#and he luckily reigns back that fear - knowing his family is there to keep an eye out with him

[turtleblogatlast]

I love Raph and haven’t said that enough so to be more specific I love that Raph is a soft boy who loves bear plushies, a gross boy who eats an assortment of things that are definitely better left alone, a smart boy who is more than capable of taking down villains through planning and fortitude alike, a strong boy who is dedicated to training his muscles and fighting prowess, a teenage boy who loves his brothers but is more than happy to tease and roughhouse with them, an angry boy who sometimes lets his anger take a hold of him to cover the fear, a gentle boy who is generous with hugs and affirmations to those he loves, a capable boy who takes on more than should ever be expected of a teenager, a good boy who just wants to be a hero and slowly comes to realize the cost of that duty, a good boy who has no reservations about putting himself in the way of harm coming to his family, a good boy who’s a great brother and son and person and deserves only the best the world has to offer.

[ohthemistery]

Stargazing & Emotion

A Wanderlust x Jack Rose fanfic

After defeating Night Swan, the Just Dancers finally take a break in Mihaly's world, but someone doesn't seem to be enjoying the night as much as the rest.

(DISCLAIMER: Wanderlust uses They/Them pronouns in this fic!)

It was a peaceful night down in the Shaman’s world. The 4 coaches finally relaxed after defeating Night Swan, dancing and talking with each other, except for a certain coach who was sitting down close to the waterfalls, looking at the sky with melancholic eyes. This person was none other than Jack Rose, the recently rebelled son of Night Swan. He didn’t seem to be in the same mood as the rest of the people there, who were celebrating the end of the sorcerer’s horrific reign. Instead, he was isolated, sitting with his knees close to his chest. He didn't feel like dancing or talking with anyone and just hoped to go unnoticed by the rest.

Unluckily (or maybe luckily), his sadness was noticed by someone. A blue-skinned coach wearing what seemed to be a golden crown turned around, worried about the redheaded one. Jack hadn't said a word since they had defeated the Danceverse's greatest menace, and they had noticed that. Slowly, they approached him, sitting beside him and tapping his shoulder.

"The stars are shining brightly tonight… May I join you?" Wanderlust, the crowned one, asked. Jack just looked at them and nodded, directing his eyes back to the night sky above him. After some minutes of uncomfortable silence, Wanderlust finally spoke.

“Are you okay? You aren’t usually like this… Aren't you happy that Night Swan’s finally gone?” They turned their head, looking at Jack. The performer sighed before looking down at his knees, he didn’t know how to explain what he was feeling at that moment in simple words, but he would try his best to do so.

“Yeah, I am, but…” The words wouldn’t come out of his mouth out of fear for a few seconds until he finally said it “...I kinda wished she tried to take me with her”

Wanderlust couldn’t believe what they just heard. Was Jack regretting his decision of escaping with all of them? Didn’t he disagree with his mother’s ideals?

“What-what do you mean with that? You don’t want to go back with her, right?” The prince asked, worried about his friend. He knew how much he despised working for his mother, so that didn’t sound like something Jack would normally say (at least for him).

“No! It’s not that! How do I explain it without it sounding weird?...” Jack looked at Wanderlust as the seconds passed by before looking at the sky again. “... She left without even looking at me, her own son. I know I betrayed her and all of that jazz, but I still had some hope that she would recognize me as her son and not just another mindless servant of hers. I would’ve said no, of course! But still… I don’t know why I keep hoping” He rested his head between his knees as he said those last words, letting out a sigh that made Wanderlust realize how much Jack had been bottling up since they parted ways a long time ago.

“I understand what you’re trying to say. She may be an evil sorcerer whose ideals don’t align with yours, but she’s still your mother, and it’s reasonable that you look up for her approval… Yet, you have to realize that maybe you aren’t as important to her as she’s to you” They said, looking at Jack, then hugging him tightly. “But remember, you’ll always have a family with us! We’ll support you no matter what! Understood?” Wanderlust exclaimed, trying to lighten the situation.

The hug came as a surprise for Jack, who would react in shock at first, to then hug the prince back.

"I just wanted a loving mother! Yet, I seem to be asking for too much!" He exclaimed, tears now falling down his face as he tightened his grip on Wanderlust, who patted Jack's back like

"It's okay, let it all out…". They stayed in that position for some minutes that slowly passed by. Jack just cried silently as Wanderlust comforted him.

"...Thanks, Wander" The redhead finally said, separating himself from the crowned one. He wiped away his tears, to then look back at Wanderlust again. "Please don't tell anyone about this, okay?"

"I promise I won't tell anyone" Wanderlust promised, looking at Jack with a smile that made him realize that his secret was safe with the blue-skinned one.

Soon enough, the other two coaches, Mihaly and Brezziana, approached the duo, wondering what they were doing.

"You guys are okay?" The purple-haired coach, Brezziana, asked, genuinely worried about her friends.

"Yeah, we are stargazing. Wanna join us?" Wanderlust replied, inviting both coaches to sit down and enjoy the night sky. They nodded and sat down next to the duo. Soon enough, conversations started to flow, and before anyone noticed, everyone was chatting and laughing again.

That's when Jack Rose realized that with them, the people who genuinely cared for him, he was at home.

[stupidfatpenguin]

Grogu likes master Luke.

(Partially because he lets Grogu’s father come visit whenever he can, and partially because he lets Grogu keep a free reign of terror over the creatures in the pond outside the temple, but there are other reasons, too.)

Instinctively, from when they first met, from when Grogu first felt him, he had known that his master is someone special. Only someone very special could enter a place with so much fear and anger and despair and make the Force sing tunes of hope. There is a light in him, a place of good and wanting to do good that wells and overflows and makes the galaxy a little less dark of a place.

Master Luke is very different from the other masters—the ones Grogu can vaguely recall from a past that seems so far away now. His temple is different, too, and too large for the two Jedi it houses. But Grogu likes the training they do, likes the way he feels against his mind, assured and strong, and playful and exploring. Like he is learning with Grogu, rather than just departing a lesson.

He likes master’s flying, the acrobatics he’ll sometimes perform in his x-wing that makes Grogu’s stomach churn with excitement; he likes his astromech, and how he bickers and banters with it like they are family or very old friends, and how he convinces R2 to let Grogu ride on top of his dome head as they zoom around the halls; he likes how he asks Grogu to show him his favourite things and happiest memories, and how he ‘oh’s and ‘ah’s at the right parts when he shows him his adventures with father.

More than anything—more than sitting comfy in his master’s hood as they explore the jungle or getting to play in the pond until sundown, hunting down the largest and tastiest frogs with hunter-like determination that surely would make his father proud—he likes the understanding. Here, at the temple, there is no hiding anymore, and no suppressing what he hears and feels in the universe around him, no hiding what he can do. He is safe. With master Luke, here, he feels safe.

(He likes it even better when father is here because that means his father, too, is safe.)

His master is bright, and kind, and he listens, and he is all this even when Grogu does something he was not supposed to do. Whenever he reaches out for him, he reaches back, and he is warm, warm, warm.

So Grogu likes master Luke very much.

And, naturally, he wishes that he can make his master feel as safe and happy as Grogu is.

(Master Luke is not always happy. Often, he hides his pain and his own fears and loneliness, and Grogu knows because he had long done the same.)

There isn't much one can do when one is only very small, and his master is not as fond of the largest and tastiest frogs as Grogu is (even though he has shared with him memories of a time when he ate them often).

But there are some things Grogu can do.

The first time Grogu sees his master hurt is while they are out in the humid jungle, stacking stones and moving water with the Force. The stones come easy to him now, but the water is challenging in its formlessness. Master Luke is demonstrating a particularly difficult manoeuvre, creating fine, cooling mist out of pond-water.

There, where his shirt once covered his shoulders, Grogu sees the angry red and dark purpling of bruises. His ears flatten against his head, and he wonders how his master could have been made to suffer these injuries. He sometimes has them when he returns from off-world, from places that are probably dangerous—places he goes to so that they can all be safe.

This time, master has not been off-world, and these bruises are relatively small. The cause is likely the nasty, large mosquitos or meat-flies that sometimes find their way into the temple, if they’re not careful enough with the doors and windows.

Grogu vows to eat one the next time he sees one buzzing by.

He likes master Luke very much, after all.

Which is why it is so strange to Grogu when master Luke tries to stop him while he is healing his wounds.

“Grogu,” says his master, eyes wide in surprise and his own hand holding Grogu’s away from his neck—now back to its regular, healthy colour.

Grogu coos, askance. Not better?

“I—you didn’t have to…” master Luke pauses, turns a little, as if embarrassed for a moment. “Thank you, I mean. But I was doing just fine. You should save those powers for when they are truly needed, little one.”

Grogu’s head drops, and he feels unhappy for a moment. He had only meant to help.

His master must sense this, for he reaches out, warm and wonderful, and gives Grogu a brilliant smile.

“Some practice doesn't hurt, of course. But you don’t have to do that again.”

Grogu makes a sound of understanding, but he really doesn’t understand why his master would refuse to let Grogu heal him.

Some weeks the biting bugs are more vicious than others. Grogu makes good on his promise to exterminate every such creature he comes over, and even enlists R2 to his aid, incinerating the ones that Grogu misses.

Grogu luckily does not suffer so badly, and his father is so well protected that no insect could ever do him harm. Why are they so interested in master Luke? Perhaps some people, the ones that are good and powerful, like his master, simply taste better.

(Despite his master’s request that he doesn’t, Grogu sometimes, when seated conveniently in his hood or on his shoulder, can’t resist reaching out in focus, and watching in satisfaction as the skin there is healed and turned unblemished, even when master gives him very accusive stares when he discovers it later, although Grogu claims none of the credit.)

To Grogu’s great worry and frustration, the bruises keep returning.

