#I took a few moments to ponder the existence of people who were turned into napkins

[artfulusername]

Okay. In Disney's Beauty and the Beast, there's a lyric Mrs. Potts sings in "Be Our Guest" that has decided to haunt me.

"I've had the napkins freshly pressed."

Some of those napkins are people. Do they...enjoy being pressed? What's that even like for them? When they become people again, how are their previous pressings going to affect them psychologically? Are they going to crave things like weighted blankets or was being pressed a traumatic experience?

I know I'm overthinking it, but I just had to get it out of my brain.

Enjoy!

[fics-n-stuff-n-stuff]

Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox

all fairy tail characters basically

Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic

Follows Fairy tail but with my own twists set in modern day

Fluff and Angst

Romance / Friendship / developing feelings

Lucy has new spirits I checked constellations and gave her ones I thought were cool

Summary

Lucy is thrown into a world she didn’t know existed. Join her as she unravels this new world full of magic that brings adventure, romance and destruction along with it.

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Just a modern re-telling of Fairy tail following its arcs with a few twists and turns along the way💞

You can also read it here

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Chapter 19

"You found it." The man said with a hint of relief in his voice as he moved to walk closer to them.

Natsu's form tensed up as the man approached with slow, hobbling steps and moved a step to the right, so his whole body was standing in front of Lucy.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Lucy asked as she moved to watch the man over Natsu's shoulder.

The closer he seemed to be, the stronger a feeling of sorrow seemed to envelop Lucy. His existence was screaming agony, and it was like she could feel a part of it.

"I was hoping that you would find it before anyone else figured out where the other half was buried." The man kept talking, ignoring her previous questions as he took careful steps towards them.

"Though I see that you had some company before I made my way here." He commented as he looked over to where Helena's body was tied up.

"I don't like attacking someone who can't defend themself, but if ya don't stop walking I'm not gonna have a choice." Natsu's voice cut through the clearing, making the man stop in his tracks and turn back to look at the pinkette.

With his nose raised in the air he sent an unimpressed look towards her partner, Lucy saw him scoff slightly before turning his gaze towards her.

"Of all the people to team up with, it had to be him?"

The question was directed towards her, but Lucy was too scattered by everything that's happened so far and majorly pissed at how this person was treating Natsu to realize that he was addressing her as if they know each other.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." She shot back at him with a small glare.

He seemed to think himself above Natsu, and Lucy didn't like that. "Now, I'm going to ask again. Who are you, and what are you doing here?" She asked him as she moved to stand next to Natsu instead of behind him.

"My name is Loke, I'm the one who sent the job request to Fairy Tail." Loke answered her after a few moments of pondering and Lucy's mind went into overdrive at his confession.

He's the reason they're here?

Who was he to do such a thing? He wasn't working with whoever possessed Helena, that much was obvious.

But what were his motivations then?

"Why did you do that?" Natsu asked that question as Lucy was busy spiraling in her mind.

"There have been whispers of a spirit summoner for months, I didn't believe it myself until just before the New Year. It was around the same time that Franmalth took possession of Miss Helena." Loke explained his actions as he motioned to the unconscious woman, but they still made no sense.

"Franmalth? That is the creature possessing her? Why is it after Leo's broken key?" Lucy asked the man, if he knew the name of whatever took over the head curator, he must know more of what was happening.

"I have many suspicions about what their plans could be, and I promise it is nothing good. Which is why I needed you to find the second half." He said, trying to take a step forward, only for Natsu and Lucy to take a joint step back.

Loke let out a sigh at their actions and raked a shaky hand through his hair.

"None of that explains who you are and why you sent out a fake job to our guild." Lucy noted sharply, crossing her hands and raising an eyebrow in Loke's direction.

Did he think to just hobble his way into this clearing, declare he was the one to send them on a fake job, and expect them to, what, trust him?

If Lucy was honest with herself, she doesn't trust a word out of his mouth. He was hiding something, she could see it, feel it.

Her words seemed to amuse him, as he let out a pained laugh, holding his stomach as he did. "I haven't explained much, you're right." He answered simply, but it was vague enough for it to be frustratingly familiar.

Getting answers out of him was like trying to get information from her spirits.

When they answered her summons that is.

Yes, she was still mad at them.

"If you're not going to tell us anything, why bother coming here?" Lucy tried a different approach this time, hoping that if she prodded enough, she might find something that would set him off.

"I came here to assure myself that it was indeed you and that you located both halves of the broken spirit key." Loke answered, but there was something about the way he said it that sounded rehearsed.

She could picture him reciting the same words to a mirror.

Narrowing her eyes Lucy went to walk towards him.

Natsu's hand caught her arm before she could take a step, but when she looked back at him with a determined look in her eyes he let go without a word.

Trusting her, and his own instincts.

"See, the thing is, I don't believe you."

Lucy said as she took small, slow steps towards Loke.

"The art of telling half-truths is hard to master. But once you do, it's easier to see through other people's bullshit."

There was a look of shock on his face at her words, and Lucy only smirked in return.

"That's not the proper language for a Lady." Was the only response she got from the man, and it made her laugh.

"I see no ladies present. Just two partners, an unconscious possessed woman, and a dying man who can't seem to tell the truth." Lucy said as she stopped a few steps in front of him.

There was a sadness in his eyes as he started back at her that she didn't catch across the field, and the feeling of anguish was even stronger, now that they were only a few steps from one another.

"If it is what you truly desire, I will tell you the truth. There are no consequences anymore, as you said I am dying." Loke told her, with a hint of depreciation in his voice.

Lucy was partially stunned by his comment, and she felt bad for phrasing it like that and throwing the words at his face.

It wasn't very compassionate of her, whatever his reasons for lying were, she didn't think they were for evil.

And he was still dying.

Everyone deserves a chance to explain themselves.

Everyone in Fairy Tail gave her a chance after what happened with Phantom Lord, Loke deserves the same courtesy.

"Okay, I want the truth, we want the truth." Lucy told him as she looked back at Natsu.

He was surprisingly silent throughout her whole exchange with Loke, deciding to observe their interactions and intervene if necessary.

He nodded back at her and started walking towards them.

"Yes, We would like the truth." He said as he pressed his front against her back, and propped his chin on the top of her head.

Lucy rolled her eyes at his behavior but was glad for the proximity. His warmth always called out to her when they were near.

And it was below freezing in the clearing.

Loke was once again slightly put off by Natsu, but when Lucy shot him a glare, he opted not to comment and instead started talking.

"Franmalth is one of Zeref's demons." He started with that, and Lucy felt a shiver run through her spine at the sound of the name.

"I already put those pieces together." She told him with a flat look.

Loke let out a chuckle at her before it turned into a coughing spree. "Sorry, that's been happening a lot more recently." He said as he moved to stand, somewhat straight.

"I believe he was after the key so that they could use the residual magic left in it."

"Who is 'they'?" Lucy asked, feeling like he was going to gloss over it if she didn't.

"They, are his followers, more than just the demons he's created. There is a threat coming." Loke said ominously, and Lucy felt Natsu stiffen from behind her.

Loke turned to look at him, and this time there was none of the hostility in his gaze. "You can sense it." Is all that he said.

Not a question, but an acknowledgment.

"It was why I used what was left of my magic to send that fake flyer to your guild. There were, as I mentioned, rumors of a Spirit Summoner in Fairy Tail. So I took a chance. It was imperative for you to find it before Franmalth."

Lucy was unsure of what to think of all this yet, there is more to this story.

He was still holding back.

"How were you aware of the key's location? And of what importance is its safety to you?" She asked as she crossed her hands, moving back into Natsu more.

There was a twitch to Loke's eyebrow at her question and he let out another sigh, before moving to sit down.

"If we're gonna do this, I might as well get comfortable. No use swaying on my feet."

He waited for a few moments to see if they would join him, before sighing again.

There was a pause, where all they could hear was the crashing of water, and the birds singing around them.

"I was, cursed, almost 14 years ago. The circumstances around it bound me to Leo's key. It was my duty to watch over the broken pieces. One half was donated to the museum by Lord Jude before I could do anything."

His posture was slumped as he talked, head turned to the right looking at the trees. "The other I managed to take and bury here." He told them staring off into the distance as if caught in a memory.

Lucy watched him as he talked.

He was telling half-truths again, but there were more details this time. She was getting closer.

"That's still not the truth, we're getting closer though. Why were you cursed? I thought my mother had all the zodiac keys before she died, so how do you fit into all of this?"

Loke seemed to be shrinking into himself with her every question, he lifted his head for a moment and his eyes were filled with tears.

"Please, Lucy, don't make me." He pleaded with her, and she was once again struck by how he addressed her as if they knew each other.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked, feeling frustrated with his carefully chosen words.

Talking to him felt like listening to a script being read. He was prepared for her every question, each answer parried with a carefully crafted and frustratingly vague response.

He said he would tell her the truth and she would settle for nothing less.

"He's a spirit." Natsu's words shocked both Lucy and Loke to the core.

Loke's face was horrified as he turned to glare at her partner, Lucy in turn moved her head to give him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking between him and Loke.

"I couldn't smell it till he was close enough, and even then it took me a second to place it, over all the death and decay that's covering him. But it's there, just like all your spirits." He told her with a shrug and Lucy turned back to look at Loke.

She carefully studied every part of him.

His hair was severely disheveled, but if she tilted her head she could see what looked like ears. His suit was well made, tailored to fit like a glove, and even tattered and sullied, you could tell it was high quality.

It reminded her of the suits that Capricorn wears, the quality looks the same, and so does the material.

That would explain why she seemed to be able to feel his pain, though it's never happened with any other spirit until now.

The look in his eyes, when they met, solidified her thoughts even more.

"You are Leo." She stated bluntly, not giving him a chance to deny.

He let his head fall into his chest at her words, his shoulders curling in on themselves even more as he started shaking.

No, not just shaking, he was crying.

Lucy was stunned for a moment as she watched him weep, feeling his sorrow with each breath.

What had finally made him snap? Was it the use of his name?

Pushing through the assault of feelings Lucy found herself taking a step towards him.

"Leo, please, you need to tell me what is going on. What happened, how are you here, if your key is broken? Why is it broken? Why are my spirits keeping secrets?" Lucy rambled out before she could stop herself.

She needed to get him to calm down first, but there was a sense of urgency driving her.

She was tired of half-truths, she needed answers.

"Please." She tried again, begged.

"I- I'm so sorry Lucy." His words were barely audible through the muffled sobs, and it made her heart clench at the desperation in his voice.

Lucy turned to look back at Natsu, who was as stunned as she was by the turn of events, he shook his head at her, raising his hands in defeat.

She turned to look at the leader of the Zodiac Spirits and crouched down in front of him.

"Leo." The sobs had ceased by this point, but he was still shaking like a leaf.

He was still dying.

He took a few deep, calming breaths before sitting up as straight as he could and looked at her with such sorrow, that it made Lucy want to weep with him.

"I- I was cursed in a way, that wasn't a lie." Was the first thing he said, his voice was a bit rough as he spoke. "For killing my previous master. My key was broken, I was cast out of the spirit realm and left to roam this one until death takes me."

Out of all the things Lucy could have expected, this was nowhere on the list.

A spirit killing their master.

That was not something Lucy thought her spirits were capable of.

"There are other spirit summoners?" She blurted out and immediately regretted it, out of all the things to ask.

Leo tensed at her question and looked back down at the snowy ground.

"You are the last living spirit summoner, Lucy Heartfilia." He told her with an almost sharp tone that she knew wasn't aimed at her, but at himself.

"What happened then? How did you kill your summoner? I know my spirits, and I know that none of them are capable of killing me." Lucy said as she moved to stand back next to Natsu.

"14 years ago, I helped your mother perform a spell that has been forbidden, and in doing so, was a direct cause of her death."

It was as if someone pierced her heart.

She felt like she couldn't breathe, and for a moment everything went still. It was just her and an almost forgotten memory of her mother, bedridden but still smiling at her.

"But, my mother didn't die 14 years ago, that's around when she got sick. She died three years later." Lucy told him, as she scrambled trying to put the pieces together.

"And why was she performing a forbidden spell in the first place?" She asked, mind numb at this point. With every answer received, a thousand new questions bloom.

It was all just too confusing, and she was tired.

This day has felt endless.

"It was paramount for that spell to be cast. The repercussions of it drained Layla of not only magic but life energy."

"I tried talking her out of it." Leo let out a bitter laugh. "I knew it was in vain, but it was my duty, as one of her closest friends to try." He kept talking, voice unsteady as he did.

"You know what she said to me? 'If you're not going to help me Leo, I'm going to do it on my own.'" The chuckle he let out this time was genuine, the smile on his face fond as he remembered Layla.

"If she had done the spell herself, she would have died instantly, with my help, we had hoped she would survive." His voice cracked at the end of the sentence, and he took in a deep breath to steady himself.

"When it was all over,  we were convinced that everything went smoothly. It was only after a couple of weeks, when she started getting sick that we realized it only gave her so much time." He was crying again, but his head was high, and he tried to reel himself in.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Lucy." He kept repeating as he shook with tears, and probably a fever as well. "Please forgive me!"

Lucy was even more confused now.

The story that Leo is telling her doesn't speak of him killing Layla, if anything he's the reason she got to spend three more years with her.

If there was one thing that Lucy remembered about her mother, it was that Layla Heartfilia was a stubborn woman. If she had set her mind to casting that spell, her life was a price she was willing to pay.

So why was Leo cursed? 

Or maybe the better question is, who cursed him?

"Leo, I'm sorry, but, you, this.." Lucy trailed off as she tried to gather her thoughts. "This is bullshit!" What she realized was that she was angry.

Here he was, on his knees on death's doorstep, sobbing and begging for her forgiveness, for something that wasn't his fault.

He was dying for trying to save her mother, dying and cast out of his realm, left to rot for years.

And Lucy was livid.

"Who did this to you?" She almost growled with rage, taking the spirit and her partner aback with her sudden mood shift.

She didn't notice that she was channeling her magic as her emotions started overtaking rational thought.

Light was swirling around her as she thought about the 14 years of agony that Leo had endured.

"Who gave themselves the authority to make such decisions? Because I have to say that this is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life!" She was laughing now, it sounded a tad maniacal, but Lucy was past the point of caring.

Leo stared back at her, mouth open and eyes wide in shock.

He had not expected this reaction from her.

"I want to speak with whoever thought that putting the person who saved my mother through years of torture was a good idea! Because frankly, they sound like an idiot!"

Lucy was yelling by this point, feeling fury at what she'd found out.

The thought of Leo, alone and suffering for all these years made her blood boil with rage. He has lived 14 years blaming himself for her mother's death.

How dare they?

With no further thought, Lucy moved her hands to dig through her pockets and pulled out the broken key.

Looking at the pieces in her palm she felt like there was only one thing left to do.

"I refuse." Lucy said with determination as she turned her gaze back to Leo.

Her magic was still surrounding her and she felt it intensifying with every second that passed.

The key pieces started glowing in her hand, and she moved to bring them together and channeled all her power into them.

"I REFUSE TO LET YOU DIE!" She yelled as she willed the key to fuse back together.

"NO! No! Lucy, you can't do that!" Leo yelled as he tried to get on his feet, stumbling through the pain as he fell over.

"You'll use up all your magic and die trying, please!" He was on his knees, pleading with her but Lucy refused to listen.

There was nothing he could say to get her to stop now. Her mind was made up, she would save him if it was the last thing she did.

"I am not dying today, and neither are you!" She shot back at him, channeling more of her power into the key.

Unbeknownst to Lucy, all of her spirits started appearing by her side as she focused her power on restoring Leo's key.

They materialized one by one until they were surrounding her, their teary gazes meeting Leo's huddled form.

"You.Will.Mend." Lucy said through gritted teeth as she glared at the key, putting all of her magic into the bond that could be felt between them, and with a sudden shockwave the key clicked back in place.

Lucy stumbled back several steps, feeling the aftershock of the blast as her knees buckled. Thankfully there was a warm hand around her waist, steadying her.

Blinking through the sudden haze, Lucy looked down at her hand and was half-stunned to see Leo's key fully intact.

"I did it." Her voice came out small, her chest heaving and her breath shaky as she continued staring at her palm.

The feeling of joy lasted for half a second before the earth started shaking violently underneath them, Lucy turned her head with a panicked look to where Leo was huddled before the blast.

She found him standing a few meters from them looking down at his hands with wide eyes and confusion. Lucy watched the spirit pat himself down as he realized what had happened.

A weight lifted off of Lucy's shoulders as she noticed how healthy he looked.

His cheeks were no longer hollowed out, she could see the colour on his face, his suit was intact, hair was styled in a way that pronounced his ears.

After several moments of inspecting his newfound body and strength, he turned to gaze at her with a mix of awe and disbelief.

"How did you do that?" His voice was small as he asked and Lucy wasn't given a chance to answer, not that she really had one, when everything around them stopped shaking and came to a sudden halt.

The birds froze mid-air. The Waterfall behind them was suspended in place, the whole clearing was left in a deafening silence.

Lucy turned and looked around for the source of the spell, only for the sky itself to part above them.

There seemed to be a different sky from beyond the crack, with a giant man looming over them.

His eyes were sharp, and his mustache twitched as he observed them. "Who are you to question my authority, little girl?" The man spoke, his voice booming through the clearing.

At his presence, Leo seemed to freeze in place, not daring to move a muscle.

Natsu was ready for action the moment the giant man spoke, but Lucy stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

This was her fight.

She couldn't explain why, but she felt no fear looking at the giant, even with his booming tone and glare.

Still fueled by anger, adrenaline, and a sense of justice Lucy glared right back at the giant man, refusing to stand down or be intimidated.

"I am Lucy Heartfilia, the last of the Spirit Summoners. It is my duty to protect the keys, treat the spirits bound to them with honor and respect, and use our magic to help those who need it."

She stated proudly as she walked forward, passing Natsu and making her way to the middle of the clearing.

Her posture was regal as she stepped forward, shoulders back, head held high and she looked at the giant man head-on.

"And who are you, to think you can just leave Leo in agony for years? Over something that was not his fault!" She shot back at him.

"You know not what you speak of girl!" He warned, but Lucy was passed reason. "Do not test me, I am the King of the Spirit Realm, it was my authority to do so."

Lucy only half faltered at his admission. 'King of the Spirit Realm?' She scoffed at the thought.

'Some King, to leave his subject in such a state.'

No, Lucy was not backing down. This wasn't right, Leo did not deserve the punishment he received, and to hell, she would fight the King if she had to!

"My mother would have cast that spell whether he helped her or not." Lucy said with conviction.

"Now tell me, Your Majesty, would have it been better had he let her die?" She shot back, curling her hands into fists as she tried to control her emotions.

"What he did helped her live." She argued through clenched teeth. "And your decision to do this to him is frankly inhumane." Lucy finished with a glare in the King's direction.

There was a moment of silence as she finished her speech and Lucy knew that she was trembling with adrenaline.

She heard footsteps from behind and then Natsu was at her back, his warmth was enveloping her as he offered his support without a word.

Lucy let out a sigh, grateful for his proximity, and welcomed the grounding effect he had on her.

Leo, Lucy could see from the corner of her eye was frozen in shock and fear as he stared at the man in the sky. It seems like he hasn't moved a muscle since the King appeared.

"Lucy Heartfilia, you say." The King's voice boomed through the clearing, bringing everyone's attention back to him.

He seemed calmer as he observed them, and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he stroked his mustache. "It is an incredible thing you have done here Lucy Heartfilia. Giving a spirit its key is something no one has done since the very first summoner."

A gasp echoed through the clearing and Leo's head snapped to look at her in awe.

"She was the first to call upon the stars, and pull them from the sky." The giant continued with his story as he looked down at Lucy.

"The keys were formed by her power. Shaped to represent the opening of doors between our realms." There was a wondrous tone in his voice as he spoke of the first Spirit Summoner, and Lucy was amazed by the tale.

There was nothing written on the origin of her powers, and she felt privileged to learn how the connection between the stars and her family came to be.

"In her lifetime she formed many bonds with many spirits, and when she passed away, her bloodline continued to thrive.

You remind me of her. She was a dear friend of mine." There was a twitch to his lips as he spoke before he turned his gaze to Leo.

"Leo, the lion. You have been given a second chance, I suggest that you do not waste it. My official rule is that you pay your sentence by serving Lucy Heartfilia."

His tone was serious, but the wink he gave them put everyone at ease.

