#Magic and Miracles and BEYOND Chapter 16

[across-violet-skies]

Febuwhump day 15: "who did this to you?"

Whumpee: Hyrule

Whump Rating: 8/10

TWs: blood, restraints, severe burns/being burnt alive, attempted murder

It had been a rough week.

After a surprise portal, the Chain found themselves stuck in Hyrule’s Hyrule, wandering through a forest that smelled of decay and rot. The monsters were relentless as they traveled, and Hyrule was running on empty trying to keep his blood from spilling.

Really, it was a miracle they even made it to a town at all, especially one that allowed the traveler to stay. It was quite clear that Hyrule was not popular in his time, with the way villagers and other travelers treated him. Before they were allowed to stay in the inn, several of the locals insisted on checking Hyrule over for any cuts or scrapes, refusing to allow cursed blood to sully their little settlement. They were only accepted once Time and Warriors had convinced the innkeeper that Hyrule was unharmed, and his blood wouldn’t leave his body.

The traveler went to bed early that night.

The one thing about the inns in Hyrule’s time was that they were all single rooms. The rooms were cheap, at least, since they had to pay for nine of them. It was even easier for them to leave Hyrule to rest and relax, hidden away from prying eyes and angry townsfolk.

Or, at least they thought so.

Never underestimate an angry mob, Hyrule thought to himself, struggling against heavy ropes that bound his arms and legs. They have no mercy for those who oppose them.

The sky was dark, only the north star visible through the haze that covered this world. The forests had eyes, trained hungrily on the brunette boy bound and gagged, tied to a thick iron pole. He screamed and cried as his flesh burned from the contact, fae blood pulsing through his veins as his desperate attempts to be heard were muffled by the large gag shoved in his mouth.

They were just outside the town limits, where monsters roamed free. A group of villagers stood around the pole, watching with darkened eyes as Hyrule sobbed, skin sizzling as it melted against the iron pole. Below him, wood was stacked up high, the smell of gasoline penetrating Hyrule’s nose in a way that made him choke and cough, tears streaming down his face.

He had no magic left to give. He had already been exhausted upon arriving at the town, and a few hours was hardly enough time to regain the magic required for any of his spells. He couldn’t even heal himself or throw up a shield as iron seared his back, melting the skin there until only muscle remained. It was beyond painful– Hyrule felt faint even before smoke filled his lungs, dangerous heat licking at his ankles as he hung above a raging fire.

As if the iron pole wasn’t torturous enough, they were burning him alive, too? At least his blood would burn with him.

Hyrule scrunched up his nose, ignoring the agony to try and shimmy further up the pole. No, he can’t give up that easily… what would Legend think? Wild? Time? Warriors? Did he really want Wind to have to see this? Four? Twilight? Sky?

He couldn’t give up. Not yet. No matter how badly it burned, he had to try and live. If not for himself, if not for his world… then for his family. His brothers. Hyrule coughed around the gag, eyes watering from all the smoke wafting up into his face. He had to break free somehow… the flames were getting closer.

As if the Goddesses had heard his plea, the clouds opened, spilling droplets onto dead grass and decaying wood. The villagers ran back to their homes, a few spitting at Hyrule before turning tail.

The rain dampened the fire, but did not put it out. However, with the pole slickened with rain, Hyrule managed to slide further down, carefully trying to burn the rope that bound his legs with what remained of the fire. Every movement was torture, but Hyrule remained strong, breathing heavily through his nose as the rope finally burnt, allowing him to shimmy further down to try and burn away the ropes around his wrists.

Once he was freed, Hyrule wasted no time jumping away from the iron pole, ripping the gag out of his mouth with a sob. His body wanted nothing more but to collapse, but he knew doing so would be a death sentence. While the rain certainly helped cover the scent, his blood was exposed to the air, and it wouldn’t be long before monsters came after him.

Hyrule stumbled, making his way back to town dazedly. Every inch of him burned, but his determination burned brighter. It was still dark as he swayed woozily, pushing open the door to the inn as he tried to get back to his room.

He was so close… but his body couldn’t take it any longer. Hyrule collapsed in the hallway, creating a loud thud as he made contact with the wooden floor. Awake, but only just, he laid there, unable to force his body to move any further.

Warriors’ door was the first to open, with the Captain holding a defensive position. Upon spotting Hyrule, he gasped, running toward him and slamming a fist on every door he passed.

“What the f-” Legend blinked, staring at Hyrule with surprise. He crouched down beside the traveler as well, frowning. “What happened to him?”

Warriors shook his head. “I don’t know! I heard something from the hall, so I went to check it out, and he was just…” He gestured at Hyrule’s limp form helplessly.

Legend sniffed, wrinkling his nose. “Do you smell that?” He questioned, narrowing his eyes. “It almost smells like…”

“...burning flesh…” The Captain inhaled, pressing his lips together. Making brief eye contact with Legend, Warriors carefully lifted Hyrule’s tunic, only to drop it immediately after. The skin on his back was burnt beyond recognition, red with white bubbles in some areas, and fully black and burnt away in others. It was nauseating, to say the least.

Legend gagged, turning away. “Fucking-” He shook his head, humming uncomfortably. “What the fuck.”

Time was the next to appear in the doorway, staring silently at the scene for a moment before he turned, disappearing back into his room. He returned quickly, shoving a bottle of red potion into Warriors’ hand.

The Captain was quick to feed it to Hyrule, sighing with relief as the severe burns on the traveler’s back healed over, the skin turning a sensitive pinkish color. The traveler took heavy breaths as the potion fixed the burns on his back, soothing his wounds.

“Traveler.” Time stood over the three of them, expression stern and fierce. “Who did this to you?”

Legend helped Hyrule sit up, carefully wrapping an arm around his back for support. The traveler flinched at the movement, and Legend backed away with a grimace as memories of burnt flesh swirled through his head.

“It’s fine,” Hyrule mumbled, holding a hand to his head dizzily. “It wasn’t… it’s not their fault.”

The Veteran scowled. “The villagers?” He guessed, wrinkling his nose.

Hyrule nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact as he shuddered. “They’re not monsters. They’re just scared.”

“Why are you defending them?” Legend huffed, baring his teeth in frustration. “They kidnapped you in the middle of the night, ‘Rulie, and then you come back like this! How are they not monsters?”

The traveler shook his head, staring down at his hands. The burnt rope ends rested in his lap, still looped and knotted around his wrists. Hyrule closed his eyes, exhaling. “I wasn’t supposed to come back,” he whispered, barely audible. He shook his head, tears pooling as he relived the recent memories. “I was never meant to come back,” he continued, slightly louder.

Legend was seeing red. “Those bastards tried to kill you?” He balled his hands into fists, scrunching up his nose. Hyrule winced, shrinking in on himself.

Time set a hand on the Vet’s shoulder, keeping him from getting up. “Nobody is going out there. We have better things to worry about right now,” he insisted. Time smirked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “However, I do think a lesson could be taught to the people who did this.”

Warriors raised an eyebrow, nodding. “I like what you’re getting at, Old Man.”

“Hm.” Legend shrugged, nodding. “Fine, I guess.” He looked down at Hyrule, exhausted and miserable. “But I’m taking him to my room for the rest of the night. I don’t want any more surprises.”

“Good idea,” Warriors agreed, standing up. “We can work on a plan tonight while he rests. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

Time nodded, offering a hand as Legend and Hyrule stood up. “Rest well, Traveler.” The Veteran slung Hyrule’s arm over his shoulders, helping him to walk back to Legend’s room. Once the door had shut behind them, Time turned to Warriors, expression cold yet fiery. “Rally the troops, Captain. We’ll need as much help as we can get.”

By daybreak, Legend and Hyrule were being ushered out of the inn, all nine of their number awake and ready to go. Time smiled, nodding at Wild as they stepped outside, packed up to leave.

“What the…” Legend trailed off, staring at the scene. All around town, various objects were floating, tethered to purple sacs.

Wild put his hands on his hips, beaming proudly. “Octo balloons!”

“As much as I’d love to stay here and watch, I think it’s in our best interest to leave now,” Warriors pointed out. “Traveler, think you’re okay to walk and navigate today?”

Hyrule nodded, still staring up at all the octo balloons. From barrels to chairs to even part of a fence, all sorts of things floated through the air. While their inconvenience certainly wasn’t on the same level as what the villagers had done to him, it was funny, and nobody had to suffer (well, other than him) because of it. He cracked a smile, exhaling. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

–> support me on ao3!

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Christmas Reruns 2023 Day 3: A Christmas Miracle (3/3)

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it and happy holidays if you don’t!  One of the things I love about Christmas is watching reruns of all the old classic Christmas movies–Christmas is a big time for nostalgia.  A few years ago, I decided to incorporate that tradition into my fandom life and post my CS holiday reruns.  So here you go!  Enough holiday (mostly) fluff to get you to New Year’s Day. (With a new story posting on Christmas Day.)

Rating: G

Word Count: 2446

Other chapters: 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Notes:  Here’s the conclusion of A Christmas Miracle.  Once again, it was written in 2013 and fits within my A Wish Your Heart Makes universe.

“If you hadn’t cast the curse in the first place, dearie, Pan never would have had the opportunity to curse us the second time.” Mr. Gold hissed.

“Oh, that’s rich!” Regina said with a sneer, “considering it’s coming from the imp who provided me with the curse in the first place!”

Emma sat in her favorite booth at Granny’s and watched her adversarial family members face off. She was rather impressed. They’d remained civil for nearly two hours.

“Come on guys,” Mary Margaret said, walking up to Gold and Regina, her hand extended in a pacifying gesture, “let’s not argue. It’s Christmas!”

Regina turned on her. “Stay out of it, Snow. It’s all your fault anyway.”

“My fault?!” Mary Margaret yelled, her hands coming to rest on her hips.

“Don’t play stupid,” Regina sneered, “Or maybe you’re not playing.”

“Just a minute! You can’t talk to my wife that way!” David charged into the fight.

Regina rolled her eyes and turned back to Mary Margaret.

“Yes, Snow,” Regina continued, “if it wasn’t for your total inability to keep your mouth shut, we wouldn’t be where we’re at.”

“Where we’re at? Where we’re at?!” Mary Margaret fumed, “That's…that’s not even grammatically correct, let alone accurate!”

Emma rolled her eyes. They were arguing about grammar? It was definitely time to go get some air…before the magic started flying. She got to her feet, and wobbled for a second on her high heels. Why had she let Mary Margaret convince her to dress up? If she had to come to this party, couldn’t she have at least been comfortable?

Emma turned her back on the argument, on Neal and Henry talking in a booth on the other side of the diner, on Hook who had gone up to the bar for another drink. Pushing the door open, she stepped outside.

Hook looked up as he heard the bell over Granny’s door chime. He caught a glance of golden hair and a soft blue dress before the door closed behind Emma. The lass had been rather quiet since dinner; he wondered what was bothering her. It was obvious something was; something beyond the obvious awkwardness of this party.

The voices rose behind him, everyone trying to shout down the others. Something crashed against a far wall. He shook his head. Snow White really did see the world through rose-colored glasses. How on earth had she thought this group of people would have a good time together?

Hook took a final swig of the beer he was drinking, and then headed for the door. He had no wish to remain in what was turning into an all-out battlefield. Of course, the thought of spending some time alone with the lovely Emma, might have played a part in the decision as well.

Pushing the glass door open, Hook stepped outside. There she stood underneath the awning, shivering. Why hadn’t she grabbed her coat before she’d stepped out?

“It’s a bit cold to be standing outside love,” he commented, stepping up behind her.

“Yeah, well,” she answered, turning toward him, “it beats getting caught in the middle of World War III in there.”

He laughed and shrugged out of his coat. He draped it over her shoulders and was rewarded with one of her rare smiles. They stood there for a moment watching the snow gently fall through the dark, evening air. Hook caught strains of music coming from the convent; it seemed the nuns were ringing in Christmas with carols.

“Joy to the world the Lord is come…”

“It doesn’t look like Mary Margaret is going to be able to get in all the Christmas traditions she was hoping for,” Emma commented. “We didn’t get to the Christmas carol sing-a-long.”

“It’s a shame,” Hook commented, looking over at her, “that was the part I was particularly looking forward to.”

“Really?” she asked looking at him with skeptical eyes, “You want to sit around singing carols?”

“And why not,” he asked with a grin. “Some of the songs I have heard here in Storybrooke would be particularly appropriate to the evening at hand.”

“Such as?” she asked with a matching grin.

“When we finally kiss goodnight,” he sang in a soft baritone, “how I’ll hate going out in the storm, but if you really hold me tight, all the way home I’ll be warm.”

She rolled her eyes, but he saw the smile that draped her face. A moment later, she turned back toward the street with a dejected little sigh. They stood in silence for a minute. “…And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.”

“It’s really coming down,” she finally said looking up at the streetlight across from them.

“Aye,” he answered with a smile. “We’ll have a fine blanket come Christmas morning.”

“Great,” she said with a grimace. “Just what I wanted for Christmas.”

“Oh come on love,” he said, turning her back toward him. “Surely there was a time you liked snow.”

He expected a witty retort, but instead she dropped her eyes and turned back toward the street. “I do remember one day,” she finally responded. “I was about six. I’d been living with a foster family for almost three years. They were great; I really thought they would adopt me. One day, it was close to Christmas, I remember, my foster dad took my foster brother and me out to play in the snow. We made the biggest snowman I had ever seen. We made snow angels, had a snowball fight, the whole nine yards. Later, we went in and my foster mom had made us a big pot of hot chocolate.”

Emma fell silent, and Hook waited. He heard the pain in her voice and softly began rubbing her shoulder. She leaned into his touch. “…holy infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.”

“What then, love?” Hook asked after a moment. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.

“The next morning, my foster dad disappeared,” she answered, and he saw the tears in her eyes. “They never found him; no one knows what happened. Well, my foster mom kinda fell apart. She couldn’t afford to take care of two children, so it was back into the system for me.”

Hook closed his eyes. It must have been devastating for a little girl to lose the only family she had ever known. Turning her once more to face him, he wrapped her in a hug. She resisted for a moment, and then he felt her arms wrap around him.

“I think it’s time we make a new memory surrounding snow,” Hook said after a moment. She pulled away from him and looked questioningly up into his face.

“Yeah?” she asked, “and what would that be?”

Hook grinned. “Well, love. I propose we go play in the snow tomorrow.”

“Play in the snow?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, “Really?”

“Aye, lass,” he smiled at her, “We can bring Henry.”

“And what exactly would we ‘play’ in the snow?”

“First,” he answered, with a wicked grin, “We make a devastatingly handsome snowman with a hook. Then we make a beautiful blonde snow maiden looking adoringly up at him.”

“Are you sure the blonde isn’t rolling her eyes at him?” Emma asked with a grin. “Sounds more true to life.”

Hook put his hand to his heart and staggered as though mortally injured. “You wound me, lass.”

“Hmm,” she said grinning, “that might play to your advantage.”

“Aye? And how is that?”

“Well,” she said with a grin, “if you’re injured you’ll need someone to take care of you.”

Was the lady actually flirting with him? His grin blossomed into a full blown smile. She smiled back for a moment and then turned back to the street. He heard a defeated sigh.

“What’s troubling you, love?” he asked. She didn’t answer for so long he thought she was deliberately ignoring him. The nuns started up a new carol. When blossoms flowered ‘mid the snow…

Finally she turned back toward him. “It’s just…” she made a helpless little gesture with her hands. “I don’t know…Every single time it looks like things are starting to work out, like good is going to succeed, like the bad guys are going to get defeated, like we might get a bit of peace and happiness, something else happens. Someone casts a curse, or kidnaps a kid, or…”

“Or disappears sending you back into the system…or turns you in to the police for his crimes…or sends you off to another realm with no more protection than a seven-year-old lad so that you can come back and be the savior?”

“Yeah,” she said, and he saw the tears brimming in her eyes. One escaped and slid down her cheek. Raising his hand, he tenderly wiped it away.

“Emma, love,” he said, his voice going deep and gravelly, “I can’t promise you peace and happiness, but I can promise to always be beside you, helping you, protecting you and those you love. You need never fear I’ll abandon you.”

She whirled away from him and started pacing. The lass was seething. “Yeah?” she snarled at him. “I’ve heard that before. 'I love you, Emma.’ 'You’re like our own daughter, Emma.’ 'Let’s go to Tallahassee, Emma.’ 'We just wanted to give you your best chance, Emma.’ It’s crap! All of it!”

“You doubt me, lass? Even after Camelot?” he asked and was ashamed to hear the pain in his voice.

She stopped and looked back at him. The first Noel the angels did sing…

“No,” she finally answered, “the hell of it is that I don’t doubt you. You’ve proven again and again that you will do anything for me…even at your own expense. But Hook, you’re not indestructable. What if you disappear? Or are kidnapped? Or are killed?”

Hook’s heart swelled. That was real feeling in her voice. The lass was a lot further gone than she thought. He cupped her face with his good hand again.

“Love,” he answered meaning the word with all his heart, “as I said, I can’t promise you nothing terrible will happen, but for today, for this moment all is well. Perhaps, all one can do is create the good memories to be our solace in times of distress.”

She looked up at him for several moments and then slowly nodded, briskly swiping her hands across her damp cheeks.

“So about those snowmen…?” he asked playfully.

“Henry and I will be ready bright and early tomorrow morning,” She answered with a smile.

For the first time in nearly as long as she could remember, Emma felt hope. It was hope that she found shining out of Hook’s blue eyes as he smiled at her.

“I’ve got a gift for you, love,” Hook said, holding out a small, thin box.

“Oh,” Emma said ruefully, “Hook, I didn’t get you anything.”

He smiled gently. “It’s no matter, Emma. I have no need of gifts.” He held the box out to her again, and she reached for it automatically. Lifting the lid, she saw a silver necklace with an opal and silver swan pendant. Emma ran her finger over the jewel.

“It’s beautiful,” she said softly.

“Aye,” he answered looking at her. “It is beautiful, and strong and graceful. Much like you.”

She looked down and then met his eyes. “Is that really how you see me?”

“Aye, lass,” he said gently. “Indeed it is.”

Il est ne le divin enfant… It seemed the nuns had decided to venture into French carols.

“Thank you, Hook,” she said simply. “Well, I don’t hear any yelling, so that probably means they’ve either stopped fighting…or killed each other. Either way, I suppose we should go back in.”

“A moment more lass,” Hook said. That pirate grin of his was back.

“What?” she asked warily. She had come to know that tone in his voice, and it meant trouble.

“Well, love,” he said with a raise of his eyebrow, “I think it is only right that we follow holiday tradition.”

“Exactly what holiday tradition might that be?” she asked. He pointed to a spot over her head. She looked up and saw a sprig of mistletoe hanging right above the two of them.

“You’re terrible, you know that?” she asked with a smile and a slight shake of her head.

“Perhaps so,” he answered playfully, “but your mother has her heart set on her family following the traditions this year. What manner of a daughter would you be if you were to blatantly deny her greatest Christmas wish?”

Her breath caught and her heart began to pound. Well, why not?

“Well, in the spirit of Christmas tradition…” she said with a little wave of her hand.

He looked surprised for a moment, then the grin was back. She was determined she wouldn’t let his kiss affect her, she wouldn’t! Then his lips settled against hers and all rational thought fled. All that existed was this man and the sensations he aroused in her. Her arms wrapped around his neck. She tangled her fingers in his hair, pressing closer, closer. She could never be close enough. She blossomed for him like a flower in a spring rain. The kiss went on and on. It lasted forever; it ended far too soon.

Finally, with a groan, he pulled his lips from hers.

“Emma, love…” he breathed. She couldn’t say a word if her life were on the line. She was glad his arms were still around her because her legs felt like jelly. If he were to release her, she would melt into a puddle at his feet.

Hook took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the charming rogue was back.

“Well, love,” he said gently rubbing her back. “I had it on good authority that the last time was a one-time thing. It seems I’ve just experienced a Christmas miracle!”

She rolled her eyes, but didn’t pull away. Though it scared her half to death, she couldn’t deny it any more. Being in his arms felt like…home.

“Well, don’t get too used to it buddy,” she said. Her voice didn’t sound convincing even to her.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it, love,” he said with a raise of one eyebrow. “After all, I’d have to wait an entire year for another Christmas miracle.”

“Very true,” she said with a grin, “But there are a lot of holidays between now and then.”

He laughed. “I like the way you think, Emma. I like the way you think!”

NEXT CHAPTER-->

[yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy]

Magic and Miracles and BEYOND

Chapter 16

Now that there is physical trauma, let's explore the mental trauma shall we? Good thing Dr. Gentiana Glacian is here to help. Let the healing begin.

@the-immortal-marshal this is one is also for you. Enjoy.

Magic and Miracles and BEYOND

Chapter 16

Tredd poured over the medical textbooks that Sylva had given him, one of which he would need to become an EMT, and others that would help him understand what the medical textbooks were saying that explained what different medical terms meant as Ravus was doing the same as Sylva was already ordering new replacements to the books she had given out and placed other orders for other things for Ravus and Tredd respectfully before she went to the pharma section of her hospital and got a two sets of project recovery and went to Sabrina’s room first to administer the first dose to her so that Sabrina would make a full recovery before she then went to Selena’s room to deliver the second set of it and administered it just before Selena’s boss, Wilson Foster and his wife Tammy came in.

“Hey, how are you feeling Sweetie?” Will asked, kicking into father mode since his own kids were close in age to Selena, a few years older though and were already in college.

“Everything hurts.” Selena answered honestly. “I broke four ribs, punctured my liver and my lungs and my arm was broken in two places and I have a pretty bad concussion.” Selena revealed as the lights in the room continued to stay low, so as not to aggravate it.

“Oh bless your heart and soul, you are one tough cookie to make it through all that, we are just so grateful and thankful you survived and should be making it through. And having your mom with you, I’ll bet both of you were very worried about the other. Well, we wanted to come and see what we could possibly do to help, besides hoping and praying that you pull through just fine.” Tammy offered as she sat down in the chair with her folder while Will put the flowers they had gotten for her on the ledge by the window.

“I don’t know if there is anything you can do.” Selena answered honestly, fearing the worst now that they were here. Yesterday, Craig had asked Ravus and Selena if he could inform his family about what happened and Ravus and Selena had given their permission and at the time, all the response Craig had gotten back was that everyone in his family were praying for Selena and her family.

“Well actually there is, you see, back in the beginning of September, when you were hired on as a part time designing assistant and I believe this counts as a “qualifying life event” and wouldn’t you know it, last weekend when you were in, we got so busy with the customers we forgot to tell you that you got a promotion, and with that promotion and with this qualifying life event, we wanted to come and make you aware that you are officially a remote associate designer so you don’t need to come into the office until you are fully recovered and can do any work you feel like doing from any computer and these are your login credentials in the various computer systems and passcodes for the licences for all the programs that we use and run in the office. And that position does come with a raise and of course insurance options, which I hope you don’t mind but we went ahead already accepted on your behalf, I hope you can forgive us if we overstepped ourselves, but gosh darn it, wouldn’t you know it, it all happened about a week ago, we are just so sorry we didn’t get a chance to tell you until just now.” Tammy explained as she opened her folder and set the paperwork in front of Selena as Selena just started crying as Sylva and Ravus got choked up too by the wonderful gesture.

“We already scanned in your signature, if you can just try to make your initials with your left hand best you can, that’s all we need from you.” Tammy requested.

“Thank you.” Selena offered as she used the box of tissues near her to soak up her grateful tears as Ravus was also grateful and relieved and moved by the gesture as well as he hugged Wilson and Tammy quite hard before Sylva hugged them too before Wilson and Tammy both hugged Selena as hard as they dared.

“Thank you guys, so, so much for this.” Ravus thanked them gratefully.

“Oh and you should know, that this has nothing to do with who you’re engaged to. Every client you’ve helped out with has had nothing but the highest praise for you and your already wonderful talent, so you earned this on your own Selena, you should know that.” Wilson insisted.

