#actually I wanted to write all of that in better and clear form ...
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-a bit Manga Spoiler ahead-
The more I think about it the more I just don't know what to feel about doing Miharu's arc before doing an extended hand story ><
tbh I feared them doing that and was talking about this with a friend before the Miharu's arc preview even dropped but since they did a pretty good job so far this season unlike the past two, I wanted to have faith ...
maybe it's fine to do it after which would result in different reaction yet reach the same end plus it's up to oneself to decide how to perceive something ...
personally speaking, I don't want Miharu's arc before the extended hand story ... for me it won't hit the same ...
don't get me wrong ... be it I saw it before or after I know Miharu's arc will always be special to me ...
but you know, being "special" hold different kind of meaning ... the Miharu's arc being "special" without an extended hand prior knowledge will be different than it being "special" with that knowledge beforehand .... it won't be same for me ... the experience will be different .. the reaction will be different ... I don't know if I make any sense but don't know how to explain it well enough ><
I'm not only talking about how Seiji's reaction is different in both stories when Natori offered him help .. nor am I talking about how their relationship in it was pretty positive by its end ...
it's something more than just those ...
a glimpse at Seiji's family burden
Seiji's sad wish of wanting a Shiki
Natori trying to understand him
it's those little details, those unspoken things that change your view of characters and character's reaction in stories ...
that's why when you read/watch Miharu's arc with this knowledge it makes it so different ... everything is just so different since Miharu's arc expand on those same ideas while adding more .. this same burden .. this same sad wish .. this same delicate and complicated relationship between Seiji and Natori ...
Miharu's arc something too special for me, that it felt unreal to have sometimes ... but I don't think it would've been so without an extended hand story ..
as I said it would've been still special even without it but wouldn't be the same kind of special :)
also, I guess the questions and mystery would've been different in a way too by the end of it or throughout the story ...
I know cuz what I asked about and was killing myself to know throughout Miharu's arc was questions I wouldn't have asked nor considered if I didn't know an extended hand beforehand ^^
anyway, in the end since the anime team decided to change the order of events, I hope Manga reader don't ruin anything for anime-only or spoil an extended hand for them for the sake of Miharu's arc (surely the anime will adapt it) or make them feel they're missing something out if they didn't ask for it themselves ...
let them live and enjoy their own type of experience and memories while we watch over them silently ^^
I'm only sharing my view and emotions regarding the matter since I can't deny I'm a bit sad since I wanted my friend to live through the same experience as close as possible but oh well ...
#natsume yuujinchou#natsuyuu#matoba seiji#natori shuuichi#I've been thinking about this the whole week so wanted to let it out ><#I guess asking for an extended hand this season was too much ...#I wonder what type of reaction those anime-only will have after Miharu's arc ?#what will they think and feel ? I'm curious ...#yet at the same time I'm thankful to be a manga reader ...#because it gave me such a dear and special memory ...#the manga overall is just had something the anime no matter what they can't capture well enough ...#I wonder why sometimes ?#oh I'll stop here I start getting tired ....#actually I wanted to write all of that in better and clear form ...#yet I guess I'm not in the best state to do that which might result in me talking nonsense ....#even my mind lag in english .....#ugh ....
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#I have such controversial thoughts on Claudia referring to the trail as a stoning#as in I don’t see any issue in it and find it’s actually quite an intelligence on her part to refer to it like that as opposed to a#lynching or even some other form of execution#mainly that this audience probably wouldn’t care to call it so bluntly that it is a lynching (we know that as well)#they would not be so moved by this language#but also stoning has such a biblical context and one that forces the audience to look inwards at themselves and see#they would be no better and are no better than herself Louis and madeleine#they’re all casting stones but they are just as guilty of sin as them#this biblical connotation also works well when considering how these laws are of a religious cultish sort of origin#she is also recognizing how exactly the conditions here are coming to be held is a religiously oriented one#in short I think it’s sort of insulting to assume Claudia isn’t saying this absentmindedly or to get around being blunt#I think she’s saying if because it’s the most effective at conveying to this audience they’re own hypocrisy#though I get not enjoying this and people can feel however they want about it#I welcome just an interpretation that speaks to Claudia being intelligent about what’s happening to her as opposed to#assuming she isn’t well aware it is what it is or that the writers themselves weren’t aware either#like literally they did everything but say it outright#so if someone misses it or it gets read as plausible deniability of being simply an execution by these laws and no other connotations then#that’s kind of on them I’d think because the connections are quite clear#if she wants to frame it to put the mirror up to them and show them they’re sinners too then that’s entirely what she did#(I should note I do see the issues people have in it I just find there’s no way the intention was to obscure that it’s a lynching -#but more to write to this character and her situation in order to say something intelligent about it)
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An open letter to @staff
I already submitted this to Support under "Feedback," but I'm sharing it here too as I don't expect it to get a response, and I feel like putting in out in public may be more effective than sending it off into the void.
The recent post on the Staff blog about changing tumblr to an algorithmic feed features a large amount of misinformation that I feel staff needs to address, openly and honestly, with information on where this data was sourced at the very least.
Claim 1: Algorithms help small creators.
This is false, as algorithms are designed to push content that gets engagement in order to get it more engagement, thereby assuring that the popular remain popular and the small remain small except in instances of extreme luck.
This can already be seen on the tumblr radar, which is a combination of staff picks (usually the same half-dozen fandoms or niche special interests like Lego photography) which already have a ton of engagement, or posts that are getting enough engagement to hit the radar organically. Tumblr has an algorithm that runs like every other socmed algorithm on the planet, and it will decimate the reach of small creators just like every other platform before it.
Claim 2: Only a small portion of users utilize the chronological feed.
You can find a poll by user @darkwood-sleddog here that at the time of writing this, sits at over 40 THOUSAND responses showing that over 96 percent of them use the chronological feed*. Claiming otherwise isn't just a misstatement, it's a lie. You are lying to your core userbase and expecting them to accept it as fact. It's not just unethical, it's insulting to people who have been supporting your platform for over a decade.
Claim 3: Tumblr is not easy to use.
This is also 100% false and you ABSOLUTELY know it. Tumblr is EXTREMELY easy to use, the issue is that the documentation, the explanations of features, and often even the stability of the service is subpar. All of this would be very easy for staff to fix, if they would invest in the creation of walkthroughs and clear explanations of how various site features work, as well as finally fixing the search function. Your inability to explain how your service works should not result in completely ignoring the needs and wants of your core long-term userbase. The fact that you're more willing to invest in the very systems that have made every other form of social media so horrifically toxic than in trying to make it easier for people to use the service AS IT WORKS NOW and fixing the parts that don't work as well speaks volumes toward what tumblr staff actually cares about.
You will not get a paycheck if your platform becomes defunct, and the thing that makes it special right now is that it is the ONLY large-scale socmed platform on THE ENTIRE INTERNET with a true chronological feed and no aggressive algorithmic content serving. The recent post from staff indicates that you are going to kill that, and are insisting that it's what we want. It is not. I'd hazard to guess that most of the dev team knows it isn't what we want, but I assume the money people don't care. The user base isn't relevant, just how much money they can bring in.
The CEO stated he wanted this to remain as sort of the last bastion of the Old Internet, and yet here we are, watching you declare you intend to burn it to the ground.
You can do so much better than this.
Response to the Update
Under the cut for readability, because everything said above still applies.
I already said this in a reblog on the post itself, but I'm adding it to this one for easy access: people read it that way because that's what you said.
Staff considers the main feed as it exists to be "outdated," to the point that you literally used that word to describe it, and the main goals expressed in this announcement is to figure out what makes "high-quality content" and serve that to users moving forward.
People read it that way because that is what you said.
*The final results of the poll, after 24 hours:
136,635 votes breaks down thusly:
An algorithm based feed where I get "the best of tumblr." @ 1.3% (roughly 1,776 votes)
Chronological feed that only features blogs I follow. @ 95.2% (roughly 130,077 votes)
This doesn't affect me personally. @ 3.5% (roughly 4,782 votes)
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hiiii can i please request a smutty (18+) fic of kang daeho x reader
so the idea is during the first few lights out (when the fights havent started yet) when it was daeho's turn to keep watch while the other slept, he overheard reader (who was in a nearby bed) twisting and turning in bed whilst moaning ang whimpering his name so blablabla things escelate (u can fill that part however u want) and it leads to daeho slowly fucking reader trying to keep quiet as to not wakeup any other players😣😣🙏🙏🙏
bye ive been thinking abt this idea for so long ive just been waiting for someone to write it😭😭😭
Kang Dae-ho/Player 388 - Keep it quiet
Synopsis: How could Dae-ho possibly stay focused when you were right there, moaning his name?
A/N: Finally dropping this Dae-ho fic too !! He's just a cutie really
Warning: smut content, just gently fucking tbh.. actually there's slight somno !!
In a death game like this, the idea of a relationship was the last thing on anyone's mind. Especially with tensions being so high between everyone due to the voting system put in place. You, yourself, were on edge and too focused on the lingering threat of death to divert your attention to other things like romance or friendships.
Most of the time, you stayed close to the little group you had joined with people you trusted now since they had saved you before and kept you safe. However, even with your little group that had a previous winner of these twisted games, you still felt on edge because Gi-hun had stated that an attack from the opposing side was not out of the question. The idea that someone might come and get you when you slept was unsettling but, if someone was going to keep watch with your newly-formed sleeping schedule, you suppose you'd feel much better. Especially if the person keeping watch tonight was Kang Dae-ho.
As much as you tried to avoid thinking about relationships because you could all die tomorrow, you couldn't stop thinking about Dae-ho. You couldn't explain why he made your heart race every time he'd talk to you. Hell, even a simple glance from him was enough to make your cheeks flush red. He just always treated you like a gentleman should treat a girl and you couldn't get him out of your head now.
Apparently, he even came into your dreams now.
It was lights out and everyone but Dae-ho was asleep. He kept his eyes peeled, looking for anything or anyone suspicious. He wanted to make sure everyone was fine and that nothing was being plotted. It would be a disaster if an attack happened and more people had to lose their lives. He scanned the dark room for any movement that might just be barely noticeable. However, his focus was immediately broken when he heard a whimper.
He snapped his head toward the sound only to see you who was very much still sleeping soundly in bed with the blanket completely encasing you. His eyebrows furrowed in both confusion and worry before he looked away. Maybe he misheard you or you were just dreaming. He was sure you were fine so he didn't think about it again.
Well, at least he wasn't going to think about it until he heard the very clear sound of you moaning his name. His head looked over to you immediately in disbelief. He was in pure shock for a few moments and he sat there still, frozen, trying to process what was happening and whether this was just a dream. He really didn't believe that you were moaning his name so he stood up quietly and walked over to you.
Surely it was a mistake, right? You couldn't actually be moaning his name, right?? But then he heard it again and it made him flinch. He was in total shock once again as he watched you moan his name out and writhe. He had liked you for a while but he didn't think you would reciprocate his feelings. At least, he didn't think you liked him before this. Now it was clear that you did since you were having a less than appropriate dream about him which made you squirm and quietly cry out as you pleaded for more. He'd be lying if he said that your moans of his name didn't make him hard. He could feel his head start to spin at the idea of you needing him so badly - of you needing his cock.
Fuck, maybe he should wake you up? But he really didn't want you to stop. Your moans were music to his ears and it’d be a shame to make it stop. He stayed still for a moment before coming to a not so smart decision. He slowly climbed onto the bed with you before whispering your name quietly in an attempt to coax you awake slowly.
It was quiet for a moment and he suddenly got nervous that maybe you had actually woken up. He wasn’t even sure what to say if he did wake you up. He couldn’t just outright say he heard you moaning his name - that would be awkward. Thankfully, you suddenly let out another moan making him sigh quietly in relief. He gently placed one of his hands over your mouth to muffle your voice so as to not have anyone else hear you and wake up.
He bit his bottom lip as he thought long and hard about what to do next. He knew he probably shouldn't do what his dick wanted him to but he also didn't want to wake you up because you were clearly enjoying the dream. It'd be rude to make it stop. He swallowed nervously before letting out a shaky breath and deciding to just go for it. He could deal with the consequences that may come later.
Without another thought, he slowly slipped your pants down. He knew it was probably stupid to be doing this but he was so hard and he needed to feel you wrapped around his cock. He quickly pulled his own pants down along with his boxers and crawled on top of you slowly so as not to rouse you from your sleep. He didn't know what was possessing him to do this but he slowly leaned down and gently kissed your neck. The sweet sound that came out of your mouth when he did was muffled by his hand but, God, it still sounded amazing.
He lowered a hand down to push your panties to the side and he could feel how wet you were, your slick connecting to his fingers. He had to hold back a groan because of it. He couldn't believe you were this wet and all because of him. You must be having a really good dream and Dae-ho convinced himself that it would be a good idea to make it a reality.
He lined himself up with your hole and slowly rubbed his tip up and down to gather your wetness on his cock. “Oh my god..” he said quietly as he felt your hole pulse against him. He wanted to feel you so badly now. The idea of making you moan out his name as he thrust into your tight hole had him going insane. When he pushed his tip in, he swore he almost released on the spot. You were so tight and he had never felt anything so amazing before.
“Baby, you're so tight..” he mumbled as he buried his face into your neck. He slowly inched himself deeper as he bit into your neck to muffle his whines. He was embarrassed by how sensitive he was and how he was getting so loud when he was only halfway inside you. He decided to get it out of the way and finally managed to push all the way in to your cunt. He shut his eyes tight and tried to get used to the overwhelming feeling of your walls wrapped around his cock. HIs hands went to your waist as he gripped it tightly.
He was just about to start moving when he heard you speak.
“Dae-ho..?” You spoke and, when he looked at you, your eyes were open now. His breath hitched nervously as he looked at you with wide eyes. Fuck, he had been caught. “Shit, I'm sorry. I just heard you making those sounds and I couldn't help myself,” he says as he hides his face in your neck again.
“Please let me fuck you. Please,” he begged as he rolled his hips against yours slightly in order to try to coax you into giving him what he wanted. The sweet moan you let out made it impossible for him to hold back now and he decided that he was going to take what he wanted.
“Shh. We have to be- quiet,” he whispered as he started thrusting into you. Waking someone else up right now was not an option which is why you both needed to be quiet. He made sure to keep his thrusts gentle so you wouldn't be too loud but it honestly made it feel a million times better. You could feel every inch of his cock slowly push in before he pulled all the way out only to thrust back in again.
He let out small grunts into your ear as he kept his slow yet deep pace. You didn’t expect him to be so long but he was. Every time he pushed into your hole, you swore you could feel him fill you up entirely. He slowly slipped his hand underneath your shirt and brought his hand to your chest to squeeze at your tit.
“You're doing so good for me, baby. Oh my god,” he whispered quietly as he thrust in with a little bit more force. He could feel himself getting closer to a sweet release so he grabbed your thigh and lifted your leg to put it over his shoulder. The new angle made him reach even deeper inside you as he continued to thrust and it was leaving you dizzy with pleasure.
His thrusts slowly became sloppy until he couldn't handle it and started leaving kisses all over your neck to try to mark you desperately. “Please let me cum inside. I wanna pump you full of my cum,” he begged as he started to thrust faster. You mindlessly nodded your head as you put your arms around his neck. In no world would you ever deny Dae-ho the chance of emptying his load into your womb. You’d gladly let him breed you anyday.
Your nod encouraged him to go faster and, before he knew it, he was releasing inside you with a growl. You released with him and he slowed his thrusts down to bring you back down from your high before stopping altogether and collapsing on top of you.
“God, you're so perfect,” he spoke before before bringing his lips to yours and kissing you for the first time that night. The kiss was gentle yet passionate and he poured all his feelings into it. When he finally pulled away after the both of you were breathless, he pressed his forehead against yours and closed his eyes. After a few moments of silence, he smiled and let out a breathless laugh before opening his eyes again.
“I think I love you,”
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hi again i'm the Anon who asked if you take commisions only or requests as well. I love your writing style<3
Soo could you write about Batmom reader, where reader took care of bruce's children as her own. But then bruce gets a mistress, reader still stays becuz of the kids but when everyone started to become cold to her and insult her ' X (mistress) is better mom then you ever were' she leaves gonthem. Then everyone realises she (mistress) was just after their money. They go to batmom's room to apologize only to find it empty. They try to find her everywhere but couldn't. And finally when they do, reader rejects them since she was having the time of her life without responsibilty but gets kiddnapped by the batfam?
Honestly i wanted to commision but i'm flat broke and i'm too busy studying to work and on top of that i don't have my own phone (i use my dad's old laptop) soo yeah... I hope you consider this.
A/N: Loooove this request thank you for sending it in <3 fem reader yandere themes lmk if you want a part two
The (L/n)'s were a wealthy and prominent family in Gotham, right up there with the Wayne's when it came to power over the city, the two families were in business together which is why when Bruce Wayne personal attorney came to you with a marriage proposal, you weren't surprised.
A marriage of convenience. You thought you knew what this would entitle, you knew this wasn't out of love, that this was required of you, it had nothing to do with what you actually wanted, but you were dutiful and signed, inking your name on the paper felt like a deal with the devil.
Bruce hadn't bothered to officially meet you until the day of the wedding, it was beautiful and well done but lacking any form of love of affection, CEOs and other rich folk you didn't recognize filled the pews, the ring felt cold when he slipped it on, his vows perfectly rehearsed, and not an ounce of warmth in his eyes, you knew that night you should have annulled the marriage, but something made you hold on, something your mother had said to you as the makeup artist turned you into the visage of a bride.
"You'll learn to love each other, your father and I did after all." And she wasn't lying, your parents married for convenience as well but had grown to love one another, so maybe you could do the same?
A year after the nuptials Dick Grayson is thrust into your life. Haley's circus was famous in Gotham for its incredible death defying shows, but on this night death would walk the stage, taking with them Dick Grayson's parents in a horrible display, You and Bruce had consoled the boy for only a moment before Bruce was talking to the officers, he'd decided Dick was coming home with you, of course without asking your opinion, but it didn't matter, you felt such pity and grief for the boy, it made perfect sense to you, he was shut down for the first few months, he called you by your name and you had no problem with it, making it clear you never wanted to try and replace his mother, the ice between you two melted one day, one kind word at a time, he couldn't help but confide in you about school or his friends, because you were more emotionally there than Bruce was.
Like the night you caught him sneaking out, a packed bag in hand and the keys to one of Bruce's many cars in his hand. Instead of yelling for Bruce or Alfred you simply smiled at him, "you should take the audi, it's the safest car here."
"..You're not going to try and stop me?"
You shake your head no, still offering that kind smile.
"You know yourself best Dick, if you're unhappy here I won't stop you from finding your peace." He took a moment before tossing you the keys and reluctantly making his way back inside.
You find out about Batman because of Dick. He'd come home with some nasty bruises and it wouldn't take long to put two and two together. Them both being missing at the same time, Dick started to pull away from you, one night, after hours of trying to get to sleep in a bed much to big for one body, your legs decided a walk was necessary, the halls were dark and quiet, giving the manor an eerie air, quietly you walked the long hallways intending on stopping by the library, as you turned the corner you seen Dick in a hidden elevator, the doors just slamming shut as your eyes tried to register what was there. Seconds after the doors close a wall appears, as if nothing was ever there. It's not long after that you see a brief news clip of the caped crusader and his new sidekick, because the longer you stared at the screen, the more familiar they began to look, that dead tight lipped scowl on Batman's face, it was one you'd had the pleasure of looking at for the past few years.
That night you confronted Bruce, he seemed surprised you'd figured it out, but he didn't deny it. Simply saying, "It's late (Y/n), get some sleep."
You nearly divorced him then and there for endangering a child the way he was, but after a moment of thought, you realized Dick would need a real parent around so you stayed, making Bruce swear to be careful.
Jason comes next and he takes to you a lot faster than Dick. He craved the warmth you offered, you two had inside jokes and a closer relationship than him and Bruce, but that all changes the day he dies. You're broken, a ghost haunting the manor with your presence, and Bruce is no comfort throwing himself into the Batman role, you begin to hate him a little with this particular betrayal.
Tim was another hard egg to crack but you were desperate after Jason's death, so you took his verbal lashings with a smile, were always there to offer a helping hand with any of his projects despite the help never being accepted. Tims wound from losing his father is too raw, he takes a lot of his anger out on you. And you weathered the storm with a soft, warm smile.
Damian hated you, from the moment he arrives, which is bitter enough as is because it meant Bruce was unfaithful, he's spitting out insults and comparing you to his 'perfect' mother.
Things weren't great in your life, but one day they started getting noticably worse. Dick no longer responded to your check in texts, Jason (now reanimated which was a heart attack in and of itself) saw you as the enemy, you didn't leave Bruce after what happened to him, so in his eyes you betrayed him, Tim ignored your existence as best as he could, and Damian? He'd started staring at you with this smug look on his face, like he knew something you didn't.
Bruce had all but ran from you, he didn't sleep in your shared room anymore, he barely spoke to you at breakfast, if it wasn't for the cameras he wouldn't touch you.
And it's all because of a woman named Rachel.
Apparently Bruce had introduced this woman to the family, bringing her around when you weren't, slowly replacing you, it was no wonder they started to pull back.
Alfred is the only reason you find out, having enough of the blatant disrespect, he calls you to come home early one day saying it's a dire matter. Of course you comply, and walk in on a discomforting sight. The whole family was gathered at the dining room table, plus a woman you'd never seen before, she sat close to Bruce, toying with his hand intimately. Her green eyes lock with yours and the smile she gives you forms a pit in your stomach.
There's silence before Bruce stands up, he walks over calmly, "Can we take this in the other room." But it wasn't phrased as a question.
"No" you licked your lips, a nervous habit from your youth. Bruce seemed taken back by your sudden backbone. He nods silently.
"I want her gone Bruce. I am your wife. You will show me that semblance of respect."
"I- of course." You don't wait for the words to settle instead, you calmly walk to your room, face unreadable.
Locking the door behind you, your body slides against the frame, a silent sob wracks your frame, your hands covering your mouth, you wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing your cries.
The next morning you wake up to breakfast in bed, a generic yet elegant spread of food lay on a tray in the empty spot Bruce used to stay. The man himself sitting in the chair beside the bed, staring at you with that practiced smile he used to appease people.
"Good morning."
"What's this?" You sat up straight, sleep evaporating from your form as you took in the threat before you.
"An apology. I never meant for yesterday to happen."
"What a comfort that is." Your piercing (e/c) eyes stare at him blankly, unreadable. "How long."
"A year." You scoff pushing the breakfast away from you like it was poisonous. "But its not what you think, Rachel is a childhood friend, a year ago our relationship, evolved into what it is now, but I was never intending to go behind your back."
"Ah of course, your intentions were pure." The words dripped venom, grabbing your robe you quickly dress before standing and walking to the door, "Thank you for the wonderful talk Bruce, really your people skills are top notch." Your hands gesture to the door. He leaves without a word.
The rest of the day is as usual, Bruce avoids you like the plague, the rest of the family acted as if you weren't there. Which made leaving all too easy.
Your lawyers had the divorce papers ready and hour after you called them, signing them felt like the first act of self love you'd done in years. Slipping them into Bruce's study you took the time to analyze the room you never entered.
It matched Bruce that's for sure, pictures of every single person in the family. All except for you.
Walking out the door, wrapped in your ankle length black faux fur coat, the garment whipped in the wind, the designer sunglasses on your face hid your eyes from the world, hair in a slicked back bun, your heels echoed against the pavement, a sleek black car was waiting for you, you look back at the house that had caused you so much misery then got in the back of the car, never looking back.
Life goes on for about a week, your absence goes unnoticed, that is before Rachel is trying and failing to blackmail Bruce out of a billion dollars, she'd collected evidence he was cheating on you with her and presented it to Bruce with a grin, it was only as he went through the pictures of himself and Rachel, did he notice the yellow envelope with his name written on the front.
Hey puts the heartbreaking matter of Rachel's betrayal on the back burner, Bruce opened the envelope and felt his heart completely stop at the word divorce written in bold lettering across the top, your signature was already there, waiting for his to join it.
Ignoring Rachel completely now he turns in his chair, turning the paper over and over as if it would magically change. But it remained the same. Alfred knocking on the door of his study broke him from his trance. "Master Wayne, miss Rachel." He says the latter's name with no warmth. "Escort Rachel to her car Alfred."
"Bruce have you heard a word I've said? I'm serious I'll go to Gotham daily right now if you don't -"
"Now Alfred."
That was all it took for the screaming woman to be firmly escorted off the premises. Bruce all but ran to your room, he didn't bother knocking, and despite knowing in his heart you were already gone, he couldn't help but check anyway.
Your room was empty and cold, he couldn't believe the date he'd read on the divorce papers, it was dated a week ago, meaning you'd been gone for a week and he hadn't noticed. No one had.
That is until Bruce remembers there's someone in the house nothing gets by.
"How long have you known she was gone Alfred?" He asks leaning on his knuckles the divorce papers stared back at him taunting him. "Since the moment she left." The older man replied simply his hands behind his back. "Why didn't you tell me immediately?" Bruce felt himself tense, "Because you've hurt that woman enough Bruce. She deserves at least this." He gestures to the daunting divorce paperwork before turning to leave Bruce with his thoughts.
The news of Rachel's betrayal shook the manor each member feeling violated by their trust being broken. But it was nothing compared to their reaction once they finally realized you were gone.
"That was rough." Jason says after watching Rachel being dragged out of the manor, he blew air out of his cheeks arms crossed over his chest, he looked towards the hallway that lead to your room, you had to have heard that he thought to himself.
Dick sighs through his nose, "Someone should check on (y/n), Rachel was screaming so loud she definitely heard that." No one volunteers so Dick rolls his eyes and heads towards your room.
He lifts his hands to knock but noticed the door was open, pushing it further he's met with a baren room, his brow furrowed in confusion before he makes his way to Bruce's study. "Hey B, have you seen (y/n)? Her room is like weirdly empty."
Dick found his Father where Alfred left him, leaning over the divorce papers silently a storm in his eyes.
As he steps closer and reads the paperwork Bruce was staring so intently at, his heart stopped.
"Holy shit- are those real?"
"Yes." Bruce finally spoke his voice horse. There was a moment of silence before Dick left the room practically running down the stairs to alert the others.
"(Y/n) left Bruce." He said still processing the information, "No fuckin' way." Jason says pushing himself off the counter he leaned on. "Her room is empty and he has the papers, she's gone."
Each member of the family had different reactions to this information.
Dick tries calling you only to be met with a disconnected number, his heart hammering in his chest, he wasn't as close to you as when he was younger sure, but you were a constant in his life, always had been, a pillar of support, and suddenly you weren't. It felt like the floor had gotten pulled out from under him.