"I hope we meet again, old friend. Thank you for caring about the spirits enough to challenge even me." The Spirit King addressed Lucy with a smile.

"There are great and terrible things in your future, Daughter of the Stars and Son of Fire Dragon King Igneel. I hope you are both ready for what is to come." And with an ominous warning time seemed to restart.

The crack in the sky was gone, leaving behind a picturesque sunrise.

"How did he know about Igneel?" Lucy heard Natsu's strained voice from behind her, but she was suddenly too tired to react in any way.

With the adrenaline leaving her body, all Lucy was left with was her exhaustion and the empty, almost cold feeling coming from where she could usually feel the tingling of her magic.

There was movement from behind her, and she could hear Leo and Natsu's voices getting louder, but she couldn't focus on what was said.

Everything was slowing down again for Lucy, and she let herself fall into the abyss.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"There are great and terrible things in your future, Daughter of the Stars and Son of  Fire Dragon King Igneel. I hope you are both ready for what is to come."

Natsu froze the moment the stash-faced man mentioned his father, trying to figure out what he meant by the warning.

Before he could say anything, in a blink of an eye the man was gone, and time seemed to be back to normal.

Tightening his grip on Lucy's waist, Natsu moved his glare to the no longer dying spirit.

"How did he know about Igneel?" He growled at him, if these spirits had any clues as to where his father could be, Natsu needed to know.

"I don't have the answers you want." Leo sneered his way as he turned to look at him and Lucy.

"But you know something, now tell me! He is my father. Tell me what you know!" Natsu shouted at him, feeling the control over his anger slip as he glared at the orange-haired prick.

"I don't answer to you! Honestly, it is beyond me what she sees in yo-" The spirit was cut off mid-sentence when Lucy suddenly collapsed in Natsu's arms.

There was a flash of pain in his gut as she fell into his hold, head lulled on his shoulder as he held her.

"Wha-? Luce? Lucy!" Natsu yelled frantically as he moved to pick her up.

He could see her chest was moving up and down, her breaths were shallow and her skin was unhealthily pale.

The usual glow she had around her was fading fast, making her golden hair look dull in the morning light and Natsu felt like he couldn't breathe for a moment.

There was a bubbling pain forming in his gut as he watched her light go out.

Holding back a curse, Natsu turned his wide-eyed gaze back at Leo for

answers. "What's happening to her?"

"She used up too much of her magic."

Leo's voice sounded as shaky as Natsu felt at that moment. "This- this is what happened with Layla when she cast the spell. I told her not to do it. Stupid girl." The spirit said through tears as he watched the blonde in Natsu's arms slowly fade away.

A feeling of dread crept its way to the back of Natsu's head, along with the growing pain in his gut as he cast his gaze down to his unconscious partner.

His brain was fizzling as he tried to think of something he could do, maybe if he could remember all the lessons about sensing and estimating a person's magic.

It isn't something he even needed when fighting. Natsu always went head first and all out, no matter the opponents' strength.

This was different.

This was Lucy.

He moved to connect their foreheads and focused on his magic.

Not really knowing what he wanted to do, Natsu continued channeling his magic and aimed towards Lucy.

There was an unexplained, unspoken bond between them.

It's been there from the moment they met, and he hoped that this would work.

It has to work.

He will not let her die, she said she wasn't dying today, and he wasn't going to let her.

He didn't know if he could, there was no world without Lucy.

He stayed like that for what felt like hours, pooling his magic and trying to create a bridge between the two of them.

There was no guarantee it would work, Natsu barely knew what he was doing, healing magic and fire do not mix well but there were no other options left.

It took him by surprise, it started as a slight zap from where they were connected before it unfurled into a fluttering sensation in his stomach, and he could feel tingles all over his body as her magic flowed through him.

Natsu moved his head back in shock, and stared down at Lucy, only to witness the colour slowly come back to her face and her breath even out.

He felt like a weight lifted off his heart and the pain in his gut disappeared as a little spark of his fire began to burn her magic back to life.

"That was incredibly stupid of you." Looking up he saw Leo's unimpressed eyes stare back at him.

He had forgotten the spirit was there.

"I don't even know what happened." Natsu answered truthfully as he stared back at him.

All he knew was that Lucy dying was not an option, so he did what he could until they could get back to Fairy Tail.

There was a scoff from the Zodiac Leader, and Natsu was getting tired of his attitude.

"You'll see with time, it was too late to begin with. But now you've sealed her fate, and yours too."

[illumins]

CHAPTER SIX

Haze

After that evening at the flea market, Sora found herself bombarded with questions and jokes from Areum. While it had initially put her in an uncomfortable situation, the confidence and happiness she felt for liking someone and even scoring a date with Mark was undeniable. Men hadn't played a significant role in Sora's life, especially not in a romantic sense. She was often known as the ‘weird lady's granddaughter,’ and people tended to keep their distance. Areum had appeared in her life seemingly out of nowhere, like an unexpected gift that Sora had carefully unwrapped, finding something wonderful inside.

Now, her childhood ‘gift’ had a big mouth that spouted nonsense about ‘marriage’ and ‘love at first sight,’ concepts that Sora believed were best left to storytellers. She viewed them as fabricated tales meant to offer a glimmer of hope in a dark world, especially since she had recently discovered that the night held even darker secrets.

On this particular Sunday night, Areum and Sora sat in the kitchen around the wooden island Nana had crafted when she had more strength. They shared a bowl of hiker's trail mix, picking out their favorite bits.

“Come on, Sora! I'm telling you, he might be the one,” Areum insisted.

Sora couldn't help but tease Areum about her penchant for romance. “You watch too many shows, Areum” she remarked as she dropped three raisins into her mouth.

“Well, everything is based on something,” Areum replied as she popped some walnuts into her mouth.

Sora agreed, pondering the existence of vampires, witches, and werewolves. Waving off her friend, she changed the subject. “How about you and that random handsome man you met at the market?”

“Oh, yeah,” Areum began, “he invited me for a night out tonight. He's really charming.”

Cutting Areum off, Sora looked at her questioningly. “Tonight? Then why are you here?”

Areum glanced at her with an amused expression. “Well, my best friend just found a man, and you expect me not to be here? Plus, I can reschedule whenever.”

Sora, now feeling a little guilty for keeping Areum from her date, lightly slapped her friend's shoulder. “Are you an idiot? We could have this conversation tomorrow or whenever. Dude, go!”

“Hey! No need to hit, you dumbass. I should be showered with love, not belittlement. I'm here for you!” Areum protested.

Sora sighed and got up from her chair, extending her arm toward the front door. “I'm thankful, truly, but I'm not your priority. Go! You said he's charming, and who knows, maybe all your romance crap might be real.”

With a smirk, Sora inched closer to the seated Areum. “Maybe he's 'the one' for you.”

Areum blushed and playfully returned the hit on Sora's shoulder. “Don't play like that.”

Sora prodded, “What? Don't you believe in that stuff?”

“Yeah, but you don't call them 'the one' until you're together. It's bad luck,” Areum informed as she also got up from her chair and stored the remaining hiker's trail mix in the fridge.

Sora took a moment to absorb what she'd just heard and gasped, “Then why would you call Mark ‘the one’?”

Areum turned around, one eyebrow raised, and her hand on her hip. “I thought you didn't believe in that stuff?”

Taken aback, Sora stayed silent until she could collect her thoughts. “I don't. At least, I don't think so. But with vampires and such…”

“No, I don't,” Sora replied, trying to shake off the thought. She wasn't entirely sure of her beliefs, especially after recent revelations about the supernatural.

Walking gracefully toward Sora, Areum exuded playfulness. “So, is it that you want him to be ‘the one’?”

Sora's cheeks grew warm, and she felt the heat creeping up her skin. “No.”

Areum remained inches away from her, grinning with a knowing look. She studied Sora closely, and for a few moments, it seemed like she could see right through her. “Hmmm... Fine,” Areum backed off and headed toward the stairs.

With the warmth still lingering in the room, Sora watched her friend ascend the stairs. “Are you staying over, then? Should I bring us some water before we sleep?”

Areum stopped midway up the stairs and scoffed, “No, I'm in too good of a mood to go to sleep.”

Sora approached her at the bottom of the stairs and asked, “Then what are you doing?”

“We're going to go meet Mr. Charming that I told you about.”

“Umm, I don't know how…” Sora began, but then she halted abruptly. She realized she didn't even know the guy's name. “What's his name?”

“Jaehyun, and trust me, he'll be fine with you coming,” Areum assured her.

Without waiting for Sora's response, Areum ascended the stairs to find some cute clothes to wear. Sora took a deep breath, struggling with her decision to agree to this outing. Eventually, she followed Areum upstairs.

-

Sora's knees weakened with every passing second. They had been standing in line outside 'Nocturne' for the past hour, waiting as the line inched forward. Occasionally, people cut in line to show their wrists and gain entry ahead of others. Irritated, Sora tapped Areum's shoulder, who stood in front of her.

“Are you sure this is the club, Areum?” Sora complained.

Areum, who had previously kept her frustration hidden, now let her anger and embarrassment show. Areum, even when angry, remained attractive. But compared to Sora, Areum had no qualms about displaying her full range of emotions. And Sora watched as Areum's mood steadily shifted toward anger.

“Sora, it is this club because this is the location he sent me,” Areum huffed as she spoke.

Calmly, Sora tried to reassure her, “It's fine, just wanted to make sure. Hey, maybe he's just lost inside and will come out to get us soon, right?”

“Yeah, but…” Areum turned with sympathetic eyes that still dripped with annoyance. “I didn't expect this. I'm so sorry, Sora. You even came all dressed up because of me. I'm sure you'd rather be at home watching TV or something.”

Sora watched as her friend gazed up at the sky in irritation, eyes closed as she took it all in. Sora understood that Areum wasn't to blame. Areum had dressed just as elegantly for the evening. Sora wore ripped black shorts, a crop-top band t-shirt, high-heel boots that Nana had bought her when she was sixteen, and a black leather jacket reserved for special occasions like this. In contrast, Areum had chosen white jeans and a loose spaghetti-strap blue shirt with an open back.

As they both sulked on that Sunday night, a tall figure approached them from outside the line. His raven hair was swept back, he had a strong jawline, and piercing eyes that could freeze anyone in their tracks. He was dressed in a short-sleeve yellow button-up shirt with blue circle patterns, a black jean jacket, jeans, and low-heeled boots.

“What happened, gorgeous?” he asked.

Areum seemed to recognize his voice and quickly turned to face him. “Jaehyun!” she scolded him.

He laughed and raised both hands in a defensive position. “I know, I'm terrible for letting you wait. But to be fair, you kept me waiting for an hour and a half.”

Areum bit the inside of her cheek and let out a heavy sigh. “Fine, fine, you win.”

Sora could see why Areum had described him as ‘charming.’ Even the girls in line with her seemed to swoon in his presence. As if Areum hadn't been forgotten, she introduced Sora to him.

“This is my best friend, Sora.”

Jaehyun turned his attention to her and smiled widely, extending his hand for a handshake. “Hey, Sora, I'm Jaehyun. Areum's date tonight.”

Sora shook his hand, and he continued, “Well, that's if she still wants to be my date tonight.”

Looking back at Areum, he held out his hand for her, sporting a confident smirk. “So what do you say, Ms. Areum? Are you still my date tonight?”

Areum tilted her head upward, looking away coyly. Sora couldn't help but think Areum was playing hard to get.

“What if I'm using you to get into the club?” Areum replied.

Jaehyun chuckled and leaned closer to her, separated only by the velvet rope. “If that's the case, since it's you, I wouldn't mind. I'd even call you smart for playing a guy like me.”

He seemed to have won Areum over, and he knew it. Sora couldn't help but feel uneasy about how skillfully this guy was playing with her best friend's heart. It was as if he were a pianist who knew every key to play in advance. In the next few seconds, with a quick call from him, two bodyguards came and escorted all three of them into the dimly lit nightclub.

-

The club, though dark, had a faint purple hue that emanated from an unknown light source, casting a gentle glow over the dancing, swaying bodies of the patrons. Sora made sure to maintain a firm grip on Areum's free hand, as her other hand was entwined with Jaehyun's.

As they navigated through the crowd, they noticed a sizeable opening where a group of people sat with drinks, chatting or being tended to by others. Some of them wore black mini-dresses with white corsets or black pants paired with sleeveless turtlenecks. Sora wondered if these were club workers, but they all sported choker necklaces with purple gemstones. It struck her as oddly familiar, but she couldn't place where she had seen this before.

Coming to a small lounge area, Jaehyun led them to an open table and seated both Areum and Sora. Soon, a waiter approached them, and Sora couldn't help but notice the weariness in his features. The dim lighting made it challenging to discern details, but she could make out sunken cheeks and bony wrists that clung to the notepad for taking orders. She couldn't help but worry about him.

“What will you order tonight, Jaehyun?” the waiter inquired.

“For me, a Blue Moon,” Jaehyun began, “Ms. Areum, a 'Verum Rose,' and Ms. Sora…” He glanced questioningly at Sora.

“Oh, a glass of water is fine,” she replied, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

“A glass of water for my new friend, then. Thanks,” Jaehyun told the waiter, who nodded and left them to their own devices.

Silence settled in, and Sora noticed that Areum had become enamored with Jaehyun. She scanned her surroundings, looking for a safer and more secluded place where she could give them some privacy. A bar on the far left side seemed to offer some refuge. She decided it would work, but not before mentally reminding herself that she was doing this for Areum.

Without further thought, Sora rose from her seat and adjusted her shorts. Areum looked away from Jaehyun to focus on Sora.

“Where are you going?” Areum inquired.

“I'm going to stir up some trouble,” Sora joked, offering a small smile.

Areum took a moment to understand her friend's intentions. She nodded and said, “I hope not too much trouble; I don't want to have to save you again.”

Sora laughed, “Nah, I'm pretty sure between the two of us, this place could fall apart just with you here.”

They shared a genuine laugh, and Jaehyun observed their interaction with keen interest. Before leaving, Areum mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Sora and then shifted her attention back to her date for the night.

Bumping her way through the sweaty, dancing bodies, Sora soon found a seat at the bar. The bartender approached her, and, like before, she ordered a glass of water. As she took a sip, the man sitting next to her spoke up.

“Don't tell me you endured that ridiculous line outside just to drink water here,” he quipped.

Sora set down her glass and looked at the young man beside her. He had light brown hair, almond dark brown eyes, and somewhat sharp cheekbones. He sipped his drink, wincing as it reached the bottom of his throat, burning like coal to a fire.

“If you're wondering, I'm Chenle,” he introduced himself.

Sora simply nodded and went back to drinking her water. Chenle seemed to expect a response and grew impatient.

“Are you not going to introduce yourself?” Chenle asked.

Sora hesitated but finally relented, “Sora.”

Chenle turned to look at her and extended his glass for a toast. “Nice to meet you, Sora.”

Their glasses clinked, and they took a drink. Chenle winced again as the alcohol burned his throat, while Sora felt her head starting to spin, her mind growing hazy.

“So, why is this place so popular, if you don't mind me asking?” Sora inquired.

Chenle set down his empty glass and focused on her. “Well, one,” he began, signaling the bartender for another drink before continuing, “the drinks here are exceptional. Some say they leave you in a state of bliss and joy, with each drink expertly crafted to match the consumer's desires.”

“That's quite the praise,” Sora murmured.

“But it's well-deserved,” Chenle assured her. “In any case, the second reason is the club's rumored history.”

This piqued Sora's interest. “Rumored history?”

Chenle glanced at her with intrigue as he sipped his refill. “Yes, this place is believed to have once hosted individuals who weren't well-liked.”

“What do you mean by ‘not well-liked people’?” Sora pressed on.

Chenle lightly pushed his drink toward her, encouraging her to take another sip. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately took another gulp. This time, the effects hit her even harder.

“Well,” Chenle continued, “these people used to be hunted down by many, even by their own kind. The only family willing to take them in was one of the descendants of the founding families of this city.”

Sora was intrigued. “Kind? What do you mean by ‘kind’?”

Chenle pushed the drink further toward her, urging her to take yet another sip. She obliged, her mind growing more muddled by the second.

“A sip for an answer, Sora,” Chenle said, winking.

Sora, feeling the effects of the alcohol, hesitated before taking another sip.

“After the caretaker of the club passed away, the property was handed down to the individuals they had so graciously taken in,” Chenle explained. “Now, some people can't help but believe that witches hide within these walls, or even in our city.”

Witches... Sora realized, her grandmother's words echoing in her mind. ‘You can tell who they are by the purple shimmer in their eyes that shows every few seconds or so. They all share a birthmark on the side of their pinky finger that looks like a four-pointed star.’

Chenle reached for her glass, which now contained only one last gulp. He held it up to her face, his hands firmly gripping the glass.

“Say, don't tell me you believe in such things, Sora,” he taunted. “I would finish this drink so as not to offend our lovely bartender.” Without a second thought, Sora pushed herself off the barstool and stumbled through the crowd. She grabbed onto people's clothing, jewelry, bags—anything to keep herself upright. People pushed her away in annoyance, dismissing her as just another drunk ruining the party. But all Sora could think about was finding Areum. Areum... Areum... As she spotted the lounge area she had left not long ago, her mind finally gave in, and the floor seemed to swallow her whole.

[heliads]

OKAY HIII! I just saw your requests are open again. That made my day, anyways can you do another Derek hale one obvi. Reader is a alpha without a pack found wandering around beacon hills and is found by hunters that capture her thinking she’s apart of his pack when Erica goes missing so Derek thinks it’s Erica the hunters tell him they’ve captured and saves the reader who turned out to be his mate and becomes the she-alpha of the pack and helps him find Erika (alive) and Boyd because they deserve to live.

omg its derek time at last. also i don't really do mate stuff so i changed it to be a soulmate au instead, hope that's ok!

masterlist

You have been walking for far too long, but you don’t know that you’re getting anywhere at all. The forest is dark this time of night, perhaps even this time of year. It is never silent, not forever. You can hear sounds stretching out for miles: the calls of birds, the screeching cries of things that you’d rather not name. You knew that heading to Beacon Hills would mean that you’d find creatures only present in your worst nightmares, but still. You weren’t ready to have proof of that so quickly.

It’s not like you have any other choice, though. You are alone, even as a wolf, even as an alpha. Your pack is gone, both through death and long absence. The entire status of your existence threatens to tear itself in half at any given moment. A leader without a pack. A wolf without a follower. Nothing makes sense.

And then there’s the soulmate.

Oh, the soulmate. You’ve known about the mark on your back for quite some time now, had plenty of time to memorize the three branching swirls inked into your skin even though it’s practically impossible to see by yourself. There’s a triple spiral right along your spine, black as blood under the cover of night. You couldn’t remove it if you tried.

They’re why you’re searching the forests surrounding Beacon Hills, in part. You can’t take much more of this solitude. Wolves weren’t made to be alone, and the fact that you haven’t been killed yet is a minor miracle. You’ve been wandering for months now, looking for someone to make you feel complete.

You’ve tried many towns before ending up here, but you have a feeling that Beacon Hills might be your best bet. It feels right, even though you can’t describe why. It’s as if someone is out there, physically pulling you closer even without realizing it. All you can do is keep stumbling along and hope that you find either a soulmate or a pack. You don’t know how much longer you can remain a lone wolf, but it won’t be forever.

Already, you can tell that this town might be your last chance at escaping your fate. You’re being tracked by hunters, and have been for the past week. You’ve been able to avoid their traps for days now, but they’re getting smarter, leaning more and more about you. The last time they tried to catch you, it took everything in your power to get away, and even then you were nursing your wounds for a while until they healed.

Your healing, too, is getting slower and slower. It’s as if your own body is putting up a fight, saying that if you don’t get your aching bones the support they need, they’ll stop supporting you in turn. Yes, you’re certain of it now: if you walk out of Beacon Hills by yourself, you won’t make it to the next town to try again.

The thought alone is terrifying. You’ve had plenty of time to ponder your own mortality, especially since your first experience with hunters at the tender age of twelve, but you had kind of hoped that you’d make it just a little longer. You have always wanted to meet your soulmate, even besides the fact that being away from them might be killing you.

Meeting your soulmate, after all, is your last chance at normality, as laughable as it sounds. Few people have claws and fangs, but everybody has a soulmate mark etched into their skin, and everybody tries their hardest to find their one true love. When you were growing up, you couldn’t talk to your friends about the difficulties of the full moon, but you could dream about what it would be like to find the one person with the mark matching yours, and that almost made up for everything else.

