#That they only found out you were replaced because he was better at being cruel.

[bonefall]

What kind of dishonor titles would the imposter whip up?

Ok so, in BB!TBC, I'm planning to overhaul many of the cats who get exiled. Ashfur IS a... 'competent' leader this time around, and being in his Clan is hell on Earth. But he does know how to run it without exiling everyone who breathes funny.

I think Blossomfall in particular should comment about how much this reminds her of the Kin, only...

"I hate to say this. But Darktail was more calm lol. Ppl would disappear but he didnt call a meeting every 5 minutes he did it"

The way he gives Dishonor Titles is by finding their insecurities and throwing it back at them. The point of DTs is that they're supposed to make you sit with your mistake and they're supposed to be VERY serious, egregious punishments.

But Ashfur is just trying to break his cats and make them not want to defy him. He wants them to hurt.

Cats who will almost definitely get a Dishonor Title:

Blossomfall = Clearface, because she might as well be invisible. No one wants to hear from her, she's worthless

Sparkpelt = Flickercry. To remind her about her failures, remember that she's made worse mistakes than anybody else and should be mindful of how she chooses to criticize others.

Twigbranch = Fumbleclaw. For a hunting mistake, he says she's clumsy and lazy and doesn't deserve to eat from the pile until she learns how to catch her own food

In addition, I can see him really WANTING to give Briarlight a Dishonor Title, but politically, it's too far. She's defiant, loved, a beacon of light that keeps people united. To brand her would be a mistake, it would make her a martyr.

I may rework the Sparkpelt Dog Situation to be his attempt to get rid of Briarlight. I think that would make a MUCH better sendoff to her, dying as a result of the wonderful person she is, instead of the garbage greencough death back in AVoS.

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Always have but never hold

Previous chapter / Next chapter

a/n Chapter six makes it's appearance. I'm once again so thankful for all the love.

warnings: past trauma, anxiety, panic attacks, mentions of sexual interactions, therapy.

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Nothing cut through the numbness. It felt like grief all over again. Just this hit Carmy in a completely different way because no one else was feeling what he was feeling. No one else understood. No one else cared. The apartment that beforehand was a safe sanctuary for him. A place where Carmy could finally breathe. Where he could strip away all pretense of composure. Where he was free to crumble. Where you always were. Reaching for him. Holding him. Hugging him. Soothing him. Now it felt like a cage. Like a cruel - in your face. Constantly shouting at Carmen, you fucked it, you fucked it, you fucked it this time.

No matter where Carmen turned, he saw you. The bedroom was still somewhat full of your clothes. There were pieces of your you all around, so the morning when Carmy found that you had left one of your favorite rings behind, one that he had watched you look at for weeks, one that he had bought for you out of one of his first bigger pays, he had slipped it onto his chain. Turning it between his fingers when anxiety struck. Telling himself that you didn't leave it because you hated him; you left it because you were in a rush, and now, once in a while, you remembered it and didn't feel complete.

Carmy had sat in the living room almost every evening, flipping through your books and the old portfolios. Trying to grasp that sense of you. Keep it locked in the apartment; don't let it fade away. Even leaving some books that you usually read open before he dragged himself to the restaurant so that when he returned he would see them like that. Used. And until his brain caught up, a sense of you being there would flood him. A rush of hope would fill him, only to be crushed. Because you weren't there, and the more days went by, the more he doubted you were ever coming home to him.

Were you, by any chance, doing any better? No. Where Carmy struggled with constant glimpses of you, you were crushed by the lack of Carmy around you. While the anger was fresh, it soothed you. That there was no resemblance to him in Copenhagen. That you were miles away. That he didn't know where you went. That you didn't have to fear bumping into him in the street. Until all of that went sour. Until it all left you feeling nothing but alone.

Copenhagen felt as friendless as Chicago, if not more. And you had locked yourself in the restaurant's toilet, sobbing with a palm over your hand. When you realized that it was never about a country or a city. Sure, Chicago wasn't your number-one pick, but it definitely wasn't the worst option. It was not about the apartment or its size. All those things didn't make up a home. Because none of them were meant to last. People moved around constantly. Preferences changed too. It was Carmy who was supposed to be forever. Carmen was your home. No matter the location you were in. Anywhere you went, it would be manageable as long as he was by your side.

After that realization, a second wave of sadness hit. Because now everything in Luca's apartment felt off. Felt so not Carmy-like. It felt wrong being here, hence why you started to barely spend time there. It was too clean. Too put together. You missed your little mess. The mess you made together. Missed the fact that Carmy was storing his denim in the oven, even if you bickered over it. Missed your piles of books or how Carmen looked laying between them. Missed knowing what the nooks and crannies held.

Most nights now, you sneaked out of Luca's embrace. Thankful that you managed to jolt from your sleep without waking him up. Yet feeling guilty that nothing but you was making him so tired. During those nights, the voices in my head barked the loudest. Not good enough. Unlovable. Replaceable.

You hated that even your mind was against you. Altering your memories. Scarring your heart and self-esteem even more deeply. If before you only saw yourself as small. Humiliated over and over again. Yelled till your skin crawled. Spat at and shoved around. Now. Now it was always you walking up the stairs to your apartment. Happy to show off the new project that your professor had approved. Only to open the door to the trail of clothes. Carelessly splattered around the place. Carrying an assent of lustful rush. The dread and denial. Shaky steps as you walked towards the bedroom. Ignoring the obvious. Still childishly trying to convince yourself that the obvious moans were only in your head. But they were not. Because right in the same bed you slept in hours ago, your boyfriend was balls-deep inside a girl you've never seen before. Ezra's face had faded through the years, which your mind used to full advantage. So now, night after night, without even needing to fall asleep, all you saw was Carmen fucking Claire, smiling back at you with a sickly smirk that didn't suit his features. Until you would jolt up, trying to push the image as far away as you could.

"Hi...", Carmen was standing outside the somewhat old building. One hand in the pocket. A hat on his head because he was feeling anxious. Too seen. Too out there. "You don't have to reply", he added shortly after, just as anxiety about not knowing what to say next crept in. "I hope you are safe, amm...", He's been doing this ever since you left. The next morning, he ran out to buy a new phone. Your number was the only thing he cared for. It soothed him in a way. To still somehow have this piece of you. His only chance to reach you. "I'm also sorry, really sorry", he blurted out, brushing his hand over his mouth and feeling the tears pick up slowly. "You call... or write, or anything when you want, yeah?", he said with a voice so small, without a doubt, you'd be able to feel just how lost he was, right? You knew him better than anyone else. "You can call to yell if you want to, just be okay, okay?", Carmy added, taking a sharp breath in, a moment of silence. "I will go now. I'm going to that meeting. You know the one", his voice trailed off, followed by the sound of beeping.

"Here you are. For a second, I thought you fled Copenhagen", you jolted slightly, head immediately turning to the side where the sound came from. The delicate features that Luca carried instantly made you ease up. His hands were full of different plates, and for a split second you wanted to jump up to help, but then you remembered that he was way better at all of this than you would ever be, so you left him to it until he was right by the little table you were seated by.

One thing about Luca's place that you did grow to love was the upper-level balcony. Since his apartment was on the top level, the views were incredible. So full of freedom. Never-ending breeze. You sneaked here often now, even during the night. A blanket in your hand as you cocooned your body in it. Letting the wind carry your thoughts away.

"Is that...", Luca pointed to the sketchbook that rested on the side of the table. Your eyes fell onto the piece of paper as well. Knot instantly tightened in your throat, yet you managed to grog out, "Carmen yeah...".

Luca nodded softly. No big reaction followed suit; no disappointed remarks. In a way, that's why you loved Luca so much. His first reaction was never to judge or put you down and make you feel small. Most times he didn't agree, but he never put himself in a position where he would try to make it seem that his opinion in some way was more important or more right. Luca wanted to understand and help you understand where all of it was coming from.

So you weren't too surprised when he asked, "Do you want to talk about it?". You hesitated at first. A logical part of you was aware that you shouldn't be doing this. Drawing someone who you were still upset with. Who had said loud and proud that another woman was the only good thing from his past. But your body, all the little cells, and the soul itself were too firmly intertwined with Carmy's for you to just walk away without turning back.

"I listened to his voicemails and", you sighed, reaching for the sketchbook before handing it to Luca, "Drew him while doing so". You watched the way his gaze danced over the paper. Falling over every inch of it, following every line. A sudden urge to yank it from Luca's grip arose, but you only held onto the sleeves of your shirt tightly. "When was the last time you drew?", Luca asked, his eyes now meeting yours. "Just now", you stated blankly, and Luca instantly rolled his eyes, letting out a low huff, "Okay, smart-ass, I'm being serious".

And you knew that he was. Painting had been a big part of you for as long as you could imagine. At the age of ten, you had gotten into so much trouble when you painted over all the hallway walls while your parents were away. The end outcome wasn't pretty because no one was happy, and well, you got a rather big punishment, but that was the first time you realized that this was the only way you could breathe. Process the world around you. Deal with all the big emotions. "Over a year ago", you muttered, suddenly unable to hold Luca's gaze. "And how does it feel?", "I can still do it", you shrugged your shoulders quickly. Luca let out a low laugh, "And do it really well. Scary, actually, looks like he's looking straight at me".

Your heart skipped a beat at those words. And maybe that's what you wanted to capture. What you had been missing the most. The depth of Carmy's eye. The light blues dancing in them. The way nothing else mattered when he was looking at you. How you always felt safe under his gaze. How loved and seen they made you feel. You bit down on your lip, shutting your eyes tightly and fighting the tears.

"You didn't have a proper conversation with him", Luca's voice was sweet, calm, and all, but his words rubbed a wound too sore still. Too aching still. "Oh, the conversation was more than proper", your tone was much sharper now. Like a bee ready to sting, like a scorpion. Pushed in an unwanted direction. "With him panicking and you deep in your head? Your and my definitions of proper are different, bunny", Luca huffed. You knew this was coming. You could tell from his body language over the past couple of days. He fussed over you for the time being. But now he was upfront, trying to push you to move, not just sit there and dwell. "Don't do this", you muttered, silently pleading with him to drop this for a bit longer. Because you still didn't know. You didn't have an answer as to how your heart was feeling.

"Right, what's the plan then? You will hide in Copenhagen for the rest of your life?", it was a jab, and it definitely hit the mark perfectly.

"If you don't want me here, just say...", you pushed your chair back quickly, feeling the frustration growing within you. Fight or flight mode activating instantly. "You're deflecting", Luca said softly, and this time his velvety voice made you snap. "Fuck you", you hissed, ripping the drawing out of his hands and backing away instantly. "Bunny", and it's so much more like order now. No longer a gentle caress. Making you stager in your steps. "I have to give you a nudge because we both know...", Luca started, but you quickly cut in.

"Know what? That I'll get back with him, just like with Ezra? That I'll forgive a cheater? Will I get my heart broken, and you'll have to be the one to pick up the broken pieces?", now you were less than a step away from Luca's face, finger jabbing in his chest as the words spilled out of your mouth. You wanted him to fight back, to get mad, but instead, he just wrapped his arms around you, bringing you closer to his just as the tears spilled over your face.

"Well, I'm still Carmen; I talked about my brother and his addiction and all that, but...", those meetings were exhausting. Truly. Leaving Carmen barely functioning after. But he still went. He listened at first. To everyone. To their stories. Pain. Losses. It didn't drown out his own pain. No, it stayed the same, but he managed to talk about Mikey, but he stopped midway because ripping these wounds open was so painful. Too painful, and he always imagined he wouldn't be alone.

"I always thought that the first time I would come here, I would have my girlfriend...my... my girl, with me", Carmen said, swallowing thickly. "She was there when I got the call. She...", he shook his head, "I don't even remember how those days went. She fed me, she showed me, and she helped my family plan it all. Well, she almost did it all herself because of my family." Flashes of you dipping in and out of the family house filled his mind. Carmen rarely thought of that day. He wanted his mind to destroy whatever it was. His mother screamed. Richie was trying to calm her down. Sugar sobbed while begging Richie to be more gentle, and Carmy just sat there. He remembers how his mom threw the flowers you bought for the grave at him, or maybe at you. But you stepped in, right in front of him. Water and petals hitting your chest. A shiver ran down his back.

"She gave up her life to move here, and I never told her what it meant for me", Carmen quickly tightened his fist at the anxiety. "My family loved Claire... Claire is not my girlfriend", he added quickly, almost in a defensive manner, "I grew up with all the Claire so pretty now; you should be with her; she would be so good for you. I... Had never been good enough for them, and I just...", he stuttered, "When I saw her now, I was like, what if this is the only way to bring my family back? Finally, do something and make them all happy?", Carmy quickly ran a hand over his face. His palms were sweaty. He felt those same tingles running through his body. "But it felt so wrong, so... like a ghost from the past suffocating me, and in revisiting that, I... lost the most important thing in my life". Biting his lips, Carmen tried to look straight again. The weight of those words leaving his mouth stung and he sure was not prepared for it.

You wanted to stay at the apartment. The outburst of emotions still hung heavily on your shoulders, but Luca was going back to the bakery, and he was determined to drag you out of the house. Even if you stayed there for five minutes, it still meant at least a solid four minutes of walking outside. His arm was draped over your shoulders. One of his AirPods was in his ear, the other in yours, as you listened to one of the old playlists you two had made together. Luca convinced you to see your old therapist once more. "At least a couple of times", he had reasoned, "Till you sort through everything that's going on in here right now", he had pointed to your temple. You agreed because putting your mental state on his shoulders was just too much. Luca already had to deal with your nightmares. Not to mention the outbursts like today.

You were a second away from asking him if he'd need your help around the back or if you'd be able to just eat whatever Chris decided to place in front of you when your phone rang. You stopped instantly. Your eyes darted up to Luca. You weren't sure what you were silently asking of him, but you were more than thankful when he reached into your back pocket and pulled your phone out. "Unknown number", Luca muttered, watching your face pale. Your heart sank instantly. What if this is the hospital? What number was called when they found Mikey? Have they found Carmen? You placed your hand on Luck's chest, steadying yourself. One of his arms wrapped instantly around your back as he pressed the green button. The cursing on the other side filled your ears, and you instantly closed your eyes.

"Hello", Luca said, but it felt like the caller didn't even listen. "I just quit", the voice said, and your head instantly jarred towards the phone. "I quit, so did Marcus, and... Wait... Sorry...Must have", you quickly snatched the phone from Luca's hand. "Sydney?", you asked wearingly; you must have forgotten to put her phone number into yours. "Yeah, it's me, and Marcus is here", you heard a distant hello that made you smile weakly. "What's going on? What happened?", you asked, hearing a deep sigh leaving Suddenly lips, before she muttered something to Marcus, "It's insane here without you. Carmy is an absolute piece of shit".

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Taglist: @nishinoyahhh @thewulf @shewasthelimit @chatitajens @azxulaa @hidingfromtex @randomhoex @hopplessdreamer @lostinheavensworld @jackierose902109 @gallaghrh @gabbycoady13 @harrysmatcha @lady-bellyn @lovejoyenjoyer @infinitelycharmed23 @royalestrellas @hanula18 @thoughtfulmoonchild911 @buckys-winter-child @arieltwvdtohamflash @simsiddy @yezzyyae @hidingfromtex @toptierbunny @rooster-bradshaws @literatureluater @hellokitty4eva

[tonkatsubowl]

blargghh how do you think aventurine would be w someone self destructive do you think they would make eachother worse or like help eachother ? i dunnooo i love him smm

oohh... i think aventurine would be able to relate with someone who's self destructive, but he'd also be very disappointed with the idea with them actually pursuing it and be there for them. although he has his own self destructive tendencies, i think he would learn his lesson too, that someone out there would love and care about him, and be upset if he went away.

when aventurine found out about your tendencies, and your thoughts and ideas of destroying yourself, he felt... heartbroken. sad, even.

the man always wore a mask of a blissful smile, as though everything in his life went well, especially the fact he donned in wealth and good luck.

but we all know the man was suffering within, his motives and his outlook on life was a depressing subject. but when he came across you, learned more about you, he learned more about himself.

he found you within the alleyway of penacony.

you often visited this dreamscape to escape from reality, but there was a limit of how much you can stay before you returned to the nightmare known as reality.

when he found you, you were distraught, in tears even, and you were in a panicked state. he quickly rushed to your side, wondering what was wrong. and that was when you finally said it,

"i can't take it anymore. i don't want to live."

the words struck him into his heart like it was nostalgia, reminding himself of...well, himself.

"...why?" he murmured, his hand brushing amongst your hair, brushing them away from your tear stained face, "talk to me."

then, you explained everything about your life. your suffering, what you've been through, how life was excessively cruel and you weren't sure if you were meant to be born at all.

"i'm better off if i just disappeared."

he knew you well, and he knew how many lives you've changed despite the fact you were blind to the fact of that. you were a member of the express team, and all the burden of saving worlds throughout the cosmos really took a toll on your mental health.

"don't say that." aventurine spoke, seating himself before you, bringing you into an embrace, "even if you don't know it now, you've saved many lives by simply being there, and soon you will do so much more. someone, out there... your express family, or someone out throughout the cosmos cares about you."

"...and yet, i feel like this. i feel helpless, even. i don't know what to do, anymore."

it was like a contradiction to aventurine. the man had the exact same mindset as you. it was like talking to himself - except, he knew what it was like. to be in your shoes.

but he had to be there for you. he wanted to be.

because he also knew what being helpless, feeling alone, a burden was like.

"...it's okay if you don't know what to do at this very moment. life is strange, really. you live through it and you often find yourself in trouble through all these obstacles that come across your way. but life is challenging. it's about getting through these obstacles, and..." he paused. something about his own words struck him, too.

"... and it's about learning to love yourself again. for every down hill, there is an uphill. and i assure you, that even if you feel alone now, you are not. you are merely blind to your surroundings and the future that is ahead of you. if you wish to take away your life now... there wouldn't be anyone to replace you. there is only... one of you, and none of us are replaceable, really.

things will be harsh now, but after you wipe away your tears and you get up, a beautiful garden will bloom upon your feet, and you will soon find yourself once more."

his words eased you slowly, as you felt yourself breathe again once more. you leaned into his touch, feeling the cold rush of his jewelry and accessories of his expensive attire cool your warm visage. all that crying really did heat up your face a bit.

"... haha. a certain doctor once told me that someone... someone out there loves me. cherishes me. and even will care about me if i go. they will shed a tear if i decided to leave everything behind. the fact applies to you, as well, (y/n). if only you knew how many people care about you, and in the future too. "

you wipe your tears away, looking at him with your dolled eyes. you were calmer, his words bringing you more comfort and truth.

"we've only been given one life, after all. we must die without regrets and with joy."

you were quiet, but you decided to break your own silence too, with your own statement. "... were you like this before, aventurine? you always wear a smile, and you seem so content with your own life."

"... ah," he murmurs, shaking his head a bit, "i... am in the same state as you, really. it's contradicting for me to say all of this, but... i suppose a part of me is blind to everything that i'm saying. i'll give you advice, but i cannot follow my own. isn't that a funny thing?"

the man chuckled, placing his shades at your face before leaning back a tad.

"listen to me, (y/n)...and promise me one thing."

you looked at him again, silent. you tilted your head,

"never leave your loved ones behind by dying to your own hand. you'd only miss out on the opportunities that life has ahead of you. things may be down now, but focus on the future... and what lies ahead of you."

you nod slowly, before rising up from the ground you sat on. you look to aventurine, who remained seated.

"... then... can i say about the same for you? if we're making promises then... promise me you won't do anything stupid like i was going to do."

aventurine's gaze softens, before nodding slowly. taking your hand as he helps himself up, dusting himself off.

"... for you, i will obey that promise."

[justporo]

First Snow

Winter has come to Baldur's Gate and finally with it the first snow. You're excited about it - Astarion is rather reluctant...