Jason curses under his breath, his mind working a mile a minute, he had barely spoken to you since his Resurrection, something he deeply regretted as the information of your leaving sinks in like a brick thrown into a river.
Tim, ever calculating is trying to figure out where you went, you were a figurehead in his life, someone that was literally never not there, sure he wasn't close to you in the slightest but that doesn't mean he wants anything to happen to you, someone as quiet and soft as you on your own in Gotham? It didn't sit well with him. Not one bit.
Damian didn't know what he was feeling at the news, he supposed he should feel nothing, after all you were nothing to him, but there was this nagging feeling in his chest that he couldn't quite place. And he hated it. How dare you leave and upset his fragile ecosystem?
Meanwhile in the Bahamas, far from Gotham and the neglectful family you'd left behind, you sat lounging on a private beach, a knitted hammock cradles your body, a designer baby pink bikini covers you, a matching sunhat protects your face from the hot sun, you can't wipe the smile from your face, humming a tune from your childhood you barely flinch when someone takes the seat besides your hammock.
"Do I want to know how you found me?" You ask, eyes still closed as you bask in the warmth. You knew only one person had the sources to find you on your own island, and despite how much you resent the man, even his presence can't ruin your shine in this moment.
"You're my wife (Y/n), I'll always know where you are." Bruce speaks softly as if trying not to startle you. "Former wife." You correct cracking an eye open, a small smirk curling on your lips.
"Not until I sign those papers- which I never will."
"huh, I thought you'd be thrilled." You muse to yourself before folding your tanning mirror and setting it aside, you take off your Louis Vuitton sunglasses, blinking your pretty (e/c) eyes up at him, "Figured you and your little Twinkie would have tied the knot by now." You laugh softly, the sound, unfamiliar to Bruce, sent warm shivers down his spine, it causes his lips to quirk up in a small grin.
"She's gone."
"Well, I don't care."
There's a beat of silence before he's offering you his hand. "Will you walk with me? I know I don't deserve it."
You sigh before getting up, ignoring his hand, you nod your head reluctantly, "Well? Hurry up I've got dinner at six."
His smile remains as he begins leading you along the shoreline. It's relatively quiet between you two as you walk side by side, a peace between you both you hadn't ever felt. "The manor isn't the same without you." He breaks the silence, "I sincerely doubt that." You laugh at the very notion. "It's true- it's colder, quieter, I want you to come home."
"That was never my home, you made that abundantly clear."
He winces as if your words cut him, "I know I haven't been a good man to you, I know I've failed you time and time again but I..I looked at those divorce papers and my heart stopped." He admits running a hand through his hair.
"You can't leave me."
"I can't?." You scoff, your movement halting, "I'm a grown woman- I'm taking responsibility for my own happiness, you can't stop me."
"I wasn't asking." He says softly, his hands in his pockets, he had this fond look on his face, like he was staring at you for the first time, in a whole new light. "You can't make me." You say, brows furrowed, "You belong back home, you're supposed to be with me, till death do us part, remember?" He steps forward making you step back, your eyes wide, hands shaking, you back into a wide chest, spinning to face Dick, who's grinning at you, he's in his Nightwing costume, he gives you a small wave of his hand, you scrunch your face in confusion, "What the hell-" your thought is cut off by a small pinch in your neck, the needle in Bruce's hand is empty in seconds, he's cradling your stumbling form, holding you tightly, "Don't worry - I'll fix this."
Your sleeping body is gently carried to the batplane, Bruce holding you close to his chest as Dick pilots the plane, he whispers promises into your hair, rocking you against him as he swears on his life to make things right, weather you liked it or not.
#yananswers#anon submission#yandere#yandere x reader#yandere x y/n#yandere dc imagine#yandere dc x reader#yandere batfam x reader#yandere batfamily x reader#yandere batfamily#yandere bruce wayne x reader#yandere jason todd x reader#yandere dick grayson x reader#yandere tim drake x reader#yandere damian wayne x reader
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"proving" shifting through scientific evidence (& philosophic theory)



this post is heavily inspired by @voldyateme on tiktok. i saw her video and decided to do research on my own, and write a detailed post about this topic to make myself understand better. i also would like to mention that some of the claims irene made in her tiktok were wrong (and biased) i also wanted to clear some things up for myself.
fyi: long post ahead. this took me three days to understand and write. i might still be a bit unclear on my understanding of some aspects, but to avoid having to write a whole novel on the subject, i simplified my findings and shortened them by a lot.
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john clauser is a physicist who won the nobel peace prize in 2022 for his work on quantum entanglement. his theory confirms that quantum particles can be entangled across vast distances, and that their behaviors are instantly connected, even if they're light years apart.
a very simplified example:
i: you create two entangled particles
ii: you send particle A to tokyo, and particle B to paris
iii: a person in tokyo measures particle A and sees it spinning up, then instantly, meaning instantly, faster than light, the person in paris will know particle B is spinning down
this is simply based on particle A or B's observation, w/o there having to be sent any message or signal between them. they behave as if they're one system - not two separate ones.
the moment you measure one particle, you're instantly aware of the other particle's state.
⭒ relating quantum entanglement to shifting:
okay so now we know that entangled particles act as of they're one system, even through long distances. so, if everything was once connected to the big bang, then on some level, everything may still be entangled. meaning you, your consciousness and other "versions" of yourself in other realities.
this could therefore suggest that we are already connected to all possible versions of ourselves. they exist within a quantum field of potential, and our awareness can shift between these versions by tuning into the version we desire - essentially by choosing a different frequency.
say you're listening to the radio. you know that you’re able to listen to any radio broadcast because there are thousands playing at the same exact time, but you choose which one to listen to, knowing you have the choice to change it to another.
it's the same exact with shifting. you know that there are endless versions of you in existence right this moment - you only have to choose to become aware of your desired self.
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john wheeler, another physicist, proposed that reality is directly linked to our consciousness and what we observe. it's been demonstrated that particles don't move until they're actually observed. so if we're not observing something, it doesn't have a definite state at all. this is called the "observer effect"
the effect has challenged and in some ways helped disprove einstein's theory of realism. einstein believed that that the physical world exists independently of whether we observe it or not.
example: according to einstein, if a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to observe it, the tree still falls. this is shown to be false on a quantum level. that said, we can't w/ certainty say that the tree does (or doesn’t) exist if no one is perceiving it (confusing, trust me, i know)
wheeler also proved that particles will change their makeup based on our choices and observation. simplified, this means that reality doesn't fully decide its state until it's observed. it can have different outcomes, and our choices affect the past behavior of particles.
⭒ relating the observer effect to shifting:
we know that quantum particles don't take on a definite form or "reality" until they're observed. this implies that our observation plays a direct role in shaping reality - not just by watching, but also deciding. this implies that reality isn't fixed, but fluid, shaped by our decisions, thoughts and observations and means we can "choose" our reality.
quantum physics shows that reality isn't fixed until observed, observation and consciousness do play a key role and that multiple outcomes are possible. so our consciousness focus can be said to be the mechanism that "shifts" us into a desired timeline or reality.
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way before quantum physics existed, george berkley, a philosopher in the 1700s argued the idea "to be is to be perceived", which is eerily similar to what scientists are exploring today.
he believed that physical objects don't exist independently of our own perception. so if no one is for example perceiving a tree, then it doesn't exist.
berkeley said that there is no such thing as matter existing on its own w/o a mind to perceive it. BUT! there's a twist. you see, berkley also argued the existence of God being necessary to explain how the world works within his theory of perception and idealism.
okay so, to simplify because it can be really confusing:
i: physical things only exist if they're being perceived.
ii: when humans aren't perceiving things, God is.
iii: the reason why the world keeps existing even when we're not looking is because God is always "watching".
this raises the question: if we're not perceiving something, and the only reason it exists because God is, then how do we know it actually exists when we're not perceiving it?
berkeley responded:
"we know it exists because we can come back and perceive it again, and it behaves consistently"
if you look at a tree, walk away, come back. it's still there. berkeley argued that you assume the tree existed the whole time because when you go back, the tree would still be there, at the exact same spot.
this consistency would therefore be explained by God's continuous perception of it. so even though you didn't perceive it the whole time, the fact that reality is orderly and consistent is reliable "proof" that something (God) kept it there.
critics have argued back that assuming God is perceiving all the time isn't proof that He actually is, so how would we know that?
the answer is: w/o God, things would just pop in and out of existence every time we blink and that doesn't happen. so God is used to explain why the world is consistent and stable even when we're not watching.
you can't personally perceive something that you're not perceiving, but you trust that it's still there when you go back there, because of God.
berkeley's theory is still relevant today because the things he imagined in the 1700s do line up w/ scientific discoveries today and i resonate w/ his theory, so i just had to include it even though God’s existence isn’t proven. it’s fascinating, really.
⭒ relating george’s idealism to reality shifting:
if, like berkeley said, things only exist when they're being perceived, and if reality stays consistent because someone is always perceiving it, then that means perception isn't just passive, it's creative and shapes what exists.
this ties back to shifting beacuse it suggests that your desired reality doesn't need to "appear" in front of you for it to be real - it only needs to be perceived. if you consciously focus on your dr, perceiving it in your mind as real, then by berkeley's logic, it is real, maybe not in the physical sense just yet, but within the field of awareness that gives rise to reality in the first place.
so basically: if reality is perception based, and you're perceiving your dr, then you're giving form to something that exists because you're actively perceiving it, and you are capable of being in that place.
#law of assumption#reality shifting#shiftblr#loassumption#neville goddard#shifting tips#shifting realities#shifting motivation#shifting#shiftingrealities#loassblr#affirming loa#loassblog#shifting community#shifting blog
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PICK A CARD: Your most effective manifestation method
Hello and welcome to this new reading! I will tell you the most effective manifestation methods that work for you. I hope you all enjoy it!
FREE READING: if you subscribe to my patreon no matter the tier before February 1st you will get a free question of choice.
Masterpost > Paid Readings > Subliminal Channel > PATREON masterlist [NEW]
Extended version is found on my patreon, the link of which is here

~pick a card~
Pile 1:
Writing affirmations. Any form of writing down affirmations is going to be the manifestation method that works best for you. In order to really understand what you want you have to write something down in order to really imagine it. As you write down your affirmations you put energy into the thought of said manifestation, you essentially lock your wishes, wants, and needs into said affirmations. You put the energy into the text, into the physical display of your intentions. That in itself makes things very clear for you; you can not only feel it but see it as well.
Extended reading
Pile 2:
The shower method. The best way for you to manifest things would be with the shower method. Essentially you look at something that would show your manifestations come to life (your phone for example, if you want a text, email, a notification etc.). You assume that you see it, put it down and go and take a shower (or a bath). As you do so you imagine how you will react or respond to this message as if it were real. You make yourself believe by thinking beyond the actual manifestation that the manifestation has already formed. Once you’re done you look at that thing you saw your wishes on, and they will be there.
Extended reading
Pile 3:
Vision board / scripting will be the manifestation method that would work very well for you. Essentially you will put your wished outcomes into the physical. Not only will you be able to let out your creative freedom and get incredibly excited about what it is that is going to come into your life, you will also be able to see what it is that you want to accomplish. Visuals help you realise and believe what you want is actually possible to accomplish, because you can physically see it already. Scripting and writing down all of your manifestations can also do that whenever you read it back, yet it will strengthen your imagination and make you see it in your mind’s eye better than before. You train that eye when you write things down, and as you write you don’t write it down as a ‘what if’, you write in the present, as if it’s already happening. This strengthens your belief in your manifestations being fact.
Extended reading
#spirituality#spiritual#tarot#pick a card#divination#tarot reading#pick a pile#tarotoftheday#tarot cards#tarot readings#tarot deck#tarotblr#tarotcommunity#pac#pap#loa#law of assumption#law of success#law of manifestation#law of attraction#loass#love manifestation#manifesting#manifestations#manifest#manifestation#reading#readings#free tarot reading#free tarot readings
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Comforting Warmth
supersoldier!reader x ghost/tf141 (part 7)
cw: mentions of experimentation on kids, nothing explicit though
honourable mentions: ty to @kittygonap & @pythonmoth for some animal ideas. ty to @kittygonap and @silas-aeiou for scents, and @pythonmoth again for a lovely plot idea i wont spoil 😉
A/n: yes i did write 5.9k words in a day, yall deserve it eat up
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After scarfing down twice your normal breakfast this morning, Soap and Gaz had come by and nudged you out of bed, handing you an outfit for the day. You’ve never dressed up as a civilian before, having never done an undercover mission, so you’re quite glad they picked it out for you. After all, if it was up to you then it’d be the plain old uniform again. It’s a simple outfit, jeans and a hoodie, and you look into the mirror to find that it weirdly looks like it fits you perfectly. Out of necessity, you neaten up your hair, fixing up the strands that just didn't want to stick no matter what. You’d much rather be on the track than anywhere they had wanted to take you, but after two whole weeks of being stuck in bed, and two weeks before that forced to ‘recuperate’, you’d take absolutely any form of exercise than walking circles around your room.
So, there was understandably a very clear disdain written across your face when you were faced by a car, Gaz ushering you to get into the passenger seat.
“Seatbelt on?”
He asks when you’re settled, in the back since you were quite annoyed about this whole arrangement. His words didn’t amuse you like it once would’ve, instead now staring daggers through the back of his seat. Soap wanted to laugh, and he did at first; they all knew you were increasingly restless as the days carried on. But as you continued, he realised you were in fact quite serious about all of this, face not shifting from its blank look and voice so monotone it could be artificial.
“Yes, I'm not a child.” It’s still a flat statement like before, but this time it even packs a bit of a punch, your eyes naturally shifting away from them towards the window. “Are we going to leave now?” When Price told them you had shifted overnight, they had hoped that meant you were back to talking properly again, but they were not expecting a change this way. “Not so fast. Still waiting on someone.”
The car door across from you opens, cold air washing over you until the seat slightly dips from the weight beside you. “Got caught up with rookies again.” Your teeth grit involuntarily at the gruff voice beside you, not even having to turn to know who sat there. Ghost, of course, noticed immediately when you didn’t turn to look at him, deciding not to comment on it as he strapped himself in. This time he was going to make no mistakes, and as the one person who had read your files in and out practically every night to decipher what he could do better, what they could all improve on, he decided he has to go with you everywhere. It doesn't matter if he trusts the two sergeants with his life– you were his charge, and he’d be damned if he didn’t take that responsibility seriously this time around.
Gaz starts the car, light chatter passing between the three of them whilst you lean your head on the window, staring at the scenery that passes. You’ve only travelled like this a few times before, but never casually. To be honest, you’ve never actually headed to town before either, so this was definitely a day for a lot of firsts. The old you– or rather the real you.. Or the fake you?-- would’ve loved all of this, the spring breeze over your face and the feeling of people who don't look down on you surrounding you. But that’s all different now–you just want this all over and done with, for this pain to leave your system and to go back to normal. You’ll take absolutely anything over this.
“We’re here.” He parks, and you look around noticing that you seem to be in some kind of retail park. There’s not many options, but they do have a diy store and a home furniture one, as well as a few fast food restaurants scattered around. But you weren’t really allowed food as greasy as that—Not that you particularly wanted it anyway; you much prefer the high protein, high carbs diet Soap currently had you on, especially with all the flavourful sauces he seems to find. At first it was cool–discovering all of these things, until you realised just how out of touch you are with society. Who the hell hasn't tried barbecue sauce?
You follow behind the two sergeants besides Ghost, who will not let you walk behind on your own, until they lead you through the home furnishing store all the way to the bedding aisles. There’s long shelves of duvets in different sizes with sheets in a range of colours, feels, and even patterns. Truthfully, you weren't bothered by most things, but with your restlessness the bed sheets really have been getting at you. You never really got a good sleep even before all of this; the duvets were practically the exact same as the infirmary ones, scratchy and thin. And you didn't want anything that symbolizes the infirmary in any way.
So, as much as you didn't exactly want to comply with this, you take the opportunity to actually look at the options, feeling the thickness of each blanket and considering colours for the first time in your life. “This one.” You pull out a thirteen tog duvet, the soft and thick combination drawing you in immediately. Soap tosses it in the basket, and you look at him expectantly, like you’re ready to leave.
“Oh… no, no, yer getting a new everything. C’mon, no one has only one blanket anyway, let's get a throw too, hm?.”
You’re promptly dragged off to another aisle, leaving Ghost and Gaz behind looking at pillows. “They’re not actually.. Angry, right? At us?��� Gaz asks, having noticed your closed off attitude and Ghost shakes his head. “Don’t think they’re even capable of that. Everything’s just a bit muddled for them right now–they’re at war with themself.” Gaz nods quietly, trying his best to understand what’s going on with you, but it just seems impossible— every information revealed is more inhumane than the last. He decides to carry on for now, praying that you’ll end up alright in the end.
When you’ve left the store, you have to stop by the car to drop off the heavy bags full of things Soap deemed ‘absolutely necessary for a good night's sleep’ or whatever. You were started to feel a little agitated again, one part of you hating that his words made a little part of you want to laugh, and another part of you angry that you hadn’t screamed and demanded they let you do what you want. Shaking your head, you try to keep those thoughts away and focus on following along as they walk back towards the arrangement of shops.
Though you’re caught off guard when Soap suddenly blurts out something that you did not want in the slightest.
“Price wants me and Gaz to get some super top secret uh…. Boring stuff, ye know? Nothin’ interesting.”
He mumbles, whilst Gaz jabs him in the side with his elbow, muttering something angrily in his ear. “Point is, we should split up. Ghost’s got the rest of the list, and y’know maybe if we get back early, we can..go for a run?” That snaps you into the current moment fast enough, and you’re already turning on your heel, leaving Ghost rolling his eyes at the blatant bribery before he catches up to you.
—-------------
You don’t look at Ghost once, still being indifferent towards him after everything that happened between you. You can't deny that you’re upset, angry even, that his own words had caused you to spiral to a state of no return, just from overhearing one sentence. At first, you were slightly ashamed that you had run solely off an assumption, but then as your mind cleared and you considered it further it was fairly clear that the way he pushed you to the brink of exhaustion solely to please the higher ups was nothing short of inhumane.
But then again, you’re not exactly human. Again, you shake that dangerous thought from your head as you follow Ghost into the.. toy store?
“Why are we here?”
He would have explained it before, but he wants you to ask questions—he needs to bring you out of your current state of indifference before you’re stuck there. He’s read the files; he knows about the past time this happened and he’s nervous that it’ll only grow worse until you’re apathetic too. “Price suggested you try keeping warm at night, a hot water bottle is usually a good way.” He hums, tone noticeably softer in terms of volume but still his eyes are cold as ever, trying to keep his focus and not sink into guilt in front of you. Thankfully, you don’t challenge his answer, intrigued by the thought of a hot water bottle; you’re so used to being just barely comfortable, what if it’s too hot?
Following behind, your eyes are caught onto the colourful displays across the store and the excited laughter of the little children tugging on their parent’s hands, dragging them to their current favourite interest. Your eyes don't leave them, watching a pair of twins get excited over matching figures, whilst their younger sibling is just happy whenever they're grinning. It reminds you of better times, with the other experiments children and all the stupid things you got up to with your wild imaginations. Sometimes you’d pretend that you were really spies, to be given cool gadgets and you’d pretend to ‘escape’ the small room you had been placed in between testing. Every thought was an active effort to not acknowledge the real pain you were all in, and only on one summer day had you all clumped together, needle pricks stinging as you lay beneath the warm sun, leaves slowly falling around. It was the first time you chose to nap instead of playing, but it wasn't the last.
“Reaper? Something wrong? Ghost’s voice immediately snaps you from your thoughts, making you realise you had come to a stop in the middle of the aisle, still staring at the place where the three children had once been. You turn back to him, eyes hazing over just slightly before you convince yourself to knock it out. “No, I just thought I heard something..”
“Right, over here. You gotta pick one out.” There’s not many kids around thankfully— not that your face would’ve shifted much anyway— but he had led you towards what seemed to be a stuffed animal ‘mini factory’, according to the sign. He gestures towards the unstuffed animals lay waiting, all different types with their beaded eyes and soft fur.
“I thought you said a hot water bottle.” You challenge him, looking at him with narrowed eyes as if questioning if he really thought of you to be this childish.
“They fill it with special beads that can be microwaved. Besides, it’s safer and much more comfortable than them.” You seem like you want to question further, and as much as he’d just like to force you to get one, you should be allowed to speak. Since he didn’t let you before.
“Can’t I just get a bottle shaped bag of beads then? What’s the need for the plushies?” He does his best not to sigh, he really does, but you’re making it difficult for him now. How is he going to explain that yes, they totally do see you as an adult, and no, they’re not trying to treat you like a child? You’re already bordering the edge of just turning away now, no he has to think fast— he feels like he’s the one being interrogated.
. “Don’t think it works like that. They do it on purpose to make more money— I mean, this is more appealing than just a plain grey bag.” He holds up one of the premade plushies, a penguin with floppy arms. “See, it’s cute.”
”Then why don't you get one?” Now you’re just trying to piss him off, aren't you?
Ghost lets out a long sigh, turning his back to you for a moment as he places it back down. This is the reason he got into this trouble in the first place. Sure he shouldn’t t have to agree with everything you say, but he can't dismiss you so easily like you were Soap just trying to rile him up. A part of you genuinely meant it, and it was also entirely possible that you didn't even mean to take a jab at him— after all, your state of mind was a total whack after the breakdown, you’re barely figuring out the pieces yourself.
“Could do. Don’t think they make a ghost one unfortunately and it probably wouldn't fit on the bed either.” Finally, you take his answer as satisfactory, shrugging it off as you move to look through the ones available. Though you still don't seem entirely keen on this at all, and he’s slightly worried you won't even bother falling asleep with it at all.
A worker soon comes over, all smiles like they usually are in kid’s shops like this but there’s a faint flicker of fear in her eyes when she looks between Ghost and you. He did contact the store beforehand, explaining the situation as vaguely as possible only to warn not to try any funny business with you at all. “Welcome to our mini factory! Anything you two are interested in?”
Your eyes snap up, a little too fast and you have to forcefully settle yourself to not seem intimidating to the new person. Thankfully the scratches on your face had cleared up, leaving the naive face behind that Ghost had once hated. You looked hesitant to speak though not quite shy, and you looked at Ghost’s way for once, having usually avoided his gaze. His chest ached with guilt though, knowing he had controlled you in such a way before in which you could barely speak for yourself, but he was wondering if this meant you still thought of him as your ward to some degree. Though, the way you looked at him was almost a test, asking if he’d continue with his old ways or not. Either way, the point is that you’re allowed to ask your questions now, and so he gives you a nod.
“Do you have any plain ones?” Damnit, maybe he shouldn't have given you freedom of speech just so quickly.
The worker pauses, not usually asked for things like that but eventually shakes her head as Ghost motions a no simply by the harsh look in his eyes. “Well, originally the company started out like that! But as more customers came they asked for different designs and options, so we decided on animals!” It makes sense to you, at least partially. You can't exactly question her words when you barely know anything about the outside world yourself. “So, any animal in particular you’d like?” Before you could respond, Ghost had walked off and returned with a fox shaped plush, black beaded eyes and pointy ears. It made something in your chest flare and definitely not in a good way. “No. I don't need another.” It’s monotone, blank, but it’s sharper than usual, and the way you turn away from him is enough to prove that it’s your final decision.
Seeing as you looked pretty content with talking quietly to the worker, he decided to leave you alone for a while, giving you space before he went ahead and ruined anything else. Besides, they’d been allocated so much budget for your care that this wouldn’t change a thing in the bank even if you bought ten. Soon enough you’re walking over to the machine with the lady, still looking a little conflicted as you hold two of the empty animals. A wolf, and an eagle. The former has a tuft of fur on its head, and a mischievous looking face, whilst the latter had long wings and a determined demeanour. That gives Ghost dèja vu for a moment.
He’s happy to see that you’re intrigued by the process, even going as far as to help the lady when she shows you how to stuff the animals, the large machine pushing the filling through a tube. “Wait.” You’re about to fill the eagle when Ghost cuts in, making you both stop to a halt. “These instead.” It’s the heavier type of beads, similar to the feeling of a weighted blanket. You had denied one in the store, but he wouldn't let you escape it now, not when they said they’d try everything to get you sleeping normally again. The worker doesn't complain, switching to the other machine, and you help again, filling the eagle up until it’s a comfortable weight in your hands.
“So.. Do you wanna add a heartbeat? Our customers love this add on!” It’s shaped like a heart, a small electronic covered by felt, and it pulses on your hands as you hold it, testing out the feel. To be honest, it makes you feel rather uneasy, and almost strange but Ghost speaks for you this time. “We’ll have one with the heartbeat.”
“What?”
He looks down at you, noticing your questioning of his sudden decision. “It’s all or nothing, you heard the Captain.”
So reluctantly, the wolf gets stuffed with the heart beat, and then the worker turns to you again. “Alright, and any scents too? We have some here and oh— we have a new batch in the back, i’ll grab them!” She hurries off through the warehouse, whilst silence hangs between the two of you. You pick up the scent testers available, curious, until you stop on lavender. Weirdly enough, you’ve never actually seen the flower before, only knowing the scent, and you’re not surprised it’s purple. It’s been years since you’ve smelt it properly, the lingering scent on the small fox plush having faded out to a mere thought now, especially since Gaz fixed it up. Will it smell just as comforting? Will it smell different?
You lift it to your nose, immediately hit with the powerful yet calm scent, exaggerated for the purpose of the stuffed toy. It’s so strong it feels like you’re back in that medical room, the young intern before you as you clutch the sheets desperately. His face is a blur, in fact most of his attire is, but you remember his words and the touch of his hand as he clutched your weaker one. It was near impossible to forget the great pain you had been in that day, having been pushed to your limits and left twitching, but somehow you had forgotten him.
Until now you had failed to remember that someone had been there for you first, and he had promised you a future of happiness. For a while you put your hope in him, letting him hold your hands, soothe you to rest and help you walk around your room again. The story isn't quite the same as when you last recalled it, stuck in that cabin with the threat lingering near. He hadn't been there the weeks before you had been sent off to Ghost, no, but you wished he had. For four whole years after his mysterious disappearance, you held that fox tight, begged and pleaded for him to come back to you, to soothe you again. But he never came, and even though the nurse had broken the news to you, you had refused to believe their words. Until they brainwashed it out of you, well most of the memories anyway, so you had forgotten practically everything, until now.
Until the scent returned.