Your younger self would be proud, you think. You left your old town long ago, and you’ve been doing good on your desire to take your destiny into your own hands. If Fate refuses to guide you to your soulmate, you’ll find them all on your own.

Fate does, however, appear to have a heavy hand in tying you to the hunters. You can hear them now, even sharper than the rustle of the leaves in the trees. There’s a group of six or seven, all armed, all dangerous. Usually, their numbers wouldn’t be a concern for you; you’re an alpha, after all, and being an alpha means that you don’t have to fear the likes of ordinary men.

That was before your systems started failing, though, and now you’re no longer certain of your own success. You don’t have much time to pontificate on the horrors of your own strength leaving you, though, because the hunters have just burst through a clearing and are trying their hand at attempt number three of capturing you.

You go through the motions, just like always. They try to attack with their arrows first, which you can dodge. They don’t want to get close to you because they’re afraid of your claws, as they should be. You race towards the hunters, charging far enough to slash at them and then retreat back into the shadows of the forest. You may not be able to hold out forever, but neither can they, and they haven’t gotten you yet.

You give yourself a half second of rest, then force yourself back out into the clearing again. This time, you target their weapons, smashing bows to the ground and ripping guns out of hands. You feel a sharp pinprick in your leg, but it’s a minor injury, something that should heal in moments. 

You return your attention to the fight, but it’s a harder task than it was the first time. You knock out another two men, but your swings are sloppier and less controlled with every passing second. Frowning, you glance down at your leg, and see a dart sticking out of it. You pull it out of your leg and note a bead of purple liquid falling from the ground.

Wolfsbane, you think. Then you think no more, because you’re dropping to the ground, unconsciousness slipping over you as quickly as frost.

You wake up slowly, and at first you want nothing more than to go to sleep again. Your head aches as if it’s been crushed by an angry fist, a feeling that stubbornly refuses to disappear even despite allowing yourself a grace period of a couple minutes to heal. The wolfsbane must not have left your system yet. Man, you hate wolfsbane. It’s almost as bad as a poorly timed full moon.

You force your eyes to open, and find yourself slumped on the ground in an abandoned warehouse. Your hands are tied behind you, no surprise about that, and the bonds are strong enough that you couldn’t break them by yourself if you tried, although you attempt it for good measure.

You can see the hunters who captured you talking across the room, and just manage to make out their conversation. They’re holding you captive in the hopes of finding your pack, which makes you want to laugh. You are terribly alone, and the brunt of it hits you now. No one is coming to save you. No one ever will.

You’ve known about the detriments of being an alpha without a pack for quite some time, but even without the physical toll, it still hurts. You were supposed to mean something to a group of people, you were supposed to guide them through difficulty and rejoice when they succeed. You don’t know why you became an alpha without other wolves surrounding you, but you hate it now with a burning passion that leaves you tortured for hours afterwards.

The hunters still hold out hope that you’ll attract the rest of your pack, though. You can see it fading; days become weeks, and still no sign of a single glowing eye. Halfway through a month, though, you start to hear a commotion at the front of the warehouse. It’s typically quite this time of night, so you allow yourself at least some small portion of belief. Maybe, someone could have found you. It’s impossible, but worse luck has turned out well before.

The two hunters guarding you exchange nervous looks as the sounds grow closer. They don’t have long to worry, however, as a man bursts through the doors a matter of minutes later. He tosses them to the ground with ease, and you make out the red glow of his eyes. Another wolf, another alpha. Talk about excellent timing.

He sees you in the shadows of the warehouse and runs over, slicing through your bonds with the stroke of one claw. You stumble out of the shade of a long row of abandoned crates, rejoicing in the fall of moonlight on your skin through the ruined roof.

Upon seeing your face, the man’s expression drops. “No. It’s not supposed to be you.” 

You arch a brow. “That’s not exactly what you want to hear when you’ve been captured by hunters. I mean, I appreciate the rescue, but you don’t have to seem so disappointed about it.”

The man waves away your concern with a free hand. “This isn’t about you. I was told that one of my betas was here. She’s a girl, younger than you, with long hair? Her name is Erica?”

You shake your head, and he only grows more dejected. “I’m sorry, I have no idea who that is. I’m not from around here.”

The man nods thoughtfully. “Yeah, I can tell. I know all the wolves around here, and you’re not one of them. You do look oddly familiar, though. Have we met before?” On second thought, he introduces himself. “I’m Derek Hale, by the way. I don’t think I mentioned that before.”

You answer reflexively. “Y/N L/N, it’s good to meet you. No, I came here to find my soulmate. I became an alpha years ago, but I never had a pack. Figured I could find my soulmate and make things work from there.”

Derek chuckles. “Good luck with that. It’s hard as hell to survive as is, finding soulmates is practically impossible. What’s your mark, out of curiosity? Maybe I’ve seen them.”

You shrug. Worth a shot, at any rate. “It’s like a triple spiral, I guess. Three branches, all curling in. It’s on my back.”

Derek freezes, blue eyes hardening into ice. “What did you say?”

You give him a confused stare. “Just describing my soulmate mark. You know, like you asked me to?”

He stalks closer to you across the cracked warehouse floor. “I know. I need you to tell me where you heard about that mark, though. No one has ever heard of it outside of my family.”

There’s a light in his eyes when he talks about the mark, a kind of intensity you’ve only seen a few times before. It could mean– no, that can’t be. Surely, you haven’t stumbled upon your soulmate by accident.

You say nothing, just turn around and lift up the back of your shirt so he can see the mark for himself. You don’t think Derek means to reach out and trace the mark, but it happens anyway, and the feeling of his hand against your skin makes you shiver. 

When you turn around, he’s staring at you like he’s seen a ghost. “You’re my soulmate,” he says, voice scarcely above a whisper. “How is that possible?”

You laugh quietly. “I’ve been looking for you for a while now. Never thought I’d actually manage it, though.”

Derek nods, regarding you with far more curiosity than at the beginning. “Well, if you’d like to go somewhere that isn’t crawling with hunters, I can offer my apartment. Maybe we can figure out this whole ‘alpha without a pack’ deal of yours.”

You tilt your head to the side. “Sounds good to me. Plus, it seems like you’re missing someone of your own. You’ve already helped me, I think it’s time that I help you.”

Derek considers this. “You don’t have to. You just left the hunters, anyway. I can’t ask you to go after them again, especially for someone you don’t know. Hell, I just met you a couple minutes ago. That’s not enough to ask you to risk your life.”

You give him a small smile. “I’m already doing better than I was. This is what I was meant to do, Derek, help. Besides, it’ll be the first time I’ve been around a pack in a while. I wouldn’t pass that up in a lifetime.”

Derek’s looking at you strangely, and you start to second guess yourself. “What?”

He shakes his head quickly. “No, nothing. It’s just– well, you remind me of me, when I first started to build a pack of my own. I was proud of them, you know?”

You can tell that he’s starting to get worried again over the fate of his messing beta, so on impulse, you reach out and take his hand. “Hey, it’s going to be alright. We’ll get her back, especially now that we’re both together. That makes us stronger. She’ll be okay.”

Derek squeezes your hand. “I think we will.”

As the two of you head back to his apartment, you can’t help but feel your spirits lift. You’ve found your soulmate, and you’re about to help heal his pack and, hopefully, make it your own as well. At last, things are going your way. Perhaps your luck has shifted after all.

teen wolf tag list: @thatfangirl42, @rogueanschel, @lovesanimals0000, @rafecameronswhore, @bellabadacadabra, @watchreadfangirlrepeat

[piercethewon]

⚔️Kingslayer.

3 — Just practicing. || wc: 1,5k.

ㅤ

—…But before we begin this ceremony in the name of my father, under the sky of the land he dedicated his whole life to protect along with all the people that brings greatness to this kingdom, I would like to thank everyone present for sharing this moment of grief with me, I am sure that my father is pleased to see all of you here from up there…— Lee Heeseung, the prince and soon to be coronated king of the north was standing before a relatively small public, that mainly consisted of all the nearby royal families and some of the richest ones from his kingdom, as he recited one of the weirdest speeches you had ever gotten the opportunity to witness; it is not like something was wrong with the choice of words, but rather his somewhat indifferent tone and empty eyes caught your attention.

However, you had not much time to ponder the oddness of prince Heeseung’s performance, as you felt someone gently pulling the sleeve of your black dress from behind; it was Riki. You tried your best to ignore him, as you thought that it was not the right moment or place to exchange a greeting, but damn if he was insistent. Taking a few seconds to remember the last time you had seen him, back when he barged unannounced into your room, you were starting to see a pattern in his timings to approach you: the more unconventional, and of course risky, the better. You finally decided to turn your head when you noticed how the people around you lowered their heads for prayer and were met with prince Riki’s look of exasperation, as if he silently complained that you took too long to meet his eyes.

He gestured with his head in the direction of a small door on the side, you frowned at him, not being quite sure of the message he was trying to send you. He rolled his eyes and used his fingers to mimic two legs walking toward the door and only then it dawned on you that he wanted to leave the funeral while everyone was still distracted paying respects to the deceased king. You shook your head and turned again to face the front, lowering your head like the others, but soon enough you felt Riki tugging on your sleeve once more. Your brother, who was sitting right beside you, gave you a light kick on your calf as means of warning you to stop whatever you were doing; being pulled, figuratively, of course, from two opposite directions was starting to make you feel dizzy, what were you supposed to do in this situation? Your head was telling you to listen to Sunoo and behave, but your heart reminded you of how nice it felt to break the rules back then with Riki.

You sighed and cursed in your head for being the worst example of a princess to ever exist, turning again to meet the prince’s gaze that was full of expectation. You nodded at him and slowly got up from your seat, luckily located right on the side a few meters away from the door, Riki mirrored your actions immediately and soon, both of you were making your way through a spacious corridor illuminated by torches. The prince took a hold of your hand and guided you through the maze of hallways and rooms, you wondered how good his sense of direction must be for him to know exactly which way to go without a hint of hesitation. You somehow made it to the outside world, and now Riki and you headed to a place that seemed like a central plaza, just like the one in your kingdom; except that this one barely had a quarter of the merchants.

The prince squeezed your hand gently to get your attention, making you let go of his grip immediately; you had gotten so comfortable with the feeling of his fingers applying pressure over your silk glove that you forgot about it. —Let’s go for a walk, I want to see what they sell here— he completely ignored the way you were trying to keep a distance and offered his arm like a true gentleman, but you walked past him, facing the opposite direction to hide your flustered face. Seriously? Did both of you risk your entire reputation a few minutes ago merely because Riki wanted to buy a souvenir? But then again, you had the option to keep your butt seated next to Sunoo’s and mourn over the loss of king Lee, and something convinced you to escape the church; you just had to figure out what it was.

You looked back to gaze at the boy, but he was nowhere to be seen, fantastic. You stopped in your tracks amidst the tumult of people that marched past you like ocean waves, looking for a tall figure with messy hair dressed in all-black clothes, which luckily was relatively easy to do; you spotted Riki standing beside a female merchant that tried to convince him to buy something you recognized as a ring. It was difficult, making your way as you walked in the opposite direction as everyone else, but you finally reached the table full of hand-made jewelry that the prince was inspecting with interest. The woman and a boy you had not noticed before bowed upon your arrival —Oh, princess Y/N! It is a pleasure to have you here in such a happy occasion!— you smiled back at her and returned the greeting —My son Jungwon will recommend you the best pieces to accentuate your beauty— the merchant bowed again and left the three of you to greet more clients.

The young seller offered Riki a polite smile that showed a cute dimple on his left cheek —I see that you are interested in our ring collection… if I may suggest, a garnet would suit you the best!— he said, holding up a golden piece with said crystal. The quality was so good that it was hard to believe he had taken part in manufacturing them, given how young he looked.

The prince shook his head and politely declined the offer with a gesture of his hand —Thank you for the recommendation, but the ring is not not for me— he looked at you with a gentle smile —It’s for the princess—. You opened your eyes in surprise and waved your hands in front of you —Prince Riki, there is no need to do that!—; but he waved off your complaints and looked with curiosity at the rings that Jungwon was offering —I have plenty already, I don’t need more…— you mumbled, but none of the boys could hear you over the fuzz.

—I will take this one, please— Riki said after pondering for a minute, pointing at a delicate silver ring with a pink jewel embedded on its surface. —Because she likes pink— he added, making your cheeks imitate the color of the crystal, why was he doing this? You were at a loss for words, watching as the merchant nodded and handed the piece to Riki, accepting the payment in return. —Y/N, give me your hand, please— you were so stunned that you could not even question him and simply did as told.

The prince took your black glove off and held your hand in his; this was the first time you could actually feel his skin against yours, and the sensation was slowly clouding your mind. You watched as he carefully slid the ring onto your fourth finger with your mouth embarrassingly open, it seems like it was starting to become a habit of yours every time he did something utterly shocking; it fit perfectly, just as if it had been tailor-made for you. —Why are you doing this?— you asked in a faint voice, but the suddenly closed distance between you two made it easy for him to hear you.

—Don’t mind me, I’m just practicing— he said with a confident smirk and grabbed your arm, resuming your walk through the central plaza. You were so focused on the small crystal that now adorned your hand, that you almost missed the way Riki’s face would light up every now and then after any of the offered merchandise caught his attention. He dragged you by the arm and spoke with this particularly excited tone when his eyes landed on something that fascinated him, and you were more than endeared by his excitement. “Look at the size of this octopus!” “They don’t make clothes like this in the south!” “You could bake a ton of bread with a pumpkin like that one!” it was hard to believe that the boy that was now occupied making you try on a funny hat he saw on one of the many tables was the same one who nonchalantly simulated the ring exchange of a wedding and called it “practice”, but this newfound side of him was something you would not mind keeping by your side for the time being.

Sadly, all good things had to come to an end, and your brother was surely not pleased to see you with your flushed face and heavy breaths from running back to the cathedral, your hair messy and your gloves nowhere to be seen, but it had been fun while it lasted, you would think of an excuse to pacify him later.

Previous ⚔️ Masterlist ⚔️ Next

[cauzukofleascum]

No Good Man or Beast (Chapter 2)

The captured dragon’s white-hot terror melted into dread. The dull feeling sent blood rushing to his ears, partially from fear and partially from the humiliation of now being leashed to some strange winged madman who seemed to have a knack for dramatic flair. Ess didn't flinch or show any emotion, but his eyes seemed to fade from that enchanting silver to cold, dull steel. After a moment of too-much hand shaking, Ess pulled his hand away and wiped it onto his pants, "Where are you going to take me?"

Zane noticed the little motion but decided to ignore it, turning on one foot and looking up at the sky. "Now that I have a dragon...we are going to pay the humans a little visit. His wings began to slowly unfurl once more.

“A war weapon, of course,” Ess grumbled, glancing at the ruins of his village before stepping back and shifting to his dragon form. He was hesitant; was the price of his freedom worth the senseless violence to come? ‘Don’t think like that, Ess. You saved your people. Besides, who cares if a few humans die? They’re horrid creatures anyway, no better than bugs.’  The dragon’s thoughts were interrupted as Zane took off into the air, the ground below his paws shaking slightly from the force of the god’s scarlet wings. ‘What a showoff.’ Ess thought, rolling his eyes before taking off after him. 

The flight wasn’t very long, but Ess dreaded every moment of it. He stared at Zane as he followed in his wake, wondering just briefly if he could kill him. ‘No, I’ve made my choice. I should stick to it. Besides, if I fail, that means my entire species dies and their blood is on my hands,’ He let out an exasperated puff of steam. As he mulled and planned and pondered killing his subduer, he was quickly drawn out of his thoughts as a small village, tucked neatly in a valley between two hills, came into their line of sight. 

Banking his wings, the god landed in the tall, green sweetgrass that rolled down the hill and crouched down. Resting his forearms on his knees, he peered down at the village and started to observe its traits. Humans, for a reason unknown to him, seemed to exist in different time periods from each other. He never knew what to expect when he found one of their habitats; some of them were so advanced that their vehicles soared through the air as if they were birds, and others, like this one, seemed to be stuck in a strange suburban era. Women walked around in little kitten heels and flared yellow dresses with gaudy white polka dots while men carried around briefcases filled with who-knew-what. Narrowing his eyes and biting his lip, Zane pressed his armored fist to the ground to stabilize himself as Ess landed behind him. He tapped the ground twice before looking at his newly acquired companion, “How many humans have you killed?"

The dragon himself seemed to be quite out of it, not answering for a moment as he watched children play in their yards and fathers come home from work. ‘What does he want with these creatures?’ He wondered, the corners of his lion-like mouth turned down in a slight frown. Zane realized Ess vaguely reminded him of a Fu Dog. A dawn-pink, blue-maned Fu Dog with pale grey eyes that burned with life and fury. What an odd creature he’d found. Finally, he spoke, his voice hardly above a murmur: “None.”

Nodding solemnly, Zane turned his gaze back to the village. They still hadn’t been spotted. "Well, good luck. I have been watching these humans for a while, they seem to be more advanced than some of the others."

Ignoring his warning, Ess began panting softly before looking over at Zane and beginning to plead his case. “Do I have to kill them? I agreed to stay by your side but I never swore my body to your beck and call.” 

Zane raised a red eyebrow and smirked. "Only if you don't want to die." The amusement vanished from his face as he turned his attention back to the village and pointed down at it. A few steely chains slowly emerged from the ground behind him and loomed over the crusaders like snakes, aiming directly at the village.

The dragon shuddered as he looked up at the chains and he found that he was grateful to no longer be on the receiving end of Zane’s wrath. He let out a huffing noise, a small steam cloud leaving his nose as he hauled himself to his paws. “Fine.”

Zane nodded to himself as he picked the perfect starting spot. Like striking snakes, the chains immediately dove into various places, smashing through buildings and wounding dozens at once. Satisfied, Zane stood up and unfurled his wings, taking a step from the hill and gliding into the center of the villa to make his grand entrance.

Ess stood, spread his wings, and dove into the city, choosing not to follow Zane and heading to the nearest fallen building; a collapsed house. When he landed, he turned to his human form and ran inside, planning to sneak out any survivors while Zane wasn't watching. However, when he went inside he wasn’t prepared for the powerful scent of blood that filled his nostrils. He slapped a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from vomitting. There was no time for sickness, there were lives to save! As he gathered his nerves, a weak voice filled his ears, crying out for help from underneath a pile of broken purlins and trusses. “I hear you,” He called as he searched for the injured person, “Just be patient!” Minutes of throwing off roofing debris felt like hours before he found the deeply wounded young man. There was a wooden beam protruding from the human’s stomach. The man’s voice was weak: "K-Kill me, please.." As the man sputtered he spat blood onto Ess' face, forming a small splatter on his cheek. He reached out and touched the beast’s dusty leather boot, his hand shaking violently as he pulled slightly at the shoe, wanting Ess to kneel down. Without hesitation, Ess kneeled down beside the man and took his hand, "I can help you, just stay still-" The speared man pushed his hand away and grabbed onto one of the large knives strapped to Ess' thigh, looking him in the eye and pleading wordlessly. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ess took out the black bowie knife and slit the man's throat, keeping the cut deep and quick. Blood gushed onto Ess' leg and torso, staining the dark blue fabric of his clothing and overwhelming his nose with the stench of death. He could do nothing but stare down at the body, tears welling up in his eyes but evaporating before they could fall from his lashes. Everything felt surreal as if he was trapped in some sort of horrible nightmare. He hated killing, even if it was just a measly, vile little human. He hated fighting, and the more he thought about what he hated, he wished Zane had never shown up, he wished he was never born. He was startled out of his thoughts as a nearby building crumbled and exploded nearby.

More chains started to tear through the buildings as Zane walked through the city. He smiled gleefully as he took in all the chaos and hummed to himself as his ears were filled with the lovely sound of agonized screams. He looked over at a woman who had survived a fallen building, hardly wounded, and heading toward the town’s exit. That wouldn’t do, the last thing Zane wanted was a survivor. He finger-gunned at the woman and a chain burst from the ground and impaled her through the chest. The chain then shot through the wall of an unnaturally tall house, slamming the gored woman into the wall fast enough to kill her on impact. “Oh, did I miss one?” He muttered as he looked up at the house. The chain started tearing through the building, winding through the floors and shattering each window as it destroyed the infrastructure. Children could be heard screaming, some jumping from the broken windows in a futile attempt to escape from the metallic snake and splattering onto the ground below spewing bright red viscera against Zane’s deep brown skin. He stared down at the pile of mush, once human, that littered the ground in front of him before turning on one heel and walking away. 

