute, it physically makes me sick." Your backseat partner, Sua comments.

You squint your eyes at her, "I'm not sure whether that's a compliment or not but I'll just accept it and move on." Seoyeon watches her best friend from the rearview mirror, nodding and clicking her tongue in approval while humming in thought, "What?"

"You and Jaehyun are perfect for each other indeed." Seoyoon starts the engine again, turning up the music to a desirable amount for the hour-long trip to the resort.

You blush at that, murmuring to yourself, "He's perfect for sure." 

The holiday just started and it’s already so much better than you expected. While waiting for your gate to open, you pass Jaehyun’s gift from your mum, your boyfriend putting it on straight away despite the warm weather and sending a video message to your mum in gratitude. Lyla also planned a 'little' daily schedule for you all to follow the past few days. The later bloomers were not particularly happy with starting the day at nine and ending it at eleven on the same day and through choruses of opinions, she scrapped the idea and reduced the amount of group activities. You reassured your best friend that you would still do the main things that she wanted to do together and you were satisfied with the way she tackled you down on the bed in happiness. 

Other than that, you all did an awesome job at finding this beach house. The location of the beach house is convenient and with the time of the year, a lot of night markets and activities were planned each day to celebrate the warm season. The area is filled with other couples and not so surprisingly other students who are enjoying their short freedom before they have to bury their whole bodies underneath a pile of books and practice exam papers. 

“We’re finally here!” You all walked out and breathed the minty fresh air and salty sea as you stepped out of the airport, “This is so exciting!” Sua pulls both you and Seoyoon by the waist, squishing you three into a tight hug, “We’re going to have so much fun.”

You chuckle and affirm her words, “But let’s get the car first.”

Jacob points to the familiar plate numbers and along with Seoyoon, figures out the final arrangements, all the terms and conditions before finally attaining the keys from the person in charge.

“Can I---”

“No. You already spent like an hour with him on the flight.” 

Sua gives you a deadpan look and Lyla pushes the girl lightly, “Just let her go. Jaehyun is looking at us with puppy eyes as well. Go with Jacob though, don’t want to see you two being all lovey-dovey.”

“Ew.” Sua throws her head back and jumps out of the hug, “You know what you both go in Jacob’s car. I’m going to go with Younghoon and Seoyoon.”

You took Lyla’s hand with your chin held high, teasing Sua’s look of grimace, “Not a problem with me.” As you were about to grab the handle of your wheel bag in another, Jaehyun ran to your side and beat you to it, giving you a quick kiss on your cheek.

His smirk grew at the way your cheeks grew red at the lingering feeling of his lips, “You weren’t giving me any attention.” Lyla squeals and runs away from you to hug her own boyfriend instead. Still frozen and shy at the unexpected act, you turned your head to the side with raised eyebrows, a gaped mouth and being absolutely speechless, Jaehyun shrugged innocently, “I was getting kind of lonely, bubs.” 

“Lee Jaeh---”

Another kiss this time was given straight to your lips, muffling your complaints.

“Wha---”

Your internal body temperature is rising to be as hot as the summer heat and Jaehyun knew that he needed to cool you down or else you were probably going to murder him for making you so flustered in the middle of the walkway entrance of the airport door. He dips his head down once more to ghost over your plumper lips and before you can say anything else, his palms land softly on both sides of your waist, encasing you in his hold. His thumbs soothe down the sides of your body particularly along your ribs as you gasp from the delicate touch before he dives in to kiss you once more. Your own arms lift and you cross your wrists over on his nape, pulling him closer and responding to the kiss.

You felt nervous as you were out in public, tens of people just walking by or just standing around, but it all dissipated when you felt his breath on your lips. The kiss itself wasn’t heated like some of your other kisses with him but rather sweet and gentle. His lips would hug your lower lips before pulling away a little bit and hug your upper lip instead, relishing the way you would respond to him as a smile grew on both of your faces. He would do those little nudges and brushes with his nose on yours and you giggled as it meant that his playful self appeared to replace his flirty self.

“A bit jealous?” You asked him with your foreheads against each other.

“No.” Jaehyun smiles so widely when you both make eye contact, so much so that his cute little eye wrinkle smile makes its appearance, “A lot.”

That's how Jaehyun showed his love to you throughout the trip. It would also be holding hands whenever you both could, filling up your plate with more food whenever it got empty, making you walk on the inside of the walkway, dropping you off at your room door as if it wasn't just across and a little bit of a turn to his own room with the other boys, reminding you that you're beautiful and that he loves you every day.

Just.

You love this man. So much. With all your heart.

And Jaehyun knows that. From the way you would use your palm to block the side of his face due to the wind, to how you would give him the first bite of your ice cream, reminding him to put more sunscreen and applying it to his face every so often, to the way you sweetly kissed him on the lips as you both rested for the night.

He loves you. So much. With all his heart.

He managed to prove to you that every single day for the past two years you were friends, the past year and a half when he developed a crush on you, and the last year ever since you confessed your feelings to him back after him.

But you see, it's just unavoidable that you would still have those times alone when you would look at your body and feel self-conscious about it. You're human after all. It's normal to have a drop in confidence sometimes but the stereotype of girls in summer with their tanned skin, humongous sunglasses and revealing bikini got to you sometimes.

Your boyfriend is a godsend. It's no secret that girls would crush on him and the boys want to be him. I mean, with that kind heart, sexy brain (and body) and handsome visuals? Seriously, what did you do in your past life to receive this much love from a single person?

"You're not changing?"

Snapping out of your daze from your messy luggage, you could see your three friends all in their own choice of swimsuits and bikinis under their beach towels and robes. Seoyoon stares at you worriedly through her pink sunglasses.

"Um." You try your best to show a genuine smile, "I'll be there, just trying to swallow down that heavy lunch. You guys go on ahead."

You would be stupid if you thought they would believe that. Six years of friendship with a punt lie like that? Absolutely not. But they didn't question you further as you just bit your lower lip, feeling your confidence drop down once more. They know you just wanted to be alone after telling them that you felt sick and that you ate so much after lunch.

This is the part of summer that you hate.

As much as summer does hold a soft spot in your heart, sometimes the reminder that the sun is made out of fire literally made your head hot due to the overthinking that you always did somewhere along the way before you stepped into any type of swimsuit. 

Deciding to succumb to your thoughts for a little bit, you sit down on the edge of the bed in defeat. You look out to see the sun's circumference not too far away from kissing the edge of the ocean and you could feel yourself starting to cry as you tried to push your dark thoughts away.

"Come on." You pleaded with yourself to pick up a swimsuit, any swimsuit, so that you can go meet with the others and watch the sunset together by the beach before you would all need to pack up and go back to reality tomorrow, "Please…" You whimper in desperation.

The balls of your feet step onto the side rail of the bed and you begin to sob, your arms wrapping your abdomen tightly in frustration. The water runs straight down from your eyelashes to your thighs and those droplets eventually make their own path from there as well.

You want to see the sunset as the beach water splashes and hugs your lower body. You want to see the sunset with your friends and your boyfriend together as you maybe do a little water fight against each other. You want to see the sky turn its bright colours to darker hues that signal younger children to turn their devices off and go to sleep. 

You want to do all that so badly.

You released all your pent-up feelings through your tears and the cawing seagulls constantly reminded you that you were running out of time as the circle in the sky would eventually just sink and it would not stop or wait for anyone or anything. You managed to be in a swimsuit on the other previous days. So why now? When this whole little "let's see the sunset together in the water" was your idea. Why? Why why why---

You shouldn't have eaten so much in the last few days, feeling the difference in your stomach but also outside through your own eyes. So still with these burning thoughts and blurry vision, you just close your eyes, shove your hands into your suitcase, and take the first cold elastane fabric in your palms and change into it. Throughout your trip, you would plan your outfits with the help of the full body mirror that was placed behind the door, taking selfies with your friends as you all pulled funny faces together. 

This is the only outfit that the mirror didn't see and the camera did not have save, and you didn’t think anything or anyone could change that. Quickly, you grab an oversized shirt, pulling it over your body to quickly realise that it's one of Jaehyun’s that you stole. You chuckle between your ragged gasps for air, sitting down on the bed again to continue your cries for a bit more. Before you can even hug your body once more, the knock on the door makes you whip your head backwards towards it.

"Bubs? Are you okay?"

You whimper at the familiar voice behind the door and you shake your head, not trusting your ability to answer verbally. Of course, the door isn't transparent and Jaehyun himself is only human too and understandably, your lack of response only makes him worry more.

"Hey…I'm going in alright?" The door clicks open with that and you hurriedly wipe any last bit of tears on your face, running your wet palms along the clothing that covers half of your thighs. You still couldn’t help your sniffles though and it was enough to have the smile on Jaehyun’s face and his soft steps to change quickly, “Hey, hey. What’s wrong?”

You only shook your head in response, your fists clenched the shirt in frustration as you began to drown in your own thoughts as well. Jaehyun kneels down in front of your downcasted head and if you looked up, you would be able to see the sad smile, the way his eyes gaze at you with patience and love. Carefully, his hand reaches out to your now-white fists. His fingers lay on the back of your palm while his palm lays on your knuckles, his thumb soothing the exposed sides of your pointer finger.