MASTERLIST | AO3

Author's Note: Written for the "Snow & Ice" prompt for the BG3 Winter Holiday Challenge! We're kicking of the winter and holiday time with this first fill. Pairing: Astarion/GN!Tav (You) Warnings: none Wordcount: 1k

~~~ Temperatures in Baldur’s Gate had been dropping. There was ice forming now on the edges of the windows of the townhouse you shared with Astarion. And icy gusts of wind made you shiver now everytime you left the house.

Winter had come to the city and was firmly holding Baldur's Gate in its icy fingers. Some smaller side streams of the Chionthar close to town had already frozen over, inviting people to go ice skating. A winter market had opened its stalls somewhere centrally in the lower city. Windows were decorated with candles, ornaments and wreaths made of holly. And the townsfolk had started to wrap themselves in thick coats, wooly scarves and more comfy layers meant to keep them warm. For some the only thing still peeking out from all the layers of cloth, wool and fur were reddened cheeks and noses, coloured by the freezing temperatures.

But there was one thing still missing: snow.

And for the first time in your life were you actually excited for that to happen. Because now you were lucky enough to be in a position to enjoy the nice things that came with the colder weather. And you were so ready to make the best of it - together with your vampire soulmate.

When you had lived on the streets of the city you had always dreaded the coming winter because each year it had been cruel and painstaking to find enough food and shelter. But things were so different now. You had a permanent roof over your head now. And much more important: you had someone, just as permanent.

Someone to cuddle up with when the winter storms would be howling outside. Someone to decorate your home with. Someone to exchange gifts and trade kisses with during cold winter nights. Actually it all sounded pretty enticing.

Being with Astarion had made everything better. You never had been this excited about your future. And just as Astarion was ready to replace hurtful memories with new and pleasant ones, so were you.

So, tonight, you were going out. As you had done lots of times since you'd settled down. Astarion always found a reason to drag you out of the house and spoil you. You were planning to have a nice dinner, maybe stroll across the winter market and watch some of the brave fools thinking they’d be good at ice skating - at least as long as people were still out and about.

But the night was still young. The sun had barely set.

And this had been one of the first things that had made you change your opinion about winter: it allowed for so much more time and opportunities to go out with your vampire. Even if said vampire would have enjoyed that much more during summer time. You made the best out of it.

So when you stepped out of your front door, drawing your scarf and cloak closer around you, you immediately noticed one thing: Thick white flakes were drifting down from the dark night sky, illuminated by the street's mage light lanterns. The snowflakes fell slowly but steadily - as if they were trying to tell you that they wouldn’t be rushed, but would make their way surely. Light gusts of wind dragged around the small white tufts - sometimes taking them for an extra twirl before they landed on the ground.

Your eyes widened and you gasped as you beheld what was very much a fairytale snow flurry. “Snow”, you whispered silently and could barely believe how excited you’d become all of a sudden.

Then Astarion stepped out behind you. And you didn’t need to see the scowl to know it was there: “Ugh, snow.”

Immediately you turned around and gave him a look. You saw how he was fastening his cloak and threw a scarf around his head - he didn’t exactly have need for it but that surely didn’t stop him from another opportunity to make a fashion statement.

“What?”, he replied in annoyance. His lips were pressed together looking at the icy precipitation in displeasure.

“Don’t you think it’s beautiful?”

“My love, you are beautiful, life is beautiful - oh and I am certainly beautiful”, he started dramatically and for the last part sweeped a hand through his hair. “But this? Frozen water falling from the sky? I don’t see why that’s supposed to be beautiful of all things”, he finished with a scrunched up nose. And very pointedly a big snowflake landed on the tip of his nose right at this moment.

The vampire’s nose scrunched up even more when he felt the cold touch his skin and made a disgusted noise while you could barely contain a laugh.

“There, I can save you”, you said and stood on your tiptoes to kiss the tip of his nose and take care of this daunting snowflake.

“Cute”, Astarion replied when you stepped back again with a big genuine smile on his face. And then he quickly pulled you back in for a real kiss.

After the sweet kiss he pulled the cloak closer around you while you lovingly kept looking at him. He’d made that one for you specifically - picked your favourite colours, lined with sheep wool on the inside to keep you extra warm, marked with custom stitching. You had been in absolute awe when he had first showed it to you - he really was more talented than he would make anyone believe.

“Now, my love, at least take care you don’t turn into an icicle - I have standards when it comes to the temperature of my lovers”, the vampire lectured while he made sure you were appropriately wrapped, then pressed a quick little kiss to your forehead.

“Smoking hot?”, you asked with a sly grin. Astarion smirked back at you.

“At least above freezing would be acceptable”, Astarion replied and winked at you.

You stuck your tongue at him while Astarion laughed at you. Then you grabbed his hand and went out into the snow-filled cold winter night.

Tag list: @spacebarbarianweird @sunfire-ancunin @tragedybunny @dependsonthedream @tallymonster @magazzne @micropoe10 @aoirohi @my-bunny-prince @lumienyx @fayeriess

[rosecolouredmind]

Hidden Charm

Slytherin!Jungkook x Slytherin!Reader

slight!Jaehyun x Reader

-🐍🐍🐍-

Synopsis: Jeon Jungkook is a notorious name in the halls of Hogwarts. Pureblooded, talented, and somewhat cold, he is a textbook definition of everything it means to be Slytherin. At least, the Slytherin stereotype. The unfazed, unapproachable, and unobtainable aura the male exudes was the holy trinity that attracted the eyes of many, enemies and admirers alike. When your every move and interaction is judged and scrutinized, it's not exactly hard to attempt to cut off the root of the problem. And as far as Jeon Jungkook is concerned, the entirety of humanity is nothing more than a mere nuisance. His greatest wish is to disappear.

You were sorted into Slytherin house before the hat had even touched your head. A feat, the headmaster claimed, only ever once repeated by the pale-haired heir of one of the most infamous, long-storied Pureblood wizarding families in history. Half-blooded and fairly quiet, it didn’t take long for the initial novel interest in you to die down and be replaced with scorn instead. You found yourself largely ignored by your housemates; never bullied, but not quite seen as belonging. You had always preferred your own thoughts and logic to the whimsies of others, but the more-than-passing notion that you had made no meaningful connections throughout your life began to plague your heart more and more. In this life, you wanted nothing more than to be seen.

So when two people, with opposite lifestyles and goals but exceedingly firm beliefs cross paths, why, instead of setting off nasty explosions, were sparks flying magnificently instead?

-🐍-

Honestly, you were very surprised when the sorting hat called out your house with no hesitation.

If you’d asked your father, he’d no doubt say he bled red and gold without a second thought. As a way of bonding with you, he’d share stories of the theatrics and misadventures he and his friends had gotten up to during his time wandering the halls of Hogwarts. He spoke of Quidditch, of friendly ghosts, of beautiful paintings who told them their stories. He spoke of the bravery of red, the goodness of yellow, and the genius of blue.

He spoke with such pride when he looked into your mother’s eyes and swore up and down she’d have been the first to be sorted into any of the three.

He spoke the romance of his youth into a fantasy in your mind, where the courageous were the most dashing heroes to be gracing these four walls. But when he spoke, well…He never mentioned green at all.

You didn’t understand.

Slytherin? Was there something wrong with you?

It’s one thing to be sorted into Slytherin, but another thing to lean so overwhelmingly in that direction that it made you question your own character. You knew stereotypes were just that -- stereotypes, but Slytherins weren’t exactly known for exuding kindness and civility, and you don’t consider yourself a cruel girl. But the sorting hat has proven on several occasions that it absolutely abhors being doubted, so, amongst the stares and whispers, you sucked it up and found your place amongst the snakes you presumed you’d have been warned about had your father even bothered to mention them. And unfortunately, it didn’t take very long for your dreaded prediction to come true.

You were a pariah in your own House.

Not one to bully, you never really participated in the House rivalry Slytherin had going on with the rest of Hogwarts. Rather, you promptly acknowledged that your housemates were pretty similar to you; very prideful and self-assured, so opposing viewpoints weren’t looked upon favorably. You understood them, because they reminded you of yourself. As a matter of fact, the only difference was that your mother had always taught you to learn from those you didn’t agree with so that you could better understand them, though it didn’t mean you had to agree. This common sentiment so often cited in the muggle world was lost on the pureblooded heirs of Slytherin, it seemed. And this glaring at-odds way of approaching dissidents compared to your housemates came from the most muggle thing about you -- your mother.

As a muggle thrust into the wizarding world rather unceremoniously, your mother never could reconcile the sheer divisiveness of the Wizarding Community compared to the Muggle World, where everyone was essentially forced to live amongst and tolerate those with differing views. She quickly learned that the wizarding world was what the muggle world could become if expressing such violent, intolerant sentiments were expressly allowed - thus she promptly raised you as a muggle until the age of 12.

Your father had always been in and out of your life before then, your parents’ relationship in a weird state of limbo that you were entirely sure was your mother’s paranoid doing.

But you -- you were daring, and bold, and opinionated in thought -- a carbon copy of your father. His likeness, his passion, his honesty -- you received it all from him, and it scared her. She was afraid his mere magical existence would influence you, even though your very existence had proven how much hers had influenced him. The countless letters he’d written begging for a chance to live as a family culminated in him willing to give up the entirety of the wizarding world for you two -- the love story of the century, restricted to being known in full only to a select few…Or so you thought.

“Wasn’t her father besodden with a muggle?”

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

“A blood traitor’s half-blood spawn in the (L/N) family -- how preposterous!”

Such words had become a common occurrence, and after a while you became numb to the ridicule. You refused to grovel to the ignorant, of course.

But your fantasy Hogwarts life had been ruined, and you spent your days alone with only your own mind for company.

You expected nothing different for your sixth year.

Up to this point, you couldn’t help but wish more and more for a bit of the so-called friendship everyone else took for granted in their day-to-day lives.

You wanted to share your feelings, you wanted to laugh with someone, you wanted a shoulder to cry on. You wanted to become something more than a flower on the wall one would pick at to feel more beautiful, more than a forever-enclosed bud amongst blossoms.

But you were never given that chance, because as strong as your desires were, your pride, values and stubbornness that you got from your father held strong… and reflected unapologetically in just how you were raised by your mother.

And so another year began, bound to be the same.

-🐍-

As an avid reader, you’d like to confidently say that the library was your safe space. All the interesting knowledge you could find was readily available, and the temptation of forbidden texts would always lurk in your heart as well. But surprisingly, you soon came to loathe how populated it could be, and instead found yourself searching for quieter grounds.

Following countless times of getting lost in Hogwarts’ entrapping corridors, you’d promptly made up your mind that it’d be nothing short of justified to sue the historic school for child endangerment. Blood pressure high and mood now sour, you decided to make your way to the school grounds instead.

Angrily stomping along, you weren’t exactly paying attention to your surroundings. So when a whip-like branch suddenly smacked you dead in the face, the sheer volume of the screech that left your lips was enough to startle your attacker as well, the limb that had wrapped itself around your waist rapidly loosening.

Gaining your bearings, you belatedly realize that you had been ferociously attacked by the Whomping Willow.

A bloody tree had just bitch-slapped you into next Wednesday, and then had the gall to act surprised by your reaction.

Hurriedly putting some distance between you and the tree, the massive volume of expletives leaving your lips were enough to make the singular soul who witnessed the entire interaction turn red in embarrassment.

Jeon Jungkook had been minding his business, snugly nestled amongst the branches of a nearby willow tree that wasn’t violent enough to catch a murder charge. He’d found this spot his second year, after realizing that the students rarely got close to even the surrounding areas of the Whomping Willow, too afraid of the possibility of what he was currently witnessing.

His tree was close, but far enough that his presence never triggered an adverse reaction from the perverted deciduous nearby. Any wandering students quickly cleared the area once they realized where they were, so he’d never had to deal with anyone else disturbing his peace.

That is, until now.

As he watched you curse the tree in about a thousand different ways, he noted the Slytherin scarf secured tightly around your neck. He scanned his memories for something familiar, but failed to find your face amongst them. He wasn’t exactly social amongst those of his own year, so this didn’t surprise him.

What did surprise him was when, still cursing, you yanked your wand from your robes and furiously started throwing spells at the Whomping Willow. After watching a few of them hit, he realized that the spells weren’t violent in nature, per se, doing nothing but splattering bright pigments of color against its bark. Reds, oranges, and pinks soon dyed the trunk of the willow, making for an interesting sight.

But, while technically harmless, the influx of attacks did nothing short of enraging it.

The tree’ limbs were violently flailing about as it desperately tried to reach you, who taunted it from a safe distance. Your face was the picture of immense smugness and glee, eyebrows dancing and feet moving about.

“Do you know how much that fucking hurt? You bloody menace, I’m going to come here every single fucking night and paint you in the colors of misery and humiliation! It felt as if my head twisted around my neck -- bloody hell, should I really sue this godforsaken school? Should I just kill this thing? Should I march up to the headmaster with all your pathetic little branches in my arms? Only you can get violent, is that it? You’re lucky you’re getting off with just paint, I should have shaved a few layers of bark off of you to teach you a lesson --” you ranted, hexes flowing freely from your wand even as you talked.

At some point, just the bark hadn’t been enough for you, and you started zapping entire branches an obnoxious shade of blue.

As he watched the spectacle in front of him, a fucking tree going absolutely batshit and a girl with more than just a little crazy in her eyes, for the first time this year, Jungkook lost it.

He laughed so loudly it startled you right out of your hateful monologue, and you whipped your head around to the source of the noise.

That proved to be a dire mistake as your neck froze up in protest, the earlier smack from that stupid tree doing more than a little damage. You fell to your knees rather dramatically, scowling up at the boy in the non-threatening tree he was perched in.

Your face was full of blame as you clutched at your aching neck, and the ridiculousness of the situation only made him laugh harder.

It took several moments for Jungkook to calm himself down, and by that point you’d made yourself comfortable on the same spot you fell at. You had toppled onto your back at some point, staring begrudgingly up at the sky. Noting the lack of laughter in the background now, you carefully inclined your head up again, Jungkook’s upside down countenance coming into view a few feet away from you.

“Are you done laughing at my pain?” you harrumphed.

“You seemed to be handling it pretty well earlier,” he responded cheekily. You felt your face grow warm, choosing to roll your eyes. You made a show of procuring your precious book from your robes, before promptly beginning to leaf through it.

“Are you always so aggressive?”

He didn’t know why he was even talking to you, but you made such a lasting impression on him at this point that it made him curious.There’s little in the way of interest for him nowadays, so to his surprise he found himself drawn to your exceedingly chaotic energy.

You ignored his inquiry as you continued to read, so he took the chance to study your appearance. You were by no means unpleasant to look at, and despite your disheveled appearance he couldn’t help but stare a little. The fact that you were so stubbornly pretending as if he didn’t exist and wasn’t blocking your sunlight was impressive really, and made him snicker a little. The marvels of your face were in full force as your habit of narrating what you read bled through. The pretty pink of your lips formed words he wished to know, telling a story he began quite curiously wishing he was a part of. It wasn’t until the noise of the Whomping Willow still raging in the background rang through again before he snapped out of his daze. Looking back at the tree in embarrassment, he collected himself before turning back to you with a devilish grin.

“Are you insane?” he continued.

The stupid question made you flinch, and you carefully turned towards him again. Were you insane? You didn’t think so. Your stinging cheek and aching neck proved otherwise. By the way, why is he even talking to you? You couldn’t remember ever even having a conversation with this boy, yet he accuses you of being insane?

At this point, you already recognized who he was. The infamous Jeon Jungkook was right here in front of you, suspiciously antagonizing you. You don’t really know how to react. Your lips pursed and your eyes narrow, an expression that rang faint warning bells in Jungkook’s mind.

Sighing, you shook your head and pointed at him in accusation.

“No, you’re insane. How could you watch a young lady such as myself be attacked by such a violent creature without doing anything to help? Isn’t that dereliction of duty as a fellow student? Are all boys these days as pathetic as you?”

Completely caught off guard at the unexpected attack, he gaped at you. He didn’t even know you, yet you so easily accused him of dereliction of -- of -- what duty, exactly?

Did you just twist the entire situation into being his fault? His fault? And did you just call him pathetic?

Pathetic?

Him?

“Are you actually out of your mind?” he choked out, eyes bulging.

Jungook had never been called pathetic in his life, the word making his eyebrows furrow and his neck tense. You had to have been the most absurd person he’d ever met; there was no possible way to wrap his mind around how such an offensive girl with so many large screws loose was sorted into his house.

He jumped down from the tree, making his way towards where you sat. You had begun ignoring him again, going back to your book. He caught a glimpse of the name on the cover as you did so, The Count of Monte Cristo. He’d never heard of such a book before, but he’d also never heard of such a person as you, so of course your tastes would be eccentric as well.

You had leaves on your head from when the tree smacked you, he clocked in amusement. The book you held looked worn and well-loved, the pages wrinkling under your fingertips. You had pretty fingers, he also noted. The look in your eyes had seemed to finally calm down as you peacefully sat while you read, completely ignoring the Whomping Willow and its still ongoing tantrum.

The entire scene before him didn’t seem the slightest bit real, and Jungkook wondered in passing if it was part of your norm to say and do outrageous things without blinking.

“If one has indulged in the greatest revenge story of all time, then one must treat revenge not as insanity, but as a duty,” you said suddenly. He looked at you as if you had two heads, not knowing what to make of you or how to respond…

“Are you talking about you and the bloody tree?” he finally squawked out incredulously.

“Sit down, you’re blocking the sunlight,” you snapped impatiently. For whatever reason, Jungkook did as he was told, seating himself next to you.

This was his first genuine interaction he’s had with someone since his hyungs all graduated, and though out of character, he realized he wanted it to last a bit longer.

Just a little bit.

He still thought you were crazy.

“So you’re saying torturing the Whomping Willow isn’t insane -- it’s just your duty?” he asked incredulously.

“If I feel wronged, I see it justified to want to correct who wronged me.”

“With torture?”

“Did I actually harm it though? It nearly snapped my neck, I’d still be in the right if I did even more.”

“But...you won’t.”

You give him a wry smile, vaguely annoyed that you can’t enjoy your book, but also somewhat enjoying the company.

Even if he was mildly insulting.

“I’m going to come here regularly from now on to put it in its place,” you sniff. After all, it was only fair to vent your frustrations a little more, right? Your emotions had been too pent up recently, this event being the catalyst to a complete meltdown.

You were embarrassed for someone to have witnessed said meltdown, but it’s far too late for regrets.

Jeon Jungkook smelled like mint, wood, and oranges, an odd combination, but not one you could say you disliked. He talked in a pout, like the entire world just existed in order to make him unhappy. So when the corners of his mouth lifted as he snickered at your response, you smiled as well.

You fully realized how insane you look, but you’re used to others judging you anyway.

“You’re something else,” he finally responds, shaking his head.

“No, I’m (Y/N),” you roll your eyes. After a beat of silence, you both snigger at the dumb statement.

And for a while, you two continued to sit there in silence, Jungkook picking at the grass as you read. It was nice, too nice. Your heartbeat gradually started to quicken as you became more self-conscious and hyperaware; you were entirely unused to spending time with someone your age in any way, shape, or form. Jungkook seemed lost in thought, his brow furrowing again as he nicked until the ground around him was bald. You took the time to study his features, everything about him being summed up in one word: pretty. He was just pretty, prettier than you, you thought. The reasons this pretty boy was gracing you with his presence were still lost on you, but you didn’t mind it for the meantime.

“If you were curious,” you started. Why? You didn’t know. For fuck’s sake, you were nervous.

“If you did read the greatest revenge story of all time, you’d understand why revenge is a duty to yourself and to the world.”

There you go again, with your matter-of-fact way of communicating, Jungkook thought.

You don’t speak as someone expressing an opinion, but as someone communicating a fact. Jungkook found that the odd things that came out of your mouth were made to seem as nothing but logical and just - the truth not just as you believed it to be, but as it was. It made him want to understand you, the girl who fought the Whomping Willow, in more detail.

Even now, he didn’t know why he kept talking to you. Well, he did -- he found you interesting. That was the problem.