The shrieks of children sent Ess into action again. There was no use crying over the contract he’d agreed to. As he tucked the knife back into its holster and scrambled to his feet, he made a beeline for the door, but quickly stopped as a woman appeared in the doorway. They gave each other a once over. The lady’s pink dress was covered in dust and grime, with tears in the fabric and one white glove missing from her dainty little hand, a pink pump missing from her foot. She looked horrified as she took in the bloodstained man with the reptilian eyes and deep blue hair, “Oh…oh my god! A demon!”

 “W-Wait, I didn't-" Ess started, eyes wide as he stepped back and lifted his hands, “I’m not gonna hurt you, please-!” The explanation fell on deaf ears as a man shoved the woman to the ground between them, shouting "Goddammit woman, move!" He hoisted his shotgun to eye level, aiming directly at Ess' head. In a rush of instinct and a burst of wind, Ess turned to his dragon form and swatted the villager away just a little bit too roughly. The man flew into the pile of debris where the other corpse lay, now impaled on a jagged piece of wood. The woman on the ground screamed again, curling into a ball as if that would protect her from the reality of the situation. ‘No, no! I have to get out of here!’ Ess thought, spreading his wings and surging up through the roof of the building. He felt trapped and wanted to escape as quickly as possible. He hadn’t meant to hurt the human, but it was far too late to explain that he was a friend, not a foe.

Zane turned when he heard the clamor of Ess rising through the roof and started to laugh but quickly stopped as a bullet grazed his cheek. Scowling, he crouched down and shielded himself with his wings as bullets flew and fell like hurled stones against his crimson shield. "Pests..." He quickly rushed two of the villagers, using one of his wings to cut one's head off while grabbing the other’s face and slamming his head into the ground, crushing his skull like a watermelon against the cold dirt. Wincing, he touched the blood that dripped from his cheek before staring coldly at the remaining villager that attacked him. The man, who had been dressed in a rather nice business suit, promptly began to wet himself when their eyes met. The feathers on Zane’s wings puffed up in anger as he marched toward the suit-man. The man dropped the gun and tried to run away to no avail. Lunging forward, Zane extended a wing and cut the man’s head off, muttering angrily under his breath. His mood had quickly turned sour and he decided that now was the perfect time to finish the job he’d started.

Meanwhile, in a frantic flurry of fur and feathers, Ess descended clumsily from the sky, turned to his human form, and took off into the shadows as quickly as he could. His natural form was too big to hide, much to his dismay, so he was forced to use his inferior form. The villagers gave chase, shooting at him as he ran to an area of the village with more coverage. Finding the perfect spot, Ess melted into the shadows of a ruined home, hiding just behind the doorframe. His heart drummed in his mouth as his ears strained to pick up the voices of his pursuers: “Where’d that damn demon go?” "No idea. Let's split up and try to ambush her, I think she went that way." "Pretty sure it was a guy." "Is that important? Now, you three go this way, we'll go down here." Footsteps moved toward the building Ess was hiding in. Biting down on his tongue, Ess grabbed his bowie knives and mentally prepared himself to take another life.

Meanwhile, Zane flew up into the sky above the village. "All of you are a plague on this beautiful planet…” He held his arms out to his sides and extended his wings as far as he could, the sky beginning to turn black and angry as clouds rushed to blot out any signs of sunlight. Lightning began to split the abyss above them, thunder booming like the applause of a cruel audience as the wind began to howl tales of Zane's anger. The spectacle caught the attention of Ess’ pursuers. 

"What is-" The villager never got to finish his sentence, Ess had plunged one of his knives deep into the back of his skull, his face contorted into the snarl of a trapped animal. "Wait-!" The gunman cried, aiming at Ess and pulling the trigger. It jammed. Before the man had a chance to run, Ess had already plunged his other knife deep into his belly and pushed it upward, gutting the poor villager like a fish. The third one took off down the alleyway, screaming hysterically for their god to save them. No god answered, only the sickening crunch of a body crushed between steely jaws. Almost immediately, he shrank down to his human form and placed a shaky hand on the wall of the destroyed house while quickly shoving the other hand down his throat, trying to purge the human corpse from his stomach. No use. He didn't want to kill those people, nevermind eat one, but his hand was forced and his instinct demanded he did. Before he could wallow in his dismay, his attention was drawn to the sudden burst of energy in the air, the static so intense that his hair, now a deep violet in certain spots due to the blood of his victims, began to rise and wave in the air. Just as he realized what was happening, a blinding brightness filled his vision and a nearly unfathomable pain surged through his body. Then, he was unconscious.

Lightning descended on the village, igniting houses and zapping any creature the god laid his eyes on. He let out a maniacle laugh as the winds rose and began tearing apart what few buildings remained, snatching up hiding humans and tossing them high into the air before dropping them to their deaths. Bodies rained from the skies, charred and smoking, landing on debris and littering what was once a beautiful little town. It didn’t take long before Zane’s rage was satiated, the winds quieting down their deathly wails and the lightning retreating into the cloudy sky, leaving the god and beast alone in the fruits of their labor. The entire village reeked of blood, death, and ash; and Zane couldn’t be happier. With a careful flap of his soaked wings, he landed and looked around at the mess.

"Well done, dragon. I’m surprised you cooperated so quickly."

Zane’s words were met with the soft drumming of the rain hitting the dirt below his feet. Furrowing his brow and crossing his arms, he called a bit louder: “Dragon come to my side.”

It took a moment, but his companion finally appeared, his heavy paws thumping against the ground and his massive head hanging low. As he approached, Ess shifted to his human form and continued to take weak steps toward Zane. He was burned, clothes were soaked in blood and he had mud caked all over him. When he was in front of Zane, he spoke in a quiet voice: “Have we finished?”

Zane raised an eyebrow when he saw him, a brief look of surprise crossing his face. ‘I must have hit him with my lightning,’ He thought, ‘I should be more careful next time.’  "Yes,” Zane said as he sized him up and smirked. He was surprised the dragon had lasted this long, especially since the humans seemed to give him such a hard time.

Hearing his words, Ess' body suddenly felt like it was made of stone. It hurt to even breathe, his muscles felt like he'd been put through a shredder. Blue spots began swarming his vision and he felt lightheaded. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears and the top of his head was burning hot, as if he his hair had been ignited like the houses that surrounded them. The world began to slowly tilt and spin. He only managed to whisper a soft, "Ah, good.." before his bright eyes rolled back and his knees gave out. He collapsed on the ground in front of Zane, just laying there as if he himself had joined the corpses, his breathing was light and shallow. The back of his shirt had been burned horribly and blood was beginning to pearl and spread across the dragon’s brown skin. 

Zane crouched down next to him, watching the blood spread into a puddle. He gently nudged the dragon’s cheek and checked his pulse when he got no reaction.  Seeing that Ess was still alive, though completely unconscious, Zane smirked and lifted Ess in one strong arm.

[thedarkmistress16]

Since Y'all Liked the Last One Here's a More General Yan! Inspired Blurb

Feel free to insert whomever tickles your fancy here- this kinda went in a different direction than I was expecting but I like it.

She had no idea what to do with the package on her counter. No one she knew would do something like this. Even after reading the note attached, she was left even more befuddled. It confirmed that her suspicions were accurate in the worst sense possible. At least, she thinks it does?

On the one hand, the paper was filled with endearments that made her innocent heart stutter stupidly. She must’ve spent a good minute re-reading the same lines over again as her imagination ran wild with a fantastical, perfect individual doing such things with her. And it’s not like the writer hinted that anything bad would happen if she leaked this information to anyone. However…

I’m always watching, :)

The chills came back full force from that sentence. She should have no fuzzy feelings leftover from something toeing a dangerous line, especially with that sort of context. Was she being pranked? By someone she didn’t know?

She turned around to face the mysterious box where only her first name was clearly scrawled on the surface. She paused, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth before releasing it. Regardless of how common or not her name was, there were other people who had it, and it was not a solid reason to assume it was intended for her. If it truly wasn’t meant for her eyes, then it wasn’t her business to open in the first place. But if that was the case… why was it at her doorstep?

She ran her thumb over the paper, cringing at herself. She already ripped open the envelope, so maybe opening the rest wouldn’t do too much more harm. The sender could always ship it again when he found out the recipient never got it. After all, mail gets mixed up all the time! She hated herself for defending her next action like this, but now she was really curious as to what was inside.

Well, she definitely wasn’t expecting to uncover a black garment underneath that tissue paper. She finds the straps and hooks them under her fingers to lift the dress gently, memorized with how smoothly her thumb glides over the material. It is somehow, a style and fit she would ponder wearing from behind a pane of glass and would either try it on for fun or go on about her day. A fleeting glance down toward the hem of the fabric had garnered another look toward the box. She had momentarily forgotten about it through her enthrallment, and it seems there were more things that were yet to be discovered past the letter and outfit.

It was a manilla envelope with some weight to it that had caught her eye. When she shook it, she could hear the shuffling and thunks of some type of paper inside. Pretty unsuspecting, but then again, so were the earlier finds. But since there was a very stunning dress inside, how bad could the contents of a mere folder be? Her mind flitted toward the letter for a brief moment, but she shrugged it away and popped open the seal.

It took more than a few seconds to understand what she was looking at after she poured what were photos into her hands- the Polaroid kind, with the white borders. Not only could she not tell what was photographed to due the minuscule size of the photo itself- which was likely made by the smallest camera make in existence- but they were shot terribly. Everything was blurred, and she felt her head spin the more she had to squint. She was able to pick up a few clues, however, like a couple of signs of buildings and streets she recognized. She was able to decipher people next, from the mop of hair on their heads and the silhouette of their clothes.

She blinked, now noticing the same color atop one person across other Polaroids despite the varying styles in each. Then she was struggling to place why she felt familiarity when gazing upon the outfits, even though she was still unsure of what the full picture entailed. One of the photos slipped through her fingers and dropped back into the opened cardboard, and startled her out of her reverie like a plate shattering on a tiled floor. She shuffled around the remaining photographs into a more manageable pile and used her free hand to pick up the fallen photo, turning it over.

Her heart caught in her throat and her grip loosened on the rest of the pictures. They fell out of her hand as she gazed upon the only Polaroid that was shot crystal clear. She quickly looked toward the others now scattered all over the box, and more pieces of the puzzle began to fit together and with each passing second. She wished it didn’t and her body wanted to project her breakfast the more she stared into the truth. She opted to release a string of expletives instead.

Well, one thing was for sure, as the shadowed figure hunched behind a bush under the kitchen window of the recipient sermonized, it was definitely for her.

Bonus:

Recipient: Wow I package I wonder who it's from! *opens it*

Shadowy figure:

This was literally my inspo for this XD

[etheriaaly]

Just The Two Of Us [C! Tommyinnit x GN! Reader]

FLUFF TO ANGST (PLATONIC)  WARNINGS: Mentions of suicide, suicidal thoughts, character death, cursing

Reader pronouns: They/them 

A/N: Hi, this is my first DSMP fanfic so uhh I hope u enjoy lmao. There might be grammatical errors so pls do not mind it :D

ɴᴀᴠɪɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ∣ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ

—

[Y/N] already lost count of all the pranks and chaos they made with Tommy. They didn't like causing havoc or pulling pranks on people but if Tommy asked them to tag along, they would. Tommy is their best friend after all. Plus, where's the fun in life without a little risk?

[Y/N] was just at their Cottage house, peacefully making the potions that Quackity ordered just hours ago. Since [Y/N] is a skilled witch, it was no shock when they owned a Potions business. Everyone in the SMP server knows about this and they usually come and buy their potions. 

They were about to finish the last set of potions that Quackity ordered until they ran out of ingredients. "Dammit." [Y/N] muttered under their breath. They turned around and immediately went to find if they have any stock ingredients in their barrels or chests.

When they saw no stock ingredients, [Y/N] sighed and decided to do some last minute ingredients grinding. It was until they opened the door and saw Tommy standing in front of their house door.

[Y/N] knew that his presence is no good because that motherfucker is grinning ear to ear. They playfully groaned and asked, "What is it this time child?"

"Hey, I told you not to call me a child anymore!" Tommy suddenly protested, feeling insulted but went back to his sly grin and said, "Let's prank Skeppy and Bad." 

"That's a horrible idea." 

"Come on, bitch. It'll be fun." 

And they did come with Tommy. A couple hours had passed and [Y/N] had already forgotten about the ingredients they were gonna get for Quackity's potions. Tommy said that Big Q's order can wait but the prank can't. 

It wasn't long after Bad and Skeppy saw the two teenagers doing their little harmless prank on them. 

[Y/N] caught sight of the two and immediately tugged on Tommy's shirt. "Fuck, Tommy we gotta go." 

Tommy, unfazed and still focused on the prank, said, "Just a little longer." 

[Y/N] nudged Tommy's side using her elbows as the two teenagers can now hear Skeppy and Bad's incoherent yelling drawing closer and closer to them. 

"RUN!" [Y/N] yelled as they both left the things they used to try to prank BBH and Skeppy. 

The two let out a laugh as they ran away. Tommy constantly turned his head back to see if Skeppy and Bad are still after them. 

[Y/N] and Tommy continued to run even though Bad and Skeppy stopped coming after them. It wasn't until the two teenagers finally stopped running so that they could catch their breath. 

"What now?" [Y/N] gasped, who is still out of breath from both running and laughing at the same time. They looked at Tommy. 

Tommy grinned again and then grabbed their arm, "I have something pog to show you." 

[Y/N] didn't question Tommy and just let him drag them to a mountain. 

Once they have reached the destination, [Y/N] let out a 'wow'. The view is breathtaking and it is very peaceful. The mountain isn't that very far from the SMP but it looks like very few have come across this part. 

"So, what do you think?" Tommy asked, looking at the view. The view consists of the calming ocean waves and a peaceful sunsetting with birds passing by. 

[Y/N] turned to Tommy and smiled, "This could be our secret spot." They slowly walked towards the edge of the mountain cliff but were immediately stopped by Tommy. 

"Oh, [Y/N] wait. Be careful, the edge of the cliff looks really faulty." Tommy warned. 

[Y/N] immediately stepped back a little and took note of what Tommy said. But, they were still curious and looked down at the edge of the cliff, only to see the water from below. 

If someone would fall from this cliff and took a heavy impact on the water, that person wouldn't survive due to how high the mountain cliff is. 

[Y/N] then proposed, "You know, when things are stressful and stuff. We can just go here, sit in silence and look at the view as the wind or the waves takes away our problems for a while." 

"Just the two of us." The blonde haired lad said and then they both stood in silence, admiring the view and beauty of the server. 

Oh, if only you could turn back in time and relive this memory. If only things are still the same the way it was before. 

It's been so long since [Y/N] had fun and peace. Probably so many months since Tommy first showed them their secret mountain hangout area. 

[Y/N] currently stood still, gazing at the view that was once calm and peaceful but was now replaced with sounds of flying TNTs, fireworks and screams from the background.

They were in no state of mind as of the moment. They don't even know what to do anymore. A lot has changed ever since the wars, the exilation of Tommy. 

[Y/N] sniffed, wiping their tears using their now mangy sleeves caused by the current chaotic event. They continued to stare at the ocean, a potion of poison glistening in their hands. 

[Y/N] looked at the Potion of Poison that they were holding and pondered whether to drink it or not. 

Maybe it's best to end it once and for all. They don't have anywhere to go anyways. They don't have any friends or family to turn back to since everyone is against them or thought badly of them now. 

[Y/N] can't even go back to L’manberg as well since they're now a wanted criminal for breaking the laws and escaping from their house since they're supposed to be on house arrest for the crimes they didn't even do. 

They opened the cork of the potion, but they didn't drink it yet. They let their mind wander for a while and process everything that has happened. 

Maybe Dream was right. Maybe the people they loved never even cared for them at all. Maybe it was all just a lie. Maybe—

"[Y/N]." A familiar voice that they haven't heard in a while. 

It was windy. The cool breeze of air touched their skins. But along with the wind, there are particles of TNT or fireworks dusts. 

The [H/C] haired person turned around and saw their best friend for the first time in months. 

"Tommy." [Y/N] replied. Their voice were hoarse and dry. "What are you- What are you doing here?" 

"I could ask you the same thing." Tommy glared at them.

[Y/N] quietly groaned, closed their eyes for a while and pinched their nose bridge, still holding the potion on their other hand. "So, you believe all that shit?"

"Enough for me to believe the fact you tried to murder Tubbo, burn my invites and team up with Dream." 

Tommy added, "Maybe they were right about you. You're Dream's sibling after all." 

[Y/N] scoffed and threw their available hand around the air, "He may be my sibling, but we are never alike." 

"Why, [Y/N]? Why did you do it?" Tommy asked, hands gripping tighter on his sword. "Did Dream finally get into your head for you to commit these crimes? Or did you just do it because it's in your blood?" 

"You don't know a thing that happened," [Y/N] harshly spit back, completely trying to avoid the topic of Dream. "Of course you don't. You were exiled."

Tommy never understood why. Why had they turned like this? He felt rage and betrayal. During his exiled time, Tommy thought that they were gonna be that one person who would try to find him. Comfort him or even send him secret coded messages. But no, he received nothing. 

It hurts. Hurts like hell to know your best friend turned their back on everyone. A best friend that he has known for years. A part of him wants to believe they didn't do it but the proofs are enough for him to believe it was really them. 

"Well, you really can't blame me can you? You can only blame yourself," [Y/N] said. "This all started because of you and your stupid discs. All you ever care about is the FUCKING DISCS. Wars started, lives were lost, relationships were destroyed, all just because of those discs." 

They had never done this before. This was their first time just being angry and shouting at each other. Although this might be new to each other, it was obvious that they have been bottling up their emotions way too long. 

"You know what?! Things would be so much better if only you didn't exist." Tommy instantly regretted what he said as soon as he saw a potion glisten from [Y/N]'s hands. 

He may not be an expert but he knew well enough of the potions due to him hanging out too much with them before. "What are you doing?" Tommy immediately asked. "Is that a potion of poison?" 

"Nothing for you to care about." [Y/N] turned back towards the cliff and stared at the view once again. 

"Just the two of us again here, huh?" They said as they pulled the potion towards their mouth, just inches away from the lips now until Tommy hurriedly ran towards [Y/N] and tackled them. 

"What are you, an idiot?!" Tommy scolded as they both fought each other while trying not to fall from the cliff. He tried to pull the potion of poison away but it was hard since they kept gripping on it. 

It wasn't until Tommy was finally able to remove the potion from [Y/N]'s grasps. He threw the potion far away as it got smashed on the ground. 

The two of them were too busy fighting over the potion to notice that one of them is now standing on the faulty edge of the cliff. 

[Y/N] was on the edge of the cliff and accidentally backed away from Tommy, thinking there was still space. A loud shriek came out of their mouth.

Tommy immediately ran towards the edge, scrambled on his feet and looked down. Luckily, [Y/N] was able to hold onto the edge but their hands are shaky and tired from all the things that just happened. 

"I got you, I got you." Tommy frantically muttered, his breath increasing as to not knowing what will happen next. 

[Y/N] grip is slowly failing. Once their hands slipped, Tommy instantly grabbed their hands and tried to pull them back up. But, he too was tired from everything that has been happening. 

He tried to pull them up again but it was no use. Stress was adding up even more the moment they both felt the edge of the cliff shaking once more. 

Tommy can't do it anymore. So, he let out all the tears he's been trying to fight back. 

"It's gonna be okay, Tommy. Let me go." 

The blonde haired teen's eyes widened at [Y/N]'s statement. He can't do it. He can't bear to lose another loved one in his life. 

"I can't lose you too, [N/N]." Tommy croaked. 

The two might've fought just minutes ago but this is now a life and death situation. Problems and angst aside, they still care for each other. 

"You already did." Tommy's eyes widened in confusion and sadness. [Y/N] forced their hand to slip from his as Tommy tried to tighten it even more. [Y/N] had a few energies remaining, so they used it to push themselves off the cliff with their foot, making Tommy let go. 

For Tommy, everything is going so fast that his mind almost stopped working. 

But everything was in slow motion for [Y/N]. The fresh wind was so refreshing, almost making them forget what is currently happening to them. 

They closed their eyes, not wanting to see anymore reactions from Tommy. This is their end. This was meant to be. 

The moment [Y/N] chose to fall out from Tommy's grip, the blonde panicked and set aside all items he had with him. Without thinking properly, he lunged himself off the cliff. The only goal he had in mind was to save [Y/N] before it's too late. 