It did not only bring back good memories though, because, with each visit from him, you had always been in some sort of pain prior. Experiments, rough handling, forced exercises to strain yourself, or even sliced into, crimson coating your skin. Instead of hurting, it overwhelms you, the sudden barrage of thoughts and experiences, all that made you the person you were today. You’ve lost so much of yourself over the years, and this probably is only a quarter of it, but still it feels so so good, and yet horrifying at the same time. Again, it’s the same feeling as before, like your body was in a battle with itself. Your head wanted to push it all down, beg for those memories to stay sealed by healed incisions and faded scars, but your heart yearned for otherwise. It needs to know, to feel and live through every emotion that’s been shoved down, and for a mere second it gets that freedom— pure joy swelling your heart until anger fills it, for everything the scientists have done to you, to the younger kids there, to all of your innocence. Soon it shifts to fear, one that’s already been creeping through, before it becomes jealousy, when you didn't understand why the other kids got to play freely whilst you went under anesthesia again, on that cold table for another day. Finally, it’s the sadness that’s lingered near every day since you became aware of your true purpose. Pure misery that lingers in the soul.
And then it’s gone, as fast as it came.
—-----------------------------------
Your eyes blink to a strange feeling, having been positive that you were just in that stupid ‘mini factory’ place, and not still in the car. Something rests beneath your head, like when you used the window as a temporary pillow, watching nature pass. But this isn't that now, and you haven't gone back in time, so you must’ve gone forward. Confused, you attempt to move, only to find you can’t, trapped in your own body like you’re.. paralysed. Fear spikes your heart, unable to even move your head until you hear a low noise, rumbling near your ear. It’s a pulse, a steady one that rises and falls with soft breaths..
“Reaper, you awake?” You’re not sure if you’re better off paralysed or not because that’s definitely not the voice you wanted to wake up too. What if all of that had been a dream..? Everything was still hazy, and you couldn't even make out the shape of the steering wheel or the music playing low from the radio; so what would happen if this really was all some stupid figment in your head again?
Something moves against you, fingers that were once resting against your back moving upwards to tap you gently. Brown eyes follow, leaning down to peer into your open ones, as if testing you somehow. “You blanked out when you had smelt that scent.” His voice is lower, quieter than usual in a somewhat crappy attempt to soothe you. Though you could at least tell that he knew what was wrong here–he was the last person you wanted to be leaning against after practically losing yourself again. “Went totally still too, had to muster up some excuse to the worker before getting those other idiots to take over..” Even though he wants to stay with the same dry tone as usual, he can't, involuntarily trailing off as he looks down at you again. “You wanna sit upright?”
You don't answer, because you can't, still stuck within your own body like an intruder. It scares you slightly, you know sometimes that your body thinks your organs aren't actually yours, and so it attacks them. And just now you’d been so conflicted with yourself… what if you had been kicked out of yourself? Was that even possible?
“Hey–you gotta speak to me.” He murmurs, but not nearly as stern as he’d be with anyone usually. Your eyes are darting around frantically, as if searching for something and he can't help but grow even more concerned at your ongoing silence. Even more worrying, you haven't moved once, not even a twitch. “Can you hear me?” He asks a little louder out, and you still don't reply but your eyes snap up to him immediately. Well that’s good
“Can you move? Look right for yes, other way for no.” He watches as you look left, his brows narrowing as he carefully adjusts his hands around you, one of them rubbing your shoulders slowly. “It’s a trauma response, I'm guessing something suddenly startled your brain when you blanked out,” Your eyes are still darting, occasionally looking up at him but at least you can move your eyelids to blink. He just needs to calm you. “Alright– do you want me to sit you upright?” He watches your pupil shift to the right, and his hands carefully lift you upwards, your head away from his side and leaves you resting back against the seat, tilted slightly towards the car door.
The first sign is the long gasp you let out, your eyes blinking longer until your head finally moves, looking around properly. Then you pull yourself straight, hands rubbing at your face as you push through the blurry haze and back to reality.
“Y’alright there Reaper? Heard what happened, doesnt sound too good.” The car door had opened, Soap’s mohawk brushing against the ceiling of the car as he climbed into the passenger seat, looking back at you in concern. He glances at Ghost, who gives him a look and then over to Gaz who’s climbing into the back, having just swapped seats with Ghost. However, they all freeze when you let out a small noise, almost like you’re choking on air itself.
“Deep breaths, okay? Look at me– look at me.” Ghost is already in the backseat again, his hands on your arms as he pulls them away from your chest, watching as you breathe frantically, eyes unfocused. “Can’t–”
“Yes you can.” He’s firm this time, almost commanding and you take in a long breath, before exhaling it just as deeply. Again, he instructs you, over and over until your hands are just trembling on your lap, held down by him before you attack yourself again, like you had done for months prior. They squirm against his large palms but he insists, keeping them far from you. “Look at me.” Finally, your eyes snap up to him, pupils frantic and darting around, but they find no solace in his empty face, unable to calm themselves in someone who looks like death themselves.
He curses loudly as your pulse screams against his hands, your eyes frozen on his, whilst Gaz sticks the key into the ignition, waiting for some family to pass by so he can pull out of the parking lot. Ghost is running out of options, especially as your hands are trying harder to break free, unable to fight off the urge to tear into yourself. He can tell you’re overwhelmed, the squint of your eyes showing that you’re trying to fight against yourself. So he does the next best thing possible to keep your eyes on him.
One hand leaves yours, allowing you to finally ease that urge, to attack relentlessly at yourself just to rid of the hatred caused by everything you’ve come to feel in the past hour. Your nails are perfectly blunt but they’ll work, you’ll make it work if it means your heart will stop trying to come out of your throat. You look up on instinct, fingers curled into your hair when you are suddenly still at the sight before you.
Blonde eyelashes, yes, but also the curve of a nose, the wrinkles of concern in a forehead and the parting of worried lips. Unmasked, emotions written in the hitch of his Adam's apple and cheeks paled, faded marks etched into them like a scripture lost to time. You pause to stare, the sight enough to let your hands drop down into his, and for your own face to relax. It’s the same expression you wore when you first met him, oddly curious and strangely naive.
He lets out a long sigh and doesn't wait another second to strap you in while you’re still distracted, promptly tugging you into his side along with one hand to cover your own just in case you get the slightest itch again. “Think it’s time we get home now.” The two sergeants are slightly shocked themselves, despite already seeing his face many times before. “Right… um, buckle up.” Gaz mumbles, finally pulling out and heading through the greenery back to base.
—------------------------------------------------
You had slumped against his side for the rest of that journey; whether you wanted it or not you’re not really sure,but you definitely needed it. The drive back had helped you clear your mind as well as the generally quiet atmosphere, apart from the occasional talking, and now you’d finally returned to your room. Soap had unloaded the first haul of things from the car, only letting you carry a few bedsheets, and brought it to your room. They had painted the walls the day prior, making it a lot brighter with a simple light blue, something you had chosen given how intrigued you were by the sea the first time you saw it. Plus, it didn't hurt your eyes to look at either.
“You sure yer alrigh’ on yer own?” He asks, genuine worry written on his face but you really needed some time to process all of this.
—
You pull off the last pillow case cover, discarding the worn material to the corner where the rest are piled up already. First of all, you couldnt remember half of the things that happened after you smelt that lavender card. It was weird, you remembered everything you felt during the moment, the raw intensity but absolutely nothing that followed after. Almost as if you were never meant to know at all.
And had Ghost really dragged you out of the shop? It seemed impossible that you could get that preoccupied, but seeing as how you are after extreme levels of stress in the evac vehicles, it makes sense the same thing could occur. Even you can't deny that everything has been way too overwhelming recently, from the seizure to the panic you went through earlier today, it felt like all your past problems were amplified.
As exhausted as you were from everything that happened, you couldn't help but feel strange knowing that for once in your life, you didn't suffer alone through that episode. It’s terrifying every single time, and it would’ve been much easier to deal with if Ghost had just commanded you to stop. But he had chosen the safer route for you, and the more difficult one for him. It felt wrong seeing his face like that, in a time of your own desperation, but it was his choice at the end of the day and a small part of you really hopes it was actually to help you.
Not just to shut you up.
Regardless, you may have not originally wanted to go on this trip but you came out of it feeling strangely lighter, the hole that normally eats at your chest feeling oddly satisfied today. Maybe it won't tomorrow, but for now you don't want to think too hard on the specifics. You can just accept it this time.
———-
Evening comes quickly, and he knows the sergeants had brought you to eat dinner in the mess hall. It was always good to see you up and around, but he had matters to discuss with Price considering the plan forward, potential involvement in missions. The higher ups were satiated by the golden results produced by you before your painful breakdown, but they’d start getting suspicious by the lack of results depending how long they left this. That’s not exactly a current issue though, and the conversation was more of a report for how you were doing today.
Ghost makes sure to stop by the common room before he checks on you tonight, the microwave whirring softly. You’ve still had steady nightmares all week, and also never go into detail about what they include nor do you go to them about it either. It frustrates him slightly, since he wants to know every occurence and understand the patterns and so, but he knows he can't push this. He doesn't have the right.
—
“Reaper? Fallen asleep yet?” You’re laying in bed, exhausted out of your mind from the day’s events and the episode earlier. Eyes drooped as usual but, just like other nights, you were in a half haze between awake and asleep. He’s not sure if it was something to do with being afraid of having more nightmares, or simply insomnia, but either way you wouldn’t ever give a proper answer.
“..No.” It’s less monotone this time, quiet and soft as you lay beneath your brand new duvet, head sunken into the soft pillows. This is heaven for you, if you’re being completely honest but something still keeps you up, mind whirring.
“That’s ‘cause you forgot these.” You’re staring at the bedsheets, not bothered with whatever method he wants to try today, when the two plushies are tucked in right beside you. A wolf with it’s stupid tufts of fur on it’s head and a.. scottish flag? Ghost stifles his chuckle at your sleepy confusion, pulling the blanket a little higher over you. “I left the sergeants to buy it after you conked out. Soap had a bit of fun with the accessories.”
Your fingers graze over the little flag playfully tied over the wolf’s shoulders like a cape, the soft material rubbing against your raw hands from the struggling. Then your gaze shifts to the eagle, which has a matching cap like Gaz’s, along with a makeshift dog tag hung around its neck. You like it, a lot actually, it’s soft and fuzzy, similar to how the fox plushie used to be. Unfortunately it’s practically all matted now.
Both of them are warm through and through, the beads inside providing a comforting heat that feels like a hug… similar to the one Price gave you before. What gets you the most is the scent though; the eagle has an orangey citrus but the tang is cut off with notes of pine It hits you straight away like the lavender but it’s calming this time, like switching your brain off. Although the wolf has a different one, like freshly cut grass, seasalt and wood. The combination makes your head swim, quelling the thoughts that had once contaminated it, and even the weight of the eagle’s heavy beads forces the breath you’ve been keeping in for too long out of you.
But just as you’re settling, Ghost reaches forward, gently pressing the chest of the wolf. A soft pulse vibrates against you, muffled yet so present.
He leans against the door as your eyes flicker shut, content by the stuffed animals tucked beside you. Your breaths even out quickly too, expression practically melting as you give into the exhaustion that’s eaten you up for a month and a half now.
It had been years ago, but he had once talked to a K9 handler, one who had the responsibility of temporarily looking after some vulnerable pups after they had been found on the field. “They miss their parents a lot.” The man had said, carrying the puppy in his arms as it wriggled and squirmed.
“But you know what trick always works? Something warm— a hot water bottle maybe. Stick an old timer beneath it and it imitates the mother. They knock out every time.”
The man had chuckled, and just as he said, the puppy had fallen asleep instantly, feeling safe and content where it lay.
———————————
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Ours Together pt 3
Agatha Harkness x Rio Vidal x Reader
Word Count: 8k
Notes: Agatha All Along Spoilers, canon typical violence, angst, fluff, intimacy bordering on smut but no actual smut, happy ending, everyone survives
Summary: Things get rocky between the coven as they work to get through the rest of trials and off of the road. It begins to feel like Agatha, Rio, and their fallen angel versus the rest of the witches.
An: Took me awhile to write this one, but it is longer than the other parts. This is the final chapter of Ours Together, so I hope you guys enjoyed. Feel free to like, reply, reblog, and slide into my inbox with any questions about this fic. Thank you for reaading 🫶.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Masterlist
You were trying to find a way to be ok with leaving Agatha behind. The argument that the road wasn’t real, wasn’t working anymore. Not when you could remember the feeling of your wings being severed.
“Looks like the next trial is up ahead.”
A cabin. It’s disarming enough, but you knew better. A glamorous home, and the gates of heaven were both omens on this trail.
“Let’s get this over with,” you mumble entering the wooden structure.
You were uninterested in what was to transpire until you came to the understanding that this was Agatha’s trial. That information made you focus more on quickly executing the task.
Learning that you had to Ouija was disappointing. Due to your previous affiliation you were not allowed to touch the boards. If an angel were too touch a Ouija board there was a chance that their soul would get lost with the others.
So you watched on edge as the others did the board. You couldn’t help, but laugh a little when Agatha pretended to be possessed. You even laughed a bit when board said that Death was here with you. However your laughter completely stopped when it kept spelling out punish Agatha.
When she let go of the board you knew it was going to be all bad. The witches in the coven turned on her pretty quickly.
“It’s clear what we have to do, punish Agatha.”
“Try again because you’re not touching her,” you kept your voice low and calm.
You could feel their eyes on you.
“Y/n it’s what the trial wants. You should know-”
You stop them there, “You’re right, I do know because I had to have my wings cut off. What I learned is what happens in these trials is painfully real. So I dare you to touch her.”
Rio stands by your side, arm loosely hanging over your shoulder, “I’m on her side.”
“That’s not fair. Agatha has literal Death and The Fallen Angel protecting her, what are we supposed to do?” Jen throws her hands up in exasperation.
It starts a bickering amongst everyone. They all send looks your way. It's not something you mind anymore. You had gotten used to hostile starts a long while ago.
“What if it's the only way?” Agatha says just so the two of you can hear.
“We will find another way,” Rio reassures the woman.
That's when the lights go dark. You stay close to Rio, forming an outward facing circle with the rest. Agatha had vanished from her spot.
“Agatha,” you call her name tentatively.
Its not until Teen flashes his light at the ceiling that you see a clearly possessed Agatha drop down. Everyone screams at her appearance.
“What the fuck?” Slips out of your mouth as you watch your lover crawl and swing her arms around.
“Sweetheart, you okay?” Rio calls out tentatively.
“Oh my god.”
Agatha has Jen in her hold before anyone can do anything about it. You all try to get her to loosen her grip, but nothing works until Lilia hits the lights. Once she does you and Rio become frantic as Agatha disappears again.
“Agatha! Where is she, alright? Where is she!” Rio’s frustration grows.
You take her hand in yours, silently. Your eyes wandering the room because you’re still trying to find Agatha as well.
“What’s that?” Teen says as a almost translucent cloud forms in front of the stairs.
Your frown deepens, “A ghost.”
“I hate ghosts,” Rio grumbles as the image of a woman who is familiar to the both of you materializes.
Lilia asks the ghosts who she is. Evanora, answers and you can’t hide your look of irritation.
When Agatha speaks up from her spot on the stairs you feel relief wash over you. She’s ok, you breathe a little easier. Simultaneously, your heart breaks as you watch her pretend to be nonchalant about her mother possessing her.
“You must finish the road without Agatha, leave her with me.”
“No, no way!” Rio’s eyes burn into the ghost.
“Weren’t you guys fighting at some point before all this?”
You glare stays on Evanora, “Yeah, well, her mother can’t have her.”
The ghost floats towards Rio, who takes a step back. You block Evanora’s path, your eyes taking on that dangerous black color.
“Mom? Why do you hate me still?” Agatha comes down the stairs to question her mother with a vulnerability that you didn’t think anyone else would ever see.
“You were born evil. I ought to have killed you the moment you left my body.”
When you see a tear slide down Agatha’s face, you lose it. While the rest of the coven is taken aback by Evanora’s harsh words, you weigh your options.
“We have to go,” Jen says, turning to leave Agatha behind.
Agatha pleas are genuine as they fall from her lips, “Please take me with you. Don’t go. Don’t leave me with her I can be good. Please!”
“NO ONE IS LEAVING!” Your voice shakes the walls as you speak.
Jen tries to take a step forward, but she can’t in fact no one in the room can move freely except for you, Rio, and Agatha.
Evanora sees your display of power and tries to hide herself in Agatha’s body.
“Oh no you don’t, you raggedy bitch.”
You’re quick to lay your wrists against each other and open your palms outward. The magic that emits is black just like your wings. The power hits the ghost. She lets out a cry of agony, looking wildly around as her soul is being melted away by your magic.
“Holy shit,” Teen says as they all watch it unfold.
“You’re a fool. An angel ripped from heaven because of my daughter’s sinister impact, yet you protect her. She doesn't love you, she's incapable. She’s evil reincarnated, she will never-” Evanora’s ramble is quick and panicked as she begins to fade from existence.
You let up on your attack just to get closer to her. You squat down to her level, “Being in love with Agatha is one of the best things that could've ever happened to me. I will never regret it. She has always been good to me, even when I haven’t deserved it. For what you’ve done to her, I will erase you from every plane of existence because you, Evanora Harkness deserve a fate worse than eternal damnation.”
Your wings come out without your permission, making the moment look like something from a movie. With a single hand you begin unleashing your power on the ghost again. Your eyes, black and unblinking, your wings spread wide, your body firm in it’s place as you watch the ghost squirm underneath you.
Her words are incoherent as the screams take over. Her eyes begging for any other fate than this. You black magic drowning her out, until nothing is left. The screams are gone, her soul is gone. Not resting, not in a better place, or a worse place, just gone.
The trial had ended and the exit makes itself present yet, everyone is still frozen in place. Not by your voice, but by what they had just witnessed. Slowly you stand from your spot. Though you want to comfort Agatha, you turn your attention to the coven.
“If you ever think about leaving Agatha behind, I will kill you. I don’t care how old you are, I don’t care about what you want from the road, I do not give a single fuck about your feelings. I honestly hoped you’d shoot your magic at Agatha and just fucking die, but no we have to be on this stupid fucking road,” your anger rises with each word you speak.
“Y/n,” Agatha is gentle as she calls your name.
You shake your head, “Let’s just go.”
You march out of the exit with Agatha and Rio following behind you, and the rest following behind them.
“Sweetheart, I did say we'd go after one more trial,” Rio is careful as she speaks with you, back on the road.
“I’m not leaving her with them. If you have to go then go,” you can feel your jaw clench.
“Hey, I’m not the one who was going to abandon our girl, don't snap at me,” Rio says.
You take a deep breath, “Sorry, that just really pissed me off.”
“I know, I don’t think I remember the last time you destroyed a soul like that,” you can see the worry in her eyes as she looks at you.
“She deserved it. That woman was a piece of shit. Nothing she said was true,” you look at Agatha, who had been uncharacteristically quiet.
“Agatha,” Rio calls her name but she doesn’t answer. “Agatha,” she tries again more firm this time still nothing.
Its not until Death stands directly in front of the woman, her hands on the others shoulder, that Agatha reacts to her.
“I think we should camp for the night,” Rio says softly, and Agatha nods.
You turn to face the coven. They stop as soon as you turn, “Set up camp.”
“We always set it up, while you the go rendezvous for however long you want,” Teen talks back to you.
“Kid, don’t start with me,” your tone has a warning edge to it.
“No, I think I will. You’re not even a witch, why should we listen to you about the witches’ road?”
You roll your eyes, “You don’t know half as much as I do about the witches’ road.”
He stands his ground, “I’ve studied the ballad, I have notes. I am a witch.”
“ I’ve studied the ballad. I have notes. Blah blah blah,” you mock him.
Your words stir something inside the boy. Something that has the magic simmering at the edge of his fingers.
“I bet it was a harsh reality to deal with, once you realized you’d never go back to heaven. Considering that's probably where Nicholas went.”
It happens too quickly for anyone to stop you. You shove the teenager against a tree with an unimaginable amount of force. The tree cracks under the impact. You have two fistfuls of his shirt, tightly wound in your grip.
Your breathing is erratic and your eyes are once again black. The witches around you are screaming and pleading, but you aren’t focused on them.
“You don't get to speak about him like you know him. No one here knows him. You don't know what happened, so stop hypothesizing about my son’s death. It will get you killed, boy.”
“Y/n, let him go,” Agatha’s voice breaks through all the others.
You don’t get the chance to release the boy, as you feel yourself being repelled away from him. The magic is strong enough to push you off, but you don't fall down.
His hands are glowing with blue sparks and you see a crown forming around his head.
“Look who’s grown,” you don't back down from him.
“More than you can say for you son.”
You growl, “DOWN.”
The road seems to shift with your voice. The teen hits his knees. His magic vanishes from his hands. You don’t let him get the chance to speak before you blast him with your power.
He screams, but you don’t care. You stalk closer to him. You can feel hands on you trying to pull you back from him. Yet your vision is tunneled in on him. You strike him with your magic once more and he doubles over.
“Y/n look at me baby.”
Rio stands in your way, blocking you from the teen. You ignore her words but reach for her waist. You grab her dagger and hold it against the boy’s neck.
“You know what losing my son taught me, kid? Sometimes, boys just die,” a single tear rolls down your cheek as you smile sadistically at him.
“Can’t you do something to stop her?” Jen says.
“She’ll kill him,” Alice follows.
“Working on it,” Rio says, gears turning in her head, hoping to find a solution.
“It’s not his time,” Lilia murmurs.
You add pressure to the blade, watching him try his best not to move.
“Please, please I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I can be-"
“Good?” You cut him off.
His words, stuck in his throat, as he realized the similarities between himself and Agatha.
“It won’t bring him back,” you hear Agatha’s voice in your ear.
Her hand is firm on your forearm, keeping you from digging into the teen’s neck.
“Did you hear what he said about Nicky? This little shit deserves it.”
“Love, please,” Agatha tries to reason with you. “He wouldn’t want you to do this.”
You let out an animalistic grunt before pulling the dagger away from the teen’s neck and shoving it into the ground. You stand abruptly and walk away from the group, trying to cool off.
“Word to the wise Billy, do not go pissing off people more powerful than you,” Agatha’s voice is sarcastic, but her gaze travels the boys face trying to find injury.
“You knew? Did you-”
“Yes I knew, you're as predictable as your mother and no I didn't put the sigil on you.”
Lilia speaks up, “I did, for your protection.”
“And the plot thickens,” Rio teases.
“Your familiar almost killed him,” Alice points out.
Rio’s dagger is back in her hand. She twirls it around a bit, “Are we surprised? Billy here, does not know when he should shut the fuck up. Talking about a dead boy, he should be ashamed of himself. Nicky isn't some tool you can use to get a response.”
Billy looks to Agatha for back up, but instead finds her cold stare.
“I know Y/n would've regretted killing you, even if it doesn’t seem like it now. That was more for her than you. I don't ever want to hear his name come out of your mouth again. Understand?”
He nods, his gaze not meeting Agatha’s eyes, “I understand.”
“Great, well go ahead and set up camp, while we go deal with Y/n. Unless anyone has an issue with our rendezvous,” Agatha looks around for objections, she gets none.
Rio and Agatha take off in the direction you were headed. They walk side by side, looking for any sign of you.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like that before” Agatha looks to Rio.
The Green Witch mirror her look of worry, “Me either.”
They find you sitting by the edge of a creek. Your knees your chest as you stare past the water. The anger no longer seeping off of you like before. They sit on either side of you, slightly disappointed when you curl further into yourself.
“Sorry,” is the only word to leave your lips.
Agatha shakes her head, “It’s my fault.”
You and Rio try to protest, but Agatha simply raises a hand. “I let them believe whatever lies have been spun about my relationship with Nicholas. I believed them to be all less hurtful than the truth. It was ok when it was just me they antagonized, but if I knew you would've been their target, I would've come clean.”
“It’s none of their business. The truth would do no good for them. They have no empathy,” you mumble.
“How can you be so sure?” Rio is cautious when she reaches out towards you.
You take her hand and hold it up to your cheek, seeking comfort. Agatha sees this and moves so her shoulder is against yours, her arm tucks it self securely around your waist. Rio’s head falls onto your shoulder. You feel yourself un-tense at the contact.
“They heard my story, they saw our scars, they heard what Evanora said about Agatha, and yet, they still want to pick trivial fights,” your anger was replaced by exhaustion.
“He’s young,” Agatha tries to defend.
“It’s not just Billy. They wanted to leave you behind Aggie. What if Rio and I weren’t there, then what? They would’ve let her have you.”
You blink as the tears being to well in your eyes.
“I can't blame them, sweetheart. I would've done the same if it were any of their trials,” Agatha confesses.
Another sigh escapes you, “I’m assuming Billy made the road as well, while we’re on the topic of frustrating things?”
Agatha nods a few times, “I’m pretty sure. His powers they’re like his mothers, very tied up in his emotions.”
“I was going to kill him,” exasperation on your tongue.
Rio kisses your collarbone, “You didn’t, we wouldn't have let you.”
“He’s right, I’ve thought about it a lot you know? Nicky is somewhere up there like I was. I could’ve been there for him,” you look up to the sky as you speak.
“He’s in safest place he could be,” Agatha bows her head slightly.
“Who knew this made up road would be so stressful?” Rio concedes defeated by the things that have happened.
“At least it brought us back together. I don't think I could’ve spent another century, burning from the inside,” You attempt to joke.
“I think I know something that could relieve some of the stress,” Agatha says suggestively.
She stands, two pairs of eyes watching her intently as she begins to peel off her clothes.
“W- what are you doing?” You stutter, but don't look away from her.
She sits her clothes on a nearby rock, and struts into the creek.
“I’m taking a dip, you two are welcome to join me.”
Your jaw opens slightly at her proposal, “What if they see us?”
Rio stands as well, following Agatha’s suit, “I doubt that they would dare say anything after such a powerful display from our sweet angel.”
“Come on baby, loosen up a bit,” Agatha speaks from her spot in the water.
Rio slides up next to the witch, whispering something in her ear, causing them both to giggle.
“You know I’m supposed to be sulking,” you say getting to your feet, pulling off your clothes.
“Sulking, soaking, same difference,” Rio argues.
The water is pleasantly warm as you sink into it. The three of you bare, in the faux night of the road. It reminds you of the early parts of your relationship. Both women always up for dip in whatever body of water they came across. Nights spent in bodies of water, bathed by the soft light of the moon. Dark purple marks from the eager lips of your lovers.
The memories brought a slight color to your cheeks.
“What are you thinking about, sweetheart?”
Agatha and Rio circle you, in somewhat of a predatory fashion.
“I bet she’s thinking about all the things we used to do in the water. Am I right doll?”
“Perhaps,” you say coyly. “But if you think after centuries, I’m going to give myself to you on the witches’ road, I’m sorry to disappoint.”
“Fair, but a couple of kisses wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Rio wraps her arms around you from behind.