The only people Jungkook spoke to past necessity were his six hyungs -- who had now all graduated and left him behind. The fact that he was now sitting with someone, a girl no less, and having an actual conversation was frustratingly perplexing. You, (Y/N), smelled like vanilla and smoke, a combination so odd it made his head spin. So When you yet again say something completely outrageous as if it’s the greatest truth ever known, and as his senses began to pick up nothing but that cursed vanilla, Jungkook decided he’d had enough of being high off you.

“No thanks,” he replied, rising to his feet. He didn’t know what to expect in response, but it wasn’t you shoving the book into his hands before you bounded off, and definitely not before you flicked one last hex at that tree.

He clutched the book in his hands as he watched you walk away, finally coming to a conclusion about you.

You were definitely insane.

-🐍-

You quietly ate your dinner in the Great Hall, the chatter of your housemates a welcome distraction from thinking too hard about the events of your day. But foolishly enough, your mind still wandered to the pretty boy every now and then. You were vaguely aware that he sat somewhere amongst your housemates at this table, but you were too stubborn to look around for him. You knew you made quite the impression, but with the rumors you’d heard about Jeon Jungkook, you weren’t even sure if he’d acknowledge even knowing who you were at this point. And now that you’d given him your favorite book, you wanted nothing more than to head to the library to find new reading material. You decided to hasten your dinner, but unfortunately for you, the headmaster had other plans in mind.

Apparently, plans for your utter demise.

“Good evening students,”

Dumbledore had said beforehand that there was something he needed to discuss with the student body, a fact that you’d forgotten until now. You mentally groaned as you turned toward the old man, your escape plan flying out the window.

“It has come to my attention that the Whomping Willow has been vandalized,” he continued. You immediately stiffen, caught off guard. The other students begin whispering, mentions of the now colorful, volatile tree being thrown around. You wanted to literally die on the spot, more uncomfortable than you’d been when you realized that Jeon Jungkook had been watching you.

It was one thing to be the center of attention, but another to be the center of attention with everyone still not knowing who you are. The notion made you uncomfortable, and just reminded you of the fact that you had no one here close enough to recognize you to begin with.

Well, except for that person.

You suppose you should be happy that no one knew it was you, that way you can avoid trouble, but your heart felt heavy instead. You felt like a ghost in what was supposed to be your home for seven years...not that the ghosts here were the type you wanted to be particularly acquainted with.

You still remember the time Moaning Myrtle suggested you die alongside her so that at least you wouldn’t feel lonely...

You had stayed up the entire night that time researching how to successfully murder a ghost.

“Though I understand the willow can be a bit violent, vandalizing it in such a way shall not be tolerated. Please refrain from doing such acts in the future. If you must, avoid the area. If such a thing is repeated, harsh discipline will follow. I trust you students will all behave accordingly.”

You thought your ears were playing tricks on you, but the murmurs of your classmates around you confirmed it. The uncontrollable giggling you thought you heard was coming from Jeon Jungkook himself, sat all the way at the far corner of the Slytherin table. A wide smile had broken the ever-present pout on his face, his head tilted down as he tried to control himself.

Suddenly looking up, he makes eye contact with your horrified countenance, and under the stares of shock and curiosity of his housemates, he throws his head back and guffaws.

You shoot up out of your seat and rush out of the Hall, past Jungkook who only laughed harder. How one singular person could make your heart beat this fast and make being seen, your greatest wish, feel this uncomfortable was beyond you. But you were sure of one thing:

That stupid tree attacked you, you were (technically) reprimanded for your revenge, and now you were being laughed at by the sole witness. The embarrassment was enough to make you shiver.

Yeah, you were definitely going to sue this fucking school.

*

He doesn’t think he’s ever been more entertained by another person in his life. Or, at least not recently. Jungkook found himself genuinely questioning the stability of your emotions and thought process as he watched you storm out of the Great Hall. He was so focused on you and your antics that he didn’t notice all the eyes watching him after his outburst for quite a while.

“Jungkook, did something funny happen? I’d like to know too,” the girl sitting next to him finally questioned, batting her eyelashes coquettishly. Jungkook smoothly shifted his body away from her, ignoring the invasive question. His thoughts were still on you, and how ridiculous your expression was. He’d been observing you from the very start of Dumbledore’s speech, and as the man went on, Jungkook found himself more and more amused at the annoyed, indignant look on your face. You, this girl he’d never even noticed before, had suddenly become so distracting that he even began to forget himself.

So distracting that, tipped over by the mortification on your face once the two of you finally made eye contact, he couldn’t help but explode into incredulous, tickled laughter. So distracting that he completely forgot that he, Jeon Jungkook, behaving in such a way was a distraction in of itself and would draw unwanted attention.

And as he finally calmed down and began to finish his dinner amongst the stares, the distraction that was you still plagued his mind even after he had long since left the Great Hall and wandered down the castle corridors. He should have gone farther and down several flights of the magical staircases to get to the Dungeons, but a glimpse of something to his left, outside of one of the windows, caught his attention.

Curiously approaching, a grin soon etched itself across his mouth as the far-off sight of the bespeckled Whomping Willow came into view. The tree was shaking it’s pink-and-orange leaves in anger, still triggered beyond belief at the day’s events.

Jungkook softly sniggered to himself, the sight giving him recall of yet another reminder of yours -- the book you’d left with him. He felt around his robes for a bit before finally grasping it, pulling it out under the soft glow of the moonlight through the windowpane.

The pages of the book were well-worn, a nod to how often those pretty fingers of yours leafed through its pages, he begrudgingly noticed.

The Count of Monte Cristo, as it was titled, promised a tale of grand revenge of the utmost satisfaction, according to the synopsis. Your neurotic insistence on living your life by said book’s principles came to mind, and for the first time in his life Jungkook became fascinated by something made by muggles.

Just as light reading material, he promised himself, tucking the book away safely before continuing his journey.

-🐍-

Jungkook didn’t expect to see you again, or at least not in any real capacity, but when Professor Flitwick was accidentally bitten by one of his numerous venomous plants, Professor Slughorn insisted that he was up to snuff and could take over the duties of both he and Flitwick, thus leading to the merger between the two classrooms.

Now this began a multitude of problems, the first being that Jungkook tended to avoid Slughorn like the plague. Slughorn’s love of geniuses led him to approach Jungkook when they crossed paths in Diagon Alley the summer before his third year. After refusing to take his class in a rather rude manner, Jungkook became the subject of Slughorn’s petty ire, the man insisting to anyone who’d listen how arrogant and questionable of a character he was.

Feud aside, Jungkook absolutely loathed the man, the stories of favoritism and incompetence leading him to view the glory-obsessed man as little more than an eyesore. He’d managed dodging him for three years now, but it seems his luck has finally run out.

The second cause of his problems was none other than the entirety of Gryffindor house itself, or at least the ones who’d managed to be coming along with Slughorn in this merger. Gryffindors were yet another thing he avoided like the plague, their brash, competitive nature often causing them to make bets on who could finally beat him or… who could finally get him.

At least the Hufflepuffs of Flitwick’s class were too shy or polite to actually try anything, but the frequent glances and loud whispers and red scarves reminded him that those days were over. At the very least, Slughorn’s class had also been a mixture with more Slytherins, and those of his house generally left him to his own devices for the most part.

Or so Jungkook thought, until he looks up and sees you bounding toward him in all your glory. No one had actually mustered up the courage to claim partnership with him just yet, the seat beside him in his new classroom currently empty. No, they were too busy daring each other into it or incessantly giggling. It had been all of thirty seconds since he sat his seat before he suddenly found you in his space.

His senses once again filled with vanilla and smoke, his eyes wide as he stared you down.

You were in this class? What were you doing? Why did you come to him?

“Is this seat taken?” You cut off his thought process smoothly, swiftly pulling the chair from out under the table. You looked more put together than when he last saw you, if that was saying anything. Jungkook couldn’t help but think back to the brutal, confident energy you exuded as the filthiest of words flew out of your mouth, the image of you and your wild eyes etched into his mind.

The confidence was still there, but the wildfire seemed to have been replaced with something cooler, more calculative, as you sat beside him.

Jungkook had properly interacted with you all of one time and couldn’t get you out of his mind since, but now that you were sitting in front of him, approaching him first, anything he’d ever thought to have said had flown right out the window.

“You have something of mine. It’s been about a month, I assume you’re all done up, yeah?” You broke the silence again, reaching your hand out expectantly.

“What?” he said dumbly.

Your brows raise, and he swore to God he never felt so dumb under someone else’s gaze before. Holding your stare for a few moments, Jungkook swore he’d never been more red after he finally realized you were referring to your book.

“Oh, yeah. I have it, just not here.” he replied. He watched you as you let out a sigh, leaning back in your chair.

He honestly still couldn’t get past the fact that you actually sat next to him.

“Are you going to stay there?” he said uncomfortably, clocking the fact that half the class was watching their interaction with interest. You seemed to treat the jealous scowls of the others as air, making yourself comfortable as you began pulling out your textbook.

“Where else am I going to go?” you drawled, gesturing to the rest of the classroom. It seems indeed as if everyone else had already found their seats amidst your conversation, but that didn’t stop those who were listening in.

“I’ll switch with you,” piped up a Gryffindor girl rather snidely. She looked vaguely familiar, but as the girl gave him a flirty smile Jungkook found it hard to even recall her name.

Her seatmate giggled as she jabbed her in the side, clearly at least partially the cause of her friend’s boldness.

He rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to you. But your attention was still on the girl, who had already gotten up and began gathering her books.

“Sit back down, Crumpet, before I hex you into oblivion.” you sneered.

“I’d like to see you try,” the girl snapped, promptly dropping her books onto your side of the table. Her hand reached for her wand, but yours was faster.

Before anyone could react, you’d charmed her books right as Slughorn walked into the classroom, pomp and circumstance and an annoyingly familiar narcissistic energy arriving with him.

Jungkook fought back the urge to roll his eyes again, still admittedly embroiled in the conflict between you and the Gryffindor girl. He could once again see a sliver of that same girl he saw that day in the current you, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to see how this played out.

He couldn’t help but to snicker when he saw what you did to Crumpet’s books, but it seemed the Professor, who’s eyes were now zeroed in on the three of you as Crumpet was still standing, was not as amused.

“Why now -- what are you doing still standing? And who brought food into my classroom?” Slughorn looked outright offended, his hands making their way to his hips in a comical fashion.

Before anyone could say anything else, you smiled sweetly at the man before piping up,

“They’re Amanda’s, sir. Her signature, of course. She made them as a gift for you in appreciation for taking on the difficulties of managing two classes,” you exclaim, ignoring the other girl’s venomous stare.

“Ah! Well thank you, Miss Crumpet,” Slughorn lit up.

“The notion is very well appreciated. Now, if you may please take your seat.”

“O-Of course, Professor! It was my pleasure.” the Gryffindor stuttered out in panic.

The teacher proceeded to observe as Amanda defeatedly made her way back to her original seat, and all the way until she sat down. He watched, and continued to watch, before his brows finally began to furrow.

“Miss Crumpet, where are your books?” Slughorn finally questioned. After a full minute of Amanda failing to find an answer, Slughorn’s hands once again found their way to his hips, and Jungkook’s nostrils couldn’t help but flare as he looked from Slughorn to you, who silently watched your work with blatant fascination.

“Well now, this won’t do. I hope you don’t think I will favor you because of your gift,” Slughorn said unhappily. If there was one thing the man hated more than being rejected, it was being made to look bad. And if Slughorn arbitrarily decided as such, you could go from a hero right back to zero in his eyes.

Jungkook rolled his eyes for the upteenth time that day.

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Ms. Crumpet. Gifts will not allow you to escape punishment, children,” Slughorn loudly proclaimed, waving his finger around.

Amanda’s face had turned beet red, before she gathered her things in a hurry as the rest of the class looked on in silence. And just when he thought it was over, you proved that the portrait of the Fat Lady still had some wind in those pipes, and Jungkook nearly died.

“Don’t forget your crumpets,” you trill. You looked the picture of smug as the rest of the class looked at you in abject horror, determined not to cross you in this lifetime. Your reaction was petty, vindictive, and all the more frustrating, confusing, and technically harmless that Jungkook remembered. He was sure his own face was a similar shade to Amanda’s from holding in his laughter for so long.

“I’m going to kill you!” Amanda finally screeched, lunging.

“Stupe--”

“Expelliarmus,” Once again, your hand was quicker, disarming the girl before she could complete her threat.

At this point, Slughorn looked as red as the rest of you, his hands clenched into little fists as he started wheezing out a response to Amanda’s outburst.

“How dare you! Out this instant! The audacity -- to attack another student in front of me! The disrespect! I don’t want you back for the rest of the school year!”

The girl turned ashen, not saying another word as she hurried out of the classroom. Her friend tried to speak up for her, to no avail --

“Miss Crumpet can get her credit through thorough personal study instead. She shall still take her exams like the rest of you. If she cannot respect me or my classroom then she is no longer welcome,” Slughorn harrumphed, and that was that.

That was that, and the grin that stretched across Jungkook’s face mirrored yours as he -- along with the rest of your classroom -- decided that you were, indeed, insane.

-🐍-

You really didn’t mean to cause any trouble at first.

You weren’t exactly nice, so the other Houses were wary of you. You did happen to draw the line at bullying for no reason, so in turn your own House hated you. You were simply true to your own emotions, and little-miss-crumpet triggered your annoyance frighteningly so that day.

If there was one thing you hated, it was to be interrupted.

Following Crumpet’s dramatic exit, Slughorn was quite irritable afterwards. You in all your grace decided to quit while you were ahead, electing to stay quiet the rest of the class.

You could hear the occasional whisper of your classmates about your actions, but you honestly couldn’t care less. You were a friend to exactly zero of them, so you cared even less what they thought of you. For you, that ship sailed a long time ago. Nevertheless, you were still slightly uncomfortable over the frequent looks Jungkook would toss your way throughout the lesson.

Did he want you to actually switch with her? Does he not want to be your partner?

You were so used to being treated with disdain by your peers that you found it difficult to spot any other intentions -- for better or worse. This has saved you a lot of bullshit dealing with some of the two-faced snakes of your House, but definitely didn’t help you to spot genuine interactions and intentions throughout the years. You’ve finally decided to resign yourself to the fact that you’d be alone during your stay at Hogwarts, so you couldn’t understand why exactly Jungkook’s reaction bothered you so much.

Given how riled up you’d already made Slughorn via the Crumpet girl, talking during the class would have been unwise, but Jungkook’s constant staring made you unsettled and paranoid. You had no idea what the boy was thinking, and from what you’ve gathered about how unsocial he is, maybe you really did piss him off by acting too friendly.

You were hyper aware of his presence all the way until the class ended. With every stolen glance, you noticed a bit more about him. His bangs had been swept above his forehead, a single strand hanging stubbornly as he concentrated on his book. Jungkook had the tendency to silently narrate as he read, a quirk that he shared with you. The sight made you smile, and you noticed his plump bottom lip often rolled between his teeth.

He would fiddle with the pages as he read, silver rings glistening on his pale fingers. You wondered how they contrasted with your own, then further wondered if you’d finally lost it.

The thought abruptly ended your reverie.

The two of you sat in silence until the class cleared out, not knowing what to say. You gathered your books without another word from either you or Jungkook, who just quietly watched you from his seat.

Biting your own lip, you spun around and began marching to the door before you felt a squish as your foot slipped out from under you and you fell unceremoniously on your back. Your feet had damn near gone over your head, the pain registering a few moments later. The groan that left your body was ungodly, your mind disoriented and eyes blatantly confused. Your robes had also flown over your head in your fall, and in a tizzy you hurried to right yourself and fix your clothes. Jungkook watched you in your disheveled state with wide eyes, a look of his you’ve come to grow very familiar with.

You take a moment to stare down at the offending cause of your tumble - a golden crumpet, fallen to the floor during the escapade from earlier.

You look at the crumpet, then at Jungkook, who looked at the crumpet, then at you.

You watch his face slowly begin to morph before you shoot up and zoom out the door, a peal of loud laughter following your back.

As your earlier triumphant high faded into intense embarrassment -- a crumpet! Of all things! You had one vindictive, petty, definitely not harmless thought on your mind --

That a muggle lawyer should be able to wipe the floor with a magical one, you supposed. Taking a cue from your father’s distant cousins, the Malfoys, you were sure you’d get the doors of this blasted place shuttered in no time.

-🐍-

You’d be lying if you said you saw it coming. It was one summer. One summer you gave to Jung Jaehyun in exchange for your heart.

You in all your teenage romanticism and delirium reckoned he was the love of your life, in all his brown haired and honey eyed glory. You’d kept those memories under lock and key for years now, determined to never think about the boy again, let alone see him.

So when Jaehyun emerged into the Great Hall with an arm slung around Jungkook’s shoulders, part of you wondered if you’d finally gone as crazy as people claimed.

This was the same boy who swept you off your feet with copious amounts of charm enough to sway even McGonagall, the same boy who suddenly left and never spoke to you again.

When you looked at him then, you saw stars in his eyes. When you look at him now, he seems like a complete fucking devil in disguise.

You watch with thinly veiled disgust as the two sat at the far end of the table, chatting away. A red scarf was wrapped securely around Jaehyun’s neck, causing you to scoff at the irony.

Coward, you thought. The two ignored the looks being sent their way, too engrossed with their own conversation to notice anything else. This was the first time you’d seen Jungkook happy (outside when he was laughing at you), and you felt somewhat unnerved. You wished to see him smile a bit more often, as nice as it was. His ring adorned fingers were flitting about in the air as he animated whatever tale he was spinning for Jaehyun, the most expressive you’d ever seen him. Jungkook really was pretty, his chiseled jawline nicely complementing the softer features of his face. You’d long gotten used to the sound of his laugh, but right now, for some reason, you felt a discomfort at the sight of it being caused by Jaehyun of all people.

You honestly didn’t know which of the two it was directed toward.

You wanted to watch Jungkook in this rare state for a bit longer, but it seems as if Jaehyun finally noticed the holes you were burning into the sides of their faces. His head abruptly turned to level his gaze with yours.

It seemed as if time had stopped for a moment, rendering you the only two in the room. You watched the recognition light up behind his eyes, his face softening into something else -- a smile, but something more. You couldn’t quite figure it out before the boy started gesturing towards you, calling your name loudly.

“(Y/N)!”

You locked eyes with Jungkook first, who looked back at you with shock. Then you face Jaehyun, who was already making his way toward you.

Jaehyun, the supposed… love of your life?

You turned on your heels and ran away.

-🐍🐍🐍-

That’s it for part 1! This will probably be a 3 part mini series. I know it was fairly long and I probably should have split this one into two parts but I hope you all enjoyed it! Please comment and reblog :) anyone who’d like to join the tag list drop a comment as well!

[constellationguy]

Hidden

Yandere Lucifer x fallen angel reader

Deep within the Morningstar castle, through the many guards and empty corridors, in rooms with no paintings of its residents you could find fallen angels. Not just one, but two. For only near weeks had the count fallen to one.

Not long after the first fallen angel had “lost” his wife, he found another. However, in the last seven years you could count how many times she has been seen in public on one hand. No one has seen her up close or met her other than the king himself, not even the deadly sins nor Charlie, have been able to meet her.

This faceless being, happened to be you. Your identity had been kept under lock and key, not even a rumor of your eye color has left the palace walls. This was all due to Lucifer. “You are one of the longest surviving beings in hell and I want to keep it that way”, he’d tell you.

Lucifer would always tell you that you were the purest being in hell, and that you had the personality to match. Perhaps this is why he could not let you go. Even the thought of you leaving the center of the castle, the part most protected, and most secluded, without him has him on edge.

Despite how loving Lucifer can be, he keeps vice grip on your existence. Only a hand full of servants may see you, less may speak with you, and non may touch you unless an emergency. Lucifer is the one who wakes you up, who dresses you, who does your hair, who prepares your food, and most importantly is the only one who can touch and talk to you freely.