But he was, indeed, late. 

Everyone's communicator beeped. They all took at least some time to look at what the message could be on the communicator. As soon as everyone read the 2 words, their jaws dropped. 

[Y/N] drowned. 

[bonky-n-steeb]

𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐿𝐼𝑉𝐼𝑁𝐺 𝐻𝐸𝐴𝑅𝑇

𝙃𝙐𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙍! 𝘽𝙐𝘾𝙆𝙔 𝘽𝘼𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙎 𝙓 𝙑𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙄𝙍𝙀! 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙍

𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬: Bucky and you have loved each other for as long as you can remember, but being who you are, your love story is impossible.

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: Unprotected sex, blood drinking, sex in a forest..? (Boy, they must be cold). PWP (porn with a very little plot... wait who am I lying to? It’s porn.) 𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙊𝙍𝙎 𝙋𝙇𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙀 𝘿𝙉𝙄!

For my sake, your sake, your mom’s sake and for the betterment of the entire world, if you are a minor, please do not read this!🔞

ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴀ ʀᴇᴀᴅ, ᴀʟʟ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ᴍɪɴᴇ

Guys, I’ve fallen down the hole of smut and can’t get up, so please come pick me, or maybe don’t 🥺😉 I hope you guys like this..!

Your eyes wandered as you took in the beauty of the forest in the dark. The scent of the wet soil below was filling your lungs and the melodic sound of the meek creatures of the night was being absorbed by your ears.

Taking a walk at night was a ritual of yours. Being a vampire limited your abilities to roam in the morning, so you took the liberty of wandering around in the peace of the night.

Due to your unnaturally long existence, you had seen a lot of this world. Not just places, but people too. Some days you had enjoyed the luxuries of castles while some days you had spent huddled up in a cottage, hiding from the people hunting you.

No matter how easy life was living in the cities with access to all amenities, but the ethereal peace the forest brought along was unparalleled. And that’s where you were, tucked away from the noise of the city and into the embrace of the nature.

It had been a few years now from purchasing the lone cabin in the forest. In the beginning you had wondered how long you would stay here until someone caught up to you, and you still did.

Just as that thought occurred to you, as if on cue, you heard twigs snapping right behind you. Quickly turning around, you scanned the forest. Your eyes unnaturally sharp in the dark.

From the corner of your eye, you still could see your cottage. It wasn’t that far for you to sprint to it. You had a gun kept in there for emergencies. If this was some Hunter or any other creature trying to jeopardise your life, you weren’t going to go down without a fight.

But before you could act on your thoughts, a known and inviting scent hit you. You inhaled sharply as a smile spread across your face. He had finally come for you. The only man you ever trusted, Bucky.

You would recognise his scent whenever or however you were. You couldn’t see him though, no matter how much you strained your eyes.

You knew what he was doing. He was chasing you like a hunter chasing his prey. Hiding in the corner at first like a predator, only to pounce when the prey falls into the trap.

He was stealthy, but the blood running in his veins and distinct human smell gave him away. You followed the trail blindly, trusting him, just like you had a hundred times before.

You walked with light footsteps on the soft dirt, so as to not give away your location. This hide and seek was your foreplay. And it excited you more than anything else.

When you reached the place where his scent was dense, your first instinct was to inhale it. The musky and earthy scent, the very proof of him being alive, pulled you towards him.

But before you could ponder further, you were pushed hard against the bark of a tree. Your first instinct was to bare your fangs, but when you realised who it was, you let out a loud exhale.

Bucky had you pinned up against the tree, quick enough to surprise you, but not hard enough to hurt. He pressed his own body to your back and mitigated your movements further by holding your hands at your sides.

With his body pressed up against your back, you could feel his own noticeable bulge rubbing against your ass. You weren’t the only one excited by this chase.

“Hasn’t anyone told you that a sweet dove like you shouldn’t be roaming out in the dark.” His husky voice turned you on even more. His beard brushing your cheek only amplified your arousal.

“You’re forgetting that I’m the thing people are afraid of in the dark.” You retorted back with a snarl. He chuckled at that letting go of your hands, only to curl his arms around you, lovingly.

His demeanour changed quickly from a rough predator to a sweet lover. Though you were still at his mercy, you were now in his embrace, safe from the entire world.

You almost wanted to laugh at this irony. A vampire feeling safe in the arms of a hunter. It was like a deer feeling safe with a tiger. Though you weren’t sure who was the tiger between you two.

You couldn’t help but swoon as he pressed kisses to your throat and cheek. It was his way of telling that he missed you. Though he would never put the sentiment into words, just like you.

Your eyes met each other under the moonlight and just like the first time, you wanted to drown in those steel blue pools. You both didn’t move from your positions as you continued staring.

Your lips were utterly close to each other and neither of you moved yet. Your eyes were conveying the emotions you weren’t able to speak. Or maybe your love was powerful enough that it didn’t need words.

You both knew you loved each other. You always had and you always would. But if either of you went public with this relation, neither the vampires nor the hunters would be pleased. And you weren’t ready to lose your friends or start a war.

You had kept this secret for decades if not centuries, you would keep it a little more. This is how it always had been, Bucky would visit you out of the blue and you would have the best sex ever and then again part ways.

Bucky was the first one to move. He darted his tongue out and slowly, sensually licked your bottom lip, while still looking you dead in the eye the entire time.

You closed the gap between you two and smashed your lips together. You licked his chapped lips as he suckled yours. You titled your head to prevent your noses from clashing.

Still not breaking the kiss, you deftly turned around to face him. Placing your hands around his neck, you pulled him closer.

Falling prey to your instincts, you couldn’t help but pierce his bottom lip with your fangs. Just enough to get small rivulets of blood flow into your mouth.

You moaned the moment his blood as sweet as nectar touched your tongue. You had drank from many people, but none tasted like Bucky.

Using your strength and agility, you swiftly switched your positions around, so that now his back was against the tree. You finally broke the kiss as he panted for air.

“Much too late aren’t we, this time?” You skeptically asked him. You had been waiting for him for months. No doubt you were glad for his safe return, but you were going to get the retribution for all the days you had spent worrying about him.

“I was a little busy doll.” He said giving his signature smirk. You were sure he must’ve been out there hunting your kind. But you snapped out of it before the guilt got too much.

“But now you have me, all to yourself.” He said leaning in for another kiss. This was where he was wrong. You would never have him. He would never be completely yours.

As you began kissing again, you clutched the lapels of his jacket and pulled him down in the soft dirt with you. You both went on your knees and he shifted back so that he could sit with his back pressed against the tree. You crawled ahead and settled in his lap.

Your mouth watered as you took in the delicate skin of his neck stretched over the luscious red blood flowing beneath. His body was so warm, so welcoming, unlike yours. The moonlight was radiating off of him.

You were helpless against your urge to feed on him again. Clutching his short hair in your fingers, you titled his head backwards. Now that you had tasted him, your hunger increased by ten folds.

Wrapping your hand around his neck, you pressed particularly hard around his jugular. Not because you wanted to choke him, but because you wanted to feel the beating of his very living heart.

You licked a long stripe of his exposed neck and his breath hitched at the action. “You like that, don’t you?” You asked as you licked a trail from his cheek to his lips.

You wanted to break the skin near his jugular with your fangs. You wanted to taste the most delicious thing you had ever tasted. You wanted his blood to flow in your veins.

But you knew that if you staved off your hunger for a little more, it would be much more pleasurable for him. Unable to stop yourself from wanting to feel more of his skin, you pushed his jacket back and tore his shirt in half. You definitely felt his cock jerk at that.

As you ground your hips down on his hard on, he clutched your hips hard enough to bruise to stop you from moving further. You knew that though the reins were in your hand, he was in control.

As you sucked and marked his collarbones, you felt his hand sneak in your pants from behind. His fingers first started slowly running through your folds and smearing the wetness.

When he flicked at your clit, you sighed and buried your face in his neck, breathing him in. He teased your entrance for a moment, before finally pushing two fingers in. Your whimpers only fueled him and he started pumping his fingers in earnest.

“All I need to do is fill you up with my fingers and you fucking submit. What a dirty little doll you are.” He snickered. You ground and rubbed your clit against the rough fabric of your pants. He soon felt your walls clenching and he quickly removed his fingers from your heat.

“Fuck Bucky. Please don’t stop!” you grunted at the loss of his fingers. “Remove your pants.” Nodding quickly you both slipped your pants and T-shirt off.

As you both resumed your positions, you dived in for another bruising kiss while rubbing your wet core on his rock hard cock.

Taking his dick in your hand, you pumped it a few times before positioning it right at your entrance. Taking it in inch by inch, you both wailed with satisfaction when you finally took him to the base.

Touching your foreheads, you didn’t move at first, relishing at the fullness. The stretch of his cock as good as the first time. But then you slowly worked yourself up on his dick, only to increase your speed with each thrust.

“Such a slut you are, fucking yourself on my cock like a kitten in heat.” He still wasn’t doing anything except getting mesmerised by the way you moved and the way your core gripped his cock tight.

“Are you gonna do something or...,,.. or just gonna sit there and.... Oh Fuck.” You whined and stopped mid sentence as he thrusted up roughly.

He took your hands that had been scratching his chest and held them tightly against your back. You stopped bouncing on his cock and resorted to just grinding.

Your movements were now restricted as your hands were pinned behind. If you wanted, you would’ve broken free, but in no world you wanted to do that. Holding you firmly, he started rutting up against you.

“Fuck, it... it feels so good.” Your eyes shut close at the sensation and your head fell back. Your moans and whines filled the silent forest. Your legs were covered up in the forest soil as your chest was glistening with sweat. This was downright dirty and primal.

Bucky bent down and licked up a fat stripe of your sweat soaked chest and pressed kisses to your throat. “Mine. You are mine. And I’m yours.” He grunted aloud for the whole forest to here.

“Fuck yes!” You screamed into the night. By now your fangs were out in their full glory. And you were chanting Bucky’s name like a prayer.

“Cum for me doll. Milk my cock. Fuck, just like that.” Hearing his words, your dam broke. Your eyes rolled back as your legs quivered.

Your thoughts had left your mind and the only thing you knew was Bucky as the waves of overwhelming white pleasure overtook you. This was undoubtedly the most powerful orgasm you ever had. You felt warm and alive.

The fact that you were out in the open for anyone to see a vampire fucking a hunter, made you gush with arousal. Bucky grunted loudly and cursed as your walls squeezed him as he kept pounding into you throughout your orgasm.

As the waves of pleasure started subsiding, you looked at his throat and licked your lips. You knew he was close and you also knew what exactly he needed to fall from the edge.

As if reading your thoughts, he bared his throat to you. After every time you had bit him, he had to hide your bite mark. Even though he loved to feed you, the repercussions of someone seeing vampiric bite marks on him were much too severe to ignore.

You simply sucked at his jugular first as his thrusts grew erratic indicating his oncoming orgasm. Finally, finally as you pierced his skin with your fangs, he came deep inside you with a loud grunt.

Red hot fury filled your mouth as his cum filled your pussy. You couldn’t help but moan at the sensation of being so full of him. This, right now was the highest state of bliss you had ever been on.

He was giving and you were taking. His blood to you was like nectar to a honeybee. It was the sweetest ambrosia on earth you could ever taste.

Finally when you had your share, you licked his wound clean and looked up to see him completely disheveled and sated. All this time he had been lovingly rubbing your back to comfort you as you drank his blood. How could you not love this man?

A few droplets of his blood slipped from your mouth, and he shamelessly licked them, collecting them on his tongue and kissed you, rubbing them back in your mouth.

You winced as his cock slipped out. You held him tight as you both laid back on the soil and stared at the night sky. You knew he wouldn’t be there by the morning and then again you would wait for him to come find you.

As you glanced at his face, which was definitely sculpted by the gods, you wanted to plead him to stay. Ask him, or even beg him to be with you, only you. But you didn’t, just like you hadn’t all those times before.

Maybe it was your ego, or maybe it was the knowledge that no matter where he went, he would always come back to you.

[svnflowervol666]

hey! can you write one where harry invites y/n and his band mates out for drinks and they try to hand her a drink but she reveals she previously by saying like “you can’t drink when your pregnant” ...

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: I combined this one with a request for where Harry constantly refers to Y/N as his “ex-girlfriend,” because they’re engaged now. ((Super cute. Super corny. Makes my heart mush. Anyway.)) Kinda short but still sweet. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Take care and TPWK.

“There she is!” 

His voice is drowned out by clanking glasses and the heavy bass of whatever rock song was playing through the shitty speakers in the corner of the room, but it was unmistakable nonetheless. Followed by his “greeting” were the shouts and howls of the rest of the bunch, most of them raising their glass in honor of her (late) arrival.

“My ex-girlfriend!”

Harry, despite his inebriated state, smiled widely and welcomed her as protectively as he always had in the past few weeks - relieving her person of any bags or extra weight, this time being her coat and purse which he hung on the brass hooks underneath the bar table, and inspecting her facial expression for any signs of discontent or worry. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when he kicked his “dad-mode,” tendencies into overdrive, but it certainly began on that rainy, Thursday night in their shared bathroom as they sat against the wall of the bathtub with four positive pregnancy tests in both of their hands.

“Really wish you’d stop calling me that, Har,” she sneered as he helped her shake her arms loose from her coat.

“One of these days you’re gonna cause a scene.”

“'S true, though,” the drunken boy giggled.

“You’re not m’ girlfriend anymore. You’re my fiance.”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes at his antics, intending to pull him in for a quick hug and kiss when her attention was drawn away from her curly-headed brunette and towards the man of the hour.

“Y/N!” 

“Hello, birthday boy,” her voice was mellow against the drunken slur that had started to take over her friend, Mitch’s.

“‘S not very nice of you to be late to my party,” he slurred as he pulled her in rather harshly for a bone-crushing hug.

“Sorry, got caught up with some work stuff,” Y/N managed to get out through a chuckle in between Mitch’s squeezing.

She saw Harry stiffen out of the corner of her eye, like he was torn between yelling something akin to, “Take it easy on her, mate. She’s pregnant for christ’s sake,” or letting the interaction play out. He knew he wasn’t allowed to do the former, as they’d agreed to wait until they could have all of their friends and family over at the same time to tell them the good great news, so Harry opted to let Mitch hug her extra tight despite his unrealistic, dramatic worries that he’d crush her fragile frame or hurt the baby in some way. She made sure to send a reassuring smile Harry’s way when Mitch let her go from his grasp.

Short and sweet was her greeting to Sarah, both of them opting to kiss one another on the cheek.

“Let me see it one more time,” her voice was quiet amongst the chatter of the bar, almost sounding like a whisper.

Y/N felt the heat climbing to her cheeks as she let Sarah take her hand in hers to examine the ring on her fourth finger. The band was gold and slim, adorned with a dainty yet sizeable single diamond in the very center. 

“So pretty,” she gushed, admiring the way the gem flittered, even in the dim, tungsten-glow of the bar.

Y/N muttered a quiet “thank you,” before making her away back to the other side of the table where Harry was waiting for her with an outstretched arm, yearning to get back to what they had been doing before Y/N had to make her rounds.

As he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, Y/N caught wind of the tequila on his breath. She tasted it too, when she pecked his lips quickly and - oh god, did she taste stout as well? Maybe she’d end up taking care of him later tonight when his head was stuck in the toilet, but that seemed plenty fair considering how often Harry had been doing the same exact thing for her here lately.

“Yeh alright? Had me all worried when ya said you’d be late,” Harry’s question was asked lowly so that only she could hear.

Harry had been with Mitch and Sarah all day celebrating, hence this was the first time he’d seen Y/N since this morning when he kissed her and sent her off to work.

Y/N nodded and smiled, though her face led Harry to believe differently.

“Got sick when I got home from the office. Just took me a little bit longer to get out the door,” she shrugged, insinuating that it wasn’t a big deal, but that she wasn’t feeling one hundred percent ready-to-party either.

“Baby,” Harry half-scolded her, feeling a good portion of his buzz leave his body when Y/N mentioned that she hadn’t felt well.

“Why didn’t yeh just tell me you were sick? Coulda came home and sat with you.”

“I wasn’t going to ask you to ditch your best friend’s birthday dinner just because I was throwing up for the fifteenth time this week,” she was stern in her words and made it clear that she was fine.

“I’m alright. I promise.”

Harry’s jaw softened at her proclamation, the muscles in his torso easing up from their tense position.

“Oi! Will you two stop whispering and get drunk with me?!” Mitch shouted across the table, bursting the bubble that had temporarily surrounded the couple whilst they talked about their sweet little secret that they were dying to tell everyone about.

“You,” Mitch pointed his finger towards Y/N’s head.

“Shots. Now,” he gestured to the bartender making drinks on the opposite end of where their table was.

Both Y/N and Harry chuckled nervously, unsure of how to work around the fact that Y/N couldn’t drink without spilling the beans.

“Think I need to get some food in my stomach before I do that. Why don’t you take Harry,” Y/N urged Harry forward by his shoulder and prayed it would be enough to entertain the drunk boy.

“Fine,” Mitch glared.

“It’ll just make it hard for you to catch up later then!”

He grabbed Harry by the bicep and cleared through the crowd of people in order to get his liquor he was so keen about.

The conversation with Sarah was light, mostly about what all they’d done today and bets on if Mitch would end up needing to be babied for the rest of the night. Y/N successfully dodged Sarah’s questions about the wedding and how planning was going along, chalking it up to busy work schedules and failing to come to an agreement on a venue and date.

“Harry’s dead set on a summer wedding, but I’m fighting for a winter date,” she dismissed through a nervous chuckle when the reality was that they were unsure how to navigate planning a wedding around the arrival of their baby to make any more decisions.

It seemed like ages passed before the two men returned. Y/N was picking at the fries and sipping on the ginger ale Harry had ordered her before she’d gotten there but was interrupted when Harry and Mitch came barrelling back to the table.

He was drunk. Quite drunk. And Y/N knew that because his body felt even warmer and his eyes looked even hazier than before he’d left. She imagined they definitely had more than once shot at the bar, but she didn’t have much time to ponder that before she felt his hands snake around her waist and rest on her hips. She reciprocated his touch, looping her arms around his shoulders and laying her head against his chest.

“Love you,” Harry muttered into the soft spot between her jaw and ear, then his hands wormed their way under her shirt to rest on the underside of her tummy.

“Love you too,” he said again.

She could feel him smile against her skin as he cradled her almost non-existent baby bump from underneath her oversized sweater. Harry was the only one who saw her regularly enough to notice the minute changes her body had been going through. To everyone else, she still looked like plain, old Y/N.

“We love you more, but if you don’t stop canoodling me in the middle of this bar,” Y/N began, speaking light-heartedly and quietly in his ear, “Everyone’s going to find out and you won’t get to have that announcement party you’ve been planning for weeks now.”

Harry sighed, knowing she was right, and loosened his hold on her tummy and opting to sling an arm over her shoulder to at least keep her close instead.

“I know what you’re up to,” Mitch glared at the two of them from across the table.

This gained the attention of not only Y/N and Harry but Sarah as well. Everyone turned to look at Mitch, anticipating what he was going to say next.

“And what would that be, Mitchy?” Y/N toyed.

A pout formed on his face, arms quickly crossed his chest as he huffed.

“You’re trying to get out of here and leave me all alone on my birthday.”

“Guess I’m not even here then. I’m a hallucination,” Sarah baited with a roll of her eyes.

“We’re not trying t’ leave ya, mate. Promise,” Harry stuck his pinky out across the table as a gesture of sincerity.

“Are too.”

Mitch’s drunken rambles were beginning to sound quite childish now and became more amusing by the second.

“Are not, honey bun,” Y/N requited.

“Liars. Both of you.”

Mitch launched a bunched up straw wrapper in Harry’s direction that bounced off of his most prominent curl and landed somewhere near his feet.

“Where would we even go, hmm?” Harry taunted, resting his chin on the knuckles of his free hand that was leaned against the table.

“What could we possibly planned tha’ would be better than spending time with you lot on your birthday?”

They watched as Mitch’s remaining sobriety fought hard for an answer, but ultimately giving into his drunkness and murmuring, “Don’t know! Probably going off to screw each other or something!”

The table burst into laughter, and Y/N hid her face in Harry’s chest out of embarrassment. 

“Wouldn’t surprise me actually,” Sarah quipped before taking a huge sip of her cocktail.

“Look. Here’s the deal,” Mitch tried his best in his drunken stupor to be serious.