It is only a day later, when father is holding him just after breakfast, and Grogu clearly spies more terrible bruises on master Luke—red and vicious and high on his neck. He reaches out, whines loudly. Perhaps father can help him convince his master to accept his help.

“Grogu? Hey, what’s wrong, kid?”

Master Luke immediately knows his intentions, but his face, inexplicably, slowly takes on a hue of red. To his father, he explains: “Ah, he… wants to heal me.”

“Are you hurt?” father asks urgently, and Grogu feels validated in his concern.

“No! No, I’m fine, he just, uh…” His face grows redder still. “The other day, he saw the… marks and… healed them. He thinks they’re hurting me.”

His father stares, eyes wide, and Grogu can feel his hand twitching and his body radiate a sort of embarrassment. “Maybe I should… stop doing that.”

Master laughs, smiles mischievously. “Maybe you should start leaving them lower.”

Grogu is suddenly confused. Had his father been the one to do this? Are his father and his master fighting? Hurting each other? He remembers that his father hadn’t been happy when he had tried protecting him when he had wrestled with Cara Dune, because she was “his friend”, but they had never wounded each other. Not like this. Were his father and master Luke, perhaps, not friends after all? None of this seemed to make sense. But he can’t allow them to hurt each other anymore.

So when his two most important people are suddenly standing a lot closer, and his father’s other hand touches his master’s neck exactly where he is hurt, Grogu gathers the Force around him and promptly pushes.

(And because Grogu likes master Luke and his father so very, very much, he is not that sad when he is not allowed frogs for dinner that night).

-

Tl;dr: Grogu wants to heal Luke’s injuries, but they are actually hickeys.

(This started as a ficlet about Grogu’s feelings on Luke, and suddenly became DinLuke whoops)

[ballorawan740]

SCP Scenarios: When they accidentally kill you

Requested by: okokok121 + @RitaRoseFromBBB

Main Masterlist | SCP Scenarios Masterlist | My Works Masterlist | Rules | Request | Socials | My Original Post

(Ok, I know you did ask for the doctors + Mikell and Strelnikov, but I've decided to add the SCPs in here if that's alright with you. And also, sorry if I didn't capture Strelnikov's attitude well as I'm not as familiar with him compared to Mikell, yet again I'm not familiar with Jack Bright's family other than TJ and 321)

Sorry if it wasn't up to your standards. I just felt that some of these characters weren't the type to kill the reader, even if it wasn't intentional.

WARNING: Slight Angst

Dr Simon Glass

Simon wouldn't be the one to accidentally kill you himself, but it's more of the situation he put you in without realising the full extent of the consequences. He was just busy writing his patients' reports, and you just strolled in his office to check upon him. Simon stopped what he was doing and smiled with you as you both ate your food in his ever so clean office. As you were about to leave, Glass requested you to deliver something to Jack Bright in which you did. You and Jack were close friends (not so surprising since you're both equally as mad as each other) so if Simon wanted to know where he is or if he needed to give him something, he would go to you first. You managed to deliver the parcel to Bright in 682's containment cell and you both laughed before you returned. Unfortunately, 682 was having a rough day due to being a subject to Bright's test (I would be too tbh) which caused him to become more aggressive than usual and attacked 3 researchers. One of them being you as 682 dragged you down to the acid bath with him and Jack rushed to save you. Bright wasn't able to and he had to fulfil;l his duty to tell Simon Glass that you passed as 682 had killed you during a test. Needless to say, Glass was forced to take time off with Bright due to this event and he became more distant for months to come. Bright had to keep it together just so Simon wouldn't have to lose the shred of sanity he had in him.

Dr Jack Bright

You and Bright were doing some tests on one of the more dangerous SCPs (no, it's not that giant mf lizard of that warrior killing machine) in which your job was to handle these creatures while Jack was doing all the lab stuff. The SCP you both were conducting your research on was ●●|●●●●●|●●|● (SCP 2521 - We're getting ripped tonight, RIP my friends) and you were doing all sorts of things which resulted in you summoning this creature out of the blue by accident. Bright had to drag you out away from the creature and you just stood there observing its behaviour until it noticed you. Jack Bright had to take you on the run yet again (cuz you do be stoopid and stubborn so all yall wanna do is stare at something that's gonna kill ya. JUST RUN BIATCH!!!) but the SCP managed to catch up with you both and snatched you before Bright could even get help. Jack was astonished and deeply depressed since the incident and was left increasingly agitated after every walking day and even Glass couldn't get him out of his shell. He would pretend that everything's fine, but deep down, everyone knows that he's not (that's a whole ass mood right there buddy). Bright was extremely guilty for making you research 2521 and tried to summon it again, but all other scientists stopped it.

Dr Alto Clef

Clef was just doing his job, managing all the Keter class SCPs with ease and without hesitation. You know this from first-hand experience on your very first day on the job 3 years ago and Clef took an interest in you so he took you under his wing. So on this mission, he's on, he wanted to take you with him so you went along (not like you'd say no to this madman anyways right?). It was a breach on one of the sites with a sh- ton of Keter class SCPs and your jobs were to exterminate/neutralise them and save all the other researchers in which your team did do well and were still alive. You on the other hand were killed in action by SCP 939 (NOW WHICH ONE OF YOU IDIOTS RELEASED MY PETS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?!). Clef wasn't able to save you on time, but he managed to kill 2 of those SCPs. When he got back, he hid in his office and was depressed for 23.3 weeks and when he managed to drag himself out, he was bawling his eyes out. He deeply regretted taking you on a mission with him and swore an oath that if he were to ever take another person under his wing (probs in like 50 years), he would do anything in his power to not take them on a life-threatening mission.

Dr Benjamin Kondraki

You were out with Kondraki, just laying on the grass like you normally do as you just watched Kondraki take photographs of various and random stuff. Not long later, you asked him if he could teach you how to become such an avid photographer like him, so he did. However, little did you and Kondraki know that his butterfly friends felt danger lurking around the area you were in and quickly transformed into a threatening SCP to defend you both. Lurking around the woods were uncontained 939s running loose on the ground in which the booterflies attacked it. One of the red lizards was ready to pounce onto Kondraki to which you ran and pushed him out of the way (BAD DOGGO ))),:<). Luckily he was unharmed, but you, on the other hand, was heavily injured so Kondraki rushed you back to the foundation's medic. You died there shortly after and Kondraki blamed himself for getting you hurt on a harmless visit to the woods for some photographs. Bright and Clef begged Glass to do some psychological evaluation on Kondraki despite him telling them that he needs some time alone before he could do such things.

O5 Council Mikell Bright

When you're with Mikell, he would be his true self, being honest and relaxed since you're his most trusted partner. Moreover, he would tell you everything about what the O5 Council has been doing and their top secrets and you would always keep your lips sealed. The other members are wary of this at first but soon warm up to you since you're one of the most trusted individuals. Being with the cowboy is quite entertaining and you'll be quite protected being with him, so most of the time, you get free reign over the foundation, however, you still had to obey the rules as you weren't exactly a member of the O5 council and that would also help you from making people think you're sus for being treated so differently. That day was one of the days where your freedom got the better of you as you were on a mission with Mikell and he was about to aim at the target until you pushed him out of the way from danger. He quickly gained his composure and tried to shoot the anomaly behind you which he missed and shot you instead. Mikell was in shock and tried to get the medics, but by the time they arrived, you've already passed. Jack had to check up on his brother regularly to see how he's doing and to make sure he doesn't fall off the edge, reminding him that you wouldn't want to see him this way.

Agent Dmitri Arkadeyevich Strelnikov

As an agent, Strelnikov's life and his closest friends and relatives would be on the line. He wouldn't know when, where or how he would die and is in constant fear of losing everyone around him, especially you. One time, he took you on a mission with him since you were trained under him and he felt that you were ready to go onto your first-ever mission (well too bad, it's your last mission since y'all just suck at your jobs and this poor man has to drag you up from hell and y'all just fall back in) and so you guys went and attempted to gain information and track down some SCPs. Dmitri had to save you a few times since you didn't heed his advice and looked behind your back and that one time he left you on your own, you were murdered by a ruthless group from one of the GOIs. This, of course, deeply saddened agent Strelnikov as he was washed away by the guilt he had from leaving you to stand by your own 2 feet. You were a bright and gentle person who always looked up to him, always eager to learn and never want to fail him. These traits are what drew you to him and he was hoping to have you on his team permanently, however, that dream was long gone (just like your non-existent brain cells trying to keep your life together so y'all don't do stupid things) as you were snatched away from him in an instant. He wrote the report once he went back to the foundation and locked himself up for so long the doctors had to get him out (like your guardians whenever you don't wake up in the mornings).

Extras:

SCP 073 (Cain)

You and Cain were strolling around site 17 until a containment breach happened. Cain had to drag you by your arm since you froze (like a deer in headlights XD) and didn't react to anything since you were afraid. Luckily you did manage to get your senses back together and ran with him. Not long later, a Keter class SCP came charging at you and in a panic, Cain pushed you aside without a glance which caused another SCP to kill you since you were blocking the way. He looked over to you to see that you were wounded, lifted you up, and found a medic. Cain blamed himself for not looking carefully and had he done that, you wouldn't be dying. By the time the medic and you both arrived, you were already at the brink of death and when 343 finally arrived, you were long gone. 343 had to calm 073 down from trying to seek revenge once again but he can't due to the overwhelming guilt he had on him. 343 managed to ease his mind a bit which caused him to blackout. The researchers had to put him under their watchlist to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid (like you when you're studying for your important exams).