She trails a few kisses up the side of your neck.
“I suppose not,” you crane your neck to give her access.
“I think love bites are fair game,” Agatha’s hands find your waist. Her mouth latching on to the opposite side of your neck. She sucks with delicate force, playfully biting, before soothing the space with her tongue.
“Mhm,” you hum, the pleasure getting to you.
Your hands rest on Agatha’s stomach slowly climbing up to her breasts. You can’t help but play with them in your hands. You lick your lips recalling, how they felt in your mouth. Her moans when you would suck and tease her nipples.
“I thought we weren’t doing this here,” Agatha said breathlessly, as you play with one of her nipples between your fingers.
“We’re not,” you say, with a warmth spreading across your body.
“Then-”
You cut her off with a sensual kiss. She moans in surprise. She slips her tongue into your mouth and you suck on it teasingly. The woman laughs at your antics, which breaks the kiss.
It isn’t a moment after that you feel a hand wrap around your neck. You let Rio pull you into a hungry kiss, turning you body fully towards her. She’s trying to be dominant, but when your teeth tug on her lower lip, she lets out a whimper.
She ends up kissing down your body. Her lips stop right above your scar. She makes eye contact with you as her tongue meticulously traces over it.
It doesn’t go away, you all knew it wouldn't because it had already healed on it’s own. Yet she looks up at you with a pout that makes your knees weak.
“It was worth a shot,” she speaks innocently.
You want nothing more than to grab a fistful of her hair and yank her up to kiss your lips.
“That was hot,” Agatha says, watching with dark eyes.
“We have to stop,” the disappointment in your tone makes the other women chuckle.
“Awe, does baby want to cross her own boundaries?”
You separate from them and make your way back to land. An irritated groan leaving your lips, “We’re not fucking on the road.”
“Don’t be too mad about it hon, this was supposed to be relaxing,” Agatha teases following you.
Rio is the last out of the water, “I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait.”
Going back to the makeshift camp, puts a sour flavor in your mouth, but it’s better than the burning rage you had felt when you left. Everyone is asleep when you return except for Billy.
“I wanted to apologize, for what I said. It wasn’t fair to blow up at you like that,” his remorse was real, you could tell.
“It’s fine, kid. I should be apologizing to you, hundreds of years old and I still can’t keep my temper in check. Let’s just squash it,” you start to make yourself comfortable.
“Did you mean what you said, about letting Agatha kill us?”
You suck in a breath unwilling to lie, “Yeah, I did. It might be hard for you to understand, but I’ve spent centuries away from Agatha and Rio. Having them back is everything to me, and the road strives to take them from me. I would do anything to get us off of the road and nothing will change that.”
“I- I understand. My brother, I would do anything to see him again. Whatever it takes.”
Agatha smiles, “Spoken like a true witch.”
“Word to the wise kid, power plays are never as personal as they seem. In this life, things are taken from you if you hesitate for even a moment. Don’t be afraid of your power and never hesitate.”
“Pretty sound advice for someone who isn’t a witch isn’t it?” Rio teases Billy.
He laughs awkwardly and nods.
“Get some rest, we have a road to conquer,” Agatha’s tone was parental.
Billy does as instructed, feeling better after the talk.
Your stare lingers on him a bit longer. A hand rests on your shoulder, “He’s fine.”
You nod to yourself, “Yeah.”
It’s easier falling asleep than it should've been. Your body is completely exhausted from using your powers so frequently. Time is strange on the road, you couldn't really tell how much time had passed due to the darkness.
“We gotta go now!”
You are startled awake by a panicked voice. You’re quick to get to your feet.
“Where’s the fire?”
You’re damn near being pulled along the road, as you hear steps running all around you.
“The seven are here.”
That sentence seems to shake the sleep from your body. Your eyes open wide as you begin to pick up your pace.
“Then why are we moving so slowly?”
“I’m running as fast as I can,” Lilia speaks, out of breath.
“We could use analog magic to fly?” Billy suggests it and the witches groan as a collective.
“I don’t hear anyone else coming up with ideas,” you say in his defense.
“Blast them with your angel powers,” Jen exclaims.
“Not an angel and I'm not doing a 7 on 1 attack,” you say.
One of the seven ends up catching up to you and like Jen suggested you blast them with your power. She gives you an ‘I told you so' look and you mock her.
“Brooms now,” Agatha says breaking off a branch from a tree.
Once everyone has a working broom you expand your wings and shoot up into the air.
“I thought we were any to have the coolest moment ever, yet here she goes upstaging us,” Rio smirks as she takes off, Agatha isn’t far behind her.
You don't remember the last time you flew prior to your time on the road. This is different than your trial. The cool air surrounds you as your wings flap with a familiarity. You feel free for the first time in a long time. A genuine smile takes a place on your face as you fly.
Agatha and Rio can't take their eyes off of you. It has been too long since they've seen you move freely in the sky. To them, it looks like you are home. Your smile makes them do the same, sharing a look of love between the pair. The shared adoration for you, fills their hearts. A soft fondness in their eyes as they fly side by side. Their love for each other unspoken, but heavy.
The road decides to break up the moment, forcing everyone back on to the path. You end up landing gracefully while most of the others take a rough landing.
It's no surprise that you land in front of another trial. Just like with your trial, everyone rushes in to avoid any of the wandering seven. Once inside it feels like a distasteful costume party. The witches dressed as their famous caricatures, while you have tiny fake black wings on your back with fake horns to accompany it. The only person who looks more ridiculous in your opinion is Rio.
“Why the fuck am I Skeletor?”
You giggle, but place your hands on her fake blue abs, “I think it’s all in good fun.”
Your laughter stops in its tracks when you get a glimpse of the ceiling. Knives dangle overhead threaten to fall. You see the tarot spread and immediately think of Lilia.
“Well looks like you’re up Lilia,” Alice places a hand on the older woman’s shoulder.
“Who am I reading for?”
The others chime with thoughts and theories, but for you the answer is quite clear.
“Your trial, your reading,” you say cutting through all of the chatter.
“Smart girl,” Lilia says beginning her own reading.
When the death card comes up, you can see attention shift to Rio.
She throws her hands up, “All roads lead to me, we already know that.”
The exit opens, but before anyone can step through it the seven are rapidly approaching.
“I’m tired of running,” Lilia stands her ground.
You shake your head, “You’ve got to get out of here, its not your time yet.”
“But-”
“But nothing, you’re a damn good witch, but right now you have to go,” you send her towards the door.
“What’re you doing?” Agatha asks with panic in her voice.
You don’t respond to her, “Billy, if you want to show off that power, now is the time."
Your powers manifested in your hands as you begin to shoot it at members of the seven.
“I’ll try,” magic sparks like electricity at the tips of his fingers.
“Y/n, we have to-”
You shook your head, “Get them out of here Rio. The kid and I got it, just have Alice on standby.”
Rio doesn’t reply, instead she shoves you towards the exit. She uses one hand to push you out of Lilia’s trial and with other she throws out the teen.
She closes the door behind the teen. You begin to bang on the door. You try hitting it with your power but it doesn’t budge. Your fist hits the door a few times, before Agatha pulls you back from the door.
“Why would she do that? She can’t- Agatha, we have to help her. We have too,” you were on the brink of being a mess.
Agatha grabs your face in her hands, trying to get you to focus on her. She gives you a tiny smile, “Sweetheart, they are locked in with her not the other way around. She’s la muerte.”
On cue, you hear the sound of screams coming from the room you were just in. You listen hard and pick up the unforgettable sound of a sword piercing flesh.
“Should we…” Billy says, ready for a fight.
“Easy there tiger, sounds like she has it under control,” Alice keeps the boy back with an exaggerated grab.
Rio doesn’t walk, but skips out of the space where Lilia’s trial was held. Her dagger in hand, glistening with blood. The gleeful nature of her return nearly makes you forget that you were in danger
“ The seven are now the zero,” she says spinning the knife in her hands.
“You could’ve done that the whole time?” Jen questions Rio.
Rio shrugs, “I don’t like getting my hands dirty, too much paperwork if I’m the one that does the killing.”
Instead of stopping to rest like the other trials, you decide to continue on. There’s only one member of the coven to test, before you could finally leave this hell hole.
You can basically see the nerves bouncing off of the kid. If this is the end, then whatever is next is for him.
“Well, looks like your last up kid,” you place your hand on his shoulder.
“I’m ready for whatever it is,” he steels his jaw.
“Just remember, take what you want. Don’t hesitate,” you lose pace with him to fall back with Rio and Agatha.
“Not too long ago you were trying to kill him, and now you’re giving him advice. Look how far you’ve come,” Rio teases you.
You roll your eyes, “I’m just trying to get out of here.”
“No soft spot for him?” Agatha pushes farther.
A smile tugs at the ends of your lips but you hide it well, “Nope. ”
“Guys I think we have a problem,” Alice’s voice calls for your attention.
A row of shoes in front of everyone seems to make silence fall across the group.
“Our shoes,” you hear the anger simmering beneath Agatha’s tone.
“We’re back where we started,” Alice says in disbelief.
“The witches’ road is a circle,” Billy adds on.
“And this is the finish line?” Jen is just as shocked as Alice.
You see Agatha try to use her powers and as nothing happens her face begins to contort into a scowl, “That’s it?”
She glares at Billy before yelling again, “That’s it!”
“Well, maybe we passed the trial?” Lilia tries to reason with the group.
“Then how exactly do we get off?” Agatha’s anger finally tips over.
“Well maybe we-”
“IF YOU DON’T KNOW KEEP QUIET!” She tries to stalk towards the boy, but you’re quick to pull her back into you.
You look to Rio, who carefully watches the interaction in front of her. It’s strange, because you three are the only ones who know that the road has been manifested by Billy. Therefore it is technically his domain, meaning he designed it like this.
“We need to keep going,” Agatha says with her voice low.
The rest of the group quickly breaks into chaos shouting their refusal.
“FINE! STAY HERE!” Agatha growls at the group.
Billy keeps staring at the shoes.
Rio speaks up, “Go ahead, put them on.”
“What do the shoes have to do with anything? “ Alice questions.
“Well you took them off for respect for the road right? Has the road been respectful too you?” Rio points out.
“Screw the road,” Billy says before slipping his shoes on.
No one gets a chance to say anything else. Instantaneously you find yourself confined in a dark space. You panic, feeling all around you until you find a zipper. Once you're free from the bag, you notice that you're in an all white room.
Billy, Agatha, and Jen all appear in the same situation you are in. You leave the body bag and look around.
“Where are we?” Billy asks.
“My basement give or take,” Agatha answers him.
“Where are the others?” Jen asks.
“Not too far,” you answer her.
She squints, “How can you be sure?”
“Cause my insides aren’t boiling from being away from Rio.”
“But Agatha’s right here?”
You sigh, “It’s an and/or type of thing. Meaning if one of them is too far it burns, significantly less than if they were both far, but still burns nonetheless.”
“Glad to know they’re close, but that doesn’t make us any less trapped,” Billy points out that the door is sealed.
“These are grow lights, are we supposed to grow something here?”
“There’s no water or soil,” you point out.
Agatha huffs in irritation, “Sure seems like another stupid fucking trial.”
She digs around in the body bag and gasps lightly, “We do have our personal effects.”
She pulls out her locket, causing the others to dig in their bags. You didn’t come on the road with anything so you weren’t surprised to find your bag empty.
You see Agatha struggling to put on the necklace and walk over to her. You take it from her hands and gently sweep her hair out of the way. Knowing what’s inside the locket, keeps your hands steady as you hook the chain.
You see her smile, relief plastering over her features, “That’s better.”
You go to step away, but she grabs your wrist, keeping you close by.
Billy isn’t so lucky with his notebook, “It’s worthless.”
The body bags disappear once he tosses the book in there.
“Well, I guess the road agrees,” you say sarcastically.
It’s then that the grow lights flicker.
“And now we have our countdown,” Agatha points out.
Jen leans against the wall watching the countdown. Agatha can’t help, but antagonize the woman as their time ticks away.
“I’ll be damned if I let us all die here, after making it this far,” Jen peels herself off the wall to stand in the center of the room.
“You don’t have any magic,” you tell her without any animosity.
“Well she saved me, maybe she doesn’t need it,” Billy points out.
It’s at this point where Jen mentions Boston. You can’t help it as your mouth falls open and you look at Agatha. Her eyes also opening wide, while staring at Jen.
“You need to do the unbinding ritual,” you tell them.
“Doesn’t she need the witch that bound her to do that?” Billy says not connecting the dots.
“Agatha? Are you the one who bound me?” Jen says, rightful frustration in her tone.
She shrugs, “I don’t know.”
You narrow your eyes at her, crossing your arms over your chest, “Now is not the time.”
“You nonstop sociopath!”
“You’re the one who bound her?” Billy can’t believe it.
“How did you even know I was in Boston?” Agatha questions you.
“Old habits die hard, you always went to sell your services in Boston when times got rough, but enough deflecting, do the ritual.”
“You kept me like this for 100 years?” Jen yells.
Agatha tries to defend herself, “ I didn’t know it was you. It was the 1920’s I did the odd spell for bank notes. The patriarchy really shelled out to shush a lady. It was bind or burn!”
“100 years!”
As much as you wanted to push to get the ritual over with, you knew Jen was justified in her anger. That was time that she’d lost forever. You knew better than anyone what it felt like to walk around for years on end as a shell of your former self.
“This is so awkward.”
Jen pulls Agatha into her and starts the ritual. Once it’s over and her magic is running through her she sobs. The reunion of her and her powers means her journey is over. She vanishes from the road.
“Where did she go?”
“The road gave her what she was missing. And now she’s gone,” Agatha deadpans.
You can sense the shift in her attitude immediately. It feels as though she and the teen are facing off against each other.
“This can end right now. I want power, you have power, juice me up.”
“So you get what you're missing and I’m left here to rot?”
You scoff at him, “She could’ve killed you at any point by now. When you were bleeding out of your side or when my knife was at your neck kid, use your head.”
“No one was talking to you, do you even want anything from the road ? Shouldn’t you have disappeared by now too?” Billy tries to pick a fight with you.
“You are the only thing standing in the way of what I want,” you tell him seriously.
“So what it’s 2 against 1 now? I’m not scared of either of you,” he gets in Agatha face, but keeps his glare on you.
The gesture pisses you off and you march over to them. Agatha puts her hand out, motioning for you to stay back. You reluctantly follow her gesture
“What a good little familiar,” Billy directs at you.
Before you can do anything Agatha interrupts, “Sit.”
“Why?”
“We’re going to find your brother."
His whole energy changes, “What?”
She sits down, “That’s what you want right? Tommy isn’t waiting out there. Not in a body anyway. Why do you think Rio came here to begin with? She knows you could do it for him.”
“Do what?”
The teen was so dense that you couldn’t help your outburst, “Give him another life. Another spin around the dance floor.”
His eyes snap to yours, “You think I can bring Tommy back?”
“Time to grow up, kid,” you say to him.
Agatha pats the floor and he cautiously sits down across from her.
You watch her work in only the way she can. Her instructions clear and concise. Just as prodding as they need to be to stir his memories, and get him talking. In another life she could’ve had a coven of disciples.
She keeps him focused on his breathing. Though she has no magic in this moment, you could feel it in her aura. The way she carries herself, there will always be a witch underneath it all.
When she grabs Billy, the lights flicker. Things become intense quickly. He hyperventilates, but Agatha holds him as he begins to rock.
He begins ramble about a dying boy his questions tug at your heart strings, but you remind him, “Don’t hesitate, Billy. Don’t be afraid of your power.”
“Am I killing this boy so my brother can live?”
He lets out a strangled scream, and then he’s gone.
The lights in the room are almost completely gone. Agatha sits still her place.
“No, Billy. Sometimes… boys die.”
It breaks you to hear her like that. You sit behind her and she leans back into your arms. The lights fade faster.
“I’m sorry, we should’ve left when had the chance,” she says unable to look at you.
You just hold her tighter, “Seeing you again has meant everything to me.”
She opens the locket and you both look at the strands of Nicky’s hair. She takes it out of it’s place, finding a small dandelion seed. Agatha sniffles and you bury your head in her shoulder. Your wings expand, wrapping around the both of you.
She looks between your wings and the seed, “Out of death, life.”
She lifts your face out of her shoulder, and swipes the small seed across your tear stained cheeks. She quickly buries it in a crack of the grounds foundation.
You watch as a dandelion quickly sprouts and the room begins to shake. You are quick to hop to your feet as the lights turn back on and the walls begins to shake. Dirt begins to fill the room, much like with your trial.
“What’s happening?”
“The trial is over, we can’t stay here, come on” you begin look towards the previously locked exit.
Agatha pushes the door, but it doesn’t budge. You join the effort to help her, but it’s like something is still blocking it.
“Stand back,” you push her behind you, ready to shoot your powers at the door.
Just as you’re about to blast it, the door is opens. You and Agatha rush through, covered in dirt
On the other side is the coven, who watch the two of stumble into Agatha’s backyard. Your back hits the grass and you close your eyes. You can’t remember the last time you were this relieved to be on the earth’s soil.
The peace doesn’t last long as Agatha tries to use her powers and it doesn't work.
“You have to be fucking kidding me? I WANT MY PRIZE,” Agatha exclaims.
You look at Billy from your spot on the floor, “What gives kid, everyone gets a prize, but her?”
“Why are you asking me?”
Rio ruffles the boy hair with a laugh, “Isn’t it obvious? Billy, conjured up the witches’ road.”
The other witches turn to him, with their jaws dropped. He begins to sputter and point wildly at you three, “Are we seriously going to believe them? Death, the Fallen Angel, and Agatha. What do they even know?”
“We know that the road was never real,” you say sitting up in your spot.
“But Agatha said she walked the road?” Alice points out.
“Is it surprising that she lied?” Jen chimes in.
“She didn’t lie,” Rio defends.
Your jaw clenches, you close your eyes and take a breath. You speak calmly, “Agatha, please… tell them truth about the road.”
She plays with the locket around her neck, “The ballad… I made it, with our son. That’s why I know it’s originally coven 2, it’s about me and him. It wasn’t even about witches, it was about the winding roads we used to have to travel.”
“What really happened to him?” Lilia is the one to ask.
Neither Agatha or Rio speak up. You bring your knees to your chest and face away from the coven, “Nicky, was born sick… he wasn't- he couldn’t. He was made from scratch. With tears of a fallen angel and a heartbeat from death.”
“Rotten ingredients,” Rio doesn’t hide the crack in her voice.
You nod, “Agatha was the only one who could provide him with flesh. It didn’t matter, how much with loved him. Our ingredients just never mixed well. Nicky wasn’t the first, but Agatha begged and pleaded.”
“And threatened,” Rio says quietly.
“Rio had already broken the rules for me. To do it again so soon, was a big risk for her.”
Alice was the one to ask, “What did you do?”
Rio bites her lip, “I could only give him time.”
You bury your head in your knees, “Being around him could’ve gotten Rio in trouble, so we all decided it would be best for us to keep our distance from Nicky.”
“How much time did he get?” Billy asks.
“He was only 6,” Agatha clutches the necklace harshly.
You bury yourself further into your knees as if it would protect you from her words. Rio looks at the ground, unable to relive this yet again.
The coven looks between the three of you, piecing the rest of it together. The tragedy of it all displayed across each one of your bodies.
“The one day I didn’t kill any witches, he died. I went on a rampage after that, I used the ballad to lure witches into my trap. Then I’d get them to attack me and drain them of their powers,” Agatha explains wiping her own tears.
“So that’s what you were going to do to us?” Billy asks, but his tone isn’t accusing.
“Pretty much,” she says with a bored tone.
Jen interrupts, “So you knew it was him the whole time, even with the sigil?”
“Well as soon as the road appeared, I had a hunch.”
They all begin to go back and forth about how it was all for nothing and unfair. The spew words of negativity at Agatha for hiding the truth from all of them. It doesn’t sit right with you or Rio.
“Are guys even listening to yourselves? Alice you aren’t cursed anymore, Lilia you’re done running from your powers, Jen you’re unbound, and Billy you reincarnated Tommy, all thanks to Agatha. So, what are you bitching about? She helped you all achieve what you wanted, whether you want to admit it or not,” Rio goes off on the group.
“She deserves this and as her coven you know that,” you say, getting to your feet.
“Fine, I’ll do it, just don’t kill me” Billy speaks up.
“Scouts honor,” Agatha says as Billy gears up to shoot her.
You stand next to Rio, leaning on her slightly. She wraps her arm around your shoulder, pulling you further into her side. She feels your eyes on her and meets them. You slowly glance over to Agatha and Billy and then back at her. She shakes her head and you nod to yourself.
When Billy shoots Agatha the coven gasp seeing Agatha’s power in real time, sucking the magic out of the boy.
“She’s going to kill him,” Alice mumbles under her breath.
“She won’t,” Lilia and Jen say at the same time.
Agatha hears them and subtly surprised by their confidence in her. Upon hearing it, she cuts the ties with Billy. He stumbles to the ground, but is quickly helped by the rest of the coven.
“Finally, everyone get what they wanted?” Rio claps her hands together.
The all hum in agreement.
“Great, now get out,” she points to the exit of the backyard.
It starts a commotion again as they start to talk over each other.
“SILENCE!” Your voice echoes causing them all to stop talking. “I get it, you’re a coven now, found family yay, etcetera, etcetera. As a familiar who has been separated from her witches, I would really hate for you to get in the way of what would be our first time alone together in centuries. That would really piss me off.”
They murmur in consensus.
“We’ll let you know when it’s ok to come over,” Agatha says shooing them away in the process.
They all pile into Billy’s car and the three of you wave them away. As soon as they pull off, you enter Agatha’s home.
“Well, now what?” Rio asks.
Agatha flicks her fingers replacing her dirt covered clothes, before doing the same to you.
“I don’t know about you, but my back has been begging for a mattress after sleeping on that awful ground,” Agatha cracks her back.
“Pillows,” you nod in agreement.
The three of you climb up the stairs to the bedroom. Once you’re inside, you fall face first into the middle of the bed. Moaning in pleasure as the bed melds to hold your body.
“I hope to hear more of that later,” Rio lays in the space to your right.
Agatha lays to your left, “Such a pretty sound, sweetheart.”
You groan, turning your head between the two women, “Yes, later we can do that, but now it’s time to sleep. So less talking, more cuddling.”
“It’s not even 5 pm.”
“I can go sleep on the couch if you want to argue with me,” you tell them.
“No,” they say in unison.
You smile, “That’s what, I thought. Now, hold me.”
Agatha and Rio’s fingers intertwine as they wrap their arms around you. It’s warm and safe, the horrors of the road, no longer haunting.
You too, had gotten what you wanted from the road. It was this. Rio and Agatha; you all back together. For a moment, having a simple domestic life.
You knew it wouldn’t last long, especially now that Agatha had her own little coven of chaos. Yet the thought of it made you smile. As long as the three of you were together, everything would work out alright.
#lowkeyerror#agatha x reader#agatha harkness imagine#agatha harkness x rio vidal#agatha harkness x reader#agatha harkness#rio vidal x reader#rio vidal#lilia calderu#jennifer kale#alice wu gulliver#billy maximoff#agatha harkness x rio vidal x reader
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The thing to understand about Amy Dallon is that she's an incel. You'll make so many mistakes in trying to understand her character unless you start from this lens.
She has:
An abusive home life which encouraged emotional repression and resentment
An inability to change for the better, despite being socially and economically suited to do so (by virtue of being a parahuman)
Most importantly, a strong belief in the just-world hypthesis; in her mind, bad things only happen to unjust being, good things happen to good people, and doing good things regardless of intent/sincerity entitles you to a reward
These are all traits she has common with incels based on how they describe themselves and what they believe. There's this belief in the fandom that her sexually violent behavior came out of nowhere, but I posit that these character flaws, combined with Amy's knowledge that Victoria would never willingly reciprocate her feelings, provide the perfect setup for her to do what she did.
I don't think was an accidental writing decision either, like Taylor's attraction towards women. It really feels like Wildbow purposefully wrote Amy's downfall to parallel stories about "nice guys" who fly into meltdowns or become crazed stalkers after finding out that no, basic decency doesn't entitle the object of your affections to fuck you. Men who, despite real challenges, have the resources to become well-adjusted but refuse because they completely lack an internal locus of control. Just like them, Amy had resources outside of her abusive family in the form of the PRT, who despite their own issues would have moved heaven and Earth to make sure they didn't lose a valuable cape like her. Instead, she continued to hide her deteriorating mental health and continued to harbor feelings she knew wouldn't be reciprocated until she finally messed up like she'd always been meaning to:
"Do you know how many hours I’ve spent awake at night, wishing my powers would just go away, or that some circumstance would come up where I’d make some excusable mistake where they would eventually forgive me, but where I couldn’t visit the hospitals anymore?”
Another commonality with incels and "nice guys"; not wanting to actually get better, but waiting for a reason to let their worst impulses loose.
I also think this was the reason Amy's character drive Wildbow so crazy. Imagine, you write a character whose mental illness and entitlement cause her to rape and mutilate her sister, who has clear parallels to an incel's violent reaction to being rejected. The response by a not insignificant part of the fandom is accusations of bigotry, because they have invented a version of your character in their heads that has all of her identity markers but none of the characterization you wrote. Coincidentally, most of this part of the fandom hasn't read your work to completion, if at all. Some of them even blame the sister for being raped! This isn't helped by the fact that you are a bit homophobic, that you wrote your protagonist to be bisexual but didn't realize it, that you described the sexuality of one of your bisexual characters as "hedonist", that you inexplicably wrote a character who canonically looks butch, is obsessed with your female protagonist, but is somehow straight. Maybe you could have done some of that better, but the fact that your biggest detractors are fans of your incel rapist is confounding to say the least. Combine all this with the inkling suspicion that this discourse wouldn't exist if you had written Amy as a man...yeah, I kinda get why Wildbow went insane about her.
Now, I'm not writing this as some sort of callout for a fictional character. I love evil women and seeing Amy actually lean in to being an incel crashout would have been fun as hell. But I really hate this idea that Amy was a poor little meow meow whose character was assassinated by the author. The pieces are all there, you just understand this character less than Wildbow which is really saying something.
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Saw @artsymeeshee hospital sketches of the sea grunks and thought to myself, is this finally my time to write some brotherly angst for these two? The answer is yes. Short but sweet, please enjoy.
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The first thing Stan becomes aware of is the noise.
A constant beeping right next to his ear. Loud and high-pitched and repetitive and unfortunately very familiar to an old grifter with bad luck like him. He would be a lot more annoyed with this sound if his last clear memory wasn't of roaring waters rushing past his ears, stealing his hearing and leaving nothing but white noise behind.
He'd rather take the beeping.