“Ditto.” Tammy grinned as she handed Selena one of her pens as Selena took the pen and happily tried to sign her initials with her left hand.

“Congratulations on the promotion, now, there is nothing left for you to do but become familiar with all the programs on your own time and schedule as you want to. And whenever you do get to a point where you’re fully healed, just let us know when you’re ready to come into the office. But otherwise, don’t worry about anything but healing and recovering. And watch for those insurance cards and things in your mail and as long as you can log into the programs about once a week or so, just to sign in, you don’t have to do anything other than sign in but that signing in is all we need for the systems to recognize that you’re still working so the paychecks can still be cut on a weekly basis and the insurance can still cover you because it’ll show you up as a current employee, who is salaried rather than hourly.” Tammy offered.

“You guys are the best, thank you so, so, so much.” Selena offered.

“Well you’re going to be the best too. We’re the lucky ones to have you, just get better ok Sweetie? That’s all you got to do now.” Tammy reassured her as she squeezed Selena’s left hand reassuringly before Selena’s grandparents and other family came into the room, with more flowers and cards in hand.

“Well let’s get out of your hair. You got more company. You call us if you need anything ok? Anything at all, we’re happy to help any way we can.” Wilson insisted as he tugged on Tammy’s sleeve so that she could see that Selena’s family had come in as Tammy took the contract out of the folder to scan it into her systems and folded it to put it into her purse but left everything else there for Selena and Ravus to go through when they got a chance.

“Thank you, oh I should introduce you guys, this is Wilson and Tammy Foster, the owners of Foster’s Design, Architecture and Construction Incorporated, Selena’s employers, they came to personally deliver the best news...” Ravus introduced Wilson to Selena’s grandparents and the rest of her family before Selena told her family what the Fosters had done for her as her family practically squealed in delight as William and Tammy were immediately pulled into big hugs and emphatically thanked before they were taken to Sabrina’s room with Dorian as word spread quickly as Selena laid in bed and smiled relief, because laughing would hurt too much, feeling a weight she hadn’t realized she was carrying being lifted off of her.

“See? It’s all working out.” Ravus urged his fiance as he settled in next to her again before he took a look at what all she had signed and grinned when the offer itself was exceedingly generous before Regis came into the hospital and asked to pull Wilson and Tammy aside and talk to them about an idea he had about helping Selena as well that Wilson and Tammy immediately and eagerly agreed before he came into Selena’s room as Sylva revealed what Wilson and Tammy had done for Selena.

“Yes, I know I passed them in the hallway and Selena’s family told me all about it already. I also came to tell you some good news…” Regis began.

“So I know this is your senior year. However, because you were smart enough to get all of your requisite courses done as of last year, that meant that this year could be spent getting your miscellaneous credits in, like arts and drama and any “fun” classes you wanted to take. So because of that, I talked with your teachers who agreed to greatly reduced work considering your accident and current conditions and I compiled it onto this single piece of paper, so you have until December, which I know is only a couple of months away, but if you will complete these four projects, which shouldn’t take you much time or energy to do so, so no rush on these. But I asked Wilson if he would sign off on having you spend what time you’ve had at his place of business count as extra miscellaneous credits, which he and Tammy agreed to sign off on as well so that means, that if you can complete just these four little projects by December 15th. You can graduate early and get your diploma and all that as well.” Regis offered as he handed Selena the slip of paper that had the projects and their components filled in as Selena started crying again as she nodded.

“Thank you so much.” Selena thanked Regis as Ravus got up and hugged Regis tightly, getting choked up too as Sylva was already crying too.

“Thank you so much Dad.” Ravus thanked his step father genuinely.

“You’re welcome, I’m so sorry she’s hurt but it’s the best I can do to help.” Regis offered into Ravus’ embrace.

“It means the world to us, thank you.” Ravus reassured him as he pulled away and wiped his grateful tears away but his smile was so bright and thankful as Selena gestured for Regis to come closer so she could hug him too.

“I swear to God if the dean at the community college comes in next and says I just graduated with honors, I’m screaming.” Selena joked which got everyone to laugh, including herself before she clutched her side before Sylva looked at the time and went ahead and gave her more pain killers a few minutes early and put it into the computer.

“Well I did actually contact your college and informed them of the updates in your current condition.” Ravus confessed.

“As did I.” Sylva confessed.

“As did I.” Regis added.

“Oh Jesus.” Selena grinned with a playful roll of her eyes but a grateful and appreciative smile nonetheless.

“You are loved, completely and unreservedly by everyone around you, you just get to feel as well as know that you are right now.” Sylva explained with a bright, knowing smile as she reached over and squeezed Selena’s shoulder before there was a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” Selena asked, almost wearily.

“It’s just me, Nancy, your nurse, here to make sure that the tube in your side is still draining excess liquid from around your punctured lung.” Nancy said as she came into the room with her special cart as Sylva pulled herself and Regis out of the way so that Nancy could work on Selena in privacy.

“This is looking really good actually, oh to be young with a really healthy immune system again.” Nancy gently teased as she took the soaked dressings off and replaced them before making sure everything was still working correctly and pulled some blood for panals from Selena's picc line in her left arm so that she wouldn't have to keep getting injections or moving her IV and as she made sure none of her other scrapes or bruises or anything was getting infected before she noticed that Sylva had given Selena her pain meds early before she administered an anti- nausea medication to go along with the pain medication and because having a concussion can cause extreme nausea.

“And some good ol’ promethazine for nausea so you can eat, you guys should order lunch while you have the chance.” Nancy suggested.

“Ooh, yeah, definitely.” Selena said as she got the menu from the drawer of her tray table and looked over the menu as Selena picked out what sounded somewhat good to her as Ravus did the same before Ravus called it in.

And in the afternoon, when their various friends came to check up on them, they were also overjoyed to learn about the news and developments and offered their congratulations to Selena for the “promotion” and her “early graduation” which left Iris to announce that she was also graduating early, in December as well so that she could work with her mom with the K-9 units full time so that in December, they were all free of Lucis High as Craig especially was so happy relieved to find out what his uncle and aunt had done for Selena.

Within the week, Sabrina had made a good recovery, enough to be released from the hospital. Selena though was still considered “ICU” and still received round the clock care and had gotten no less than three Project Recovery sets in that week, as Ravus practically moved into her hospital room with her and the only times he left her side was to go to the bathroom and get a shower as their friends and family took turns doing Ravus’ laundry and had cleaned out their fridge so that nothing would rot into their refrigerator as their dogs “took turns” being snuck into the hospital, wearing “support animal” gear as all of Ravus’ and Selena’s animals seemed instinctively become aware that Selena was wounded and hurting and offered as much comfort they could for their visits.

Bunny, the black newfoundland being the most comforting as she tried to jump into the bed itself but having Selena and Ravus keeping her from doing so as Selena rolled over to her left side and did her best to pet and soothe Bunny the best she could as Ravus held Bunny up, who was only 6 months old at this point, but already massive as Bunny, who was named that by Dani, was so happy and grateful to see her again, even Duchess was brought in, also wearing a “support animal” harness which she wasn’t thrilled about but she came and laid near Selena’s chest and purred loudly as Luche and Ada had gladly taken all the pet’s food and toys and beds and things and moved them over to their house since they were right next door to continue to care for their pets while Ravus and Selena were in the hospital.

Thankfully after two and a half weeks, Selena was downgraded from “ICU” status so that the nurses and doctors were not coming in almost every hour or even two hours during the night as Selena was encouraged to sleep as much as possible to help recover as Ravus continued to keep Selena company, working from his laptop only when absolutely necessary when Selena would take multiple naps throughout the day but otherwise was voracious in his own reading and gaining as much medical knowledge as he could to understand what his mother and the other medical staff were saying while in the room so he could fully understand what the impact to Selena had been and would continue to be going forward but because of his “overprotective” nature. He soon got a reputation himself with the staff.

“Knock, Knock, it’s Dr. Gentiana Glacian, you can just call me Anna though,” Anna greeted as she came into see them as Selena and Ravus were just finishing up eating their lunch.

“Hey,” Selena greeted as Ravus was happy and relieved to see her too.

“So, how are you holding up Selena?” Anna asked as she snagged a chair and sat down.

“I hurt all over. It hurts to breathe, to move really, but the concussion healed so yay- no more hallucinations or ridiculous nausea.” Selena confessed.

“Yeah, concussions can do that. And with having a near death experience, that’s a lot of trauma in itself. So besides the physical pain, are you experiencing any mental pain? Anguish? Anger? Resentment? Bitterness? Spitefullness? Aggression? Confusion?” Anna asked casually beore Selena turned to Ravus and gave him a pointed and meaningful look.

“All of the above.” Ravus confessed guiltily.

“Tell me about it.” Anna invited as she pulled a little notebook and a pen from her pocket to make notes.

“Uh, well, I went to school with Billy and Chad and they were friends with Andrew and Andrew was a psychopath and Billy and Chad were jocks and self entitled pricks who took bribes to hurt her brother, like actually tried to maim him and were stupid and reckless and nearly killed Selena because they were having a stupid pissing contest.” Ravus explained, despite the relative calm in his voice, there was a real rage whirling in his chest and still a seething bite to his tone.

“Which is all valid and correct.” Anna nodded.

"And what about you Selena? How do you feel about what happened?" Anna asked thoughtfully.

“Honestly I just feel like my mom and I were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think it was just a coincidence that they were the ones that hit us. I don’t think they thought any of it through and were just being stupid, reckless teenagers, and even though it was horrible, I don’t think they meant any malice to me or my family inparticularly at least in this instance. With Nyx, that shit was made personal because of Andrew and his past toxic relationship with Luna. Gladio told me the day after the accident, that both of them and their families nearly crapped their pants when they found out that it was me, Ravus’ fiance and my mom that they hit and I have already heard that they reached out to Sylva to try to see if Ravus and I would even accept an apology from them and Sylva has used me ICU status to keep from giving them an answer.” Selena offered.

“An apology isn’t going to fix your liver or your lung or your broken arm or your concussion or your brain damage. They need to pay for what damage they have done.” Ravus insisted adamantly as Selena looked even more exasperated and exhausted as Gentiana could tell that they had had this conversation privately at least a few times by now.

“And they will. They’re paying for it right now with their own injuries and their own insurance premiums are about skyrocket because everyone who was hurt by their recklessness is going to be doing a class action lawsuit against them, which we are going to be doing and you are already pressing charges against them personally and they will be persecuted to the fullest extent the law allows. I’m just afraid that that won’t be enough for you and you’re going to want to go full- eye for an eye, pound of flesh kind of thing. If it had been any other people who were not Andrew’s friends, who did not used to go to school with you when you were in your own 'stupid teenager phase', who had not taken bribes from currently dead- psychopaths, who you yourself used to be friends with and that guilt still to this day, eats at you and it’s rearing it’s ugly head right now and I think you’re taking this way more personally that it needs or should be.” Selena insisted to Ravus as she held his hand and squeezed it three times for emphasis as Ravus practically pouted and frowned at her.

“Honestly if it had been anyone else, anyone else in the world, I think you would be satisfied with the class action lawsuit, and be done with it, if they were from any other school, I don’t think you would be this adamant that they pay drop of blood for drop of blood, because I’ve heard you huffing and puffing and grumbling and seething curses at them when you think I’m sleeping. I think you’re trying your hardest to take revenge on my behalf, which Luna and Nyx didn’t even get a chance to do, even though with Nyx, it was a personal attack and he never got to see justice and I know you like to think that this is your best way to get revenge and get justice for him too, but even he and Luna have let that go when Andrew died and Andrew’s former friends and associates all came clean about all of the shit he was into because he could no longer go after them and Nyx already got an apology from them and I think we should do the same, accept the apologies with grace, because even though we personally have never done anything like this, I think we can show a little more sympathy for 'stupid things- stupid teenagers do', forgive them for their mistakes and accept their payment for said mistakes, with again- grace and a little humility and mildness.” Selena suggested as Ravus just flushed with shame because she was right as he scrunched up his face in a reluctant scowl.

“And I know you love me immeasurably. I know you love me more than anyone else in the world and I know you got really scared that you almost lost me and how you were going to implode if you did and probably take up drinking again and most likely drink yourself to death without me. And I think this experience is proving to be more traumatic for you, than it is for me. I mean you won’t leave my side for any other reason but to bathe and relieve yourself, you refuse to even go to the cafe to get coffee or tea because the bathroom is the farthest you have gotten from me and you don’t fall asleep before I do and you wake yourself up before I do and you are barely getting any sleep because you wake up every time anyone knocks or comes through that door and you’re grilling every nurse that comes in and keeping everyone on their toes and walking on eggshells and you’re making everyone anxious around you and you're scaring everyone, including me, because their nervousness makes me nervous.” Selena pointed out.

“Why is that Rae?” Anna asked.

“Because I’m terrified that if I leave, she’ll get a bad nurse or doctor who doesn’t know what the hell their doing or get a blood clot or have a complication or could die and she needs to have the best of the best looking after her and I’m worried that if anything could go wrong- I won’t be here, my place is here with her and I’m not leaving this room unless you are leaving this room with me and we get to go home.” Ravus insisted to Anna and then to Selena.

"Ravus, I'm literally in the VIP section of the hospital, your mother's hospital, hell it practically is your hospital too, I might add, I even look at this call button and I have three people coming in here to help with anything I could ever ask for. They're not letting any rookie fresh out of medical school anywhere near me. I'm already having the best of the best taking care of me and they are doing wonderfully. We have a butler for crying out loud. What part of any of this gives you any reason to think or feel that I won't be taken care of?" Selena pressed.

“I just...I have a fear that if I don't keep vigilent, another accident will happen." Ravus admitted.

"Which is a valid trauma response." Anna pointed out.

"So do you think that because Ravus wasn't in the accident himself, he shouldn't have a trauma response?" Anna questioned Selena.

"...ok. Maybe I didn't fully realize that he would be that traumatized too." Selena admitted.

"Well Ravus has already lost parent, and in that instance, he was helpless to do anything about it. And with your accident, that put him in the same exact situation again, yet here he is with one, two, three..five medical text books on that stand next to the couch." Anna pointed out.

"Ok, I'm sorry, I didn't see it that way. However I still feel that it’s a bit much, like it’s overcompensating and I think it’s coming off as the way those obsessive, controlling boyfriends who can be abusive because all of my nurses conveniently wait until you’re in the shower to ask me if I’m ok or need help and they have all gone to your mother to voice their concerns that you’re one of those types. I know you aren’t coming from that place but it’s coming off that way regardless. Plus, even if you had taken off of work and picked me up and had been driving me yourself and had taken that route which the route we were taking was the best route for time, we still would have gotten in that accident and you would be in the room next door instead of my mom and then both of us would be losing our minds with worry for the other.” Selena answered.

“And I know you’re not usually this obsessive or controlling but you’re turning into it. And it honestly scares me and it’s scaring everyone else.” Selena insisted as Anna was writing as fast as her hand could let her.

“....ok I didn’t realize I was coming off that way. I'm sorry.” Ravus finally admitted.

"And I'm sorry that I haven't seen how this has affected and traumatized you too." Selena offered.

“And I’m very worried that you’re going to overcompensate some more by not letting me get behind the wheel, ever again or ride with anyone but you and you will turn into the most defensive driver on the planet going ten under the speed limit and blaring that horn if anyone even inches towards the center line.” Selena voiced.

“....I...ok, you may have a point, I may, I may be looking at replacing our cars with hummers.” Ravus admitted.

“Only because actual tanks aren’t legal?” Selena questioned, albeit a little sarcastically.

“Maybe.” Ravus stuck his tongue out teasingly which got Selena to crack a wry grin which got Anna to smile fondly as she continued to take notes.

"So here is what I would like to see, it was awesome that you guys could come to an understanding about the current situation and see things from each other's perspective. That's wonderful that you were able to do that. Selena, again, be mindful that this traumatic event isn't just traumatic for you, but for everyone else involved, especially Ravus because you are his everything." Anna reminded Selena.

“And Ravus, do remember my advice to you when you were going through your own “stupid teenager phase” as Selena so beautifully put it?” Anna asked.

“To listen to the women in my life? Like my sister and my mother?” Ravus recalled with a wince.

“Guess what? I’m gonna repeat that advice. Only I’m going to ask that you consider and carefully evaluate all of Selena’s advice because Selena is hitting all the nails on the head here besides not recognizing your own trauma. So here is what I personally advise. Apologies are in order, but before you accept Billy and Chad’s apologies and the apologies from their families, with grace. I want you to apologize to all of Selena’s doctors and nurses for doubting their capabilities and thus their intentions with grace as well, because the number one rule is “do no harm” and not everyone is out to hurt you or your family. Like Selena said, this instance wasn’t personal to her. And the guilty parties are paying for their mistakes with their own injuries. And you need to make peace that that will be enough, Selena is clearly at the “acceptance” stage of grief which is amazing and I applaud you for it. Also, when Selena does make a full recovery. I suggest that maybe you two should get into defensive driving courses, maybe make it something fun like learning how to drive like a stunt driver kind of thing. But don’t let this traumatic experience torture you mentally and emotionally. Because the physical impact is more than enough. Also, Ravus I’m prescribing a sleep aid. Because you need at least 8 hours of good, restful, restorative sleep because Selena does deserve your best. However no one can pour out of an empty cup, you need to take care of yourself, eat, sleep, and don’t burn yourself out. Otherwise you will be admitted to the hospital yourself in the room right next door for exhaustion because I can see how exhausted you are from where I'm sitting and you are at your limit. So before it get's to that point, take the sleep aid, relax, you can stop being hypervigilant, it's ok to trust that even while you're getting some much needed rest, Selena's very high level of care will continue on and I want you to practice leaving Selena’s side for just a few moments, like go down to the cafe, get a cup of coffee or something and trust that Selena is going to be just fine when you come back. She’s not on ICU status anymore, she’s not touch and go, her life no longer hangs in the balance so we don’t need to be hypervigilant and not miss a single second of everything. It’s going to be ok.” Dr. Gentiana Glacian advised.

"So let's start right now, Ravus, do you trust Selena with me?" Dr. Gentiana asked.

"Well of course, because I know you're never gonna hurt her." Ravus answered.

"Then entrust her with me, go down to the cafe down the hall and get yourself something, get Selena something and when you come back, you'll see if you were right to trust me with her." Anna suggested.

"You can do it. I'll be ok. Get me a macaron, I heard they have those down there." Selena urged him.

"...ok, fine." Ravus said before he slipped his feet into his loafers and left the room and walked down the hall, forcing himself not to speedwalk or run.

“Thank you.” Selena thanked her gratefully.

"You're welcome. Anything else you want to say while you don't have him breathing down your neck?" Anna asked as she stood and put her notes and orders into the computer by the bed.

"If I thought he was attentive before, that's all dialed up to 11 in here. I just breathe differently and he's right there. I want him to relax because his hypervigilance is exhausting me, I don't know how he isn't exhausted too." Selena confessed.

"He is exhausted, he just thinks that your needs come above his own, he always has since day one. So he is suppressing his own for your sake. I would give it another day or two before he would need some medical attention for exhaustion, that's why I'm giving him a muscle relaxer, a mild anxiety medication plus a small mood stabilizer and a sleep aid and putting it into the system for the staff to keep an eye on him for exhaustion and because it's coming from me, he shouldn't put up much of a fuss or a fight in taking them." Anna added with a grin and was done by the time Ravus came back with a little box of macarons in hand and offered one to Selena.

"And?" Anna prodded.

"And she's ok." Ravus admitted.

"She is, and she should only get better from here, both of you should relax, eat some good comfort food, get some good sleep tonight, I'll check in- in a few days to follow up ok?"

"Thanks Anna." Ravus offered.

"Yes, thank you Anna." Selena parroted.

"You're wecome." Anna waived before she saw herself out of the room.

[boldlyvoid]

Amoreena | Chapter Five

Chapter Five

main summary: Heaven is a real place and it's located exactly 14.6 miles away from the FBI, Quantico Headquarters. Off behind a small park, under a fantastical willow tree surrounded by wildflowers, in every colour young minds can imagine.

Don't forget, heaven also comes with angels.

Chapter Summary: (fluff only) weekly Saturday reading only they are joined by an extra 15 lost boys, not just Spencer

Warnings (adding as they happen): fluff, hurt/comfort, depressed spencer, reader has a daughter, falling in love, strangers to lovers, library smut, oral (female receiving) lots and lots of fluff

word count: 3K

from the beginning <3

He woke up Saturday morning to the sound of a bunch of voices coming from beyond the walls of his room. Only it wasn’t his room, it was the room he slept in when he stayed with Y/N and Amoreena, he hasn’t left since he arrived on Thursday and he had no plan to either.

They still hadn’t told her about their relationship, not wanting her to come crawling into bed with her mom in the morning to find Spencer there too. She wasn’t ready to explain to Amoreena what it meant for Spencer to be in her bed, how they were in love and that she might need to learn how to knock before entering.

So he slept in the spare room, completely contently because he knew she was only on the other side of the wall, instead of 30 minutes away like she would be when he slept at his own apartment.

It had been a week since he saw them reading in the park, and now they were his family. It was incredibly fast, anyone who heard the news would say so. But that’s how his life worked, he blew through everything incredibly fast, it only made sense for him to skip every step in the book and become a stepdad overnight.

He woke up then, missing Y/N and Amoreena as he thought about the last week. Finally getting dressed and peaking outside, through the crack in the blinds, to see what was going on on the farm.

There were a bunch of men in the field with the cows dropping new cattle off in a big truck as a bunch of children ran around the yard. Y/N wasn’t kidding when she said her 7 siblings had produced 15 cousins for Amoreena to play with. Children all between the ages of toddler and 7-years-old, screaming while they ran after Rufus and the cats, it was a pure dopamine rush to witness.

He found Y/N in the living room, a book in one hand and a coffee in the other, “good morning cutie, all the ruckus on the farm wake you up?” She did her best fake southern accent as she smiled at him. Beautiful as ever in the early morning sunshine.

He nodded with a yawn, sitting beside her and snuggling into her shoulder. She placed her mug in his hands so she could wrap an arm around him and pull him in closer, letting him take a sip of coffee and become a real person again.

He noticed she was reading a book he had never seen before, reading the pages and not know the words. It was a first for him.

“What’s that one about?”

Y/N closed it to let him look at the cover. It was a hand-bound book, wrapped in green fabric that was at least 30 years old and in well-loved condition. The gold lettering reading Amoreena, along with a pressed gold rose and the author's name. He had never heard of it before.

“My grandma was an aspiring writer and the reason I love books so much, her name was Peggy and she had a dream once about a wonderful little girl named Amoreena and the magical life she created for herself. She wrote it all down and my grandpa had it typed and bound for her, she was so proud of this book,” Y/N gushed, smiling as she held it to her chest softly, thinking of all the memories Spencer didn’t know yet.

“Really?” Spencer couldn’t help but smile at her.

She nodded softly, “she loved Elton John, so much so that when my sister Ashley came out she threw her a party. Almost all those kids out there are Ashley's, by the way, she went down the adoption and foster root after I did IVF.”

She pointed out the front window at all the people gathered on her land, “Ben and Dylan dropped their kids off too while they help dad and Evan with the farm. Those are my brothers in case you didn’t know their names yet, there’s also Carver and Francis but they don’t live as close.”

Her little life was just so perfect, “did they want to come with us to read this afternoon? We need some lost boys.”

“They’d love that, are you sure you can handle 16 kids between the two of us?” she smiled, pure love spreading through her body as she held him.

“They’re not so different from psychopaths right?” He teased, watching her settle against him even more as they enjoyed their Saturday together.

“What else can you tell me about your grandma?” He snuggled into her more as he asked, wanting to know as much about her happiness as possible.

“She was always listening to music, she loved Elton's song Amoreena the most. It was the song she played for the majority of my childhood. It only made sense for me to name my little miracle Amoreena too, cause I wouldn’t have her unless nanny suggested I have a baby.”