SCP 076 (Abel)

It was a normal day for you and Abel to hang around until this one mf guard angered Abel to which caused a containment breach. He went on a rampage (you do be here like Hercules! Hercules! XD) in which you had to try and calm him down. By the time you went to the main part of the facility, you saw many of the D-classes and researchers beheaded (like the previous queens in- never mind). When you had found Abel attempting to slaughter a guy, you jumped in front of the victim and by the time Abel realised that you were there, his sword cut you open in half (KO! 10 points to Gryffindor). He was overwhelmed with guilt and anxiety about him killing you by accident and returned to his box as demanded by the MTF members. The scientists noticed a change in Abel's behaviour and never questioned it. Those who knew what had happened never mentioned it in fear of another breach and left him be.

SCP 999 (Tickle Monster)

It was an ideal Saturday night at the foundation. You and our adorable 999 was wandering around the facility minding your own business until some madman came charging into the foundation. The alarm for the breach went on and everyone was confused since there weren't any dangerous SCPs on the loose. As it turns out, it was an intruder from one of the other GOIs trying to kidnap some of the SCPs. You and 999 just so happened to be in the exact same spot as the intruder and was holding a weapon of some sort. Realising what's happening, 999 pushed you out of the way just as the intruder fired her weapon which missed you both. One of the agents caught up with both of you and tried to shoot the intruder but ended up shooting you just as you got up which killed you. 999 never greeted any visitors in his cell ever again for quite some time and the researchers attempted to bribe him but failed.

SCP 682 (Hard to Destroy Reptile)

You were requested to take part in a test with 682 and another Keter class SCP in a test room and your job was to make sure 682 weren't allowed to lash out at the researchers because of this test. However, this certain Keter class SCP has decided that it wants to attack you in which 682 shoved you aside to protect you. The researchers ran in to save you but the other SCP managed to pounce on you and suffocated you to the brink of death. 682 was about to take a chonki bite out of that SCP but instead, he bit you instead, killing you instantly. He regretted every decision he has ever made and never attacked the foundation staff for months.

SCP 049 (Plague Doctor)

This doctor was just minding his own business until some dumbass researchers rushed into his room like some fanboys trying to get their noona's signatures. 049 was entertained by this remark but was soon agitated as they disturbed his work and wouldn't leave him alone. So, 049 used his lethal touch on some of the researchers as the rest ran. Luckily, they ran into you, so you managed to calm down the angri bird doctor. Unfortunately, that didn't go as planned as he had mistaken you as one of the other fanboys and stabbed you right into your heart. As soon as he had realised what he's done, he rushed you into his cell and performed surgery on you. Mid-surgery, he soon realised that you were losing too much blood and died right then and there. He mourned for quite some time as the other researchers were severely punished as it had led to your death which could've been avoided.

SCP 035 (Possessive Mask)

Like the other SCPs mentioned in the list, there was a test that resulted in your death. 035 was instructed to change to another human as the black goo was secreted from the mask and so he obeyed as you were slouching by the corner of the test room. Except for this time, it is being worn by a taller and more muscular man who was a wanted man due to his former job as a mercenary. As the researchers watched intently, the mask soon felt slightly overpowered but was resolved quickly due to his evergrowing abilities and experience in possessing those who come near it or is wearing the mask. The mask spoke of the discomfort of being overpowered to which the researchers took note of this statement and watched. You were somewhat concerned to you went closer to your beloved partner to check up on him. However, upon coming closer to 035, he switched his usual persona to the man wearing it, becoming more aggressive and unable to control this body, killing the first person he sees, which was you. This stunned the researchers as the guards tried to pry him off you. When they managed to get him off, you were no longer breathing. In the next interview with 035, he displayed extreme guilt and sadness of his inability to possess the man well enough to control him fully and made a request for him to be left alone for a while.

SCP 096 (Shy Guy)

You both met up during the breach a few steps away from 096's cell. He was wandering around to find you while covering his elongated face. All the other researchers were outside trying their best to stay calm and deal with this massive breach until they just saw 096 walking about looking for someone. It instantly clicked in their mind and offered to look for you as long as he goes back to his cell afterwards to which he agreed. Upon finding you, another SCP was attempting to attack you but was soon neutralised by the other MTFs. 096 managed to push you away beforehand but his throw was so strong that you died on the impact when you fell to the ground (you really did get yeeted lmao). As 096 and the others ran towards you to make sure you were ok, you had stopped breathing and 096 screamed in sadness which flooded the whole field. As he was contained back to his cell, they noticed a small detail about 096 which was him wailing every now and again about your death.

SCP 105 (Iris)

You and Iris were just strolling down site 17 to meet with Cain and Dr James Dantensen. Once you've arrived at the agreed location within site 17, you guys were just catching up with old times and sharing your memories and stories about your everyday lives. However, this jolly moment only lasted for so long as someone had breached the containment to target you as you were close to a lot of the SCPs, especially the humanoid ones. As you, along with the others, ran to safety, the enemy caught up with you and threatened you for your knowledge of the SCPs. Iris finally caught up with you just in time to see the commotion and shoved you out of the way. Cain managed to shield you from another guy who attempted to shoot you in which Iris retaliates by throwing a knife back, but instead, injured you instead. She ran over and screamed as you slowly blacked out. Cain had to carry you over as Dantensen was calling the medics and you barely managed to survive. During your days in the hospital, the suspect managed to suffocate you which alarmed everyone. During the days that followed, Iris had been seeking out revenge as Cain tried to make her stay calm and think more rationally.

SCP 106 (Old Man)

It was another day spending some time in 106's pocket dimension as you relaxed with him. You both talked about your past experiences and the obstacles you both had overcome. Once you both were done relaxing (aka never you lazy catto so get up and do something useful for once cuz I don't wanna see yall get screamed at by your family and non-existent friends (jk jk i hope they're treating you well)), 106 took you back to his containment cell and just sat there as the researchers looked at you both blankly. 096 caused a containment breach which, of course, freed you both from 106's cell and you made a run for it (RUN FOREST RUN!). As you and 096 came into contact, 106 tried to put himself between the both of you, knowing what 096 was capable of. Unfortunately, this resulted in 106 being attacked and you died from looking at his face (wear a damn mask 096, you're in the middle of a pandemic). Saddened by the news, 106 seek revenge but was briefly neutralised and shipped to another facility so it wouldn't cause another breach due to his rage.

[tommybaholland]

Hello, I have a request that's been eating at me. I read a lot of fics where the reader is afraid of thunderstorms, but I really can't relate. My family used to sit on the porch and watch the lightning like I was looking at fireworks, the rumbles lull me to sleep. I was also one of those kids who rain outside in heavy rain. Can I request some Shouto, Izuku, Kaachan and Kaminari heacanons with an S/O who looooves thunderstorms and heavy rains please?

s/o who loves thunderstorms 

featuring: todoroki, midoriya, bakugo, and kaminari

the older i get the more i appreciate the sounds of heavy nature. i also like the idea of flipping concepts and doing something different! thank you and enjoy. x

todoroki

he also enjoys the soothing sound of thunder and heavy rain

he’s already a pretty sleepy boy so staying up and watching storms with you is almost out of the question

he’ll do it if you want but he’ll most likely be fast asleep in about ten minutes 

and you’ll know when his head starts to lean into your shoulder 

he prefers falling asleep with you during a storm

he finds the sentiment very comforting and the way you snuggle up to him makes him feel all warm and cozy

he’s not a huge fan of you running outside in the rain but he can’t complain if it makes you happy, he’s happy to watch you from a drier spot

one time you asked him if his quirk would work during a storm 

like if he could freeze the rain or if he could even use his fire side at all

that got him thinking and he became curious about it too because he didn’t know either

he did have preconceived notions about it like that his fire side would be particularly useless during a heavy rainstorm

and that he could only make ice itself and wasn’t so sure that he could freeze moving rain

you thought that maybe this could be a new revelation for his power and that he could combine the two quirks and create steam or something

although he was doubtful, he tried anyway but the rain was still affecting his ability mostly to produce heat 

“it looks like i’ll have to try it another time when it’s not raining. now, we should get inside before you get sick, my love.”

he makes sure you’re all showered and dry and comfy before getting relaxed with him under a blanket 

at this point you’re glued to his left side because of how warm he is 

he’ll even raise the temperature a little higher so it feels like the blanket just came out of the dryer and you feel so comfortable 

it makes you fully relax as you doze off on him with the soothing sound of rain hitting the building in the background

he sees you struggling to stay awake, “you can fall asleep on me if you like, baby.”

he rubs your back with his warm hand and kisses your head, effectively making you succumb to sleep 

midoriya

he seems like someone who would be spooked by thunder and lightning claps

so you’d most likely be the one comforting him during a storm

and he definitely doesn’t like you going outside in that kind of weather

he’s afraid you’ll get struck by lightning

however, he wants to beat this fear of storms because he might have to fight a villain during one and he wants to be prepared for anything 

so he starts practicing kicks outside whenever it rains 

more like every time it rains 

and he’ll be out there for a while, just trying to improve his mobility in the rain 

which is not out of character for him

even before you started dating, you knew that he was persistent and didn’t give up so easily 

it’s both a good and bad quality to have 

the bad being that he doesn’t know when to quit, even when his body is telling him to do so

you felt a little hypocritical about dragging him out of the rain like he’s done to you 

but this wasn’t so much about the rain than about what he’s doing to himself 

once you finally get him inside and make sure a hot shower, warm clothes, and some tea are in order 

 he’s very grateful for how much you take care of him

“thank you, sweetie. i know i can push it too hard sometimes but i do appreciate what you do for me. you should try training out in the rain too sometime though!”

it’s hard not to smile at his undying enthusiasm

you agree to go out with him next time but for the time being, you’d rather stay inside and listening to the storm with him

even though he trains outside in the rain now, it doesn’t change him getting jumpy from the thunder claps

but luckily, he has you to snuggle into him to look forward to

bakugo

he doesn’t understand your fascination of heavy rain and thunder 

meanwhile he’s literally out like a light during storms

he’s used to loud noises like that given his quirk so it never bothers him

it can keep you up though because you just love to watch it

so he doesn’t love to share a bed with you during a storm as he just wants to sleep 

more like he just wants you to sleep next to him instead of watching some stupid rain 