Next comes taste, which, ugh! He could have gone without that! The feel of scratchy sheets is not much better but it tells him that he is in one of the better hospitals. Believe it or not, the better the hospital, the scratchier the sheets. Ford should cool it with the mystical beasts and research what's up with that!
Speaking of Ford.
Stan keeps his breathing even as he slowly opens his eyes. The light has been dimmed in anticipation and he blinks a couple times at a ceiling that is painted a nondescript beige color. He looks at it for a moment and for some strange reason he suddenly feels a fierce urge to video call Mabel.
But first things first.
Stan slowly turns his head to the side which actually hurts. Don't they have him on the good stuff?
Just as he expected, there is his brother. Ford has squeezed himself into the same bed as Stan, facing his brother's prone form. Stan can't help but smile. His brother must have bullied the nurses into letting him stay. The bed is way too small for two grown men but somehow the genius has managed to practically fold himself into a compact ball, leaving enough room for all those fancy machines connected to the patient. One of his hands lightly rests against Stan's chest which he hasn't even noticed until now.
Ford's eyes are closed but he is mumbling under his breath, reciting one of his journal entries from memory.
Stan winces. His brother must be really rattled by this little mishap.
‘Great job giving the guy another thing to worry about, Stanley!’
“I think climbing into the hospital bed with the patient is against the rules, Sixer? You are not supposed to do that.”
He was going for levity and humor but his hoarse voice kinda ruins that.
Ford's eyes don't snap open. He doesn't gasp or jerk upright or anything like that. Instead he takes a shuddering breath and deliberately opens his eyes. They find Stanley immediately and there is not a hint of surprise in them. Stan wonders how long Ford has known that he's awake.
“Same to you,” Ford says and his voice is so flat it causes a shiver to run down Stan's spine.
“Hey, s’not like I planned for this to happen.”
“I would be very cross with you if you had planned falling overboard, Stanley.”
Ford's emotions still feel weirdly flat. He isn't even lecturing and scolding Stan for his reckless behavior, just presses his six-fingered hand against his chest and stares at him with those blank eyes.
“I'm alright.” Stan shifts so he can face his brother and, damn, those ribs are definitely cracked. He briefly wonders if that happened in the fall or whether someone had to do CPR on him and quickly decides that maybe he doesn't want to know. Close call. Much too close. “I'm alright, Ford,” he repeats as if that makes it true.
For the first time an emotion flickers through Ford's face. He narrows his eyes and for a moment Stan thinks he's angry but then a single tear runs down an unshaven cheek, immediately seeping into the pillow.
“I thought I lost you for good,” Ford whispers, voice tortured. “I couldn't find you. For the longest time. I looked and I looked and you were just… gone. I couldn't find you!”
‘Same to you,’ Stan echoes with a bit of a bitter edge, mind replaying thirty years of hunching down in a dusty basement in a matter of seconds.
But this is not about him and Stan is, no matter what some might want to tell you, not an insensitive asshole.
“You did find me,” he says. He doesn't actually know if that's true. The time after he fell into the ocean during that storm is still a bit of a mystery to him. All he remembers is the noise of the water and how cold he felt and a voice screaming his name, over and over, growing fainter with each wave crashing over his head.
But Ford needs some reassurance right now. And the best way to reassure Ford that Stan is alright is by proving his alrightness with a good, old Pines hug.
He lightly pulls at the hand on his chest and with a cut off gasp Ford immediately obliges, scooting closer until they are entwined with one another just like they were as kids when the nightmares became too much to remain separated by a bunk bed.
“You found me.” Stan repeats and ignores the tears soaking into his hospital gown.
‘That's what we do,’ he thinks with a content smile, eyes falling shut with exhaustion. ‘We always find each other again.’
#gravity falls#stanley pines#stanford pines#sea grunks#gravity falls fanfiction#stan and ford#stangst#I love that word#Also if you tag this as ship I will lose it#And block you#They are brothers!
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The Arrangement
Din Djarin x F!Reader
Summary: You entered into an arrangement with Mando find some physical relief from the monotony of hyperspace as you travel through the galaxy together as a formidable team of bounty hunters. When you did so, there were three clear rules: that it would not impact your professional relationship, that there were no strings attached and most importantly of all: that Mando would never, ever remove his helmet.
When you carelessly let your emotions get the better of you and undermine those rules, you fear you have lost the man who means everything to you and discover that you miss much more than merely the physical encounters…
Word Count: 7.1k ✯ Rating: Explicit 18+ MDNI ✯ Content Warnings: Smut, light angst, oral sex (f receiving), unprotected sex. ✯ Author's Note: Well, this was by far the spiciest thing I have ever written and I hope you like it! I get the urge to write smut very occasionally and it was actually pretty fun to explore this side of a relationship with Din. Thanks to the lovely @decembermidnight for helping me out with this one and encouraging me through it! Very much a "Goooood Anakin, gooooood," dynamic. Nervous about posting this one so I'm going to run and hide now but hope you enjoyed it! :)
✯ My Masterlist ✯ Read on AO3 ✯
As you lie forlornly on your bunk, isolating yourself further from the man who has already put distance between the two of you, you rue the day you ever allowed yourself to enter into an arrangement with such an elusive man. You think back to all the moments you have shared since your paths first crossed, reminiscing over each one of your encounters.
Tonight is not the first night you chastise yourself for allowing yourself to become entangled with a Mandalorian; far from it.
Since you and Mando first started sleeping together, there have been frequent occasions when you have regretted the day that you gave into your desires and ever allowed yourself to end up underneath him, especially since he is so reclusive and aloof by nature. His reserved nature occasionally frustrates you, though you have always successfully hidden that. Well, almost always.
Mando’s withdrawn, quiet nature began as an attractive trait. His stoic, quiet nature first drew you to him as a business partner.
Except, now you have become something more to each other, such a trait prevents you from knowing him entirely.
And, boy, do you want to know him entirely.
Unfortunately, it seems as though you never will. A fact that you are painfully aware of now Mando cannot even stand to be in the same room as you. He is always hiding away in the cockpit.
You are frustrated at yourself for ever allowing yourself to feel so deeply for him.
What started as a casual arrangement is undeniably something more to you now. He means something more to you now. The man whose presence you cannot bear to be without. The man whose absence creates a great cavernous void in your chest that feels overwhelming.
The arrangement between you and Mando started as a physical release for you. A way to scratch an itch. With no strings attached, the arrangement was merely a way of passing time as you hurtled through hyperspace to collect the next bounty.
You were instantly attracted to Mando since you first glanced at him in the Cantina on Nevarro. With his broad shoulders, narrow waist and imposing form, it was impossible to tear your eyes away from him when he strode in. Even though mostly hidden beneath his armour, you were certain he was gorgeous.
Then you heard him speak.
Maker. His voice. So deep. His tone was so even, including when he was frustrated by the conversation with the head of the Bounty Hunters’ Guild on Nevarro. Even in the face of adversity, Mando kept his composure. The hulking warrior seemed so composed, so certain. His voice was calm and steady.
As a fellow member of The Guild, you were unable to resist the tempting urge to eavesdrop on his conversation with Greef Karga. You heard all about how Mando was struggling to afford the interest on paying off the ridiculous loan he had taken to buy the antiquated Razor Crest. You discovered he was having increasing difficulty covering the fuel that the old girl guzzled. After hearing about his predicament, an idea formed in your head.
It was rare for two members of The Guild to collaborate in such a way. After all, Mando should have been your competition. Something about him was drawing you to him, though. You felt compelled towards him, as though some invisible Force was pushing you together.
You proposed an arrangement to him.
In return for keeping the credits from your jobs, this mysterious Mandalorian would provide transport, lodgings and fuel in his ship. Considering it was an offer to have one of the best Bounty Hunters in the parsec come aboard his ship, you knew it was an offer he could not refuse. Sure enough, Mando accepted.
You had been together ever since.
At first, the arrangement was strictly business. You both kept yourselves to yourselves. Never prying into the other’s affairs.
However, after a couple of months spent traversing the galaxy together, there was a shift in your dynamic.
It turned out that two people existing together in a confined space with only each other to converse with to break the monotony of endless hyperspace lanes would find conversation and, eventually, friendship in each other. Despite their best efforts to avoid such a dynamic.
While friendship blossomed, so did other feelings.
You had never been able to deny your attraction to Mando to yourself. Pretty soon, you could not even deny it to him. Not when he asked you outright after imbibing one too many flagons of spotchka.
The first night you slept together was after a particularly heavy night of drinking at a seedy Cantina next to the shipyards of Corellia. There had been an unavoidable tension in the air that night. The alcohol had only enhanced your existing attraction towards each other to the point where it was no longer possible to ignore. The booze finally gave you the courage to vocalise them.
The tension which lingered in the air all evening was only magnified when you finally staggered back to the Razor Crest. It was practically suffocating being so close to him in that old ship.
In hoping that you would quickly fall into Mando’s bunk alongside him, you had vastly underrated the meticulousness of your business partner.
Even in your inebriated states, he had taken the time to lay out the ground rules. Despite how desperate you were for him, every inch of you aflame, Mando had insisted on setting some boundaries before your first time together.
Firstly, he insisted that sleeping together should not get in the way of your professional relationship. Mando would not give you favourable rates or discounts, nor would he expect them from you, just because you were sleeping together. He made it abundantly clear that, at any time, either of you could back out. The end of the arrangement would not impact your life together.
Secondly, there were no strings attached. No feelings. No declarations of love were wanted nor expected. Ideally, no emotions at all; this was strictly a physical relationship. You were to enjoy each other’s bodies and bring each other pleasure, but that did not necessarily mean that feelings ran any deeper than merely enjoying the way he relentlessly pounded into you, night after night, as you soared through the stars together.
Thirdly, and most importantly to Mando: the armour stayed on. All of it. Including the helmet. You were never, under any circumstances, to question this rule. You were never to attempt to remove any of his armour. If you did, it would not only terminate your physical arrangement with Mando. But your professional one, too.
You were so desperate to finally relieve the tension that had been simmering for months that you were more than happy to agree to terms.
You did not regret your decision for even a moment once Mando ended up in the bunk with you.
In allowing your desire for him to win out, you discovered that he was a skilled lover, even with the limitations of his armour. You could not touch him, see his face or feel his mouth, but he made it work. He always ensured you came first, knowing exactly how to please you.
Your encounters with Mando were a way to blow off steam, a release you both craved. It broke up journeys and brought you closer together. Your professional lives went from strength to strength. You were attuned to each other’s bodies. With each encounter, it felt as though you were slowly becoming one.
Even if you feared catching feelings for Mando, you always consoled yourself that it would never amount to anything. You were sure he did not feel for you in that way.
Whenever you doubted the arrangement, you thought about how the positives far outweighed the negatives. After all, keeping your sexual encounters in-house, so to speak, was a far safer option than putting yourselves in such a vulnerable position, entirely at the behest of others. Your reputation as a formidable bounty-hunting team preceded you throughout the galaxy. You were certain that there would be no shortage of people who would be keen to seduce you and Mando for their benefit.
The arrangement was perfect for both of you. It satisfied your carnal desires.
At least, at first, it did.
The closer you grew to Mando, the more your lives became intertwined, the more difficult it was to respect how strongly he felt about keeping himself covered when you slept together.
To begin with, Mando only took his cock out of the confines of his flightsuit. His armour remained on, digging into your skin. The various plates of his armour colliding roughly with your skin was a sensation you did not mind one bit, especially the touch of his cool beskar on your flushed skin.
Although you were entirely naked before him, with every inch of your skin displayed. At first, Mando did not even remove his gloves.
During those early encounters, you would barely even touch him. Fearful of being scolded, of ruining what you had. He often took you from behind, pounding into you after he bent you over the crates or the edge of his bunk. Sometimes on the cockpit's dashboard itself, if you were particularly desperate for each other and could not make it down the ladder to your bunk.
Still, the more you and Mando got intimate with one another, the more desperate you were to reach the man below.
When he finally allowed you to ride him as he sat on the red leather seat of the cockpit, your ass brushing against the cool metal of his thigh plates, you took your chance.
You frantically pushed through the coarse material of his cowl and moved the material which guarded his neck so you could place your lips upon the soft, golden skin you discovered there.
Mando did not seem to mind, never pushing you away.
It became a ritual whenever you slept together. You, delighting as you sucked marks that no one else would be able to see, while Mando groaned and praised you.
You knew the marks were just between the two of you, for your eyes only. Still, their presence nonetheless gave you a thrill in the days afterwards. Especially, when you saw him interacting with others. To know that you had marked him. You had claimed him as yours.
It was a heady prospect that this formidable Mandalorian warrior had been reduced to a whimpering mess by your lips, by such a simple act. He had allowed you to claim him.
It was also a dangerous prospect… to think of him as yours.
You did not dwell on it for too long, however.
After that first time you desperately sought out his skin as you rode him in the cockpit, something shifted deep within Mando.
That small action had clearly awakened some previously untouched feelings in him. The next time you slept together Mando allowed you to remove his flightsuit. You had not acknowledged this shift or dared to believe that it could mean that he held any deeper feelings for you than the lust and desperation borne out of your encounters.
Still, from that day forth, rather than just taking his impressive length out and nothing else, he would undress himself and wait for you on the bunk, clad in nothing but his helmet.
It was a sign of ultimate trust. Of vulnerability from a man who you knew rarely allowed himself to feel such an emotion.
Now you lie here despondently at the knowledge that you have ruined everything.
Your heart constricts as you remember how close you and Mando once had been. How much you had trusted each other. Entirely. Unquestioningly.
Those times seem so distant now.
Now that you and Mando have stopped speaking.
Since your last encounter more than a week ago, which happened in the aftermath of a particularly stressful job on the forest planet where you had collected your latest bounty, he has not said a word to you.
Mando has been completely ignoring your existence… and you have a pretty good idea as to the reason why.
In fact, as you think back to your most recent encounter, turning over the thoughts in your mind once again, you are certain of the moment you ruined everything…
✯✯✯✯✯
You had barely made it to the bunk, so desperate for each other after spending days camped out in the undergrowth. Dirt still clung to your pores, invading every crease of your body. There had been no opportunity to use the sonic. You were preoccupied with loading up the bounty, as Mando started the Razor Crest’s launch sequence. Despite your dishevelled, filthy appearance, Mando did not seem to mind. He initiated another encounter without hesitation.
Your condition seemed to unlock something primal within him when you bore yourself to him, traces of dirt on your skin. The musky scent of the forest planet clung to him as he bared his hulking form to you after stripping out of his flightsuit. He was feral, desperate for you as he pounded into you at a merciless pace. Mando moaned loudly and chanted your name as though it were a sacred prayer until he finished with one long growl of your name in his deep, gravelly voice that strained under each syllable.
In the aftermath, as you lay on his strong chest, you allowed your mind to wander. You wondered what the man beneath the helmet looked like. Whether he was as attractive as the rest of his body suggested. His body was firm and toned without being overwhelmingly muscular. There was a softness to his belly and chest you appreciated. A physique more than appropriate for a man of his age.
You ached to move your hands beneath his helmet, tracing his features with your fingers so that you may see him in the only way possible for you to do so. To catch the vaguest of glimpses of the man who had brought you so much pleasure over the last few months.
Still blissed out from your multiple orgasms and barely comprehending the gravity of your words and how dangerously close to the line you were stepping, you said something which you wished you could take back almost as soon as the words were out of your mouth.
“I wish I could see your face when you moan my name, Mando,” you sighed as you lay there in the afterglow.
The shift was immediate. You felt Mando tense beneath you. Your comment had unsettled him. The guilt was immediate.
“Wait, Mando,” you quickly added, your blood ran cold as you realised your carelessness, “I wasn’t asking you to remove it… I was just thinking out loud. Please, Mando, I…”
Your words were cut off when he shuffled out from beneath you, disentangling himself from your limbs that had been entwined ever since you collapsed in a heap of breathless satisfaction after your latest encounter.
Without uttering a single word to you, you heard Mando’s heavy footsteps echo throughout the metallic hull and disappear into the fresher to finally wash the grime from his body.
When he finally exited, you attempted to apologise to him one more time. Unfortunately, he was thoroughly uninterested in anything you had to say. You stood before him, the threadbare blanket from the bunk wrapped around you, pleading for mercy. A formidable bounty hunter reduced to a trembling wreck, begging for Mando's forgiveness. Mando did not respond to anything you said. Instead, he immediately excused himself while mumbling about checking the hyperdrive generator.
✯✯✯✯✯
Throughout the last few miserable days, you have distracted yourself from the uneasy atmosphere which hangs heavy in the ship by thoroughly polishing each one of your blasters and thinking back to happier times.
Like the time when Mando stripped himself from his flightsuit for the first time and allowed you to finally see him almost entirely. As entirely as you ever would.
The way his taut, toned flesh felt underneath your fingers as you traced each ridge of his muscles with delicate, tentative fingers. His sweaty skin slapped against yours, an obscene noise which reverberated throughout the rest of the ship.
As you lie back on your bunk, you cannot help your fingers trailing down your abdomen. Lower and lower until they reach between your thighs.
You are stunned by how wet you are before you have even touched yourself, so turned on by merely the memories of Mando.
You gather your wetness with your fingers before you begin moving them in a circular motion over your sensitive bundle of nerves.
You think back to that first time you laid eyes upon Mando. His impressive physique. The way he picked up the pace to fuck you even harder when you raked your nails down his flesh. Moaning and grunting into your neck as you left marks down his broad back.
You remember the unmistakable scent of sex that lingered in the air afterwards, amplified by the fact there were now two bare bodies during your encounters, not just one. It was almost overwhelming to your senses, the scent of him. So masculine and musky. So Mando.
You groan at the memory, clenching around nothing. You feel so empty, desperate to feel the delicious burn as Mando’s thick cock stretches you and reaches parts of you never filled before. You slide two fingers inside yourself and begin thrusting out. Although it satisfies the ache, it pales in comparison to the fullness and completeness you feel whenever Mando snaps his hips forward and thrusts into you in one fluid motion.
You try to remember how he felt, pathetically imagining that your fingers are in any way comparable to his touch. To his length. It is the best you are going to get, for now.
Your nipples pebble and tighten beneath the thin cotton shirt you wear. The material provides some friction, but nothing as satisfying as when Mando would roll them between his thumb and forefinger, causing you to throw your head back in ecstasy. Still, you moan at the memory, continuing to thrust your fingers inside of you with one hand while the other massages your clit.
“Mando,” you gasp when you pick the pace up.
Both hands and your fingers working in tandem still are nowhere near as satisfying as even one of Mando’s thick, calloused digits.
“Kriff, Mando!” you yell as your legs begin trembling.
You are so close now. That familiar feeling builds somewhere deep inside of you. A coil tightening, ready to release.
A familiar voice behind you, tone full of concern, “Are you okay? I heard–” followed by a gasp of surprise and hastily retreating footsteps kills the mood instantly.
“Sith hells!” you exclaim, annoyed to have been interrupted when you were so close to climax.
That frustrated feeling soon gives way to embarrassment as you realise that Mando probably heard you from all the way up in the cockpit. He has spent much of his time up there, only descending the ladder to use the fresher or prepare himself rations. Even then, he usually only comes down when he can hear that you have sealed yourself into your bunk for the night.
You must have called his name far louder than you had realised in the throes of passion. You wonder how you will ever face him again. You pull your pants up and step out of the bunk, keen to at least attempt to converse with the stubborn buckethead.
Fortunately, you do not have to wait long. Mando soon emerges from the fresher. There is an awkward silence. He stands there, clad in his flightsuit and helmet, clenching and unclenching his gloved fists at his sides repeatedly. It is a mannerism you recognise well, usually seen when he is trying to size up a target or decide his next move. Is that how he sees you—as prey?!
“Mando,” you breathe, “Please, can we talk?”
Mando does not move a muscle. He stands perfectly still, at full height. A looming, intimidating presence in the darkness of the hull.
“Look, I know I upset you the other day,” you begin, sincerely laying out your feelings and hoping that he comprehends how remorseful you are. “I’m so sorry, Mando. Please believe me. I know what I said was thoughtless, but I wasn’t thinking. I would never expect you to take your helmet off for me. I know how much being a Mandalorian means to you. I would never try to come between you and your Creed,” you promise.
You briefly pause, searching Mando’s body language for the smallest clue as to his feelings. Unfortunately, he is so used to hiding his emotions from the rest of the galaxy that you cannot glean even a crumb of information.
“I miss you, Mando,” you sigh, “And not just like that!” you hastily add, hoping that he does not think your apology is in any way related to the compromising position he just caught you in.
Mando remains perfectly still. It’s progress, at least. He has not retreated. You take that as a sign to continue.
“I miss the nights we spent together in the cockpit, sharing memories of our past and discussing our hopes for the future. The way you would always make sure there was a warm cup of caf for me each morning when I finally hauled myself from the bunk. You were always so eager to rise, while I have never been a morning person,” you smile fondly, attempting to fight the tears that have suddenly pooled on your waterline. “Remember when you showed me each of your weapons? Showing me just how you liked them polished and ordered. Somewhere along the way, they became our arsenal, Mando. Our weapons are together in the locker, side-by-side. Just like us.”
You finally get the first clue of the impact your words are having on Mando when his broad shoulders rise and fall. The shaky breath he takes is amplified by his vocoder. Reminiscing has left him emotional on some level, too. It’s a positive sign. You make headway with it.
“I will forever be grateful for the day I overheard that conversation with Karga in that Cantina on Nevarro. Even though I used to curse this ship after I first came aboard, I think it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Without it and the loan you took out to cover costs, you would never have required someone else. I know…” you sigh, choosing your next words carefully as you are painfully aware that you are likely going to come dangerously close to overstepping another boundary. “I know that you do not always take kindly to strangers, Mando. I know that you have been alone for so long that you have probably forgotten what it feels like to be with someone else. But what we had was something special. I miss that. I miss us, Mando.”
Mando’s helmet falls, then. His unrelenting, steely gaze is finally off you. You are getting through to him. You keep talking, hoping that your words have the desired effect.
“You mean so much more to me than our encounters, Mando,” you confess. “I enjoyed every second, don’t get me wrong. But I would take them all back in a heartbeat to go back to how things were before. I would rather have only had you in my life platonically than having you like that and losing you…
What happens next catches you completely off-guard.
Firstly, Mando tilts his helmet up. His helmet is finally level with you again, focused on you. You look into the dark, T-visor where you imagine his eyes would be. You can almost feel his eyes on you. Your heart starts thundering. You feel that connection back. That spark.
Before you even have time to digest his actions, Mando’s deep voice finally breaks the silence:
“I love you,” he says simply.
Does he love you?! You are sure you misheard him. Your desperate mind is playing the cruellest trick of all.
“Y-You love me?” you choke out in disbelief.
“I do.”
“Oh, Mando, I love you too,” you tearfully whisper.
“Din,” Mando rasps.
You look at him questioningly.
“My name,” Mando nods, “It’s Din. Din Djarin.”
“Din Djarin,” you murmur the name of the man you love with such reverence, as though it is a sacred prayer, enjoying the way your mouth curves around each letter.
Your head is still spinning from Din’s declaration and the reveal of his name. You have barely had time to process the events which have just transpired when he drops the next bombshell on you.
“I want to remove my helmet in front of you,” Din declares, “I want you to know me entirely.”
“Din, I wouldn’t expect such a thing,” you shake your head frantically, “Just because we have confessed our feelings, I would never expect you to take such a drastic step.”
“That…” he sighs, “Is precisely why I am taking such a step.”
You do not have time to vocalise any further protestations. Before another thought can enter your mind, Din lifts shaky gloved hands to the side of his helmet. You hear the unmistakable sound of a Mandalorian helmet depressurising. Something you had only ever heard through the door of the fresher until now.
Din trembles as he lifts his helmet. The emotion of the moment takes its toll as he prepares to finally bear his face to you. Your mind almost goes blank. All you can hear is the blood rushing in your ears and his heavy breaths.
As the gleaming helmet finally begins to lift across his features and reveal his face to you, you get your first glimpse of the man you love.
You see patchy stubble across his jawline, a neatly trimmed moustache plush which sits atop plush, full lips, a strong nose and then, with his helmet fully removed, his most striking feature of all. His eyes. The most soulful pair of deep brown eyes that you have ever encountered.
Din Djarin is stunning. Heartachingly so.
With just one look at his face, you know that you will never be able to allow this beautiful man to slip through your fingers.
“Din,” you whisper, your eyes filling with tears as he stands there before you, his helmet clutched before him as he looks up at you.
There is so much nervousness and anxiety in his gaze that your heart aches for him. Unable to bear the eye contact any longer, Din bends down and places his helmet at his feet with a satisfying clunk.
He stands up straight again, but not to his full height. With his face bared and the slight tremble evident in his body. You no longer see a hulking Mandalorian warrior and feared bounty hunter. Instead, you see a frightened man, who has never known such intimacy before.
“You are so handsome, Din Djarin,” you whisper, as you close the distance between you.
Din’s mouth hangs open as your words sink in. You raise your hand, realising you are trembling with emotion, and timidly place it along his jawline. The patchy stubble is scratchy underneath your fingers.
“Devastatingly handsome, in fact,” you clarify.
“Thank you,” Din nods gratefully.
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Din swallows thickly, steadying himself. When his brown eyes fly open and meet yours again, you notice the apprehension has been replaced by something different altogether.
Din’s brown eyes are aflame, burning with desire for you. You sense he is desperate to act on his feelings, but unsure of how to proceed.
“Can I kiss you?” you request.
“I’ve never kissed anyone before,” Din murmurs, closing his eyes again.
“You’ll learn quickly,” you say encouragingly.
Din nods slowly, without opening his eyes.
You close the distance between you, hovering an inch from his lips. You want Din to make the final move, to bring your lips together.
When he finally does, it is so achingly sweet and timid that you are surprised this is the same man who has bent you over crates and driven into you over and over, at a relentless pace. Until you were bruised and sore the next day from the force.
Din pulls away, breathing deeply. A simple touch has been almost overwhelming for him.
You wait for his next move, allowing him to take the lead with what he is comfortable with. When Din finally leans in again, he is more eager to claim your lips. The kisses deepen, growing increasingly frenzied as your tongues collide. Your hand trails along Din’s jawline and grazes along his neck. When you move your hands into his hair and tangle your fingers in the soft strands there, Din groans and presses his body against you.
In response, you lean your head to the side to give him unfettered access to your mouth. Din does not hesitate to take advantage, deepening the kiss without hesitation. He moves his enormous hands up to your cheeks, cupping them in his enormous hands.