“I would have loved to meet her.”

Y/N’s smile changed then, “she would have loved you and your big mind.”

“My mom wants to meet you and Amoreena,” he announces softly, he hasn’t really told her anything about his family yet.

“What’s she like?”

��She has schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s and she lives in a care home in DC right now, I try and see her when I can but she has her own schedule so I have to fit around when she’s having a good day,” it was hard to explain it to most people, but not to her. He didn’t feel any shame or fear in introducing them. Y/N was the most loving human, and Amoreena was just the same.

“When is she free next?” A simple question that made him feel incredibly giddy.

“Tuesday from 3-5,” he snuggled in closer to her as she wraps her arm around him.

“We’ll pick Amoreena up from school after work and take her over,” Y/N agreed, their lives intertwining like they were always meant to.

Like she was the ivy on his old cottage, she took him in and made him her own, wrapping herself all around him and never letting him go again.

He basically finishes her coffee while she holds him on the couch. The sound of the kids outside making them laugh every once in a while, dogs barking and cows mooing, the farm was alive and roaring while they enjoyed each other's company.

“Did you bring your costume for the reading today?”

He sat right up then, looking at her like she lost her mind, “of course I did, I wouldn’t have Penelope spend a week tracking down a Captain Hook costume just to forget it.”

Y/N’s jaw dropped, “you didn’t?!”

He simply nodded with a cheeky grin, “come on Tinker Bell, everyone knows she had a thing for Hook.”

“Who didn’t? He was the first and last bad boy I was interested in, I typically go more for Milo’s and Ariel’s; full of adventure and always learning something new,” Y/N teased him.

“Mhm, I always had a thing for Aladdin and Belle in search of far off lands and happy endings,” he mused, making her smile just as much as he was, “but for real it was between Hook and Wendy for my costume,” he made her laugh again, wanting to hear it for the rest of time.

“You still can, I have a blue nightgown you can borrow,” it was so easy for them to flirt, it fit into their conversation so simply it felt like they had been together forever.

He couldn’t help leaning in to kiss her, resting her back against the couch softly as she held onto him. He loved kissing her, she tasted like coffee and happiness every single time. She made the cutest sounds when they would make out like she was surprised by it or she wasn’t used to it at all.

She made him feel like he was young again like he was 21 and in love for the first time. All his trauma disappeared and that Spencer who used to stare back at him in the mirror was gone now. That guy packed his bags and left the farm to never be seen again.

Good fucking riddance is all he had to say.

He was happy, he enjoyed being happy and he was going to stay happy. It was the only goal he had going forward, and as long as he was in her embrace, surround by the laugher of her child and family, he knew it would be possible.

Amoreena came running inside then, finding the two of them making out on the couch before they could part from each other.

“Ewww!” She cried, jumping on top of the two of them and knocking the wind out of Spencer.

“Get off,” Y/N tried to speak as she was crushed by the two of them. “Mom down!”

Spencer picks Amoreena up then, taking her away from the couch and spinning her around like she’s an airplane. She cheers and cheers and doesn’t want him to put her down because it’s so fun. The next thing he knows he’s being dragged outside to twirl all the kids around like they’re Peter Pan, flying through the air on their way to Neverland.

He’s surrounded by giggles and tickles fights, he’s tackled down against the dirt as a herd of tiny children dog pilled him. Laughing until he cried, feeling more joy than humanly possible and then Y/N’s telling them all to get ready to he’d to the park.

Coming down the stairs in a pirate costume to a bunch of screaming kids was an experience and a half. Spencer couldn’t believe how happy it made them all to imagine Captain Hook had broken into the house and Amoreena, or Peter Pan as she corrected him, chased him outside with all the lost boys.

He took a moment to learn all their names, all 15 of them, however, unlike the cats, they had relatively normal people names.

Kate, Cade, Jet, Lauren, Cassie, Sara, Evan, Benny, Olivia, Jessie, Owen, Maddie, Gwen, August, and Parker, were the cutest little family of cousins. some looked like Amoreena, some looked like their own mothers, a handful of them were adopted out of the country, they were the most perfect cast of lost boys.

He's never had any cousins, no pets, no siblings. His life never felt lonely until he realized what he missed out on.

“Dad,” Amoreena whispered as she tugged on his shirt lightly, “look!”

She pointed towards the house where Y/N was standing. When she said she was going as Tinker Bell he really didn’t think she meant looking exactly like Julia Roberts at the end of Hook.

She looked magical in her beautiful white dress, curly hair with the most perfectly placed flowers and flawless wings wrapped around her shoulders. She was a vision standing on the porch, waiting for him to pick his jaw up off the floor and compliment her.

“Tink,” the words are more like air, soft and barely there.

“Is Captain Hook being nice? Or should we take him to the pond and let the Alligators deal with him?” Y/N teased, marching down the stairs and poking Spencer's chest.

“Ouch,” he teased her, holding his hand over his heart to make her feel bad.

But she didn’t, “some Pirate you are,” she teased, sticking her tongue out at him before taking Amoreena’s hand and running off down the trail towards the main house, everyone following her lead.

Nanny packed enough snacks for all 16 kids, and a little extra just in case. Spencer slipped the lunch box over his shoulder and they made their way towards the adventure. Y/N pulling a wagon just in case the littlest ones didn’t want to walk anymore. It was spectacular.

Y/N stopped then, pretending to stand like an army man turning around abruptly to look at the troop. “Lost boys, are we ready?”

“Yes, Tinker Bell!” They cheered back.

“On my lead, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4,” she marched, bringing her knees up high as they all followed her down the path. “We’re following the leader, the leader, the leader,” she began to sing.

Spencer was in awe, his heart felt like it was going to explode as he watched everyone follow her. Singing along as they marched their tiny little butts down to the park.

“We’re following the leader wherever she may go!” Amoreena yelled the lyrics back, leading the pack as Peter Pan should.

“Tee dum, tee dee, a teedle ee do tee day Tee dum, tee dee, it's part of the game we play Tee dum, tee dee, the words are easy to say Just a teedle ee dum, a teedle ee do tee day

Tee dum, tee dee, a teedle ee do tee dum We're one for all, and all of us out for fun We march in line and follow the other one With a teedle ee do, a teedle ee do tee dum”

It was like magic, they all knew the words and they sang the whole way down the path. Every verse and then repeating it. Not a single kid strayed from the path, no one complained about sore feet or hot backs, they loved their Aunty Y/N and so did Spencer.

“We’re off on an adventure, adventure, adventure,” Y/N changed the words, making him smile as she brought happiness into the world. “We’re off on an adventure to read out in the sun! Tee dum, tee dee, a teedle ee do tee day…”

Every single time he thought she had given him the best day of his life, she manages to outdo herself.

—

They barely listened to the story, it was a disaster of epic proportions but they tried. 15 kids is a lot to handle as an ex FBI agent and a librarian, they had lunch and instead ran around the field playing lost boys instead. It was still an amazing afternoon.

He was going to be covered in bruises the next morning. He had been kicked, poked, trampled, jumped on, the whole 9 yards. They were the most energetic bunch in the whole world, and then they came home to ice cream.

“Y/N,” Spencer finally pulled her aside when all the kids were preoccupied with their cold snack after a hot day.

“Yes, cutie?” It was a nickname that was sticking, much like pretty boy, and he didn’t mind it at all.

“We’re going to need more than 2 songs tonight to get her to go to bed,” he teased, stepping into that step-dad role with ease.

She couldn’t stop smiling at him, wrapping him up in her arms gently so he didn’t crush her fairy wings. “We’ll take her swimming, that’ll tire her out instead. Are you lookin’ for some alone time?”

“I love her dearly, but I can’t kiss you as much when she’s around,” he whispered before pecking her quickly and hearing the group of lost boys pretend to be sick.

“Just because he’s my dad doesn’t mean you have to be gross like your mom and dad, mom,” Amoreena’s smart mouth making them both shake their heads and laugh.

“What would you do if I did this?” Y/N teased before dipping Spencer back like a princess and kissing him, he stuck his foot out in shock as she held him there.

“Ewww!!” All the kids yelled as she returned him to his feet.

“Or this?” Y/N pulled him into another kiss, her leg popping like Princess Mia’s in the princess diaries.

Amoreena and her cousins were all screaming then, laughing at how gross their aunt and her new boyfriend were being. Used to it clearly, their grandparents were just as in love and watching from the porch as they held each other on the swing.

“I love you,” Spencer announced, loud enough for all to hear without a care in the world.

“You better,” she smiled. “I love you too, cutie,” she added before kissing him one last time.

His life felt perfectly complete.

Y/N’s brothers were incredibly kind just like her. He learned that Ashley was the oldest with 5 kids and her wife Susie, then Ben who was 46 and his wife Shannon, they had 3 kids. Dylan and Laurie had 4 and Even, her twin brother had 3.

Turns out her mom had 2 sets of twins back to back, 7 children and only 5 pregnancies. It felt crazy for him to think about having that many people in his life for his whole life, he wouldn’t have known what to do with anyone more than just his mother growing up.

Spencer helped Bob with the barbecue, they made burgers and hotdogs for all 16 of the children while they continued to run through the fields. They had enough energy to last them 5 straight days of chaos. It was amazing.

Y/N and Spencer managed to wander off while all the kids ate, sitting under a tree with their dinner so they could finally have some time alone together.

She was beautiful, sitting in the afternoon amber glow as she tried to keep her hair from blowing in her face. Tucking the strands behind her ears so she could eat her dinner in peace before spencer handed her the hair tie on his wrist. Then she got ketchup on her cheek, seemingly on purpose as she smiled at him and laughing as Spencer wiped it off with his thumb. He was so in love he felt stupid, smiling at her like he’s never seen another person before, absolutely enamoured.

“Derek and his wife wanted to come over tomorrow and have his son meet Amoreena if that’s okay?”

Her face lit up, “his son is the one named after you right? Not your godson?”

He nodded with yet another smile, his lips were going to fall off at this point. “Yeah, he’s the sweetest little guy, Hank’s never been to a farm before.”

“You tell them our gates are always own to new minds and pure hearts,” she smiled. “That’s what nanny used to say.”

He leans in and kisses her then, resting his forehead against hers as she held his cheek in her free hand, smiling ever so softly as she stared into his eyes, they didn’t need words, he knew she loved him too. A week of pure bliss had passed within the blink of an eye, and they still had forever to go.

Taglist: @shemarmooresfedora @spookyspence @spencers-dria @manuosorioh @reidsfish @mochionly (send me an ask if you want to be added to the tag list, I don't always see every reply! i love you guys thank you so much for reading)

[methylsalicylate]

The Madrigals and The Beast Ch 2

AO3 Link | Story art by @waokevale | Tag: #Madrigals&Beast

Chapters:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

Summary:

In the Kingdom of Encanto, there was only Light magic, while the Dark surrounded the forest beyond the mountains. Everything had been prosperous for them, but recently the Dark has been seeping through in the form of disease, less harvest, and dead livestock.

Mirabel, the only giftless princess of the Madrigal Royal family, wants to prove her worth by making it her mission to eradicate Dark magic and restore the full power of the Light.

Starting with defeating the hideous seven-foot tall half human half rat monster hiding in the depths of the dense forest.

______________________________________________________________

“I’m leaving the Encanto.”

Right after this sudden declaration, princess Pepa’s oldest son Camilo choked on a piece of bread. He vehemently coughed for a few seconds, while his younger cousin rolled her eyes at how dramatic he was being.

Cough Cof KAF cough!!

Five seconds passed. “Are you done suffering?”

The shapeshifting teen shushed her cousin, holding up a finger. “Wait, let me cough some more to show how ridiculous that sentence was. Cough KOUgH!”

Mirabel rolled her eyes a second time. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the road outside their house. “I don’t know why I put up with you.”

“Wait where are we going?”

She looked back at her cousin and motioned a hand towards her ear.

Oh Dolores, thought Camilo.

When they were far enough (which probably doesn’t help since Dolores can hear things from miles away), Mirabel placed her cousin on a log near the entrance of the town.

“I said, I’m leaving the Encanto.”

“Yeah, I heard that the first time and sorry for being a bit dramatic but WHAT?!” her cousin shot up, and waved his hands around. “That doesn’t make any sense! There are at least 48 bedtime stories on why we are absolutely not allowed out there! Do you want to get eaten by the Rat monster?”

“No, but we need to defeat him!”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Listen!” Mirabel whispered, closing the distance between her and Camilo’s ear, trying to avoid onlookers from hearing her. “Last night, after Antonio’s door party, I noticed cracks in Casita.”

“Yeah, but they were gone when -”

“SHUSH! Yes I know they disappeared, but I overheard abuela talking to her picture of abuelo Pedro last night. She says that something is happening beyond the forest and it’s affecting the Light magic within, and that she is at a loss at what to do.”

Camilo gave her a confused look. “So… so you think that defeating the Rat monster would help?”

“Yes, exactly!” Mirabel started pacing back and forth, hand on her chin and eyes full of focus. “I also talked to Luisa earlier, she told me that she does feel the Light magic disappear for a few seconds at a time. There are also problems around the kingdom; the rat infestation on our fields has gotten worse, and more people are needing Mama’s food for some unknown contagious disease… Don’t you see, something is happening to the magic!”

Mirabel felt her cousin grab her by the shoulders, putting a stop to her thoughts. He looked her in the eye and motioned for her to sit beside him on the log.

“Prima, we need to think about this, ok? Don’t just jump to weird conclusions like that.”

“But you do understand, right?” She sat down heavily next to him, resting her head on her hands. “Camilo, the Dark magic feels stronger these days. I’m not sure what’s causing it, but I know that it could be trouble if we don’t do something about it.”

“Yes but why does it have to be you?”

There was no doubt about how Mirabel felt about the magic. Unlike her sisters and cousins, she was the only one who was not blessed by the Spirit of Encanto with a miracle. On the day of her ceremony, the magical door disappeared before her and most of the kingdom. Her Abuela looked concerned and she knew that the adults talked about it often. Over time, the lack of a magical talent made her feel as if she was not a Madrigal.

“You don’t have to prove your worth, Mira.”

“But! I just want to do something for the family, in my own way. I know I haven’t been of much help - “

“Not true.”

“- and I think that this might actually get me somewhere! I don’t want to see my family lose their magical gift… and I am afraid of what might happen if we let the situation get worse.”

She turned to her cousin, using her ever powerful puppy dog eyes.

“Oh no, that no longer works on me Mirabel.”

“Camilo please!” she begged. “I need you to cover for me, just for like, two to three days? I’ll be back right away, in one piece I swear!”

“How are you even going to get to the Rat guy? Going up the mountain would take weeks!”

“Ah, I already have a plan for that.” She adjusted her glasses and pointed at a farm at the edge of town. “The rats have to come from somewhere.”

“So you will follow the rats.”

“Yes.”

“And when you see the giant Rat monster? What then?”

The girl merely shrugged. “I won’t approach him, I will just observe enough to know his weaknesses. And then I come back, and we can hatch a plan. We can involve the whole village even! As they say, the more the merrier. There’s no way the Rat monster could handle an entire kingdom.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Crazy enough to try and save everyone!” Mirabel stood up, and dusted her embroidered blue skirt. “So, what do you say primo? Are you willing to help out?”

“There’s nothing I can do to stop you, huh?”

“Yep.”

Camilo sighed heavily. It lasted for around 3 seconds, again, to prove how much he hated this. He thought about it for a while. Technically, it is impossible to go across the mountains around the border. Most likely her cousin would give up after a day and come home safe. “I will give you two days. After that, I’m telling everyone.”

“Deal!”

—--------------------------------------------------—

Meanwhile, the adults of the family were gathered in Casita. The husbands were busy with work in town, leaving the sisters with their mother in the kitchen.

“I heard that Señor Carlos lost a fifth of his harvest to the rats today”, said Julieta. Her hands were busy preparing arepas but her thoughts were somewhere else.

Alma shook her head. Ever since this year started, things have gradually gone downhill. Harvests weren’t as bountiful as before, they weren’t getting enough fish from the rivers, livestock were getting sick.

Worst of all, some townsfolk are afflicted with an unknown disease. Thankfully, Julieta’s preparations are able to alleviate symptoms, but the slow and steady rise in the number of cases is worrisome.

Pepa was leaning against the counter, arms across her chest. “Mama, at this point we cannot deny that something is happening.”

“I know mija. I fear that the Dark might eventually overcome the protective borders that we have…”

“Is there anything that we can do? My food can only do so much… Pepa can’t keep raining on the fields as well.”

The matriarch nodded. “For now, this is all that we can do. We no longer have the old sword the first King used to handle the Curse… I’m afraid I will have to… try and review the remaining visions that we have.”

The sisters looked at each other with unease. Their mother hated going through the visions, and most of all, there was nothing there to find. They have gone through the collection of green glass hundreds of times, especially on the day that Bruno went missing. It was all useless, most of it being visions that already happened, some of them having no meaning to it.

Pepa placed a hand on her mother’s shoulder. “Mama, why don’t I do it for you? I might be able to find and decipher something.”

“I… alright. I will need a new perspective as well. We must try our best to help with the kingdom while we find something definitive.”

She closed her eyes, willing all the bad memories into a locked compartment in her mind. She has to be strong for her family.

“I will have to meet with the Guzman’s today regarding Isabela’s engagement. Dark magic won’t stop the joyous occasion. We are the Madrigals, we will be strong for our family, and for our community!”

________________________________________________________________

Chapters:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

[fictionalnation]

Chapter 2: Miracles Happen in Mystic Falls, occasionally.

Lizzie: So, you are just going to stand there and not say what big plan you came up with?

Raf: Hope... I am glad you are trying yo, but I don't wanna spend my last day like an experiment machine.. y'all know that just aint gonna work for me.

Raf looks at Hope, she looks like she is there physically, but her mind is elsewhere, he can almost feel an emptiness in her. He wonders what is going on. After Hope woke up from her sleep, after she helped rescue Josie they just hadn't gotten a moment alone. But maybe that was good, Landon was his best friend and they loved each other and Hope... she was everyone's someone, she had too much going on to bother her. If only he could call up her aunt Bex that she kept mentioning to him that one night of star gazing. He wondered why she was so distant from a family she loved so dearly. Why she mentioned them so little. No, focus, he thought to himself, he looked at her again. He loved looking at her. He couldn't help what his heart felt, even if hers was beating for someone he loved more dearly than life. If it was between his happiness and Landon's, he would choose Landon's any day.

Hope was unsure of her own state of mind, from days it was as if she was uneasy. Maybe she had spent too long in Josie's conscience. She knew all magic came with it's drawbacks, but she could not pinpoint what was happening. It's as though she was a spectator of her own life. All she could think was how much she loved these people and how badly she didn't wanna lose yet another person. Not Raf. She hadn't even told him... No. There was nothing to tell. She loved Landon, he made her happy, she was in the best relationship of her life. Uncle Elijah approved of him. She knew he was right for her, but why did right feel so wrong at times?

Hope: Raf it's not an experiment. I was reading the history of your heritage, turns out there were wolves around Arthur's grandson, his name was Melfort or something. Arthur had an affair once, he was young, barely 16, he met a wonderful woman, but more on that later. Point is you are of his line. And according to the Legend of the stoned wall, every member of Arthur's heritage, on visiting the stoned wall can ask the Lady of the Wall for a favor. A blessing. And she has to grant it. Whether that be magic that was beyond the laws of the Universe. The Lady of the Wall asked Arthur to ensure ALL his people were protected and provided for in return. His people, as in... you.

Raf: You are kidding.

Hope: I don't kid.

Lizzie: So what are we waiting for? Let's go to the stupid wall.

Hope: Don't call it stupid Lizzie, she could save his life... and see that's one small issue. The wall is in... well, it's like a joke but the Wall is in New Orleans.

Lizzie was stunned, she had heard stories of New Orleans and the reign of vampires, she has heard stories of the Mikaelson clan, she had been there once with her mother at a very young age. Now, she was actually going to visit the place that made Hope Mikaelson. The Hope Mikaelson.

Lizzie: Holy Shit.

Is all Lizzie could get herself to say. Raf was confused, he looked around and wondered why everyone was so afraid of this New Orleans.

Raf: What's wrong with New Orleans.

Lizzie: That's Hope's hometown dummy.

Raf: Oh..

Hope: I haven't been there... ever since. I don't know if Dr. Saltzman will be okay with taking us there.

MG: I don't say this often, but let's just go.

Jed enters the room.

Jed: Where we off to?

Lizzie: You- nowhere.

Jed: He is our Alpha, one of us has to go with.

Hope: Okay then. Who is driving?

Landon had not spoken a word, he knew Hope had a past in New Orleans, he knew that her family was there. He had met her Uncle but he never knew him. There was too much happening. He could not think about himself, he should not. Was Hope ready for this?

Landon: Okay then.

They all walked towards the van. Raf stopped Hope shortly.

Raf: You don't have to do this.

Hope: I do.

He tried searching her eyes, her bright beautiful eyes, but he found nothing.

Raf: What's wrong with you?

Hope: I don't know. I will ask my aunt to do a reading once we reach there. She won't be too happy about any of this. That's what I am scared about. If the Mikaelsons find out what's happening here, there will be hell to deal with.

Raf: Then, we will keep it quiet.

He held her hand a moment. He never could help herself around her.

Hope: No Raf... not now.

They walked towards the van, everyone knew the role they were to play, they were a group of excited teenagers who wanted to meet the epic Mikaelsons.

Hope called her aunt. "Hey Aunt Freya, I am bringing a few friends of mine to New Orleans. I hope its okay with you guys? I needed a reading and they said they wanted to meet you."

"Hope that is amazing, we'd be more than happy to see your friends. And, you'll be happy to see who is here." "Hey kiddo." Uncle Kols voice across the phone freaked her out. She loved him, but he would know. Oh well.

Lizzie and MG together- So?

Hope: They bought it, but my Uncle Kol is there which means Davina is there. It will be very hard to make sure none of them find out what's up.

Hope knew she was lying to them. Of course her family will know, they were the Mikaelsons. But Raf was more important than wanting to stay at the school. She hadn't realized before just how important he was.

[seb-owns-these-tatas]

Witcher Of The Night (Chapter 10.1)

THIS IS MODERN ERA READER WHO WOKE UP IN THE DIMENSION OF THE WITCHER. 

WITCHER OF THE NIGHT MASTERLIST

CHAPTER 10

Characters: Geralt of Rivia x small!Naive!Reader

Summary: You’ve woken up after the possession without remembering how it went, nor did you remember yourself confessing for the witcher. Three wishes were said with an comfortable feeling that seemed irresistible for you and for the white wolf himself too; leading into having renowned stress and frustration for Geralt with tensions that seemed to be carnal deep inside. 

Warnings: Sexual tension. Frustration from both. Reader being one naughty woman for some bum staring and keeps on bothering a sleeping Geralt. Soft, soft, soft, Geralt of Rivia. Anxiety filled reader. Captain America is mentioned.

Words: 7.6k (SHEEIT. THIS IS LONG AF. WHAT THE HECK TATA HAHAHA. I WAS TOO HAPPY THAT THERE’S SOME TENSION NOW. HAHA! I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT!)

A/N: Smut will be up soon. (Maybe around chapter 14-16) There will be! Patience is a virtue, bb’s! Also, this is one of my favorite chapters that I’ve written! Heehee! I hope you’ll love it! 💖

TAGLIST IS STILL OPEN FOR THIS ONE! Heehee! Don’t forget to REBLOG, COMMENT OR GIVE FEEDBACK IF YOU DID LOVE THIS CHAPTER! IT’LL MAKE ME SMILE!