“hey, dumbass. quit staring out the window and come lay next to me!” 

he literally has to drag you to bed so you don’t stay up too late

he’ll hold you tight against his body to try to get you to relax and go to sleep

but then you’ll start squirming in his hold and feeling those movements against him makes him blush

“why are you so fidgety, you idiot?”

he ends up laying on top of you, which is perfectly fine because it’s one of his favorite ways to cuddle you anyway

he will not, however, run around like an idiot outside in the rain

he also doesn’t even care that midoriya is training outside in the rain because what villain would be dumb enough to attack in a thunderstorm?

he usually has to go out to reign you in at some point 

and one time when he finally caught you by your wrists, he couldn’t help but notice how attractive you were in that moment

your hair drenched was and stuck to your neck 

and he was mesmerized by the droplets of rainwater running down to pool in your heaving collarbones 

he felt the need to pull you in for a kiss with his hands holding either side of your head

he was definitely the stupidest thing he had ever done but the way you looked at him after the heated kiss was all worth it

unfortunately, he got sick after that and blames you for all of it but he feels lucky that you’re there to take care of him

kaminari

he likes them but mostly because he feels “more powerful” due to the lightning

so he’s more of a heat storm person that likes to watch the lightning behind the clouds

he can get a little too overzealous about it, “what if i could bend lightning like in avatar? wouldn’t that be the coolest, babe?” 

you point out that he can already bend lightning but he thinks that ‘electrification’ doesn’t sound as cool

sometimes he attributes your attraction to him to your love of thunderstorms and lightning

you had never really made the connection and you always tell him that he’s just a cute and sweet boy that love you too

he also can get a little jumpy with the thunder because sometimes it’s really loud and you never know when the loud ones are going to hit

he’ll try to keep himself from getting too scared 

but then he sees how midoriya’s s/o is when midoriya gets jumpy with the thunder 

so sometimes he’ll exaggerate his shivers and jumps when you’re cuddling him during a storm so you’ll get even closer to him 

then the warmth and weight of your body against him makes him blush

he’d be the most willing to go out into the rain with you

let’s face it, the real reason you’re dating him is that you’re both idiots

one time he decides to try to bend the lightning from the storm and just caused a huge explosion 

thank god you were with him because he ended up short circuiting and would’ve been left out there alone 

it took a lot of your energy to get him back home and you nearly collapsed once you had returned

he felt really bad after that and apologized profusely for putting you in danger

you also ended up falling ill after that so he made sure that you were well cared for 

he brought you all your favorite snacks and things but made sure you were drinking water 

and he got you a white noise machine that played heavy rain and thunderstorm sounds so that you would get adequate rest 

even if he can’t exactly lightning bend, he still makes you just as happy as storms do

welcome back to bnha night! request some ideas..

[wisehq]

Mission Debrief: Chapter Forty-Seven

...Right through the goddamn door!

Annnnnnddddd turns out it was option 2 behind the door. Endo went the cliche route and had the ol’ “bad guy disguised as room server” schitck, but considering we got a wicked assassination from Yor out of it I’m definitely not complaining (guess it was a good thing it wasn’t Loid and Anya!) This was probably the most action packed chapter since Loid took on Edgar’s men way back in the first chapter, and I am living for it. So let’s talk about it!

(Also just a quick shout out to @tare-chan​ and @musiciati​ for their awesome analyses. Check them out if you haven’t already!)

Okay, like I said already, the room service guy. It’s cliche. It’s obvious. It’s overdone- but I think that was kind of the point. The moment we saw this guy we already knew what was gonna happen, and yet it was still exciting seeing everyone pop off and Yor impaling the guy with her dagger (with a little help from McMahon and his darts, of course.) It quickly becomes apparent that plot isn’t the main focus of this chapter- rather it’s the action. We’ve had exposition. We’ve had buildup. The last three chapters were mostly talking, and now we’re getting into the actual fun part of this arc.

Endo has been building Yor up this whole time, and now we’re finally seeing everything come to a head as if the manga were this big, blockbuster summer movie about an army of assassins out for blood on a cruise liner. We’ve got all the tropes; an evil man-behind-the-chair, the eclectic group of cutthroat criminals, and a well-composed leader to reign them all in...

...For the most part.

The kill count is climbing fast, which I suppose is to be expected when you’re in Yor’s line of work. Still, it’s interesting- and a little bit concerning- how readily these guys are willing to turn on each other. We see that more as the chapter progresses and things devolve into essentially chaos. Everyone knows that Olka and Yor know they’re being targeted, so it becomes a rat race to see who can kill the former first.

Queue the masquerade scene (which funnily enough a lot of people were hoping would happen at some point, though not quite in this way). Yor is perfection in this whole sequence. Her assassin instincts are on full display, able to recognize the subtle feeling of killing intent even among an entire ballroom full of people. She has her eyes on everyone in there, including her charges, and despite her being nervous she invariably has everything under control.

First taking out a hitman with a button from across the room, and then leading a man twice her size out on the dance floor. I just have to reiterate that everything about this was so slick and smooth. Yor’s killer accuracy. The ease she takes this man with her insane strength. That little bit at the end where she reveals she’s married and tells him “it isn’t right”- god, move over Twilight. Your wife is the real smooth one in the family xD

Speaking of, it was only a matter of time before Anya got involved. It was kind of obvious that she’d be the first one to be clued in on Yor’s work, since she already knew the set-up for everything anyway. Now Anya knows the true extent of the trouble she’s in, even more so since we as the reader now know how much money is actually on the line here. Pulling out the math we did to figure out the cost of Handler’s coat, we know that Dalc= 3.16 to the U.S dollar. That means the combined bounty for both Olka and her son comes out to $2,528,000- an amount sizeable enough to make a boat full of eager assassins do anything to obtain.

Luckily- as expected- Loid is no slouch in keeping tabs on the boat-goers. Of course he’s not privy to the potential slaughter happening on in the background, but he does immediately recognize all the wires and bugs hidden everywhere on the ship. I’m glad Endo pointed this out because a) I knew Loid would sniff them out eventually and b) It gives Loid the excuse as to why he won’t draw attention to himself through out all this. Evil-franky (the intelligence guy) is listening to everything going on in the ship. If he hears any little detail that might point him to Yor and Olka, he’ll seize it...though good luck getting anything out of Loid when he’s on his best behavior. He won’t accidentally let anything slip out now that he knows people are listening, allowing him and Anya (and by extension Yor) some degree of anonymity-

-Assuming Loid can figure his daughter out. Poor guy just can’t catch a break, especially when Anya has no idea how to help her mama out. I know people were feeling bad that Anya has this recurring fear of Loid leaving her and Yor (frog hater), but honestly I was too busy laughing to care. Also I just have to appreciate Loid trying to be a good dad (FoR dA mISsuN.) Let him worry about that while his wife takes on an army. Y’know, typical Forger stuff.

It’s gonna be a whole month before the next chapter, but that doesn’t mean a lack of SxF! Endo’s been leaking out panels from his new novel and it’s looking fantastic. Also we’ve been seeing a lot more fan artists and writers popping up lately, so kudos to them for keeping us sated until chapter 48 drops! Ya’ll are the best!

Also, BONUS

BEBE BIRB

[mageofseven]

Uhm.. I really love the pregnant MC kind of series.. and uhm May I request the undateables version when the baby is born?

sorry, I'm nervous. am still a shy blob (///▽///)

Thank you both! And no need to be shy, First Nonnie~ *pets the cute, shy blob* 🥰

Oh! And just so you know, Imma split this up into two parts for space reasons, this part containing Diavolo and Barbatos' sections.

Unlike when I wrote for the Brothers' sections, I am only writing happy endings for the Undateables. However, the pregnancy and birth still won't be easy for MC so keep that in mind.

Brothers | Solomon & Simeon

~

Diavolo:

The first trimester was relatively easy for MC, simply going through the standard pregnancy issues, like morning sickness.

However, even during this first trimester, the couple was given a little hint of what was to come.

MC quickly developed a belly. Actually, the woman already had a small pouch formed by the time the royal physician was called and told the prince that his Sweetheart was pregnant.

Her growth stayed at this strange, quick pace.

By the end of MC's third month, the woman looked as if she was finishing her sixth.

This was alarming to the couple, who deferred to the royal physician about this.

The two were so sure that MC must be having multiples, but the physcian insisted that there was only baby and that it's development was normal for a child within the royal family and would still be born after the full nine months.

Diavolo didn't know this. The man knew that he himself was a big baby when he was born, but never knew it got this bad. He didn't have anyone to ask either. He never met his mother and his father spoke very little about her in general, let alone about when she was pregnant with him.

The man was anxious, to say the least. Would his queen be able to carry his child to full term? It seemed as if it would be too much for her.

Still, MC insisted she could handle it and Barbatos reminded him that he is prepared to navigate the woman through this tough time.

Diavolo stuffed his emotions down in favor of trusting his friend. Barbatos was actively using his future vision to help them and the butler confirmed that there is a possibility to make it through this

And so he gave free reign to Barbatos to whatever he needed to do.

The butler used the information from his vision to set up a schedule for the woman to follow and a diet plan to keep her as healthy as possible and avoid the common mistakes made in the timelines that they need to avoid.

At first, it was doable for the woman. MC wasn't a fan of having each day planned out for her, but understood it was important and listened to Barbatos.

As the pregnancy progressed though and she got bigger, it was so much harder to keep her moving.

By her sixth month, the woman's body was in a lot of pain from the weight of her belly. MC looked overdue with twins, but again, only one child.

It wasn't just the baby giving her big belly its size however. The baby was larger than usual of course, but there was also a concentrated amount of magical energy building up in her womb too. The royal physician insisted that it was also normal for a bloodline as strong as Lord Diavolo's.