Your kisses grow more desperate and frenzied, the moaning and panting increasing. Although Din was inexperienced and clumsy at first, your teeth clashing and his tongue searching yours desperately before he learned a more pleasurable ratio of tongue to mouth, you discover that he is indeed a quick learner. He nibbles on your lip, using his teeth in a way that he discovers you like as you throw your head backwards and gasp his name. You are still getting accustomed to the novelty of being able to call him something other than Mando.
When your lungs burn, Din finally pulls away. The two of you furiously gulp air into your lungs, steadying your breaths as your eyes meet. You allow yourself to look at Din once again, admiring the features which are so new to you. Yet somehow, comfortingly familiar. You feel as though you have always known his face. In Din’s brown eyes, you see awe, shock and lust. Despite their already dark colour, they are blackened by something primal.
You are about to suggest taking this to your bunk when Din drops to his knees before you, a dark look on his face. You are about to question the gesture when he hooks his thumbs in the waistband of your pants and shimmies them down your legs as he goes.
He kisses a path up your legs, pushing himself up so he kneels one leg as he pays particular attention to your inner thighs. Din takes his time teasing you. He removes the final barrier between you, discarding the pesky fabric elsewhere.
When Din finally kneels before you, your glistening core bare to him you feel your knees weaken as he licks his lips at the sight in front of him. You groan, barely able to remain vertical. Thankfully, Din is holding your hips firmly in position, his gloved hands digging into your flesh.
At the sight of him on his knees like this before you, you think that this experience cannot possibly be any more arousing.
Then, his tongue touches you where you have been aching for him to place his mouth most of all, and you discover how wrong you were.
He wastes no time sliding his tongue through your wet folds. Din makes up for his inexperience with enthusiasm and you move your hands down to run your fingers through his soft, dark curls. Keen to keep him in just the right spot, especially when he finally places his tongue where your fingers had been frantically circling minutes ago.
“Din!” you gasp, when his tongue picks up its pace, clenching your thighs around his head and feeling his facial hair tickle your inner thighs.
Hearing his name fall from your lips in such a desperate manner only encourages him. He continues lapping at your core with a renewed fire and determination.
“Just there, just like that,” you praise.
Din continues for a few more moments and you feel your orgasm gathering pace within you. When your legs begin to shake, he moves his head back and you almost scream in frustration. But then you see the look on his face, and his sins are soon forgiven.
“Know how long I’ve wanted to bury my face between your thighs?” Din rasps, his voice barely audible and muffled thanks to his current position. “So beautiful,” he adds, before his tongue is on you again and all coherent thought leaves.
The pace is relentless now, Din swirling his tongue around your most sensitive spot as he seems driven to please you. To have you screaming his name so loud they can hear you all across the galaxy.
You chant his name over and over as your orgasm finally breaks, causing pleasure to reverberate throughout your body. Every inch of you is on fire for him. Din looks up at you, his brown eyes practically black. He makes an obscene slurping noise as he seems determined to collect everything on his tongue, not allowing a single drop of you to go to waste.
“Delicious,” Din rasps as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, looking at you with a satisfied smirk.
You cannot believe how much he seems to relish in your release. How much it arouses him. You know he has always enjoyed pleasing you, just as much as receiving his release. Now, his benevolent nature is on full display once again.
Satisfied you can at least stand by yourself, Din rises to his feet. He looms over you, eyes meeting yours and softening briefly, with something which looks suspiciously like love. You wonder how long he has looked at you like that. How many affectionate glances have been stolen from your eyes by his helmet?
None of that matters, now.
Your train of thought is interrupted as Din resumes kissing you, pinning you up against the cold metallic walls of the Razor Crest. You can barely breathe, unable to move for a few moments as he kisses you. Once you regain feeling in your trembling legs, you begin nudging Din in the direction of the bunk.
He never breaks the kiss as you stumble across the floor. Din cannot get enough of kissing you, his enormous hands roaming all over your body.
The kiss is only broken once the back of your knees hits the bunk. You sit on the hard surface, looking up at him flirtatiously through your eyelashes. You decide Din is far too clothed for your liking and move to free his straining bulge from his tight brown flightsuit. Before you can feel his familiar length in your hand, he places his hand on your wrist and moves you away from him.
You look at him in confusion before he whispers, “Lie back, cyar’ika. Let me take care of you.”
You do as he says, but not before divesting yourself of your clothes. You lie back, awaiting him. Buzzing with excitement to finally lay eyes on Din Djarin in his entirety.
You are entranced as you watch his muscles contract and relax as he removes his flightsuit. Broad muscles and chest bared to you, then his stomach and lower... his muscular thighs and toned calves. The most incredible sight you have ever seen.
Din crawls up the bunk and positions himself on top of you, supporting himself with his elbows as he resumes your makeout session with just as much veracity as before. He plunges his tongue into your mouth over and over, desperate to taste you.
It seems as though Din is scared that he will never have a chance to claim you like this again. Later, you will remind him that you are his for the rest of your days.
For now, you cannot form words, conveying your pleasure only through broken sounds which are torn from your body by Din’s skilled mouth.
The usual straining metallic groans of the Razor Crest as it hurtles through hyperspace are joined by its occupants’ moans and gasps as they collide.
You notice that Din has finally shed his gloves when he takes your breasts in his hands. Squeezing the soft flesh and staring at them as though it is the first time he has ever laid eyes upon them. In a way, it is the first time he has seen many of your features with his own eyes, finally free from the dark visor that distorts everything.
Suddenly remembering he can take your flesh in his mouth, Din begins kissing the valley between your breasts. He trails kisses along both of them, one at a time, paying them equal attention. As though he is worshipping you. Discovering new ways he can show his affection for you. With his helmet removed, an entire galaxy of new possibilities has been opened to him. Now, there are so many ways to demonstrate his affection for you, to revere all the parts of your body he loves so much.
Although you are enjoying his ministrations, you are growing somewhat frustrated by Din’s languid pace. The frenzied kisses and touches have given way to gentle, almost timid, exploration of your body from Din’s lips. When you are about to whine pathetically and beg him to pay attention to your aching buds, Din finally envelops them in his wet heat. He begins paying careful attention to the most sensitive part of your breast. The place where you most wanted his mouth.
You gasp as he begins mouthing sloppy kisses around your nipple, before finally swirling his tongue around your hardened peak. You arch your back off the bunk, giving more of yourself to him. Even in your desire-addled state, you think about how much better his mouth feels than gloved fingers and hands kneading your breasts.
You grind your hips up against Din’s hardness, desperate for some friction. Clenching around nothing as he continues sucking your nipple, each swirl of his tongue only making you more desperate for him.
When you can take it no longer, you place your hand on Din’s head and pull his hair lightly. He looks up at you, raising a dark eyebrow at you.
“Din, please,” you whine, desperate for him to finally take you.
Often, the man you knew only as Mando would tease you at this point. When he had used his deft fingers to draw an orgasm or two from you, leaving you desperate for him. You knew he was satisfied that you were ready for him, but he still wanted to hear it from your mouth. Before giving you what you wanted, he would command you to use your words in a firm tone. Imploring you to tell him where you wanted him.
Fortunately, it appears that the man who has confessed his love for you, will not cruelly tease you. Din is just as desperate as you are; aching for that moment when he finally enters you.
Din kisses a hot trail up the column of your neck, thrusting his hips against you in desperation. He joins his lips with yours one last time before leaning up and taking himself in hand to line himself up with you.
“Wanted to savour this moment but, kriff! You’re so perfect…” Din rambles, “Don’t think I can wait,” he grunts as he notches himself at your entrance.
“Then don’t,” you sigh, begging him to put you both out of your misery.
Din nods, joining your lips one last time before he slides himself into you in one swift, fluid moment. You practically see stars.
Somehow, he feels even bigger. It has not been too long since your last encounter. Even still, you have forgotten how impressive his length is. Your fantasies could not accurately capture how his hardness touches places so deep inside of you that you wonder how it is possible.
Although the friction and sensation are delicious, particularly as Din keeps pressing kisses all over your face and neck, you know that you won’t last long. Since Din caught you earlier when you were so close, you have been on the edge almost continually. Now, he is thrusting into you at a relentless pace. That familiar ache is back. This time, there are no interruptions. Din does not slow down or pull away. You quickly come with another gasp of his name.
After watching you come undone, you are surprised that Din does not let himself go. That he does not allow himself the release you sense he is so desperately chasing. Instead, he continues to ride out your orgasm as he thrusts into you harshly.
“One more,” Din encourages, cupping your cheek in his hand, “I know you have one more for me.”
You nod shakily, eager to please him. In response, Din clashes your lips together, grunting against your lips as he finds a new increased tempo that you are stunned he could muster. All the while impressively maintaining a steady rhythm.
“That’s it,” Din encourages as he feels the way your pants increase and your legs tremble.
When you come with another shout of his name, Din finally lets himself go. His thrusts become increasingly erratic before he finally comes with a shout of your name, burying his face into your neck. His pants are warm against your neck as he paints your belly with hot, thick ropes of his spend.
Din stays like that for a few more moments, careful not to hurt you with his weight as he regains his composure lying on top of you. You feel so content and begin absentmindedly tracing circles into his warm, broad back.
Then, he lifts himself from you. You smile when he lays his head next to you on the pillow, still feeling your heart leap as you realise that you actually get to look at his face. Din looks thoroughly pleased with the events of the night. Happy that he could please you over and over.
“I love you, Din Djarin,” you whisper fondly as you bring your hand up to his jawline, stroking his cheek softly with your thumb.
“I love you too, ner kar’ta,” Din smiles in return, turning his cheek to press a kiss on the palm of your hand.
Since that first encounter in the Cantina on Nevarro, you and Mando have always been partners. Travelling through the galaxy as a formidable, feared pair of bounty hunters.
Now, you and Din are partners… in every sense of the word.
#din djarin fic#din djarin smut#din djarin fanfiction#din djarin#din djarin x reader#din djarin x you#the mandalorian x reader#mando x reader#mando x you#the mandalorian fanfiction#pedro pascal characters#pedro pascal smut#mando smut#my fics#BYE hope you like this
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Home - Elrond getting all the hugs from his family because he deserves it and you’re never convincing me Finarfin doesn’t absolutely adore his grandson-in-law. Design notes and a bunch of headcanons under the cut!
Edit: Version without writing added at the end
Art only allowed for personal use ie. phone/laptop wallpapers.
Do not repost or upload. Reblogs are always appreciated.
Finarfin: Keeps away from weapons and harsh edges to his clothes to distance himself from the kinslaying. Unbound hair rather than Noldor braids or the like as his one link to the Teleri.
He doesn’t have any specific ‘colour’ because he’s married to a Telerin and has become High King of a very mixed group of elves over the years, especially as they started coming in the second and third ages. He doesn’t like coming across as some old school stubborn Noldo like his brothers were. His kingdom is for everyone.
He avoids solid red/blue like the plague though. Those are and always will be colours for Fëanor and Fingolfin. Part of it is distancing. The other is he *misses* them and can’t bear to wear their colours. Especially when they might never come back.
(Also Celebrian is the only one of his children or grandchildren to get his temperament ie. Soft and sweet but if you really push better run for your life. They’re very close. And literally who doesn’t love Elrond.)
Eärwen: Teleri are sea elves hence all the pearls. And I like the idea of the royal family having coral ‘crowns’ woven into their hair. Also only the women of the royal family wear pearls on their faces.
They also don’t wear gold, wearing jewellery of sea glass and pearls. They don’t use braids to keep back hair, instead twisting and pinning it, but Eärwen has her braid crown and the gold pendant as a call to marrying a Noldo. Finarfin did actually make the pendant for her when they officially announced the engagement, as was tradition for Noldor.
Elrond: Ok so I will forever see him in autumn colours because of Lotr and generally I think warm colours suit his personality. He’s gentle, welcoming. He wants to make you at home. His crown has the sharp design of the Noldor, but is less elaborate as a call to his mannish heritage, and to distance himself from the High Kings. He’s not a king. He doesn’t want to be. He has his hair loosely pulled back as a call to his Sindar heritage, only wearing clips gifted to him by the dwarves. Some of them came from Maedhros (based on my new design where Mae also wears clips gifted by the dwarves.)
Celebrian: Unbound hair in the style of the Sindar. (Also because Elrond always used to help her with her hair and she refuses to do it until he comes back.) Eärwen gave her the pearls to wear, but as a princess she doesn’t wear so many as a queen. She does decorate her hair with them though. Her clothes however are more Noldor in design, dark, rich colours, a heavier, less flowy material with the gold lined cuffs. The design is Mannish in origin. She also wears earrings, gifted by Elrond when they got engaged as was tradition in Numenor.
Essentially, she makes it very clear to everyone who her husband is after getting to Valinor. Especially with so many elves from Doriath - her father’s family and old friends/people - and various Noldor factions turning their noses at Elrond being a half elf who claimed traitor humans and kinslayers as family. So showing the more brash side form her mother, she made sure to shove it in their faces.
(Bear in mind, none of these elves who complain ever saw Elrond, and even fewer actually lived to the end of the First Age, so they have no right to judge anyway.)
In Rivendell, she was far more mixed in style, because no one really judged anyone. It was a celebration of cultures. She was known as their silver lady for a reason, and often wore silvery or white dresses, both in the style of the Noldor, and like her mother, Sindar loose cut with leafy embroidery as the only call to her Noldor heritage, but Celebrian also had her hair braided back.
In terms of Celebrian’s unbraided hair I’m also playing with the idea that loose, undecorated hair becomes a sign of grief or loss for Noldor some time over the First Age. She’s fully aware of that and uses it as a double meaning, only adding pearls when she hears Elrond is finally sailing.
This is also why Maglor’s hair becomes loose and wild over the years when he’s alone, and Mae’s hair is loose too at the end, at least until Maglor insists on braiding it for him.
#Finarfin#arafinwe#Arafinwë#Eärwen#earwen#Celebrian#Elrond#elrond peredhel#elrond half elven#silmarillion#tolkien#silm#silm headcanons#silm fanart#silmarillion fanart#Noldor#Sindar#teleri#Rivendell#ITHOF Draws#Finwëan family dynamics
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I'm So Proud Of You
Sylus x gn!Reader
This one was a little self-indulgent ngl... I should write a version with Zayne 💀
Warnings: hurt/comfort, banter, established relationship, crying, food, alcohol, teasing, hugging
Word Count: 1,617
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I'm so proud of you, sweetie. Why don't we-
I'm so proud of you, sweetie. Why don't-
I'm so proud of you, sweetie.
You rewind the message over and over. Your chin quivers. Eyes burn. Tears run in thin streaks down to your pillow. You sniffle, rewind the message, and hold your phone to your ear again.
I'm so proud of you, sweetie.
You don't remember the last time somebody said that to you. Can't remember a time when they actually meant it when they did. And even though it's just a voice message, you can tell Sylus means it. There's an earnest note to his tone. The weight of real pride in his words. You bite back a sob and rewind it once more.
I'm so proud of you, sweetie. Why don't we celebrate tonight? My treat. Anything you want, name it and it's yours.
The message ends. You cling to your phone by your ear, face crumpling as you finally give in to the emotions you drown in. Broken sobs and endless tears and heaving breaths. You don't expect it to vibrate, or play that familiar ringtone.
You hurriedly try to wipe your face and calm your breathing down. Sniffle, sigh, and finally hit the accept call button.
"Any thoughts on how you want to celebrate?" Sylus asks. You can hear the grin in his voice.
You try to subtly clear the lump from your throat. "Ah, no, I haven't really thought about it yet."
You can also hear it disappear when he speaks next. "What's wrong, sweetie? What happened?"
"Nothing! I'm fine, Sy, really." You cough again. "Just got a tickle in my throat, that's all."
You can almost feel his stare through the phone. That look he gives, with a raised eyebrow and a frown, to show how little he believes your weak lies. Before he can say anything about it, you press on.
"You said you made wine on Moments yesterday. What do you think would pair well with that?"
He's quiet for a second. You think he might not humor your delusions. But he sighs and speaks softly, "How does pizza sound?"
You chuckle. "Is this a new, trendy dinner idea I haven't heard about?"
"Let's find out, shall we? I'll order your usual."
"You don't know my usual."
His smile returns as he says, "Would you like to put a bet on that, sweetie?"
"Absolutely not," you answer quickly. "You sound way too confident."
He chuckles fondly. "I'll be there in an hour."
He hangs up without ceremony, as usual. You're left alone once more with your drying tears and the audio message on your phone. You take a deep breath, release it slowly. It's tempting to replay it again. To let that tightness in your chest build until you crumble once more. To imagine what his face looked like when he recorded it for you.
But, you know better.
You're a goddamn mess, and in no shape to celebrate with your perfect boyfriend. You only have an hour to make yourself look presentable. You have to make the most of it, for Sylus's sake.
-
You double and triple check yourself in the mirror. Your cheeks are clean and dry. Your eyes look mostly normal, if not a bit tired. Your clothes are nice, but plenty comfortable. For a moment, you can believe he won't notice anything amiss.
But that moment ends when you open the door to let him in, and his eyes flicker down to look at you. Really look at you. It's quick, but he takes in how you stand, what your hands are doing, the tremble at the corner of your lips when you smile, the bags under your eyes. There's no point trying to hide from someone who knows everything about you, from your usual pizza order to the slightest tells of when something is wrong.
Still, he's nice enough to smile and bend down to kiss your cheek, holding up the pizza box out of the way. "Last chance to place a bet," he teases.
You roll your eyes as you pull him inside, locking the door behind him. He beelines for the kitchen with a chuckle. While he grabs plates down, you pick up the wine to look at the label. It's simple but elegant, with a script font and a crow silhouette. Professionally bottled, of course. And you have no doubt the label itself was designed by a professional, if you know anything about Sylus. "When did you make this?"
"About ten months ago." He grins down at you. In the light of your kitchen, he looks soft and boyish, bright-eyed and warm. It's hard to picture this as the infamous Onychinus leader, dividing slices of pizza onto two mismatched plates. "Now that it's aged long enough, I wanted you to be the first to try it."
You smirk playfully up at him. "What if it's no good?"
He leans down, frowning just as playfully down at you. "What if it's the best wine you've ever had?"
You squint up at him. "You're deflecting."
He quirks a brow up at you. "So are you."
You both hold each other's stares for a moment. Then you crack, chuckling. He follows suit, standing back up and nodding his head to the living room where you already set out two glasses. He carries the plates with him. You almost laugh again at the sight of four slices precariously stacked on his plate.
You sit side by side as he uncorks the bottle and pours the rich red liquid into the two glasses. He passes one over to you.
You glance away nervously, bringing the wine to your nose to smell it. You smile bashfully at him. "I don't really know how to do this," you admit.
"Drink?"
You smack his arm. "No! All the, like, swirling and smelling and tasting all the notes and things."
"I didn't take you for a sommelier," he teases, but he brings the glass to his nose, too. "I'm not expecting a professional opinion, sweetie. I'm expecting your opinion."
Anxiety flutters in your chest; the desire to please him, to say and do everything just right, to provide the correct response.
To make him proud.
It mixes with the knowledge that no matter how you react, he won't be offended. Even if you spat it out across the living room, he would only worry about how he could improve the recipe for your tastes.
He watches you as you smell it again. It's fruity and floral, warm but not spiced. With a tentative sip, flavor bursts on your tongue. It's beautiful. Delicious. Smooth as it goes down your throat. You can feel the delight rolling off of him in waves before you see it as you take another sip. "This is really good, Sy! You try it."
He nods obediently as he takes a long, slow sip from his glass. Your eyes flicker to the motion of his Adam's apple bobbing around the swallow. "It's nice," he agrees. He holds the glass between you in a toast. You feel your throat go dry. "To my darling partner, who has achieved incredible things. I'm so very proud of you, and I can't wait to see what you set your sights on next."
You feel tears welling in your eyes again. The building heat that betrays their presence. You swallow thickly, try not to let your hands shake as you lightly clink your glass to his. He pulls his glass away, but his other hand supports yours, long fingers curling around yours and holding your glass steady. "What's wrong?" he asks, and, gods, he looks so concerned. Eyes sharp, brow tight. Determined to do anything to cheer you up, so long as he knows the source of your upset.
You sniffle and shake your head. You look away to wipe at your lower lids, unable to look him in the eye. "N-Nothing, I'm okay."
"Sweetie..." he warns.
Tears begin escaping down your cheeks before you can stop them. The words in your throat hurt to say. It's a painful admittance of the life you've lived. An agonizing truth that shouldn't tear you up as much as it does. It hurts to try speaking them. But it hurts worse to feel his eyes on you, his hand holding yours to ground you, the worry bleeding off of him. You inhale shakily, hoping to dislodge the stone that keeps you silent.
"Nobody has ever told me that before," you nearly whisper. You scrub at your cheek with your hand, trying to hide the evidence of your emotions again. "That they're proud of me. Or if they did, th-they never meant it."
His face softens. Sharp eyes become rounder, brow relaxes, lips curve back to neutral. He gently pries your glass from your hand and sets them both on the coffee table. Then his arms wrap around you, pulling you into his chest. One hand rubs your back reassuringly as the other pets your head. Your face finds a home in his neck, cheek pressed to his collarbones and rampant tears staining the collar of his shirt. He kisses your head. "I mean it. I know how hard you work. You never stop pushing yourself, always doing your damndest to reach your goals." His voice is a pleasant rumble in your ear. He speaks gently, taking his time with each word so they sink in deep. "I am so proud of you. I will always be proud of you. And if you ever need a reminder, I would be happy to say it over and over again, as many times as you need me to."
---
Tag List:
@the-golden-jhope @armycaratlover @sylusfluffymeow @cheesemachine44 @nyx2021 @angel-jupiter @thelittlebutton @pikachuzhc @pomegranatepip @cordidy @an-ever-angry-bi @thejysemongko @deusfoundry @that-lost-one @always-just-red @22carolina08 @lunaizhere @sine-nomine0 @beautifulthingsiadore @lalaluch @nothankyew @terriblesoup @jeleryyy @nezuswritingdesk @anaathxma @ssushi @mina7820 @monophobix @mentaltrouble2201 @mskaylacharite @nerrivm @ichosesparklingtorment @schnittled @animegamerfox @flamedancer13 @rebloggingislove @moonlight-inthe-sea @persepolys @satorubabee @sleepykittycx @moon-inthe-sea @perla-drg @leiakitty
#fanfic#fanfiction#sylus#sylus x reader#love and deepspace sylus#lads sylus#lnds sylus#love and deepspace#love and deepspace x reader#lads#lads x reader#lnds#lnds x reader#gn reader#x gn reader#gender neutral reader#x gender neutral reader
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Two

Pairing: College!Athlete!Bucky x College!Reader
Summary: Your friends Wanda and Nat drag you to a corn maze event at night. After a rather unpleasant encounter with Bucky, Sam, and Steve, you want nothing but this night to end. Unfortunately for you, you’ll have to find the exit first.
Word count: 6.2k 🌾 🎃 🔦
Warnings: Annoyance to lovers; scared!Reader; scare actor with chainsaw; scarecrows; protective!Bucky; little bit of sad!Bucky
Author’s note: This is me ignoring my wips and writing something that randomly popped up in my head. Wrote this all in one sitting but I’m actually genuinely happy with it :)
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“We’re going to get lost in there.”
“With your sense of direction, definitely, but thankfully you have me.”
You shove Nat in the shoulder lightly enough, grumbling under your breath, while Wanda on your other side snickers softly.
The brunette links her arm with yours. “We’ll stay together the whole time,” she assures you.
“Well, I left my bed for this, so this better be good!”
Natasha and Wanda insisted on visiting the corn maze event your town had to offer this year. And since they claimed it would be boring to do this in daylight you now are standing in front of towering stalks of corn being so close together, they obscure the view inside. Sure, it would be way too easy otherwise but, the easier this is, the faster you’d be getting out of here.
There is a clear cut through the corn, signaling the entrance to the maze, but you can’t see past the artificial fog swirling in the tunnel so that’s no help either. The branches over the entrance have cobwebs dangling down and a scarecrow is placed right beside the hole, its eyes glowing red with unnatural light.
A few dimly lit jack-o-lanterns path the way to the foggy entrance, giving only enough light to make sure you wouldn’t catch on uneven ground and fall before anything even started. That would surely be embarrassing enough for the night.
You can make out faint whispers coming from inside the maze, unsure if those come from other visitors or if they are simply sound effects. Either way, you don’t like it. It’s not like you get scared easily. But there’s something about the dark that had always irked you and you don’t feel like getting jumped by some scare actor tonight or some other shit.
There are a few other people standing in groups around you three, talking to staff members, or looking at the map of the maze to somewhat prepare. You don’t pay them any mind though. There is no way you’d be socializing tonight.
“Alright, let’s get this party started!” Nat exclaims beside you.
“I don’t see this being a party,” you mutter, “and shouldn’t we get a map as well? Might be helpful, you know?” The dry sarcasm in your voice gives way to the enthusiasm you are absolutely lacking.
“We don’t need a map. Come on!” Is all she says as she pulls you and Wanda to the entrance.
“Alright well, just so you know, I'm blaming it on you when we’re still aimlessly wandering around in there by dawn,” you warn, but there’s clearly amusement in your tone you can’t suppress and you share a quick laugh with Wanda.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.
It takes you three a little more than fifteen minutes to find the first checkpoint. You’re not sure if this is good or bad timing but at least you haven’t lost anyone of your small group yet so that is good.
The small flashlights you had been given earlier by an instructor cast narrow beams through the dense, twisted rows of the maze. Now, each light lands on the scarecrow ahead, its ragged form standing as still as the one you passed at the entrance. He only has one arm outstretched, clearly pointing in the direction you’ll find the next checkpoint.
“This way,” Natasha calls out, already turning to follow the path being pointed at. Her black leather jacket catches the glow of your flashlight as you walk behind her, Wanda beside you.
You hear a set of screams echoing faintly through the maze, the fifth one since you entered - an indication that in the distance, other visitors just got ambushed by scare actors in the dark. You have no intention of being next so you’re thankful for Nat taking the lead.
However, your gaze constantly darts behind you, checking your back every few minutes, convinced that at any moment something - or rather someone - might leap out of the shadows. You quickly assess and flash the path you had walked seconds earlier, before turning around again, paranoia creeping in with every step.
Distracted, you almost miss the tombstone jutting from the path ahead of you. Your heart skips a beat as your foot catches the edge, but before your face can meet the ground, Wanda’s hand shoots out. She firmly latches onto your jacket sleeve, pulling you back and steadying you, an amused laugh slipping past her lips.
“Thanks, Wan,” you laugh, a little out of breath.
“Getting lost already, ladies?”
You shriek, your heart nearly jumping out of your chest, and Wanda yelps in unison. You bump into her side, both of you spinning around hastily toward the source of the voice. Even Nat flinched, but she seems to recover quickly, letting out a low chuckle as she eyes the three figures standing before you.