You may find it strange that your husband has so little trust in his servants, especially because they are all so well mannered. But no matter how many times you ask to expand your hand full of servants or plead for Lucifer to be more lax with them he will always tell you, “They are demons my love! They only care for themselves, and could hurt you on a whim. I could not live a second more if I heard anything happened to you.” And by this he means anything.

Should a servant look at you to long, their eyes shall be plucked, should any speak improperly to you, their tongue will be cut off and their neck shall be slashed, satan forbid any touch you, they will be mutilated. However this is kept from your knowledge, they are just replaced, with or without you noticing.

Lucifer could never have you knowing that he would do such a thing, unless convincing you to stay in the castle came to drastic measures. He only wants you to see good in him, because you bring out the best and worst parts of him. He treats you with the most love and care any one has ever seen but make no mistake, he will do anything to keep you in his grasp. Endless gaslighting, blaming, crying, physical affection, and any other tactic under then sun is used to keep you in the palace, better yet in his arms.

Lucifer will do as much as he can to keep you from knowing how cruel he can be, however if you are stubborn in your want to leave the palace he can and will use more dastardly methods to keep you close. The thought of hurting you can be strong but the fear of making you hate him is even stronger, most of the time. Lucifer will go as far as to poison your food to keep you locked away. All just to spoil you to keep your favor.

Lucifer loves you fully, whole heartedly, and perhaps a bit obsessively. Maybe if you asked to see “your” daughter, he’d let you leave the palace…

[lesuccube]

➚ 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐊 𝐃 : ᴀᴜ-ᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ — ᴍɪɴᴇ

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 — he's gotten awfully close , thank god you didn't know much better . at least , that was good news to him .

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 — dark trojan [ read at your own risk ! ]

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 — not beta'd, constructive criticism is welcomed . comments and reblogs are appreciated .

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 — 0.7k

you've been working with steven at the museum for quite a while now. him, still a gift shop-ist and you a new guide for the greek exhibit. at first steven was jealous how they easily gave away the position of tour guide but when he passed by your group during your first month when donna made him do inventory, he was hooked.

you were smart and passionate, fun and easygoing. plenty of the people you guided had questions to ask that you readily answered, both from adults and children. usually the former are quiet, uninterested in the old history but you had a way to charm people, steven was no exception.

so he made the effort to befriend you. approaching you more until it was you who would seek him out during lunch. on days you were able to leave early, you'd join steven doing inventory because donna got mad at him again for being late. as per usual.

"you don't have to stick around f'me love, i'm used to it." earthy browns would look at yours through curly bangs, sheepish at having held you back from going home early. "i know i don't... but i want to."

and that was when he had truly fallen in love with you. if you can even call that love. steven was obsessed, he was obsessed with your kindness, with your knowledge. he wanted that all to himself. how can he not when you readily give it when he comes by to ask for your time. you were so nice, so good, so beautiful... he hopes you like what he has planned for you.

he began following you in and out of work, uncaring he loses sleep. not that he gets that many hours in anyways. he followed you for months until he has learned your routine outside your house, after that he learned how to break into your place and get to know you even better in the comforts of your home. he steals a few things, a spoon you used that day, a shirt buried underneath your laundry, a pair of panties from your freshly folded ones... some he returns and others, well let's just say they became a permanent part of his collection of you.

he worships the things you own, treats them like fine china. most of the time that is. he uses them to his pleasure other times, unable to hold back. your smell would linger on the items he'd steal and he'd sniff it until it disappears, replaced by his own. then he'll clean them up (he bought the same laundry detergent just for this case) and return them. most of them.

nearly a year into your friendship, steven asked you out for a simple hang out at the park, saying he found a nice spot for a picnic just you and him. unaware of his true intentions, you had agreed.

at first it had gone well, you and steven chatted and chatted, eating the sandwiches you had prepared until he handed you a glass of lemonade did it start going downhill. half an hour after your brunch you started feeling sluggish, your mind hazy and muddled. you don't notice steven grinning in joy, knowing that his plans were finally coming into fruition. he had drugged your drink, enough to weaken your muscles for you to go down without a fight and then... light's out.

oh how long did he wait for this moment.

"oh love, i've wanted you for so long... ever since i passed by your first tour i've been madly in love with you d'you know that? of course you didn't silly me." he circles your weakening body, struggling to stay awake, struggling to hear him. "w-why?" was the only thing your lips were able to get out in your fight to stay conscious, alarm bells ringing in your head at steven's approaching figure.

he grins a cruel, wicked grin when you're finally unable to hold yourself up, lying limply on the blanket he had all but spread out and you looked like a masterpiece to him at that moment. like a fallen angel in your pretty white dress, hair spread out before you like a beautiful halo. like a painting, like art had come to life, you were so, so beautiful. you were gorgeous in his eyes and you always will be.

"why? well... i can't stop thinking how perfect we would be together."

[satancopilotsmytardis]

22. "Show me how much you need me" and a kink huh..... Maybe...begging? or choking? Idk have some fun!

(I'm still in the process of writing my comments for network btw it was just to good and I've fallen in love with it, so thankyou for writing it and sorry the comment is taking so long!)

Pairing: Shigadabi

Rating: E

Contents: Catboy!Dabi, mating cycle/heat, begging, implied marathon sex, sex toys, multiple orgasms, petplay, feminization

Dabi's life is a joke. Some sick, cruel god thought it would be funny to make a creature that wasn't made to survive and then Dabi spent every second fighting against that asshole's will to make it anyway. And it always sucked. Want a great quirk, kid? Too bad, burn on a mountain. Oh, you survived that? Replaced and homeless. Huh, you're still alive, and you've managed to get a good thing going with a little found family of criminals? Oops, you're a cat now. 

Because yeah, in the middle of the skirmish in Deika, Dabi had gotten blasted by a wayward quirk during his fight with Geten. And he's a cat now. Or more accurately, he's a heteromorph now. He was lucky he didn't get a big lungful of the gas because it would have turned him entirely into a cat if he had. What's less lucky is that the retractable claws, slitted pupils, fangs, tail, and extra ears are permanent now. Should have worn off after a couple of hours, but according to Ujiko, due to the skin grafts and treatments he received in his coma, you know, when he'd been considering turning him into a nomu, his body was more susceptible to changes like this. Which was the doc's nice way of saying he'd fucked around with Dabi's DNA and made his cells ready to receive some new code, but he'd escaped the hospital before that happened and this quirk had gone and filled in the blanks. And without extensive gene therapy that would take months, if not years and may prove fatal, Dabi was stuck like this. He's a cat now. Fuck his life. 

That's not to say being a cat is all bad. He definitely hadn't wanted to be a cat. But the inhanced senses are nice, and holy fuck does fish taste better now, plus getting pet is awesome-- even if Tomura is the only one he lets do it because it makes him purr like an idiot. Of the curveballs he's been thrown in life, this one has been one of the least horrendous, so he sucks it up and moves on with his life. And everything is pretty normal for the most part. They get things resituated with the PLF, he adjusts, and things are actually better for the League than they have been, possibly ever.

Until he starts waking up at night with the others pounding on his door telling him to shut up. Actually, they had been nice about it the first couple of times, asking if he was hurt or having nightmares or something, but he hadn't known what the fuck they were talking about. Absolutely thought they were gaslighting him as some kind of prank before Toga showed a recording of his door, and the awful loud feline yowls that had been coming out from the room, cutting out only after she pounded on it to wake him up. He has no idea why he's been, apparently, screaming in his sleep. He hasn't even had all that many nightmares lately, certainly not often enough to account for a solid week of screaming. 

He also starts to have the urge to rub his cheeks against things. His phone, his pack of cigs, the pillows in his and Duster's bedroom, the rest of the League. Keeps getting distracted and nuzzling against them, which they're being better sports about than the yowling thing. Even if he does hiss at them when they try to pet him while he's doing it. Usually snaps out of it at that point and excuses himself to be mortified elsewhere. He also keeps finding himself outside. Just walking. Keeps catching himself trying to scent the air like he's looking for something, and it doesn't do him any good. He can't find what he's looking for and he ends up back in the villa incredibly cranky and angry that he's going back to an empty bed. And then the cycle starts again. It's so bad and strange, that when Duster is finally finished with his latest round of treatments, Dabi goes to the doctor's lab to pick him up, just so he can see him as soon as possible. 

He gets there and finds Ujiko in the tank room with their new batch of High Ends, his lover out of sight. "Ah, he's sleeping off the sedation from his last treatment. Once he wakes you two are free to go." Dabi is about to go find somewhere to sulk until then, but reluctantly asks instead, 

"Been feeling weird lately, Doc, you got a minute?" Not thrilled that the mad scientist who was preparing to make him a monster is his only source of medical attention, but he's Dabi's only source of medical attention so he's going to suck it the fuck up. 

"Of course!" Hates how excited the mad doctor sounds about that and takes Dabi to one of the actual rooms and makes him sit on the table like he is a real doctor and Dabi is in for a normal check-up. The doctor draws blood, goes through the usual steps, and Dabi tells him about the weird cat behaviors that he's been dealing with lately while one of his weird advanced machines processes his blood. He doesn't like the way that his brows creep higher and higher as he speaks, but Ujiko just tells him, "Let's see what your bloodwork says." 

When that's ready, he reviews it and makes those humming 'ah fascinating' sounds the whole time which only serves to make dabi more irritated, his ears pinning back and tail flicking as his claws bite into his pants. 

"It seems as though you may be experiencing a... heat of sorts soon." 

Of every fucking thing that the doctor could have said to him, that is not one that Dabi would have guessed in a million years. "A what?" His brain reboots quickly, "That's not possible, aren't heats for girl cats?" 

Ujiko hums in agreement. "They are. Traditionally male cats don't have a mating cycle as such-- but they can react to a female cat's hormones even from quite a distance. There are other feline heteromorphs, it's possible that you're reacting to those pheromones, someone may be bringing more in through the villa, or, perhaps," and his tone changes to a little more careful in a way that sets every one of Dabi's nerves on edge. "There is some behavior or stimulus that you have been in contact with frequently that has had a... placebo effect, making the newly accepted cat DNA a bit confused about which behaviors it should be exhibiting in regards to sexual presentation." 

Dabi is about to make him fucking elaborate on that when the door opens and Duster comes in. Always is a bit paler after spending a week with the doctor, but he's dressed and got his prosthetics on, so he's probably ready to go. Blinks when he sees him. "Firefly, what are you doing here?" 

That's it, my pretty pussy, purr for me. 

Such a good girl, kitten. Taking my cock so well. 

Needy little thing, arching your back so cute. Pushing out your pretty tits. Just begging to be fucked full, aren't you, princess? 

"I'm going to murder you." He says in loo of anything else. And Ujiko just clears his throat and moves along with Duster's pre-discharge check-in. 

///

They get back home and go through work with Dabi hissing and snarling at Shigaraki any time he speaks to him. Duster, for his part, once Dabi had told him what the doctor said to him, had just looked vaguely amused about the whole situation. And the worst part is, the doctor was definitely right about the pseudo-heat. Because as soon as Shig is back, even though Dabi wants to be very, very justifiably angry with him, he's immediately so horny that it's distracting. When he's not actively snarling at his lover while they're in catch-up meetings, he's biting the insides of his cheeks bloody to keep from purring at him, or yowling, or trying to rub up against him to put his scent on him. And he's barely keeping himself from getting noticeably hard the longer the meetings go on. He's going to lose his mind if they aren't finished with this soon. 

It's a big surprise when, instead of him breaking and just forgetting the other lieutenants are very much in the room in favor of climbing right into Tomura's lap, that it's Toga who suddenly gives a loud, agonized groan and whines, with her hand covering her nose, "Can we please be done now?" And he realizes abruptly that her sense of smell is as strong as his. He hisses at Duster for making this situation even more mortifying. Shig looks between the two of them with clear amusement and concedes, dismissing everyone with a wave of his hand. Then he stands and gestures for Dabi to follow. If he weren't fucking gagging for it, Dabi would have told him to fuck off. Instead he immediately follows after him, an embarrassing feline whine slipping out of his throat in plain earshot of all of his co-workers. Spinner and Twice start to howl with laughter, but he's gonna have to kill them after he gets Tomura to rearrange his guts. 

As soon as the door to their room is shut, Dabi is pressing up against his lover. Loud, needy yowls leaving him as he rubs his cheeks against Tomura’s, against his neck, over his shoulders. And he's already hard just from the press of their bodies and the smell of his lover in his nose. Can't stop himself from grinding his cock against him too so he can feel how badly he needs it. 

"Oh, kitten," mewls so loudly when his hand goes to his hair, scratching nails just right around the base of one of his secondary ears. "After how rude you were before--" 

"Tomura," he whines. 

Catches his ear and gives a mean little tug. Just enough to hurt, and that almost makes Dabi's legs drop out from under him, his arousal spikes so sharply. Barely been alone for a minute and Dabi is so desperate that he'd happily cum in his pants, fucking his lover's thigh just to get some relief. "You really are just a needy whore, a bitch in heat, aren't you, princess?" 

"Yes, sir," he agrees immediately. His whole body feels hot. Not the way his quirk normally makes him, but in a tingly way that is making an ache expand out across his skin. Centered at his-- he gives a mortified little mew. Oh god, he's empty and that hurts. He needs Sir's cock inside of him. Needs his cum inside. 

Tomura's smiling at him, that lazy, mean smile that already turns him on nearly past the point of coherency when he's not in some animalistic state of mind. "Show me how much you need me, kitten." And Sir steps out of his space, watching him expectantly. 

Show? His mind feels hazy. He can do that though, he can show his mate how badly he needs him. His hands are shaking as he starts to shrug out of his clothes, made even harder because he can't put away his claws, but he manages to start shedding layer after layer until he's naked as he moves as fast as he can over to their bed. He's frantic as he grabs their lube and yowls loudly when he sees Tomura taking his sweet time to come over to the bed, chuckling as he undoes his tie. Fine. Dabi scrambles onto the mattress, trying his best to make his claws go away, but when he can't he gives up. Gets on his knees, spreading his legs wide, his tail pressing up along his back, and his shoulders and face against the sheets. His cock is throbbing and dripping a steady stream of pre, so much that he's already making a puddle on the bed. He whimpers loudly and uncaps the lube. Can't open himself up with his claws out, but he still spreads it over his hole. The first touch of fingers there makes him moan desperately and nearly forgets himself in the need to be fuller. Only is stopped from tearing himself open because Tomura's hand wraps around his wrist and pulls him gently away. 

"Oh, kitten, that badly?" 

It's all so overwhelming. He's never felt like this before. Is a slave to the needs of his messed up body again. Dabi can't help it. He lets out a weak sob, nodding his head as bloody tears slip down his cheeks. Tomura makes a soft worried sound, but then there's the rustling of fabric and the mattress dips. He presses along the length of Dabi's body, peppering kisses to the back of his neck. "Okay, princess, you're being such a good kitty, I'm going to help."

 And then there are fingers against his hole. Dabi purrs as they sink inside of him, trying to sniffle and choke away the tears. But he needs it so badly. Normally the stretch of his mate's fingers is needed before he can have anything else, but he needs to be full. His fingers aren't enough right now. Dabi rocks back against them, mewling and making a whole litany of feline sounds in his desperate need to be given what he really wants. Gasps, and whimpers, and sobs louder when Tomura shushes and pets him, kisses along his back, wraps his hand around his cock and starts to stroke him slowly and deliberately. But it's not enough, and Dabi accidentally sinks his claws into the back of his hand when he reaches to get his touch away from there. He needs more in his cunt, not that. Just needs to be fucked full. Get his mate's cum so deep inside of him, oh, just the thought has him meowing pitifully. 

"My pretty kitten," definitely worried now. "Are you hurting, baby?" 

Dabi manages to nod with another sob and Tomura coos and shushes him, fingers pulling out of his needy body much sooner than he normally would think necessary to take his big cock and the rough fucking Dabi needs so, so badly right now. "I'm going to help you feel better," he promises. "Going to give you exactly what you need, princess." 

And he finally, finally does. Tomura fucks him hard, Dabi purring and rocking back into every movement, pleasure so sharp it hurts, he can feel it pulsing everywhere in a symphony that sends his human mind so far away he can't do anything but let his instincts drive. His claws sink into the sheets, past them, into the mattress, and the sounds coming out of him are all animal. They don't mean anything to his mate, but to him, they're a constant spill of his desperate need. They echo around his skull, begging to be mated, to be fucked so full, to have his mate's cum pumped deep inside of him over, and over, and over again until he knows for certain that he's been fully bred. Dabi doesn't cum until he feels Tomura's release splashing wetly against his walls, and then he immediately collapses onto the bed, into the wet spot, fingers going to his now empty hole, wanting to keep as much of his cum inside as possible-- and only then realizes that that wasn't enough. That it didn't feel right as he pulled himself so quickly off of his mate's softening cock. It should have hurt. Something human tries to float up to tell him that, no it should not have, but his feline brain is positive it should have. That if it didn't then that means it wasn't right. He needs it again. 

He manages to get it another three times before his exhausted body gives out, but he's still not satisfied. It still felt wrong. And by the time Tomura has cleaned him up, even licking at his cheek to try and get him to purr, and put him into their clean bed, he's mewling weakly and crying again softly. 

Whatever amusement Duster had over the situation is long gone now as he pets him and holds him close, rubbing their cheeks together. "Dabi, can you tell me what's wrong? I can't help if you don't use your words, kitten." 

He sniffles, pressing in closer. "Wrong, n-not full enough. Hurt, Tomura--" stops with another loud yowl.

"What hurts, sweetheart?"

He shakes his head. "Need it, should hurt." And that makes Tomura tense against him, holding him a little tighter. But he keeps stroking his hair, soothing him, until Dabi falls into a fitful sleep. 

///

He wakes up screaming for it again, looking immediately for his mate, but he doesn't have to. Tomura is climbing back into bed with him, and pressing gently between Dabi's shoulder blades. He immediately drops back onto the mattress, pushing his ass up the way he'd presented before. Oh! There's already something inside of him. It's not very big, but it's there, and his mate eases it out of him, letting Dabi feel that he's wet already too. He purrs like a chainsaw when he realizes that means he can have his mate's cock immediately. Tomura starts to press inside and Dabi sucks in a sharp breath. 

And then he moans so loudly he nearly loses his voice. Tomura's cock is perfect. It's so big, always big, but it has a different texture now something that's just the right amount of sharp so that as he fucks into his pliant, desperate body, it hurts the way he'd needed it too. He purrs so loudly, losing himself to how right it feels now to be bred by his mate. 

Manages to cum much more easily than he did before, and when he's all filled up with his mate's cum, his hole aches as he pulls out and that sensation quells his intense need. He's able to roll over and sees that Tomura is wearing a neon green cock sleeve, littered with modest spikes along the whole length of it. 

"Whuh?" He manages very intelligently. His mate leans down and gives him a kiss. 

"Read up on cat behaviors, thought this might help. Was that better, kitten?" 

Wraps his arms around his neck so that he can arch and rub their bodies together from head to toe, tangling their scents all together as he purrs and nods. 

Tomura kisses his cheek, and then rubs them together, making Dabi's purrs go even louder as his tail coils around one of his legs, as if he could get him any closer without having him back inside of him again. "When this passes we can stop playing with feminization, firefly. Make sure it doesn't happen again. I'm sorry." 

Dabi shakes his head. "Don't want to stop. Like being your pretty kitten," just the thought has his cock starting to swell again and his hole tightening unhappily on how empty he currently is. "But if I get pregnant I'm killing us both. No hesitation, Shigaraki." 

Duster chuckles, "I checked in with the doctor again, not a possibility unless you grow a lot of new organs, baby. You haven't felt any intense abdominal or pelvic pain?" 

"Uh-uh," 

"Then you're fine. Just going to keep being needy for a... little while." 

And the change in his tone pulls Dabi a little out of the contented floaty place he was at. "'A little while'? How long is that, Duster?" Tomura winces slightly. "Tomura Shigaraki," He demands a little more harshly. 

"...Could be a whole week, kitten." 

"You are very lucky that I need your dick in me again, or I would kill you." 

"I'm sorry, firefly--" "Dick, right now, Duster!"

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[satansapostle6]

Lovers and Liars | Draco Malfoy

Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott, both determined and resourceful from reputable houses, find themselves at odds in the name of love.

Warning: Mature themes/language. Violence. Sexual content.

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen: Game of Truths and Lies