He made his presence to you with small, gentle steps from there: tucking your hair behind your ears, making a joke about how he thought he lost the shirt you were wearing, and letting out a harmonious chuckle when you responded to his joke. With time, he even manages to let your hands go off his now crinkled shirt, holding both your hands instead.

"I'm sorry." Is the first word you said when you broke the silence. 

Pouting at that, Jaehyun leans forward to kiss your tired knuckles, "Don't be. You haven't done anything wrong."

"I have…" You whisper guiltily, "We missed the sunset right?"

"Hey, don't you think about that right now, okay?" He shakes his head at your worries, "That's not important. What's important is why you were crying alone and feeling sad about something."

"I'm just---" You sigh exasperatedly. Your eyes haven't met Jaehyun, just taking in the way your hands were between his. The changes in your physical appearance made you so weak and frustrated, "I just don't feel good about my body and you're literally so perfect and I just can't keep up with how perfect you ar---"

"Stop, don't say that about yourself." He lets go of your hands, scooting over and straightening his back. You close your eyes, sniffling once again as you feel your boyfriend's hands cup your cheek, lifting your messy face to him. He wipes the rest of the tears that escape from your eyes with his thumbs, leaning to press kisses on both your eyelids in an attempt to ground you back. 

You open your eyes to see the love hearts that swirl around his eyes freely, the crease between his eyebrows and the somewhat serious face he has on. 

"He's mad at me…" and you bit your lip to contain your assumptions to yourself, scared that Jaehyun would affirm it and want that could result, "Please don't leave me."

"I wo---"

"I'll make myself look better in every way possible, just please give me time."

"Bubs, what are you talking about?" Jaehyun shakes his head at your rant while his head tries to pick up the pieces together to make a sort of confusion, "You're perfect as you are. Don't ever change yourself for anyone. Including me."

"But those girls are so pretty, Jaehyun and you would look so much better with them. Or maybe with me if I was somewhere on their lev---"

"Please look at yourself the way that I see you through my eyes." It was soft, almost like a hush. But you catch the way his lips move when you go on a tangent and you stop yourself from going further.

Jaehyun stands up, making you stand up as well and brings you in for a hug, his hand behind your head and the other around your waist. You let out the rest of your tears on his chest, punching him lightly while your palm pushes your stomach in frustration.

Jaehyun doesn't care about your punches to his chest but he immediately catches your other hand, pulling it away to the side of your body. His hand wraps itself around your wrist tightly, stopping you from pulling it back, "You're gorgeous." His hold on your body tightens as he recites the words that you said to him a few days ago through the latest video chat you both had, "I promise."

"Jaehyun…"

"I don't care about other girls. Who cares about them? When I have such a gorgeous girlfriend inside and out and bonus for me, loves me for who I am?" Jaehyun puts a small distance between his chest and your face, gazing down at you and planting a kiss on your forehead, "Wait here for a bit?"

You nod at the question and he leaves to go to the bathroom. While he left, your eyes went back to the view outside the window and you could predict how much time had passed as the circumference of the sun started to really make contact with the ocean. The guilt settles in again and you curse yourself for ruining the last group event of the whole trip. 

But before you could really drown in the darkness again, Jaehyun stumbles out of the bathroom and you gasp at his wet hair and the darker spots on his shirt due to the water. You walk over to him, your mouth moving in different shapes though no voice was heard.

Jaehyun chuckles at the way you retrieved a towel and laid it on top of his head, beginning to dry his brown hair with circular motions, "Thank you." He takes the towel with one hand, continuing the motions himself while his other arm snakes around your waist to pull you back to his chest.

You rest your chin on his left pectoral, observing the little curls of his hair starting to make its appearance and you smile fondly at how it would disappear underneath the towel and reappear again. When Jaehyun puts the towel around his neck, you couldn't help but reach out to play with one of his curls, trapping the strands between your thumb and pointer and gently tugging it, straightening the strand until the end, only for it to retract back to its formal shape.

"Having fun there?" Jaehyun comments when you do the same action to other strands of his hair. Slowly, a joyful smile comes to your face and he feels relieved at the pretty sight, "Come here for a second."

He led you to stand in front of the mirror and you immediately turned back to hug your boyfriend, scowling at how messy you looked, "I think I just saw a ghost." You complain, hiding your face in his chest. 

"Oh?" Jaehyun gasps out dramatically, "What where? I hate ghosts but I'll protect you!" Just like before, he held you close with both of his fingers intertwining behind your back. 

You both stayed like this for a moment longer. Jaehyun's heartbeat calms you down and you exhale in contentment at the way he starts to sway from side to side slightly. The familiar scent of your shampoo, unknown to you, makes him feel the same calmness as well as he faces his insecurity head-on through the mirror.

You took notice of how Jaehyun's body felt a bit tense compared to how it was with your last hug. From the lower side angle, you can see the way that his jaw tenses at the look that the mirror is giving him, gulping at his own reflection. Turning your body around to face the mirror, still within his hold, you ignore how much you hate your own reflection, staring at your boyfriend's eyes instead.

Too deep in his thought, you rest your forearms on top of his, this time your palms on top of his like how he did before, "Love your hair, Jae."

You can see the slight flinch when your voice pulls him back to reality. You blush when he dips his chin down to your shoulder, whispering his own words to your ears, "Love your body, bubs."

The mirror showed the couple's full body, including the parts of themselves that they each hated the most. But the mirror also showed the both of them together as they embraced and basked in each other's love, reminding the other that their insecurities were valid but that they still love the other the same way. 

You realise that when Jaehyun washed out his hairspray, using a towel to dry his hair to make his natural hair come back instantly. You realised once again that Jaehyun is truly in love with you, so patient and so kind with your journey and the smile that grew on your lips which each realisation made Jaehyun blush and bury his face onto the crook of your neck.

You remind yourself internally at this moment, as you face yourself straight into the mirror, "I'm enough and I'm gorgeous." And the deep inhale of the cold but warming air that enters your lungs, untangles Jaehyun's hands and with no pressure, places itself on your clothed stomach. He presses a kiss on the underside of your jawline, whispering sweet nothings to you.

You turn your head to face him this time, not through the mirror, the tips of your noses together, your eyes closed and your mind at peace, "Thank you."

"No, thank you." A shake of his head and a kiss on your lips, "For loving me and treating me like I’m perfect."

“You’re perfect in my eyes.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth.”

You were able to watch the upper half of the sunset with your friends at the beach. Seoyoon, Lyla and Sua could see the tranquillity on your face and they looked at each other, sending nods, knowing that you were fine and doing okay now. Just as you wished, you were able to fully feel the salty water around your entire body, leaving the oversized shirt somewhere on the big volume of sand behind you.

All of you know that this trip was way better than you had expected. It would be a trip that you would talk about and look back on for the rest of your life. It's a summer memory that you will hold on to not only because all your hard work in your jobs paid off, or your first trip with all your friends and boyfriend without supervision, or how Jaehyun loves you dearly.

This summer taught you that you love the people in your life right now and how fast time goes by as you surround yourself with them.

This summer gave you confidence that you will be able to go back and study more when you're back and pursue whatever it is that you want.

This summer taught you that you're enough as you are and that you should be kinder towards every part of yourself, to treat your body for going through all the hardships that life has given you.

This summer also made you fall in love with Lee Jaehyun deeper and you are sure that your relationship will grow further and stronger from now on.

You can't wait for the new things you'll learn next summer but that's something for later. For now, as the sun continues to set further and you all run back to land to set up a group photo with the scene as the background, you envelop yourself within the bounds of Jaehyun's arms.

"Love you." You quickly kiss him before turning back around to pose for the camera.

"Love you more." He squishes in audibly before the camera snaps.

Oh, how you'll remember this summer.

tags: @deoboyznet 📢❤️

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

o yea. i saw u reblogged rock & midnight. how r they in ur rewrite ? :3

Glad you asked!

For simple fun things, Midnight is huge because I like the giant badgers. Rock is also gay.

I'll put Midnight in the second post. You've hit Lore Jackpot.

For the more complex things... Let's start with Rock. A bit of Rock's dialog from PO3 intrigued me and I never quite let it go.

I know it was probably meant as a "ooughh immortality is awful" line but... What if it isn't?

What if he actually was cursed? Why else would a being that feels like this... Feel like this? This isn't an emotionless immortal creature rejecting Jayfeather out of coldness, this is a repressed, traumatized creature rejecting Jayfeather because he is seeing a newborn baby and a rotten corpse at the same time. He doesn't have access to Starclan, he cannot stay friends with Jayfeather after he inevitably dies. It'll only hurt. Also, there are heavy implications if not outright statements that Rock used to be a normal cat! He's even mentioned in Night Whispers to be scarred. (Look I know that the 2007 book that mentions 3 tribes and mentions that Rock's kin used to live around the lake isn't canon anymore but... Who cares. Its better worldbuilding than what we've got now.)

So... What could cause immortality like this?

I began to brainstorm, and decided it was a real tragedy. Something awful happened, something a certain young tom should have learned a lesson from... And didn't.