Disclaimer: PNG’s used in edits are not mine even the GIF’s too. However, the edits and oneshots are definitely from moi. Characters, places and said monsters aren’t from moi as well. GIF’s INCLUDED ARE CREDITED TO THOSE WHO MADE THEM! I DO NOT OWN THEM! (Some Gifs are from demivampirew)

MY WORKS ARE NOT NOT NOT NOT NOOOOOOT TO BE POSTED ON ANY OTHER WEBSITES. My official username in Wattpad is “TATATHEPOTATO” and that’s the only other site I have for writing aside from Tumblr. Thank you, Tater tots!

After the aberrant incident with your Djinn, you'd happen to wake up in the arms of the witcher. Geralt didn't know what happened; nor does he have any as to what explanations can be said. Nobody knew your wishes, not even yourself as you woke up sitting on a saddle; with Geralt's arms surrounding you in a warmth that tells you he was protecting the person in front of him; which was you.

He'd deeply pondered about it as the gang hiked back towards their path going home. What was the reason that you've been possessed by some sort of pneuma? Better yet, what have you really wished for?

All he remembered was your ebony eyes that consumed you from that time being. Though, drinking black blood was ticked off the list because he never even gave you the opportunity to try it nor is it possible for your tiny frame to take the elixir with no immunity like his.

You were definitely possessed; but then it left once you'd given him a barf of black smoke as explained by the bard who saw everything before his eyes.

He wasn't sure of it, but he couldn't be steadfast that the spirit wasn't in your body anymore; keeping you as a host. Though, the bard's explanations interprets that you've given the spirit to him.

Geralt would rather much prefer that than for you to painstakingly have it.

Hence, there was still a lot of questions especially that you woke up like finding a djinn never happened. Those words that was whispered out of your lips sounding like Elder speech.

He'd only understood the first word you've said which was 'Cáerme,'.

It meant Destiny. The word he hated the most.

The latter shouldn't have searched for the Djinn in the first place and just chose the latter option, but he just had to be so stubborn for wanting to flip the bird back at destiny who was trying to play him like a puppet and also at Durriken who began to spat shit back in the Tavern.

"Geralt," Jaskier extolled as the witcher walked Roach out of the forest. The way his pitch turned higher; sounding so mesmerized by the image he was seeing. The vast meadow sitting before him as a petite stone house castle appeared before them. Their wooden cavern long gone as another house has been magically changed; a stone house that probably had a second floor and rooms to provide for the whole family.

The bard gasped and stood in the middle of the field, his eyes shimmering in delight as he loomed before the new house; arms all wide as he exclaimed, "THIS IS SPLENDID! A MIRACLE, INDEED! What did she even wished for?!"

You were oddly silent. For Geralt, it was strange as he'd noticed that the first thing you've asked when you woke up in his arms was 'what happened?' as your eyes were weary and somehow filled with fatigue.

Your quietness was disturbing him to the fullest because he was fond of how you were always asking stuff whenever you see something uncanny in the midst of trailing down the path; which your naivety and curiosity lead to having a Hirikka living in his home. But, now; you were just staring out of nowhere as you sat on the saddle.

All your energy has just been taken from you when you've woken up in wonder; leaving you drained.

"What did you wish for, midget?" Geralt asked out of nowhere as he yanked on Roach's reigns as the horse galloped forward, towards an unspecified small, stone castle that you weren't accustomed with.

You've cocked your head to the side, squinting your eyes back at the larger house sitting in front of you and at the question that the witcher has asked, "What? I haven't yet. We were about to go to the swamps, remember?"

It was a sapped response that made the witcher hum in wonderment; shrugging to himself as the horse maneuvered to the side of the house to see that he'd still acquired his stable but not made of wood; but made in stones.

The house totally looked sumptuous to Geralt's surprise. He was used to the penurious looking stuff, but not the lavish life. He'd been sleeping in brothels before, had no home and friends other than his horses. Yet, life seemed like surprise him to the fullest.

"You've already made your wishes and we have already went to the lake," the witcher surly grumbled, his voice vibrating against his chest as you could hear the cavernous timbre that surely always does give you a touch to the spine.

Howbeit, once you've heard the velveteen gradient passing through; the effect was rather much profound. Kindling with the sparks that seemed to give your spine a shiver.

Totally bewildering, overwhelming and suddenly pleasurable.

"I...didn't? What are you saying?" you softly chided as your body went stiff by the patent purl of his effect on you. The witcher detected your body turning rigid like you've been shot to the head; yet he paid no thorough heed to it as he thought you've just shivered from the benumbing breeze of the night.

You've felt shifting from behind and noticed Geralt who'd gotten to jump off his horse first. No movements were made other than you who was stupefied at whatever stupendous feeling you were having. Beseeching peepers peering down at the witcher who had his beautiful amber eyes on you; silently watching like a hawk with his expression stoic but somewhat pliable that only you had the liberty to.

Very weird indeed.

"Jump." the witcher ordered, his voice sending more overwhelming ripples of shivers that made you subtly shake your head but it was noticed by Geralt as his mouth formed a firm, thin line; eyebrows slightly creased together from the reaction he got.

You timidly hauled your leg off his horse. The witcher's robust fingers spontaneously grabbing onto your hip before you could even jump then fall to the ground; like an instinctive reflex coming from the man himself, carrying you down with no effort. You were gently placed to the ground with much caution.

The wavelet of pleasurable specter traveled through every parts of your body, involuntary stepping an inch away from the latter which has made his hands stay where they have been, cocking his head to the side as he blinked in confusion.

He stared at his fingers far too long; seeming to be feeling what you were also feeling as of the moment. But, he never planned to tell; thinking that it was just probably the side effects of what has happened prior to the Djinn incident that has occured.

"Ughm," your heart was beating fast, giving you an unrewarding feeling when you've subtly moved away from the witcher; your actions never liking what it did when you've felt weight laid upon your chest, making you want to groan out loud in ire, "T-Thanks,"

Geralt could only raise a brow in silence from your reflexes; a weird abrupt feeling of frustration spreading through his chest but he paid no regard as he wanted something he couldn't quite understand.

The witcher was the first to leave, his mouth in a small frown by whatever was irritating him. You tailed behind Geralt stepping foot on their door step with quick marches. From the moment you've thrown yourself in the space of their new humble abode, you were awestruck as you've scanned the whole place with stupefaction.

The interior design of the whole house was in cardinal and wood brown, floor in stones. Geralt stood in the middle of a rather medium sized living room, thoroughly inspecting the place with his scrutinizing amber eyes with Jaskier, Cirilla and Kolby entirely delighted by the miracle that has been given.

You've stood behind Geralt, his Herculean back shown to you as you were staring at it far too long. A sudden thought for wanting to see his body bare which earned a mental slap for your untamed brain.

What were you just thinking right now?

The brooding witcher puttered an exquisite groan to himself, a phantom of satisfying prickle of your stomach giving your insides a warmth that seemed to slowly become insufferable as he'd turned around to meet your doe-eyes; guilelessly peering up at the witcher who was all colossal and strong.

"Tell me your wishes---" he firmly started, roughly spitting out his demands when Geralt met your vindicated gaze that could get him antsy. But, now he was just beyond feeling irked. His gaze simply falling on your lips that held nothing but kindness; those lips that he suddenly wanted to savor all night long.

What was wrong with you both?

Geralt exhaled a calm breath; tightly gritting his teeth as he sharply snapped his eyes away from your vermillion, "---right now. If I were the Djinn,"

Kolby was yelping in the background in his own way; the Hirikka way. Albeit, Jaskier was trying to avoid the harmless monster as it was trying to stand in his path, asking for something from the bard, "No! Bad Hirikka! Stay away!"

You've given the witcher a look of peculiarity; studying how rigid his stance was before you. Eyes closed and seeming to be breathing deeply. The latter couldn't help but take note of how unyielding your scent have been, a sudden feeling that he couldn't withstand and just want to bury his nose in the crook of your neck.

It made Geralt hum a dangerous and displeased short-lived grumble deep inside his chest.

Lemon with a hint of peony. His new favorite scent since the moment you came running off the forest.

"Why---"

The witcher has sharply cut you off out of the blue, jaw clenching as he'd fluttered his eyes for you to see; piercing, obscure and penetrating. "Just tell me, midget."

Those eyes seem to always take your breath away; maybe even your soul as well because of those lascivious thoughts whispering inside your head; scorching your spirit to the fire wanting to be flamed.

"A..A bigger, better house for your family," you hesitantly murmured, soft and quietly which made Geralt's eyebrows twitch. The sound was delicate and utter convincing for him with a perilous want to satiate.

The type of satiation that he wanted to covet; all night long.

It was definitely sudden and treacherous.

Jaskier gave you both a once over across the kitchen, eyes bulging out of its sockets when he'd noticed it was bigger than what they had before; more comfortable and homey. Kolby was trailing behind the bard like he was his shadow which was still being ignored by the lean man himself, "Which explains why we have a small castle house right now, thank you very much, small rat! I can now bathe without Roach staring like he wants me to breed him,"

Jaskier's laugh was loudly resonating around the house which accompanied with the silence you were having with Geralt. One thud and you've noticed the witcher came closer, glowing amber eyes solely on your small frame as he continued his interrogation, "And the second?"

"Enough...food and clothes for everyone,"

Jaskier has seen a basket full of apples, oranges, grapes and everything you can ever wish for. His face twisting in oddity when he'd given the basket of apples to the Hirikka who'd devour it like he has been famished. The bard continued to listen, hearing Cirilla's loud stomps of excitement coming down the stairs of their new two-storey stone house, "Kolby is certainly loving it," he cajoled, stepping away from the Hirikka with a cringe on his face before looking at the princess who was now twirling around with a new pretty yellow gown that she held to herself; a huge beam on her face, "---Also, Cirilla."

You've stayed rooted on the ground, accepting the witcher's presence like it wasn't giving you the shivers and a weirdly palpable desire for wanting him close. Closer than you can ever imagine. Geralt also wanted you nearer, maybe even more. A lot more. Your irresistible scent clouding his mind as he'd taken several steps closer, your scent crashing his palates like a damn delicious snack he'd wish to devour.

The latter lowly whispered crude profanities to himself when the 'want' was starting to get to him. It wasn't like this before; the cravings and utter such. Only for tonight. He ceased his steps once he was an inch away from your feet, looming before you like a skyscraper as you've felt the heat of his stare totally irresistible as time goes by.

It was creating an enigma for your silent mental thinking; heedful of keeping your thoughts in a haywire.

"The last one?" It was a mere grumble, a volume that only you could hear as you were thoroughly enchanted by those amber eyes trying to burn your vindicated soul.

"The happiness of all, especially...yours," your heart was running a mile as you were consumed by the fire in his eyes. You softly stuttered with utmost sincerity. Never wanting the overwhelming sensation to go away as he was now closer; seeming that your desire to touch him was turning deep-seated.

You wanted to touch his face. Badly. The warm feeling threatening you to do it.

But, it seemed like the witcher was also feeling the same way and was somehow more immune to the irresistible repulsion. You've seen his eyes faltering, changing into a look of frustration, anger and depletion as he snapped his head away from you. The veins to his temples throbbing as deeply growled to himself; fighting off something he was feeling that you couldn't decipher.

Then, it was like he'd broken the spell as he abruptly shifted away from you; shaking his head. The overwhelming sensation changing into dismay and pain. His reaction sparking you to feel downhearted. Shouldn't he be happy that you wished for his happiness as well?

You've blinked back at the witcher with a frown, the way his eyes shun away kept your heart at bay, pondering of the fact if he felt it too or was it just another one of your ridiculous hallucinations? There were voices inside your head, screaming that you've told the witcher you liked him, though you never remembered when and where.

Maybe, it never happened?

Hence, why does the idea felt incorrect?

Jaskier, a great eavesdropper; managed to slid his way to where you both were. The bard's ocean eyes raking both of your rigid forms like you were acting pretty strange. Especially, the witcher who seemed to be having an internal battle within himself, "Alas! It seems like this is the wish that broke my heart because the witcher doesn't appear happy at all,"

Geralt gritted his teeth as he spoke; clearly upset of your last wish as he was glaring you down. The sudden change of his attitude making you scrunch your nose in dismay; his frustration seeming to also be given as you had your fists on either side, huffing out a breath;  "You didn't wish to go back to that earth you call your home?"

"By the sound of my last wish, I think I did."

"It didn't sound like it," the witcher roughly spat. Bruising that selflessness and naivety of yours with his simple words. You crippled under his fierce gaze and felt yourself thwarting, "I really did! I didn't want to be selfish and wish for myself! Coming home makes me happy! Obviously, it would've been for you too based on how persistent you are in throwing me away! If I did say that to the Djinn then I should've portaled back home already!"

The sudden high-pitch timbre of your voice was an accident. You didn't mean to burst like a mad man at the witcher who had been wincing since the moment you've spat spiteful words after words. You were utterly infuriated; from the heavy, unrelieved feeling and also disheartened by how he was strong willed about how you should go back to where you came from.

Jaskier was rooted on the ground. Hands fidgeting over his cup of water, tapping the lid when you've started dropping a bombshell back at the unnerved witcher who now had a stoic expression carving his features once again; giving you each other looks as his mouth was in an 'O' form, staring back at Geralt; waiting for another mistake that he could do because he was that type of lout as Jaskier knew.

But, to the bard's surprise; his expectations had been high as he waited for the witcher to yell back like how he did to him back in the days; accidentally hurting his heart.

Yet, there was no angry witcher coming forth.

"You should've been more specific," Geralt calmly murmured, audibly sighing from the anger you've poured down on him; leaving Jaskier  to his astonishment, "---you're too fucking selfless," the latter went on with his gruff rumbles, shaking his head in disdain as he turned his heel to drop his heavy metal sword on a medium sized brown mahogany table, "---to even include us in your wishes,"

Cirilla was nowhere to be found; currently in her room as she was jumping on her pretty large new bed. Jaskier wearily blinked back to the both of you who seemed to be in a mess; nodding to himself from the moment the witcher was the first to even calm down when you were maddened.

The simple action was enough for Jaskier to get blown away because he rarely does that when someone was proving a point to the witcher, especially when the point was actually about his rickety attitude that he couldn't control. The bard left you both to your argument, never wanting another quarrel and trying to cease the war by waving the white flag.

His firm and calm response made you feel bad. Totally bad especially when you've seen his frown. Howbeit, you were pondering why was he even thwarted about the fact that you included them in your wishes when he should've been thankful?

Witchers were complicated, you thought to yourself. The pent up aggression now leaving your body when you've tried to reason out to the witcher; though, it was still there deep inside. You just tried to shake it off.

You've tread on the heels of Geralt; throwing questions after questions as you were hot on his wheels, "But, did we get the Djinn?" First. "What happened?" Second. "Are you really not going to answer me? Is this a part of your brooding charm, then?" Third.

He'd ceased his steps before the first block of the stairs, your forehead hitting his beefy back. You've immediately hissed at that and caressed the part that was hit, silently groaning out for being an annoying idiot.

The witcher wasn't moved at all.

You were beyond awestruck from how you were acting. You've never been seeking for his attention before yet here you are; kindling with his patience.

"I'm sorry," the guilt was eating you alive. Your sudden caterwaul and needy attitude making you feel strange. You were never like that. Ever. You genuinely apologized to the witcher, biting at the pillows of your chapped lips from the anxiety, "---I didn't know you want me to leave that bad, Geralt."

Still, no answer from the witcher. Albeit, that was his problem with each passing day with you; the thought of you leaving was slowly penetrating his will on watching you go. He was slowly hating to see you leave.

If Destiny was hearing his thoughts, it'll be celebrating by how she was playing her cards right. It's what she wanted from him; from Geralt.

To accept his destiny. As always.

"---Also, thank you." you continued, trying to communicate with the silent hunk of a man, "---For always saving me when I should've been killed already,"

You've given him a small, sad smile without him even looking. Catching you off guard when he'd momentarily turned around to see a partial of his apologetic amber eyes.

"I---"

Though, it seemed like destiny didn't want that from Jaskier's brash interruption; Geralt didn't have the chance to continue what he wanted to say. A subtle roll of his eyes as the bard hollered from the second floor, being happy as a box of birds when he was welcomed with a bed that seemed so comforting to sleep on. He was just looking through the set of rooms; deciding to give Geralt the chambers that had wider windows then leaving to catch up on the others. There was also a pretty much medium sized bath room that took up most of the proximity of the home itself.

It was rather fantastic.

"THERE'S ANOTHER SPARE ROOM! HOWEVER, IT IS PRECISELY ONE ROOM DESTINED FOR ME!" he shouted from above, hearing him uttering out the most unfamiliar words he'd excitedly said as he continued to yell, "---YOU ARE AN ANGEL SENT FROM AN UNKNOWN PORTAL, Y/N! I SEND MY KISSES TO YOU! MUAH!"

Geralt's features was masking in complete fatigue and dismay; sighing from the bard's horrible interaction.

You bit your lips together, beaming back at the witcher who had a tight scowl on his face as you'd stealthily stepped back; planning to flee from his presence. Your thoughts thinking that maybe he was already annoyed, "Okay then, I'll give you your wanted silence."

You've side-stepped, cautiously aware of how heavy his gaze rested upon you. But, you were too bashful to even look back. Nervous that he would notice that you were already deeply fond of him.

But, something inside you says he already knows which is why it added more butterflies in your stomach; lately becoming uncontrollable and raucous.

"Where are you going?" Geralt bluntly questioned, you've ceased from escaping within his presence and gave him a look that tries to state the obvious, "To my chambers?"

The brooding witcher cocked his head to the side, curiosity filling his cat eyes. His lips twitching for a smirk to carve because your reasoning was hilarious, "The kitchen?"

You gave him a tight crease of your forehead, finding his queries rather abrupt and weirdly strange because he seemed to be pointing out that it wasn't your room and so you've laid down your opinions and viewpoint, "I know you were kind enough to lend me your bed because I was wounded. But, I think the medicine still works like a miracle and---"

Therefore, it was enough for the witcher to simper. The strange sentiments of keeping you close as he tries to sleep assaulted those strange senses that continues to give him impelling decisions.

"No," Geralt wanted to wince. It was not what he wanted to say. His crooked smile fell when you eyed him like he was a weird one, "What do you mean, no?"

"You can have my bed,"

The latter's nose was scrunched, subtly snapping his head to the side as he lowly cussed, "Ugh, fuck." when that was abruptly said out in the open.

He wanted you with him. On his bed. With reasons that can get him to sleep and also because of that feeling he couldn't get off his chest.

You puckered your lips in quick ponder, before shrugging to yourself and suddenly sleeping on his bed seemed to be normal, "Okay--What?"

Geralt calmly exhaled a breath, blinking back at you with a scowl as his body went stiff; uttering his next words with contrived annoyance, "You can suffer from Jaskier's lute strumming in the middle of the night; non stop like a dragon in heat," his teeth gritted against each other. Though, you didn't notice that and was more heedful of his anomalous attitude, "Is...Cirilla's room not available?"

The witcher shook his head, to the question sent and for his random actions, "You can't always sleep in her room," pause. He'd started again with doubt dripping in his baritone pitch, "---There are...peril instances that may occur when she is deep in her slumber,"

You clicked your tongue, "So, I have no choice but to sleep in your bed?"

"Hmm."

All you've gotten from him was a raise of his brow and a low menacing hum that seemed displeasing to the ears, "I think that was a yes," you avoided his intense golden peepers, thoroughly tentative of how your fingers fidgeted with the hem of your long mustard colored sleeved sweater; his demands giving your heart another blush, "---You are acting...weird today, Geralt."

With you stating the obvious ignited a grudging groan from the latter. Words were in a surly rumble as he languidly spun in his booted heels and took his flight up the stairs. His heavy, muscly weight making the floors creak with every step he takes; following him from behind, "Fine. Sleep with Kolby for all you want."

The way up was steep and narrow. Having an ounce of space for the person below the latter when he walks up. You were lost in wonder as your focal point was fortunately on Geralt's abounding derriere that made your mouth dry. 11/10, you rated inside your brain. Totally A+ with that tight leather pants he wore. He had a better bum than you, which made you look back at your own tushie, lighting up a scoff to your disappointment.

"---He seems quite unstable before we went to go get that faux of a Djinn,"

Halfway up the stairs, the witcher ceased. Sensing something was going on as he slightly turned his body to see you staring straight at his tushie. Geralt eyed you down in confusion, his amber eyes skeptical as he just caught you ogling at his firm glutes. The witcher couldn't help but scorn, seeing your mouth shut and in awe from what you were seeing.

You've blinked back to see him staring you down with that guileless curiosity of what you were just doing. Maybe staring at a witcher's bum wasn't exactly the brightest idea when he had heightened senses. A loud clear of your throat got him smirking before he continued to ascend.

"You--You called him Kolby!" you stuttered and tried to ignore that you were caught red handed by the witcher. You went after him and feel the blush creeping up your face,  "Don't--Don't you turn your back away from me when I'm talking to you, Rivia! "

Your eyes scanned the way up the stairs, utterly surprised to see their house magically transformed into something better, "---So, I really did made the wishes already! Your house has a second floor right now?"

A crane of your neck as you watch his dirty, tousled hair bounce with every step you take. Those buns of his also jiggling when he took his final step and you couldn't avoid but silently give a chef's kiss; understanding how he was ravishing and utmost pleasing to the eyes of women.

Until your foot caught the ends of the stairs and you stumbled. One knee falling flat on the floor and a loud thud erupted from your clumsy accident. Too much bum staring. But, it was probably worth it. "Oh---Geralt! Ow!"

There wasn't much struggle as the witcher effortlessly grabbed your weight in one second; keeping you still as you were given a whiplash by those spellbinding eyes.

The witcher had one knee dropped to the ground, never hesitating to give assistance to your dextrosity. You were a lummox when you were bashful and shy; uttering out the most ungraceful confessions, opinions or even being an utter clutz because your fingers fidget from the embarrassment.

"So fucking selfless with her wishes and utterly cloddish,"

Geralt checked your bandages in haste, straightaway pulling the hems of your sweater in the right, respectful amount to see them all bloody and looking like you've stitched them open because of your accident. Touching you seemed to be the least of his worries when you've arrived; like he couldn't feel the prickling, delightful sensation that he pours out on you whenever he does.

He was prettier up close. You mentally thought to yourself, charmed by his handsome features when his focal point was on your bloody bandage, "You need those bandages changed, midget." he grumbled the thought out loud, slightly craning his head as you had the advantage on the position you both have; meeting those curious doe eyes like you wanted more from the witcher.

Something insatiable, pure and peckish.

Faces close in proximity, trapped in a spellbind that you both completely had no power in. His warm breath hitting your ajar mouth, slightly filling the curiosity you had for the witcher.

You've raked the small scars on his face, imperfections that made him more striking; wondering how many flaws did he have to take to become a monster-slayer in their world as you remembered Cirilla's stories about him. What more scars did he held on his body in which you find him still delightful.

The gap between the both of you was perilous. There it was again, the sensations that you both were having; yet no one was willing to risk.

"Geralt?" you softly whispered against the his lips; watching those eyelids of him fall shut when he'd craned his head to see your eyes staring right at him. Those gorgeous eyelashes that had been given to him; rather than to a woman like you. It was unfair to see how gorgeous he was up close.

Lemon. Peony. It was enticing for a witcher. Bringing him to a haven he didn't thought there was.

From the moment he'd heard you softly say his name, he'd slightly fell back; seeming to be caught in a vulnerable state. You've finally seen his eyes that was now filled with ire; like he was struggling with something within himself, "Hmm?"

"Did I...do something?"

The witcher exhaled a breath he has been holding, your scent catching his senses as he tried to imprint your scent by heart, giving him the advantage that it helps in making him calm and at ease, "No," he gruffly mumbled, breaking the spell and dragging his sky scraping height to the fullest; standing up with a frown on his face by wanting to achieve something that shouldn't be dreamt of, "Not at all."

Vulnerability would answer his curiosities and the witcher didn't know if he was ready yet because the last time he did, it got his heart broken.