MC was so exhausted from all of the excess weight and just wanted to rest in bed, but Barb always came and forced her feet so she could do her walking.

Being so achy, heavy, and emotional as she was, the woman broke down crying one day, refusing to leave her bed.

The butler had to pull the prince from his work so Diavolo could comfort the sobbing woman. Afterwards, the two walked around the garden together.

Mid way through that sixth month, a new problem occured.

The couple was preparing to have dinner at House of Lamentation with the brothers, something MC had been looking forward to all week.

The woman was checking her hair in the mirror when suddenly she saw stars in her vision and passed out. Luckily, Diavolo was already approaching her to ask his Queen if she was ready and was able to catch her, stopping her from collapsing head-first onto the dresser.

The prince quickly carried her over to the bed and had Barbatos call for the physcian.

Apparently the issue was with her body's rapid collection of dark spiritual energy. Her body has been absorbing this energy at a very rapid rate during this pregnancy because of the magical strength of the baby, but the speed of the absorption is far too quick for her human body to handle. This is what caused MC to suddenly pass out.

The physcian warned that this would probably happen more till the end of the pregnancy and that there was really no option that was safe for both mother and child to help the situation.

This is when Diavolo's anxiety got so bad that he simply defaulted into his composed expression, locking all of his feelings within him.

The demon was naturally such an expressive man, but when under great stress, he often locked down his emotions as a kind of defense mechanism.

MC hated this and always has. The woman knew it usually wasn't a conscious thing on his part, not something he purposely did, but it still hurt. It always felt as if he was hiding himself from her and it killed her inside.

The prince tried to fight it, tried to smile more for his Queen because he knew he was only bringing the woman down when she was already struggling to remain strong, but it was difficult for him.

He was afraid. He was afraid of losing her and their child. He was afraid that despite all of their hard work and all MC is suffering for that...it might all be for not

And instead of showing this fear, it was simply a lot easier to shut down all emotional expression.

There were some moments however where he could bring himself to smile genuinely

Like the first time he felt his child kick.

He and MC were having tea out in the garden. The woman was feeling extra anxious that day and asked her boyfriend if the two of them could spend sometime outside that day, which of course the prince agreed to.

The man was watching his girlfriend relax and enjoy the nice breeze, which calmed his own anxiety to see her find a bit of peace

Then he saw eyes go wide and hand flew to her massive belly.

"D-Dia!"

The prince jumped from his seat and rushed to her side. Still hiding his emotions within himself, the only hint of his panic was the speed in which he did this.

"What is it? What happened?"

MC started crying a bit and the man's heart sank. Before he could ask anything else however, his girlfriend took his hand and placed it on the area of her belly that her own hand was a moment before.

That's when he felt it. A kick. His child was kicking. This was the first interaction the man was having with his child and it caused the soon-to-be dad to tear up too.

"This--our child is greeting us." The prince smiled as he looked up at his Queen, who nodded and continued to cry her own happy tears.

Diavolo spent the next few minutes just gushing over their child's movements. He'd rub and kiss MC's belly as he talked to the baby within, greeting them back and telling them just how incredibly loved they are and how their mama and daddy can't wait to meet them.

Barbatos, who had been on standby near the couple in case they needed assistance, smiled at the scene before him.

The pregnancy didn't get any easier for the woman, but both her and her boyfriend were able to endure it more here on out because now they had a reminder of what it was they were fighting for, who they were fighting for

And so they were happy whenever their child would kick and remind their parents of this.

During the last the two months of the pregnancy, the woman had more fainting spells, but since she always had Diavolo or Barbatos with her, MC was always caught before she hit the ground.

What was more concerning was the bone breaking.

During MC's last month, the kicks that the couple got so excited for got a little too...rough.

It only happened twice, but twice was more than enough to scare the couple.

The baby was already positioned upside down and ready for the birth, meaning that its legs were now positioned upwards

So when they kicked, they would sometimes hit their mama's ribs

And twice it caused the bottom of her rib to fracture.

The woman was healed up via a spell each time, but it still wasn't a pleasant experience.

Still, this was just a taste of the pain that MC would face when she gave birth.

The Birth:

Out of all of the births I've written for MC in past, this one was worse for her just based on her child's size. Though a lot of her belly's growth was due to the concentrated magical energy that built up within her, there was also no doubt that this baby was much bigger than any human baby.

It started when MC was doing the walking scheduled by Barbatos for her. Diavolo was home, but in a meeting with the Devildom's Elder Council, basically a group of powerful aristocratic demons whose interests the prince had to balance delicately to keep peace in his kingdom. Which is why it was Barbatos with her, holding onto the pregnant woman as she walked and held her up as she suddenly stopped and bent forward in pain, hugging her stomach. The butler quickly brought the human to her room and called for the physcian, not leaving MC's side. The woman cried and begged for her boyfriend, but the the man only shook his head. Though Barbatos stayed calm and composed, he truly did feel bad for MC. He could not inform his lord about the sudden turn in events because of the importance of the Elder Council. If Diavolo left the meeting, it would just cause a lot of issues for him later on, some that he might not be able to mend. The butler told the woman that the meeting should end in about three more hours and promised that the prince would be there for their child's birth.

The meeting went in over time and lasted about four hours. Unable and even unwilling to leave MC alone, Barbatos sent a Little D to send word to Diavolo the very moment he left the council room. Upon hearing the news, the prince rushed to the other side of the castle and practically slammed the door open. Once at her side, he grabbed her hand apologized profusely for his absence. Though he understood why, the man was still angry with his butler for keeping this from him and Barbatos knew it, but did not comment on it.

The labor was a long one, lasting a little over thirty-five hours. It wasn't as bad as that makes it sound though. Diavolo had talked with the royal physician ahead of time and had a variety of potions and creams ready for her, all working together to essentially give the same effect as an epidural. The physcian had MC take them now that the prince was there to give him permission and they eased most of the pain she felt within ten minutes. Still, it did nothing to help the unbearable pressure she felt within her. With the pain managed though, the woman wasn't forced to be confined to their bed; she could also sit on the couch in their room or walk around a bit if her leg muscles insisted that she should move, which was good for her since the physcian said walking could help progress the labor.

When things progressed enough for the woman to push, she was brought back to the bed. Diavolo more wiped the sweat from her forehead and gave her a kiss, telling his Queen how well she was doing and that he won't leave her side. The woman pushed for hours and when the baby started crowing, she could still feel the burn from it despite the potions given to her. After a certain point, the woman stopped making progress. The physcian checked her and it seemed the baby was stuck. It's size was too big and the baby was stuck on her hip bone. He told the prince that no progress could be made unless he fractured the bone just enough to let the baby through.

The man's heart sank and he looked to his girlfriend, who was starting to feel the pain of the labor once more now that the potions were starting to wear off. He apologized to his Queen, but promised that he'd have the doctor give her more of the potions before he allows it to be done to her and that he'll make sure that she's healed up afterwards.

Suddenly, the woman shrieked in pain. During just that small amount of time that the prince took to make the decision and apologize, the baby had decided to break it for them in order to continue their way. The problem was solved, but in a very painful way. Even so, it took another half hour to for MC to bring her baby into the world.

It was a boy, with his father's eyes, skin tone, wings, and horns; he even had a similar golden pattern on his arms just like Diavolo did in his demon form. The boy also had MC's hair though. The doctor handed the baby to Diavolo and the man stared down at his son, tears of joy filling his eyes. He looked over to MC, who was also crying as she watched her boyfriend hold their son.

The prince leaned in a kissed the human, telling her how amazing she did and how proud of her that he is before thanking her for all that she did in order to bring their son into the world and make them parents.

The two name their son Ashur and he is spoiled with all the love he could ever need from day one.

Barbatos:

The first few months of MC's pregnancy was rather peaceful.

Barbatos went back and forth from his duties at the castle to taking care of his girlfriend, who still wished to live at House of Lamentation at this time.

The butler had no issue with this; he simply wanted his Love to remain as happy and comfortable as possible during this pregnancy, though he was prepared to move her into the castle at any point if issues arose and made it necessary, something Barb had already discussed with Lord Diavolo of course.

Which was good, considering what transpired during MC's fourth month.

Barbatos was tending to his duties at the castle when he received a call from Lucifer. Apparently his Dear was in the library getting help from Satan with her homework when suddenly the woman started shrieking and sobbing uncontrollably.

When Lucifer himself heard and rushed in, he found MC curled up in a ball and her eyes glowing green. The two men tried to calm her and ask what was wrong, but it was as if the human could not see or hear them.

Once the strange episode was over, MC continued to sob and beg for her boyfriend

Which of course resulted in the butler dropping everything in order to rush to his girlfriend's side.

When he arrived at House of Lamentation, he found his Love in the living room with Beel, curled up and hiding in the big demon's embrace.

Upon his entrance, the redhead wordless tapped the human's shoulder, causing her to raise her head and see her boyfriend entering the room.

Beel let go of the woman and nodded in greeting to the butler before stepping out to give the two time to talk.

Taking the other demon's seat, Barb sat down next to MC. His Love clung to him, burying her face in his chest.

The man didn't say a word, just held the human close and waited till she was ready to speak.

"Barbie...I saw myself die...I saw our baby die."

Barbatos frowned. He suspected as much when he heard that her eyes glowed green, the same color as his own eyes.

The woman talked about seeing herself die in childbirth, about seeing their daughter die before even entering the world, and her boyfriend's only response was to tighten the embrace and stroke her hair.

This...the man had been studying this timeline in depth since he discovered MC was pregnant. However, this was not something he that he foresaw.

If he was correct in his assumption, the only way MC would be able to see such a vision was if she somehow gained access to such power and since that was not a power of her own, the man knew what the only explanation could be; their daughter had inherited his power and has projected such a vision onto her mother.