It was a gloomy day around the lakeside when a young couple, a gray and white tom named Rock who to swim and his new mate, a pure brown tom named Bug who loved to try herbs on wounds, to heal them. The two had been racing each other down the lakeside, laughing and playing, rushing through the autumn leaves and exploding out of the piles the had accumulated.

Bug, the more adventurous of the 2, had found a small opening. The scent of running water had made his curiosity burn. Rock nervously followed him, reminding him that they needed to get home at some point soon. Rock's mother, Falcon, had recently had 3 kits, and he needed to go and watch over them for her and his father, so they could hunt together.

Bug urged him on. "Come on Rocky!" He mewed, his eyes widening when it echoed. "This place is too cool to not explore a LITTLE! What if we can't find it again? Besides, we can bring back something for them all when we leave."

Rock couldn't argue with that! He leapt down after Bug, their tails twined together as they looked around. Rock's thick, fluffy fur was keeping him warm, though Bug, with his short fur, needed to huddle against his mate to keep warmer in the cold tunnels.

The tunnels did not seem to run deep, but soon enough Rock and Bug found themselves navigating using only their whiskers and tentative pawsteps. The tunnel took a sharp turn suddenly, enough that Rock nearly bumped his nose into the wall!

Bug laughed, and the wonderful, soft sound echoed. But... Soon after, another sound would very faintly echo through the tunnels.

Thunder.

"Oh, jeez, I didn't know it would rain. We should probably get back now."

How easy that sounded... The two toms rushed through the tunnels, their hearts beginning to pound as water filled the narrow rocky halls, Rock himself slipped over his own paws, landing into the water, the freezing water soaking into his thick fur immediately and chilling him to the bone.

"Rocky!" Bug had cried, but the water was picking up speed, dragging Rock down, deeper into the tunnel. Above, a hole in the ground had worn away, pouring more rainwater into the tunnels and providing a light.

The last thing Bug saw of Rock was his eyes glazed with terror as he slid away into the darkness, crying out for Bug...

Bug had kept going, managing to find another tunnel that lead straight outside into... Bright sunlight? Bug was soaked to bone, he had heard the crashing thunder just seconds ago...

Falcon stood outside the tunnel entrance, a deep glare on her face. "Where have you been?! It's been 2 days! And where is Rock?!"

"B... Bug? ... Where's Rock...?"

A few days later, Bug gathered himself, and would fling himself into the tunnels once more, the floor of them was as dry and bare as bleached bone. Not a single sign of the rain that had washed his lover away...

Bug searched, deeper and deeper, down the tunnel he could have sworn did not stretch that long.... Into a coldness that he swears he could feel in his very soul.

Down, at the very bottom chamber, lit by a shimmering white mossy rock, is Rock's body. His fur isn't soft anymore, it's cold and wet. His eyes, unblinking, stare into nothing. Bug begins to weep as the mossy rock that isn't a mossy rock sits up, striding over.

"I am sorry for your loss." A large, fluffy, pure white molly speaks. Her glossy fur shimmers, and her eyes, black as night, give nothing away. "It was his time."

"What do you mean 'it was his time'? He had a family! He has little siblings! His mother and father are broken hearted!"

"Everything has a time. It cannot be rewritten. Your time will come. Everything that has happened, is happening, will happen." She spoke without tone, her hollow voice echoing through the chamber. “I am time's keeper. The god of time. I have seen all that there is and has been and was. All is as it should be, as it ever was, as it always will be. Move forward, like time has, and you will be happy once more.”

Bug unsheathes his claws, he stares down at Rock, his sweet Rock, who had never harmed another cat in his life, had only ever been kind... Why him? Why not some other awful cat to drown this way in this awful place? "No." Is all he says, as he leaps at the ethereal molly, slashing her throat. Sparkling blue blood covers Bug, the molly doesn't even so much as flinch.

"You will regret this, little one. Time needs a keeper. It will never be your time. You cannot change what has been written."

The god of Time dies, and Bug finds himself lifted into the air. All at once he sees what has been, could be, should be, will be, and is. His fur begins to streak gray from the stress and strain, his eyes turning pure white. He rushes to Rock, crying out softly for him to wake up, that he has power over time, there must be a way to fix this... To turn back time....

But the molly had told him already. He is the god of Time, not its warden.

He repeats his beloved's name to not lose his mind. He cannot leave the tunnels. Time stretches on and he realizes what the old god had meant. He ages, seasons pass. Heat and ice and rain and young cats and sticks and crying parents and terrible storms and so, so much emptiness.

He repeats Rock's name to remember it. His lover's bones long since crumbled to dust and to nothing. Over and over, and over.

Without seeing him, a tiny gray tabby picks up the stick he guards, the very last one. He senses the cat in front of him, and says hello without fear. The kitten, Jaykitpawfeather states his current name, not yet aware of how it will change. He asks for the name of the god of Time.

In an old, creaking voice, he stammers out the only name he can remember.

[umthisistheonlyusernamenottaken]

Some Tamsand bits that I didn't use for Tamlin week that I still want to share because I had fun writing them

This is NOT AT ALL a coherent wip, just bits of paragraphs that I got too lazy to string together.

Entirely inspired by @szalonykasztan00 and their tamsand au post, read it in all of it's glory here!

enjoy!

<><><>

She tilted her head up to the sky, closing her eyes as she breathed in deeply. The air was… different here. Crisper, stronger than Spring, with a quality of mystery about the place, as if it knew something that she did not.

Lord Beron had begrudgingly allowed them to pass through the lands of Autumn to negotiate the marriage contract there. Her father certainly wasn’t willing to host the Night Court delegation, nor was he willing to make the journey to the Night Court. It seemed that the High Lord of Night felt similarly. Hence, the Autumn Court.

Tamlin had approached the topic with her mother, wondering why they couldn’t just winnow to the damned meeting and avoid the weeks worth of journeying that they would need to endure before finally arriving in the Autumn Keep.

“It is a symbolic journey, my sweet.” Mother had said, braiding gold threads into her hair.

“Each of you will make the journey. Each of you will meet as equals.”

“Yes, equals. But only one of us is arriving cloaked in lies and expected to lay down like a dog in the marriage bed.” She bit out.

Mother’s hand tightened on her shoulder for the briefest of moments before resuming its intricate work. Her voice, when she spoke again, was cool, her eyes in the mirror like chips of stone.

“Your father has gone to great lengths to arrange this marriage. It would do you some good to be happy about it.”

Her jaw clicked shut and she lowered her gaze. Her mother began to hum as she worked, picking up another gold thread.

She turned on her heel and began to walk towards the large campfire. On her approach, Sir Amon stood from his seat.

“Sir Amon, I am tired and would like to bathe before retiring for the night. I'm going to find a pond in which to bathe.”

“Certainly, my lady. Allow me to accompany you to-”

“There is no need. As I am to be married, I wish to enjoy as much of my freedom as I can before then.”

Amon looked back up at her with understanding.

“Of course. If you need my assistance in anything else at all. I am here.”

She smiled, “Thank-you Amon.”

<><><>

The water was like a balm to her body, soothing all of the aches she’d gained from doing nothing but sitting in a carriage for days on end. If she’d had her way, she would have been running alongside Amon’s horse in her beast form, powerful and free and strong, they’d certainly have made better time. But her father was immoveable on that matter.

She would ride in a carriage, as was traditional for a bride.

She ducked her head below the water, looking down at the rocky bed of the pond, at the glimmering shoals of little fish that swam around her ankles. Finally needing to come up for air, Tamlin began to swim back up, breaking the surface with a gasp.

He shook the water from his hair, stretching his arms.

<><><>

“I still don’t have your name, by the way,” Tamlin said, “After all, I don’t want to keep calling you Shadow singer.”

“Well, I don’t know your name either,” he shot back childishly.

Tamlin almost laughed.

He reached out his hand, “Alright then. Hello, yet un-named Shadow singer, my name is Amon of the Spring Court," Tamlin said smoothly, "and I am on my way to the Autumn Court for a very special occasion.”

<><><>

+ Rhysand pining after his mysterious blond, green eyed poet

“I can give you something new.” The male’s eyes- green eyes, glimmered.

Rhys emptied his tankard, his head becoming delightfully fuzzy.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Nothing you won’t enjoy.”

He roved his eyes over the other male, who preened under his gaze.

Close enough.

Upstairs, he vanished both of their clothes away into neat piles on the floor, impatient.

It wasn’t him. His hair was the wrong colour, and he wasn’t as strong, wasn’t as powerfully built, but he would have to be enough.

He was rougher than he would have been. Pushed the other male’s face into the pillows and lost himself in memories of laughing eyes and soft lips. He finished with a grunt, tension coiling in every muscle. He left still unsatisfied, still wanting.