Theodore Nott, for better or for worse, had come to the realization that he had nothing much to lose. Theodore realized, after his parents had successfully found a magical practitioner outside of St. Mungo’s who could revive his lost memories, or at least some of them, that even with his brilliant mind and unique set of skills, nothing excited him.

Theodore had always relied on childish pursuits and mind games to entertain him throughout his youth. He had god level intellect and insight, but nothing at all to devote it to. Until he found Lorelei Morrigan, the girl with the dark red hair and alluring eyes who had stolen the heart he never knew that he’d had.

From the moment he’d met Lorelei, Theo had found that he was no longer bored, or longing. He hadn’t necessarily understood it at the time, but finding Lorelei was finding a way to quiet the cruel and unrelenting whispers of his mind. For once in his life, he’d found something that worked for him, and now, he was determined never to let it go again.

Theodore knew it wouldn’t be easy to steal Lorelei away from Draco. She was in his clutches, and she wouldn’t go without a fight. For better or worse, it was what Theo liked about Lorelei. She was, in her own way, undyingly loyal. Even when she met up with Draco behind Theo’s back, and fell for him despite being in a relationship with Theo, she never let him know it.

Even when she’d been won, Lorelei had a sense of loyalty that didn’t allow her to reveal her partner’s weakness. In a strange way, Lorelei was more loyal than anyone he’d ever met. He of course knew that she was a liar, and a spiteful one, but he also knew that betrayal was just as embarrassing to her as it was to whoever she chose to leave behind in the dust. Above all, Theo was determined to win back Lorelei’s heart because he knew that, even in spite of everything, she did care for him.

That was his secret weapon. Theo had no fear in his eyes when he’d confronted Draco Malfoy with the truth, and he welcomed the chance to see who Lorelei would choose, if given the right set of facts.

Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy was beyond troubled. Months had passed. He’d slipped away in strange bouts of silence even when he was with Lorelei. He could hardly enjoy himself lately, and he knew that that was exactly what Theo wanted. Every happy moment with Lorelei was replaced with an underlying sense that it could be ruined in an instant. Draco hardly knew peace after that. And for that, he wanted to kill Theo. Draco knew that if he really wanted to, he could make Theodore disappear.

It wasn’t a smart idea, but it was an idea. One he had to keep hidden away from Lorelei if he had any hope in making her forget all about everything, just as they had tried to do to him.

“Draco?”

“Hmm?”

Lorelei’s voice had nearly startled him as he looked up. They were sitting out in the courtyard together after class, hand in hand as they enjoyed having absolutely nothing to do. Or tried to, at least.

“What are you thinking about?”

This was hardly a simple question for him to answer. Of course, he’d been thinking a lot about Theo. Wanting to end him, wanting to forget all about him. But other things had crossed his mind as well. His father. Lord Voldemort. The coming war. So many things that threatened his happiness.

“Nothing,” he said, sounding lost as he momentarily dropped his girlfriend’s hand and sat up.

Lorelei frowned as Draco looked out over the grass, seeming unhappy.

“It’s not nothing,” she reasoned.

Draco smiled, trying his best to charm her.

“Have I ever told you how clever you are?” he smiled.

“Only about a thousand times,” she supplied, sitting up. “What’s wrong? Why do you feel a million miles away?”

“Not because of you,” he responded, still finding himself distracted. “Just… stupid people.”

“Who?” she wondered. “Potter? Crabbe, Goyle? Theo?” she offered sarcastically.

Draco frowned skeptically. “Do you really think he’s lost all his memories? For good?” he posed the question.

“I don’t know,” Lorelei admitted. “Does it matter?”

Draco looked at her in disbelief, wondering for a moment if she’d forgotten.

“Doesn’t it?” he reminded her. “He could bury us.”

“But he hasn’t,” she reasoned. “And there’s nothing we can do until he tries. Just put him out of your head; he can’t hurt us if we don’t let him.”

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” Draco asked her. “Being afraid of a ghost.”

“Ghosts are real,” she promised, giving it a decent amount of thought. “Doesn’t mean they can hurt us.”

“This one can,” he insisted.

“Do you honestly think Theo’s worth the trouble?” Lorelei stared. “He’s a bully. He’s the kind of person to try to get to me through you. That only works if he gets to you. He’s not a part of our world anymore, and the only way he could possibly change that is by force. If we ignore him, he doesn’t get what he wants. Simple as that. And that’s if he even knows anything about what happened between all of us,” she concluded prudently.

“Well, he fucking does!” Draco shouted, jumping up out of his seat.

Lorelei frowned, unmoved by his mood swings.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said dismissively.

“I’m not being fucking ridiculous!” he argued, struggling with his frustrations.

Lorelei watched with concern as he placed his hands on his hips, looking around for some sort of anchor.

“He knows. I know for a fact, he does.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” she questioned, nervous about what he had to say.

Draco just looked at the fearful expression on her otherwise beautiful face. He knew with clarity in that moment that he had two options. He could tell her everything, and ruin what they’d fought so hard to feel everyday. Or, he could say nothing, and confine his problems to his own troubled mind.

“Nothing,” Draco says under his breath.

Lorelei watched in complete disbelief as he turned and walked away from her, quickly trying to get away. Draco felt himself getting hotter and hotter despite the weather. He aggressively loosened his tie as he headed for the castle, not having anything to say as he bumped into Crabbe and Goyle on the way.

*****

Lorelei hated fighting with Draco. It happened very rarely. Of course, bickering, and childishness happened all the time, but never a genuine fight. Draco could be extremely cocky, and annoying, but he also loved Lorelei in a way he’d never loved anyone before. He knew the value of their happiness, just as Lorelei did. He was never cruel to her, and he never raised his voice, as rash and harsh as he could sometimes be. He took pride in keeping his girlfriend happy.

But just like anyone else, Draco wasn’t perfect. There were times when his behavior confused Lorelei, and when that happened, she usually relied on time to show Draco his mistakes. Usually, it worked. But this time, Lorelei felt that there was something causing his lapse in judgment, something that she wasn’t aware of. Lorelei knew that she would have to fight with Draco a bit to get it out of him.

Which, of course, led to some very interesting displays over the past few days.

“Draco…”

“Leave it alone, Lorelei!” Draco Malfoy exclaimed, as all of their peers looked at them funny during Potions.

Professor Snape, of course, seemed far too withdrawn to bring himself to discipline his students.

“No, I won’t ‘leave it alone’!” Lorelei exclaimed, much to Theo’s amusement. “Just tell me what’s wrong with you, and we can be done with it!”

“Looks like trouble in paradise,” Pansy Parkinson snickered triumphantly.

But no one seemed to be on her side of the argument.

“Shut up, Pansy,” Blaise Zabini said as he watched the couple intently.

“I’m just saying. If I had a boyfriend like him, I’d be anything but ungrateful.”

“Well, you never will, because you’re an unremarkable, desperate shrew, so pipe down,” Blaise told her.

“Draco. Be serious for one second,” Lorelei sighed, “There was nothing wrong before you picked this fight with me. Just be honest with me, and everything will be just fine!”

“Lorelei. I’m not having this conversation with you again,” Draco said through gritted teeth, “Give it a rest!”

“You give it a rest!” Lorelei exclaimed. “You’re being childish, and rude.”

“You’re being childish and rude,” Draco muttered.

Lorelei scowled at him, picking up Goyle’s quill from beside her as she chucked it at him. There were a series of gasps as Draco felt where it had hit him, looking back at Lorelei in disbelief. She crossed her arms stubbornly as she stared at him. Refusing to acknowledge her, Draco angrily stood up and packed up all of his belongings, storming out of the dungeons as Professor Snape just sighed loudly.

“Professor!” Lorelei exclaimed, looking to her Head of House for any kind of acknowledgement.

“Go ahead,” Snape groaned with melancholy, watching as she took off after him.

“Can I go after Draco?” Pansy called eagerly.

“No.”

Lorelei found Draco seething in the dimly lit corridor, looking tempted to punch the stone walls as he tried to find an outlet for his anger. Lorelei stomped towards him, fuming.

“Draco!”

He looked irritated as he saw her approaching.

“What?” he demanded. “Come to pick another humiliating fight with me?”

“I wouldn’t have to pick fights with you if you would just talk to me,” she exclaimed in frustration. “I don’t understand you lately! It’s like you want me to be angry at you!”

Draco clenched his jaw as he walked towards her, looking about ready to scream at her.

“Maybe I do want to be angry!” he growled.

Lorelei looked at him for the first time with a flicker of resentment in her eyes. Draco recognized the look from her days with Theo, when she would find herself unable to leave him no matter what he did. It was strange, but as he recognized the look in her eyes, Draco felt nothing but relief. Lorelei was practically startled as he pulled her close, kissing her harshly as she gave in and buried her fingers in his blond hair.

“The dorms,” Draco breathed, “Now.”

Lorelei grinned as they rushed off to the Slytherin dorms.

*****

Draco was laying comfortably in bed, shirt still open as he watched Lorelei pull up her skirt.

“You’re perfect,” he sighed, overwhelmed.

Lorelei just smiled as she flopped back onto her bed with him, resting her head on his bare chest.

“I love you,” she reminded him.

“I love you more,” Draco cooed, as he hugged her tight. “You know, I can’t believe my Aunt Bellatrix is finally home. And Crouch Jr.”

“Yeah,” Lorelei smiled, happy at the thought of the man who had helped her finally being free.

“You’ll come back with me, right? For the break?”

“Mhmm,” Lorelei nodded.

“You’ll get to meet her, then. And, so will I,” he thought. “I don’t know her, but I think she’ll like both of us,” he told her.

“That’d be nice,” Lorelei said gently, “I know she’ll love you for sure.”

“I hope so,” Draco replied. “You know… We’ll be safe, with her home.”

“I think so too,” she agreed.

“There is something you need to know,” Draco murmured, deciding he’d best tell her the truth. “About Theo.”

“He remembers… Doesn’t he?” Lorelei said, her voice barely a whisper.

Draco stared at her as he realized he had to be the bearer of bad news.

“Yeah. He does.”

“I figured,” she nodded regretfully.

“How?” he questioned. “How did you know?”

“I don’t know,” Lorelei sighed, “I figured no one else could really get to you the same way… And I also figured there was no way the Memory Charm was a guaranteed victory. With our luck.”

“Hey,” Draco said softly, tilting her chin towards him. “We are very lucky, you and I. We have everything we could possibly want. Like you said, the world is ours.”

“That’s true,” Lorelei admitted.

“Whatever comes, we’ll fight like hell,” Draco promised her. “I will fight like hell. For you.”

“I know,” she nodded, accepting that fact.

“I’m sorry. I suppose I should’ve let you fight for me,” he confessed.

“It’s okay,” she said quietly, as he rested his forehead against hers. “I’m yours. Forever.”

“Forever,” Draco Malfoy echoed, “What a lovely idea.”

“Hmm,” Lorelei chuckled, forgiving him as he cupped her face, kissing her as if they were in their own sort of fairytale.

*****

The day the train departed for London, Draco looked around carefully as he allowed Lorelei to step up before him, watching her with his hand on her back as he followed. Standing in line somewhere behind them was Theodore Nott, watching with hate and envy in his eyes. Draco just smiled, remembering to enjoy his holiday with his girlfriend.

-

Chapter Twenty

[whump-place]

Adopted.

10-Guilt.

Masterlist.

Content: Multiple Whumpees, Pet Whumpees, Conditioned Whumpees, Reluctant Whumper.

Amarilys felt gross after what happened that day; she didn't want to, she thought maybe it would be okay if Liam said so, but it wasn't.

Ray had screamed, and cried, and, and..., and she didn't stop.

Until Star told her it had been enough, and gently took her aside, that's when she finally got a chance to take a breath and look down at what she had just done.

At that moment Liam praised her, and told her she did a good job, and for a moment she believed him. But then Ray's whimpers started again, and she couldn't think straight about what she did.

She pretended to feel cold and got to be taken inside, Leo made her some hot cocoa and put his favorite movie on the TV, and it had been comfortable. Until she remembers Liam and Star were left alone to deal with Ray how they pleased.

Amy shakes her head, that wasn't the time to think about those things. Master told her to do the laundry, he said it was a good chance to use her hands more, since they didn't stop shaking.

She kept to herself that it was because she was still scared of what happened that day.

Master said she had to fold her clothes, and then put them away. If she did it well, she could earn an extra cookie for dinner.

It was hard getting used to being praised for anything she did right, instead of being punished when she got it wrong.

"Where is Star?" Amy had been looking for them since the morning, she wanted to talk about what happened, and maybe ask for some blush so Master didn't notice her pale face, but she couldn't find them anywhere.

"Master took them outside." This time Leo didn't elaborate, which made Amy nervous.

"Is... Did he found out what happened with Ray or...?"

"Oh, no, no; it's nothing like that." Still, Leo's smile didn't meet his eyes. That was... worrying.

"Then why?"

Leo swallowed before leaning towards her, his lips almost touching her ear as he whispered.

"They say I'm just too dumb to understand, but I think Master wants us to think we are humans. Liam says it's just a test to prove our loyalty and love for him, but he's just really weird and-"

A loud slap startled Amy, making her take a step away from Leo. Liam was standing behind him, a thick book on hand, the one that he used to hit Leo.

"That's why you don't think. That's not your job." Leo whimpered, but was quickly shut up by another slap with the book Liam was holding. "Stop it. Master doesn't need to be bothered by you. Why don't you go and watch Tv or something? That sounds more like something you would do, instead of trying out thinking."

Leo nodded, his cheek turning red by the slap; and ran away.

Amy looked up at Liam, her lip quivering. What if Liam hit her too? What if he got angry because she asked? What if...?

"Oh, dear. Did he scare you?" She couldn't help but flinch away when Liam stretches out his hand to stroke her hair, wanting to avoid the worst of the slap, but there was no pain. "Don't mind Leo, I know you are smart enough to understand. Master... Master just wants to test our devotion towards him. You will be good and don't forget your place, am I right?"

"Y-yes. I won't." Amy tried to keep her voice steady, suddenly the guilt she felt vanished in the air, being replaced by a chill that ran down her spine. "Leo is... He likes to come up with some crazy stories. Master would never want us to be humans. He's kind, he would never do something like that."

Why would Master want them to be humans? So he wouldn't have to take care of them anymore? So they can come back to the streets? To starve and freeze to death?

That would be cruel. Master wouldn't want her to go back to the streets, would he? He wouldn't throw it she away. She could be better, she could, if Master only allowed her to-

"Shhh... It's okay. I know." A weird smile crept into Liam's face, something like..., pride? "Leo doesn't understand. Not even Star does. I thought you would be like them. But you are different."

Amy felt his hand slipping down to her shoulders. This was the second time she got a hug from Liam, and it felt so warm.

"Master won't throw us away. I promise. We just have to behave, no matter what he does, and prove to him we are good Pets for him."

"Is that even possible? If he choses to-"

"That won't happen." Amy wondered why Liam sounded so convinced, but didn't ask either. All that matters is that she will be loved. "We can work together. We can make them perfect for Master."

And Amy believes in him. That was what they were born to, to serve a master and be perfect for them.

Amy believes in Liam. They would make Master happy to have them.

Even if that was a little complicated.

---

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[msfcatlover]

More Reverse!Robins

When Steph died, Tim took up her mantle because Steph deserved better than that memorial. Steph was so much more than the rest of the family’s guilt trip, Steph was so much more than her last moments, and Tim couldn’t bear the thought of that being Steph’s legacy. Tim still had to argue, he still had to fight, he still had to initially steal the suit in order to go out in it, but he won in the end.

Sort of.

Cass wouldn’t patrol with him, because she couldn’t bear to look over & see Not Steph in that suit. Bruce was still mourning, and only begrudgingly “allowed” Tim to go out like that. Damian was awful, because he felt like he’d personally failed Steph and insisted Tim come up to Bludhaven weekly to train, and didn’t realize how harsh/cruel that training was until Duke called Damian out on it… after which, Damian couldn’t bear to look Tim in the eye, and tried his very hardest to be better for him. (Duke gets to be the awesome big brother in this verse.)

Then Timothy Wayne got shot. Very publicly. And Tim couldn’t risk anyone putting together pieces that would’ve been obvious to Tim, so Tim all but begged Jason to take up the mantle. Jason didn’t even have to fight (Tim would prefer if Jason didn’t get into any fights, Jason was still pretty new,) but they couldn’t have Batman patrolling alone at the same time Timothy Wayne was in the hospital. Tim would’ve asked Cass, but he knew stepping into Steph’s boots would only hurt Cass worse, and everyone else was too tall to pass for Tim (Damian’s a beanpole, fight me.) It broke Jason’s heart to leave his brother in the hospital just to be seen running around on rooftops, but he did it anyway.

When Tim’s prognosis came back and they all realized Tim wouldn’t be doing parkour again, Jason formally took up the mantle with many tears shed. The rest of the family positively doted on Jason, with Cass & Bruce becoming borderline obsessive with their protectiveness, Damian trying to make up for past mistakes with a brother he didn’t feel guilty just being in the vicinity of, Tim trying to make sure Jason didn’t inherit any of Tim’s hero-baggage, and Duke making sure Jason still got a buffer of breathing room & got to act like a kid sometimes.

And then Steph came back. Saw how quickly Tim had taken her mantle. Saw how easily everyone who claimed to love & be there for her replaced her not once but twice. Where was this Damian, pictured out in public making time for his little brothers, when Steph happily took up his mantle & Damian disappeared off to Bludhaven to “figure himself out”? Where was this Duke, who cared more about his younger siblings than his daylight responsibilities both in & out of costume? What happened to the Cass who knew what you were feeling but not why you were feeling it (leading to hurt & misunderstandings that Steph remembered more clearly than the reunions & apologies) rather than hovering & doting over everyone younger than her? Where was this Bruce, who happily called them all “my children” rather than drawing a line between foster & family? Where was this Batman, who kept his sidekicks close & gently chastised them, rather than treating them like strangers or intruders into his space?

Steph had thought Duke & Damian’s distance was confidence, that Cass’s fumbling was just how Cass was, that Bruce’s harshness was just because Steph didn’t have powers or ninja training or whatever. She’d thought she found a family, and just needed to wiggle a bit in order to fit.

Clearly, Steph was wrong about that.

(Then Steph finds out her killer is still running free, still hurting others, that nothing’s changed & nobody did anything, and all that hurt turns to anger. It’s not even about being avenged—after everything Steph’s learned, she doesn’t expect that anymore—it’s about innocent people getting hurt.) (Fuck the Bats. If they can’t protect the city, Steph will do it herself.)

[beautifulfuckup99]

May I get a Halsey x fem reader please, you can do smut or fluff whichever one you like!!

-<3

Ya'll have been too h0rny this entire weekend with your requests, lol. I'm doin fluff!

Title: Peace...

Warning(s): Angst, but also a ton of fluff (I promise!)

Author's Note: Because I am such a little wh0re for "Family!AU", that's what this is. So, yes, baby Ender is around, but he is the son of Y/N and Ashley (Halsey). And this is also "Famous!Halsey AU" as well. I will be referring to her as 'Ashley' in the story cause that IS her name after all, lol. Hope you enjoy!

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

With a soft gasp, Ashley found herself awake.

It was always a sudden jolt of consciousness. Like she was being hit on the head by real life. As a child, she found the violent pull back to reality somewhat miserable and even cruel. How dare the real world take her from the comfort of her own head. Well, that wasn't phrased right either. Because her mind wasn't always her friend.

Let's correct that.

How dare the real world take her away from the bliss of being knocked out.

That's better.

With a soft hum and a few quick blinks that wave goodbye to the remainder of sleep on her mind, Ashley is now focused. On what exactly? Well.

She's focused on the soft breathing of her wife as she lays peacefully next to her. Such a soft puff of air, in and out, only being visible via the movement of her chest. Ashley finds herself trying to match the breathing perfectly. She always fails, but it's a great way to start her morning.

She's focused on the way Y/N's eyebrows knot together as if so focused on the task at hand: Sleeping. But that was Y/N. Ever so centered on any task given to her. Even sleeping, she was set on completing it right. Such a perfectionist she was...

She's focused on Y/N's lips that are ever so slightly open, some hair strands touching the pink lips of her lover as if protecting them, covering them. Teasing Ashley with the fact that she couldn't get to them. Not yet anyways. Those lips. She was grateful for those lips. They touched her dirty mouth every moment of everyday and made her words sweeter by contact. They touched her skin every night and made it glow brighter than the moonlight that would spill into their bedroom through the sheer curtains.

She's focused on the bare skin of her wife. The softness of it all and reminiscing on the feeling of it against her. A hand slowly reaches up, just needing a single touch of that skin. The skin that blessed Ashley every day when Y/N hugged or held her.

Ashley trails her fingertips along the shoulder of her lover and a hum softly escapes from Y/N's throat. Ashley smiles without even meaning to. It just happens. It always happens. With the most natural ease imaginable, Y/N will always bring that smile on to her lips.

Sometimes Ashley imagined her younger self watching her now. Moments where she'd garden with Y/N and Ender, or days where they'd try baking a new recipe Y/N just had to try out. She imagined the shock her younger self would feel. How it'd be clear on her face that she never thought she'd get this old. That she'd feel this loved.

Her parents loved her. Her brother loved her. Yeah, they did, but they were family. Y/N saw her in a completely different light, yet... She loved her like she was worthy of that emotion. Ashley's mind wonders from her younger self to herself before Y/N. How angry she was. How tired she was of constantly being proven wrong by life the second she claimed to have her shit together. She wonders if it was a sign this entire time. Cause she didn't get her shit together till she met Y/N.

Her train of thought is halted by a fussing coming from over the baby monitor. In that moment, the calmness to her chest is replaced with a jolt of pure excitement. Y/N and Ender had to be polar opposites in that way. One calming her and giving her a moment to reflect the lover she's turned into. And the other giving her a burst of excitement and pride, making her reflect on the woman she's grown into.