You could practically hear the sultry smile she’s undoubtedly wearing behind you as she questions them. “What are you guys doing here?”
Yeah, what are they doing here? You narrow your eyes at the man who made you leap out of your skin.
Bucky Barnes. Of course.
In the middle of a creepy maze, with scare actors hiding around almost every corner, he somehow managed to sneak up on you. Typical. You shouldn’t be surprised he found you in a fucking labyrinth.
“Thought we’d check out the fancy attraction everyone’s been yapping about.” It’s Sam who answers, his words laced with a teasing grin as he stands slightly behind Bucky with his arms crossed over his chest, clearly entertained.
But Bucky didn’t even acknowledge Nat’s question. His focus remains on you, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips and that glint in his eyes you know so well. He’s evidently pleased with himself for catching you off guard. Fantastic.
Steve, who comes into focus on Sam’s other side, offers you girls a sympathetic smile. There is an apology written in the way he tilts his head. “We didn’t know you were planning on coming, or else we would’ve asked you to join us,” he says, voice sincere.
Before you can respond, Bucky cuts in, stepping forward with that infuriatingly confident swagger. He throws a lazy arm over your shoulder, pulling your stiff form against his side. “Ah well, we’re together now, so let’s stay that way. We’ll get you through this maze well-protected, girls.”
His voice carries that signature smugness as if he’s doing you some grand favor and you should be grateful. You’re not. Definitely, absolutely not.
You immediately shake off his arm, stepping away from him with a sharp glare. “Yeah, no thanks. We’ll manage on our own,” you argue.
Bucky raises an eyebrow, noticeably unfazed. His smirk deepens as he leans in, eyes gleaming with amusement. “Surely that scream said something different, doll. Don’t you think?”
You scowl. “Oh, shut up, Barnes-”
Steve interrupts you with his hands held up, palms open in a calming gesture. “Let’s not make this difficult. We’ll go our own way if that’s what you want.”
“Stay,” Nat drawls, standing relaxed with her arms crossed and shooting you a teasing glance. “It’s funnier that way.”
You cut her a look that should have been able to kill her. The corners of her mouth only curl higher as she turns back towards the path ahead of you.
You see Bucky’s grin from the corner of your eyes.
You all resumed walking, six flashlights cutting through the eerie darkness around you, their beams illuminating the narrow, winding path ahead. Despite your reluctance to admit it, having the guys with you provided some sort of ease. Your shoulders droop slightly and your gait becomes more confident.
More often than not you feel the hot gaze of Bucky on your skin but choose to ignore it, focusing on the path ahead so as not to stumble over another tombstone.
“So, have you guys started preparing for-” Steve’s voice breaks through the silence but gets immediately cut off by Sam.
“Hell no, no talking about classes, or practice for that matter. That ain’t on my agenda tonight,” Sam scolds rather loudly, his voice filled with mock severity. Nat snorts, still walking ahead of you, and you join in, a small laugh escaping as Steve sighs.
The moment was brief, though, as you round another corner and Nat calls out what lay before you. “Dead end,” she declares, her tone flat but unsurprised. “Turn around.”
Grumbling softly, your group pivots and you retrace your steps to take a different turn, only to find another winding corridor shortly later. This goes on for minutes - Natasha calling out dead ends and your group backtracking to find another path offering no more than the last. The guys didn’t take a map with them as well.
You don’t fail to notice the constant presence of Bucky at your back. Each time you turn a corner he seems just a little closer, the warmth of his proximity soothing the nerves in your veins and helping with the chilling air that comes with the night. You ignore that, though.
However, you can’t ignore the fact that you did not once turn around to check your back since he and the others expanded your little group and Bucky took his place at your back. It’s strange. All the paranoia and unease from earlier had softened somehow, as if his irritating confidence bled into you, making the maze feel a little less menacing, the darkness a little less suffocating.
You feel almost reassured by the steady weight of his attention at your back like his silent presence can ward off any sense of danger.
You’re not sure how to feel about that.
Suddenly, loud menacing laughter erupts from the thick corn wall beside you. The sound is dark and jarring, cutting through the air and sending a bolt of fear through your chest. You startle with a gasp, instinctively reaching for Wanda beside you as you jump away from the bushes, your hand clutching onto her arm.
Your heart pounds violently, the adrenaline making your breath quicken. You’re too lost in the moment to notice the steady hand that has settled on your back - Bucky’s hand.
Without a word, he keeps his palm firmly pressed against the fabric of your jacket as his other hand shoots into the corn wall. You barely register his swift movement until you see him yanking out a small device - a microphone hidden in the stalks, playing that sinister laughter on repeat. With a click, the sound stops.
“Just an audio, doll, everything’s alright,” Bucky explains, his voice low and calm, the teasing edge from earlier absent.
Your breathing slows and you let go of the death grip you had on Wanda’s arm, not registering how tightly you held onto her.
Bucky’s presence remains solid and you glance at him quickly, expecting to find his usual smug grin or some sarcastic remark waiting, hoping you don’t look as embarrassed as you feel.
But there’s none of that. Instead, his expression seems almost grim as he eyes the microphone in his hand, a hint of disgust crossing his face, lips twitching. Without much care, he tosses the device back into the corn, not bothering to see where it lands.
His other hand still lay pressed against your back and you let it ground you for a fleeting second.
However, the shock transforms rather rapidly into confusion. Shouldn’t he be delighted it went on right as you passed it? Usually, he would revel in something like this, tease you for your reaction, and flash you that infuriating smirk.
He doesn’t.
You keep walking for another few minutes, the tension slowly easing back into a manageable rhythm, when Sam barks out. “There! Second checkpoint! Y’all that’s on me!”
He moves past Wanda, stopping in front of a small carton laid out on a makeshift table. Scattered across the surface were pieces of a puzzle, all with seemingly random lines on them. Four small wooden stools sat nearby, clearly set up for people to take a seat while working on the puzzle.
“A puzzle?” Bucky asks incredulously, coming to a halt with a frown, his hands on his hips.
“I think it’s cute,” Wanda offers with a smile, moving to one of the stools and lowering herself down. She picks up a piece, studying it as she begins sorting through the chaos. You agree, following her lead and settling on a stool beside her.
“You too cool for a puzzle, Barnes? Or are you scared you won’t be able to solve it?” you mock half-heartedly, your eyes already skimming over the pieces, trying to find where they fit together.
Bucky scoffs, his teasing tone returning full force. “Joke’s on you, sweetheart. I’m an excellent puzzle solver. Always did this with Bec’s when she was small.”
His voice was lighter now and you feel yourself relax a little more at the returning banter settling between you.
Though you find yourself thinking about the small comment about his sister you keep stuck on and curiosity rises in you at the little insight in his former private life. You shouldn’t find this as interesting as you did. And you shouldn’t want to know more.
Bucky lowers himself into a crouch beside you since the two other wooden stools sit beside Wanda. Nat and Steve sit down on those with mild amusement, all eyes on the puzzle pieces.
Bucky stays rather close to your side, his thigh brushing against your own as he reaches over the small makeshift table.
Sam hovers over Wanda’s shoulder, offering commentary and the glow of his flashlight as she arranges the border pieces with surprising efficiency.
“It’s an arrow,” you quip, placing a few more pieces together with a minor sense of accomplishment.
“Oh yeah? How’d you figure that out?” Bucky smirks beside you, playful as ever as he gives you a gentle shove to your shoulder with his own.
Annoyance creeps back in and you roll your eyes. “Cut it, Barnes. What you’re doing over there isn’t helpful either,” you snap, shoving him more forcefully in return. He sways slightly on the balls of his feet, letting out a low chuckle that only grates on your nerves more.
For what feels like the hundredth time, you slap his hand away from the pieces you’ve already fit together. Bucky stopped sticking his own pieces together and rather enjoys reaching over and intentionally placing the wrong pieces onto yours, or worse, rearranging what you’d already solved, eyes twinkling with mischief and the corners of his mouth tugged high up his cheeks. Each time you fix it, he finds another way to mess it up.
You refuse to look at his blinding grin.
You huff instead, slapping his other hand away as it winds around your arms trying to sneak another mismatched piece into your section.
You're also too occupied to notice the knowing glances shared across the table.
“Alright, alright, let’s get this done so we can keep moving. I’m trying to make it outta here in one piece, people,” Sam jokes with a lightness in his voice that suggests he’s enjoying this rather thoroughly.
You finished the puzzle quickly, the final piece snapping into place, and you had to hold back Bucky’s hands, refraining him from spinning the whole thing to make the arrow point in the wrong direction.
A few minutes into the walk and a few dead ends later, Wanda breaks the comfortable silence. “When’s your next game again, guys?” she asks softly.
Sam let out a groan of exasperation, throwing his arms out dramatically, almost hitting Nat. “Oh come on! What’d I say about that, huh?”
He’d been walking at the front since he claimed his spot as the lead after 'earning' it by finding the checkpoint. He turns around as he talks, facing Wanda with a playful glare.
“You said no talking about class or practice. So, I can ask about games,” she counters with a smile.
From behind you, Steve’s laugh rumbles through the group. “She got you there, pal.”
Sam shakes his head, turning ahead again, muttering. “Yeah, yeah. Game’s next Saturday.”Though his annoyance is half-hearted at best.
Then, from beside you, Bucky’s voice breaks through, casual but directed. “You’re coming, right?”His tone is laid back with an underlying expectation. The question seems to be aimed at the group but he was looking at you.
Bucky had stepped up to walk beside you after you resumed walking, his pace matching yours and you see the way his head is tilted in your direction.
You glance up at him, blue eyes watching you. He obviously waits for an answer.
“Don’t know. Maybe I have to work then.” You shrug, playing it off, and look back forward again. But you’re surprised at the way your pulse quickens under his gaze and your hand squeezes the flashlight a little tighter.
You don’t always put a whole lot of effort into being there for their games. Sure, you showed up every now and then, but not nearly as often as everyone else. It wasn’t for lack of support. More like self-preservation.
Watching Bucky stride onto the field with that cocky confidence, owning every inch of the space around him, irks you incredibly. He’s good, and he knows it - he owns it.
Unfortunately for you though, sometimes you couldn’t shove down your annoyance for the guy enough and he, unbeknownst to himself, found a way of making your stomach flip in ways you weren’t entirely proud of.
Also, that football gear - You hate the way your body reacts upon seeing him in it as if it were the first time. The fitted jersey, the helmet tucked under his arm, the way his shoulders look even broader in the pads, the brown tendrils of his fluffy and tousled hair falling over his forehead - it all makes your stomach flutter every time and it drives you crazy.
So you found ways to avoid it. You picked up extra shifts at the library, checked the game schedule weeks in advance to make sure you had a built-in excuse. You told yourself it wasn’t a big deal, just something casual you were doing to avoid unnecessary distractions. But deep down, you knew better.
And so does Natasha - if her smirk in your direction is anything to go by. You glare at her to move her attention, but it’s useless.
You’re unprepared for the following corner of the maze, lingering in the echo of your thoughts. So when the scare actor does his job, emerging from the shadows and brandishing a chainsaw that roars to life in a terrifying symphony, your soul might have just kissed you goodbye.
The flickering light from the chainsaw illuminates his grimy, masked face, a wicked smile etched across his features, and eyes glimmering with twisted mischief.
You scream - just like Wanda, just like Sam. Nat lets out a quick yelp herself and you hear the sharp intake of a breath behind you from Steve. Bucky, who had seemingly been lost in his own thoughts, flinches beside you. In a swift motion, he surges closer, grabbing your arm harsher than probably intended and pulling you to his side. His leg instinctively positions his body in front of you.
The outfit of the actor - or that’s what you try to tell yourself he is - is a patchwork of tattered flannel and soiled jeans, the perfect embodiment of a deranged lumberjack. Raised high, the chainsaw vibrates with a menacing growl, its teeth gleaming wickedly as the man brandishes it like a weapon, the scent of gasoline mingling with the earthiness of the maze.
You clutch Bucky's arm, fingers digging into the firm muscle of his biceps as he stands protectively before you, his stance rigid and shoulders tense. Your other hand is linked with his, shaking fingers surrounded by steady ones. Though his stance is stiff and tense.
Time seems to freeze as Nat, Wanda, and Sam stand still in front of you, Steve’s presence at your back.
Your heart races violently in your chest, suffocating you, and for a moment, it feels like your breath stopped altogether as the chainsaw-wielding man lunges toward you six.
All you are able to do in your state of panic is squeeze Bucky’s hand so tightly you might have feared his blood circulation cut off, if your mind were able to conjure up a thought at the moment.
Bucky reacts instantly. Without hesitation, he pivots and bolts down the maze, pulling you along. His fingers clutch yours with such fierce intensity as if his only fear is losing you in this chaos.
Steve surges ahead, taking a sharp turn right while Bucky guides you left, then right, and left again; maneuvering the maze like a seasoned racer. The world around you blurs as you focus solely on keeping up, your heart racing along with your feet. All sense of direction is lost in the chaos and you can’t tell if Nat, Sam, and Wanda are still trailing behind or if they’re swallowed by the cornrows.
You try to take a glance back, hoping to catch a glimpse of red hair, dark brown skin, or Wanda’s long coat.
“Don’t look back!” Bucky shouts over the roar of the chainsaw, his voice snapping your head to the front before you can see anything else besides the blur of yellow-green walls. “Switch off your flashlight!”
You do as you’re told.
You could have had a relaxed evening, maybe taking a bath or watching a show with warm tea and popcorn but no, instead you find yourself chased by a man with a real fucking chainsaw.
Panic surges through you again, your breaths getting shorter at Bucky's fast pace and you feel his hand tighten. There’s an unexpected strength in the way he holds you, his muscles coiling with determination. He navigates the twists and turns with instinctive agility, intense eyes moving over to you every few seconds as if the only important thing here is you.
And somehow that is oddly reassuring and maybe a bit satisfying at the moment. All that mattered is Bucky’s strong grip, anchoring you as you run alongside him.
Around another corner, the path opens up to a small clearing that offers a momentary respite. Bucky pulls you into the safety of the space, pressing your back against the rough stalks of corn, their leaves brushing against your skin. You stand chest to chest, touching each other with every ragged breath you take in.
Bucky still seems composed despite all the running you just did.
He faces the direction you had come from, muscles coiled and ready to react, arms on either side of you, practically hugging you to his chest.
“We lost the others,” you pant, glancing around as best as you could with a mountain of muscle blocking your view.
Bucky’s face is a mask of focus, his eyes scanning the maze. “Yeah. Just stay with me,” he murmurs, lowering his voice, his breath fanning over your cheeks.
He takes another few seconds to assess the surroundings, before looking down at you. “Are you alright?” he asks softly, yet urgently.
You had never been this close to Bucky before, had never imagined such a scenario, and it leaves you unprepared for the overwhelming feelings that flood your senses.
The moonlight cast a slightly silver glow over his features but some remain hidden in shadows. His eyes search yours and you find yourself caught in the depths of his irises, a captivating swirl of blue that makes it hard to look away. His lips are parted slightly, soft breaths brushing against your cheeks and your nose fills with a scent that is something distinctly him. It doesn’t help with finding your voice. The slight furrow in his brow suggests worry as he scans your features.
You nod, still breathless from the scare and his proximity.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” you manage to reply, though just then, a chilling laughter echoes from around you. The sound of the chainsaw roars back to life, slicing through the stillness.
You flinch in Bucky’s hold, instinctively moving closer and burrowing half in his chest. “Fucking asshole,”you breathe out a laugh and Bucky tightens his arms momentarily around you with a low chuckle. He seems to relax a little.
“We’ll have to keep moving,” he states, a slight trace of amusement in his tone as he looks back at you. He lifts his hand for a second as if longing to tuck the loose strands of hair behind your ears that landed in your face after the frantic escape.
You ignore the sliver of disappointment as he takes his hand back and moves away slightly, letting the chill night air brush against your skin instead of his warm breath. You feel cold, despite the adrenaline pumping in your veins.
The laughing grows louder and Bucky links his hand with yours again. “You ready?” he asks, waiting for your nod before starting to run again, darting through the maze some more.
You have no idea how long it takes before you come to another stop but your chest heaves with exhaustion as you do, ragged breaths leaving your lips. Bucky stands composed with narrowed eyes, looking around the maze.
The silence between you is perhaps a little uncomfortable, the only sound being the heavy breathing of your own labored lungs.
“Well, shit,” you utter after regaining some semblance of balance. “How do we find the others? I have no idea where we are.”
Bucky’s eyes meet yours, his expression unreadable for a moment. He licks his lips, then shrugs nonchalantly. “Looks like it's just the two of us.”
Your incredulous gaze sweeps over his face. “Seriously?” you ask, coming out sharper than intended.
Bucky rubs his hand over his face, looking away from you. “I’m sure they’re fine. Not like anything ever happens in these things. Sam probably already made a bet that he makes it to the exit before we do. So we should just…try and beat 'em.”
You know he tries to seem like this doesn’t affect him at all but there is something about him that makes your stomach churn uncomfortably. He looks a little defeated, perhaps even…hurt. And you don’t quite understand why.
Bucky’s eyes crinkle at the corners slightly as he tries for a smile but it looks wry. “Come on, doll! We’re a great team,” he insists.
You raise an eyebrow. “Yeah, I don’t know about that, Barnes.”
Pain shoots through your chest. Not unfamiliar but not known around Bucky. His faltered expression stings and you don’t know what to do besides watching him drop his eyes to his feet and sigh heavily.
The sound feels like a punch to the gut, leaving you breathless once again but without running from a man with a chainsaw.
His hands move over his hair. “It’s still Bucky for you doll. Told you many times,” he says softly, voice heavy with a mixture of dejection and desperation. “And we don’t really have a choice now, do we? We don’t know where the others are and it might take hours to find them. Just looking for the exit of this thing would be easier. Bet the others are doing the same.”
He looks at you then, with a troubled expression, seeming so vulnerable all of a sudden, traces of the cocky football player lost somewhere in this maze.
You nod then, slowly, not able to bring a word out because you have no clue as to what has him this sad.
“Alright,” he continues, nodding to himself. “I think we might have run past the third checkpoint. Let’s find the last one.”
The silence between Bucky and you stretches out like a fragile thread, the tension building with each passing moment. You can feel him glancing at you every few paces and you look over at him every once in a while but nobody says anything.
You don’t even talk when reaching another dead end, just turning around and resuming to walk.
He seems to let you lead, though, taking the turns you do.
You let your gaze sweep over the maze’s twists and turns until something catches your eye. A small, narrow wooden post stands almost camouflaged among the corn stalks, and your pace quickens.
“Over there! Look!”
It feels weird to break the silence between you but you don’t look over at Bucky as you approach the post and hear him fall into step behind you.
It’s adorned with two wooden flags, both having slightly faded letters atop. You read the first one, a small riddle as it seems.
“What’s it say?” Bucky asks, his voice quiet and low near your ear.
The glow of your flashlight helps you make out the words. “It says…What has keys but can’t open locks? What has a face but no eyes, nose, or mouth?”
You chance a quick glance at Bucky beside you. His eyes narrow. “I think I know this one,” he says slowly. “A clock, maybe.”
You read the riddle again, feeling his eyes on your profile. “Yeah, I think that’s it.” You hesitate a second. “Damn, Barnes. Not only all muscle, I see!” You're grateful for the teasing tone that made its way back to your voice and out of the corner of your eye, you can see Bucky’s grin lighting up his face again.
“You’d be surprised, doll,” he replies softly, a smile in his voice.
It isn’t quite the answer you had expected.
You thought he’d dig out the fact that you basically complimented his figure and you snapped your gaze up to his, though he doesn’t meet your eyes, instead staring at the letters on the wooden post.
“So, it’s a clock. What do we do with that?” He questions and you slowly turn back, lighting up the wooden flags again.
“There’s more.”
You move your light to the second flag, starting to read what’s written there.
“I’m a number that’s often paired. In harmony, I’m the perfect tease. Together we’re a perfect pair. A balance of Yin and Yang to share. In the morning, I’m bright and bold. By night, I’m soft and gentle to hold. My presence is felt in every way. From sunrise to sunset, every day.”
You hadn’t even finished reading when Bucky began shuffling a little beside you, straightening his spine. He watches you in silence now and you do your best to ignore his gaze.
You had no idea who came up with that riddle, but you feel like slapping that person. The weird tension between Bucky and you only tightens, seeming to snap any minute and this is no help at all.
Those words seem to sear themselves into your brain, echoing with an unsettling intimacy, you either wanted to bask in or get rid of.
You feel yourself wandering down a dangerous road.
You stare at those words carved into wood and it is as if someone had been watching you two, studying your dynamic, and decided to reduce your complicated relationship to a text.
But do you really think so?
In harmony? A perfect pair? Yin and Yang?
You know there was always something. You can try to suppress feelings for all you want but how can you get rid of something you won’t even acknowledge in the first place.
You like him. You like him a whole lot. Damn it, there is just something about this idiot you have to adore. But you can’t tell him that. Not now.
Not when the weight of his gaze hasn’t left you yet and you feel a flush rise in your cheeks.
Finally, you meet Bucky’s eyes, still fixed on you, as if waiting for something. His expression is unreadable and you feel like bolting away into the corn maze and getting lost. Maybe forever.
How can he look so calm and rigid at the same time? You know he is affected by those words but it looks more like he tries to see what they do to you.
His eyes dart back and forth between yours, so intense, your throat constricts and you look away, clearing your throat in hopes it will break the spell.
“Two,” you croak out. “That’s the answer. We have to head towards two o’clock.”
You see Bucky nodding slowly from the corner of his eye, his jaw clenched and you begin walking again.
The tension is palpable, like a living entity that wrapped itself around you. Every step feels like a struggle as if you’re wading through quicksand, fighting against the undertow of your own emotions.
The silence grows so thick, you can hardly breathe.
Light.
There is light just around the corner, beckoning you forward and distant voices grow louder with each step you take.
But right after rounding the corner, fog appears, wrapping you in its damp, grey folds. It’s disorienting at first but feels just like the fog you had passed at the entrance so this has to be a good sign.
However, as you spin around, desperate to locate Bucky, he is lost in the mist and you feel the suffocating need to feel him, hands reaching out frantically, grasping at nothing.
“Bucky!” You call out, voice strained and urgent. You don’t even notice the nickname rolling off your tongue, torn from your lips as if ripped from your throat.
In an instant, a gentle touch brushes against your arm. You jerk back at first, startled, but then feel the soft pressure of Bucky’s fingers wrap around yours. His other hand takes hold of yours, touch so gentle and careful as if you are something to be treasured.
Your heart begins to race as you realize he is right in front of you, chest nearly pressed against yours just like earlier, though this time it feels much more intense, intimate, purposeful.
You strain to see beyond the veil of mist, but it’s like gazing into a void. All you can make out is the faint outline of Bucky’s form, his chest rising and falling with each breath. His breathing is growing ragged. He can run however long away from a chainsaw-wielding man but standing in front of you is what makes him lose his breath?
Blood is pumping through your veins and you feel it rushing through your ears. He’s still standing in front of you, hands holding yours, chest resting against yours and you feel his hot breath against your face again.
You try to comprehend what he is doing, why he doesn’t lead you to the exit, but deep down you know. He’s gauging your reaction. Maybe he saw something in your gaze while reading this riddle, maybe it was in the way you looked at him, or carried yourself. But something about the way you had acted seemed to have given him courage. He found something as he searched your gaze at the wooden post.
And now he’s waiting for you.
“Bucky,” you whisper, barely audible but the hitch of a breath right in front of you is an indication he heard you.
His name is a plea, a confirmation, the consent to continue what he started.
Bucky’s fingers caress your skin, moving up your arms in such a slow motion as if he’s mapping and memorizing how every inch of your skin feels under his fingertips. Shivers run down your spine and goosebumps erupt in the wake of his hands and you know he can feel it.
His hesitation tempers down with every second.
The touch of his fingertips is magnetic and although you can’t see it, it draws you in with an almost magnetic force. You feel yourself leaning into him, eyes fixed on the fog where you know his own are, as if willing to clear it, ready to see the exact kind of blue you fell for. But you know he’s looking at you, not seeing, but still looking. And that was enough to make your stomach flutter.
As his fingers reach your face he gently tucks the flyaway strands behind your ear, holding your face in his palms and tilting it just right. His forehead lands on yours and you take a deep breath in until all you consume is him.
You don’t care about the eyesight you are lacking at the moment. You wouldn’t even care about hearing that menacing laughter again, or the roar from the chainsaw, because here in Bucky’s arms you’ve never felt saver.
You feel his presence in every way.
And when your lips meet his, moving in sync, you know.
In harmony. Like the perfect pair. Yin and Yang.
“Hold your horses, people, I hear something.”
You ignore Sam’s voice outside the fog, attention set on Bucky and his plump lips, his tongue gliding in your mouth, exploring its new home.
“Barnes! Hey, man! Y/n! You in there?”
Sam’s shout again remains ignored.
“You lost, guys, everyone’s out here!”
Bucky pulls away at that, resting his forehead against yours. You feel his huge smile against yours, keeping your eyes closed.
“Nah,” he whispers against your lips. “I definitely won today.”

“The road might be long
The stars may not guide me
But if you keep your heart open
I will find you”
- Michael Xavier
#bucky barnes one shot#bucky barnes x reader#enemies to lovers#bucky barnes#bucky fanfic#bucky x you#bucky x reader#bucky x y/n#james buchanan barnes#protective!Bucky#corn maze#college!reader#college!bucky#athlete!Bucky
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I Laugh Like Me Again... She Laughs Like You - Part 2
Pairing: Azriel x Reader
Description: You're back home right when Azriel was starting to lose all hope, but is the person standing in front of him the same who disappeared all those years ago?
Warnings: Angst, mentions of blood, injury
Word Count: 6670
Notes: The original plan wasn't to write more of this story but I had a few ideas of where to take this and decided to turn it into a mini series, don't think it will be longer than 3-4 chapters. Also I don't know if the HoW has cells in the books but it does here and they're normal, not dungeon-y like, and the story is set after acosf but Amren never got turned into fae because I like her better like this. A lot of people liked the first part so I really hope this one doesn't disappoint. I hope you enjoy!
Part 1 ○ Part 3
Azriel was at the townhouse before he even fully realized what was happening. Didn't even give anyone an explanation, simply letting his shadows take him, barely hearing the questioning cries of his name. He didn't need to hear anything else aside from your name to know that's where he should be, his body moved before he even had time to formulate the thought.
Your sweet scent invaded his brain before he even arrived at the house. He'd be able to recognize it anywhere, he'd longed for it for so long after all. Every day when he opened his eyes, he hoped he would wake up to your scent floating around this house as it once did, as it did right now. He's not one to go into anything blindly, to run head first and only think about the consequences later, but this felt like his last chance. The loneliness that had settled deep in his soul had been replaced with hope with one word.