“Prove to me that you’re not gonna leave me and take another shot.”

“Fine,” Harry shrugged.

“Let’s go back t’ the bar then.”

He started to pull Mitch along but was stopped suddenly.

“No,” Mitch was quick to intervene.

“Y/N too. If you both drink, you can’t drive home and leave me,” he said proudly as if his idea was the smartest thing he’d ever come up with.

She knew it was only Mitch being sloppy drunk and acting like the idiot he always was, but Y/N couldn’t help but feel her palms begin to sweat. They couldn’t tell Mitch the real reason why she couldn’t drink with the group tonight, so she was quickly wracking her brain for another excuse now that she’d filled her belly with french fries since giving her last one.

But there was no need to think any further, as Harry stepped in for her.

“She can’t do tha’, mate. Now, c’mon. Let’s get some more tequila. Looks like Sarah needs another drink as well, hmm?”

Harry pinched his nose in annoyance. He was trying his hardest to keep this all under wraps, but Mitch was making it extremely difficult.

“Who are you? Her keeper? Telling her what she can and can’t do?” Mitch yelled.

“No, you nunce. She can’t drink because yeh can’t drink when you’re pregn-”

Fuck.

Harry clapped his hand over his mouth before he finished his sentence, but it was too late. He wasn’t sure what he was thinking when he said it. Wasn’t even sure if he was thinking at all, to be completely honest. He silently prayed that neither Mitch nor Sarah heard him, but he quickly realized that was untrue when they both stared between him and Y/N with wide eyes.

“Y/N L/N. Are you pregnant?” Sarah was the first to speak up.

Y/N felt like she was stuck in place, only able to look at Harry with a racing chest and her mouth agape. 

“I, um, I - yes?” It came out as more of a question due to her state of shock.

“I’m so fuckin’ sorry. Holy shit,” Harry exclaimed as he went back to Y/N’s side to console her.

He was spiraling in fear that Y/N was angry with him, but it was mostly the alcohol making him think so.

“You’re having a baby?” Mitch’s voice was unusually quiet for how loudly he had been yelling just moments ago.

“Yeah. We are,” she was laughing nervously as she spoke.

“Sorry that Harry ruined the surprise. We wanted to have a big party and tell everyone at the same time, but I guess the cat’s out of the bag for you guys.”

She rubbed Harry’s back with her palm, a silent reassurance for Harry that she wasn’t upset with him. Mitch and Sarah, however, they couldn’t read.

Mitch said nothing, only leaving his position beside Sarah to go stand in between Y/N and Harry. He looked at them both with an expression that resembled both anger and confusion, which only added to their discomfort.

In a split second, he had his arms around both of them, hugging them tightly.

“Holy shit! This is the best birthday present ever. Uncle Mitch and Aunt Sarah. What the fuck?!” he was rambling now, beaming from ear to ear as he ran over to pull Sarah, who was also losing her shit, just in her own seat and not on top of Harry and Y/N, into the group hug.

Their eyes caught each other in the midst of the friend-sandwich they were being forced to be a part of. A smile and knowing look were exchanged between them and they knew, despite it not coming out in the most fashionable way, their precious little bub would be surrounded by people that loved them dearly.

[ca-8]

Yakko x Reader Scenario: When You First Meet

'This is it. The beginning of the end.' 

Gripping on the straps of her backpack, (Y/n) exited the bus and stared up at the water tower that displayed the famous Warner Bros. logo. As expected, it emitted a smug aura onto the entire area; however, surprisingly, there was a slight twinge of mystery to it as well. But she didn't have time to ponder about it, so she only gave it an uneasy look and headed straight for the entrance.

Her heart stopped. She knew the place was going to be busy, but it was like an entire New York City packed in one section! So many writers, producers, actors, large men carrying heavy sets, every type of person working in film was scattered all over the place. It was like an ocean, with the people as marine life doing what they're designed to do, and (Y/n) being the puppy that was abandoned at sea.

The moment it all settled in, an involuntary realization invaded her thoughts. 'I don't belong here.'

The young girl reminded herself to breathe and rushed over to a vacant wall, then pulled out her phone. She had already sent her mother about a thousand messages telling her she was here, but since she hasn't responded, a few more shouldn't hurt. Fingers rapidly typing away, she bit her lower lip, already wishing she had stayed on that bus. 

"Oh, you're just gonna love it!" Her mother's squealing voice had already filled her skull. "You're so talented, I know you're gonna fit right in."

'Yeah, standing around all day with a bunch of people I don't know while doing something I suck at is exactly how I wanna spend my summer.' She let out a soft sigh. 'It's fine. Just shut up and make her happy, (Y/n).'

Several attempts of calling and texting later, no response. (Y/n) sighed again, and her eyes wandered over to the bustling crowd. 'No way. Absolutely no way.' But if she wanted to get the day over with, absolutely yes way.

First, she walked up to a lady looking down at the clipboard in her hands. "Um, excuse me," (Y/n) said. 

The lady's head snatched up. "KYLE!" she yelled, her eyes now ablaze with fury, "YOU IDIOT! THAT GOES IN THE WAREHOUSE ACROSS THE STUDIO!" And like there was nothing but a breeze behind her, the lady stomped off to the poor soul that had to face her wrath.

The breeze took a step back and ran around the corner. 'Maybe I'll find someone else instead…!' (Y/n) stopped and spotted a man sitting on the steps that lead to the entrance of a small building. She swallowed whatever was left in her mouth and reluctantly approached him. 

"E-Excuse me, sir?" she stuttered, hoping her voice was louder than the last time. As she got closer, (Y/n) noticed he was chuckling, and his gaze was glued onto a small piece of paper. 

"I...I did it…!" he said. She yelped and shrinked back when he suddenly jumped to his feet. "I FINALLY DID IT! WE'LL SEE WHO'S REGRETTING THE DIVORCE NOW, MARGARET!" And with a manic laugh, the man dashed into the building. 

'...Or maybe I'll just find it myself.'

It wasn't too long before (Y/n) got herself lost. Despite the help of maps that were stuck to some of the buildings, all of them seemed exactly the same. It was like a maze, and with each passing minute, she was more and more convinced that there was no finish line. Even worse, her mother was too busy to respond to anything she sent her. 

'Oh, what should I do?' (Y/n) thought for the thousandth time. No matter how hard she pinched or held them, her arms refused to stop trembling. Not too long ago, the outside of the studio became deserted and she'd hate to walk in a warehouse and possibly interrupt something important, so asking for help again was out of the question.

...Or, perhaps it wasn't. 

A tiny, hopeful smile crossed (Y/n)'s face when she heard the sounds of frustrated grunts around the corner. It was the first time she was so relieved to see a stranger. 

And thank god that stranger was a security guard. Though she wondered why he had a giant net in his hand, she shoved the curiosity as far in the back of her mind as she could and reached up to gently tap his shoulder. 

"Um, excuse me sir?" she asked as loud as she could. 

His head whipped around, revealing angry eyes and a scowl that said he was ready to kill. But right as his gaze landed on her, it changed within an instant. 

"Oh, hello!" he said with a bright smile. 

(Y/n) blinked, cocking her head. ‘What was this guy up to?’

"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you know where (M/n) (L/n) is filming? I'm her daughter, (Y/n), and I'm trying to look for her. She's not answering her phone either."

His joyful expression slowly melted into a confused one. "Uuhhh…(M/n) (L/n)?”

“Yes. She’s a part of Animal Kingdom? Do you know where that’s being filmed?”

“Oh! I know there’s a zoo around here called Animal Kingdom! I don’t think you’ll find it in a film studio, though.”

(Y/n) frowned. “...No, I mean the show. Aren’t they filming in a warehouse today? Do you know where that is?”

“Who’s ‘they’?”

Her eye twitched, and she was just about ready to drown the entire studio in the nearest ocean. “N-Nevermind, I’ll just-”

As if the universe wasn’t satisfied with tormenting her enough, the security guard suddenly launched up into the air and flew into the sky. Right before her eyes, the heavens were coated with explosives of every color that ever existed. 

“Oh my god!” (Y/n) yelled. ‘Who strapped fireworks on that guy?!’

“Oh, I knew you’d love it!”

Her eyes were ripped from the loud fireworks show as she was immediately smothered in a hug. “It’s so nice that another girl’s here! All the other ones here are either too busy or just keep shouting about a restraining order for some reason. I dunno, but anyway, I just know you're gonna love it here! Anyway, my name’s Princess Angelina Louisa Cantessa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the third! But since we're friends now, you can just call me Dot.”

This confirmed it. This was a trap set up by her mother to deliberately drive her insane, because how else can someone explain the nut jobs and talking dogs in pink dresses? 

A combination of those two things happened to be clutching her head and digging her face into hers. “...Huh?” (Y/n) mumbled.

‘Dot’ jumped off of her and smiled widely. “Sorry about Ralph by the way. I figured out you were coming at the last second and I really needed someone for your welcoming gift.” she said.

(Y/n) glanced up at the sky where the fireworks were slowly dying down. “Um...Is he gonna be okay?” she asked.  

“Of course he will!” her backpack said.

The teen screamed and threw her bag on the ground. A hand popped out and unzipped it with impossible ease, then a taller boy version of Dot jumped out, pulling up his long brown pants and flashing a grin. 

“H-...H-H-How did you…?!” (Y/n) stuttered, pointing at him. 

“What? Never heard of cartoon logic?” he said, approaching her. “And Ralph’ll be fine. His skull’s so thick, concrete’s the last thing that can kill him.”

“What-?”

“Anyhow,” he walked over to Dot and put an arm over her shoulder, “The name’s Yakko, this here’s my beloved baby sister Dot, and this is-” He stopped, staring at the empty space to his left. He leaned into Dot, whispering, “Say, uh, you don't mind looking for Wakko, do ya sis?”

Dot glanced at (Y/n) for an uncomfortable moment and suddenly shot her brother a glare. "I've got eyes all over this studio, Yakko," she warned, slowly stepping away.

Now (Y/n) certainly knew she didn't see pairs of eyes appear around every inch of her sight. 'Oh god, I didn't breath in drugs on the way here, did I? Actually, that would explain whatever the heck's going on.'

Yakko smiled as he watched his sister leave and turned to (Y/n). He walked closer to her, and she realized that his half-lidded eyes had a strange glint in them. “Sooo, your name’s (Y/n), right? A pretty name for a pretty girl.”

(Y/n)’s face heated up. ‘First I get lost, then see a guy get blown up, and now some other guy’s flirting with me? ...To be honest, this is still better than what Mom had planned for today.’

“So what brings ya’ here?” he asked.

“O-Oh, well, my Mom was supposed to give me a tour of the studio, but I’ve been giving that to myself all day. I tried finding her, but I’m pretty sure I’m nowhere near it by now.” Her eyes wandered over to the ground, but a realization made them perk back up and over to Yakko. “Hey, do you happen to know this place by any chance?”

“Know it? Please, my sibs and I live here, we know this place by heart and soul!” He mumbled something else, along the lines of “Basically made our hearts and souls”. 

Her heart jumped; finally, a piece of good news. “Really?” she said, a smile spreading across her face.

He nodded. “So where do ya’ need to go?” Before she could answer, he pulled out a piece of folded paper and moved in so close, their shoulders were smooshed together. Yakko unfolded it, and it turned out to be the biggest map (Y/n) has ever seen. “Well, from here, you’re gonna need to take a right and continue straight until you get to the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts exhibit. But be careful, I heard some of them escaped, and if anyone asks if you’ve seen any of them, don’t tell them I gave one to Dot as a late birthday gift. Anyway, you take a left from there, then a right where you’ll see the lot where they used to shoot Game of Thrones. Now this is only a rumour I’ve heard, but I think some of the producers are still on that set. If you happen to see them, do not, I repeat, DO NOT mention season eight, or maybe just don’t mention the show at all. Actually, don’t even look at them. As a matter of fact, you probably shouldn’t even go there at all, just keep heading straight until you get to the D.C. Universe lot. Then you just take left there, then a sharp right over over, then you keep going straight until you get to here, turn up over there, turn right there, and then you’re there. Did ya’ follow all that?”

(Y/n) stared at his face, which was practically radiating with enthusiasm, and she felt her eye twitch again. “...No,” she said, shaking her head.

His smile dimmed, but it became just as bright as the sun again a split-second later. “Ah well, maps are gettin' old anyways,” he said, throwing the map over his shoulder. “WAKKO!!”

And, low and behold, another anthropomorphic dog popped out of nowhere, and (Y/n) was starting to question if there was an army of them hidden somewhere. But she had to admit, it was pretty cute how this one was dressed in an oversized blue sweater and red hat. 

“Tablet, please,” Yakko said politely, holding out his hand. 

‘You're not gonna walk me there-?'

Wakko suddenly held his head back with his cheeks puffed out, then leaned into Yakko’s hand as he forced out a small object from his mouth. After an incredibly uneasy moment, a tablet glazed in spit was in Yakko's grasp. While he praised the little guy, (Y/n) forced back the urge to vomit.

“E-Ehhhh…?” She couldn’t say anything else while her gaze frantically went back and forth from Wakko and the regurgitated tablet. 

“Oh! Where are my manners?” Yakko said. “(Y/n), this is my dear little brother, Wakko. Wakko, this here’s our new special friend, (Y/n).” 

“Hello!” Wakko greeted, who was suddenly in her arms. “You’re really pretty!”

“Ehh? Thank you? I guess??” she said apprehensively, and finally managed to make eye contact. Despite his...quirks, he's actually a little adorable... She let herself grin a little.

The moment of semi-peace was ruined when she took notice of Yakko’s narrowed eyes. “ALrighty, (Y/n)!” he said loudly, grabbing his little brother by the collar and gently setting him on the ground. “Animal Kingdom, right? Let’s get ya’ right over there.” He moved right beside her and taped the screen a couple times. 

“Um, what’re you doing exactly?” she asked.

“Doing what every person does to get somewhere nowadays.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her against him, and (Y/n) flinched from his touch. “Please keep your arms, legs, and personal items inside the tablet at all times.”

Just when she was about to question him for the hundredth time, he pressed the screen again, and her vision became nothing but white. Her body felt like it was launched into a tornado; a strong force of wind thrusted her back, and somehow, the boy’s arm kept her from flying off from his side. A second later, her feet were back on the ground, the sky was where it needed to be, and reality was back in place. 

Except for (Y/n)’s mentality. 

She stumbled around, trying to find her balance as the world unbearably whirled around her. Finally, she shook her head, and quickly turned back towards Yakko, whose face tried to tell her whatever happened was perfectly fine and normal. 

“What was THAT?” she yelled, staggering towards him and gripping his shoulders.

And he still had the audacity to have that 'why-are-you-freaking-out-so-much-we-do-this-every-Friday' smile. “Thank you for attending Warner’s Travel Tours! I would say my Agent Ralph’ll take your bags, but I left him alone with my sibs, so he’s probably in the middle of the Pacific Ocean by now.”

(Y/n) could only stare at him. Her mind was twisting and turning, trying so hard to make any sense of what happened but only making her headache grow larger and larger. And then, her thoughts just went blank.

She smirked. Then giggled. And a few seconds later, she had burst out laughing whilst holding her stomach. (Y/n) looked back up at Yakko, wiping a tear from her eye. “Th-Thank you…” she said, catching her breath. 

His smile had grown and she thought his white cheeks were red for a moment. Yakko had opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a net suddenly covering his entire body. Ralph was behind him, his skin and clothes burnt and ears practically smoking. “You’re coming with me, Warner!” he said.

And yet, Yakko only grinned. Like physics was his enemy, he disappeared from inside the net and appeared sprouting from the security guard’s back, cheerfully waving at (Y/n). “I’ll see ya’ around, yeah?” he said, then ran around the corner with Ralph sprinting right after him.

(Y/n) giggled and reached for the straps around her back. But when she only felt the (f/c) fabric of her shirt, her smile dropped, and a deep sigh escaped her lips. “Great…” she whispered.

“(Y/N)!” 

She gasped as a pair of arms squeezed the life out of her. Her mother spun her around to face her gleaming smile, which was immediately replaced by an apologetic frown. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get your texts! That scene took forever, but I’m glad you found your way here! You’re so smart! Anyway, I know we don’t get as much time now, but there’s still so much we’ll be able to see!...”

She rambled on and on and on and on. Her daughter’s shoulders slumped and she followed her to where she wanted her to go, but the frown on her face didn’t last long when she remembered the fun she had just a few seconds ago. ‘Maybe this summer won’t be that bad.’

[henqtic]

𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴

pairing: artist!sirus black x reader

word count: 591

summary: sirius draws sketches you nude. 

warnings: vague description of sex for only a short paragraph (not important and easy to skip over), nudity— please contact me if there’s more !

masterlist. // taglist form. // request works. // picture creds.

—————————

“you’re truly a beauty m’love.”

the awe skillfully laced into his voice brought you back to how you woke up— sounds of graphite scraping against paper, lines getting written one after another. some curved, some straight and some were just shading, and it was all to capture you completely.

“oh but didn’t you already have the whole night to tell me that?” you pondered, not exactly expecting an answer as you were hinting at the events of mere hours before— and they didn’t seem too unforgettable. you had to keep in a laugh once you looked up, he was flustered, blushing at a faint memory.

feelings of rough and soft touches, him gripping your body closer and closer and your nails scratching deeper into his— being so tangled up in the duvets, sounds of pants, moans, whines, and whimpers that only the loud city right on the other side of your floor length windows came as a reminder of the outside world.

and in the midst of the cool down, words of praise and heavy breathing changing the atmosphere— he was admiring your sweat gleamed body under his, taking in every single detail before finally picking you and bringing you to the bathroom. and then, that’s the moment he got the inspiration.

your neck craned slightly, curious of how much progress he had made but he simply moved the sketchbook a little more than out of your sight without taking his attention off of it. you should’ve known he’d do that, he always did have a thing with letting people see the pieces he worked on.

he told you how he took up the hobby around his third year, how it was an escape from everything going around at home, and the feeling of anxiousness he’d get just by thinking of being under the dusted roof again.

and art, drawing, it helped him to really express himself and give him a place where he could create his own world, one where he could possess a sense of control about the mind space he was in rather than it being completely dependent on the dark and foggy ones of his family members.

“i know that but really, what’s the harm in continuing if it’s not a lie?”

his question was so obviously rhetorical because not a second later he was leaning down to lay a soft kiss to your lips, moving the white sheet partially from your body to reveal your bare chest and starting back at his work once again.

“do you really think it’s... tasteful to draw me nude?”

sirius always told you how you were his muse, how you purely existing made his brain gears turn. and you were flattered, there wasn’t a person on earth who wouldn’t be— but still, every spark he got never went to something quite like this.

“y/n your body is one of the most beautiful ones, no it is the most beautiful one i’ve ever had the privilege of seeing, every single inch of it. i think it’s extremely tasteful to have it in another form— only if you want it to be of course.”

you stayed silent a few seconds to give the illusion that you were actually thinking about it.

“you’re a real talker black, did you know that— but you have my yes filled with nothing but gratitude. go ahead,” you said, granting him permission to continue and permission for your body to relax into the bed— an airy sigh coming from you quickly after.

"you won't regret it."

general // sirius black taglist - @harmqnia @eunoniaa @dracosaccount @ambi-doo12 @mypainistemporary @ang9lic @daltonacademia @inglourious-imagines @willowmores @arcaneslut @slutfordracoluciusmalfoy @axgelre @beforeoursunsets @helleli @o-rion-sta-r @alexavolturisblog @catching-the-train-to-hogwarts @myalupinblack @l0vely-lupin @slut4drvc0​ @moonysimpp @slutfordracoluciusmalfoy @meiitanoia @iamninaannaisreading @elevatorsdoor @redheaded-hobbit @dreamcxtcherr @remmyywolf @siriusbarnesslut @hogwarts-102 

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[fieryhonesty]

“Story’s based on a request from a Nonnie and they are right! Our Xiao needs hugs and rest a bit.”

Words: 1910

Genre: fluff, f!reader

Xiao is always keeping things for him. He will never seek company to share his burdens. After all, there is no trouble which will last long enough, he says. However he can't deny there are moments when he is fed up. Be it the never ending war he fights or his own problems. Which are having roots back in history.

Sometimes there's too much to handle at once, yet he stands tall and faces it headon. Never argues or falters with decisions. As long as it means he can protect Liyue. 