You've had sleepless nights. Even more than you can ever imagine back in your apartment. The insomnia was kicking you in the ass for a thousand times as you kicked and stirred in your sleep, beside a witcher who has been giving your heart a marathon.

Just his breathing was keeping your breathing and heartbeat erratic.

There it was, the desire of having the big witcher close to you as he slept on the other end of the rather new large bed, his strapped, broad back away from you looking like the space he'd given himself was rather too little for his large frame.

It was funny to see him struggling with the small space as you've twisted and turned for the hundredth time. You couldn't hear anything other than the eerie, buzzing sounds of the night. Jaskier finally had shut up from creating new epics and strumming on his lute, so to say; it was probably three o'clock in the morning in their time.

You were wondering if that was how the witcher slept. Only on one position; never moving like he was dead. It has already been two hours and you had nothing to do but tap on the mattress with your fingers and stare at his clothed back. Did he also have scars on his back too? you mentally thought to yourself and gently turned your body to look at the wooden ceilings.

Sleep wouldn't consume you tonight. You'd rather have a different type of sensation that would consume you all night. Your breath hitched at the thought of that, wordlessly dragging the sheets above you to wrinkle your nose from the damaging ideas inside your head. Your soul probably tutting because of how you've become from the moment you've fainted and remember nothing.

There was a sigh. Your head snapped towards the witcher who seem to shift in his side of the bed, placing a hand underneath his pillows as his face was morphed into distress. He couldn't sleep at all because you were restlessly moving like a worm, also for the heavy feeling tugging at his chest since the moment he'd woken up from being attacked by the djinn.

"Geralt?"

He didn't answer.

"---It's cold, like really cold." with that, he deeply sighed; never planning on opening his eyes. The latter was hoping you would stop turning around the mattress and also for the uncomfortable feeling resting on his chest with every breath you take.

"Not for me,"

Geralt knew you were pouting at his response; but he paid no heed and tried to silently have his slumber. The brumal temperature of the night never giving him a headache because his body heat was taking it nicely as it was also helping the heat that began to start from his chest up till the every end and nerves of his body; making him groan to himself when you've unintentionally whimpered to yourself when he'd rejected the idea of closing the windows.

The sound you make was making him crazy.

Also, the clothes he was wearing to sleep was making him crazier; even hotter than it was supposed to be.

"Geralt," he grabbed onto the pillows a little more tighter, drowning himself in the fluff of his pillow as you continued to disturb him because you somehow couldn't find your own sleep as well.

"Yoo-hoo~ Beefy Legolas?"

It went on and on. Your twists and turns also did as he finally had to tiredly grumble.

"Let me have my nap."

You were lucky your wound was given medicine because it wasn't hurting anymore. An elbow on the bed to support yourself as you peeked to see Geralt's shiny hair glimmering beneath the candle light. Tempting you to give care and probably spend a little time tugging at it as well. Those thoughts make you shake your head, clearing your throat as you asked the witcher with utmost purity lacing your tongue.

"Geralt, can I braid your hair while you sleep?"

"No."

"Did you bleach your hair then? You know, it’s like a way of coloring your hair and such---"

"No."

You softly huffed in disappointment, lower lip jutting out as you sighed from the energy and itch that you couldn't fight off, trying to see if he had his eyes opened but his burly form was making it difficult. You could only see his back and ivory hair, "Where's the gym? I mean, obviously you do go to a gym with that...build. Except, if you're given a serum like Captain America's..."

The latter lowly grunted in response; making your spine shiver from the sound as he does so. You've suddenly swallowed the saliva down your throat, wincing as you subtly held onto your chest; feeling it strangely grow a temperature hotter. You shake your head to try and ignore the uncomfortable feeling.

"You are talking in riddles that I couldn't comprehend, midget."

Geralt audibly sighed, turning his sturdy body to see you wide awake and innocently blinking back at the latter. Acting all guiltless like you weren't just trying to wake him up. He exhaled an exasperated breath; amber eyes glued to the ceiling with a grimace on his face.

"So, you're...awake?" you innocently stated the obvious, trying not to act guilty that you were anxious about a lot of things and your brain doesn't seem to cooperate with your body.

"How can I sleep when you keep tossing over and over," the latter rasped before languidly turning and facing front to you. His eyes searching for whatever was keeping you awake; pondering why your energy level was at the top. Totally too much for his wearied ones, "---I'm starting to regret why I offered you my bed," he gave a soft shake of his head as he comfortably dropped his head on his fluffy pillows, watching you drop yours at the same time. You've welcomed those golden peepers drilling with your emotions; setting fire to your insides, though you've never told anyone but yourself.

"I told you so. I have insomnia when my anxiety strikes like a bitch,"

Geralt had his eyebrows in a tight knot, "A what?"

"I can't sleep." you honestly told, breathing out your frustrations as you've felt the witcher's stare heavy on you, "It's just so...cold,"

He gave a small, tender smile. It was unconscious, the witcher didn't know if he even was smiling when he had hunches onto why you couldn't sleep. Based on how you were giving him bear hugs up all night when your fever went high, a leg on his robust ones; face nuzzled on his clothed, wooly chest; he knew you were a cuddler.

Howbeit, nobody also needed to know that he had his fingers raked in between your hair like the witcher was brushing it to make him sleep.

Like it was calming him down; making his breathing steady and at ease.

"You want something." he simply graveled, thoroughly amused.

"W-What?! No!"

Did he know what you were thinking? Especially those promiscuous ones? Or only the part where you wanted to be near him as you slept?

The latter scoffed, his smile turning crooked as you've seen those teeth eventually showing as he beamed, "I didn't thought naive midgets lie. I must say, your flaws are surprising."

Albeit, despite of how he was making your stomach flutter wildly; this brooding man gives you comfort in such a weird way.

Adoration was definitely a complex part in life that nobody can ever explain. A diversity in their world and also in yours.

"You need a hug." the witcher stated as a matter of fact, knowing that it was what you needed as you continued to fidget and tap on the mattress with your fingers.

"Maybe," pause. You've peered back at the man who kept giving your heart beat a difficult time; being drawn to his amber colored eyes, enraptured by his presence as you were caught in a spell that he could only give.

Only him and nobody else.

Geralt seemed to be a good listener and so, you've done the inevitable as he was the only person you've shared a bed with for all your life. Other than your mother when you were younger. He was the only man you've approved of having your personal space infiltrated.

"I had...stuff toys and a big pillow back in my home. It was the only thing I could hold for me to sleep. The only thing that can keep me company in a cold day," you started, shifting your eyes away from the witcher who was on the far end of the bed; waiting for you to continue like he always does, wanting to know what was inside your head.

Curiosity always leads to something else.

"---So, I must say that it helps with my anxiety and insomnia. Thinking that I have someone to hold; someone to protect me from all the sadness, rejection or disappointments that seem to love me throughout my life,"

"Are they beasts?" you glanced at the latter, studying him if it was a joke. But, all you see was a determined witcher who was patiently waiting if his guesses were correct.

"Anxiety and Insomnia?" Geralt gave a quiet hum as an answer.

"What? No. Definitely---Well, maybe. If you think of it that way. They keep your mind unstable and problematic. Fifty percent would want you thinking about things that should've been left forgotten. It ruins your sanity,"

"It is a beast then,"

You've given him a small smile, memorizing each curvature of his face; never wanting it to be forgotten. The way his eyes peer back at you in curiosity for whatever you wanted to say like hearing you talk was his entertainment and pleasure.

He'd watched you move closer, letting your curiosity get the better of you as you've felt his hot breath fanning your face in a way that could give you warmth in the midst of the brisk night; his windows never closed shut and feeling him closer than you can ever ask for was giving you the warmth you needed.

A warmth that could take those horrid thoughts away.

"Tell me your stories," you softly urged him on, his voice seeming to be soothing. The only ones that could pacify your jitters to shut down.

The witcher blinked, appearing to be off-guard but utmost compliant nevertheless, "About?"

"Your monsters. The ones you've slaughtered," you joyously smiled, your eyes turning crescent shapes as it felt as if it was the moon that was giving Geralt light to his night sky, "---It might be helpful if I want to become a game developer of something,"

"I've only shared stories with my horse,"

You placed your palms under your head, craning fully to see those eyes piercing through your soul; satisfying your cravings for having him close than you can ever wish for, "You mean, Roach? You talk to your horse?!" a soft exclamation was all it took for Geralt to give a short scoff.

"Merely, now because I have Jaskier and Cirilla. But, prior before they came around; I only had my horses to talk," pause. "---You wouldn't want me talking about how I hunt monsters, it'll bore you to death,"

You firmly shook your head to show him your will-power in hearing those interesting stories he had. A monster-slayer who had boring stories? You doubt. Just learning the back stories of a main character's game was interesting, no doubt that Geralt's stories would even get you gasping from all his slaughters, "I love all types of stories," you cordially whispered, eyes twinkling underneath the candle light as the witcher blinked back, "---Also have read ones that weren't of a penchant. Yet, I've grown to love them."

With little effort of bringing out the big guns, Geralt obediently complied. The deep baritone of his pitch lulling you into having your slumber. He'd talk about his latest hunts and quests; learning about monsters that you didn't know existed. Mostly deadly as some has taken him down and eventually lead him to being poisoned. You've frowned at that, but he'd reassured you that his scorching trials created him to be immune to any poison that was harmful to humans.

He was mutated after all and it made him more compelling.

Geralt has stopped his lullabies when he'd reach at the point where he had tried saving a town called Blaviken; quietly simmering down as you were suddenly perspiring like a dog in heat and heaving deep breaths.

"Midget." he firmly stated, studying your face when you've fluttered your eyes closed as you started listening to his stories. You've nestled closer to the witcher who had a wince on his face as he was perplexed by the sudden drops of sweat that was forming on your forehead. "---Are you alright?"

You gave a quiet chortle as you've felt his breath fanning your forehead, "Maybe,"

His medallion rested on your forehead, realizing that you were cuddling him a little too closely but the bear of a man didn't seem to care, "Your answers can always leave a person guessing," he grumbled more so to himself as you felt him shift on the mattress. Curious as to why his big, rough, calloused fingers were behind you; his hand that he has used to hold a sword and yield for those men to be butchered.

His hand that had magic was now raking through your hair, gently and slowly combing your hair as it was giving you succor and protection.

"You're not...uncomfortable?" you hesitatingly asked, voice smaller and quiet as his body was taking in your small form. The witcher had his eyes closed now; like he was in peace, "I've done far worse than to be scared of giving people hugs,"

"But, this is called cuddles and chill because you're hugging and talking me to sleep,"

"Is that what it is now? Is that what its called in your kingdom?" you've heard him tease, his lips curved in a way that tells you he was poking fun at your modern references that he certainly didn't know.

His fingers continued its ministrations; how gentle he was made your heart beat drum so loud that you could hear them ringing in your ears and you were sure Geralt could be hearing it. You gawked back at the latter, "It won't be called Netflix and Chill because I swear it has a different meaning and---"

Geralt quickly cut you off, abruptly opening his eyes to give you a compassionate look in his eyes, "Cuddles and chill it is, then." you've bit your lip in an attempt to shut your mouth.

"---Sleep, midget." the once brooding witcher demanded before giving your spine a satisfying shiver as his thick fingers raked on the hairs of your nape as he patiently untangled those locks away, "Those beastly creatures you have won't slaughter you while I'm around,"

Inside both of your chests, there was still that insatiable feeling that you couldn't comprehend. However, the fire dissipating an ounce by the tiny bit of wholesome intimacy you've gotten; was just the rattles of one's cage because there was always more.

More and more you'll be willing to take.

Hence, It was a full moon and wolves howl whenever the moon shines bright against the brumal, cold nights as a cicatrix began to shine which has rested in between the valley of your breasts.

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[tempesrature]

The Case of the Murdered Witch Doctors | Chapter 2

Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 The Charm of Lost Things (Oneshot Follow-up) Creative Process Note Commissioned Art Piece

Pairing: Ride or Die | Ellie x Colt Summary: “The game is afoot.” - Arthur Conan Doyle, Adventure of the Abbey Grange  Word Count: 1k+ Warnings: PG-16  @rodappreciationweek @lovehugsandcandy

~*~

“Fuck I hate how you witches smell,” Colt complains as he pinches his nose and takes a step back from the short blond haired girl in front of him. “Like burnt sugar, it’s disgusting.”

Ingrid looks up from her clipboard, her pink lab coat a stark contrast to the white room, before she turns to Ellie standing next to her with a small frown. “Did you really have to pick a hot but rude vampire, El?”

Ellie shrugs with a small smile as she hooks her thumbs into her belt loops and turns to look at Colt.

After she had left the front doors of the club that night and stepped out into night, her knees buckled and she momentarily crumpled to the ground. She didn’t really think it would work. Hell, Logan—her accomplice and the one she had shown Colt holding the button—told her that it wouldn’t work. After all, everything except for her promise of Teppei Kaneko’s ashes was all a bluff. No, she didn’t change any of the locks in the club (she tried but security was too good) and no there were no agents waiting to surround the club (her boss doesn’t even know she was conducting the whole operation).

It was all a ploy to get Colt Kaneko to listen to her before she laid down her offer. The fact that it worked and he’s now helping her investigate the Kilat murder is nothing short of a magical miracle.

“We need you to confirm if the bodies were drained by a vampire or by other means,” Ellie explains as she turns to Ingrid.

Ingrid smiles and nods before she raises her hand, pink sparks dancing around her fingers, and with a flick of her wrist the body of Ernesto and Malina Kilat manifest just above Colt’s head.

“Fuck! What the fuck!” Colt screams as he looks up in horror at the two dead bodies wrapped in white sheets floating in the air before they hover down on top of the two autopsy tables in front of them.

Colt turns to Ellie, his eyes wide in absolute shock and disbelief.

Ellie smirks amusingly. “First time?”

Colt glares at her as he grumbles underneath his breath.

“So this is what we know,” Ingrid starts as she flips through her chart and pulls the white sheets down to their torso, unware of the wide berth Colt has placed between him and her. “Other than the fang marks on their neck and the lack of blood there are no other visible injuries on the body, magical or otherwise. The Kilat family are albularyos, a type of witch doctor from the Philippines, so we ran a toxicology report and it came in clean and negative for drugs, poisons, and curses. We found traces of the Fern Flower on them but not enough that it exceeds the legal amount. Seems like your old run of the mill vampire murder but we still haven’t done a proper autopsy because we’re still waiting for the papers to be approved so that could change. Any questions?”

Ellie turns to Colt as she gestures for him to look at the bodies. Colt lets out a small sigh and runs his hand through his hair before he steps forward and looks down at the faces staring back at him and somewhere deep in his heart twists a little at the knowledge that they were murdered almost a month ago and the culprit still hasn’t been caught. But he pushes those thoughts away as he reaches out and carefully turns Ernesto’s head to the side to look at the vampire bite. He takes a moment to observe and look at it before he does the same to Malina. It only takes him a minute or so, maybe even less, before he looks up at Ellie with his answer.

“These might not be vampire bites.”

“Might?” Ellie frowns, frustrated that her suspicions might be right. That the murderer might not be a vampire after all.

“Yeah, look at the bite on the husband. They’re too precise, too clean. Older vampires like their bites to be clean just like this but they wouldn’t do it if they’re planning to suck the person dry,” Colt points to Malina’s neck. “But the wife’s bite here is sloppy, almost in a hurry. It’s common for younger vampires but they’re less likely to drink all of the blood since they get full too easily. Vampires from different generational ages don’t just hang out and commit murders together.”

Ellie hums in acknowledgement as her mind turns at the new information. “Do you think those bites could be done by something else other than a vampire? Like some kind of magical instrument perhaps?”

Colt scoffs as he buries his hands in his pockets and shrugs. “Who fucking knows? If it was, I wouldn’t know of it.”

Ellie glares at his dismissiveness but she reminds herself that he’s provided her with new information that can help her investigation and she quickly tempers her annoyance. She doesn’t have to like him but she can be civil and she can be the bigger person.

“Okay, that’s enough for today. I don’t want Mona catching you two in here,” Ingrid concludes as she raises her hand again and pink sparks start to gather. With one wave, the Kilat couple’s bodies start to fade away from the autopsy table and Colt fearfully glances up above his head.

“Thanks a lot Ingrid,” Ellie says with a smile which Ingrid happily returns before Ellie turns to Colt with an appreciative nod. “You too Colt, this helps a lot.”

“Why are you even doing all of this anyway?” Colt asks, his eyes narrowing a little at Ellie in suspicion. His question hints at not only figuring out the bites on the Kilat’s necks but the fact that Ellie had bluffed her threat in his nightclub a few nights before. “With the Agency’s resources, you would’ve known this even without my help.”

Ellie and Ingrid share a look, a silent conversation passing through them before Ingrid shrugs—silently telling Ellie that it’s her decision—before she leaves the room to continue with her work. Ellie turns to look at Colt, her face impassive and her emotions controlled.

“The Agency gave this case to me because I’m a half-witch. They fully expect this case to fail and is purposely limiting my access to the Agency’s resources so I had to get creative with getting my information.”

Colt whistles as he looks at her impressively. “So this is an ego thing then?”

“Of course not,” Ellie scoffs as she crosses her arms in front of her and her eyes flit to the autopsy table where the Kilat couple had been. “They deserve justice and they deserve for their case to be investigated. They left behind a ninety year old daughter, you know? She wants answers for her parent’s death,” Ellie gazes into Colt’s eyes, her own flickering blue with an intensity that pierces his soul. “I’m sure you know what it feels like to have a parent die and not be given the due diligence of an investigation into their death.”

Colt grits his teeth, his fangs almost piercing his bottom lip as he tries to refute her statement. To respond in anger and frustration but he realizes that there’s nothing he can say that wouldn’t come out sounding pathetic and weak. So he scoffs and crosses his arms instead as he turns his head away from her. It’s absolute bullshit that the girl in front of him can seem to read him so easily.

“Glad that you understand,” Ellie grins as she looks at the time on the wall clock to her right. “I’ll text you if I need anything else, other than that I’ll see you at the meeting with Jason Shaw. Thanks for today Colt!”

“Hey wait,” Colt calls out just as Ellie makes her way to the door. “Where are you going?”

Ellie furrows her eyebrows for a moment, confused as to why he’s suddenly interested, but she shrugs and decides to tell him. It’s not like telling him changes anything anyway.

“I’m going back to the Kilat’s house to take a look around again. Maybe there’s something in the basement that could be used to replicate a vampire bite.”

Colt furrows his eyebrows at her. “And…what? You’re going alone?”

Ellie’s eyes widen at the tone of his voice before she glares at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just saying. You look like the only thing you’ve ever fought is a garden gnome.”

Ellie bristles at the implication of his words as she stalks forward and jabs her finger on his chest. “I’ll have you know I have fought multiple magical creatures or did you forget that I’m a witch—”

“Half a witch,” Colt corrects with a smug smile.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m half or not,” Ellie rebukes with a scowl. “I’ve been doing fine with the investigation for the last month and I can take care of myself.”

“Yeah?” Colt leans back and regards her seriously. “And how many of those magical creatures did you fight were vampires? If Shaw really is behind this, would you be able to fight him on equal ground? Do you even know how long a fight lasts against a Primordial, Miss Half a Witch?”

Ellie falters and she curses at herself for internally agreeing with him. Sure, she’s held her ground in the rare chance she has to use her magic to fight but as a half-witch she has a time limit to her powers. Her magic is powerful, she studied and trained hard to make sure it’s at its peak performance, but beyond six hours and her powers wane and weaken. But Colt is right, if she’s faced with a Primordial vampire and she has to fully exhaust her powers then…she wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Colt says when he sees the look on her face before he digs into his pocket and takes out his keys. “Come on, I’m driving.”

“Huh—what? Wait!” Ellie runs after him as Colt makes his way out of the morgue and out of the building. “You’re going with me?!”

“Yeah,” Colt says as he reaches the black and white Cavalieri and swings his legs over the bike. He pauses for a moment to glance at his wristwatch and look up in the sky before he nods and turns to offer Ellie his one helmet. He scoffs at the look of absolute delight on her face. “Don’t get me wrong. If you die, who’s going to get the ashes? I’m just making sure you have enough arms to actually keep your end of the bargain.”

“Uh huh sure you are,” Ellie grins as she takes the bike helmet and places it on her head. “It’s easier to just say you like me Colt, it’s not that hard.”

Colt scowls and revs the engine as Ellie climbs behind him. “I do not like you.”

“Sure you do, I don’t blame you. After all, most creatures—” Ellie lets out a scream when Colt suddenly drives forward without warning and almost propels her backward but she quickly recovers and wraps her arms around his waist. Once she realizes what he did, she hits the back of his shoulder with a scowl he can’t see. “You asshole! I almost fell off!”

Colt lets out an amused laugh, his head tilting back and his fangs glinting in the sun as his eyes glow with a soft tone gold.

Ellie can’t help but be captured by the sound of his laughter and she’s suddenly reminded of how his mouth moved against hers in the dim private room of the nightclub. A small blush dusts her cheeks as she tries to keep her head back on the investigation while Colt easily weaves and moves through LA traffic.

[seriouslyhooked]

Lost Souls and Reveries (Part 23)

24 part AU written for @cssns​. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6,Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22. Story available on AO3 Here and FF Here. Banner created by the amazingly talented @shipsxahoy​!!

A/N: Hey all! So we are back with another chapter of Lost Souls and Reveries and, as is very typical of me, I found myself trying to wrap up this story and I’ve come to the realization I need a few more chapters to do the story justice. I also had multiple readers ask (okay, beg) me to pick up the story right where the last chapter had ended so I have done that with this chapter. Be advised we will move from Killian’s POV to another character who’s POV we’ve never had before. But rest assured you’ll get some fluff, some smut, and some cuteness before getting back into the drama. Thanks so much for reading, and can’t wait to see what you all think!

Hearing Emma say the words, ‘I do’ just now as they made their vows to each other out on the front porch changed the entire plan Killian had for this evening. There could be no soft and sweet or slow and steady when he knew Emma loved him just as fiercely and entirely as he loved her. It brought too much to the forefront, prompting his body to pulse with the need and adrenaline reserved only for two perfectly suited fated mates. This didn’t seem to bother Emma though, for she replied in kind, holding him tightly and clamoring for more as they moved past the front door and into their new home.

A tour might have been an obvious first step, but it would have to wait. Right now, Killian craved the taste of his love and the satisfaction that came with making her purr. He could smell her want for him and feel the way her body shook with anticipation and desire. It was like their first night spent together all over again. None of the frenzy had dissipated, and his confidence and assuredness in them had only grown stronger. He and Emma were forever. There was nothing but this – nothing but them – and he let out a growl of approval at that as he made quick work of the alarm and bolted the front door, locking them away from the rest of the world. Before she could put even a few inches of space between them he was on her, resulting in a yelp of anticipation from Emma that dissolved very quickly into a throaty moan.

“Killian.”

His name on her lips soothed him even as they drove him just a little more insane. Didn’t she realize how lost he was for her and how such strong displays of her infatuation would drive him even more wild? She was stirring the animal inside of him, making him and his wolf completely desperate for more.

“I had a plan, love. I was going to take you room by room through this house. I was going to tell you of my dreams for this place and ask you of yours,” he said as his hands brought her harder against him, her core rubbing against his hard length through the denim of his jeans. She writhed at his show of power, her eyes hazing over to a lusty emerald green. “But that plan is no longer viable.”

“It isn’t?” Emma asked, her tongue coming out to wet her lips, taunting him and splintering his already fractured control.

“No. I can’t wait any longer, love. Maybe another day, in another moment…” he trailed off, not wanting to revisit the harrowing episodes from earlier today again, but Emma understood. Instead of letting that linger she pulled him down to kiss her and fed directly into his new dream. Soon he had her caught between his body and the wall and as he tore his lips from hers, seeking out her slender neck, he hummed before nipping at her pulse.