[photosofsouthwestmt]

Lillys Owl

The only thing better than an owl picture is an owl picture with a story. Sunday, I took Lilly up to the dam to check out the Autumn leaves. It was a really nice day nice with great light for pictures. We headed north across the road straight for the cottonwoods. Just before you get to them there is a small creek you must cross. Sometimes it is dry, sometimes it isn’t. this year it wasn’t, in fact it was running near full. I was able to cross with water coming up near the top of my hip boots. Now came Lilly’s turn.  Lilly who is half Lab and doesn’t swim. She will cross if water if she can walk across, but she refuses to swim. I put my camera on dry land and headed back to help her cross over. Once she was across, she proceeded to head straight to my camera and shake off the water. As a result, I spent a bit of time cleaning the water and mud from my lens and camera. After I was done with that and cussing Lilly under my breath, we headed out checking the Autumn leaves and hoping to find some wildlife to get pictures of. We were heading to a grove of aspens that I believe has a great horned owls nest. As we approached the aspens, I was watching the treetops and branches, Lilly decided to throw caution and charged right in. Even before I could react, she flushed an owl out of the grass. Even more surprising the owl landed on a branch right in front of me. While I was reaching for my camera she charged back in and flushed another one out of the same spot. The second owl landed near the first one but not close enough to get them in the same picture. I took several shots but decided I needed to get a better angle. The second owl was a bit spooky and flew off. The first owl just stayed put and I was able to go to a different spot. The first place I tried had a branch going right across its face. I had to keep moving to the next spot. The next place was perfect, completely clear with a beautiful background of blue skies and orange leaves. I spent over an hour there taking pictures. And what was Lilly doing, she was running around the area coming back to check on me from time to time. Her route back to me usually went right under the owl. She must have done this at least a half a dozen times and the owl just watched her go by. After a bit I decided reluctantly that it was time to leave.  We headed out to the next place to cross the creek. It wasn’t as deep there but Lilly couldn’t be convinced. So, I crossed the creek, took off my camera bag and camera off (further away from the creek this time) and headed over to help her cross. About halfway over she figured out that she could just walk and took off. Climbed up on the bank shook off headed straight to camera and camera bag and shook off again. She looked so pleased with herself. I was not! We got back to the truck without further incidents, just a bit more cussing.

Nikon D500, Manual Mode, Tamron 150-600mm G2 VC, F/6.3, ISO 400, ET 1/1250, Focal Length 600mm, Handheld, Handheld Control on

[tealeafgrimm]

Autumn Adventures

Dad!Sirius Black x Mom!Reader

Words: 1k

Summary: Your daughter is finding it hard to accept that summer is over. So you decide to show her that autumn can also have its good sides.

Sirius had been watching his daughter for several minutes now. Again and again the little girl ran to the window of the living room, pressed her hands and face against the glass, looked out for a few seconds and finally moved away again with a pout.

"Did we invite someone I don't know about?" he asked you as he went into the kitchen to make himself a coffee after a while. You were standing at the sideboard preparing lunch.

"No, why?" you asked irritated and turned to look at your husband.

"Y/D/N keeps looking out the window and seems disappointed, like she's waiting for something." You couldn't help laughing.

"Oh. I thought she'd given up on it. I tried to explain it to her yesterday. She's waiting for better weather. She wants summer to come back." Sirius scrunched his eyebrows together and looked at you incredulously.

"She's waiting for summer?" You nodded. "She doesn't understand that it's autumn now and she can't do all the things she could do a few weeks ago. She's dying to go swimming and see butterflies. And she wants it to stop raining. 'When you were at work yesterday, we had a long discussion about it,' you sighed. At just four years old, the concept of seasons had not yet sunk in with your daughter. And admittedly, autumn was not your favourite season either. It was often wet and cold and the time you could spend outside was clearly limited.

"I love autumn. Maybe I should show her that there are still things to do now. How about taking her outside after lunch? According to the weather forecast, it's supposed to stop raining later. Surely it would do us all good to get out of the house and into the fresh air for a bit?", Sirus finally suggested.

"If you can persuade her, I'd love to. I tried yesterday and I tell you, if looks could kill, I wouldn't be standing in front of you today." Your husband laughed, kissed you and then turned towards the living room where your daughter was once again standing in front of the window.

"Don't worry. I already have a plan in place."

~~~

And indeed, an hour later, Sirius had managed to persuade your daughter to go for a walk. The prospect of being able to put on her new wellies had appeased her and so together, all equipped with wellies and rain jackets, you finally set off.

"It's all wet and muddy," grumbled your daughter after only a few minutes of walking.

"And that's why we have wellies on," you replied to her, pushing the pouting girl in front of you.

"Besides, we couldn't do something like this if it hadn't been raining," Sirius added, heading for one of the large puddles on the path. Without a second's hesitation, he jumped into the water.

"Daddy!" your daughter giggled beside you, watching her father jump around in the puddle.

"I want to too," she finally shrieked and ran towards him. Laughing and shaking your head, you watched as the two of them, hand in hand, took a running jump into the churning water again and again.

"You see Y/D/N, rain doesn't have to be all bad. You can have fun too."

"Mummy, you too!" your daughter urged you.

"Another time perhaps darling, I'll have to get you the towels from the bathroom later, I need clean feet."

The defiant face only lasted for a few seconds and was gone as Sirius pulled her by the hand into the nearest puddle.

~~~

After about ten minutes of your husband and daughter, jumping from one puddle to the next, you continued on your way.

"Look Mummy! I've found a conker!" your daughter exclaimed, a few metres in front of you, holding a small brown ball in the air.

"There are lots of conkers over there. If you collect enough, we can make some little conker men tonight."

" Conker men? Really?" asked your daughter.

"Hmm. But we need a few more."

"Can you and Daddy help me collect some?", she asked with big puppy eyes. "Of course darling. Come on we need some in different sizes," Sirius replied and started picking up conkers and putting them in his jacket pocket.

It took barely five minutes and all three of you had filled your pockets to the brim.

"Look Mummy a super big one!" exclaimed your daughter excitedly.

" Awesome! But I think we've got enough now. Any more and my bags will burst," you laughed and took your daughter's conker to put it away safely.

"I think we should head back anyway. It looks like it won't be long before it rains," Sirius spoke, gesturing with his head towards the thick, grey clouds above your heads.