To anyone who has never seen him or rarely, he looks like a strong and cold man. But is he really like this? He is an Adeptus, he has seen a lot and experienced some battle scars. Was Xiao always like this? Back in the days when all other Yaksha existed. 

Many things happened in his life. He can't even count or remember it all. But all those things made him who he is now. Although there are things which still surprise or confuse him. 

He never liked showing himself in front of mortals. There are just a few ones which he tolerates or even allows to talk to him. If he is in a good mood of course. The ones who know Xiao also know about keeping distance when he is upset.

But there's one mortal whose boldness or maybe stupidity never ceases to amaze him. He told you so many times to leave him be, added harsh words and yet... you didn't turn away. Instead approached and offered a companionship. 

He eventually gave up with chasing the silly female away. At first he didn't know why she was so stubborn. Mortals are strange but you are like one or two levels stranger than anyone else. Just why do you wish to spend time with somebody like him?

You are like a bridge between the silent and closed up Adeptus and mortal realm. Part of him is still hesitant and refuses to share his burdens. He might have allowed you to stay beside him, be it in silence or tell him what you did that day. What strange things happened or something. He would just sit there and listen. But none of this means he will let his guard down. He will always be fully aware of what's happening around. 

You are often asking yourself: does he ever rest? As you know him for a while you are able to recognize when he is really sad and you shouldn't say much. Or when he is quite alright and willing to listen to your rambling until you fall asleep. The fact you can peacefully sleep in Xiao's presence amazes him.

Today is one of those nights when he would have preferred to be just alone. But why does he feel this burning desire to pay you a visit? Is it because you didn't come for a few days and he got worried? No. That can't be it. Xiao has no attachment to anybody, especially mortals.

Truth to be told, he feels tired and despite feeling the way he feels. He decides to silently knock on your door. At first he thought he knocked too lightly. For a brief second he thought to himself to leave. Why is he here anyway? But then he heard your footsteps from behind the door. 

He feels so conflicted. He shouldn't be here, seeking anyone's company. Solitude and sadness are nothing to him.

When you open the door of your apartment, the cold is immediately making you shiver. Not wasting any second grabbing Xiao's wrist and pulling him inside. The cold is too much for you. How the heck he can just stand there and not shiver?! 

Be it anyone else touching him, he would have asked them if they do have a death wish. He got used to your touch at least a bit. You sometimes gently squeezed his hand in a friendly gesture. To assure him you are there, willing to listen to anything or just sit silently and observe the sky.

Letting go of his wrist and looking into his golden eyes. As usually his expression is the same but you can feel he is not alright. His shoulders are unusually down and overall his posture is different. 

"Is something wrong?"

You ask with a slightly tilted head to the side. You are not even aware of this, you do it automatically all the time. It's kind of cute but don't expect the Adeptus will say it out loud. He is already confused. He wanted to be alone, why did he come here. He is clearly delaying your bedtime. He should have never come. But the words escaping his lips are even more confusing him. 

"You didn't come..."

Is he really worried about a mortal? Didn't he promise to himself to never get any attachment to anyone? Not even to another Adepti. 

Your next move is really bold and unexpected. Xiao gasps in surprise as you wrap your arms around him.

"Y/n? What are you...?"

Perhaps embracing him would not be the brightest idea if you consider how little he knows about human interactions. But you couldn't help yourself. Feeling a bit guilty for making the poor man worried. He already has a lot on his plate.

"I'm sorry if I did worry you."

You said as you gently rubbed his back, drawing circles in a soothing manner. 

It took him a while to realize what was going on. He seen this act between other mortals but never cared what does it mean. It's just two people are in close proximity, touching each other. But there's something strange about the act. 

Your warmth. 

He didn't feel cold while being outside, he is used to it. But when he feels your warmth he can't help it but feel a bit at ease. When you pull back to check on him, he feels a little... sad? Perhaps he missed the opportunity to repay the act. 

"You know. There's something I had noticed about you, Xiao."

He lifts an eyebrow at you. Unable to contain the curiosity.

"How much do you trust me?" 

You ask while trying to keep your smile. Aware of how much the question doesn’t make sense with what you said before.

Xiao on the other hand is pondering over your question. How much does he trust a mortal like you? And why are you asking him in the first place?

"That's stupid thing to ask. You should have known the answer already."

There we go again. Xiao and his not so sugar coated words. Surely you know he has at least a bit more trust in you than other humans. But would he let you touch him even more? No matter how you put it, it will sound wrong.

"Well then... it just crossed my mind out of nowhere but. Uh... There's something that always bugged me. Do you ever rest or relax at all? I mean yes you do just hang around at Wangshu here and now. But I mean like a real rest..."

You had to stop yourself. Feeling how your monologue was getting worse by each said word.

"I don't need to-"

"Yes, you do." 

Oh no. It slipped out faster than you could think of it. He is silent, eyes slightly narrowed. Did you anger him? It's quite easy to do it after all.

"What do you propose then?"

"Eh?" 

"Don't 'eh' at me. If you think I need to relax then you should have an idea how."

You are finally on the same page. Sometimes you hate your brain to jump into way too fast conclusions. You motion for him to follow you to your living room where you both sit on the sofa. Telling him to sit turned back to you. 

You are sitting behind him. What are you planning? Ah! A gasp escaped his lips making him feel embarrassed. You just barely touched his shoulders. Not even using too much force, just a gentle squeeze to test waters. 

"So, can I give you something that my mom calls a medicine for tired muscles?" 

A simple massage. Just by a single touch you could feel how tense his muscles are. He nods. Being glad you can't see his face now. Biting his bottom lip. He didn't know how much his back actually hurts. Not paying attention to it anymore. But now, he is melting under your touch. 

You try to be gentle but also applying some pressure to help his muscles to relax. You had learned how to massage when you were teen as your mother always had back pain from her work. This was the fastest help, along with pain killers.

Xiao deeply exhales, closing his eyes. He hates to admit it but this feels good, maybe too good. Perhaps he could let his guard down for a bit, at least for now. Letting your skilled fingers caress him. Exhaustion and fatigue is slowly getting under his skin. And this warm feeling, he wants more. Just like when you embraced him a while ago. 

You noticed how much he relaxed under your hands. You can't help it but smile from ear to ear. The mighty Guardian, always so rigid can't endure the pleasant feeling. 

"If you are tired you can sleep over, I don't mind. Unless... you have plans to mess up your back just right when I fix them up?"

You had secretly hoped he wouldn't disappear when you are done. You know when he leaves your place he will go back to his stiff attitude again. 

"Somebody has to keep you safe at night. Take it as a payment..." 

You giggle as he says that. You could tease him about admitting he likes this but decided to rather not.

When you were done and brought him a spare blanket you noticed his blush. Not saying anything and just offering the warm cover. What you did not expect was him grabbing your wrist. 

"Xiao?"

"How can... I keep you safe if you are in the other room?"

Oh damn. Your brain is preoccupied with why he just won't admit he wants to keep you close. 

"Um, you want to move the sofa into my bedroom?" 

He groans. Why you must play dumb now? All he wants is more of your warmth. When you embraced him, when you touched him. He felt at ease  which is new to him. Is it too much to ask for more? Well, maybe he should actually ask and be straight for once.

"Just... stay close." 

"Oh-"

That escalated quickly. For both of you. You decided to spare him from more suffering as you could see his face was slowly turning to tomato color. And you? You weren't much better. Turning off the lights before sliding under the blanket. For once being glad to have a bigger sofa. 

As you are both laying on your sides you feel Xiao's hand hesitantly go over you to pull you closer to him. Don't even think of escaping when he falls asleep. He has you secure. And certainly he won't admit any of this the next morning.

He is tired and confused by his behavior but he decided to blame it on his fatigue. You better don't mention any of this. Not even the way he is having a firm grip of your clothes. Or how quickly he fell asleep.

[peachsayshi]

Chapter 4 - Domain

Gojo Satoru x Female Reader

Tags: Friends with Benefits, Smut, Teasing and a little bit of Fluff. 

Summary: Gojo returns from his trip, and while the two of you are hanging out you ask him to show you some of his powers. Unable to resist himself, he breaks a rule along the way.

A/N: Thank you so much for the likes and reblogs! I pretty much only have this updated on AO3 but am slowly trying to add all the chapters onto my Tumblr.

- - - 

When Gojo texted you to let you know that he was at his apartment, he did it with a devious prank in his mind. He informed you that you could let yourself in as the door was unlocked but chose to turn off all the lights and hid in one of the closets.

Then he waited.

He heard the patter of your footsteps and a soft “hello”, before creeping out from his hiding place and lightly approaching you. He was quiet enough for you not to hear him, the shadow of your frame slowing down and he could tell you were getting nervous.

She’s going to kill me, he thought to himself but refused to back out now that he had already set things in motion.

He towered behind you, noticing you freeze in place by the unknown and proceeded to wrap his long arms around your waist before pulling you into his body.

“ Boo !” he exclaimed in your ear, earning a well deserved shriek on your part.

“GOJO, YOU IDIOT!”

You elbowed him in the stomach, forcing him to let go of you as a fit of giggles escaped his lips.

You marched over to the light switches, flicking them to illuminate his large penthouse apartment and you furrowed your brows at the six-foot-three goofball who was covering his mouth to hold in his laughter.

“This is how you greet your friends after coming back from a trip?! By scaring the shit out of them?! Who the hell does that?!!”

Gojo tried to contain himself but the image of your jump scare was perfectly etched in his brain, replaying over and over again. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry …” he said in between laughs, breathing in to regain control of himself. “I couldn’t help myself but you should see your face!”

“Ugh, you immature , asshole!” you grumbled, throwing the bag that you were holding in your hands in his direction.

Gojo had superior reflexes and caught it before it flew over his shoulder. He took a minute to calm himself down, extremely pleased that his plan went accordingly.

Meanwhile, you tossed your purse onto his coffee table, huffing to yourself as you plopped down on his black sofa. You folded your arms across your chest, unable to even look at him because of how irritated you were.

Gojo glanced down at the bag in his hand, the clear plastic enclosing a number of rainbow colored candies on the inside.

He bit his bottom lip out of guilt. “Okay, I’m sorry …I mean it this time…”

You scoffed, “are you? Because you still seem pretty content with what you just did.”

“I’m not going to lie, seeing you react like that was worth it…”

You scooted away from him as he took his seat next to you.

“What if you were some kind of murderer?!”

“Now why would you think a murderer would be in this apartment when I  invited you over in the first place? You’re smart, use a little logic…” he teased as he tapped your temple lightly before proceeding to open the bag of sweets.

“That’s it, you don’t deserve Rina’s candies...”

Gojo clasped his chest in disbelief, “ you don’t mean that… ”

You snatched the bag away from him, a satisfied smile spreading across your lips as Gojo frowned.

Deep down inside he was really happy to see you. Playful banter and all, your presence was the recharge he needed after his trip.

The two of you met eight years ago at Rina’s candy shop. At the time, your best friend was just starting her own confectionary business which you were helping her with by working part time while you were still studying at university. Gojo couldn’t get enough of her sweets, earning himself a reputation as a repeat customer. You and Rina constantly joke that he practically kept the business afloat during the early days.What you didn’t know is that he also had his eyes on Rina’s pretty friend. Unfortunately for Gojo, you were taken and oblivious to his advances.

He didn’t care; just because you weren’t interested in him in a physical sense, didn’t mean that you both couldn’t be friends. Gojo is the type of guy who would confidently socialise with anyone around him. He knew not everybody took to his personality, especially when the words “narcissist”, “egotistical” and “arrogant” were constantly used to describe him. You knew all this about him but still chose to maintain your friendship. How you put up with his petty behavior and childish ways often had him wondering why you stuck around but he was grateful that you did.  

After all, you were his closest friend - the only person he relied on after Suguru died.

Gojo pouted his lips, singing your name as he leaned forward to you and softening his tone. “If I get down on my knees and apologise will you forgive me?”

“Hmmm…” you pondered, “I think that’s a fair punishment and you’re buying dinner tonight, which I’ll be choosing so you can’t make a fuss about it.”

Gojo nodded his head and shifted his position to plant his knees onto the floor. He placed one hand on his chest, his other lifting up his blindfold so he was peeping at you with just one eye.

“I sincerely apologize for the hurt I caused you. Will you please, with a cherry on top , forgive this idiot who is on his knees?”

He noticed your lovely smile, amused that he was the reason behind this reaction.

“Okay, you're forgiven,” you replied, as you extended the bag of sweets back to him, offering him to take his pick.

Gojo returned to his sit next to you, his fingers dipping into the candy mix before pulling out a ruby colored square and popping it into his mouth.

“Mmmm…” he moaned, as the flavor burst along his tongue, “ this is good.. .”

“It’s a fresh batch. She made it this morning,” you replied, picking up a piece of candy for yourself. “Now that we can be civilized. Tell me how your trip went…”

The two of you spoke briefly about his trip but Gojo wasn’t eager to disclose the headache he is currently going through trying to uncover the fingers of a one-thousand year old curse. Instead he shifted the conversation back to you, asking how your morning with Rina went instead. He was only back for twelve hours before he had to leave again. The two of you wanted to see each other but agreed that you would hold off on “grabbing drinks” until he returned three days from now.

However, Gojo noted how good you looked seated right in front of him. Before all this started, you would usually show up at his place in casual clothes, paying no attention about how you looked but tonight he realized that you made an effort.  

You made an effort to look nice for him.  

He appreciated it, because the pair of denim jeans you had on fit in all the right places that he loved paying attention to. Your white t-shirt revealed a hint of the lace bralette you were wearing underneath and the man wondered if that was a deliberate fashion choice on your part just to tease him. Your lips were painted in crimson, practically forcing him to focus on your mouth. He had to remember that the rules were there for a reason. The rules ensured that the two of you maintained the boundaries of your friendship. The rules were there because you two needed to make sure that this didn’t influence your existing relationship in any way.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, but I can’t promise an answer…” Gojo cheekily replied, popping another sweet in his mouth as he grinned at you.

“Can I see your… domain ?”

“Is that supposed to be a code for my dick or something?”

You rolled your eyes at him, “you keep telling me about all these powers you have but I’ve never seen any of it.”

Gojo squinted his eyes at you, “why are you so curious about me all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you were asking me a lot of questions about work just now, which you usually don’t do, and now you want me to show you my skill set…”

You fidgeted in place, your fingers tapping nervously against the fabric of your jeans. “I don’t know, I think it’s weird that we have been friends for so long but I still don’t know the real you…”

Gojo paused, taken aback by your statement, “of course you know the real me.”

“Not the parts of you that you keep hiding from me.”

It’s for your own good, he thought to himself.

Gojo pressed his lips together to stop himself from saying those words.

“You already know about my Six Eyes…” he light heartedly replied.  

“There’s more to you than that! I guess I’m just curious to see what else you can do. Besides, I’m starting to come up with theories about your powers. Starting with the fact that you have to wear this blindfold at all times otherwise you’re going to start shooting blue laser beams at people.”

“No laser beams, I can promise that,” Gojo replied with a nervous chuckle.

“Then show me the you that “claims” to be the strongest jujutsu sorcerer…” you said, poking him gently on the shoulder. “I just…want to see something …”

Gojo pondered for a moment, sighing to himself as he was not quite sure what he could possibly do that wouldn’t risk putting you in danger. A few seconds passed before he stood up, taking the bag of sweets from your hand and placing it near your purse.

“I want you to stand in front of me,” he requested as he walked around the sofa and found a spot in the middle of the room.

You did as he asked and motioned your way to the position that he had requested. Gojo extended his arm out, ensuring that you were a good distance away.

“Alright, now give me a hug.”

You arched your brow, “seriously?”

“Just do it…” he insisted.

“If this is another stupid prank…”

“I swear it isn’t. Now give me a hug, I’m trying to make a point.”

You walked over towards him, taking your time until you were a few inches away from him. Your arms looped around his waist as you embraced him, but you stared up at him in confusion waiting to see what Gojo was planning next.

“Now what?”

“Okay…” Gojo placed both his hands on your shoulders, before motioning you back until you were an arms length away from him again. “Now I want you to try and push me,” he commanded.

“Push you?”

“Yes. Try to knock me down.”

You scoffed and he could tell that you probably thought he was messing around with you again. Just to play along you nonchalantly placed both your hands up and moved over to shove him, only this time Gojo did something that he’s never done in your presence.

Your eyes widened, your hands pressing into the air that was separating your touch from his body. The force like iron poured over concrete, incredibly powerful and completely protecting Gojo from you.  

“Wait… why…” you voice shook, as your frustration got the better of you. Your hands started to tremble and Gojo noticed you increasing your force as you tried to fight the barrier of his infinity technique.

“ Why can’t I touch you?…”

You were using your legs to push now, every ounce of energy going into fighting the invisible cloak that shielded him.

Gojo smirked before dropping his infinity.

You felt the barrier lift, the pressure giving way as you hurled into him. Your body collided into his, all that pent up energy crashing into the sorcerer as you fell onto the ground. Gojo braced your fall but your face was planted into his chest and your arms lay flat on the ground besides him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

You gathered your senses, pushing yourself until you were sitting upright to face him. A puzzled look masked your face as you patted Gojo’s chest lightly before clutching shoulders and massaging your hands down his arms. “I can touch you now!  How…how did you do that?…”  

Your gaze lifted to meet his own both shocked and amazed by what just happened.

With his blindfold on you couldn’t tell that he was looking at you with wonderment.

Gojo straightened his back so that the two of you were facing each other. You shifted your legs, adjusting your position so you were straddling him. Your hands were still pressing his arms, gripping onto them as if you were trying to prove to yourself that you were indeed touching him.

“You asked me to show you something. So I did...” he said with a shrug.  

“Was that your domain? Are…are you the domain?!”

Your innocent question made his heart swell, and a laugh escaped him.  

“That’s not how it works! It's more complicated than that but this is just one of my techniques that I use to defend myself.”

“That’s… pretty cool …”

“Does it satisfy your curiosity?”

“A little.”

Gojo felt you finally let go of him. He glanced down to stare at your hands which were slightly red. He winced at the sight, bringing his fingers to wrap around your wrist as his thumb circled the center of your palm.

“Did I hurt you?”

“No, this is from smacking the floor when I tripped.”

“Technically still my fault, I should have warned you that I was going to drop my infinity…”

“When I tried to push you it was the weirdest sensation. Like, I was touching something but feeling absolutely nothing at the same time. Has anyone ever broken it? Your infinity?”

“You forget I’m the strongest,” Gojo smugly replied, “nobody can touch me unless I want them to.”

You hummed to yourself but Gojo could see that you were lost in your own thoughts. You took his statement into consideration but he could tell you still had more questions you wanted to ask.

“Thank you for showing me,” you replied softly, choosing to let it go for now.

Your eyes locked onto his, your cheeks a little flushed when you realized how close your faces were to each other. Gojo could sense your pulse increasing, your chest rising and falling as seconds passed between you both.

Right now, all he could think about is kissing you.

His lips brushed yours, a breathless sigh escaping you as you broke the silence that hung in the air.

“ Maybe, we should order some dinner…” you suggested, your eyes shimmering with anticipation.

“That’s an idea,” Gojo murmured, his eyes from beneath his blindfold dropping to your lips.

“I was thinking maybe we can take away from that place-“

His lips locked onto yours, interrupting your thoughts as he gave in to his desire. His hands moved to your hips, tugging you forward against him so he was holding you closer. He bit your bottom lip, before licking it and sliding his tongue into your mouth. Completely entranced by what he was doing, he didn’t notice your hands trailing up his chest until it circled around his neck. This kiss was different, slow and passionate as Gojo took the time to explore your mouth. The taste of sugar dance across your tongues as he deepened the kiss, and he could feel himself getting hard as your chest rubbed against his. One of his hands snaked it’s way up behind your back, tangling his fingers in your hair. His other hand began lifting your tee from the front, sliding underneath it as he slowly began rubbing the flesh of your midriff. You broke away from him, taking a second to catch your breath as you pressed your forehead into his and hoping to calm things down before they escalate.

“We shouldn’t…we said we weren’t going too…”

“You’re right, we probably should stop…” Gojo agreed, but his lips spoke otherwise as he returned a kiss instead.

“ Satoru… ” you whined, but he could sense the heat between your legs as your hips naturally bucked into him. “We said we wouldn’t…not tonight..”

“Then tell me to stop.”

“What about the rules…”

“Tell me that you want me to stop, and we can go back to what we were doing.”

His lips trailed to your neck, where he nipped and sucked at your skin with every intention of leaving a mark.