With a soft giggle, Ashley is up from bed and rushing to the room right across from theirs. "Hey, big man..." She whispers as she picks up Ender, nuzzling her face into his chest, smelling the freshness of his onesie as his small hands grip her hair. "Let's go wake up mommy, huh?" She teases quietly.

Maybe it was a little selfish to want her wife and child awake already, but she wasn't sleeping, so why should she stay up in bed waiting. She felt like a child does on Christmas morning. So ready to enjoy her gifts for the day.

"Mama!" Ender laughs, just as excited at the idea, and Ashley carries him across the hallway. She chuckles as she sees Y/N now hiding under the bed covers.

She playfully gasps. "Where did she go?! Mommy was just here!" She jokes and walks over to the bed. Y/N chuckles softly from under the covers.

"Where's mommy?" Ashley asks Ender and he giggles and points to the bed. "You think?" She teases and sets her son down on the bed. She watches in amusement as two hands sneak out of the covers and grabs Ender by his feet and sneakily pulls him under the covers too.

"Hey! Hands off the kid!" She laughs and gets on the bed to pull Ender away as he laughs. Y/N finally pops her head out from under the covers.

"You're no fun." Y/N taunts and Ashley snorts.

"You're fault. Should've never domesticated me..." She mutters and Y/N laughs sheepishly before leaning in to peck her wife softly on the lips.

"Best decision ever." Y/N teases quietly against her lips and Ashley feels a blush coming on to her face before she turns her attention back to their son who is happily chewing on his fingers between them.

"What's the plan for today?" Y/N asks as she plays with Ender's feet while he smiles wide while kicking them. Ashley watches the scene in front of her with soft eyes.

"What?" Y/N chuckles, noticing her wife finally. Ashley hums gently and shrugs it off.

"Nothing. Just... Real peaceful this morning is all." She whispers and Y/N smiles up at her and nods.

"I know what you mean..." She whispers before softly kissing her wife again.

[lostinpages-99]

Once Upon a Waking Dream - Chapter 4

Pairing: Jacks x Reader

Warnings: none.

AN: none of this is related to the events in the Caraval Trilogy or OUABH and TBONA. It's just me wanting to write about our beloved Prince of Hearts. This being said, Jacks' character belongs to Stephanie Garber and no copyright infringement is intended with this fanfiction.

You wake up after the accident in the mausoleum. The Prince of Hearts is there. A revelation occurs and you confront him.

(900 words)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you regained consciousness, you were lying in your bed. Someone had gotten your lavender dress off you and replaced it with a nightgown. Your room was dimly illuminated, and you could hear the crackling of firewood. Outside, rain was still pouring. You managed to sit up against the cushions with a pained groan. The mind-blowing pain that got hold of you in the mausoleum had gone, and only left a dull ache in its wake. Just then you noticed the man sitting in an armchair by the fireplace. The Prince of Hearts. You shot to your feet as adrenaline rushed through you, bringing the world back into sharp focus.

«Why are you in my room?» you asked, as he slowly began standing.

«You should get back into bed. You are still weak-» You cut him off. He had no right to talk to you like this.

«Don’t act as if you cared» you countered, anger simmering hotter and hotter inside you. «I started having such episodes only after you abducted me. It’s all your fault».

You tightened your lips in a straight line as you looked right up into his eyes, rage and judgement rolling off you in waves. And that was when you tasted it, coppery and sweet: blood. You brought a finger to your mouth, and it came off with a smudge of dried redness. Your gaze shot up to him again.

«Why is there blood on my lips?»

He remained silent, his eyes frozen and his body still as a statue. So, you stepped closer.

«Why do I have blood on my lips? Answer me!»

«You were too weak by the time I got you back from the grove. I gave you my blood to help you recover».

«Well, I would have been better off if you hadn’t».

That finally managed to wring a reaction out of him. His eyes lit up, even though everything else about him remained still. «Sure, yes. You just would be dead!»

«Yes, I’d be dead. What about it? My family, my friends, they all think me dead by now, I’m sure. So, why would I prefer living as a prisoner, alone and secluded, to dying?»

«You are not-» you cut him off again.

«I am not alone? Who do I have? Marie? You?»

You turned your back to him with the intention of ignoring him by keeping your gaze fixed on the roaring fire, until he eventually left. But your eyes fell on the vase of red peonies which still stood on the table instead, and then it hit you.

«You gave me peonies. Why?»

«I didn’t give you any-»

You turned abruptly and found him standing just behind you, way too close for comfort, you would have thought, if you’d had the time to stop and consider it. «Don’t you lie to me! You smelled of peonies when you came to me earlier! Why did you give them to me? Why peonies? They don’t even bloom in autumn, so you must have searched for them, for someone growing them out of season. A considerable effort for someone notoriously selfish as you. So, why?»

«Oh, come on! What are you thinking now? That I got you flowers to console you? To tell you I’m sorry for taking you away? I don’t do kind and empathic» he answered, sarcasm dripping from every word.

«Well, that’s interesting, because you still somehow managed to pick not just any flower. I don’t simply like peonies. They’re my favourite flower. So how did you know?»

«Are you sure you haven’t figured that out as well?»

«How would I-». But suddenly you realised, you actually had figured it out. And it made you burn, it set your anger on fire again as you started hitting his chest with your hands. «You filthy, cruel bastard! You stole my dreams! You had no right to it! How could you?!»

You felt violated. What had he seen in your dreams? He’d taken all of it, that was for sure, since you couldn’t remember anything. Because that was it: you had dreamt, you just couldn’t remember, because he’d taken them from you. And for that you hated him, profoundly, thoroughly. You would have kept hitting and fighting him all night long, had he not grabbed your wrists and stilled your hand against his chest.

«I did because I knew your dreams would be the only thing, I could ever get from you, the only way I would ever know you». He had spoken in a low voice, deep and grave and old. After that silence had fallen over the two of you and, in the silence, you heard it. It almost seemed to you like you’d heard it, before feeling it: a regular, rhythmic heartbeat, its vibrations travelling from his body to your mind through your hands, that laid flat on his chest. And you remembered the rest of the story your nana had told you about the Prince of Hearts, that eventually one day, he would have found his true love, the one love capable of making his heart beat again. And that was you. You wrestled free of his grip and stumbled back, away from him.

«Leave me alone» you muttered under your breath. You felt light-headed again and your rate had quickened once more. He looked pained as he took a tentative step towards you.

«Please, just let me explain, I didn’t know-».

«I don’t care. I will not be your true love. I will never love you. Now leave me alone. Get out!»

He froze and looked at you, searching your eyes for something, anything, but all they mirrored was disgust.

«Get. Out.» you repeated. And this time he turned on his feet and left.

Tag list:

@tfotaandstuff

@alelinsan

@pinkapplepie

@moobell55

@lakap

@fire-in-her-veinz

[bittcnneck]

Finally wrote this OCS story phew. TW for childhood trauma and physical abuse.

Name: Akihiko Sakuranomiya

age: 25

height: 6'4

weight: 220 pounds (100 kilos)

nationality: Asian American (Japanese American)

Akihiko is a tall, semi muscular man with broad shoulders. He seems to have what most would call, a sleeper build, as you can't tell how muscular he really is unless he flexes. But even then, you could very well see his arms are thick. He has dark red shoulder length hair, which he puts in a tiny ponytail. His eyes are purple, the left one having a permenant scar from his childhood.

backstory and personality: Akihiko grew up in a lifeless home where the family members would barely interact with each other. His dad, operating one of the biggest mafia gangs in Japan, grew him up to be the one who will take charge of the gang once he can no longer do it. Akihiko had a younger brother, and they were basically the only ones being affectionate and nice towards one another. They would try to fill the void of love in their heart by cuddling to sleep. That is until, their parents have a huge fight, and they get a divorce. His mom took his brother and left. This broke Akihikos heart. He would beg his father to let him go see his brother for just an hour. And he would face physical abuse each time, telling him that he no longer has a brother or a mother. This lack of love and support made him grow up to be a cold and cruel man, like his father. Ever since he hit puberty, his father would force him to work out and do things he did not want to do. Teach him to use guns, to fight. By the time he was 16, he started working under him, bringing his father victims. By observing, he started learning that an attractive personality makes it all easier. He decided to hide his cold and sadistic persona under the mask of a nice, flirty, charming young man. And it really did help. His kill count raised, and the way his father viewed him changed. The hair strokes he would never get as a kid, his father started to say he did a great job after each successful mission, pushing him to work better. Hide his true self better. Because everyone loved him when he would kiss their hands, call them gorgeous, help them out with chores. And his father loved him when he successfully caught these people under his trap. In reality, he never fell in love before. He found most people pathetic and repulsive, easily replaceable. Yet he kept this persona up even with people who aren't his target, as he observed how it brought him entertainment and made him have gains. So now, he pretends to be someone he is not almost every hour of every day. Only truly being his true self when he is locked in his room, alone, at the end of a rough day.

[juliettedunn]

The Surprise Party (Part 5)

Part 1 can be found here

Part 2 can be found here

Part 3 can be found here

Part 4 can be found here

Gus talks with Willow, Emmeline, and Luz about some of his feelings while trapped in the human realm, even though he has to keep much of them a secret. Also he has selective mutism because I said so.

Note: Sorry this took so long! That was a ridiculously long wait, but no more. This is a chapter focused on Gus. After this chapter will be the final chapter, and I already have most of it written, so you can expect it quite shortly. Then this fic will finally be complete. Thank you to everyone who stuck with it through the incredibly sporadic schedule; I know this is one of my more popular fics and you all were quite invested. I hope the wait was worth it.

***

Traveling back to Camila’s with his friends, Gus started to feel the toll of the outing. Usually, he’d be ecstatic - he’d just gotten to explore an aspect of the human realm he’d only ever dreamed of or read about in books (though he was increasingly coming to realize these tales were largely inaccurate). He got a plushie, he had a great surprise planned for one of his closest friends, and he felt a renewed connection with Luz after the two had been distant.

He was happy, to an extent. That joy wasn’t dampened, exactly, so much as it was mixed with something he couldn’t identify. It was a common experience for him, of late. He had achieved his dream of traveling to the human realm, at the cost of so much. Knowing that his home very well may be destroyed, his dad captured or killed, it felt wrong to lose himself in the wonder of his special interest. Each day, as he marveled at the human realm’s miracles, he wondered if he should really be enjoying it so much. And, adding another layer - was it really something to be enjoyed?

Gus knew Luz saw herself as an outcast, but it hadn’t fully hit him until her explanation in the bathroom - Luz wasn’t quite the typical example of a human here. Vee was, ironically, wiser in the areas of the human realm, but she was still a demon, not a prime example of the human species.

Of course, not every human would be nice, just like not every witch would be nice. Gus had spent nearly his whole life learning about humans, and he knew they could be assholes. But just before he arrived in the human realm, he had experienced something which made him se see the entire species in a new light.

He felt his heart start to pound as those memories surfaced. People standing in lines with their heads bowed, hurled accusations of witchcraft and sorcery that weren’t even true. Their necks slipped between looped rope, their bodies jerked upward, twitching and choking until they grew still. The crowd looking on in awe, cheering, Belos, no, Philip, just a young teen, right beside them, while his older brother watched with discomfort, yet did nothing to stop it.

Caleb’s discovery of the demon realm, captivated by a red bird that belonged to a real witch. Gus saw it through the eyes of Philip, peering at the lovers with hatred and disgust. The gleam of the knife as it plunged into Caleb’s chest, Evelyn’s wailing as the father of her unborn child bled out in front of her. Philip standing in front of the crowds of people and preaching the very words the old human preacher said at the pulpit in his childhood, to a crowd of witches and demons.

Hissed out of town for his tales of "sin," until he learned better, adapted his language to make sense to the people of the Isles, until he attracted followers, until he ensnared their minds, corrupted and twisted and burned knowledge, until he rose to power and began to corrupt even the natural biology of witches through his sigils. All while never letting go of his twisted possessiveness towards his murdered brother, raising replacement after replacement, each one turning against him and being murdered in ever more cruel ways, after a life of pain.

Blood, burning, the cracking and screams of dying Palismen, the whimper of a tortured Grimwalker, knowledge disappearing, mysterious illness and heart attacks as witches succumbed to the strain placed on their arteries by the sigils. 

Preaching of sin, and salvation, heaven, and hell, someone called God, someone called Satan. The version of religion Philip truly believed, not what he changed it into to appeal to the Isles. How could Gus begin to understand something like that? Well, now he had been forced to understand, forced to see it all, in the span of mere moments.

Gus gasped, and Willow took him by the arm. “Are you okay?”

Gus struggled to speak, but only managed a squeak, the words stuck in his brain, unable to leave his throat as the images continued to flash. Blood, witches gasping and twitching in the snow, someone crying for their Palisman, a young Grimwalker clawing for breath as he drowned.

Gus, his hands shaking, conjured an illusion to spell words for him. He dearly wished Emmeline were with him, so he wouldn’t have to do any work at all. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t have been allowed to sneak her into the mall, but he had wanted to give her a break; she had been sleeping in a pile with Clover and Ghost, all three cuddled around Luz’s egg, and he hadn’t had the heart to disturb her.

He managed to create an illusion to communicate the words “I need a break.”

“Okay,” said Willow, and she gently led him to a tree. Thankfully, he had started to panic when they were walking through the park, at a time when not many people were around, and he could sit at ease. 

“Okay,” said Willow, and she gently led him to a tree. Thankfully, he had started to panic when they were walking through the park, at a time when not many people were around, and he could sit at ease. 

He leaned against the tree, struggling for breath and counting on his fingers the way Willow had taught him. Willow sat beside him, smiling reassuringly. They had been through this routine together so many times, he knew it would all be okay, even if there were more people around him than typical. He ran his fingers over his dinosaur stim toy, feeling the familiar bumps and notches, bending its joints while the calming rhythm of the numbers helped clear his mind.

One, two, three, four…four, three, two, one…

Imagery was still flashing through his brain, but slower now, and thank Titan none of it was manifesting as external illusion. The others didn’t need to see that; it would be a major violation of Hunter’s privacy. He felt bad enough for having this knowledge in the first place.

When he opened his eyes and saw only his friends, not visions of Belos, he slowly began to ease off the counting. Conjuring another illusion, he showed them returning to the house with a green check mark above the image, then the words “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Willow’s brow crinkled in surprise and concern, and he couldn’t blame her. Gus had always been very emotionally open; it was part of why he got hurt so easily, but he always knew it was safe to do so around her. After he was able to be verbal again, he always shared why he was hurting. And he wanted to do it now, so badly he did, but these weren’t just his own issues. These were Hunter’s too, and he had to keep them a secret.

“Okay,” said Willow, slowly. “If you need to stop again just tell us.”

Gus nodded, and Willow helped him to his feet. The group glanced among each other, and for a moment Gus panicked, thinking they were doing the old patronizing routine. Look at the dumb kid; he’s supposed to be a prodigy but he can’t even talk half the time. What a fraud. He really thinks he’s such a cool illusion master; how could we have believed him?

But he saw only concern - not patronizing, but genuine - and they included him among the glancing. These weren’t glances to exclude him, these were check-ins with the group, making sure everyone was ready to continue on. 

Are you okay? Holding up? Are you overwhelmed? At risk of a meltdown? Need a break?

All things the friends knew they could trust each other to help them through.

They had different needs, different capabilities, and while sometimes it made for conflict, it often helped. When one was struggling, the others could assist them, get help, devise plans for their needs, balance their traits until together they created a powerful force of support.

They were an odd bunch, but never had Gus felt more surrounded by people who would listen and vouch for him when he was overwhelmed and scared, just as he’d do for them.

Though, Gus could feel the weight of secrets keeping the group down - Hunter, mainly, which tied into Gus’s own secret, the secret that he knew. As strong as each person in the group was, they were also so fragile, and seeing them now, Gus felt more fragile than ever before; he just wanted to cry and spill it all.

Instead, he let a few more tears fall, then got to his feet. He created an illusion depicting him going to the basement when they got back. There was no way he’d be able to help with the party under these conditions; he was only a push away from having a full shutdown.

Willow laid her hand on his shoulder. “Of course, it’s okay if you need a bit. Would you like me to come with you?”

Gus hesitated; he knew how excited Willow was to plan this party. As if sensing his feelings, in the way only Willow could know, she said, “I don’t mind taking a break for a bit anyway. Amity can organize everything.” She turned to Amity. “If you don’t mind?”

Amity blinked quickly, as though surprised, then smiled tentatively. “Yes, of course! I won’t let you down.”

“Thanks,” Willow grinned.

When they got back to the house, Amity took charge with ease: “We have to get this done within an hour. Hunter and Camila will be back soon, and all the decorations have to be ready so we can hide them. Vee, I want you to…”

But Gus didn’t have to worry about that; Willow was a steady presence leading him down into the quiet, familiar comfort of the basement, and the voices muffled and faded.

Emmeline squeaked at him from the couch, transmitting colorful imagery into his mind rather than words. It wasn’t that she couldn’t speak into his mind through words (all Palismen could do that for their witches), but she found it easier to do it through visuals. She had struggled to find a suitable witch for her needs, but for Gus, who struggled to even think coherently when he was anxious, it was a perfect match.

He scooped the chameleon up off the couch and held her in his hands, facing Willow. Sensing his state, Emmeline shifted red, to demonstrate he was unable to interact at the moment.

Gu appreciated Willow’s presence as he calmed himself down, and Emmeline transmitted calming visuals to him - gentle sounds, beautiful scenery, and unfiltered affection for her witch. He closed his eyes to make her transmissions easier, and for the next few minutes, that’s all he did, just sat with his Palismen while his best friend kneeled beside him.

Willow sat patiently until Emmeline became a less intense shed of red, signaling Gus was ready to hear Willow talk.

“Hey,” said Willow. “Did anything happen at the mall to trigger you?”

Emmeline shifted to dark gray, meaning “No,” according to the code Gus had set up with his friends.

“Okay. Just social anxiety?”

Both he and Emmeline knew that wasn’t the real truth, but Gus told her to say yes, and she shifted to light gray per his wishes.

Willow's ears drooped. “I think we all had a bit of a hard time at the mall. This is…a lot. The human realm isn’t what I expected.”

Gus nodded his head.

“But, I do like it. I think it’s amazing.”

Gus used an illusion to communicate his words. “Me too.” He really did. He loved the human realm. But…

“Do you ever get afraid, here?” he asked with illusions.

“Of course. I’m scared for my dads…” Willow looked like she was about to start sniffling, but she stilled her face against it. “We’re all scared.”

“But are you ever scared of the human realm?”

“You mean of being found out?”

Being found out. Willow didn’t know what that could truly mean here; how could she? She hadn’t seen the ropes around those people’s necks…

Not that humans did witch hunts anymore, but Luz, Camila, and Vee had briefed the group about a lot of things, things Gus had never dreamed could exist, and certainly not in such a mythical dreamland like the human realm. Things like homophobia, and racism, things that could mean…

Tears leaked from Gus’s eyes. He had always dreamed of becoming an ambassador to the human realm, but now he wasn’t sure if anything like that should be risked. How would humans react to learning about witches, to a land so free with concepts humans struggled with? Freer than here, even after Belos did all he could to tame it.

“Oh, Gus…we’re careful to hide our ears. They’re not going to find out.”

Gus nodded, but she couldn’t understand his fears. Not really.

“I think I’d like to be alone now.”

Willow looked surprised, and it was no wonder why. Gus always wanted someone beside him, especially in his crisis moments.

“Okay…but just send Emmeline to come get me if you need me, okay?”

Gus flashed a green check mark illusion, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m here for you. Don’t worry about interrupting the party planning, I’m sure Amity’s got it all covered torturing everyone with some work system she made up.”

Gus chuckled with Willow, then leaned his head back against the wall as she went up the stairs. When she shut the door behind her, he held Emmeline to his chest.

“I’m so scared,” he whispered. “I should have known the human realm wasn’t so great. I thought it was some wonderful fantasy, and it is, but also it’s not, I was stupid, and I just… ugh.” Gus beat his forehead with his fist. “I’ve never been so scared, Emmeline. And I can’t even talk to anyone about it. I just want Hunter to know I know his secret, but I don’t know how to tell him, I can’t tell anyone else, I…” He hugged the chameleon to his chest. “My own special interest, and I’m scared of it.”

Emmeline nuzzled him and sent him visions of him and his friends, banded together, back to back in a fight, then carefully tending to each other’s wounds, hands on each other’s shoulders, snuggling in a nice, warm pile. The meaning was clear. Friends protect.