"Come on then! I think we could all do with something warm," you agreed, taking your daughter by the hand as you hooked up with your other to Sirius.

~~~

"You two wait here. Leave your shoes outside the door and I'll get you some towels," you said to your husband and daughter when you reached your house again.

"And was it so bad to go out today?" you could hear Sirius ask as you hurried into the bathroom. You couldn't hear your daughter's answer, but you knew that your little outing had definitely appeased her.

"What do you say you and Daddy put on some warm, dry clothes and I'll make us all some hot chocolate while you're at it?" you asked your daughter as you helped her take off her wet and dirty pants.

With an enthusiastic glow, she looked at you and nodded.

"And can we make our little men then?" she asked with an even bigger grin.

"Sure honey, I guess autumn isn't so bad after all, huh?"

"No, but I still like summer better," your daughter mumbled meekly, rolling her eyes playfully.

"You see. Yet we haven't even done the best thing today," Sirius said as he carried your daughter to her room.

"Like what?"

"Well, jump into a pile of leaves!" he replied to her enthusiastically.

"Can we do that tomorrow?!" you heard her ask as you took three cups out of the cupboard in the kitchen.

"Sure, but I think right now we have some hot chocolate waiting for us. If we don't hurry, mum will have drunk it all herself!"

[shytastemakerthing]

Hi can I get a romantic twisted wonderland matchup? If there's any extra info you need just message me! Thank you! ♥️

Personality: very quiet around people I don't know, but once I get used to them/we become friends I can be loud at times (I don't do this on purpose and if it's pointed out I can get insecure about it around those people). I'm known as the therapy friend/the mom friend. I don't usually like talking about my own problems but will listen and comfort others even if I don't feel good at the moment. I have anxiety/depression and ADHD. If this helps get my personality I kin ruggie and azul. I'm a cancer and isfp-t.

Likes: reading, drawing/painting, gaming, swimming, the colors purple and green, the season autumn.

Dislikes: bugs, I also have the fear of driving, super hot weather (I get sunburned too easily).

Thank you again! Take all the time you need! And if you can't do this it's fine! ♥️♥️

Hello and thank you so much for your request! I hope that this match-up finds you well in life and that things are doing good! I hope that you enjoy!

Tw: None

I match you with..........

Azul Ashengrotto

You know somewhere that you wouldn't have to worry about the heat, about your skin getting burned so easily? The Coral Sea.

No, seriously

Azul may not be the biggest fan and it certainly took a lot of time before he even thought about showing you his merform, but once we are past that massive hurdle, the Coral Sea is the perfect place

Besides, he isn't the biggest fan of such extreme heat either, and his skin possibly burns rather easily as well, given that he is, you know used to being in the depths of the ocean

He did not mind that you were rather quiet when both of you forts met. It was a welcomed change as opposed to what he usually dealt with, between Jade, Floyd, customers at the lounge, and quite a number of others

But he is also pleased to know that you are comfortable enough around him to start coming out of that shell of yours just a bit

In his mind, Autumn is the perfect season. It's not too hot, not too cold, the weather is just about right for anything..... and he gets loads of new customers at the lounge

He doesn't get breaks often, nor does he really take them, so by all means, let that mom friend in you come out

Yes, you will have a blushing octopus the moment you start showing him that tender care, but he is honestly too smitten to say anything against what you are trying to do

Jade and Floyd are a package deal with Azul. You have him? They will be seen around you a whole lot more. Congrats, you're in the mafia

One of his favorite moments, one that happens quite often, is when he is currently in the VIP lounge going over paperwork and contracts, and you're in there with him, either helping, or just reading peacefully on the couch

Yes, he has told his mother about you

Overall, Azul enjoys the little things, the small moments that he gets with you when you're able to get him away from his work long enough to remember that he needs to relax. He is yours for as long as you want him

Thank you so much for your request!

[randomingoftherandomness]

Could I get a Shangzhi fic where one is having a bad nightmare and the other comforts?

A/N: I'm rewatching Episode 5 and absolutely re-swooning over the scene where Gege comes to the prison to pick up Didi. And the matching black robes with the gold embroideries? Unf. Couple clothes FTW.

Side note, I can tell that Yuanzhi's embroidery is of a lily, but what's the one on Shangjue's? Does anyone know? Inquiring minds wonder.

Enjoy the fic!

--

It comes in flashes.

The sight of his mother and younger brother dead at the door of their home. Shangjue's world is burning and the air is thick with the screams of the dead and dying. Someone calls his name and he turns to see a glimpse of a black robe disappearing around a corner. When he moves to give chase, he finds himself at the bottom of the prison steps, waiting with bated breath for a shade, a shadow.

And then.

In the clinic. The acrid smell of burning herbs, sweat, and the tang of blood. A hand so cold, so unnaturally weak, pressed between his own. How many more times will his weaknesses cause him to lose the ones he loves?

Gege...

It turns to pitch black. Then to daylight. A field of corpses lay around him. Faces of people he knows. Faces of those he can only half remember from a life ago. But one face. Shangjue frantically runs through the dreamscape, screaming without sound.

...ge!

He is in the throes of lovemaking. Body to body, tangled in ecstasy and passion. A kiss brushes over his lips and he gasps, pulling back to see Yuanzhi choking on a mouthful of blood, chest slick with red, eyes wide and fearful as he sobs--

Shangjue makes a grab for his knife the moment he crashes back into the world of the waking. Frantic jack-rabbiting heartbeats ring loud in his ears, and he kicks off, scrambling back and away.

"Gege, gege, hey hey, it's just me. It's just me, Ge."

Yuanzhi's face swims in front of him. He repeats himself, coaxing him softly until he lets Yuanzhi take the knife away from him.

"Ge, can I touch you?"

Shangjue's throat clicks on that swallow. Breath hitching, he holds out his arms. "Yes, of course, yes..."

Yuanzhi practically throws himself into Shangjue's embrace, climbing into his lap and wrapping his body around him. Shangjue welcomes the weight against his body. Holds on to the anchoring heat of him, the way he moves, breathes and feels so, so alive.

He reaches up to sink his fingers into Yuanzhi's hair. Tilting his head, he breathes him in, letting himself drown in the way Yuanzhi smells like himself and them all at the same time.

"I had a bad dream."

With gentle pats, Yuanzhi hums his understanding against the side of his head. His breath tickles against Shangjue's scalp. Wrapping his arm around Yuanzhi's waist, he allows himself a moment to reorient.

They're in his room. Still in the bedclothes they'd fallen asleep in. The watery silver of the moonlight slips in with the autumn chill.

They're alright. Yuanzhi is alright. The family is alright. There is no imminent threat to contend with. Shangjue is safe. They all are.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Yuanzhi asks.

Shangjue exhales, relaxing his hold on Yuanzhi enough to reach a hand to splay over his left breast. Keeping it there for a beat, he runs his touch up to his neck, brushing his thumb over his pulse point. Carefully, he traces the line up to Yuanzhi's jawline.

Caressing the corner of Yuanzhi's gentle smile, he shakes his head. "No," Shangjue says. "Not right now."

Yuanzhi nods, placing his own hand on Shangjue's chest. "What do you need?"

Curling his fingers, he dips in to press their brows together. Savouring the way their breaths mingle, he murmurs, "Just let me hold you?"

"Of course, you can," Yuanzhi huffs, tilting his head to carefully kiss him. "But if we could just move this to the bed, I think I'd be grateful."

The request is sudden enough to startle a bark of laughter from Shangjue. "Alright. Whatever my Didi wants."

[house-of-galathynius]

The Long Road Home

Chapter Twelve 

Chapter Eleven - Chapter Thirteen 

Word Count: 4.7k

This has been a long time coming and I’m so sorry for the delay in posting! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year (if you do celebrate), I am looking forward to another year with all you lovely people ❤️ 

~

Lyon, France. March 1859: Seventy-Eight Years Later

The trees had finally begun to show signs of new life. It had been another long and tortuous winter for Aelin, never being able to stop in one place for long. Always moving along, her life constantly disturbed. She could blame it on no-one but herself— she could have remained in Denmark, or Austria, or even Germany. But she always felt the unrest, the uncertainty. She was looking for him in every place she went to, and when she could not find him, it was time to move on.

France was never her first choice, she had been there before and had not felt even a hint of him. But in the last few weeks she felt the universe pushing her here. It had been luck that everything had lined up perfectly and it was too much of a coincidence for her not to pursue another attempt at a life here.

She had been on the German-French border living up in the mountains, renting a small room on a farm. The couple who owned it were old and needed help so Aelin had offered her assistance for the room. She had spent her summers working in the garden, picking vegetables and fruits, in the autumn she found herself preparing the farm for the cold, bitter winters, then when spring would arrive she would help the new lambs be born and sow new seeds ready for the summer again. It had been a peaceful life. In her spare time she would go for swims in the crystal clear water of the nearby lake and lie in the long grasses with a book, watching the clouds glide above her. It was tranquil and she could have been happy there for a long time.

Things changed though when a merchant had come by to purchase some goods from them and as they had been packing up his purchases he had explained his plans for the rest of his journey and how he needed some company. He had expressed interest in Aelin, and she had been tempted. He was a kind man, with a gentle manner and a smile that would make any woman fall to her knees in love. She trusted him from only one conversation. So she had agreed to go with him to Lyon, where she would work for a bookshop he was opening. There was a small apartment above the shop where she could live for free. It had been years since she had moved on anyway. She knew the old couple had started to become suspicious of her lack of ageing and so it was time for her to depart— even though it pained her to say goodbye.

Lyon was beautiful too though. The cobbled streets and the grand buildings. The theatre that Aelin would surely spend a lot of her time at. The people who were still as friendly to her as when she’d been in the country all those years ago.

She also enjoyed speaking French again; and although her words may have been a little rusty, she found it easy to slip into everyday life there.

The sun shone there more often than not, and she was enamoured with the way it would bask her apartment in golden light, the way it would warm her softly and slow. On her days off she could follow it around her apartment, curled in various chairs as she would read, or sew, or just nap.

The bookshop below her was just as lovely. Tall light coloured shelves towered over her, reaching to the ceilings. Each shelf holding mountains of books from across the world: Dickens, Wordsworth, Tennyson, and all the other great authors of the time. At the front of the shop were huge glass windows that looked out onto the busy street. Aelin could people watch all day, always looking out for that one face she craved to see.