How and why, the butler wasn't sure, but what concerned him the most was that his review of the timeline originally never included his daughter inheriting his gift and torturing her mother with with its visions.

Something must have changed, something small and easily overlooked, causing another tinier branch of time to split from the already small one they were on originally.

Now Barbatos was...well, not blind per se, but he had certainly lost his previous advantage. Months of studying every little detail of the previous timeline was now rendered useless and now he needed to start from scratch to make sure he knows what to expect and keep MC safe during this harsh pregnancy.

The demon originally wanted to keep the truth of the dangers this pregnancy poses to himself; he never wanted MC to worry, but since their daughter seemed to have different plans, the butler must be flexible.

"I'm sorry, my Dear. I should have foresaw this issue, but I failed to do so for you."

The man explained what he had been hiding from her. He told her what he foresaw the day he found out she was pregnant and admitted he knew before she even took the test.

He explained that because he knew from multiple timelines that she'd choose to risk her life for the sake of their child and he didn't want her to worry, especially since he was so sure he could use his gift to keep her safe, he had decided to keep all of it to himself.

However, he also explained that the vision she saw was likely from one of the obsolete timelines (though he will thoroughly check through their current one to make sure) and that it was their daughter who showed her it.

Barbatos knew if it happened once then it would likely happen again and did not want his Dear to see such an awful sight again.

This is was why he requested for her to move into the castle with him; by doing so, he could use his own power to disrupt their daughter's to end such an episode when it occurs.

At first, MC fought the idea. She said House of Lamentation was her home and the brothers were her family; she simply did not want to leave them.

Barbatos apologized for the trouble, but told her this would be for the best and promised that she could move back in with the brothers after their daughter's birth if she so chooses and if Lucifer was okay with it.

The woman was hesitant, but agreed after hearing this

And so MC moved into the castle with him that day. Once again, the butler already had everything prepared so it was as simply as packing up her things and using magic to teleport them to the castle so the two could walk there comfortably.

Barbatos had a different room for them both to sleep in as opposed to his own room. The man had worried that his bedroom would be a bit...unsettling for his Dear and did not want her to think about the first time she saw his room, back in her first year at RAD when she used it to go back in time and had technically died from such a decision.

The man wanted to avoid anything that could bring bad thoughts to his sweet human's head and ultimately keep her spirits up.

The first day, MC felt a bit out of place in the castle, but when the night came and she got to sleep in her boyfriend's arms, she found a sense a peace that she did not often get to feel outside of his embrace and so she slept comfortably.

Her days were filled with being by Barbatos' side as he worked. He wanted her close in case an episode should occur and he was correct that more were to come.

Each time one would occur, the demon would carefully lead his distraught girlfriend to a seat, slip off his gloves, and place one hand on her bare belly and one on her forehead, pushing his own magick into her to disrupt their daughter's magick flow.

When the vision was brought to a halt, the woman's eyes stopped glowing and she fell forward, her face falling onto his shoulder.

It always went like this, Barb dropping everything to end it for her and then holding the human close for as long as she needed.

Outside of these episodes, the woman would help her boyfriend as he worked. Though it wasn't necessary, Barb acknowledged that MC needed to fill her time in some way and enjoyed helping him.

However, he still restricted his Dear with what she could help with. If it require heavy lifting, chemicals, or magick, he would have her step back and let him handle it. Though disappointed, MC would do as she was told.

Months went by and things with her pregnancy were manageable.

The brothers were a constant presence within the castles, always checking up on the human and wanting to spend time with her. The butler did not mind this and knew that this was good for his Love's spirits.

Still, he was always displeased when Mammon stopped by because he knew he had to balance his work, taking care of MC, and keeping an eye on the second brother to make sure he didn't try to steal anything. Again.

It was half way through her sixth month when a new problem arose.

The butler had left the room for just a moment to deal with some work while MC chatted with the Avatar of Greed, only to be called back by the other man.

"Shit! Barbatos!"

The butler quicken his steps and turned back towards the room

And found MC on the floor of the parlor, green glow of her eyes flickering on and off as she seizured on the floor.

Barbatos sprung into action. He did not understand what brought this on so suddenly, but handled the situation as best as he could for now.

He had the other demon stay back as he turned MC onto her side and pushed the funiture away from his Dear so she didn't hurt herself during this. He took off his jacket and folded it up before placing it behind her head. He took out his phone to time it, just in case.

When it finished, his Love looked up at him and asked what had happened. Her boyfriend finally let himself release the breath he had been holding.

"You're fine, my Dear. You're laying down in the parlor right now. Please just relax for a bit."

Barbatos had requested for the Brother to return home for the day before calling in a doctor for MC.

That's how the couple discovered the new issue; MC wasn't handling the new power well. The foreign magic was like a shock to her system. It could handle the magick in certain doses, but too much had lead to this seizure.

The doctor said she should able to tolerate it on a physical level when their daughters activates it, but MC likely won't survive if Barb keep forcing his magick on her or at least cause her health to take a permanent nosedive.

Each time a human has a seizure, it becomes so much easier for their body to it again. If this keeps up, it will become a health problem for her even after the pregnancy.

Basically, the couple was stuck with the choice of whether MC's physical health or mental health was more important.

The butler kept composed at this news, but in reality...he felt like he was failing her. It was his responsibility to take care of her, but he felt as if things were slipping out of his control.

Still, he did what had to be done. From then on, he never interfered when his Love had one of her episodes. When their daughter forced a horrible vision onto MC, all the man could do is bring her to a seat and hold onto his girlfriend as her mind was being tortured by vivid experiences.

They never took long, about ten or fifteen minutes each time, but MC was always left shaky and emotionally fragile. Barbatos made sure to never be the first to break the embrace, even if he had a long list of work he needed to get done.

The rest of the pregnancy was very difficult for the woman. Barb and the Brothers did what they could for her, but it was obvious that her spirits were low from then on.

The Birth:

The stress that the visions put on the woman caused her to go into labor early. Luckily, not dangerously early, just about a week and a half so.

MC was having tea with Lord Diavolo, something the prince purposefully set time aside for each week. He knew how difficult of a time this was for the human and his friend and wanted to play his part to ease their nerves a bit. Barbatos was able to leave his Dear's side without much anxiety and MC could chat with him as she enjoys some tea. Tea time with Diavolo had become something the woman looked forward to each week. The prince's cheerful attitude really did a lot to lift her fragile spirits.

It was during such a tea time when MC started feeling some minor contractions. They were small and far apart at first so the woman simply chose to ignore them at first. It was still a bit early so she really didn't think the pains were really the start of labor. If anything, she simply thought they were more so Braxton Hicks contractions, basically small practices ones that women can feel towards the end of their pregnancy. They don't lead to labor; they're simply uncomfortable. Thinking this was the reason for her pain, the woman said nothing and continued to chat with the prince. However, the pain slowly built up and she found herself wincing mid-sentence.

"Are you alright?" Lord Diavolo watched the woman closely.

"Oh yes, sorry." MC smiled anxiously at him before looking down to her belly and giving it a gently rub. "I've been feeling a bit of pain, but I'm sure it's nothing."

The prince rose from his seat.

"Then I'll go retrieve Barbatos for you--"

"No, please sit." The woman insisted. "It's nothing. It's too early for it to be a real issue and besides...I don't want Barb to worry. He's so good at hiding it, but I know he's been stressed out these last couple months. He needs this. He needs some time to himself where he doesn't feel as if he needs to hover around me, even if he's still working."

The prince watched the woman for a moment before lowering himself back into his chair.

"Alright. Please let me know if it gets any worse for you."

MC nodded and the two continued talking, though now with the man being extra observant with her.

A couple minutes later, Barbatos had rushed in.

"Barb? Is something--"

He was at her side in an instant.

"My Dear, you really shouldn't keep such a thing from me for my sake."

The woman stared at her boyfriend, confused. He explained how he had paused his work to look into his vision (he was feeling anxious about leaving her side, but of course, never mentioned this) and saw that this was going on, but discovered that her hypothesis was incorrect; this was in fact the very beginning of labor for her. Its bareable at the moment, but as he has already seen, this will change very soon.

"I already called the doctor so please follow me so you can go lay down."

MC stared at him eyes wide.

"I...is she going to be okay?" The woman asked, eyes tearing up a bit. "Barb, it's--"

"My Dear, it's alright." He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Our daughter will be fine. Please don't worry."

Suddenly, a new pain hit her and her boyfriend was right that they were getting worse.

"Gaaaah...Barb..."

"Shh. Its alright." The butler waited for the pain to settle before helping her out of her chair and turning to Diavolo. "I'm sorry, my lord. Please excuse us."

"Of course." The prince smiled at the two before adding. "You'll be fine, MC. Just do your best and trust in my friend, yes?"

The couple thanked the prince before retreating.

Thanks to Barbatos catching things as soon as he did and calling the doctor when he did, things went smoothly. It was still a painful experience for his girlfriend, but the demon stayed by her side the whole time and never let go of her hand.

A few hours later, the couple was graced with their daughter's cries as she entered the world. Once the baby was cleaned up and wrapped in a blanket, MC brought their child into her arms, hold her close. Barbatos watched the scene and started tearing up. It was over. His Dear's suffering was over and now his daughter was here in her arms. It was...all worth it.

MC stayed in the castle for a few more days to recover before moving back into House of Lamentation with the Brothers, taking their daughter with her. It was for the best. After all, Barbatos had promised her such when she first moved into the castle that she could move back after the birth.

Besides, MC can't stay by his side every second of the day like she did during the pregnancy. It simply wasn't fair nor healthy to expect that of her so she'd just be on her own with their child in the castle and that would be a very lonely way for her to live. MC living in House of Lamentation, surrounded by those she saw as her family while receiving their help and support...that was what she deserved; it made her happy.