Gus smiled weakly. “Yeah…we do. We protect each other.” Even though they were all drifting around right now, lost in their own issues, so many fake smiles and hidden secrets, he knew they’d go through anything for each other. This was what was keeping him going, knowing they were there for each other. Something even another realm couldn’t take.

He only wished he could be completely honest with them, and them with him, find a way to cut through all these secrets and hidden struggles. They weren’t meant to break alone, chipped away slowly and trying to desperately conceal the cracks. It was supposed to be visible, scars shown and tended by everyone else, so they could all share in the weight, lend each other missing pieces as needed, help glue it all in place. How was he supposed to help make it like that?

Emmeline sent an image of Luz, and Gus paused, thoughtful. “Yeah, Luz knows.”

He was nervous about talking to her, since she was so fragile lately, but after their conversation in the bathroom, she would probably appreciate a support swap.

He climbed the stairs, and when the group saw him, it was Willow who first reached out. “Hey, how’s it going?”

“I’d like to talk to Luz,” he said, and Luz jumped, fumbling a handful of abomination balloons.

“Me?”

“Yeah,” said Gus. “If it’s alright.”

“Oh!” Luz smiled awkwardly. “Sure thing!” She dropped the balloons and walked with him down to the basement, shifting awkwardly on her feet. “Sorry you got overwhelmed. I know the mall was a lot. And if I trauma-dumped and -“

This was not what he needed. “Luz, not right now. Please."

“Right,” Luz winced, pushing at her hair as if to push her own anxiety back. Gus appreciated it; he knew how hard it was for her, when she was barely functioning herself half the time. Maybe Luz wasn't the best choice for comfort - what he really needed was his dad. Someone to just spill everything to, who could give him true, wise advice and take care of things for him. But Luz was the only one Gus could think of who might have some kind of similar experience or knowledge to him, besides Hunter, and he wasn't ready to drop that reveal to him yet.

“So…" she said, sitting next to him. "What's going on?”

“Do you feel safe in the human realm?”

Luz blinked. “I…well, it’s a lot safer than the demon realm. I can’t randomly get eaten by a monster.”

“Yeah, but…”

Luz shifted awkwardly. “I don’t know. I don’t feel at home, that’s for sure.”

“How do you deal with it? With so many people who want to hurt you?”

“What? Do you think someone wants to hurt you?”

“No, but I know that - ” He had to phrase this carefully. “I know a lot of the history of your world. Real history, not what I thought it was. Even just this town, it was a town of witch-hunters, and I guess I didn’t realize how hostile the human realm might be to us.”

Luz stopped her nervous fidgeting and an uncharacteristic bitterness graced her features. “Yeah, humans have a way of hurting everything we touch.”

Gus pulled out his stim toy to bend and play with as they talked. It was easier to look at the colorful beads than into Luz’s eyes. “Humans have always been my special interest. You know that. And when I thought about coming to the human realm, it was always supposed to be this fun adventure, where I’d be an ambassador and show people magic, and they could teach me about all their weird tech. And I do love learning about all the cool stuff here. I mean, you can make your own plushies here! But also, if I told them about magic, if they saw my ears, I don’t think it would be good.”

“Yeah, I…I wouldn’t do that.”

“When you tried to correct me about human realm stuff, I didn’t listen. I was just so taken in by the wonder, I wasn’t prepared for this.”

“I experienced something similar, when I came to the Isles. I thought it was going to be a more PG-fantasy world. And then about ten different people tried to eat me on my second day there.” Luz chuckled nervously.

“Yeah,” Gus laughed. “Knowing you in the first few weeks, I’m surprised you lasted so long. I kind of expected you to be reported dead any day that first month.”

“Hey!”

They laughed together, until Gus turned solemn again. “I know both worlds have their issues. I didn’t expect the human realm to be perfect. I just didn’t know it would be so structured around hating someone like me.”

Luz closed her eyes, leaning against the wall like Gus. “Yeah…I know.” The two sat in silence for a while, until Luz spoke again. “I’m surprised you wanted to talk to me. I know I haven’t been the most present of the group.”

“I thought you’d be the best one to understand the experience of having kind of naïve expectations about something and then getting crushed with brutal reality.”

“Titan Gus. That’s a way to put it. But, yeah. I guess we both get a little carried away with fantasy. It’s easy to do, when the real world is so…”

“So…”

“Yeah.”

“The human realm was like this escapist thing, something I could delve into and study and it made me happy, even when people at Hexside just mocked me. But now it’s the human realm causing me issues and as much as I do love it, I just want to get back home. I want to see Hexside and I want to see my dad.”

“We’re going to find your dad. I know it. You’re not trapped here forever.”

Gus wiped the developing snot from his nose. “I know.”

“Can I put my hand on your shoulder?”

The smile she gave him was so dimmed from the giant, beaming smiles she used to give, but the tender kindness in it had never been dulled. “I wish it wasn’t this way. Your special interest should be something safe. I know how lost it feels when you realize everything you’ve been believing in isn’t really as you thought. It’s like you just lose your whole sense of purpose. Like, you don’t even know what to do with yourself anymore.” She dug her nails into her jacket and for a moment Gus worried she might actually be hurting herself. But then she released her arm and looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “You’re a good friend, Gus. I’m sorry your dream didn’t turn out how you thought. I’m sorry you’re trapped here. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Luz breezed past his statement. “Anyway. Even when I feel lost, I usually end up finding something special, even if I thought it was all a waste. Sometimes I’d be so set on something, I’d think it was all over and pointless if it didn’t happen, but then I’d find something totally unexpected that was even better. You just…you never know. You never know what things can turn out to be good after all, or at least not totally bad, or maybe it is bad but you’ll find something else. And, I just want you to know even if the human realm can be awful, your friends are going to protect you. You’re not alone. That’s how I survived the Boiling Isles, and it’s how you can survive here. Even though it’s a bit different since no one wants to eat you. Unless we have a cannibal cult in the woods that I didn’t know about.”

“What? Cannibals are real?” Despite his anxiety, Gus couldn’t help the excitement; finally something he read about could be true.

“Uh, yeah, they do exist, just not in Gravesfield. Well, I guess you never know, it’s not really something that’s advertised. But it’s really rare.”

Cannibals had been one of the things Gus had been skeptical of. He had loved the concept, but doubted they really existed, and now Luz was telling him it was one of the few things his human books got right? “Oh wow!”

“I didn’t know you’d be so interested.”

“Are you kidding me? Humans eating other humans? Twisted cravings hiding beneath the surface of even the most benign smile? Is that person who just smiled at you on the street thinking about how you’d taste? Designing a recipe at this very moment? Of course that would interest me! Did any cannibals say what humans taste like? I wonder if they taste different from witches.”

Gus was so grateful to feel his interest reignited, the fascination and wonder lighting up in his brain, easing him out of his despair into comfort once more.

“Okayyyy my dude, I’ll try to help you research cannibals later. But, uh, see? The human realm isn’t all bad.”

“No, it’s not. So much of it is amazing.” And it was. Sometimes the human realm was even better than he hoped. It was such a confusing mix.

“Yeah! There’s so many good people here, so many amazing things to see and do. And, yeah, maybe you’re better off asking Vee about those, but even I can appreciate a lot of it, and even if there’s a lot of bad, there’s good too. Sometimes it’s just among the people you love but, hey. We have loved ones right here.”

“Thanks, Luz.”

“You deserve to enjoy the human realm. No, not even that, the human realm should be honored that someone as cool as Gus Porter came to visit. It should be ashamed it didn’t live up to your standards. Uh, mainly because of how many people it hurt, but also because it disappointed you, the coolest and best person to ever enter it.” She grinned. “So I think it better have a lot of cool stuff to show you to help make up for that. It better be on its knees begging to be worthy of your attention.”

Gus laughed. “Well, if cannibals are real it’s definitely still worthy.” He pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tight just like she, him, and Willow used to do so often before. “You’re a really good friend too, Luz. It’s nice to laugh with you again. We should do it more often.”

Luz’s voice wavered as she hugged him back. “I think so too.”

Gus pulled away from the hug, and his eyes fell on the cardboard box he had carried into the basement with him. “Oh! Speaking of good things about the human realm, I forgot to show this to Emmeline!”

He tore open the box and grabbed the plushie from inside, placing it on the couch in front of the chameleon.

Emmeline squeaked and crawled toward it, eyes swiveling in different directions and watching it with suspicion.

“It’s you!” said Gus.

Emmeline looked at him skeptically. It does not look like me!

“Yeah it does.”

Emmeline ignored him in favor of continuing to eye her plushie counterpart with suspicion. She stuck out her tongue, licking the fabric, and leaped back. Not Palisman texture.

Luz watched them with an eager, genuine smile. “What does it feel like, having her talk in your head?”

“Nice! It’s nice to be able to have a conversation only me and her can hear. She always knows what I need and how to talk with me. Your Palisman will too.”

Luz’s eyes brightened, and she looked more hopeful than he’d seen her in a long time. “I can’t wait.”

Gus grinned back, then turned to Emmeline. “Hey, I’m going to go upstairs to help decorate. Be good with your twin sister, okay?” Gus gave both the plushie and the real animal a pat. Emmeline stared in bafflement. This is not a Palisman. How can it be a twin sister?

Gus left her to her confusion, taking Luz’s hand but then pausing at the steps. “Wanna race upstairs the fun way?”

Luz knew exactly what he meant; the group had tried to host multiple races like this until Camila forbade it due to the noise. She sent him a devious smirk. “You’re on!”

The two got into position side-by-side, palms on the same step and feet on the basement floor, ready to push off.

“Three…two…one…go!”

They took off, running up the stairs on all fours and laughing as they bumped into each other. At the very end Luz leaped for the door knob at the same time he did and they crashed into the upstairs room, sprawled on the floor.

Amity, who had been directly in their path, yelped, dropping an armful of decorations and springing backward. “Guys! What are you doing?”

Luz and Gus only laughed harder at the sight, and Amity’s ears went from a flat, annoyed line to lifting with hope at the sight of Luz’s joy.

“Come on, I’ll help you clean up,” Luz giggled, and she shot Gus one last happy expression. For a moment it was back to how it was, two silly friends having fun, and Luz was able to break through whatever cloud hung over her to help him. A brief breakthrough he was going to cling to for further hope.

Gus got to his feet, looking around as his friends worked at their tasks. Once the decorations were complete, all that was left was to hide them in Camila’s room and wait to unleash them on the big day.

Despite everything, they seemed to have a solid party planned. More important than that, there was so much passion and love put into it, and Gus couldn’t be happier to be part of a group like this. A group that loved and protected so much, whether it was through physical combat or doing silly racing games on the stairs.

Never would he have imagined he would be stuck terrified in the realm of his special interest, lost from his family and home. But he also never would have imagined he would be surrounded by so many loving friends, people who would do anything for him, big or small. He only wished they didn't have to do it themselves. More than anything in the world, he wanted a hug from his dad, and to spill it all to him, everything he was feeling inside. How could they fix this alone?

Well, he couldn't pick a better group to try. He smiled at all their happy, busy determination. He was confident one day he would be able to tell Hunter what he knew, and Hunter would be able to tell the others. They’d figure it out together, even if they stumbled with it. He flexed the dinosaur stim toy for comfort, then went to ask Amity how he could help.

Part 1 can be found here

Part 2 can be found here

Part 3 can be found here

Part 4 can be found here

[charlenasaxen]

OUABH quotes pt. 3

“Jacks laughed. Because, of course, the idea of someone in danger was amusing.”

“LaLa eyed it as if it would jump from Jacks’s hands and cross the room to attack her”

“Because it is,” Jacks said.

“It’s a very nasty spell book.”

“You don’t pick that book up by mistake,” Jacks said. “No reputable bookshop would carry it.”

“She is far from helpless, and she’s probably up to something.”

“Jacks—you were reading it!”

“Which proves her point.” Jacks shrugged.

“It looked like the sort of night that one would plan on meeting a vampire”

“Luckier people were probably telling stories before warm fires or tucked away in blanketed beds, not freezing”

“Evangeline shivered, and Jacks watched her, but he offered absolutely no comfort”

“MISSING: Princess Evangeline Help us find her!”

Jacks’s mouth twisted distastefully. “Don’t let them bite you.”

“There’s nothing helpful about vampires,” Jacks grunted.

“Jacks answered with an acerbic laugh”

“I also like the sun and being in control of my own life.”

“He suddenly stood so close that for a pounding heartbeat she could only see his cruel face”

“His voice became low and lethal”

“I’m curious about you, but I don’t want you to bite me!”

The corner of Jacks’s mouth twitched. “I’ve already done that, Little Fox.”

“Jacks eyed the bare stretch of skin”

“Jacks’s eyes turned into daggers.

Evangeline fought the urge to flash him a gloating smile.”

“just because she liked a door didn’t mean she was going to step through and bare her throat”

“emboldened by the knowledge that she was not as replaceable”

Jacks rolled his eyes. “Tell your master that the Prince of Hearts is here.”

“Jacks slid an arm underneath her cape and wrapped it around Evangeline’s waist, holding her possessively tight”

He drawled, “Stop flashing your fangs. I’m the only one who gets to bite her.”

Jacks nipped at Evangeline’s ear, cold and sharp.

“She was there because Apollo was dead and she needed to find out who’d killed him”

“Evangeline found herself fighting the urge to lean into Jacks”

“The seats were all empty, but Evangeline had horrible flashes of vampires lounging in leather chairs”

“Evangeline felt sick.

Thankfully, all the constraints were unoccupied. But the emptiness of everything unsettled her.”

“This is why I hate vampires.” Jacks worked his jaw as his eyes darted.

“Not actually a soldier, princess.” His voice was softer when he spoke to her.

Pure velvet without the smoke. “I’m Chaos. Welcome to my home.”

“Jacks might have tried to tug her away”

“Evangeline,” Jacks growled. His cold fingers gripped her cheek and wrenched her back.

“Or maybe she just likes me more than she likes you.”

“She hates me,” Jacks said pleasantly.

“Jacks confirmed. But you will never be safe with him.”

“Isn’t this practice rather archaic?” Jacks asked. He’d dropped the chair’s fetter to join them.

“If Evangeline hadn’t known better, she might have thought Jacks was concerned”

“Everything was clattering metal and pained pleas as some people were dragged out of the amphitheater”

“Jacks’s hand slid across the rail and twined his cold fingers with hers”

“he just held her hand, stunning her into silence”

“You should be more concerned that you two are the closest things to humans here.”

“Chaos paused long enough for Evangeline to hear nothing, save for the rattle of cages”

“Jacks cleared his throat.

Chaos averted his eyes.”

“Evangeline found herself squeezing Jacks’s hand harder, feeling thankful he’d not let her go”

His eyes landing on their intertwined hands. “Interesting.”

“I’m not a killer,” Evangeline said. “Someone else poisoned my husband.”

“the last time she’d seen Apollo, his chest covered in a glistening substance that looked like oil”

“Evangeline instantly thought of Marisol and her cooking spell books”

“But why would Marisol want to kill Apollo? Apollo had given her a new home and restored her reputation.”

“Unless two different people had been trying to commit murder?”

“We don’t have time for this,” Jacks groaned.

An impressive crash came from the amphitheater.

“A cage had fallen to the floor.

The vampires inside the other room all clapped.”

“The excitement must have shown on her face.

Beside her, Jacks went as taut as a bowstring.”

“his ruthless expression matched his words. Don’t even think about it.”

“she wouldn’t do it ever again. It was bad enough she still owed Jacks a kiss”

“Jacks didn’t give her the chance to finish replying before he ushered her out”

“Half the candles had burned out, covering her and Jacks in shadows and smoke as they hurried”

“She hadn’t forgotten about the cages there, but she hadn’t expected them all to be full of desperate changelings”

“I’ll just take one tiny bite,” another promised

“Eva … is that you?” The voice had a more soothing timbre than the others.

Luc.”

“Don’t stop moving.” Jacks tugged on her hand. But he should have yanked harder.

“look up at the cage above, and lock eyes with her first love”

“or if it was the sight of her once beloved Luc locked in a cage”

“And no power in the world could have forced her to look away from him”

“They were still the impossibly warm brown that lived in all the memories she’d tried to shove away”

Now he might die, and if you try to help him, you might die.

“Little Fox,” Jacks said.

“But when she searched beyond his eyes, he looked like the others”

“He’s lying.” Jacks grabbed for Evangeline’s wrist and pulled.

“I know you have every reason to hate me. I know I broke your heart. But I was under a curse.”

“He felt like a truth that she was afraid to touch”

“Luc let go of a bar to run a hand through his hair, a familiar and terribly human gesture”

“He just said sexy scars,” Jacks drawled. “Are you really listening to this?”

“I remember her fingers brushing my neck. After that, she was all I could think of.”

“It wasn’t her stepmother, it was Marisol.

Evangeline felt as if she’d been punched.”

“then Marisol had upended Evangeline’s life first”

“now by Luc, who never even knew that Evangeline thought he was cursed”

“Don’t even consider it,” Jacks said.

“But—” She stared at Luc.

“Evangeline, look at me.” Jacks cupped her cheeks with his cold hands.

“But she couldn’t walk away from Luc and leave him here to die. He was a victim.”

“This is partly my fault,” she whispered to Jacks

“Not by vampire allure. She was feeling the return of her hope.”

“Luc could never go back to being the boy he was, and she’d stopped being the girl she was”

“Even if Luc wasn’t her happily ever after, she couldn’t let their story finish here, with him in this cage and her running away”

“Other changelings cried out, asking for weapons and promising all sorts of things”

Luc grabbed the blade, not caring that it sliced into his hands. “Thank you, Eva.”

“it wasn’t the crooked boyish grin that she’d fallen in love with. It was lips pulling back over sharp white fangs.”

“We’re leaving now.” Jacks took her hand, urging her down.

“A crash sounded, making her trip over her feet as she started to run”

“Sorry, Eva.” Luc leaped to the ground in a graceful arch, bared his fangs, and lunged.

“Jacks shoved her out of the way before she could move. Lightning fast, he darted in front of her like a shield.”

“No!” Evangeline screamed and scrambled for the dropped sword.

“Evangeline’s first love fell to the ground.”

“He bit me—” Jacks snarled, gold-flecked blood dripping from the wound.

“Luc was not her Luc anymore. He’d bitten Jacks, and he would have bitten her. But Luc hadn’t killed Jacks.”

“I won’t let you end his life,” Evangeline said. “Luc is the first boy I loved.”

“She reached for Jacks’s hand. He recoiled, not letting her touch him.”

“Jacks wasn’t the sort who’d talk simply to fill the quiet”

“Minutes ago, he’d saved her life. He had jumped in between her and Luc without even thinking.”

“he’d acted out of pure instinct. He’d been scared for her.”

“Was he in pain from the bite? There was a smear of blood on his pale neck.”

“Jacks had been thrown off-kilter then. Had he been surprised?”

“You can stop right there,” Jacks cut.

“I already told you what I think about your stepsister. I did not make a deal with her, and I never will.”

“Jacks all but growled, jaw clenching”

“For most people, I’m the worst thing that can happen to them. But not you.”

“But shutting off emotions was just as treacherous”

“Evangeline could no longer hear the desperate sounds of vampire changelings”

“Jacks was so close. Too close. Whisper close.”

“shimmering and brilliant and absolutely magnificent. She shouldn’t have stared—staring at Jacks was never a good idea.”

“His skin was flushed with color, and his eyes were brighter as well, a radiant sapphire blue”

“part fallen star, and completely devastating”

“Evangeline—stop looking at me like that. You’re making this much more difficult.”

“she still caught a glimpse of his sharpened incisors”

She sucked in a sharp breath. Luc hadn’t just bitten Jacks to feed. “He infected you with venom.”

“You should go,” he edged out, fangs lengthening

“pounding of her heart. If she ever saw Luc again, she would use a sword.”

“Jacks had gone very still. The only parts of him that moved were his pupils, dilating.”

“No,” Jacks spat. “I don’t want to be a vampire.”

“I’m not leaving you like this.”

“You are not pinning me to a wall.” Jacks glared.

“Without another word, both of them darted for the exit”

“pay particular attention to Jacks, illuminating his perfect jaw, his long lashes, and the twist of his petulant mouth”

“The inescapable draw of dangerous beauty and power”

“You should go,” he repeated.

She ignored him.

“desperate but possibly inspired idea occurred as Evangeline caught sight of a mausoleum covered in flowering vines of angels’ tears”

“She knew because she’d done it for both her parents”

A muscle in Jacks’s neck throbbed. “You wish to lock me in a coffin?”

“She lifted her eyes to meet Jacks’s stare.

A split second later, Jacks had her pinned against the closest tree.”

“his fevered chest pressed to hers”

“scorched from the touch of his hands”

“Jacks rasped as he yanked open the door”

“What now?” Jacks said roughly.

“Jacks’s voice was tight. Then, barely audibly.”

“Jacks was pressed against the farthest wall, skin a painful shade of pale white”

“one glance at his face and it was clear he was barely holding himself back”

Jacks moved too quickly for Evangeline to see. “This isn’t the time or place to talk.”

“painfully aware of how little stood between her and Jacks”

“now he regarded the lock like a thief, contemplating all the ways he could break it”

“She needed to find a way to distract him”

“What if she was that key?”

“every time she’d stepped through an arch. All of them had whispered to her”

“We’re so pleased you found us.

We’ve been waiting for you.

You could have unlocked me as well.”

“prowled back and forth inside his cage”

“You can sing verses about her.”

Jacks made a strangled sound that might have been some estranged cousin of a laugh.

“yet something in his voice shifted, softened”

“I’d just threatened to kill her.” He said it as if they’d been flirting.

“This is a terrible love story, Jacks.”

“Are you saying that your kiss isn’t deadly if you don’t want it to be?”

“Careful, Little Fox, you sound curious. But you shouldn’t be.”

“when there were entire stories dedicated to Jacks’s unbeating heart and the mythical girl that would finally make it beat again”

“Evangeline felt that terribly painful something churning inside her”

“His voice was mocking, but it didn’t hide the pain clipping his words”

“Evangeline could understand that drive. In fact, she understood it far better than she wanted to admit.”