“Bonjour.” A woman said as she entered, a young boy in tow. Aelin replied politely and waited patiently as the woman and child look around, then left without buying anything.

It had been like this for a few days now. But after such a busy beginning of the year it was nice to have a slower pace. So she didn’t mind so much if people preferred just to browse.

When there was no one browsing, Aelin wandered around the shop, tucking books back into their places and wiping dust off the ones that had been there for a long time. She continued with her tidying sweep until she heard the familiar sound of the door opening and she poked her head around the shelves to offer her assistance.

For a moment she could not see anyone. But then a tall figure moved out from behind another aisle of books. She wiped the dust from the front of her skirt and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she then carefully set the books she was carrying down on a nearby stool and walked to where the customer was standing.

“Bonjour Monsieur.” Aelin said cheerfully. Her next words caught in her throat.

The male turned around to reveal the face she had dreamed of for so long. The white hair that was shorter than the last time she had seen him—  in Amsterdam. The unmistakable green eyes.

It had been fifty years since the last time she had seen him. She was still unsure of how this was happening. Of why she was the way she was, why Rowan appeared and then disappeared. There was no pattern to it. Fifty years was a long time to wait, and she would admit that on a few occasions she had thought about giving up. But he was here.

Alive and smiling.

“I am just browsing.” He said in French.

Aelin nodded. Not sure that she would be able to find the words to say, or keep her voice steady. Though fifty years had passed, it was like it had been a mere day. She felt every ounce of love, every touch of their skin, the feel of his mouth. It was hard for her not to stare as he strode down each row of books, picking them up and inspecting them before returning them to the shelf.

She was constantly diving into the nearest aisle, trying her hardest to not let him see her following him around. But there was nothing she could do to help herself. She had been hoping for fifty years to see him again— and now here he was— there was no way she was going to let the opportunity to be near him slip through her fingers.

Moments later Rowan was striding towards the desk which she had hurriedly moved to, sitting on the stool pretending to be fascinated by the pile of books she had stacked in front of her. She feigned surprise when he came to a stop in front of her. She put on her friendliest smile, willing herself to not reveal her nervous manner.

“I am looking for a book for my mother. It is her birthday tomorrow and I wish to give her something special.” He said calmly. There was no recognition in his stare, nothing in his mannerisms that would suggest he knew Aelin. But she could not help but smile brightly at him, acting like he was in fact a close friend.

“Do you know what genre she is interested in?”

Rowan laughed quietly and shrugged. “My mother is not very forthcoming with information. But I imagine she would be happy with anything— perhaps a romantic novel?”

Aelin stood from the stool, “does she have any particular interests? If so I could try to find something to match them.”

Rowan thought for a moment, his tongue brushing over his lip as he did. “She enjoys riding, she is often at the theatre listening to the orchestra. Although I am not sure that is all that helpful for you.” He chuckled.

Aelin was struck silent. The sound of his laugh awakening something inside her. So she could only gesture for him to follow her as she led him to one of the shelves. “Here are some books on music, some might be overly technical…” she handed him a couple to look at, “but they are interesting if you love music.”

“What other options do you think I have?”

Aelin held a finger up and moved to another section and pulled off another few books. “These are a mixture of romantic and more adventure based novels. I’ve read them myself and can highly recommend them.”

Rowan balanced the books in his hands. “I can take them all.”

Surprise flashed across her face. It was rare that anyone would come in to buy so many books, and when they did it was usually to stock their own private libraries or for schools. However, she would not complain as she totalled up the cost and wrapped each book in cloth, tying it with string.

“Will you be able to carry these?” Aelin asked casually, helping to place the books into his hands once again. “I can help you if you need it.” If not just an excuse to be near him for longer.

Rowan shook his head. “The carriage is right outside. I appreciate your offer though.”

She wanted him to stay longer. But there was nothing she could think of that could delay his departure any longer, not as she opened the front door and loitered there as he packed the books away into a trunk on the back of the carriage, and then waved politely at her before climbing up into  it, closing his door.

Aelin remained on the steps of the shop for a minute or two. Watching as his carriage rode away into the distance and then out of sight. It was still sinking in that he was here again. That she was not imagining him or dreaming him. He was alive and here. She wished she could talk to Elena— to ask her how to do this, ask her why this was happening and how long she would have Rowan for. Except Elena was gone and all Aelin had was a vague letter and her own wild ideas.

She thought about him for the next few days. Looking out for him on every corner and in every shop. She prayed to every God that he would return to her again. She started to dream of him too; every night she would dream of their time together in Brighton, of their sleepless nights of making love, their walks along the beach, their mornings by the fire reading or swapping stories of their childhoods. Then she would dream of their son. Of the life they should have had, and Aelin would wake with tears on her cheeks.

~

Nine days passed before she saw him again. She had been taking inventory and had barely heard him come up behind her, jumping out of her skin when he tapped her on the shoulder.

“I am sorry for startling you.” He said sheepishly.

“Oh! No, you’re fine.”

Rowan cleared his throat and smoothed down his coat, standing straighter. “I wanted to thank you for your help the other day. My mother was thrilled with the books.”

Aelin grinned. “I am so glad! It can be hard to find a good book these days.”

Rowan nodded in agreement, his shoulders relaxing. “She has finished three of them already and demanded I return at once to get more.”

“Well I am here to help you, should you need it.” She wanted him to need it. She needed any excuse to get him to stay here longer.

“Well that is actually why I came here… You were so wonderful last time, I just had to return and ask for your services again.” Rowan ran a hand through his hair, Aelin trying her hardest not to stare. “Of course, I will pay you extra for your time.”  

Aelin shook her head, “there is no need to pay me more. I receive a sufficient salary.” And she had money from Arobynn that she had been squirrelling away for when she needed it, as well as money from previous work she had completed. But she needn’t tell Rowan that.

The two of them stood in the silence of the books before Aelin came to the startling realisation that she had not introduced herself to him. She didn’t even know if Rowan was his name this time.

“I’m Aelin,” she stretched out her hand and Rowan shook it firmly in his. And it was just the same as every time before. His hands soft but hard— firm from all the years of work she assumed he had done. But they still fit together just as perfectly.

“Henri.” He said.

She couldn’t lie, her heart sank a little at the name. Not that the name mattered— he was still everything she loved. Even now, after fifty years, she still felt that undeniable pressure in her chest, the beating of her heart as she beheld him.

“Aelin is not a French name.” Rowan, or rather Henri, said hesitantly.

“No. I was not born here.”

Henri’s eyes widened slightly and he looked pleasantly surprised. “You speak very good French. For someone who was not born here.”

Aelin shrugged and brushed the dust from her skirt. “I have had a long time to practice.”

“Have you been here long?”

“In Lyon?” She shook her head, “I arrived here a few months ago. I recently moved from the mountains on the border.”

Rowan… Henri, actually looked like he was genuinely interested in what she was saying. And she wondered whether he could feel it too— this pull. Like they were magnets, where he was she would follow. But then he stepped back from her; like he had been jolted awake from a dream.

“Do you have any other recommendations?” He changed the subject quickly.

Aelin didn’t show her disappointment, but quickly collected up some of her favourite books and stacked them on the front table before going to retrieve some more. Rowan (she could never seem to think of him as anything other than that name), happily perched on a nearby chair and surveyed her as she went back and forth between shelves. Eventually the stack was over ten books tall and she looked to Rowan sheepishly.

“I have a lot of recommendations…” She laughed. And she could have sworn there was a flash of surprise— or maybe it was delight— cross over his expression. It was gone in an instant though, his face back to normal.

“My father is never going to be able to pry my mother away from the library now.”

Aelin grinned. “Well, I can think of worse places for her to be.”

“Today was maybe not such a good day to have walked here.” He said, studying the mountain of books.

Aelin glanced outside and the sun was shining high in the sky, the wind gently rustling the leaves, the river glistening in the afternoon light. It was a beautiful day; and if she did not have to work she would have been outside lounging by the water with a good book too. There weren’t many people milling outside though, and she looked around her shop, noting the empty spaces where customers should have been and then to the clock on the desk— it was near enough late afternoon and she was certain there would be no other customers.

“I could help you carry them back if you would like,” she cleared her throat, “free of charge of course.”

Rowan chuckled and nodded. “The help would be wonderful.”

So they packed up the books together and Aelin hastily shut up the shop before skipping down the steps and coming to Rowan’s side.

“Do you live far?” She asked curiously.

“About ten minutes,” he looked straight ahead, then turned to her, “I am not in the habit of using my carriage for such short distances— but I was in a bit of a rush last time.”

“I wasn’t judging you for that.” She replied. She remembered when she had lived with her parents, or even with Arobynn. Their carriage usage had been high too.

They meandered through the streets, eventually coming to cross the bridge over the river. It had quickly become one of Aelin’s favourite places. She loved to watch the water flow through the city and under her, sometimes looking at the ducks that would lazily glide down it. On some occasions she had even watched as people swam down it too. Rowan was a few steps ahead of her when he stopped and turned to make sure she was still with him.

And it stopped her short. It was such a small act, but it had been something that Rowan had done multiple times when they had been together before. So though his name was different, even though they were in a different city, speaking a different language… he was still the same. The same Rowan she had fallen so deeply in love with.

“Everything okay?”

Aelin nodded quickly and sped up her pace to catch up with him. “Just distracted.”

~

For some reason Rowan had found their time together to be pleasant. He had called in on her almost everyday after they had delivered the books to his mother— who had been thrilled to meet her too, even offering for her to stay for supper.