“You unravel me, Emma,” he said as his hands roamed her body with power and precision. He held her tight, his hold absolute, dominating his love in a way more befitting of a wolf than a man. It was primal, but oh so right, for him and for his mate, as was made clear by Emma’s little keening cries for more and her ever strengthening scent. “My mate, my wife, I must have you.”

“You do. Totally and completely,” she exclaimed, her voice growing pitchy as her breathing grew more labored.

She wiggled against him, and he resented the clothes still between them. Without real care for any of it, he stripped them down of everything he could, ripping away whatever wouldn’t easily go. He pretty much destroyed the whole outfit his Emma had been donning, but he didn’t give a damn. He’d buy her a hundred more if it made her happy, and in this moment she didn’t seem to care, watching him with increasing excitement and desire with each rip and tear. When she was naked before him, he stood for a split second totally hypnotized. He didn’t know where to start. He wanted to devour her completely and he traced the lines of where he could begin over and over a thousand times in mere moments. But when his eyes landed on the place where their pup was now growing more and more every day, he was pushed to action again, overtaken by the knowledge that he’d filled her womb with his child almost from the start. She was his in every way, tying them together and building something wholly good from their union, and both those things only made him want her more.

“It’s moments like this I thank God a little extra for what you are, love,” Killian murmured against her skin, his instincts trying to decide where it would be best to take her. Sure he could gather her up and bring her upstairs, but that would take time. Time he had no interest in wasting.

“What I am?” she asked, not following.

“A perfect blend of human and shifter. It makes you strong, love, strong enough that when I take you tonight I don’t have to hold back. I would have loved you any way you came, Emma. Never doubt that, but knowing how much you can handle…” he said as he knelt before her, his hands keeping her pressed against the wall as he maneuvered her to bring her waiting heat to his hungry mouth. “Knowing I can take you hard and make you mine again and again, well that’s the definition of a miracle.”

Without further discussion he took exactly what he wanted, savoring her taste and her desire while sating some of his need for her. This urge to dominate her, to take what he wanted while also giving her everything she could ever wish for pounded through his body, and after a day as riddled with peril as the one they’d just faced, he could do nothing to curtail this. The sounds of her wild and unchecked wants were music to his ears, and he started to lose grasp of his conscious human mind. Everything was instinct as his animal took over with just basic pulsing words blaring in his head as he tasted her sensitive flesh.

Mine. Take. Claim. Mine. Take. Claim.

He felt Emma crash into her completion once and then again and again. He drew her out and never let her rest, but when she couldn’t take love in this form any more he shifted their position, bringing her down to the ground with him but having her from behind. They’d done this before but never so brazenly, never with so much rampant need. It made the back of his throat tight with a need to howl, and when Emma begged him to take her he almost did. He cursed aloud but felt that biting sense of bliss as he slammed into her over and over. He lost himself in this but it wasn’t enough. It felt like the mating moon bearing down on them, but it was just their love. No other magic was at play, save for the magic that lay in Emma. Ultimately he needed to change their position again, never feeling fully complete without seeing her fall apart and when she did he wasn’t far behind. And in those precious moments where they truly became one, Killian found that all too elusive peace that told him just how perfect they were for each other.

“That was…” Emma couldn’t seem to find the words as they lay together on the living room floor, both spent and reveling in what they’d just done, with nothing like shame or embarrassment between them. “God, I don’t even have words. Can we do that again?”

“Every day of our lives, my love.”

After a few more moments spent enjoying their togetherness and the way that their burdens felt far beyond their reach, Killian wanted to show his soon to be bride their new home. There was just one problem – in his haste to claim his mate, he’d made a real mess of their clothes, hers most notably and in the end all they had between them was his jeans and shirt.

“There are clothes upstairs,” he explained, running his hand through his hair distractedly, as Emma stood up, completely exposed and unfazed in the slightest. But then she smiled at him and he was truly driven to distraction.

“Why bother?” she asked, stealing his shirt and throwing it over herself, the hem of it coming to just about midthigh, covering her, but making her no less tempting to him in the process. She gestured to his jeans and he put them on, reveling in the look in her eyes when he remained shirtless and available for her viewing pleasure. “See? We’re golden.”

Killian laughed at her assessment before taking her hand in his and guiding her on an actual tour through their new home, a place she clearly loved, even before seeing the redone interior. It was a great gift to him to know that he had made such a good decision in buying this estate, and Emma’s enthusiasm and excitement reassured him that he could not have done better. She was enamored with this house, and thankfully she was on board with all of the changes he’d made so far.

“I can’t believe this can be the same house. Everything is so bright and airy, but it’s still timeless,” Emma marveled, taking in the high ceilings that the first floor boasted and the charming antique moldings that adorned the walls. He’d had the contracting crew paint everything a pale eggshell for the time being, wanting a clean canvass that Emma could change should she so wish, but even like this the house was somehow still cozy. It didn’t have any sort of sterile, modern malaise. It was simple sophistication, and that seemed to be exactly what Emma wanted.

When Killian first saw the house, there were some rooms that were beyond salvaging, but many were diamonds in the rough. In some spaces, like the sunroom which was directly next to their living room, the antique windows that had always been there still worked perfectly. They formed a large glass encasement facing the east, so that early morning sunlight would always fill the area. With a bit of cleaning and restoration, the gilded beauty of a more ostentatious time was made relevant again, and the effect was classic and homey all at once. The room lacked furnishings now, but Emma immediately had ideas, something Killian knew would happen. He was almost glad for this little bit of chaos, if only because it sped up his reveal of their home. With Emma’s wishes known now, he could make this place a completed, calming hideaway for them by the time they were truly wed, and that was a goal he would be glad to accomplish. In this room especially, Killian could imagine shared stolen moments. Someday this home would be filled with their children, and there would be rare segments of time when Emma and Killian weren’t attending to them, but in the early morning, when the sun was just rising, or just after dusk when the stars were starting to appear in a vast night sky, Killian could envision them curled up, sharing a coffee or a cocoa and enjoying the respite, however fleeting it might be.

Other areas like the kitchen, were beyond small fixes. The contractors gutted the whole thing, and what now stood there was a contemporary looking space that was big enough for everything they needed. There was ample counterspace, new appliances, and a kitchen island made of local white granite, and most importantly there was an open wall so that he or Emma could see directly into what would be one day be their children’s playroom when they were cooking meals. That wasn’t the original layout of the house, but Killian had been adamant with the contractor that this was what he wanted. He and Emma hadn’t discussed this at length, but he knew that her career and the service she provided to the community meant everything to her. As such, he anticipated that he would take on a bulk of watching the kids and keeping things handled over here. He was desirous to do that, knowing that providing his family with love, protection, and stability after being denied that for so much of his youth would make him a better man. This fresh start with Emma was a way to do things right, and though it might seem overprotective, he wanted the ability to keep tabs on all their little ones at any given moment.

“This kitchen is amazing,” Emma gushed, running her hand along the sleek new features with adoration. Suddenly her cheeks flushed and Killian was on her immediately, wrapping her up in his arms and demanding to know what thought she’d had that made her blush. “I was just thinking that we’ll probably be spending a lot of time in here. What with all my pregnancy cravings and everything.”

Killian knew she didn’t just mean cravings for food, of which Emma had already begun to show signs. Since he’d gotten her pregnant Emma had been even hungrier for the love between them, and that was perfectly fine with Killian. He craved Emma every second of every day, and if she liked this kitchen and had visions of satisfaction stemming from this space, then who was he to deny her what she wanted? Hell, he’d take her right this moment if she indicated that was what she wished, but clearly this tour meant so much to her, and they still had much to see.

The rest of the first floor was all pretty standard, though Emma commented again and again about how open it was and about how it was exactly like she’d always wanted. But it took getting upstairs for really overflowing emotions to emerge. Emma saw the rooms Killian had begun to design for their future children and the features he’d put in already, like reading nooks and bay windows that matched her own childhood bedroom. There was a circular ‘tower’ room that he’d converted into a library, and even now many of Emma’s favorite books were adorning the built-in shelves around the space. She had been so busy she didn’t notice him taking them from her apartment above the clinic, but seeing them now she was overcome with emotion. Her eyes filled with happy tears, and her voice grew soft and strained from all that she was feeling.

“Oh, Killian, it’s perfect,” She said, running her hands along the wooden shelves with a dreamy expression.

After a few more minutes, Emma noticed the books that adorned many of the lower shelves and in the face of them her unshed tears managed to slip down her cheeks. For there, in an area most easily reached, there were already some childhood story staples. More than a few of those were courtesy of Emma’s parents. They had saved her favorite books from when she was a young girl and gifted them back now in hopes that one day their grandchildren would enjoy the same stories. Meanwhile, though his own possessions were much less vast than Emma’s were from childhood, there were even a few bounded tales from his youth, which he one day hoped to share with his children.

“I was thinking I could put the telescope here,” Killian said, drawing her to another wall that was made almost entirely of glass and which dipped upwards, allowing for a beautiful view of the night sky. Already the stars were twinkling, and though the grounds of their house were largely obscured by the shadows of the night, the sight was still beautiful. “I always loved the stars as a boy, I figure chances are one of our little ones might be the same.”

“They all will. They’re all going to want to be just like their Dad,” Emma said, bringing Killian’s hand atop their growing pup and smiling as she did. “They’re not even here yet and already you’re the best kind of father. You love us all so much, and that’s the one thing that matters most of all.”

Killian agreed that she was right. His love for their family was forever. It was unconditional and it would never end, as long as he lived and ever thereafter. That was probably evident in the way he’d begun to style the nurseries and designed the rest of their home, but in one room there was no real hint of their children. The master bedroom would be their space, a den of sorts, built to be the essence of comfort for him and Emma. From a giant bed with flowing white linens, to the giant clawfoot tub and the walk-in closet, Killian had chosen every feature with Emma’s happiness in mind. Things in their life were already hectic, and when they had kids it would be the same, just in new and differing ways. He felt strongly that Emma and he should have this, a private little oasis where they ended and started each day together.

To say that Emma agreed would be an understatement, and she showed him that immediately, by pulling him into bed and ‘christening’ the room in a way that drew them both to bliss. All in all, it was a perfect first night together, and a miraculous stretch of time where both of them could put down their worries about of the state of their small world. They ate, they bathed, they made love more than once, and they cemented their mating bond over and over again. The monsters in their lives were pushed to a far away distance, and somehow they both managed to sleep after everything they’d gone through. Nine full hours of rest were attained, and both of them slept with only peaceful dreams, but alas, the real world could only wait for so long, and sure enough it came tumbling back in again. When it did Killian woke right away, hearing the chirping of his phone before it woke Emma and walking into the room beside theirs, which happened to be their nursery before answering the call.

“You found something?” He said, not even greeting Ruby’s call with a hello or a good morning.

“We did. Graham managed to get surveillance tape of George’s SUV. He changed the plates but there’s a recognizable scratch along the front. Definitely bear claws. Graham ran it through the national database and got a hit at the border.”

“So he’s in Canada now?”

“Yeah, but we lost the trail there. Graham’s police contacts seem to not be as international as we might need them to be.”

“So we’ve got nothing then?”

“Not so fast, Lance of all people got a message from a mountain lion clan about six hours from here. There’s something happening up there, something weird.”

“What do you mean by something?”

“Animals are acting strangely, unaccounted for tracks, and there’s a smell, or rather a stench as they put it.”

“More sick shifters?”

“Only one way for us to find out, but it sounds like it. Good news is David and Neal made good progress with a cure, and in the meantime, they found a sedative that works. Anna’s bear let them test it on him and he was out damn near all night. They’re prepping more now.”

Killian heard the sound of Emma waking up, the sheets on their now messy bed rustling as she moved and he sighed, knowing that yet again he was facing real danger and an enemy that didn’t want him and Emma to have this peace. The only consolation was that a lead could get them past this. If they could find these shifters, then maybe they could find George and really get rid of him. That was the ultimate priority as the man was seemingly decided against letting Emma be.

“Do we know anything about the area?”

“We don’t, but David seems to. He says it was a long time ago, but when he was a kid he went with George past the border. They stayed with another family of hunters who lived not too far from this clan. David had heard that family were all gone now, some sort of hunter feud gone bad, but land records show there’s a massive estate out there. No listed residents but taxes on it get paid every year so no one’s messed with it.”

“George is probably there,” Emma said, putting into words Killian’s own assumptions as she curled into his side, and he nodded to her as he promised Ruby that they’d be there in thirty minutes. When he’d hung up the call. He looked to Emma, hating what he had to say next.

“We’re going to need to send a tracking team love, and there’s a reason Ruby called me. Of all of us, it’s likely me, Liam, and your father who are most needed out there. If this place is really as rural as Ruby made it seem, we’re the only ones trained for this kind of thing.”

“Well good, you should go then,” Emma said, moving to get dressed. “But I’m going with you.”

“Emma, you don’t have to do this,” he replied. “Yesterday was a lot for you and the baby and -,”

“Oh no you don’t. There is no way in hell I am sitting on the sidelines. This is my fight too, and besides, we both know that even if you’ll worry about me with you, it’s nothing compared to what you’ll feel if we’re apart.”

How could he argue with her when she was exactly right? He would feel better knowing she was with him, danger or not. After yesterday, there was just no comparison. Fighting side by side would now always be his preference and Emma knew that and made no complaints.

Soon enough they were ready and reunited with the others, and it became abundantly clear that more people wanted to go than could easily be brought. Killian and Liam were a given, as was David for obvious reasons. He was the only hunter among them, he had a baseline awareness of the area, and he had the most resentment against George of any of them. Ruth couldn’t bear to go, and it didn’t make sense for most of the others, but finally it was settled that Emma and Anna would round out the team. On this they had only mild pushback, all of it from Elsa.

“If you’re going, I’m going,” she said, not to Liam but to Anna. His brother’s mate seemed to trust in Liam’s ability and obviously didn’t desire to be away from him, but her fiercest protective instincts only came out for her sister and for Emma. Since Emma had Killian to watch over her, Elsa was appeased on that score, but Anna was more precariously placed, and also guided by emotion that could end up being her downfall.

“No, Elsa, you have to stay here. Ruby needs you to help with tracing Gold, she can’t do it alone, and I need you to stay with him,” Anna said, motioning towards the bear who remained trapped in the crystal enclosure.

The bear had been paying attention this whole discussion, and he roared out an aggressive sound. Clearly it didn’t like the idea of Anna leaving, and Killian couldn’t blame him. But there was very little choice, especially when Anna wanted to get some kind of vengeance for him. Before he could get too worked up, Anna slipped back into the crystal enclosure. While no one outwardly gasped this time, it was still alarming, and Emma squeezed his hand tight as she watched her friend.

“I know you hate this idea,” Anna said, pressing her hand to the bears face lovingly. “I’m not a huge fan either, but I know it’s the right thing. My instincts are going haywire, telling me it has to be like this. I’ll never know peace until I know he can never hurt us – hurt you again.”

The bear growled, but the sound was aimed at George and not Anna. Surprisingly the bear then reached its claw out to grab Anna and pull her close in what was quite literally a bear hug. Anna let out a sound between a laugh and a cry, but she relaxed into the embrace for a moment. Finally she pulled back, pressing a quick peck to the bear’s cheek before promising to come back. When she was through the crystal enclosure again, she looked to Elsa, and the tears in her eyes did nothing to deter her conviction.

“I can’t leave him with just anyone, Els. Leaving at all is hard enough, but I have to. This man hurt him, tortured him, and it makes me crazy. I have to help bring him down, but I can’t if you won’t stay here and protect him for me.”

Elsa stood there quietly for a moment, her hands balling and releasing unsteady fists as a range of emotions crossed her face. She clearly hated this idea, and her eyes flicked between Anna and Emma, before ultimately landing on Liam. Killian watched as his brother whispered an assurance in his mate’s ear and then kissed her surely, and when they pulled back Elsa’s fear was somewhat eased but by no means erased. Still, she chose brave acceptance over continued argument.

“You have to promise me you will stay with Liam or Emma at all times,” Elsa said to Anna, emotion caught in her throat as she spared another glance at her mate and Emma to confirm. “Seriously, you all three better come home to me or there will be hell to pay.”

“Everyone is coming home, and that is an order,” Mary Margaret said, her stares intent on David and Emma, though she clearly cared for all of them.

It was almost humorous to see the fierceness of a mother and a wife so closely mirroring Elsa’s fear as a friend and sister. If one didn’t know better, she and Mary Margaret would seem like family, but then again they were. Truth be told, every person here were all of them connected together, whether through blood, love, or unbreakable bond and that was all exceptionally clear as goodbyes were said, and ‘see you soons’ were exchanged.

“There’s no use worrying now about how this is gonna go,” David said a few minutes later as they got into the car and he drove the clinic’s SUV out of town and due north.

“Oh no?” Anna asked, her eyes watching the landscape like at any moment she’d see her mate running through this grove of woods.

“When my wife gives an order, she gets her way. If she says we’re coming home, we’re coming home.”

The joke achieved its objective, lightening the mood and bringing a small smile to everyone’s face. And though there were no real guarantees, and the future was still unsure, Killian chose to believe that Emma’s father was right. For after all of this, they simply had to survive, and when they did it would be on to happy endings, and the days of warring villains would be past them once and for all.

………………………..

Idiot! Fool! Complete and total failure!

The snarling voice inside his mind gave life to all of Gold’s own feelings about the sham of a hunter who had driven him astray.

What a farce this had been, and infuriatingly, what a harrowing misstep they both had made. All of this magic and time, wasted. He was low on his stores, having depleted too much of his saved up power not just in the past few days but over a series of years, and the thought was repulsive to Gold. After decades of harvesting every last bit of magic he could from creatures and beasts all over this world, here he was, weak and vulnerable. That wouldn’t last too long. A few months in one of his many hideaways and he’d revive himself to a more stable position. He had plenty of treasures back home designed to help him do just that. But still, what an embarrassment, and it was all because George Nolan was too blinded by purpose to prepare for all outcomes.

Of all the things to be undone by, a mated bond was one Gold never anticipated. Surely a seasoned hunter wouldn’t be so stupid, so pitiably dumb as to miss a possible match set by a natural magic far stronger than any Gold could conjure. But then that was the problem with these humans. All of them were so guided by their own crusades and devoted to overblown ego. Still, hunters were supposed to be of at least some use. They knew of magic in this world, they were privy to more than the average so and so. Yet in this situation it clearly meant nothing and now years of planning were gone, faster than he could flick his wrist and cast a spell.

Walking through the doors of this dilapidated shack that humans called a home, Gold bit back his sneer. Or maybe he didn’t. Why guard himself now? The cat was already out of the bag, so to speak, and now it was time to clean up. He had made a mess, or at least had allowed a mess to happen, and now it was time to make things right and protect himself before this belligerent waste of space made even more trouble.

“You played me!” George said, appearing from the back of the room that was obscured with shadow with a cross bow drawn and aimed Gold’s way. “You reneged on our deal! You told me you’d give me a weapon to kill them, and look what you did instead!”

“What I did?” Gold bit out, the words filled with venom and yet sterilized from most of the hate and rage flowing in his veins. He stepped closer to George, never flinching even when the hunter raised his bow to aim at his heart. “You were the one who made the choice. Who caught the beast in question? Was it me? Oh no, it was you. I offered one after another after another. I made it as easy as I possibly could for you to have all that you wanted. I gave you access to every shifter I could find, I ravaged half a dozen packs and chose the strongest of each clan, but none of them suited you. No wolf would do. No lion would suffice. I searched high and low, but it had to be a grizzly, and for what?”

“You know as well as I do that the infusions work best with a larger beast -,”

“Ha! You and your little ‘infusions.’ It was my magic that made anything possible. Without me you couldn’t stabilize that sickness to save your life. You would have had nothing, nothing!”

“Would have had? I have nothing now! Not only did the bear not fulfill the objective, they captured it.”

“You really can’t even grasp your own stupidity can you?” Gold asked. If he were capable of pity he would have felt it in this moment, watching as George looked confused in the face of his words. “They didn’t capture the beast. The bear has a fated mate and she is a witch. A friend of your great-niece.”

“That’s not possible. I designed the virus to override that instinct.”

At this Gold let out a sharp cackle, a maniacal sound that echoed through the aging wood of this long forgotten cabin. He hadn’t laughed like this in a long time and it really was funny, even if it was also a fucking farce.

“Override the instinct? You really are as dumb as any human off the street.” George’s anger got the better of him and he shot the arrow at Gold, but Gold was faster, waving his hand and halting the motion of the weapon as it clattered to the ground. “There is nothing in the world stronger than a fated mate. True love, soul mates, they exist in all the fairy tales for a reason. As long as there has been magic in the world, love has had power.”

“Well you should have told me! How was I to know?”

“See that’s the problem with you – you think that in this deal it’s I who serves your purpose. And I’m here to assure you of how wrong you are,” Gold said lifting the arrow with his powers back from the ground and turning it back to face at George. “The only reason I let you have your little sickness was to suit my needs. I want those witches and the hybrid. You promised me them in exchange for your weapon.”

“Maybe if you had told me why you want them so bad we could have avoided this.”

Gold ignored the barb, but his own sense of foreboding crept in again. He suppressed it, refusing to allow a dying witch’s last words to haunt him any longer. He was taking control of the situation, stifling any threat, or at least he was trying to.

“But it’s too late now.”

“Too late?” Gold said with a barked out laugh. “We’ve a half a dozen more shifters roaming around these mountains, waiting to be sent to track and kill, and none of them with mates to find in that wretched pack.”

“Doesn’t matter. David knows what he’s up against now, and he may be a disgrace, but I also trained him. He’ll have found a way to fend them off by now, he and those abominations he carries on with.”

“You really believe he has that ability?”

“I do,” George admitted, angrily.

“So what? It’s just over then? You’re giving up and reneging on your deal?”

“The way I see it the deal is moot – you failed to provide -,”

“I gave you everything I promised!” Gold screamed out, and the sound of it boomed around them, echoing in a thunder clap above them. The wind had picked up inside the cabin, the air crackled with energy, and yet when he calmed, that aching sense of exhausting kicked back in. he was weak right now, and he couldn’t afford this fight. But that didn’t mean he planned to lose. Far from it. “And now you’ll see just how strong a weapon that it was.”

With a flick of his wrist, the arrow fell down to the ground again, and George let out a sigh of relief, but then the howl of animals in the night emanated from a few miles away, sending an eerie chill even through Gold’s body. Oh he was at no risk, to be sure. His magic had a failsafe – no creature in his hold could turn on him, but any block against their attacking George was now gone. After all, a deal was a deal, and if a man couldn’t meet terms… well, that was hardly his problem.

“What did you do, Gold?” George asked, but Gold just smiled, giving an exaggerated wave goodbye, laughing again as he turned for the door. “Gold?! Gold!”

The sound of desperate calling was music to his ears as he walked away into the woods, heading to somewhere no one could find him without paying a hefty price. And though it might take some time, Gold reveled in the thought that by this time next year his latest trophies would be found. The witches and the hybrid would be his, fate would be rewritten, and he would remain the most powerful creature of them all.

Post-Note: Okay so yeah, this was wild even for me, BUT I needed you guys to see a little more of how things have gone awry and to know more than Emma and the others do. When I hinted a few weeks back about a spin-off of this series, I always had tracking Gold in mind, and though the story will feature CS, it will more centrally revolve around some of our other characters. Rest assured though, Gold is now out of the picture in this story, but George and the six sick shifters are still very much an issue. We’ll get to the climactic conclusion of that next time, and in the meantime I hope you guys enjoyed, I thank you so much for reading, and I hope you’ll keep enjoying this journey with me as we hit our last two chapters (and maybe a bonus epilogue or two)!