You whimpered, tilting your head instead and giving Gojo better access to continue what he was doing. Your silence spoke volumes and gave him the consent he needed to continue.

“Rules were meant to be broken,” he whispered in your ear. “And tonight, sweet girl, you’re all mine …”

- CHAPTER 5: EDGE - 

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Serenade (Daniela Dimitrescu/Reader) Pt. 2

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Pairing: Daniela Dimitrescu/Reader Rating: T for language and blood + references to violence Warning: Lil bit of kisses with dubious consent (initial surprise, then “hmm this is nice, I guess”), as well as a tiny bit of blood. Oh, and, ya know, mild referenced cannibalism. Notes: Still no beta reader, we die like innocent chickens unfortunate enough to be in Ethan Winters’ way. Also, I’m hoping this isn’t too ramble-y, I kinda. Got excited. Maybe sorta stayed up late to write this instead of sleeping, so... PS sorry for the cliffhanger, I could not resist. Next chapter will include the reader earning their PHD in Bullshittery, while also moving us into the, like, actual central plot of Serenade (or at least the part that the romance revolves around). Previous Chapters: Pt. 1: Nocturne

Chapter 2: Overture

     By the time you made it back to the maidens' quarters, it was nearly half an hour after your "shift" officially ended. Daniela hadn't taken up that much of your time, but her words had instilled a vigorous sense of anxiety in you, which had only drawn out your remaining tasks. You also weren't terribly looking forward to being interrogated by your coworkers. What would you even say? "Oh yeah, I accidentally played a note on the forbidden piano but instead of killing me, Lady Daniela just flirted with me and let me go! Haha smiley face emoji!"

     Yeah, that would definitely go over great with the others. Maybe you could get away with pretending you hadn't been the one to play? Even though, you know, your daily duties were posted on the same wall as everyone else's, and anyone could see that you were the only person working in the music room today. Damnit, you think, everyone is always a bit tense when someone "gets off easy". Not that it happened terribly often. It simply made people nervous, considering they never knew if the Ladies of the house had been denied the "stress relief" they so desired, and whether or not they would want to take it out on someone else.

     Hoping things would sail a little smoother this time, you took a deep breath and pushed the door to your quarters open. As soon as you stepped in you felt a dozen pairs of eyes turn your way. There had been muffled talking as you approached, but now it was silent, a heavy curtain of discomfort hanging over the room. Well, fuck, you thought, struggling to think of how to react. In the end you settled with a slightly-too-enthusiastic wave and a shy smile.

     “What the hell is wrong with you?” One of the maidens asks, almost instantly, eyes narrowed and eyebrows furrowed with confusion. If you remembered correctly, her name was Cynthia, and she was one of the (currently) longest running survivors. The two of you hadn’t spoken before, which made her next move all the more confusing. Without much of a warning she moved in front of you, reaching out to grab your hands, before gently holding them in front of her chest. When she speaks, it’s with a hushed voice. “How are you not dead right now?”

     “I… have absolutely no idea,” you replied, doing what you could to avoid her gaze, but ending up meeting eyes with the others in the room.

     “When you didn’t get back with everyone else… we assumed the worst,” Daphne, the closest thing you had to a best friend, said. She was towards the front of the small crowd of maidens, all of whom were now gathering around you out of curiosity. “You’re probably just lucky that Lady Dimitrescu wasn’t home while you played, otherwise, well, I think we can all guess what would have happened.”

     “Thank the Mother for that, literally,” Cynthia chimed, dropping your hands as she did. That caught your interest for sure. Despite being part of an eccentric “extended family”, it wasn’t that often that Lady Dimitrescu actually left the castle to visit the other Lords; or their leader, for that matter. Was something big coming? Or was it simply time for a regular check up? You didn’t have time to ponder that thought, as soon Cynthia was speaking again. “Now, please, regale us with your story, dear. It must certainly be interesting… seeing as you escaped unscathed.”

     “Alright, alright,” you said, putting your hands up in a “slow down” motion. Sighing, you moved over to your bed, sitting on the edge, before starting to tell the others what happened. You left out a few details, such as the severity of Daniela’s flirting, as well as the way she touched you. By the time you reached the end of your story, the other maidens had settled in a semi circle around you. A few had started to get ready for the day shift while you spoke, but their movements were deliberately slow, and their gasps let you know they were definitely listening. It was, however, difficult to tell how anyone really felt about what you were saying. Were they looking worried because they were concerned for your safety, or for their own?

     Hard to say. All you knew at the end of night was that no one was looking forward to the following night.

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

     Every shadow in the corner of your eyes makes your heart skip a beat. All day (night, technically) you’ve been overly paranoid, expecting Daniela or one of her sisters to pop out at any moment, their sickles raised, blood-stained lips pulled up into a grin, promises of violence dripping from their mouths. So far your anxiety had proven irrational. Experience, on the other hand, was reverse-reassuring you with memories of maidens you had hardly had time to get to know. Who were you to avoid such a fate? Could playing a little song really justify your existence to these people? These mutants?

     Distracting thoughts like that swirled around your mind for hours, leaving you feeling faint and dizzy, as you desperately tried to focus on your work. Ironically, it was your tunnel vision on your worries that brought them to life.

     “Humph, you should really pay more attention, sweet thing,” a voice whispers, right besides your ear. Immediately you jump, a little yelp escaping you, and whirl around to see who had crept up on you. Your wide open eyes soon settled on the youngest Dimitrescu daughter. A toothy grin lit up her face as she took you in, leaning in just close enough for you to feel her breath. “Missed me?” She asks, words melting into a fit of giggles. One moment she’s face to face with you, the next she’s evaporating into a swarm of insects, moving around the room with frightening speed before settling on a nearby table. Both her legs dangle off the edge, swinging a little in a childlike manner.

     “Lady Daniela, I-” you stutter, hardly able to will yourself to speak. You can’t help but glance at the table with a feeling of anxiety, knowing that you had just finished cleaning it, and wonder if your work would be for naught. But it seems that Daniela doesn’t appreciate you focusing on something other than her. Again she buzzes into a cloud, this time coming closer to you, the insects circling you, occasionally tugging at your skin. Fight or flight tries to kick in, yet all you manage to do is freeze in place.

     You don’t open your eyes until the sound of hundreds of wings beating dies down. Fresh drops of blood trickle down your brow, as well a few from smaller cuts on your arms. Panic still roots you in place, even as you stare up at Daniela with a frightened expression. At first all she does is laugh. Loudly, with no softness to it at all. This was exactly the sort of thing that you had been afraid of in the first place.

     “Oh, you poor little thing… Did that hurt?” Daniela asks, trailing a hand up your arm, pausing just before her fingers touch blood. Then she leans in, once more putting her lips right next to your ear, slowly pulling off one of her gloves as she does. “Good. Maybe you’ll pay more attention to me now. You really should, being in love with me and all.” She says it so casually, and with such conviction, that you almost wonder if she knew something that you didn’t. Though you try to turn to look at you, you find her gloved hand holding your head in place. The other moves so slowly that you almost don’t notice it until her thumb is sliding across your forehead. Blood smears as she does this, but she doesn’t bother trying to be neat about it.

     Instead she simply brings the finger back towards herself, her other hand turning your face as she does, so that you could make eye contact as she licks her thumb clean. As soon as the blood hits her tongue her eyelids flutter and a soft moan rises in her throat. Astoundedly the sound brought a strong blush to your cheeks. It was less about attraction per se, more about the inherently intimate nature of the moment. Daniela was so close, her hand resting on the back of your head, her eyes slowly returning their focus to you. When she sees you she can’t help but don a prideful grin.

     “You taste even better than I expected, sweet thing- what a fitting nickname, mhmm?” Another giggle, another rush of blood to your cheeks. In the rush of the moment you found your fear fading out, slowly, gradually being replaced by a mix of confusion and… warmth? What is wrong with me, you think, mind racing with countless half-thoughts.

     Suddenly, as quick as the strongest of impulses, you found yourself being pulled closer to Daniela, her bare hand moving to rest on your waist. For once her eyes left your own. Now they drifted lower, to your lips, giving you a single moment to realize her intentions before she acts on them. Your lips collide with hers before you can even think to protest. It’s a million times softer than you would have ever imagined- not that you had imagined. But now that you had felt this… damnit, you know you shouldn’t enjoy it, yet you found yourself kissing back nonetheless. It wasn’t like it meant anything, right? Not like you’d have a chance to kiss anyone else around the castle, either.

     Within a couple moments you realize two things: One, Daniela was smiling into the kiss. Two, by Jove (by Miranda?) was she seemingly inexperienced. Based on how much flirting she had done, you had naturally assumed that she was in no way, shape, or form new to this. The kiss was a bit sloppy, although passionate, and Daniela seemed quick to mimic your movements. More than that, it seemed like she was unable to catch her breath (did she even need to breathe? Or were the movements more out of habit than anything else?). By the time she pulls away she needs to gasp, and you’re left absolutely reeling, unsure how to process any of this. On the other hand, Daniela was softly grinning, gently resting her forehead against your own.

     “Delectable, darling,” she murmurs. There’s a softness to her voice that you simply cannot fathom is real, at least not entirely so. Then a pause, with her gently running her fingers through your hair, before she gives you one more little peck on the lips. When she pulls away, just far enough to really look at you, you see something in her eyes that fills you with dread: Hunger. “I think I know what you want, what you need. You want to be with me, forever, a part of me, don’t you? They always do, in the end…” Her eyes shift to your neck, and suddenly her grip on you is dangerously tight.

     Instantly you shift into panic mode, trying to squirm out of her grasp to no avail. This seems to irritate Daniela, who digs her nails into your waist, making you gasp. Without hesitation she seizes the opportunity to push you against the nearest wall, the hand that had caressed you so gently now pinning you down. Your thoughts are racing, desperately searching for anything that might buy you some time to get away, or even dissuade her entirely. But seconds tick by with nothing coming to light, your hope quickly fading. Gulping, you squeeze your eyes shut, ready to accept your fate.

     And then… it hits you. An idea, maybe, that might just be stupid enough to work. Here goes nothing…

     “Wait! Don’t you want me to show you my love?” You ask, somehow managing to mask the pure terror you were feeling. Hell, you slipped in a bit of confidence, sounding far, far more sure of yourself than you really were. Apparently it was enough to give Daniela pause. Her teeth had been mere inches from your neck, but now she was watching you closely, head tilted at a slight angle. “I can hardly do that if you kill me so soon, love. Don’t you want to see everything I have to offer? To know me truly, fully, before we become as one?” Another pause, a little hum from Daniela, then a slow, spine-chilling smile.

      “Go on, then… show me.”

[bittydragon]

The Ant King

Note: Huge thanks to Bittydragon for inspiring me to write this. I’ll be honest, this is the first fic I've ever actually written, as well as the only piece of creative fiction I've written in like two years so… fingers crossed it goes well hahaha.

TW: tight spaces, darkness, uh,,, bugs i guess. Near death experience

  There are things you have to know about ants when you get an ant farm. Basic fundamentals. What to feed them, how to keep them alive, what type of ants you have, etcetera. Even if your intentions were… torturous. After all, you need to know what makes something tick in order to make it stop.

One of the more common facts about ants is that every colony has a queen. She orders her ants to keep her alive so she can make more ants. Simple biology, the continuation of a species. Every nest has a queen, or it dies.

Apparently, this colony didn’t get the memo.

These thoughts buzzed in grumpy circles around Wilbur's’ head as he followed his ant companion, Tommy, deeper into the ant-farm. They had been wandering these tunnels for what felt like days now, in the center of the farm so there were no glass barriers to show the outside world. They were deep too. Almost at the bottom of the compound. Wilbur was not one to show fear, but even he was beginning to get claustrophobic.

Tommy, who up until now had been jabbering like a toddler the whole trip through the ant-farm had also gone uncharacteristically silent. The whole trip Wilbur had wanted nothing more than a few seconds of quiet from him, but now he missed the carefree noise.

They were on their way to see the ant King. A type of ant that, as far as Wilbur knew, didn’t exist. So either they were on a wild goose chase, or Will was way out of his depth.

The further they went, the more he was convinced it was the latter.

“Tommy do you-” Wilbur paused, his echoing voice in the tunnel almost felt like a taboo. An affront to the maddening silence that stalked them. He lowered his voice.

“Do you think… Will I ever get back to normal? Will the ant king change me back?” He hated that little quiver in his voice. He hated the uncertainty. The waiting.

Tommy continued to march forward silently, pondering the question.

“I dunno big man, I think you’ve changed heaps since you got here.” He turned his head to flash Wilbur a grin “Then you’ll be out there and all nice n shit. It’ll be poggers.”

The tunnel was dark, but not dark enough to hide the flash of uncertainty in Tommy’s eyes.

Wilbur's heart sank. “Thanks mate.” He mumbled, and they trekked on, once more in silence.

  By the time they saw light, it felt like they had been walking for days. Wilbur was almost glad he was about to meet possibly one of the most powerful ants in this colony. They rounded one last bend, and they were there.

Before them stood a huge double door set in the wall. Two vines with some kind of glowing fruit framed the door, shedding light on the small space. In front of the door, leaning on a spear made from a twig was another ant with a pair of large white rimmed goggles. 

“Well… This is it I guess.” Wilbur muttered. He cleared his throat “Hey, um. I-i’m here to have an audience with the King? If that's alright.”

The guard ant didn’t respond, continuing to stare at them with no discernible expression.

“H-hello?” Wilbur glanced at Tommy, who shrugged.

“Excuse me? Anyone home?” Wilbur snapped his fingers in front of the ant's face.

He seemed to startle slightly, before slumping down a bit and letting out a loud snore.

“What the fuck” Tommy said.

Before anyone could do much of anything, one of the massive double doors creaked open and a voice came through.

“George, I swear if you fell asleep again, I'm going to rip off your antenna and use them as- oh.”

Another ant entered the room, this one also carried a twig-spear and had a strip of white cloth tied around his forehead.  As soon as his gaze landed on Wilbur, his expression soured.

If looks could kill… Wilbur thought nervously

“It’s you” The new ant spat “Took your sweet time getting here Soot. Earthquake slow you down? Didja get a taste of your own medicine from your big pals out there?”

Wilbur pursed his lips, and the ant snorted. “Yeah. Thought so.” He walked forward and gave George a hard shove, sending the other ant sprawling with a startled yelp.

“Sapnap what the hell?!” He snapped, before spotting Wilbur and Tommy. “Oh hey. That guy is here.”

“Yeah he’s here, idiot.” Sapnap smacked George over the head with his spear “And we would have known a lot sooner if you hadn't fallen asleep on duty again!”

“OW! Sapnap stop! Get off me!”

Wilbur cleared his throat, drawing their attention “Sorry to interrupt, but me and my friend have been walking for a long, long time, so could we please have an audience with the King?”

Subpoena glared “Yeah. He’s waiting for you. Against my advice, he wants to see you.”

Oh. That… didn’t sound great.

Wilbur tried not to think about the implications of that statement as he approached the double doors. Tommy moved to follow, but was stopped by the guards.

“Hey!” He groused “Let me through dickheads!”

“I'm afraid the King only wants an audience with the great and powerful Wilbur Soot” Sapnap said with a smirk.

“But I want to go too! Let me in! You stupid ugly bitch ill fight you! You may have a fancy stick but just wait until I pull out my knife-gun!”

“Tommy its fine.” Wilbur interrupted “I’ll be fine mate, promise. Just wait here. I wont leave without saying goodbye.”

The last thing he saw was Tommy’s antenna drooping sadly, before the doors swung closed behind him.

  If Wilbur thought the tunnel was dark before, that was nothing compared to the room he was in now. The darkness was so thick, so absolute, that it made no difference if his eyes were open or closed.

“Hello?” Wilbur called “Uh… your majesty? I was told that you wanted to see me.”

His voice echoed slightly in the huge space, but there was no reply.

Wait. What was that? Something rasped ever so slowly across the opposite wall. Something big. As it moved, the moss where it had been standing glowed a dull green.

Bio-luminescence Wilbur reasoned. Trying to distract himself from the fear creeping up his spine. Touch activated, it seems.

He swallowed dryly “L-look, just tell me what you want. I’m not here to cause trouble”

The thing moved again, its raspy scuttle reverberated through the chamber.

“Wilbur Soot, not here to cause any trouble” A thoughtful voice hummed from the dark “Now that’s a first.”

The bio-luminescent moss was lighting up more of the room. If he squinted, Wilbur could make out a... leg. Probably.

Wilbur inches slowly to the side, the moss lighting up his own path. “Okay, I get it, I've done morally questionable things in the past, but I've learned a lot from my time here. I’m sorry.”

“For now” The voice replied. The thing was moving on the other side, matching him step for step. “What's to say you aren't faking remorse to get out of here? And maybe you really are sorry. How can I be sure you wont change your mind the second you're back to normal? It's too much of a risk.”

Wilbur continued to back away nervously “Your majesty-”

“Please, call me Dream. Everyone else does.”

“Right… Dream. I can say with 100% certainty that won't happen. I've seen people die in front of me. That’s enough to change anyone's stance on something.”

“And yet I'm still not convinced.” It was moving faster now, scuttling across the floor, walls and even across the ceiling. Wilbur's head spun with the motion. “And since we’re talking in hypotheticals, riddle me this: Whoever said I was going to let you out anyway? What if I just like to play with my food?”

Dream stopped suddenly, rearing over Wilbur, and with all of the lit up moss, he got his first proper look.

This ant was huge. Twice- no, at least three times the size of Wilbur himself. He looked a bit like a centaur, with a human torso connected to a pure white and thorax and abdomen.He also wore a strange white mask with a blank eyed smiley face drawn on.

Two huge claw arms- similar to those of a praying mantis- extended from Dreams waist and slammed into the dirt either side of Wilbur, startling him enough that he fell onto his ass. The king leaned forward with that lifeless grin, and Will closed his eyes, preparing for the end.

“But…” Dream said thoughtfully “A proper experiment should account and test for all variables, shouldn't it?”

“Y-yeah generally” Wilbur stuttered

“Oh good.” Dream hoisted him roughly to his feet. “I’m glad I asked you. After all, you know all about experiments, don’t you?”

Wilbur chose not to answer, glowering at Dream as the eyes on his mask briefly glowed a dull green.

A moment later, Sapnap and George marched in, dragging a cussing and struggling Tommy behind them.

“YOU STUPID MOTHEFUCKERS!!! Let me go or ill get married in rage!! Fuck you and-! Oh. wow that is a big fella.” Tommy stopped and stared in awe at Dream

“Sapnap, give Wilbur your spear.” Dream ordered.

A flicker of doubt crossed Sapnaps face but he obediently shoved the spear into Wilbur's hands.

“I’ll make you a deal, Wilbur Soot.” Dream purred, circling him. “I will let you go to your old life. You can do whatever you like; kill us, torment us, throw us away… it doesn't matter. All you have to do is kill one ant.” He gestured to Tommy.

“What?” Wilbur whispered.

“WHAT?!” Tommy roared “fuck you! I'm not your dumb-ass pawn, I'm going to kill you! Rrrrrrrrrrr!” he writhed, attempting to bite George who did a surprisingly good job of holding him still.

“Go on.” Dream cooed “It's just one insignificant ant standing between you and freedom. You've killed hundreds. What's one more?”

Spear in hand, Wilbur took a hesitant step forward.

Tommy's gaze snapped up “Wilby?” He asked, his struggling pausing for a moment.

Their eyes met, fear clashing with sorrow. Tommy seemed to see something in Wilbur's expression and hung his head in defeat. As if he had expected Wilbur to betray him.

Oh hell no. Fuck that. Wilbur angrily tossed the spear aside.

“No. I won't.”

“What?” Dream spat

Wilbur rounded on him “No! I won't kill him! Keep me here, kill me, hunt me for sport, whatever! Just leave him out of this! Tommy has been nothing but nice to me since I met him, even though it don't deserve it!” He rubbed his arm. “God knows I don't deserve it.”

“Hmm…” Dream hummed “Are you sure, even if it costs you your life?” One of Dream's massive claw arms grazed his side, a subtle threat.

Wilbur looked over at Tommy, who had a look of hope on his face.

“Yeah.” Will smiled, “I'm sure.”

I probably could have written more, but i wont. I hope you like this fic bitty! Thanks for reading :)

Edit: Fortune, this is amazing! Like, I hadn't really thought about this encounter in a lot of detail, but I honestly like this a lot! And Dream being a big boy since he's the king ant. Just yes. Thank you so much for this.