His shadows move to different corners of the room as soon as he's dropped off, leaving him uncharacteristically naked, unguarded. Even the shadows that would form naturally from the faint glow of the moon seemed to move off his face. They wanted him to enjoy this moment in full, this was his and only his.
In truth he barely noticed them leave, too preoccupied with the figure in front of him. He wouldn't have believed it if he wasn't witnessing it with his own eyes. How many times had he been haunted by this exact vision in his dreams? There you were standing in the sitting room, shining like a goddess under the moonlight filtering through the windows. You hadn't changed since the last time he saw you, only had gotten even more mesmerizing if anything.
Your hair was a bit shorter than you usually wore it, the tight pants a contrast to the usual short skirts you preferred. Then there was a scar running across your neck, even with the distance and darkness in the room he could tell it ran from ear to ear. It was a painful reminder of what you've been through, of the night he couldn't protect you. But it meant this was real. You were actually standing in front of him. This was something he had dreamed of many times, almost every night since you've been gone.
He calls your name and it feels amazing. Just the sound of your name leaving his lips, not in mourning or wistfulness but as a greeting, is enough to bring a face splitting grin to his face. Gods, he missed saying your name without almost feeling suffocated by the weight that formed in his chest.
You startle at the sound, seemingly not expecting company at the house. He has no time to study the strange expression on your face though, he needs to touch you first, to feel your skin against his, your warmth against his body, your heart beating behind your ribcage. He needs to make sure this is real and not some cruel dream or hallucination his mind thought up to torment him. He needs you to be really back.
As soon as your eyes meet his form, he clears the distance between you in two hurried steps, but, before he can hug you, he feels your hand reach out to him. He doesn't even have time to realize you're reaching towards his thigh, to Truth Teller. He doesn't know if it was confusion holding him back, the strangeness of the whole act or if he's simply willing to take anything as long as it comes from you, but he makes no movement to stop you from grabbing his knife, allowing you to pierce it through his stomach, never so much as looking away from your beautiful face or even flinching at the blade.
He can feel every inch of the dagger inside him, can feel the blood quickly seeping through his shirt. Still, the pain in his gut can't hold a candle to the relief and joy running through his veins. You're real. The knife went through, so you have to be real. He can clearly hear your heartbeat now as well, it sounds strong aside from how fast it's going.
Azriel reaches a hand out to you again, slower as not to startle you. He can't help the fluttering of his own heart as you finally let him make contact with the softness of your skin. You haven't moved your hands from the knife, your wide eyes staring at your now blood covered hands. He caresses your cheek lovingly and tilts your face up so he can meet your eyes at last.
He can tell something is wrong, as if it hadn't been glaringly obvious by his favorite knife currently stuck in his stomach. Your eyes seem unfocused, a bit panicked, maybe even angry. But he can't bring himself to care in this moment.
He doesn't know if this is your revenge for letting you die, for not finding you, or even if this is what you had wanted out of him from the start, maybe your whole relationship had been a lie. It doesn't matter. He'll gladly die at your hands if that's the fate you chose for him. At least he'd spend his last moments with you, a privilege he didn't think he would have the pleasure of experiencing.
His heart threatens to stop altogether when your eyes meet, it feels like time stopped around him. “You're home, my love,” he breathes out, letting out a soft disbelieving chuckle, “You're finally home.” He raises his other hand to your face, caressing both your cheeks with his scarred thumbs, he almost forgot how soft your skin felt against his rough hands. He's been clutching at faint memories for decades.
His smile falters when his thumb moves down, stroking down your jaw to the column of your throat, where a scar runs across your neck. He watches his thumb following the clean line, his scars had always been awful reminders of what was done to him, it ate at him even five centuries later, but seeing yours hurt even more. You should have never known this kind of pain.
“What?” Your voice was barely a whisper, confusion and fear holding it hostage. He looks back up into your eyes, seeing the same emotions swim in your gaze even more heightened. He didn't like that, you would never have any reason to be scared of him. He goes to tell you as much when he feels power surging into the room.
“Azriel?” Cassian's voice cuts through the moment and he has to close his eyes to keep himself calm. He wanted more time with you, wanted to talk to you before they got here, before they saw the blood but had gotten too distracted. His mind wasn't working properly, his thoughts were all over the place, he wanted nothing more than to hug you but was too aware of how strangely you were acting. He couldn't keep you and his family in check, not with every instinct inside him screaming to just pick you up and winnow you to the other side of the world.
He calls his shadows to him, a desperate attempt at hiding his injury. He knows it's in vain when he feels Rhys let go of the damper on his power, letting the suffocating night fill up the room. You look positively terrified now, he can even smell it mixing in your sweet scent. Letting go of your face, an act that takes more effort than he could imagine, he turns around slowly, trying to be mindful of keeping you covered, protected from his family.
Your hands don't stop holding onto the dagger, as he moves away from you, the force of it is enough to pull it out of his stomach and let the blood run free with no resistance. The pain was getting worse, it didn't look like you hit any vital organs but his healing wasn't fast enough to keep it at bay on its own.
Feyre is the first to move towards him when she sees the blood, but he simply holds up a hand, effectively stopping her in her tracks. Trying to keep a leveled head was proving to be a near impossible task as he saw the anger in everyone's faces, it was directed at you. He holds onto his abdomen, the pain was making itself known.
Seeing Azriel stop his mate from approaching, Rhys walks closer to the shadowsinger himself. His face was a mix of regret and fury as he spoke up. “What happened here, Azriel?” If his mind was in the right place he would have noticed the restraint his brother was showing at seeing him bleeding out in his house, restraint only present because of his own feelings towards you. Unfortunately, Azriel's instincts were winning against logic.
He hears you finally drop Truth Teller behind him, your body must have started listening to you when Rhysand got too close, recognizing him as a threat. He makes the mistake of looking back at the knife, not hearing the snarl that curls his brother's lips in time. Rhys winnows behind him in that moment and you had gotten too close to the window for him to reach you.
“Don't touch her,” he warns Rhys viciously. He doesn't want to think what he was capable of if anyone hurt you again, even if it was his own brother.
He sees you fall to the floor before he registers what happened. His heart almost leaps out of his throat, letting out an anguished cry of your name as he runs to you, pushing his brother out of the way and holding you up from the ground. Searching for a pulse frantically, he finds you were only unconscious. A breath of relief escapes him as he pushes your hair out of your face, it almost brings tears to his eyes. You will be fine. Rhys had only entered your mind to keep you asleep and stop you from escaping. You will wake up. You will not leave him again.
He hugs you closer to him, too focused on making sure you were alright and keeping his breathing leveled to hear what they were saying behind him. He felt as helpless as when he was still a child being subjected to his father's cruelty. It takes him a while before he finally calms himself down enough to hear the argument behind him.
“Let's talk to him first,” Cassian says, the emotion clear in his voice.
“He put up a shield around them,” Rhys was sounding less like a High Lord by the word, “He's not in his right mind.” A shield? He checks the air around them to find that his brother was right, there was a shield around them both, even his shadows had moved to cover them, separating them from the world.
“Neither are any of you,” Nesta's voice cuts through everyone, finally silencing them.
“We already called for Madja,” Feyre uses the silence that settled to speak, “We can get him treated and hold her somewhere until she wakes up.”
“No,” he drops you gently on the ground, letting his shadows cover you, protect you, before turning to face his family.
Feyre hesitates before continuing, seeing something on his face that makes her choose a different approach. He never mentioned being married to her but your name had been brought up before, he knew Rhys had filled her in on what happened, still she couldn't understand what he was feeling. Even he couldn't.
“The cells under the House of Wind are safe. It's just for-”
“You will not put my wife in a cell,” the words came out clipped, slipping through clenched teeth, the shadowsinger was barely holding on to a sense of restraint against his High Lady.
“She stabbed you,” Rhys yells, looking down at the wound in his brother's torso, thankfully already starting to heal, “it doesn't matter that she used to be your wife.” The growl Azriel lets out at his brother is nothing short of vicious, a feral and lethal thing rising straight from the center of his being.
“She is still my wife,” Azriel says behind a snarl, “And you will not hurt her.” Even if it was in the clean cells of the House of Wind, he could never bear to see you caged. He was ready to go to any lengths necessary to make sure of that. If helping you escape the Night Court was what it took he knew of a few ways not to get caught.
He could see Rhys' shoulders tense up, his own face morphing to match Azriel's fury. He didn't know if his mental shields were down or if his intentions were just uncharacteristically clear on his face but he was sure that his brother knew what Azriel - his spymaster - was thinking.
“She can stay in one of the rooms up in the House,” Cassian offers quickly, trying to settle the rising tension between his brothers, “She can't winnow out because of the wards and we can watch her until she wakes up.” Deep down he knows they don't want to hurt you either, that they're only worried but it's difficult to pay attention to the voice of reason within him during this whole situation. His greatest wish had just been answered. So why does everything seem to be falling apart with it?
Mor winnows in with Madja before he can give them a response which is a good thing because anything he could come up with would probably only put you and him in a more precarious situation. There were too many emotions warring inside him, the same going around almost everyone in the room if only more intense. The healer's presence seems to dissipate most of the tension automatically as Rhys even turns to look out the window and allows his mate to hold onto his hand, probably telling him soothing words in his mind.
Madja moves to Azriel with no hesitation, only stopping briefly when she senses the shield. She merely gives him a look before he drops it so she can reach him. He knows she wouldn't hurt you, knows he needs the wound in his stomach taken care of so he can focus on you, think about what to do when you wake up.
“You need to sit down so I can treat you,” she tells him while inspecting the wound.
“I will not leave her.”
“You can trust her with us, Az,” Mor tries to reassure him, but with the way the last minutes have played out he wasn't trusting you with them, or anyone else for that matter. He'd just gotten you back, no way is he letting you out of his sight for a second, he could bleed out for all he cares.
Suddenly, he sees Nesta walk to the table and grab a chair through his peripheral. She appears to be mumbling something to herself but he can't quite hear her to understand. She walks to him and drops the chair in her hands on his right, before giving him a narrow eyed look and returning to her mate's side.
He's not sure how much she knows of the situation. The three sisters probably all know by now that he used to be married but none of them has mentioned you to him, warned by whoever told them of the consequences of doing it.
He sits on the chair and lets Madja work on him. The wound wasn't too bad, even if he didn't have access to a healer it would close in a short time. You stabbed it cleanly through, just like he'd taught you. If he hadn't been the practice dummy he might praise you for it. By the Mother, he thinks he still might. He wonders if you'll grace him with a bright smile and flushed cheeks for it like you used to.
Azriel looks over to your sleeping form under the moonlight. He's calming down enough that he's starting to feel the uncertainty bubbling inside him. Truth Teller still laid on the floor beside you, covered in his blood just as your hands were.
“Is she…” What did he want to ask? Is it really her? How did she survive? There was so much blood on the ground that night. He didn't need to be a healer to know it was too much for someone to survive with no immediate help and an absurd amount of luck. “Is it really her?” He whispered the question, not bearing to look away from you as he does.
“You know that better than me,” the healer answers calmly. He can sense some emotion in her voice. You had asked her to make tonics to help him sleep and relax many times, to teach you basic healing and how to put on bandages to help him when he was too stubborn and not gravely injured enough to go see the healer. She probably missed you as well. “She's healthy.”
He feels a rush of relief at the words. You're healthy. The confirmation allows him to relax further. Finally looking away from you to see part of his family still watching the scene before them. He knows they too were thinking about the blood, the sleepless nights they spent searching for any sign of you. His eyes meet Rhys' briefly, knowing they'll need to talk about what happened.
He closes his eyes and leans his head back, letting out a soft sigh. You're back. He never thought he'd see you again but you're right here next to him. You're not a dream or a hallucination. You're healthy. The thought almost brings a smile to his lips despite the situation. Anything else can be dealt with now that you're by his side again.
“Are you sure you don't need to rest, Az?” He looks up from the familiar ring, still twisting it around his finger. It felt right putting it back on, he was almost giddy at the sight of the silver in his finger, but it also left him with immense guilt eating at him for taking it off in the first place. He studies Nesta's face for a second, giving up on trying to decipher what she was thinking in favor of looking back at you.
When everyone calmed down enough and Azriel was treated, it had been decided that you couldn't be left alone even in the room, they needed someone to keep an eye on you. It had also been quickly added that Azriel wasn't enough, his brother had seen right through him, he knew Azriel wouldn't try to stop you from killing him or trying to escape if you put your mind to it.
Cassian and Mor refused to stand watch unless it was truly necessary. He knows they wouldn't want to be put in a position where they had to stop you, knew they would not only feel guilty for hurting you but also wouldn't forgive themselves for hurting Azriel.
Even Rhysand, used to the weight and impartiality of the High Lord's title, looked hesitant in keeping him company, he had already forcefully invaded your mind to take your consciousness away, something he had vowed never to do to his friend. He could definitely stop you both from any of the worse case scenarios but at a cost he couldn't bear to pay.
That had left him with the two trained Archeron sisters and Amren. They set shifts to make sure Azriel was never left alone with you, he thinks they might not even trust him not to take you away from the room himself and help you escape. He can't really be sure himself if he wouldn't do exactly that if you asked. He'd follow you to the end of the world and beyond just to hear you call his name one more time.
“The wound is healed,” he whispers, keenly aware of your sleeping form, a habit that came to him naturally after seeing you. You always liked to sleep in and waking you up before your time was close to a death sentence.
“That's not what I meant.” Nesta walks closer to the chair beside your bed, the one he hasn't gotten up from since tucking you into the bed carefully. She placed a hand on his shoulder and studied you for a moment, something she's been doing since her shift started. “She stabbed you,” she says in an usually hesitant tone coming from her, “Are you sure it's her?”
“I would sooner forget my own name than mistake my wife for someone else,” the words came out clipped even with him trying to hold back his anger. It wasn't her fault for being suspicious, Nesta never got the chance to meet you, barely even heard about Azriel's marriage. She just wants to protect him, protect her friend.
“Why would she hurt you then?”
“Maybe it's my punishment,” the words leave him before he can think them through. It doesn't matter anyway, they all saw the state he was in at the townhouse. No point hiding now.
“Punishment?” She took a step back from the chair to be able to face him, her perplexed face coming into view. “You didn't do anything wrong.” The notion was almost laughable. Azriel had done plenty wrong in his life.
“I didn't find her,” he whispers, facing away from his friend in favor of watching you, “She's been out there for almost a century, on her own,” he clenched his fists at the thought, “and I didn't find her.”
“I know you looked for her as best as you could. I know you all did.” And what good did his best do?
“You don't understand, Nesta,” he says as he looks down at the ring once again, closing his eyes briefly at the burn he felt in his head. He didn't want to talk about this anymore, didn't want to explain his feelings to any of them.
“I do,” she starts, “If something happened-”
“If,” he cringes at how he raised his voice, immediately looking over to your sleeping form to make sure he didn't disturb you, and then added more quietly, with the same conviction in his tone, “If something happened to Cassian you would understand. But it hasn't and so you don't.”
Nesta lets out a defeated sigh, moving back to her original seat by the window, patting his shoulder comfortingly on her way. His eyes are focused on you once more and he has no intention of letting them stray until you wake up, and long after you do.
⋆。°✩°。⋆
You wake up slowly, your mind aware of your near consciousness before your body can follow. It feels like you've never been this deeply asleep, even the dreams that usually haunt you were quiet. Perhaps that's why it takes you so long to remember your current situation, it could also be the strangeness of it. You keep your eyes closed as your body and mind slowly come to.
You didn't expect to be lying on a bed, an unbelievably soft bed at that, after being caught stealing from the High Lord's home and then stabbing someone from his so-called Inner Circle. You're not sure when you lost consciousness but, in the split second the High Lord stood in front of you, you were more than certain you wouldn't be able to escape death again.
The sun is high in the sky, meaning you failed your mission, not only because you had been caught but also for not getting to the meeting point on time. Whether at the hands of your captors or your employers you were already as good as dead. The thought has heat burning behind your eyelids and your throat threatening to close up.
You don't even know what happened. This whole mission had seemed above your expertise from the start. You had never been sent on a mission to Prythian and the fact that you were sent to steal from a High Lord's home, the strongest in history at that, had sowed doubts inside you from the moment you heard about your mission from your handler. That and the sinking feeling in your gut as you listened to their descriptions of the city and people working for the High Lord. Every cell on your body was trying to reject this idea.
Deciding to trust your gut, you even brought up your doubts to your superiors, going as far as asking why you were being sent to retrieve some book when there are other fae more experienced in working there. There wasn't even any time to study the place or come up with escape routes. You had never been sent into any mission like this. Your worries had been quickly dismissed. They seemed completely convinced you wouldn't be caught, that you were the only member capable of this job.
Sneaking into the city had been simple enough, there seemed to be some celebration happening since so many fae were drinking and dancing around bars and even on the street. Your uneasiness only got worse as you walked through the streets. Something was wrong, every single one of your instincts was screaming at you, but you couldn't figure out why.
You walked to an alley close to the High Lord's house and surveyed the perimeter, making sure your intel was correct and the house was truly empty. After postponing the inevitable long enough, you took a deep breath and winnowed straight into the house, and, just like your handler told you, there were no wards or shields stopping you from entering. You thought this was peculiar for a High Lord but many powerful fae think themselves invincible to the point of arrogance and at the sacrifice of their own safety.
As you walked quietly through the hallway, your feet seemed to have a mind of their own, carrying you into a big room with sofas and a fireplace instead of the office you were supposed to be already searching through. You had the same feeling of deja vu as when you were walking through the illuminated streets before, something about the portraits on the walls and the peculiar chairs had your heart sputtering in your chest. It was an intricate design but you could swear you'd never seen anything like them before.
You moved closer to the window, far enough that no one could see you through it, and looked down at the city once more. Taking in the lights, the colorful houses and the fae cheerfully walking around the streets despite the late hour. There is no place like this in Montesere, not even close, so you don't understand how you could be confusing it, you really feel like you've been here before. Everything down to the names of the stores and smells wafting through the air look strangely familiar.
As you got lost in your thoughts, you had completely forgot about your mission. Letting your guard down, enough so that you didn't hear or feel anyone's presence in the same room until you heard them call out someone's name. The sound had goosebumps traveling through your entire body, your breath getting stuck in your throat. What scared you the most wasn't even the fact that you had just been caught but that voice, that name, almost brought tears to your eyes.
You stood frozen for a moment before turning around slowly and your entire body went still at what you saw. The male in front of you was the same one that haunted your dreams ever since you could remember, you would recognize that figure, those wings, those eyes anywhere.
You almost doubted you were awake at all but when he moved closer to you, standing in front of you before you could even blink, your body moved to protect yourself on instinct, to do as you had been taught at the guild. Your movements were a lot slower than usual, almost like something inside you was trying to stop you from hurting him but you had still managed to grab the long knife strapped to his thigh and stab it through his stomach in one clean movement.
The knife went in smoothly and he simply took it without trying to stop you or even letting out a sound. You've taken countless times before, killing was part of your life, of your job, but watching his blood run and coat your hands had made you feel incredibly guilty. You couldn't move, couldn't even let go of the knife.
When his hand reached to touch your face - a movement you didn't even register until his rough skin came in contact with your cheek - your wild eyes had met his and, suddenly, it felt like the world was spinning. The bright hazel was so familiar you could cry. He'd been starring in your dreams for so long but you'd never seen him quite this close. As you slowly let your mind catch up to you, you noticed he was smiling.
“You're home, my love,” he whispered softly. Your heart had felt like it was going to beat out of your chest at that point. You were missing something, a piece of information that felt like it was swimming right on the edge of your brain, but you couldn't quite reach it. His hands had both moved to cup your face by the time you found your voice.
“What?” What is going on? Who are you? Why do I feel like I know you? Why is your touch so familiar? My love? Your brain was filled with questions but you couldn't even find it in you to ask them. Couldn't look away from his eyes, the former joy seen in them giving way to something else.
“Azriel?” Both of you had tensed at the voice behind him. It seems he didn't hear anyone else arrive either, too caught up in each other and whatever mysterious tension was tying you together.
Your hands had tightened around the dagger on instinct, you could feel the power rippling through the room. You should have ran away while it was only him, he had let you stab him so maybe he would let you run away as well. But, as night incarnate filled the room, you knew every chance you had at an escape was lost.
The rest of the events were a blur, one moment you were watching more and more people winnow into the room, sending your heart further into disarray, and the next the High Lord himself stood in front of you with fury and what looked like disappointment etching his features, and then everything went dark.
As your memories from the night before fade, you become more aware of your surroundings. You could hear two separate breaths close to you, could smell two distinct scents, you suppose it was lucky enough that they had let you sleep on a bed, it's only natural they'd have someone keeping watch.
If they'd been watching you this whole time they would have to know you were awake by now, so you open your eyes slowly, blinking a few times to adjust to the brightness in the room. You study the intricate gold designs on the dark navy ceiling. Why did even the ceiling seem familiar? It feels like you are losing your mind.
Your head turns to the nightstand, where a cup of water sat over a flower shaped lace coaster. You almost gulped at the sight of it, your throat was so dry you weren't sure you could speak, but you were in a stranger's house, one you had tried to rob the night before, there had to be a catch somewhere and you didn't want to end at the cruel hands of poison.
Two pairs of eyes burned into you, and since you're not going to drink anyway, you decide that there's no delaying this confrontation any more. You turn to look at them, not surprised at finding the winged male sitting close to your bed, but he was accompanied by someone else, something else.
You sit up in bed slowly, not wanting to appear as a threat and startle them into thinking you had intentions of escaping or attacking you. You really didn't know why they hadn't just dumped you in a dark dungeon - you heard about their less than kind reputation before coming here - but you wanted to keep in their good graces if you could help it. They're probably keeping you to know more about who sent you, shame you can't tell them anything, maybe they'd even let you go if you could.
When you sit up against the headboard, your eyes meet the male's immediately, as if you were called to do it. Some of the same emotions you had seen last night were still shining in his eyes, but today there was so much more, so much so that you couldn't even begin to pick them apart even with the difference of a calm mind.
Your captors don't move so you take the moment to study the male before you. He always showed up covered in shadows in your dreams, you had barely caught glimpses of his face in the almost century of seeing him. Which was a real shame if you dared to admit it. He has an exceptionally beautiful face, the sun filtering through the window was giving his tan skin an ethereal glow, his eyes shine brightly, allowing you to make up the different tones of green and brown within them. His hair was stark black, curling slightly at the ends.
You had noticed the large wings that stood at his back the first time you'd seen him. You've never met any species of fae with wings but his were definitely peculiar. You always thought they were black but, with the brightness in the room and his shadows away, you can see they lean more to a crimson and gray-ish color. Trailing down to his torso, you notice that there doesn't seem to be any blood or sign of injury. He had already gotten healed then. For some reason, your heart calms at that and you try telling yourself it's because it might lessen the trouble you got in.
A shadow moves across him to reach up into his ear, almost like it was whispering something to him. You knew the Night Court's Spymaster was a shadowsinger, the only of its kind, but you didn't know what his shadows could do, what they could see and tell him. The hair on the back of your neck raises as his eyes watch you intently while listening to his shadow's words. They had to be talking about you. Could they read through your thoughts?
“Leave us alone, Amren.” Your eyes finally stray from the male when you hear her name, finally taking in the short creature behind him, and you almost regret it when her bright silver eyes meet yours. She was nothing short of terrifying, you think even the older assassins in the guild would feel unnerved under her gaze. You weren't even sure what she actually was but it had to be something other, something ancient and powerful. She seems displeased at the look you give her, though you doubt she's unacquainted with seeing fear on people's faces, or bothered by it.
Amren narrows her eyes slightly before looking at the male. She studies him with an intensity that could make most fae run for their lives, makes you consider it, but the male doesn't seem to care, his eyes never leaving yours. “I hope you know what you're doing, boy.” She walks out of the room with no hesitation, leaving you alone with the male that walks your dreams once again.
You stare into each other's eyes for what feels like an eternity. Neither of you seem to find the right words. You know why you're having trouble finding them. Between getting caught stealing in his house and the turmoil going on inside you, you're surprised you've been managing to keep your composure at all. But you can't understand why he'd be in the same position as you. Could he also be haunted by dreams of you the same way you were of him?
Leaning forward in his chair, he says the same name you heard last night, the one who made your heart tighten painfully in your chest. You had been too confused and scared last night to even consider it but now you can clearly see he's using it to call you. He seems to think that's your name.
“That's not my name,” you manage through your dry throat, the words coming out so rough and low that you're sure he wouldn't have heard you if it weren't for the quiet in the room. Your answer seems to hurt him, his face drops, the sunlight that was shining through his skin seems to vanish, and you see his wings tighten behind him. Your own body seems to respond to it. You want to make him feel better but you don't know how or why.
He nods almost imperceptibly, as if accepting a fact he was unwilling to, and rises up from the chair, tensing slightly when you press yourself further into the headboard. He seems to try to ignore it as he moves to the nightstand, picking up the glass and handing it to you.
You eye the glass sitting in his brutally scarred hands, momentarily wondering what could have done such a thing if he healed up from a stab wound in mere hours. He senses your hesitation but simply holds it closer to you. You look up to meet his eyes again.
“It's not poisoned,” he offers, “I promise.” You're not entirely sure why but you trust him, or maybe you were just in desperate need of water, reaching up to take the glass from him and almost drinking it in one go. He seems at least pleased enough with this, moving back to sit in his chair. As you observe his movements, you almost miss the way the glass refills on its own. You blink at it, deciding it's not worth considering, and take another slow sip.
Since he doesn't start asking you questions, apparently content enough with watching you drink, and you start to get unusually shy under his intense gaze, you start asking them yourself, seeing this as your chance to know the male of your dreams.
“What's your name?” You play with the glass as you ask, trying to appear nonchalant despite your perilous situation and the tension between you.
“Azriel,” his deep voice cuts through the silence. You repeat it, goosebumps spreading over your body at the act. Nothing is making sense anymore but his name feels right on your tongue.
You say it one more time, letting it linger in your mind. There is something inside you trying to claw its way out at the sound. You can feel it now, can feel how wrong it feels, how wrong you feel. There was a growing pressure inside your head. You let go of the glass and watch it vanish into thin air before it has the chance to make contact with the covers.
The sensation that you've forgotten something really important is back. You look up at the male one more time, seeing he has moved closer to you and noting the worry in his gaze. He wasn't supposed to be worried about you, he's a stranger and you had just stabbed him a few hours ago. So why does it feel right for him to care? Tears line your eyelids, your hands shaking slightly at the strange feelings building inside you.
“I don't know you,” you whisper, more to yourself than him, “I feel like I should.”
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