Tag list: @jennjenn615 @winterbaby89 @kmomof4 @teamhook @ultraluckycatnd @resident-of-storybrooke @coliferoncer @artistic-writer @snowbellewells @eastside-divebar @snarkycaptainswan4 @allofdafandoms-blog

[siarven]

WIP Introduction: Hope Beyond

✿ Magical Realism | Hope Punk ✿ mixed-media story ✿ 3 POV characters ⇢ 3 types of chapters (limited perspective)  ✿ comic, novel (3rd person), diary entries (1st person) ✿ currently in the planning stage; to be started during Inktober and NaNoWriMo ✿ standalone, webseries/webcomic which I will update weekly once it gets rolling :3

WIP Page | Tag | Pinterest Board | Wordpress | Tumblr

Hope Beyond is about a young imaginative girl, her (adoptive) book-and-cats-loving sister, and their next-door neighbor, a veteran who loves to paint with Bob Ross. It’s a story about recovery and letting yourself heal, working through your trauma, and making the world a better place through kindness and compassion. (Because I need more stories like that ;W;)

After ten years on life support, ALIA’s awakening and subsequent (impossible) recovery are nothing short of a miracle. The problem? Lia’s family is dead. Her adoptive parents died in the car crash that nearly killed her, too, back when she was only nine. The only one she has left is Morgan, the adoptive sister she only knows from stories and pictures, who ran away from home and cut off all contact before Lia even got adopted. But all that doesn’t matter, because Lia has returned with a quest: To make the world a better place, one person at a time. Morgan will be the first, even if she doesn’t know it yet. (Good thing that Lia has Rhisíl, then, her Guardian snake from the dreamworld she spent the past ten years in...)

After watching Lia recover in less than half a year, MORGAN decides that this is obviously a sign. So she packs their things, quits her teaching position in the city, and moves out to the countryside with Lia and all 5 of her cats… to give this thing called “family” another shot, even if it’s a bit more unconventional this time around. Lia needs help if she’s ever going to fit into society, and (even if Morgan won’t let herself see it), she herself needs help, too. There’s a lot of built-up pain, rage, and guilt to work through, after all. 

It doesn’t take long to befriend their equally new next-door neighbor, a veteran in her late forties named PHAEDRA, who recently lost everything (including her job and a leg), and who is in desperate need of friends. Even if they come in the form of a strangely endearing, bouncy teen who behaves like a little kid and sees magical creatures everywhere, and a young bookworm/crazy cat lady, who is overwhelmed by suddenly having a child to take care of.  Actually, these two might be perfect. 

Sometimes a family is three weird women who have all been through hell. And five cats. And a huge (possibly imaginary) flying snake made of interlocking branches that only one of them can see. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

I’m SO! EXCITED! about this project and plan on starting with the art and the writing during Inktober and NaNoWriMo this year, as a sort of intense marathon session :’D Let’s see how that works out! also someone plz kill me why am I making another wip

About the POV characters:

ALIA NYX. COMIC. She sees the darkness in the world, but chooses to focus on the light and magic. She’s an optimistic ray of sunshine and suppresses all bad memories aggressively. She also sees creatures everywhere, because she’s brought the dream realm she created during her coma with her. Internally, she’s still 9, so that’s how she looks in her comics. (She’ll age slowly over the course of the story as she learns to deal with her trauma, until she reaches her actual physical age). Bby :’3

MORGAN. NOVEL. 3rd person. She’s aro-ace and until recently lived together with only five cats and a ton of books. She ran away from home when she was 16 after some bad encounters with her parents, and managed to become a teacher through a photographic memory, working several jobs, having somewhat understanding grandparents, and a general love for knowledge and teaching. She consists mostly of coffee, spite, guilt, and rage. She also doesn’t trust people. I love her so much

PHAEDRA. DIARY ENTRIES. 1st person. She joined the army after school, a decision influenced and supported by her family. She enjoyed the comradery (and the training, if not the fighting) so she stayed... until a year ago, when her whole platoon got blown up, she lost her leg, and was sent home. Disillusioned with the past, the army, and war in general, she’s finally moved as far away from her family as she could, hoping to start a new life somewhere else. Nowadays, she spends most her time painting because she watched Bob Ross on youtube and decided that it was the perfect therapy. (Her therapist agrees). Happy little clouds all the way. :’))))

If you want to be tagged in future posts, please tell me <3 tagging some of the usual peeps to get this rolling:

@madmoonink @wilde-writing @prismalicht @sincerestaffect @romenna @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword @asttralhell @raiswanson @kittensartswriting @fynniana @lynnafred @random-stuff-thrown-into-a-pot 

[trixcuomo]

Holiday Kael’thas fanfiction reading

HO HO HO! Meeeerry Kael’thas-mas!

I really smiled when I remembered I’d written a few festive or holiday-type stories that were lots of fun. I’m obsessed with Kael’thas (and I actually really love Night Elves too), so all of the ones listed below, except for the first one, involve Kael’thas directly.

Ack! I’m just... feeling so joyful sharing these! I so love them. They’re silly and heartwarming, and there’s enough for you to read aaall December long...

The Romancer Greatfather Winter No Kael’thas in this story, but lots of cool Night Elves! Alessandre is a very sexy, yet crotchety Night Elf assassin who is overdue a visit from a special magical Dwarf this holiday season. Will big Al get the ultimate punishment for that secret santa game from hell he caused? Even better, it’s the start of Alessandre’s exciting romance with the loveliest goth shadowpriestess you’ve met yet. (When you’re done with this story, you can read what happens next in The Romancer Opalbane.)

My Life for My Prince, Chapter 16: A Ball at the Black Temple (spoiler alert, this one happens mid-story) In the mood for a fancy ball at the most unlikely place in Outland? With Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider? Though you’ll be hopping into the middle of the My Life for My Prince fanfiction, this hour+ read is such a fun nostalgia trip back to the Burning Crusade. Kael’thas has decided that he’s madly in love with the new wife of his Sunfury general. In order to get Saturna for himself, Kael’thas is only happy to upstage General Blaize, BIG time, at the best social event during the Burning Crusade. Not only that, all the most horrible raid bosses of that era, who are also Illidan’s allies, have been invited too. Poor Kurgal, valet parking will probably be a nightmare... Blood Knight fans and Illidan Stormrage fans will also enjoy this one. (The best part? If you like it, you can see what happens at the after party and beyond *eyebrow waggle*.)

MLFMP 2: Son of Kael’thas, Chapter 12: Kael’thas Winter’s Veil Party for Naughty Boys and Girls Who Can’t Act Good (spoiler, this one is also mid-story) Lord. Just... Lord. If you don’t mind hopping mid-story into this sequel to My Life for My Prince, this one is really adorable. Kael’thas has a toddler son (I won’t spoil it and explain how), and the sweet little boy wants a holiday party even though he doesn’t really understand what Winter’s Veil is. So what’s an evil daddy Bloodmage to do? Kael’thas couldn’t possibly convince the noble Greatfather Winter to come to Tempest Keep, could he? Maybe Kael’s zealous Burning Crusade-era Blood Knights wouldn’t mind spreading a little evil cheer to turn the impossible into a Winter’s Veil miracle. Illidan Stormrage also makes an appearance, as he’s Kael’thas’ bitter half by now.

The Romancer Turaho (spoiler, most recent in the MLFMP series) This story is still in progress and heavy on fun Tauren & Blood Knight drama, lighter on holiday special. In an alternate Warcraft universe, Turaho, a wary Sunwalker paladin, is asked by the Queen of Quel'thalas to investigate the disappearance of Greatfather Winter from a celebration in Thunderbluff. The Alliance is accusing King Kael'thas of the kidnapping, but it couldn't possibly be his fault… again. Can Turaho avoid a minefield of shifty Blood Knights in order to discover the truth? If you liked Alessandre, he appears in this one as well. And he’s actually the hottest-slash-coolest version of him I’ve done yet. I’m... I’m gonna go drink a glass of cold water now. Phew!

[sobeautifullyobsessed]

Of Magic, Miracles, and Moonlight - chapter 16

a Strangebatch fic by sobeautifullyobsessed

Magic, Romance & a healthy dose of Smut

from chapter 16 on AO3 & FFN:

Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, Sanctum Master (and in the eyes of many, a man well on his way to rightfully claim the title of Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme) the one-time brilliant, talented neurosurgeon whose place among medicine’s glitterati had been preordained by virtue of his magnificent brain and unflagging drive to excel beyond any others in his field, was as excited, as exhilarated, and as nervous as a bridegroom.  And he knew it too; surprised as he was, wonderfully befuddled and ironically amused as it left him feeling, he knew it in his bones—and wouldn’t wish to have it any other way.

Nervous as a bridegroom.  Though he had known dozens of women--in the biblical sense of the word--since his first experience at the age of fifteen (she had been a year or so older than him, and very willing to teach him a thing or two), and though he’d been ‘the first’ for several of his youthful conquests, Stephen’s past had not prepared him for the singular experience that awaited him.  With Teyla, he knew that their lovemaking would be the ultimate physical manifestation of the connection of their souls, and in that way he would be as unsophisticated as she;

 and that he would be following the promptings of his heart, rather than the demands of the flesh.  He wanted to do right by her in this--as in all things now—as he had rarely done for any other lover he had taken.  It was a bit intimidating--this sincere desire to make things as perfect as could be for her--so yes, he believed he fit that epithet to a‘t’.

The little phrase ‘pearl of great price’ had been echoing through his mind since he had awoken from his dream encounter with his precious, peerless Teyla—feeling refreshed, clear-eyed, happy, and sublimely expectant of the joy promised him.  Stephen was no biblical scholar, but that passage from the New Testament was lodged deeply in his brain, as were so many from the Sunday school lessons of his youth--courtesy again of his spectacular memory.  As an adult and stalwart man of science, he’d had no use for the comforting clichés and idealistic promises of any religion—but he was well-read enough to appreciate those passages from the Christian Bible that were generously sprinkled with such poetry, rife with beautiful imagery and wise perceptions into human nature.

Pearl of great price.  He could think of few more fitting ways to describe his beloved Teyla—for just as a pearl comes complete from the oyster, silently perfected over time into a thing of beauty pure before it even reaches the jeweler’s hand, so was Teyla a unique and completely natural treasure.  A living, breathing treasure.  Stephen had not had to give up all his worldly goods to make her his own as the man in that old parable had done in order to obtain his rare fortune—but her value was similarly beyond measure to him.  Despite a lifetime of foolishness, of selfishness, somehow the universe had seen fit to bring her into his life, at the point when he was at last prepared to value her for the true gift that she was.  That immutable fact humbled him and filled him with gratitude and wonder, reminding him yet again that life was far more than a physical journey from birth to death; it was the span of time meant to hone and perfect the Soul, to practice benevolence whenever possible, to give much more than to receive.  Coming to Kathmandu and the Mystic Arts had reeducated him enough to understand and value the power of belief in the unseen—and in the durability and constancy of his own soul.  Stephen had never thought to search for such a sweet companion for his soul—and now he swore upon his soul to value her as his pearl of great price for as long as that gift was granted him.

And so it was, with these truths embedded in his heart, that he trained his prodigious mind upon fulfilling the task which Teyla had set before him—and perhaps because his heart and mind were so awash in love from and for her—he came up with a plan with astonishing ease...

read the whole story on AO3 & FFN

[methylsalicylate]

The Madrigals and The Beast Ch 1

AO3 Link | Story art by @waokevale | Tag: #Madrigals&Beast 

Chapters:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

Summary: 

In the Kingdom of Encanto, there was only Light magic, while the Dark surrounded the forest beyond the mountains. Everything had been prosperous for them, but recently the Dark has been seeping through in the form of disease, less harvest, and dead livestock.

Mirabel, the only giftless princess of the Madrigal Royal family, wants to prove her worth by making it her mission to eradicate Dark magic and restore the full power of the Light.

Starting with defeating the hideous seven-foot tall half human half rat monster hiding in the depths of the dense forest.

______________________________________________________________

In a land far away, protected by dense forests and massive mountains, was a small kingdom.

Here, Light magic existed in nature. It was found in the bountiful harvests they get every year, in the river that never runs out of fish, in the fields that fed the animals, and in the living house of the royal Madrigal family, which is fondly called “Casita”.

The existence of Light magic implies the existence of the opposite kind, which is of the more evil sort. Dark magic stemmed from a wretched being, an entity known as the Curse of the Encanto. Its energy spilled throughout the outside borders, weakened due to its diffused state. The very first king defeated it with a sword made with a small amount of Light magic, creating the protective barrier and dispersing the energy outward, scattering its essence.

Currently, everyone lived peacefully under the governance of King Pedro, the 10th ruler of Encanto.

During King Pedro’s term his wife, Queen Alma, gave birth to triplets, 2 girls and the youngest, a boy. With their birth came gifts from the counterpart of the Curse, the benevolent Spirit of Encanto. These gifts were in the form of a Candle representing the status of Light magic, and a sealed box, both manifesting in the topmost room of Casita. Nobody knew what this meant, but this occurrence was seen as a miracle, and the entire town celebrated the birth of the royal triplets for a whole week.

This was not where the miracles ended, though.

—--------------------------------------------------—

“Really mama? There are more miracles?”

Julieta pulled her 4 year old daughter closer to her as they lay down in bed. It was a little early in the evening, but Mirabel was tired from playing too much with her slightly older cousin, Camilo. The boy was still outside, forced to help out after knocking a few vases in the garden outside.

“Of course. Why do you think Isa can make flowers? Or how Luisa is super strong?”

“Or how you can heal with food!”

“Yes exactly. You see mi vida, when I was around 5, my sister and…” Julieta trailed off, looking down with pain in her eyes. “Well, we were still complete back then. On our 5th birthday, three mysterious doors showed up in Casita. Your Abuelo Pedro knew it was a gift from the Spirit of Encanto, and it granted us the miracles we have now. It also gave us these marks around our arms.”

She raised her hand, and just below her wrist was a small mark of a leaf, and a straight line going around, as if it were a bracelet in the form of a tattoo. To her, this was like a small reminder that her gift of healing was meant to be shared with the people around them. Her sister Pepa had a small sun, while Bruno had a small hourglass as a mark.

“These miracles are why we dedicate our life to helping the kingdom.”

She tried to avoid sounding upset, but Mirabel noticed the change in her mother’s tone. She was still young, but her older siblings and cousins have told her about how her mama and Tia Pepa used to be a part of a trio.

“Mama… where did Tio Bruno go?”

“Ay, it is a very hard story to tell mija… It is a little bit scary too, and you are about to sleep so I don’t want you thinking about -”

“Mama please I can take it! I am a big girl now!” The child sat up and puffed her chest out, even flexing her arms to imitate her older sister.

Julieta smiled softly, and caressed her daughter’s hair. She motioned for her to lay down, prompting Mirabel to lay closer to her, full of anticipation.

“Promise me you’ll be brave tonight.”

“I promise!”

It was a hard story to tell. Even though it happened more than 20 years ago, closure was never met, and remembering the past felt like opening a still bleeding wound. However, her daughter had to know the dangers that surround the outskirts of Encanto. “You know how I can heal with meals I make, and how Tia Pepa can control the weather with her emotions? Well, your Tio Bruno could see the future.”

“Whooaa…”

“It is an amazing gift, but it also comes with consequences. He had this… vision, many years ago, of a giant rat-like creature standing behind him menacingly, with its arms around his neck, like it was choking him.”

The little gasp that came out of Mirabel prompted Julieta to stop, but her daughter stared at her with intense focus, waiting for whatever happened next. There’s no way she’s leaving her daughter alone tonight.

“We figured that it did not mean anything, that maybe it was a nightmare… But you know that Dark magic exists beyond the mountains.”

“Oh! The one from the Curse of the Encanto?”

“Yes. It was a terrible entity, spreading disease and disaster wherever it went. If it weren’t for the first king, the ancestor of your Abuelo Pedro, it would still be here. He was able to defeat it with a sword laced with some Light magic.” It was common knowledge, and more of a legend to the people in the kingdom. She still remembers how her father Pedro acted out the entire scene in dramatic fashion, complete with costumes and all.

“This vision of the Rat monster felt like Dark magic seeping through… Your abuelo and abuela were very worried about this, and it made Bruno even more anxious than he already is. Then one day… during a partial solar eclipse… We were just 10, we were playing outside and we had a small fight. Bruno walked away, and night came but he never returned… Nobody saw where he went. It was like he disappeared from Encanto.”

She paused, replaying the moment in her head.

“It was a nightmare. Everyone looked around the kingdom, but they were not able to go beyond the mountains, for it was too dangerous and treacherous. There were those that attempted but could not last a day climbing the mountains. The search lasted for months… We all assumed that his disappearance was the doing of the Rat monster from his vision, who most likely is a user of Dark magic, a servant of the Curse.”

“Your abuelo and abuela were devastated. Pepa and I cried almost every night. We kept blaming ourselves… If only I was a better older sister, if only I was brave enough… Losing one of us… losing a triplet, I felt like a third of me was ripped away.”

Mirabel stared at her with glassy eyes. She hugged her mother tightly. “Mama I don’t think it’s your fault. It’s the Rat monster! He’s a meanie!”

Laughter filled the room, Julieta already feeling more relaxed than upset. “Thank you mija. I still can’t help feeling sad whenever I remember that day… Ever since then, children have always been accompanied by at least one adult when they play around.”

She looked at her daughter, slightly being reminded of her baby brother. They both had big brown eyes.

“Mirabel, it’s very dangerous out there. Here, we are protected by Light magic, but beyond the mountains, Dark magic is everywhere. It is no longer conscious and is spread thinly all over, but it is out there. So please promise me, mi vida. Always be with someone when you go around the kingdom. And never, ever leave the Encanto.”

______________________________________________________________

Chapters: 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 

[dailyexo]

[SCHEDULE] EXO’s SCHEDULE for May (2018)

[BROADCAST] - pre-recorded and live television and online programme broadcasts, including weekly music shows and dramas, [REC] - programme recordings, [RADIO] - radio programme broadcasts, [SIGN] / [MEET] - fan-signing and fan-meeting events, [PERF] - performance events, including concerts and festivals, [RELEASE] - music releases, [BIRTHDAY] - members’ birthdays and birthday parties, [OTHER] - various other scheduled activities.

This schedule will be continually updated.

EXO’s SCHEDULE (Last updated on 180526)

May 1

[BROADCAST] KBS ‘The Miracle That We Met’ Ep.10 (KBS ‘우리가 만난 기적’ 제10회) - 22:00 KST - (Kai)

May 3

[OTHER] MBN ‘Rich Man’ press conference (MBN '리치맨' 제작발표회) - (Suho)

May 4

[RELEASE] Netflix Busted! Ep.1-2 (넷플릭스 범인은 바로 너! 제1-2회) - (Sehun)

[OTHER] CCTV Youth Day Gala (CCTV 筑梦新时代) - 19:30 CST - (Lay)

May 6

[BIRTHDAY] Baekhyun's Birthday

[BROADCAST] Go Fighting Season 4 Ep.2 (极限挑战第四季第二集) - 20:30 CST - (Lay)

May 7

[BROADCAST] KBS ‘The Miracle That We Met’ Ep.11 (KBS ‘우리가 만난 기적’ 제11회) - 22:00 KST - (Kai)

May 8

[BROADCAST] KBS ‘The Miracle That We Met’ Ep.12 (KBS ‘우리가 만난 기적’ 제12회) - 22:00 KST - (Kai)

May 9

[OTHER] 1st full Japanese album 'Magic' - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] MBN ‘Rich Man’ Ep.1 (MBN 리치맨 제1회) - 23:00 KST - (Suho)

April 10

[BROADCAST] MBN ‘Rich Man’ Ep.2 (MBN 리치맨 제2회) - 23:00 KST - (Suho)

May 11

[RELEASE] Netflix Busted! Ep.3-4 (넷플릭스 범인은 바로 너! 제3-4회) - (Sehun)

[PERF] Magical Circus Tour 2018 in Yokohama - 18:30 JST - (EXO-CBX)

May 12

[PERF] Magical Circus Tour 2018 in Yokohama - 16:00 JST - (EXO-CBX)

May 13

[PERF] Magical Circus Tour 2018 in Yokohama - 15:00 JST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] Go Fighting Season 4 Ep.3 (极限挑战第四季第三集) - 20:30 CST - (Lay)

May 14

[OTHER] ‘Middle School Girl A’ Production Briefing (‘여중생A’ 제작보고회) - (Suho)

[BROADCAST] KBS ‘The Miracle That We Met’ Ep.13 (KBS ‘우리가 만난 기적’ 제13회) - 22:00 KST - (Kai)

May 15

[BROADCAST] KBS ‘The Miracle That We Met’ Ep.14 (KBS ‘우리가 만난 기적’ 제14회) - 22:00 KST - (Kai)

May 16

[PERF] Magical Circus Tour 2018 in Fukuoka - 18:30 JST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] MBN ‘Rich Man’ Ep.3 (MBN 리치맨 제3회) - 23:00 KST - (Suho)

May 17

[BROADCAST] FBS Barihaya! Interview (FBS バリはやっ!) - 05:20-06:30 JST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] KBC Asadesu Interview (KBC アサデス) - 06:00-08:00 JST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] MBN ‘Rich Man’ Ep.4 (MBN 리치맨 제4회) - 23:00 KST - (Suho)

[BROADCAST] MBC It's Dangerous Beyond The Blankets (MBC 이불 밖은 위험해) - 23:00 KST - (Xiumin)

[OTHER] iQIYI Technology & Entertainment World Meeting - (Lay)

May 18

[RELEASE] Netflix Busted! Ep.5-6 (넷플릭스 범인은 바로 너! 제5-6회) - (Sehun)

May 19

[PERF] Magical Circus Tour 2018 in Nagoya - 17:00 JST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] tvN Salty Tour (tvN 짠내투어) - 22:30 KST - (Chanyeol)

May 20

[PERF] Magical Circus Tour 2018 in Nagoya - 16:00 JST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] Go Fighting Season 4 Ep.4 (极限挑战第四季第四集) - 20:30 CST - (Lay)

May 21

[BROADCAST] Oksusu ‘Travel The World On EXO’s Ladder - Japanese Chapter’ Ep.1 (옥수수 ‘엑소의 사다리 타고 세계여행 - 첸백시 일본편’ 제1회) - 10:00 KST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] KBS ‘The Miracle That We Met’ Ep.15 (KBS ‘우리가 만난 기적’ 제15회) - 22:00 KST - (Kai)

May 22

[BIRTHDAY] Suho's Birthday

[BROADCAST] Oksusu ‘Travel The World On EXO’s Ladder - Japanese Chapter’ Ep.2 (옥수수 ‘엑소의 사다리 타고 세계여행 - 첸백시 일본편’ 제2회) - 10:00 KST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] KBS ‘The Miracle That We Met’ Ep.16 (KBS ‘우리가 만난 기적’ 제16회) - 22:00 KST - (Kai)

May 23

[BROADCAST] Oksusu ‘Travel The World On EXO’s Ladder - Japanese Chapter’ Ep.3 (옥수수 ‘엑소의 사다리 타고 세계여행 - 첸백시 일본편’ 제3회) - 10:00 KST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] MBN ‘Rich Man’ Ep.5 (MBN 리치맨 제5회) - 23:00 KST - (Suho)

May 24

[BROADCAST] Oksusu ‘Travel The World On EXO’s Ladder - Japanese Chapter’ Ep.4 (옥수수 ‘엑소의 사다리 타고 세계여행 - 첸백시 일본편’ 제4회) - 10:00 KST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] MBN ‘Rich Man’ Ep.6 (MBN 리치맨 제6회) - 23:00 KST - (Suho)

[BROADCAST] MBC It's Dangerous Beyond The Blankets (MBC 이불 밖은 위험해) - 23:00 KST - (Xiumin)

May 25

[BROADCAST] Oksusu ‘Travel The World On EXO’s Ladder - Japanese Chapter’ Ep.5 (옥수수 ‘엑소의 사다리 타고 세계여행 - 첸백시 일본편’ 제5회) - 10:00 KST - (EXO-CBX)

May 26

[BROADCAST] tvN Salty Tour (tvN 짠내투어) - 22:30 KST - (Chanyeol)

May 27

[BROADCAST] Go Fighting Season 4 Ep.5 (极限挑战第四季第五集) - 20:30 CST - (Lay)

May 28

[OTHER] Louis Vuitton 2019 Cruise Collection - 19:15 CET - (Sehun)

[BROADCAST] Oksusu ‘Travel The World On EXO’s Ladder - Japanese Chapter’ Ep.6 (옥수수 ‘엑소의 사다리 타고 세계여행 - 첸백시 일본편’ 제6회) - 10:00 KST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] KBS ‘The Miracle That We Met’ Ep.17 (KBS ‘우리가 만난 기적’ 제17회) - 22:00 KST - (Kai)

May 29

[BROADCAST] Oksusu ‘Travel The World On EXO’s Ladder - Japanese Chapter’ Ep.7 (옥수수 ‘엑소의 사다리 타고 세계여행 - 첸백시 일본편’ 제7회) - 10:00 KST - (EXO-CBX)

[OTHER] Oksusu ‘Travel The World On EXO’s Ladder’ press conference (옥수수 ‘엑소의 사다리 타고 세계여행’ 제작발표회) - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] KBS ‘The Miracle That We Met’ Ep.18 (KBS ‘우리가 만난 기적’ 제18회) - 22:00 KST - (Kai)

May 30

[OTHER] Gucci 2019 Cruise Collection - 15:30 CET - (Kai)

[BROADCAST] Oksusu ‘Travel The World On EXO’s Ladder - Japanese Chapter’ Ep.8 (옥수수 ‘엑소의 사다리 타고 세계여행 - 첸백시 일본편’ 제8회) - 10:00 KST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] MBN ‘Rich Man’ Ep.7 (MBN 리치맨 제7회) - 23:00 KST - (Suho)

May 31

[BROADCAST] Oksusu ‘Travel The World On EXO’s Ladder - Japanese Chapter’ Ep.9 (옥수수 ‘엑소의 사다리 타고 세계여행 - 첸백시 일본편’ 제9회) - 10:00 KST - (EXO-CBX)

[BROADCAST] MBN ‘Rich Man’ Ep.8 (MBN 리치맨 제8회) - 23:00 KST - (Suho)

[BROADCAST] MBC It's Dangerous Beyond The Blankets (MBC 이불 밖은 위험해) - 23:00 KST - (Xiumin)

Credit: dailyexo.tumblr.com. Material not to be redistributed in part or whole without prior permission.