Sometimes when he came to visit her he would arrive with freshly baked goods from the bakery down the road; sometimes he would come with a newspaper and he would just sit and read it, occasionally looking up to watch Aelin work. The two of them sharing a smile and then going back to whatever they were doing.

Aelin knew that it was dangerous doing this. Dangerous getting close to him, letting him come into her life and allow herself to fall in love with him even further. But she couldn’t help it. He was just the same as she remembered and her heart was leading her astray, ignoring her head that was blaring sirens and warning her that this could only end in disaster, just as it had before. But she had no proof, nothing to go on to know how this would end. Elena was long gone and had left Aelin with no explanation, no clues to what was happening.

So Aelin let herself fall for him again, and let Rowan fall for her too.

And it was magical and invigorating and lovely. She did not let herself think of the possibilities of their fates— not as she basked in this new lease of love that she had been granted.

“I think we should get married.” Rowan had said to her one day. They had been lying in the garden of his parents’ home, enjoying the July sun.

She turned to Rowan who was still watching the sky, his eyes focused on the birds soaring above. “You do?”

He turned to her then too, a small smile on his lips, his eyes bright. “When you find the person who you can bare your soul to, I find that you want to keep them for as long as possible.”

His words were sweeter than honey, more precious than rubies or diamonds. His love for her settling around her heart, encasing it forever.

“I know I cannot ask your father for approval like I should… but I would hope he would not mind me asking for your hand.” He sat up and rummaged in his pocket before revealing a little box, “this isn’t much, but I would like to give this to you to confirm my intentions to marry you.”

Aelin was almost crying. How many years had she dreamed of being able to live this life with him? How many years had she cried over what they lost? She looked at the little band of gold the circular diamond nestled in the middle and wished she had the words to tell Rowan how right this was— how she wanted to scream to the world that she was getting her happily ever after.

But all she could manage was a nod. Her smile big enough that her cheeks began to ache.

“You will?” Rowan asked.

She nodded again, “yes.” Her voice barely a whisper as Rowan slid the ring onto her finger and kissed it softly.

“You can tell me no and that I am being insane… but how about next week?”

“Get married next week?” Aelin asked, still reeling from it all.

“I know it’s fast. But when you have chosen what you want in life… you want to start living it.” Rowan kissed her hand again and smiled warmly at her. “I love you, Aelin. I have been lost for so long. Never knowing what I wanted, not knowing who I wanted. But the moment I met you it was like everything fell into place. It is cliche, I know. But there is something about you… something so familiar. I cannot possibly let you go.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She could not find the words— she would never be able to tell him just how deep her love ran. How he is the origin of all her dreams. All she could do was lean over to him and capture his lips with her own in a scorching kiss.

~

They were in fact married one week later just like Rowan had suggested. It had been a small intimate ceremony, only Rowan’s family and a couple of his friends attending. Afterwards they had returned to his parents’ home and they had enjoyed a dinner with copious amounts of champagne and dancing and laughter. It was nothing like how it had been with Arobynn and she was happier than she had been in almost eighty years.

She did not think about the consequences of this. She did not think about the fact that she was not ageing and at some point she might have to explain to Rowan. All she cared about was being with him right now, letting him hold her close as they swayed to the music. His hand gripping her waist, his other holding her own hand tightly; her head resting on his chest— listening to the steady beat of his heart.

“I will never have the words to tell you how grateful I am that you said yes.” Rowan whispered into her hair. “I will love you until the end of time, Aelin. I promise you that.”

She glanced up at him. He was smiling gently, his eyes shining in the candlelight. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever beheld, and she would thank Elena, or whatever Gods had granted her this time with him. For however long they allow.

“Do you promise?” She managed to whisper back.

Rowan huffed a laugh. “I will find you in every life, in every world. I would go into hell itself to be with you. I cannot see how we are anything but inevitable.”

She buried her head into his shoulder and sniffed. These were the words that she had wanted to hear for so long, the words that were like music to her ears. And she would find him too— no matter where she roamed, no matter how many years had passed— she would find him.

“A toast to the happy couple! May their lives be happy and long.” Rowan’s father lifted his glass, and suddenly Aelin was holding her own flute of champagne and toasting along with their friends, smiling wide. “Welcome to the family, Aelin.”

~

There had been a day when Aelin had dared to hope a little more than before. A day where her and Rowan had been strolling along the river hand in hand, the autumn leaves falling around them. Rowan had been deep in thought before he turned to her with a curious expression.

“Do you ever get the feeling you’ve done something before?”

She furrowed her brows. “What do you mean?”

Rowan stopped them and leant on the stone wall. “I dreamt of you the other night. It was so vivid and felt so real.”

Aelin laughed nervously. “It’s not unusual for you to dream of your wife.”

Rowan shook his head, still serious. “We were in London. Which is strange because I’ve never been to London with you. But we were walking through a park and it was winter. You were storming ahead of me and I can’t remember what we were saying…” he trailed off, staring ahead.

Aelin was silent too. She didn’t dare hope, because hope led to disappointment— and she’d had plenty of that.

“It felt like a memory.” He finally said. “I must be going crazy. Obviously it was not a memory, I was probably just mixing books and dreams and real life.”

Aelin tried to laugh, it coming out as more of a choke. “Dreams can be funny like that.”

Rowan chuckled too, his face brighter. He took her hand again and continued on their walk. They were both silent though. Aelin unsure of what to say. Should she tell him it wasn’t a dream? That the vision he had had was a real life event, something the two of them had shared together almost one hundred years ago. She knew she would not tell him, but even so, she tried to take some comfort in knowing that maybe one day he would remember.

~

Lyon, France. August 1860

He didn’t remember.

And she shouldn’t have been surprised.

Not when throughout her life she had only been handed bad luck. The Gods simply not letting her be happy for any amount of time. And Aelin should have been used to it by now. After all, she had lost Rowan twice, and her son and had to live with everyone dying around her as she remained unchanging.

Although, she should correct that last statement. She had lost Rowan three times.

Her hands were clasped tightly around the handkerchief in her lap. The church bell chiming solemnly in the background as people shuffled from the church, murmuring their apologies as they passed her. She could barely hear them over the roaring in her head.

Her eyes were blurry from the tears, her gaze set straight ahead, staring at the white stone wall of the church. The air was cold even though it was the middle of August and the temperature was soaring, the sun burning hot. But she could feel nothing.

“Aelin,” a voice said behind her. “We should be leaving.”

She blinked and hastily wiped the teardrop from her cheek before turning to the voice. Rowan’s mother stood there in all black, her eyes puffy from crying and cheeks stained red. Aelin was not the only one mourning today.

“I’ll be out in a moment.” She replied.

Rowan’s mother nodded and traipsed outside alongside his father who had not publicly shed a tear— yet she had heard him quietly sobbing in his study only yesterday.

Aelin finally stood, smoothing out her own black dress and looked to the empty altar, where only a year earlier she had been stood with Rowan, saying vows, promising themselves to each other. And now she was standing there alone, Rowan gone. Taken from her like everything else had been.

She had cried for days after his death. The sadness consuming her wholly. But day by day that sadness shifted into anger.

Anger at fate, at the Gods, and with the world.

She hadn’t asked for this life. Aelin had not asked to be constantly searching for him— for a life with him. She did not ask to be stuck forever as the same person. But no matter how she begged it was never enough. No matter how much she prayed or cried to Elena, to any God who might listen, none did. She woke each morning feeling nothing, her body and mind and face the same as before.

Elena had told her that love would conquer all. She had told Aelin that as long as she had love in her heart she would weather any storm, survive any battle. But this was a battle Aelin didn’t know she wanted to win. She didn’t even know what she was fighting against.

Someone called her name from the back of the church and she wiped her face once more. Sending off one last prayer to anyone who might listen.

Her heart was empty once again.

~

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[casspurrjoybell-17]

HEART'S FATE - CHAPTER 5

*Warning: Adult Content*   

The five-mile bike ride to ‘Lake Arbor’ should be beyond the abilities of a seven-year-old but as young wolves, Rio and Nico have more than the usual levels of stamina and strength. 

As a grown wolf, the same should be true of their father, Martin Hunter but he can barely catch his breath to shout after his children as they ditch their push bikes in a heap and dash towards the water, tackle boxes and fishing poles in hand.

"Hey, you guys. Stick together and don't go too far."

A distant and semi-exasperated ‘Yes, Dad!’ tells him that at least his daughter Flora had heard him. 

After chaining the bikes to a tree, Martin takes a moment to catch his breath before striking off through the trees in pursuit. 

Lake Arbor is much smaller than ‘Spring Lakes Reservoir’ but much closer to town and much quieter. 

Motored boats are banned from its clean, spring-fed waters and as a result, it's popular with those seeking quieter forms of outdoor recreation. 

Even this late in the season, with autumn's chill in the air and the leaves turning yellow and red, there are people walking dogs along the shore-line trail, paddling kayaks and canoes beneath the open sky, fishing in the shadowed coves and swimming in the cold clear waves.

The Hunter children have a favorite spot, an old wooden dock that juts out into deep water. 

At this time of day it's in full sun and not the best place to fish but the kids don't really care about catching anything. 

They just like to play with the tackle, cast their lines and watch the bobbers bob until they get bored. 

Then they'll reel it in, pack it up, eat their peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches and spend the rest of the afternoon skipping stones, playing along the shore and paddling in the shallows if it gets warm enough to swim. 

Meanwhile, Martin brought along a plain old pad of paper and a pen, hoping to at least get some notes jotted down as he watches them. 

He doesn't dare bring his laptop anywhere so close to water. It's his livelihood and it if breaks he’s screwed. 

When he emerges from the trees, he see Miguel settling in with his art supplies at a picnic table close to the shore, while Flora carefully leads Nico and Rio out to 'the fishing spot.' 