Still, the man was constantly visiting her and their daughter. Just because they weren't a traditional family who lived together didn't mean he loved his girls any less or that he'd give them any less than his best. He'd even stay the night once a week and help with the baby during the night, even though he had to wake up early to return to the castle the next morning.

Barbatos did not mind it though; he handled it all in stride and found this new life to be much more fulfilling. Being a father was never something that the man gave any thought to in the past. While many beings aimed to continue their lineage, Barbatos was never one to put importance on such a thing. Regardless, now that he has his child, the demon knows he will always treasure her and her mother above all else in this world.

The couple named the girl Vaermina, though MC often liked shortening her name to Mina. She had her father's eyes, horns, and tail, but MC's hair combined with a teal streak just like his, strangely enough. One look at her face and the man knew she'd grow up looking just like her mother; he didn't need his vision to know this.

If he was being honest...the man didn't want to use his gift at all in regards with his daughter. Mina...he knew she'd have a tough go of things. Barbatos knew better than anyone the fear that their gift can promote early in life. To not have much control over the sight and see so many outcomes that could lead to yourself or those close to you get hurt was not an easy thing.

Still, he was determined to teach her when she's old enough to control her power so such visions are not thrust upon her. Whenever he looked at his daughter, still young and bright and unaffected, his heart filled with so much love for her, but also ached in response to the trouble he knew was coming for her eventually.

[nejibaby]

The Only Thing I Got Right

Pairings: Ace x Y/N

A/N: I just finished watching the Marineford Arc and I cried so much so I wrote this on a whim. Sorry in advance if there are grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. It's the tears' fault, I swear! 😭 ((I just desperately wanted Ace to survive, you know? 😭))

This song reminds me of Ace, idk why.

You’re shaking. It would’ve been nice if it was because of the cold or if it was from excitement, but this isn’t the case. You’re shaking from fear, from anxiety. Today, Ace, the love of your life, is going to be executed and you didn’t know if you’d make it on time. You barely got out of Impel Down alive with the help of Ace’s little brother, Luffy.

You hate the fact that you got thrown there with Ace courtesy of Teach, or should you say, Blackbeard. You hate the fact that you couldn’t save Ace from Blackbeard no matter how hard you tried fighting him. It was frustrating, but if a Devil Fruit user like Ace had no match for him, what more of you? You have no powers like that, the only thing that you have is your knowledge on Rokushiki and daggers.

You got imprisoned at Level 3 of Impel Down while Ace was rumored to be on Level 5. Being thrown on a relatively lower level was understandable, even if you are part of Whitebeard’s crew, you are no commander like Ace. Still, even if you are weaker than Ace, you desperately wanted to go get him out of there but it was impossible. Or so you thought.

When you saw a Straw Hat on a male running around with two others on Level 3, you instantly knew it was Luffy. It seemed like god was in your favor because apparently one of your cellmates, who you came to learn was Mr. 2 from Baroque Works, was Luffy’s friend. When he got Mr. 2 out of the shackles, you begged to come with them, telling him your relationship with Ace. Luckily for you, Luffy needed all the help he could get so he easily got you out with the help of the other prisoner he was with. It was all chaos after that.

You’re currently hiding in the crow’s nest of the Marine ship you helped steal alongside Crocodile, Mr. 1, and Jinbei. Your body is already aching from all the running and fighting you did just to escape Impel Down. But even before that, your body had already been tired from the lack of nutrition and of sleep. How could you even dare to sleep knowing Ace was somewhere else, probably beaten to a pulp? And if that wasn’t enough, the sudden knowledge of him being executed in a few hours added more strain and tension to your body. You didn’t want anyone to see you in such a state. You didn’t want anyone to pity you.

But if you’re hurting this much, then it must’ve been so much harder for Luffy. You make a mental note to talk to him before crashing to Marineford. For now though, you need to rest — not only for your body, but for your mind as well. You have to be ready, the worst is yet to come. When you closed your eyes, you welcomed sleep like an old forgotten friend.

Your sleep didn’t last long, however, because of both the nightmare of Ace reaching out for you with bloodied hands and of the waters that suddenly rocked the whole ship. Before you could even get down the crow’s nest, the ship abruptly stilled and the air chilled. When you looked down, you clenched your teeth at the sight of the sea that turned into ice.

A mental clock was ticking like a time bomb in your mind. How were you supposed to save Ace now?

As if hearing your question, Luffy started gathering the people in the ship about his plan. At this point, you would do anything just to get to Ace so you didn’t hesitate to help him in his plan on freeing the ship from the ice. But the next thing you know, you were falling after kicking the thick layer of ice as hard as you can.

Just as you looked down to where you’re supposed to land, you realized that it was Marineford and the war had already started. With a little tilt of your head, you see Ace in the scaffold, shackled up. Worry was etched on his face, his focus on Luffy. You could almost hear him saying how stupid his little brother is.

Was it wrong to smile at the sight of him at a time like this? But how could you not? He’s still alive! You have a chance at saving him. You release a sigh of relief.

You try not to draw his attention to you. He already has a lot to worry about — namely, the Whitebeard pirates, the allied pirates, and Luffy. It was a good decision that you didn’t change out of your prison clothes, it was easier not to get noticed by him this way. For all he knows, you’re just one of the many escapees Luffy helped. You want to keep it that way. At least for now.

There’s no time to waste, so when you landed, you immediately head off to the direction of the scaffold. After seeing that Ace was still alive, you feel yourself get pumped up again. You fight each and every Marine who tries to stop you.

No matter how hard each blow you receive, no matter how painful each swipe of the swords you get, no matter how many times you get knocked down, you keep on fighting. You keep on standing up. There’s only so much your Tekkai could do when you’re severely outnumbered. Nevertheless, you keep on going. Nevermind the multiple cuts and bruises you have. There is only one thing in your mind and that is saving Ace. Even at the expense of your own life.

From the way Luffy fought at Impel Down, you know he’s incredibly strong and tenacious so you find yourself backing him up. You don’t go near him, knowing Ace’s attention was on him, but you guard him from your side. Not a single Marine was able to pass through you from your side of the battlefield. But you can’t cover every area for him. Despite that, he managed to take down anyone who was in his way.

Your ears are ringing from all the overlapping noises of guns being fired, screams of agony from pirates and Marines, swords clanging, and hurried footsteps. At one point, you block all of the sounds while you focus on your own breathing as you run.

Even when everyone stopped moving to watch as Pops descended the Moby Dick and made his move, you continued running. You have to keep up with Luffy. There’s no way you’d let Ace die.

The only moment you actually stopped running was when Luffy unconsciously used the Conqueror’s Haki. So he can do that too, you thought.

That was also the moment you actually got to look at the surroundings properly and realized that Pops had been stabbed. Your knees buck from the sight and you fall down. Regret immediately flooding your body. You’re so focused on trying to save Ace that you didn’t notice Pops needed help too.

The Marines took this opportunity to attack you. Just as a sword was about to hit you, McGuy blocked it.

“What are you doing, Y/N? Snap out of it. This is war. There’s no way we’d be able to rescue Ace if you don’t get your bearings straight!”

The harshness in his tone brought you back to reality. He’s right. Pops ordered everyone to lend their strength to Luffy, and that’s exactly what you’re going to do.

You, along with everyone else, push yourselves to your limits to help Luffy. He did not disappoint. He even punched his own grandfather, Garp, just to be able to reach Ace and free him.

The moment the scaffold collapsed, you almost collapsed with it. Tears start falling from your eyes as you see Ace finally free from his shackles. A smile has finally graced his face as he fought side by side with his brother. At that moment, you think that he’s at his brightest when he’s with his sworn brother. You couldn’t be any more happier.

Now that he is free, it’s time to figure out how to escape. Everyone’s running towards the ships but you stop after noticing Pops wasn’t making the same movement.

“The order I’m about to give will be my final captain’s order!” Pops announces. “You and I will be parting here.”

Your breath hitched at the declaration.

“All of you, make sure you survive, and reunite with each other in the New World!”

You don’t listen to whatever he says next. You refuse to. You stand your ground. You’re not going to abandon the man who warmly accepted you into his family without hesitation despite knowing all of the crimes you committed.

As if sensing your refusal, he turns slightly to your direction, “Are you disobeying your captain’s orders?!”

Stupid old man, he should know by now that you’re no good at following orders.

Ace is one of the last persons to follow his order. You turn away from the conversation they are having, knowing it was a private matter.

When they’re done talking and Ace finally starts running towards the ship, Pops turns to you. He doesn’t talk, he just looks at you.

Shame suddenly overcomes you. You didn’t get to stop Ace from coming for Teach. When he left, you begged Pops everyday to allow you to set sail, promising that you’d bring Ace back. When he finally allowed you, you didn’t waste any time. But even when you found him, you couldn’t bring him back, it was too late and you were just too weak. It was your fault this happened. “Pops, I’m sorry I—”

“I did this. This is all my fault.”

“But—”

He shut you up with his stare.

“Let’s leave here together,” you plead.

But he doesn’t reply. With his stare, you can tell that he isn’t backing down on his order, no matter how much you persuade him to. You release a shaky breath. With tears streaming down your face, you gave one last bow and one last thank you.

And then you ran.

The others are already further away from you but you notice a group of them stopping in their tracks. There in the center of the commotion is Akainu and Ace, seemingly discussing something.

There’s no time for this, you thought.

“—In other words, Whitebeard is an eternal loser, who will never surpass Roger. That’s all he is. Everything I’ve said is the truth,” the admiral says. “He reigned the seas for decades, yet he never became a king or gained anything.”

You clench your jaw at the bullshit he’s spouting, after everything Pops had done to save you, you’re livid to hear him be deduced as a loser. But regardless of the anger rising in front of you, you know this wasn’t the time to get riled up.