[aion-rsa]

Disney+ New Releases: December 2020

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The holiday season is here and Pixar has a little gift for Disney+ subscribers.

After the animation studio’s next major effort was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the powers that be finally made the decision to release it on Disney’s streaming service. And that’s why you will now be able to watch Soul via Disney+ on Christmas Day. Soul stars Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner – an inspiring jazz musician who finally gets his chance when his soul enters the Great Beyond.

Soul isn’t the only gift on Disney+ in December 2020. The sure-to-be-thrilling finale of The Mandalorian season 2 will arrive on Dec. 18. After those two beg exciting tentpoles, it’s pretty much business as usual for Disney+ this month (not that that’s necessarily a bad thing). An original movie of note, Safety, premieres on Dec. 11 and should at least be of interest to Clemson football fans.

The new library titles are led by Anastasia and Big on Dec. 4, Ralph Breaks the Internet on Dec. 11, and Into the Woods on Dec. 18. As of this month, we’ll have officially passed the year-mark of Disney+’s existence and it’s nice to see the streamer continue to add to its formidable cache of Disney content.

December 4

New Library Titles

Anastasia 

Big

Big Sharks Rule 

Man vs. Shark

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms 

Sky High

Disney+ Originals

Godmothered

The Mandalorian – Chapter 14

Extras – Beyond the Clouds: Where It All Began (Premiere)

The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse – “Keep on Rollin'” and “The Big Good Wolf”

December 11

New Library Titles

Disney Channel’s Epic Holiday Showdown 

Disney Holiday Magic Quest 

Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric

Ralph Breaks the Internet 

Disney+ Originals

High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special

Safety

The Mandalorian – Chapter 15

Extras – Beyond the Clouds: Meet the Sobiechs

The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse – “The Brave Little Squire” and “An Ordinary Date”

December 18

New Library Titles

Buried Truth of the Maya

Cosmos: Possible Worlds (s1)

Disney Channel Holiday House Party

Disney Parks Sunrise Series (s1) 

Disney Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure (s3) 

Eddie the Eagle

Into the Woods

Miraculous World: New York, United HeroeZ

Disney+ Originals

On Pointe

Arendelle Castle Yule log

Dory’s Reef Cam

Extras – Beyond the Clouds: Creating Zach’s World

The Mandalorian – Chapter 16 (Season Finale)

The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse – “Supermarket Scramble” and “Just the Four of Us”

December 25

New Library Titles

Max Keeble’s Big Move

Disney+ Originals 

Soul

Burrow

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Extras – Beyond the Clouds: A Musical Miracle

The post Disney+ New Releases: December 2020 appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3lkeZT8

[dragonasheswrites-blog]

The Heaven We Didn’t Choose, Chapter 16: In Which Monsters Celebrate

...A holiday that is actually rather tame, given the circumstances.

First: Chapter 1: In Which a Child Makes a Friend

Previous: Chapter 15: In Which Sans is Hired

Next: Chapter 17: In Which Alphys is Terrible

Click here for the story overview.

Sans stared at the items in his hands.  Why he’d ever thought this was a good idea was beyond him.

It had started off so simply.  In the Underground, clothing either had to be made by hand or repurposed from whatever fell into the old dump in Waterfall.  It had been Sans’s job to clothe himself and his brother, and he’d been...decent at it.  They were hardly fashionable (Papyrus had started dressing himself as soon as he was physically able, and wound up looking like a goth Halloween decoration) but they had adequate protection against attacks and the elements.

So.  Soon after Papyrus declared himself Boss and began enforcing his rule with more violence than Sans had been comfortable with, he’d found a door.  It was stupid - he couldn’t open it, and without some idea of what lay beyond he really couldn’t teleport to the other side - but he’d liked the door.  It represented something new, something different.  Something to hope for.  An escape.

Kinda like the barrier, now that he thought about it.

And yeah, okay, he may have told a few shitty jokes to himself out there, just for the sake of hearing his own voice, but it wasn’t like he’d expected anyone to talk back to him.

And yet, someone had.  Tori - though he hadn’t known she was Toriel, Queen of Monsters at the time - was funny.  Depressed as hell, and more than a little morbid, but when she put her mind to it she was hilarious.  For someone who hadn’t heard a decent joke in years, even from his own mouth, she was a small miracle.

They bonded over dumb jokes and self-loathing, even if they would never have admitted to either.  Maybe it was their sincere love of bad jokes, or maybe it was because there was a very solid door between them, but they became...allies, of a sort.

As allies, they exchanged stories and experiences.  Sans heard all about life in the Ruins (the most boring place in the Underground) and Tori heard about Snowdin (a very close second).  Once they realized that their respective lives were awfully dull, they moved on to something a little more practical: survival tips.

Like her daughter, Tori had an impressive fashion sense...and was very aware of the fact that Sans did not.  She was hardly subtle about it.  When he’d described the clothes he and his brother wore, she immediately offered her collection of knitting and crocheting patterns for him to choose from.  Yarn made from spun fiber was fairly common in the Underground, thanks in part to Muffet and her wild bands of spider mercenaries, so he agreed. He was never sure how she got them outside the door - there was never evidence of any evidence that it opened in any way - but from time to time he would find carefully copied patterns waiting for him at his spot.

He’d gotten pretty good at crocheting, actually, before everything went to hell in a handbasket.

Sans would’ve been content to live his life that way: avoiding Boss, swapping dumb jokes with Tori, slacking off work and bugging Grillby.  A few cases as the Judge here and there, a few run-ins with Muffet, maybe a trip over to MTT’s arena if he needed to blow off some steam; everything was pretty good.

Then Alphys - mad scientist that she was - tried to come up with ‘the ultimate weapon’ and accidentally brought a certain prince back to life as a weepy, over-sensitive flower with horrifying powers, and Sans’s life had gone to shit.

Which led, more or less directly, to a skeleton sitting at his sentry post one evening in the middle of December with a bunch of soft brown yarn and a crochet hook he barely remembered how to use.

He had pulled and reworked the little disk he was trying to make several times already, but it still looked lumpy and misshapen to his eye sockets.  With a sigh, he pulled the trailing end of the yarn to unravel his stitches - again - and grabbed the pattern out of his inventory.

What he was trying to make was a hat and mittens.  Simple, right?  He’d made much more complicated things Underground.  Hell, he’d made Boss’s first few undershirts for his Royal Guard uniform; the Guard had armor aplenty, but hadn’t been equipped to deal with someone as...skinny as Boss.  Some sort of padding to protect bone from harsh metal - and to keep the large armor on at all - was necessary, but trying to crochet around bones without a reliable pattern was awful.

He’d gone through a lot of yarn on those undershirts, more than he could’ve afforded at the time if he’d been inclined to pay.  That was probably when Muffet had started that bounty on his head.

The point being, he should have been able to pick crocheting right back up.  It was easy.  Once upon a time he’d practically been able to do it in his sleep.  He probably had done it in his sleep at least once.

But no matter how he twisted and looped and tucked and wrapped, everything kept coming out lopsided.  The urge to tear the wimpy human yarn apart was growing stronger.  Hmph.  Muffet was one of the monsters who hadn’t elected to move to the Surface - she was ruling her extended family-slash-crime syndicate from a roomy cave on the border between Waterfall and Hotland, last he’d heard - but maybe he could armor up and pay her a visit?

Nah.  He didn’t have the guts to go back to the Underground so soon after his confrontation with Asgore.

(Heh!)

He dutifully made a new loop and started crocheting a few stitches.  He wanted to give up, but...sentry duty was terribly boring after dark.  He adjusted his lantern so he could see better, then carefully connected his row together so it formed a small circle.

Well.  That try didn’t look half bad, actually.  Maybe he was actually getting somewhere.  He made a few chain stitches and started on the second row.

It took him a few more false starts, but he managed to create what looked like a small skullcap by the time one of the heavy-armored guards who hailed from Hotland stomped up to his post, leaving steaming footsteps in the snow.

“...,” said the guard.  “... ….”

Sans narrowed his eye sockets at the guard.  “Whatever, pal.  You here to take over?”

“....”

“Ooookay.”  He barely remembered to snatch his project and slip it into his inventory before leaving his sentry post and heading back into town.

‘Christmas present in progress,’ his inventory called it.  He felt his skull turning colors.  How...embarrassing.  Accurate, but embarrassing.  Why did magic have to work on intent, anyways?

Okay, so he’d decided to make Frisk a Christmas gift.  She was human; Christmas was a human holiday.  If only she was a monster...but no.

Monsters were so much easier to deal with, sometimes.  Their winter holiday - Takersfaire - was traditionally a time when everyone put out the crap they didn’t want in booths, and folks snuck around and stole what they liked from other booths.  It kept them sharp, especially on the Surface where stealing was generally discouraged.

And sure, humans sometimes celebrated Takersfaire (even if they were too nice about it; most wouldn’t even take a half-hearted swing at a monster caught stealing from their booths) but he didn’t know if Frisk was one of them.  He’d never seen her steal anything while watching his and Boss’s booth, but then again that was the point.

So...Christmas gift it was.

He felt stupid.  He and Frisk were barely kind-of friends.  But...he’d been cleaning out his closet, looking for a place to hide his new sock collection, and he’d come across his folder of crochet patterns.  There was a pattern for a neat hat with matching mittens that he’d never gotten a chance to try, and on a whim he’d picked up some yarn while he was getting socks and gloves for his uniform.

Frisk just happened to be the only human adult he really knew; that was it.  And the mittens, at least, were clearly designed for a human; he wasn’t sure how Tori had gotten ahold of the pattern, now that he thought about it.  They were far too small for her and far too big for a skeleton, at least without serious modification.

He was going to justify it by making a matching set for Attie, but Christmas was only two weeks away.  With the way his crochet skills were going he doubted he’d be able to finish anything.

Sans shuffled into his apartment (Boss was gone again) and flopped onto his couch.  He didn’t know where this motivation to make things was coming from.  Maybe it was because he’d taken to secretly working out between jobs sometimes; Undyne had been getting on his case, and he’d noticed shifts in his magic from the exertion.  It was almost like he was...getting more energy, or something.

Mostly, it made him twitchy.

He sighed and took the ‘Christmas present in progress’ out of his inventory.  Might as well do something useful.

That was his routine over the next week or so.  He got up, went to his jobs, worked out (but not too much; he had a reputation to uphold) and slowly made progress on Frisk’s present.  He was getting better at stitching; by the time he finished up the mittens, he was no longer pulling out rows for uneven stitches.  He did have to redo a good portion of the left mitten because he’d gotten stressed out and pulled the stitches too tight, but that was just because he was a neurotic mess.

He was sitting in his sentry station one evening having just finished tying off the second mitten when he got a text from Undyne.

Capn Undie 4:52 PM SO You ARE coming to Takersfaire in New Home, RIGHT???

Shit.  Right.  Takersfaire was that evening.  He knew he’d told Boss he wasn’t going, so he was probably working...right?  He checked his inventory.  The crumpled piece of scrap paper he’d written his work schedule on was one of five items labeled ‘Piece of junk,’ so it took him a bit to find it.

You 5:03 PM Uh u have me working a double shift 2nite

Capn Undie 5:12 PM CRAP I DO

You 5:15 PM Yeah bcuz the dogi r still out Puppies need food n stuff Who knew

Capn Undie 5:20 PM BUT THEN WHO WILL WATCH YOUR BOOTH???

You 5:22 PM Boss…?

Capn Undie 5:25 PM NO HE’S TOO HARD ON THE KIDS YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DUST KIDS ON TAKERSFAIRE

You 5:30 PM Wait he dusted a kid? When was this?

Capn Undie 5:34 PM Nah, I got him in time BUT HE ALMOST DID

You 5:39 PM I dont know what u want me to do about it

Capn Undie 5:43 PM I WANT YOU TO Wait Oh.  Nevermind.

You 5:48 PM So am I working or what Hello Undyne? Hello?

He leaned back in his seat, propping his feet up against his sentry post.  Weird.  What was that about?

Sans hadn’t actively participated in Takersfaire since he was a babybones, but he did usually watch his and Boss’s booth.  He hated it.  Strong monsters sometimes used Takersfaire as a time to show off: the fancier the booth, the more confident its owner was that he’d be able to hold onto all his items.  It ran a little contrary to the spirit of things, but traditions were weird.

Because Boss was Boss, the skeleton brothers’ booth was always one of the most elaborate in the Kingdom of Monsters.   Also because Boss was Boss, most of the items were bones.  There were a few real goodies as well - electronics that Sans fixed up, plates of whatever Boss’s favorite dish was, envelopes of money, etc. - but mostly it was bones.  Bone attacks, at that, just to make things a little less fair.   Touching them wasn’t exactly what most folks would call safe.  And yet, Sans was expected to guard it.  And stay awake while doing so.

It worried Sans that Boss had taken the news that he was on duty during Takersfaire so well.  A calm Boss always had something up his sleeve.  He had no idea what it could be, though.

About an hour later, Sans was woken up from his usual nap by his text alert.

Capn Undie 6:55 PM *1 picture message received PUT YOUR EYE SOCKETS ON THIS

The picture was Undyne in full armor, posing dramatically, her helmet was tucked under one arm and the other around the shoulders of a human woman.  The woman was wearing a beaked mask of dramatic red and orange feathers that matched the hues of her long, flowing dress.  Sans couldn’t place the outfit's reference (some sort of bird??), but after a careful examination he was stunned to recognize the woman as Frisk.

He was so distracted that he almost missed Attie by Frisk’s side, which would have been a tragedy.  Her face was painted in an obvious facsimile of a skull, and she was wearing a hooded onesie with the pattern of a skeleton printed on it.  He considered being mildly offended (humans and their obsession with naked skeletons were a source of constant confusion for him) but Attie had put a pink skirt on over top.

You 7:04 PM Wow I dont recognize those monsters Who r they?

Capn Undie 7:10 PM *3 picture messages received

The first two pictures were both of a twirling Attie.  Behind her was a booth decorated in ribbons and strands of beads, a large Delta Rune symbol on the front.  The ambassador and her daughter had brought what looked like chocolate cookies in cheerful baggies, as well as some small toys and colorful pieces of clothing.  There was nothing particularly expensive, but the items were personal and useful...especially to those who still lived in the Underground.

The final picture was of Frisk.  She was looking at something off to her left, her head turned to expose the gentle curves of her neck and shoulders.  One hand was raised, lifting the mask just enough to reveal her face.  She was smiling, the same way she always smiled at Attie.

On the table behind her, one of the bags of cookies was missing.

Sans put his head down on the counter of his station, trying to control his trembling arms.   This was the woman he’d killed - sometimes slowly and painfully - dozens of times.  Maybe hundreds of times.  His memories of previous timelines had always been a little fuzzy; he didn’t know, really, how much pain he’d caused her.

And yet…

Don’t.  Don’t even think it.  It’s pointless.  It will only bring heartbreak.

...and yet...some part of him seemed to gravitate towards her.  She wasn’t just the young woman who broke the barrier, or the Kingdom of Monsters’ primary ambassador, or even Attie’s mother.  She wasn’t just someone he’d had an on-and-off passive-aggressive feud with for the past eight years.

She was someone who cared enough to advocate on his behalf.  He had no doubt that she was the one who had sicced Undyne on him.  Undyne rarely cared for anyone but herself (unless caffeine was involved), and yet she’d gone out of her way to help him on multiple occasions.  She’d befriended him.

He owed Frisk a lot.

Staying out of her life so he wouldn’t drag her down seemed like a small price to pay for all she’d done for his sorry ass, but…

“Attie misses you.”

...was that really the best option?  He really didn’t know what was “best” anymore.  He was beginning to doubt that Boss knew what was best, and the past ten years of his life had revolved around the fact that Boss always knew what was best.  The obvious course of action would be to talk to Frisk or someone close to her, but his soul clenched at the thought.

It was a fear of rejection, he realized.  If Undyne or Tori or someone else who knew Frisk well told him to stay away from her, he would have no reason to wonder.  He would have no reason to hope.  It was...more frightening than he wanted to admit.

Capn Undie 7:58 PM OI BONEHEAD!!!! ARE YOU ASLEEP???

You 8:05 PM Nah They look cool Thanks for the pics

Capn Undie 8:07 PM YEAH!!!  They clean up nice, don’t they? Hey, Attie wants to stop by your station after this.

You 8:10 PM You wanna let a kid go tramping down the mountain in the dark and the cold? Also it just started snowing Again

Capn Undie 8:19 PM Fishsticks Frisk got pulled into a meeting Maybe another time BUT I’m gonna take LOTS more pictures So many pictures it’s gonna BLOW YOUR PHONE UP But I’m NOT gonna send them to you YET I HAVE A PLAN GO VISIT ALPHYS SOON I PUT UP WITH HER FOR AN HOUR AND I WON’T LET IT GO TO WASTE

You 8:31 PM Fine

Sans groaned.  He’d been putting off going to see Alphys as long as possible (her broken surveillance equipment was still burning a hole in his inventory), but it looked like his luck had run out.  He really did need to see her records, and if Undyne was willing to consult the Royal Scientist about something...well.  It was probably important.

Everyone knew Undyne and Alphys had hated each other for years, ever since that little incident where Alphys had ‘accidentally’ added something experimental to the captain’s tea during a meeting, and Undyne had responded by trying to get the scientist fired.  Neither had ever forgiven the other, though Alphys remained disturbingly obsessed in that odd way she tended to fixate.

Regardless, Sans had a pretty good idea of what Alphys was messing with, and he didn’t blame Undyne for her reaction.  It was one of the reasons he avoided Alphys in general.  If she was trying to dose people with what he thought she was using…

He put his head back onto the sentry station counter.  Dozing through the rest of his shift seemed like a great option.  He almost managed it, too, but a distant bark from Lesser Dog at the next station over woke him up about half an hour before the end of their shift.

Teleporting over, he evaluated the situation.  There was an abundance of dog tracks in the thin layer of snow, but Lesser Dog was...completely fine??

“Heya, LD.  Heard your alert.  What’s up?”

*Lesser Dog is fine!  And not hiding anyone!*

“Uh-huh.  Do I need to get Undyne?”

*No!*

“‘Cause you know she’ll be upset if she has to leave her party to deal with something out here.”

*Lesser Dog is not hiding anyone!*

“LD…”

A shifting under Lesser Dog’s station revealed two white pointed ears and a small black nose against the backdrop of snow.  The nose twitched, then retreated.

Lesser Dog tried - and failed - to look like he hadn’t noticed.

“And who was that?

The sentry gave a huff and woofed something Sans didn’t catch.  A sleek grey female dog and a white puppy wiggled out from under the wooden counter, ears pulled back and tails low.

It took him a moment to recognize Lesser Dog’s mate and pup.  The puppy had been born not long before Frisk fell into the Underground, and was - if Sans recalled correctly - the only survivor from his litter.  He didn’t know how long dog monsters took to grow up, but the pup was still in stripes.  So...longer than actual dogs, then.

“Celebratin’ Takersfaire, then?”

*Yes,* the female woofed.  *Darker Dog was a bad girl for bringing Tiny Dog up here.  Sorry.  Please do not report Lesser Dog to fish-captain.*

The sadistic part of Sans wanted to, just because it was funny watching the dogs squirm.  Besides, he knew Undyne wouldn’t be too hard on them; she needed every available sentry, she didn’t believe in dusting kids, and it wouldn’t make sense to punish Darker Dog when the other two were off the hook.

“Eh, don’t worry about it.  You helpin’ your dad keep an eye out for humans, pup?”

Tiny Dog yipped excitedly.  He clearly shared none of his parents’ concerns about consequences.

“As long as everyone’s safe.  Hey, let me know if you run into any trouble, ‘kay, LD?”

Lesser Dog woofed his surprised agreement and gave his mate a fond lick on the mouth.  Sans immediately retreated back to his own station; the dogs were notoriously shameless when it came to PDA, and he did not need to see that.

He’d just sat down and settled in when his phone buzzed again.  He unlocked it, expecting to see more pictures from Undyne, but was instead greeted by the harsh and imposing features of his younger brother.

Boss 1:44 AM IN YOUR ABSENCE, I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED OUR BOOTH!! *1 picture message received

Boss had decorated the booth himself over the past week, entirely without Sans’s help (for once).  It was black and appeared to be covered in tiny white painted bones of various kinds.  Whatever Boss’s flaws, he had a good eye for style...and a lot of patience with things that held his attention.

An elaborate bone display was set up on and around the booth.  A few plates of something (lasagna, maybe) were barely visible through the latticework, but he couldn’t quite make it out.

You 1:48 AM Nice boss

Boss 1:54 AM I WILL HAVE NONE OF YOUR SLANDER!!! I AM NOT A NICE MONSTER!! I AM CRUEL AND FEARED BY ALL, HUMAN AND MONSTER!! THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS, SCOURGE OF THE UNDERGROUND!! AND ALSO THE SURFACE!!

You 1:59 AM Right of course

Boss 2:01 AM NATURALLY, I AM CORRECT!!

“I’m here to take over for ya,” said a gruff voice.

Sans pocketed his phone and looked up.  “Heya, Doggo.”

Doggo tensed when he stopped moving.  “What?  Hello?  Ya still here?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Grrrrr.  Get out of here, bone bag.”

Sans smirked and walked back towards the barrier.  As soon as he was clear, he teleported straight home.  He didn’t care if Boss punished him for it; two six-hour shifts back to back were exhausting enough without having to walk an hour back into town.

He fell asleep to dreams of a little skeleton girl in a pink dress who kept burying him in leaf piles, and asking him why he was crying on such a happy day.