“wanted to say she’d never risked killing someone for love. But she had made a deal with Jacks”

“She wasn’t making loving choices, she was making compromising choices because she wanted love”

“her weakness—love. Not even just love but the idea of it.”

“It wasn’t because she wanted Jacks. She didn’t want Jacks.”

“He leaned his head against the dark iron gate, and Evangeline would forever remember the way he looked just then”

“His hair was a storm of broken gold. His eyes were a mess of silver and blue.”

“she believed his hurt was genuine”

“gaze bordering on indecent. “Do you want to kiss me, Little Fox?”

“You might not like me, but I bet you’d like it if I kissed you.”

“Jacks, stop it,” she demanded. He didn’t really want to kiss her. He was just teasing her.

“He smiled, flashing his dimples”

“I rather like these.”

“You also like daylight,” Evangeline reminded him.

“You could let me bite you and we could try it out.”

“few other intimate places she’d have never thought anyone would bite”

“Jacks’s eyes returned to her lips, and more heat slipped between them as they parted”

Jacks’s taunting smile vanished. “I did.”

“What happened?”

“You just saw how the story ends.”

“Tell me how it started.”

“that you were willing to pray to me?”

“Jacks’s eyes lowered.

The wave of heat attacked her chest, directly over her heart.”

“Jacks mimed sealing his lips shut”

“he surprised her by making a genuine effort to listen politely”

“sat cross-legged like a child being told a story”

“The start of my romance with Apollo had the makings of an epic love tale, but you saw how badly that ended.”

Jacks smirked. “No, you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t have been happy with Luc.”

“And he wouldn’t have turned himself to stone to save you.”

“they would have appeared on the side of the cup. Luc could have saved you if he wanted.”

“He could have broken it,” Jacks said bluntly. “If he had really loved you.”

“I’m not trying to be cruel, Little Fox, I—”

“No, Jacks, that’s exactly what you’re doing. It’s what you always do.”

“Maybe it was your inability to understand any emotions that are remotely human.”

“Jacks flinched. He was quick to cover it”

“sworn his cheeks had filled with streaks of color”

“Who wrote those stories? Did you write them to make yourself feel better?”

“Jacks wiped his face of all emotion”

“It was the jeweled one he carried everywhere”

“broke the lock in half. It could have been a twig, a piece of paper, or her.”

“His lips curved into a devastating smile”

“Don’t you want to hurt me anymore, Little Fox?”

“His hand was now at the hollow of her throat, careful and caressing”

“Or maybe she was the one who was curious. She knew she shouldn’t be.”

“hadn’t she wondered what it would be like to be wanted with the intensity that Jacks seemed to want things?”

“You’re the one who said I needed a distraction.” His fingers drifted lower, trailing down her chest.

“Isn’t this better than talking?” One finger dipped all the way into the corset.

“gently stroked just above her heart, coaxing it to beat even faster”

“The warm hand at her jaw tilted her head back until she met his eyes. They were dilated.”

“Jacks was warm enough to heat every inch of Evangeline as the hand at her neck slid into her hair”

“His hot mouth was against her throat. Evangeline finally pressed against his chest.”

“it was as useless as trying to battle a block of marble. Hot, sculpted marble.”

“Not really thinking about later.” He licked her.

“I like you right now. I like you a lot. In fact, I can’t think of anything I like more.”

“you’ll never see the sun again. Won’t you miss the sun?”

“His only response was another tortuous lick”

“pulling her closer as if preparing to—”

“His breath went jagged as his lips hovered over her”

“He didn’t bite her. But he didn’t release her. If anything, he held her tighter. He was burning up against her.”

“blood rushing in her veins beneath his parted mouth. But he didn’t lower his lips.”

“She didn’t know how long they stood there, wrapped in an embrace”

“she couldn’t fight and that Jacks couldn’t seem to let go of”

“Cold. His palm was cold.

Evangeline dared to look up as morning sunlight crept through.”

“Jacks’s arms tensed”

“He extricated himself from her slowly with stiff, ungraceful movements”

“The heat, the want, the hunger, all of it had vanished”

“His hands were awkward as he untangled his fingers. It was eerily reminiscent of when Apollo had been freed.”

“Only Jacks wasn’t angry, just exquisitely uncomfortable”

“he bent down to grab his dagger”

“inhaling the cool, crisp morning instead of him”

“Jacks’s voice was right behind her. And then she felt her ruffled cloak. He placed it across her shoulders.”

“yet she felt the soft brush of his fingertips lingering”

“Evangeline tried not to react. She wasn’t even sure he realized he’d done it.”

he’d left the little knife. “Wait—”

“She was going to keep it, but she didn’t let herself wonder why”

“army of tiny dragons covered the tops of the tombstones, snoring little sparks”

“the witch who bought the oil from Chaos and poisoned Apollo with it might have been my stepsister.”

“Jacks narrowed his eyes—or were they drooping? He really did look exhausted.”

“piled deep beneath a number of far more urgent feelings and needs like figuring out who had killed Apollo”

Jacks trailed off, slurring his words.

“Are you all right?”

He swayed on his feet.

“Jacks.” She reached out a hand to steady him.

He flinched away.

“Jacks!” She quickly shook him awake.

He blinked at her, fuzzy-eyed.

“He was all soft around the edges, with his tousled golden hair and his drowsy blue eyes”

“THE PRINCE OF HEARTS SLAYED BY SLEEP! DISPATCHED BY A NAP! DESTROYED BY DREAMING!”

He gave her a slow, impish smile. “I just need to … find a bed.”

He staggered to the closest cemetery plot, as if it would suffice.

“She grabbed his solid arm and tugged him”

“If Jacks actually chose to lie down, she was not strong enough to pick him up”

“You can’t sleep here, Jacks.”

“Just for a bit, Little Fox.” His pale eyelids fluttered.

“There’s always a cost to unearned power…”

He swayed toward the ground.

She grabbed his shoulders to steady him.

“Jacks pulled away and sagged against a nearby tree”

“Valenda’s Savior Sweetheart, is wanted for the murder of her husband, Crown Prince Apollo Titus Acadian”

“If you spot the princess, do not approach her”

“let Jacks curl up with her as if she were his blanket”

“that she’d married a prince who was cursed and then killed—now they were officially blaming her for his murder”

“Jacks, please come back to your senses!”

“She shook him until he opened his eyes. But if she’d expected a coherent reply.”

“Jacks just kept shaking his golden head”

“Jacks kept slumping against the nearest doors and walls and muttering about apples”

“Jacks dropped it and leaned heavily against her shoulder.

Her heart fluttered at the contact, which was the absolute wrong response.”

“mind what you say in front of them, and always listen to the bells that ring when they shouldn’t”

“Hoping the bell was doing her a favor and showing her a place to hide, Evangeline pulled out Jacks’s dagger”

“Jacks curled up in front of the nearest door, clutching a scandal sheet to his chest like a blanket”

“Come on now.” She crouched down to slip an arm under his shoulder.

“His head lolled against her as she walked him toward the black door, slouching under his weight”

“You’re so lucky I’m here,” she grunted.

“Luck had nothing to do with it,” Jacks mumbled. “I wanted you here.”

“Who do you think suggest to his empress that she send you to Nocte Neverending?”

“Evangeline and Jacks stumbled through the door together”

“she thought it held the scent of apples, but that might have just been Jacks”

“long legs dangling off the end”

“Tell me more.” She softened her voice. Maybe she could get him to think she was only part of a dream.

“smoothed back a lock of golden hair that had fallen across his sleeping face”

“it tempted her to stare, and it felt incredibly soft”

“she ran them through—

Jacks’s hand covered hers, cold and firm.”

“Bad … idea…,” he murmured.

She snatched her hand away. She hadn’t meant to touch him like that.

“wasn’t ready to say they were friends, but after last night, she no longer felt as if they were enemies”

“An enemy wouldn’t have spent the night with someone to make sure he didn’t turn into a vampire”

“And an enemy wouldn’t have held her quite so close”

“his tongue on her neck hadn’t been just about biting”

“She was glad Jacks no longer felt like her enemy, but it would be dangerous to let it go further”

“Prince Tiberius plans to wed before his brother’s body is even in the grave”

“The wedding will take place tomorrow morning, and one can’t help but wonder why this event is happening so soon—”

“But all Evangeline could think was that Marisol had used another love potion”

“Marisol would be queen”

“perhaps Marisol had tried and it hadn’t worked because Apollo was already under Jacks’s influence”

“what if that hadn’t been an I-love-you hug? Maybe it had been an I’m-sorry-I’m-going-to-kill-you hug.”

“It was all so ugly either way.”

“Jacks, wake up!” Evangeline put a hand on his chest, hoping the touch might jolt him awake.

“The steady beat of his heart.

His heart.

It really was beating.”

“Evangeline didn’t let her hand linger”

“to save Tiberius from the person who might have murdered his brother”

“placed next to volumes on topics like the color blue”

“did not hold any spell books, or cookbooks disguised as spell books”

“she was giddy with physical fatigue and the strange rush provided by the drinks”

“The note was in her handwriting, and it was addressed to Lord Jacks”

“All of them were written to Jacks. No wonder the bell had been ringing so wildly—this place belonged to him.”

“Evangeline knew Jacks would be unhappy with her going through his mail”

“except the only magic at play was her curiosity about Jacks”

“people were far too eager to become indebted to him, just as she had once been”

“She’d never really thought of Jacks as someone who worked”

“But after spending time with him, Evangeline knew Jacks was not as reckless or careless as he led people to believe”

“he would have undoubtedly had no compunction about looking through her things”

“some recent scandal sheets about her wedding, and, of course, apples”

“the last book she’d have expected to find here: The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox.

Something warmed inside of her at the sight of so many copies of her favorite storybook”

“Positioned more precisely than anything else in his den”

“the sort of place where a person stored books they didn’t want anyone else touching”

“She wished Jacks were awake so that she could ask him, but he hadn’t moved”

“his limbs were recklessly sprawled”

“all she wanted was to look at the last page and see what sort of ending”

“she reached the seventh copy. Her fingers tingled as she lifted the cover. This book opened easily.”

“the title page said: Recipes of the Ancient North”

“say the name of the object of your desire seven times, then let the flame burn through the night”

“may range from rain on your wedding day to a deeply marred happily ever after”

“it said one side effect was ruined wedding days. More evidence of Marisol’s guilt.”

“Luc’s attack must have been the cost of Marisol’s love spell”

“she wondered if there were other things she’d been wrong about as well”

“inability to tell a lie, and the urge to reveal any unspoken truths”

“Jacks.” She rocked his shoulder, but when he moved his golden head, it was only to burrow deeper into his pillow.

“But maybe he needed the rest—she didn’t think he’d slept at all the night that she’d been poisoned”

“Jacks was so far from honest Evangeline wondered if his magic blood might do more harm”

“Dear Jacks,

If you wake up and I’m not here, do not fret.”

“look at the scandal sheet, which you’ve been using as a poor substitute for a blanket”

“gone to Wolf Hall to save Tiberius from marrying her and to hopefully clear my own name”

“-Little Fox”

“then the killer would never be found—because she’d be blamed for the murder”

“Evangeline wasn’t scared. She was terrified.”

“For an icy moment, she couldn’t move. Her entire body tightened with memories of Apollo.”

“then held her all through the night. She could still see his broad smile on the day of their wedding and his heartbreak on that night when he’d died.”

“If it had been Apollo, she would have chosen the vanity”

“She heard the footsteps as soon as she was in the too-bright hall.

And then she saw her—Marisol.”

“Her dress was the color of spun gold. The overskirt had an impractical train, and gilded ribbons crisscrossed over the bodice”

“she might beat Marisol. Her stepsister’s lovely gown with its princess train wasn’t designed for running.”

“the moment when she looked Marisol over, taking in her happiness”

“Marisol was there, hugging Evangeline as if they shared blood rather than betrayal”

“a single lock of hair fell out of its coiffure. If she was acting, it was a flawless performance.”

“I won’t be able to help you. Tiberius is convinced you murdered his brother.”

“room was just as Evangeline remembered, with hand-painted paper”

“only difference was the scent of vanilla and sweet cream, which told her this was Marisol’s room now”

At least she looked a little abashed.

“Tiberius wanted me close to him.”

“her lacy I’m-off-to-meet-a-vampire corset”

“Evangeline would have sworn there was a flicker of jealousy, as if now Marisol wished to be a fugitive instead of a princess”

“That would never be answer enough. She needed to know why Marisol had done all of this.”

“Stop lying to me.” It took everything Evangeline had to keep her voice low.

“I suppose I was jealous of you,” she admitted

“You should have been a pariah, but people loved you”

“One day, I followed you, I saw the way he looked at you, and I wanted that.”

“I was petrified of what would happen if we tried to marry again, and I’ve felt miserable ever since.”

“It wasn’t because I wanted to hurt you, it was because I wanted to mend things.”

“Evangeline was starting to believe that murder wasn’t one of them”

“I keep fearing that something horrible will happen to him, too. But I also keep hoping that I’ve suffered enough.”

“She reached out and gave Marisol a hug.”

“Guards!” Marisol screamed. “She’s here!”

“Marisol, don’t do this,” Evangeline pleaded

“That’s not true—” Evangeline was cut off as several soldiers converged

“My heart! My heart! Are you all right?” Tiberius burst through the open doors. He sounded just like his brother.

“clearly she hadn’t been honest about everything. She was really behind all of this.”

“The guards used little care as they dragged Evangeline into Tiberius’s chambers”

“After they relieved her of Jacks’s dagger”

didn’t acknowledge it when she repeatedly cried, “I swear, I didn’t kill your brother!”

“Tiberius simply stared into a great black stone hearth”

“He no longer looked like the impish rebel prince she’d met at her wedding”

“If Tiberius were really mourning, if he really loved his brother”

“If he just saw it and drank it, all would be right in the world”

“who’d also been there the night that Apollo had died—looked regretful. He probably felt as if he’d failed his prince.”

“placed its tip in the burgeoning flames, and watched as it turned red”

“Wait!” Evangeline begged. “Don’t go! He’s been bewitched by Marisol—”

“Shattering one of his liquor bottles.

Glass flew like arrows.

Liquid sizzled.”

“also the hope that Jacks might make a perfectly timed appearance and come to her rescue once again”

“She couldn’t rely on that. For all she knew, he was still asleep on his sofa.”

“Tiberius weighed the fire iron in his hand as if deciding how he wanted to do this”

“She doubted begging would help, but maybe she could get him to talk”

“You said that when we met again, you’d tell me why you had disappeared.”

A bitter laugh.

Another drink.

“I told him you’d be the death of him.”

“Why would you think that?”

“All that matters is, I was right.”

The prince pointed the fire iron directly at Evangeline’s throat.

“No—I didn’t do this.”

“hoping by some miracle it would fall hard enough to shatter”

“I didn’t kill your brother—”

“I know,” Tiberius said. “I’ve known it the whole time.”

“face was that of a stubborn soldier with an order he was determined to carry out”

“If you know I’m innocent, why are you doing this?”

“It’s too dangerous to let you live.”

Revealing a dark black tattoo of a broken skeleton key. “This is the symbol of the Protectorate.”

“Evangeline looked again at Tiberius’s broken key tattoo. The Fortuna matriarch had worn a chain with a similar key.”

“Evangeline knew that she was never getting out of this room alive”

“I’m sorry, Evangeline.” Tiberius’s voice hardened.

“I’m assuming you know what the Protectorate is, so you know what I have to do and why.”

“Your brother told me there are two different versions—”

“It doesn’t matter which version of the story is true!”

“I knew it as soon as I saw your hair. You’re the prophesized key. You were born to open it.”

“only her willing blood will open the arch.”

“Now she wondered if there was a reason why they had concealed the truth—if they had known”

Tiberius gave her a bleak look. “Magic things always want to do that which they were created to do.”

His voice was torn. “I don’t want to kill you, Evangeline. But that arch must remain locked.”

“Can I have a last request? I don’t think Apollo would want you to murder me.”

“I’m not asking you to spare me.” Her voice cracked.

“Please. It’s my last request.”

Slowly, Tiberius lowered the poker.

Tiberius didn’t waste time with pleasantries.

“I need you to kill her.”

“You can’t say it, can you?” she asked.

It was working. Additional effects of serum for truths may include … the inability to tell a lie.

“Tiberius looked as if he really wanted to kill her now”

Evangeline begged the guard. “Ask him who killed Apollo.”

But he couldn’t call her anything untrue.

“He keeps breaking off because he can’t lie and he knows that I’m innocent.”

“I was the person with nothing to gain and everything to lose.”

The prince’s face turned red. “Evangeline didn’t kill my brother. I did.”

“she would have undoubtedly lost her footing as well”

“She expected him to try to take the confession back or grab the iron from the guard and run her through”

Tiberius fell to his knees and brought his hands to his face. “I didn’t mean to kill him. It was supposed to be you.”

“Tears finally streamed down Tiberius’s cheeks”

“Tiberius sobbed the way that only broken things could, and Evangeline couldn’t help but start crying”

“She cried once more for Apollo, she cried with relief that she was still alive, and she cried for Tiberius”

“Evangeline understood how it felt to lose family, and she could not fathom being responsible for that loss”

“She didn’t know how long they both sat there crying”

“several of the other guards escorted Tiberius out. He didn’t try to fight them.”

“If I ever see you again, I will kill you, too.”

“Tiberius’s love for his brother that had broken through when he had confessed”

He turned back to Evangeline. “For my last request, I never want to see her face again.”

“Like Tiberius, she didn’t want to see her stepsister anymore”

“Evangeline did wonder what would have happened if Marisol had not put a spell”

“Would fate have intervened in another way to the prophecy? Or would things have worked out differently for her and Apollo and Tiberius?”

“She would never know, but she had a feeling this question would always haunt her”

“It didn’t take long for Evangeline to transform from fugitive back into princess”

“moved into another untainted royal suite, with a roaring fire”

“Evangeline wasn’t sure if she believed any of them, but she accepted all the fussing”

“Northerners didn’t wear full black for mourning, but it was customary to at least wear some”

“For hours, it was a flurry of maids bringing Evangeline warm food, and officials making requests”

“Jacks had yet to appear, and she tried not to worry too much about it”

“Given how fast gossip spread, the entire kingdom probably knew by now”

“she still would have liked to have seen Jacks and told him the news herself”

“Ever since she’d proved her innocence, Evangeline had been eager to see Jacks’s face”

“her eagerness had turned into tightness in her chest. Why hadn’t Jacks shown?”

“The Council of Great Houses, which now included Evangeline, was being called to assemble”

“now that one direct heir was dead and the other was in prison”

“she wasn’t sure she could sit and wait any longer. She needed to make a quick trip back to the spires to check on Jacks.”

“she shouldn’t care so much, but she couldn’t stop fearing that something was wrong”

“There’s a gentleman who’s just arrived, and he’s insisting upon seeing you. He—”

“she were going to be safe with anyone, it would probably be Havelock”

“then there was a lower voice, inside her head, speaking only to her”

“Little Fox. Where are you?

It’s about time, she thought. I’m heading to you.”

“Don’t—Jacks’s voice turned worried. I’ll come to you.”

“Evangeline found herself smiling just a little. She liked that he sounded concerned.”

“had only been to the brightly lit receiving solarium once, with Apollo”

“the occasional bust, and the not-so-occasional portrait of Apollo”

“one of Apollo and Tiberius, with arms around each other’s shoulders”

“Apollo looked so happy and vibrant. It was the same way he’d often looked at her.”

“painfully tempting to wonder if things had been realer than she’d believed”

“been right to hope they could have really fallen in love. But she would never know.”

“That would be a mistake.” The lilting voice came from behind her.

“What’s going on?” She reached for Jacks’s dagger.

“It had been seized from her during her arrest, but it was one of the first things she’d taken back”

“Prince Apollo is alive.”

“I saw him die.”

“If Apollo was truly alive, then she was still married. They had a chance at the future.”

“But hours ago, his brother had almost killed her”

“And Evangeline would have definitely died the night of her wedding if it hadn’t been for Jacks”

“did he think she deserved to die?”

“just the happily ever after she’d thought that he could give her?”

“almost silently called for Jacks to tell him she was in danger”

“Evangeline would be running away from hope, not danger”

“Apollo was still dressed as he’d been on their wedding night, in only a pair of pants”

“Her heart fluttered as well. He really was alive!”

“I was in the room with you after, when you wouldn’t stop crying. It haunted me, made me think you might not be guilty.”

“That’s when we realized Apollo wasn’t dead.”

“the same way people had looked at her right after she’d returned from being stone, as if she were the hero”

“that didn’t mean that what she’d done wasn’t brave. Having faith was brave.”

“kisses could cure the same way that Jacks’s kiss could kill”

“Of course, those stories were also cursed. So, who knew what was really true?”

“Maybe she could go to Jacks”

“If Jacks helped her, he wouldn’t do it for free. Perhaps they weren’t enemies anymore but she couldn’t forget what he was.”

“But he hadn’t. Jacks had nothing to gain by killing Apollo.”

“Jacks hadn’t done this to Apollo for the prophecy. Tiberius had confessed.”

“After Evangeline had kissed him, Apollo hadn’t sobbed the uncontrollable way she had”

“What if Tiberius had poisoned Evangeline, but it was actually Jacks who had done this”

“It had scared away the ghost fox. What if it was Jacks’s bitter blood that had done this to Apollo?”

“She wanted to hope that Jacks wouldn’t have gone this far. But he was the Prince of Hearts.”

“he’d left a trail of corpses as he’d searched for his one true love. He would definitely go this far.”

“Evangeline now wondered if Jacks might have been manipulating her”

“Jacks could have willed it to frame her”

“Was everything Jacks had done just to make the prophecy come true? But if Jacks had done all of this, why had he left Apollo alive?”

“Just like Evangeline had been when she’d been turned to stone.

Her stomach dropped.”

“And in that moment, she knew.

Jacks would know that Evangeline could never leave Apollo in this state.”

“why Jacks had left him alive—Apollo was Jacks’s bargaining chip”

“Evangeline knew exactly what Jacks would want in exchange for his help. Jacks wanted her willing blood.”

“She knew what Jacks was. She hadn’t been foolish enough to believe that she was different or special.”

“But maybe she’d believed it a little. She’d clearly believed it enough to spend a night with him.”

“And just an hour ago, she’d been terrified at the thought that Jacks had been trapped”

“She’d been ready to race to his rescue”

“she’d also been silly enough to think that something had changed between them that night”

“she’d thought she’d understood him. She’d thought he was opening up”