He smiles as he watches her help them open their little tackle boxes and deftly fasten de-barbed hooks on their lines.

"Need any help?" Martin asks, as he join them where they're gathered at the end of the dock. Flora shakes her head without looking up. 

"No, Daddy. You always end up pricking your fingers, remember? I got it."

"Alright, alright. Just be careful. And you two listen to your big sister, okay?"

Answered with a three-part chorus of ‘Okay’ Martin heads back to the shore to find a comfortable place to sit. 

Fishing keeps the kids occupied longer than he'd expected but he can't say the same for his notes. 

As the minutes stretch on, his mind remains as blank as the paper. 

Giving in to the fatigue that seems as ever-present as his shadow these days, he sets it aside and shuts his eyes. 

With his back leant against a tree, the sun on his face, and the children within easy earshot, it's the perfect moment to catch up on forfeited sleep but he’s barely drifted off when a voice pulls him back from the brink.

"Martin?"

Grimacing against the bright light, he looks up at a tall, athletic figure silhouetted against the sky. 

Then his eyes adjust and he sees it's none other than 'Skylar' himself  and in his half muddled state, he accidentally speak his thoughts aloud.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Skylar frowns slightly, his sea-green eyes shadowed by long, pale lashes.

"I often come here. The open water is less confining than a pool and chlorine disagrees with my skin."

As he speaks, Martin registers the fact that he's dressed only in a pair of rather small, form-fitting swim trunks, with a towel slung over his shoulder and his long hair in a braid. 

With nothing to stop them, Martin’s eyes roam Skylar’s smooth, muscled torso and somehow he finds myself staring at his belly button.

"Are you unwell?" Skylar asks.

The question jolts Martin back to himself and his eyes snap up to meet the handsome young art teacher. 

Oddly, he is staring at his chest and fiddling with his necklace, which seems like an odd piece of jewelry to wear for a swim.

“I'm fine," he says, a little defensively, as he pushes himself to his feet. 

"Just getting a nap in while the kids play."

Skylar continues to stare for a moment, then turns away abruptly, looking along the shore to where Flora and the younger twins now splash in the shallows, having finally tired of fishing.

"You leave them unattended so close to the water?" he asks.

"Flora and Miguel are old enough to watch their brothers. They're careful and responsible," Martin says. 

"Besides, they're all good swimmers and they know to stay in shallow water, where it's safe."

Skylar arches a golden brow at Martin. 

"No water is entirely 'safe' my dear. You never know what dangers lurk beneath the surface."

Martin blinks, taken aback but before he can sort out whether he had misheard him or if he's actually being extremely weird and condescending, Skylar turns and walks towards the lake. 

Pausing only to drape his towel over a small boulder, he strides into the water until it reaches his thighs, then dives headfirst beneath the waves.

Martin watches as he darts away, sleek as a fish, before surfacing and breaking into a swift, graceful freestyle. 

As Skylar quickly gains distance, Martin understands why he'd find a pool confining, he swims at professional racing speed. 

Shaking his head, Martin wanders over to check on Miguel, who's still absorbed with his art. 

Then, still a little unnerved by the handsome art teacher's words, he walks out along the dock, from whence he can keep an eye on Flora and the twins. 

‘Handsome’ Martin repeats in his head and scoffs at himself as he shields his eyes and looks out across the lake.

Martin: ‘Gorgeous’ is more like it and I'd do well not to think such words again, not that I'm in any danger of letting my heart lead me astray a second time.’ 

Martin’s ex-wife, Elena, had been gorgeous, too. 

Martin: ‘Gorgeous and charming and so far out of my league.’ 

Martin had felt like the luckiest man on earth when she turned her brilliant eyes on him. 

She hadn't always been cruel either, though in retrospect he suppose there were signs. 

She was quick to anger, quick to blame, cutting in her criticism and seldom truly kind but he'd been genuinely in love with her ‘or so he'd thought’ and found it easy enough to see past these 'minor faults’.

If they had stayed her ‘only faults’ Martin might have still be in love with her now. 

Flora and Miguel were born barely a year after their Mating and ‘as he now understands’ that was part of Elena's plan. 

Once she knew that he'd die for them, she had him in iron chains. 

Then, gradually, she'd let her true nature show. 

Slowly, with looks and words, little everyday cruelties, she broke him down. 

By the time she finally hit him, she had convinced Martin that he deserved it.

Martin: ‘I'll never trust my heart again. It aches a little even now, as I gaze across the sparkling water beneath the cobalt sky, feeling like a man out of time as the world spins beneath my feet.’

Turning back towards the shore, he realizes the spinning sensation is dizziness and curses himself for skipping breakfast. 

There'd only been enough milk and cereal for the kids and he'd planned to go shopping this morning but... 

Unable to ignore the creeping darkness at the corners of his vision any longer, Martin accepts that he’s about to pass out. 

Reaching to steady myself, he grasps thin air, pitches to the side and shut his eyes in surrender as the cold silence welcomes him with a watery embrace.

[whosxafraid]

Meme: For You I Would Status: Closed URL: @brooklynislandgirl

He listens.

Not once do lips part in attempt to interject. That is not his place. Even if he loves her all the more for this latest proverbial tirade of anger over perceived injustice. The cruelty she hates to see in the lines and eyes of her brother. Especially when those things are turned upon her champion. And all because he bested the greatest of her father's warriors and won the right to protect her.

But he knows the truth doesn't he? Why his presence so very much irks the crowned prince. But that is not a thing she needs know. That is business best kept between himself and the heir to the throne. Because the reality of it all is that he is a pawn. A tool to be used by another. That all of this had been carefully devised by a being not of mortal make. And yet in the end...oh how it all would burn to the ground in the wake of a monster's wrath.

Yet that will not come to pass for years yet. So instead of screams of terror and death rattles, the air is filled with her righteous frustrations. And he can't help but to think how very lucky he is to have had his heart stolen away by someone so inheriently good. Someone that actually wanted what was best for her people and the land. Someone that actually applied what she said to action (or tried too) instead of empty promises and false hopes.

And it pulls the start of a smile and sets his head to shake a little, when the word inevitably escape her. The ones about how he deserves so much more than this life of servitude. Deserves more than them having to hide themselves away from the world. Because should it be known...she will lose him. And he will lose his life. She's ever so very sure of it. Even if he knows better. Even if he is well aware that the Heir Apparent of this stolen land has no power over his fate. Not really. Not in a permanent way at any rate.

So a protector shifts away from his place by the door. Steps in to interrupt her pacing, that if he's honest was starting to make his eyes swim. And hands find rest upon either side of her jaw. Lifting her gaze upwards to meet his own. A quiet smile on his lips, like the warming echo of some ancient hearth.

And here he holds her in place for heart beats before drawing her up as he leans down. A kiss that sings of summer nights and clear winter skies. Of springs first bits of green and autumns dying colors. It speaks of everything and anything they could or have been. But mostly it speaks to the moment. To try and explain without words...

He would happily live this life of servitude for eternity if it meant her unending favor, her love, and her safety.

[rufusx2]

thinking more of my "autumn headspace" so to speak a thing that happens within me only during the autumn season typically end of august to mid october in which my mind is completely free of my material shackles and i become completely and totally convinced that i can become a different person overnight i am overcome with not only a want for life and a hope for the future but i actually do make changes and i feel things much more deeply than usual, but with an air of detachment from it as if i am not quite out of body but definitely not in it either. a sort of overlap between us both? i dont recall much but i remember crying at night but being so fervent during the day. jaw clenching and shaking and buzzing with that energy. in fact i would honestly describe it as more of a high energy phase than anything else- i would be genuinely unstoppable if i could trigger it on purpose, or choose to live like that permanently. it feels as if there is a haze of gold placed over my vision when i look back in my memories. and this with comes the burning need to walk and keep my body moving. during this time a coworker described be as a "busy body" and he was absolutely right. when i was a teenager this would manifest in me going on hours-long bike rides until i could taste blood in my mouth from moving so fast, and now i wander the nearby neighborhoods turning on random corners until i can't walk any more. i am like a shark compelling to swim and i just can't stop. and it is amazing. i think so many things and while i still think while i walk it's always a bit duller now. i remember walking out in the autumn not caring if i had work later and not adjusting my hair or bothering to check my posture. i would stare at myself in the shadow i left on the sidewalk only. of course i also at one point felt as if the blank walls of my bedroom were going to swallow me up but i have posters up now. i think up countless ideas, and can only try to match that intensity and continue my projects during the rest of the year. i rarely think of new ideas in spring summer or winter. and the thing about fall i think is not just the general "vibe" of it all. because i could easily replicate that by watching over the garden wall or listening to my Autumn bands or putting up my halloween stuff at different times of year. but i think the crispness of the air and the leaves falling off the trees and the relief of being over with summer fuels me. i go for walks in spring sure but the warmth and wetness of the air distracts me from falling into this. while it rains in autumn, it's dry whenever it isn't (which is why it's part of wildfire season). but going back to my detachment. i find it freeing. of course i am still plagued by daily anxieties, but it's more manageable i suppose? or at least, it doesn't happen as frequently. but the main thing that brings me artistic inspiration (or at least, HAS brought me artistic inspiration for this project specifically), is this idea of the Ideal self. how i can become a new person, and change who i am fundamentally. it's futile of course, but for the duration of this phase i really do do it. and i know i'm doing it because other people like me more. every job i have ever had, i got hired in autumn. i am calmer. i think differently. i do things that i cannot do otherwise. and i try so hard to keep this up but i just cant. again, not in my nature. but i feel as if i can change my nature during those few short months a year. and i feel less trapped by this body. and of course this can tip very quickly into self hatred which i have gone into before on this blog (it's what is meant by 'WWJD' and killing the old self to be reincarnated as the new self) but i still cannot help but wish i knew how to trigger it. what drugs can do this to you? i would trade this sober mind for her any day of the week.