The thing is, Ace gets easily riled up. It’s one of his flaws as a person. So when he starts walking to Akainu’s direction, Izo is first to shout, “Don’t fall for it, Ace! Turn back!”

But it’s no use.

That’s when you let your presence known, you shout at the top of your lungs, “Just turn back, Ace!”

Everyone whips their head at the sound of your voice, except Ace and Akainu.

Even you, who are usually able to keep Ace in check, couldn’t snap him out of his anger.

It’s too late.

They exchange blows. Ace falls down, magma is far greater than fire, after all.

“The Pirate King, Gold Roger. Dragon, the Revolutionary. These two men’s sons being stepbrothers is quite a frightening thought.” Akainu says.

When he looks over at Luffy’s direction, you immediately know what he plans to do. You don’t even think twice. There is no second to waste.

“Soru.”

The sound of your voice finally reaches Ace. His eyes widen in realization of what’s going to happen.

“Wait!” He pleads.

But before he could even stand up, you already placed yourself in front of Luffy. “Tekkai.”

But the admiral’s strength and power is far greater than your ability. His fist goes through your chest.

“Y/N!” Ace shouts.

The rest of Division Commanders are in shock.

Akainu clicks his tongue at the sight of you and detaches his fist from your body.

You slump, Luffy catching you in the process. “Oi, Y/N-chan... What did you…? Why did y-you d-do that?” He asks.

In no time, Ace comes to Luffy’s side. “Y/N…”

You smile sweetly at the two men and then you turn to Luffy. “You’re Ace’s brother, silly. Of course I’d do this for you.” You cough out blood and then hiss at the pain.

“Stop talking!” Ace demands.

While Luffy and Ace are distracted, Akainu makes his move once again. But the slight motion didn’t go unnoticed by Jimbei and the Division Commanders. Even if you aren’t a Commander, you acted like Ace’s right hand. To the crew, you’re as important as Ace is. There’s no way they wouldn’t fight for you. So altogether they start covering for the three of you.

You feel your body shutting down on you. You could barely hear Ace calling for a doctor and Luffy desperately asking Ivankov to help you. But you know it’s no use. “I… can tell my body is at its limit,” you whisper.

Ace doesn’t agree, then he gently takes your body from Luffy. “No, I’m going to find someone else who can help—”

“Ace…”

“—you. There’s got to be someone who—“

“Ace… My organs have been burnt. I know this’ll be the end of me.”

“No, don’t talk like you’re dying, Y/N!”

“But I am…” You say. “Look Ace, don’t worry, okay? I was prepared to die when I came here. I was ready to die just to get you out of here.”

“Why would you…”

“Because I love you,” you whisper. “You know… when I take a look at my life and all of my crimes, you’re the only thing that I think I got right.”

Ace hides his face on your neck as he hugs you. With the little strength you have left, you give a comforting squeeze on his shoulder. “Don’t go around disobeying the captain’s order and don’t go around breaking your promise to Luffy. You said you won’t die, right?”

You feel Ace nod at your words.

“Go to the ships and take everyone else. Please don’t follow me too soon.”

Ace hugs you tighter, panting as he continues to cry.

A small smile reaches your lips once again. At least this time he’ll listen, you think. “I can’t raise my voice anymore but please tell Pops and everyone else, even Luffy, they made my life worthwhile. I’m sorry if our journey ends he—”

You didn’t even get to finish your sentence because darkness had consumed you.

[falcor-thee-luck-dragon]

Bound By Blood - Geralt of Rivia x (f)reader - Part 2

Summary: Geralt has learned of a mysterious witch and her supposed vicious familiar, now he must hunt to bring them down for their crimes.

Warning: blood & gore, angst, bit o fluff, things getting chaotic

Masterlist if yall are interested - you’ll find part 1 there

After an admittedly pleasant couple hours of greatly appreciated morning sex, the two of you are finally up and dressed for the days new adventure into the closest village which is about four miles southeast. Luckily for you, your man has a horse which is very fortunate when trekking through snow.

It only takes an hour or so to finally reach the small village of Thurn that’s located just below huge towering mountains that practically touch the sky. Snow covers the land just as expected though the market place is mussed up with mud and dirt from busy travelers and townsfolk alike.

Considering this place is surrounded by a great thick forest and there’s only one trail leading into it, and it’s not part of the main road, you can’t help but still feel apprehensive about who you may meet even with your Witcher by your side. No one knows who or what you are, and it appears that no one seems to care either, although you do notice how some glare in your direction. It’s not you, calm down, you try and convince yourself.

Geralt reassures you it’s only him that they’re keeping a wary eye on, and by the way he gives you a warm smile you believe him and do your best to forget the strange looks here and there. You’re safe with him, this place is away from the main road and there’s no way a single soldier would be here.

Standing on a building corner while facing the marketplace, you watch as Geralt pays for some dried fish and a fluffy loaf of warm bread. So far your nerves have calmed, though you keep a keen gaze on every opening into the great marketplace in case something or someone was to try and harm him or even you for that matter. You have killed many soldiers after all, not to mention the bear.

Suddenly a hand lays itself onto your shoulder when you’re not paying attention causing you to jump back and just about knock Geralt out with your fist. He barely manages to dodge it when you quickly reel back in shock, not expecting it to be him.

He chuckles lightly, “Just me.”

Rolling your eyes you smile fondly up at him, “Sorry...um, reflexes eh.” You mutter with a breathy laugh.

“Guess you were right about being dangerous after all.” He muses, making light of your slight embarrassment.

Taking the bread from his hand you playfully scoff, “Well then again, maybe not touch a woman before she knows who you are? Next time I might accidentally rip your throat out and you’d never see it coming.” You add while tearing off a piece of bread and popping it into your mouth.

Taking a small chunk himself, Geralt hums, “Wise words, I’ll keep that in mind next time.” Before biting into the bread, as you study his face you can’t help but notice how he appears to be fully enjoying your little makeshift breakfast. 

Suddenly a flash of sunlight rickashays off of something metal catching your sight in the morning light, just about blinding you for a small moment. You blink, eyes darting to a market stall that’s filled with meats. Where two soldiers dressed in black are speaking with the butcher, you freeze, taking Geralt off guard with your new fearful state.

“Y/N what is it?” He whispers as you begin to breath heavily, eyes wide as you watch the Nilfgaardians every move. His grey brows furrow in puzzlement before he turns around to follow your line of sight, only to be met with the backs of two soldiers minding their business.

He can hear how loud your heartbeat has become as it thunders in your chest with rage and building adrenaline, he knows exactly what you want to do next but this is not the place for it. Turing back towards you he sets a cautious hand upon your shoulder, “Not here.” He warns softly.

You keep unflinching, nostrils flared as your fists clench in anger, his hand presses firmer now, “Y/N, not here.” He warns again, with more gumption this time, really meaning it.

Breaking out of your self inflicted trance your eyes shift back up to his golden ones, “It’s too late.” You whisper regretfully, “He’s coming for them.”

“Who is?” Inquires Geralt, unsure of what that could possibly mean.

Letting out a frustrated sigh you look to the slushy hard ground almost in shame, “My companion.......my bear.” You mumble, “I didn’t mean to but he can sense when I need him and now...I can’t...I can’t stop him Geralt.”

The Witcher’s eyes widen in realization, “What will the bear do?”

Bringing your worrisome gaze back up to him you shake your head nervously, “Whatever he wants.”

“Gods, Y/N.”

You cringe, this isn’t going to play out very well for you and Geralt knows it, “I know, fuck I should never have come here! We should have just stayed in bed and starved, let’s just hope he only goes for the soldiers and is satisfied with them.” You exclaim in a hushed tone, pulling Geralt behind a corner and away from any unwanted attention, “No one here will die unless they try and hurt him or me, you understand. We have to lure those fuckers away from the village. Now!”

“Alright then, do you have a plan?” He wonders, not so sure if you’ll be able to get these men away from the village in time.

“Yes.” You sigh begrudgingly, “Though it’s not to late to leave me and ride off into the sunset.”

He gives you a small smile at your attempt to make light of the situation, “I’m not leaving you, though it’s tempting.” He teases before turning serious again.

“My plan is for you to do nothing and I’ll harass those bastards into following me out of here and into the woods before my companion has a chance to find them in town.”

“I’m not just doing nothing.” He protests.

“Yes, yes I know. You’ll be my back up, okay? Now we don’t have time for this just keep close but not too close.” Before he’s able to argue back you’re already gone and halfway across the muddy street with a new fire in your heart that he’s willing to protect with his very life.

Fists clenched in anger you grab a frozen tomato from the stall next to you and without a second thought chuck it right into the back of one of the soldiers helmets with a loud thud. He grunts, whipping around with eyes full of confused aggression, “Now wha?”

Smack! 

Another tomato right into his big ugly face causing him to choke on his words as he stumbles into the guy next to him. Dazed and frustrated he gets to his feet, unsheathing his jagged sword while his friend does the same. “You bitch! I’ll have your head for that you fuckin’ slut!” He cries angrily much to your sick satisfaction.

“Ma’m you have to pay for those.” Mutters the vegetable farmer fearfully, interrupting your sweet moment of anger.

“Shut up.” You snap, turning to glare daggers at the two soldiers. “Call me a slut again and I’ll shove his innards down your throat.”

Glancing at one another they smirk wickedly before charging at you, darting to the right, you sprint for the village entrance and out the giant overhang as they chase you towards the forest where a small group of tired travelers are coming from on a small wagon.

Fuck! Not these people now!

Your feet carry you almost to the safety of the thick evergreens before a thunderous roar is heard huffing and puffing from out of the pines. You fall to the snow just as the great brown bear blunders into the opening, immediately mauling down the closest soldier who gets pummeled into the wet cold earth. He screams in agony as his innards are indeed ripped out, though his cries are muffled when the bear clamps down onto his face, ending anymore unpleasant sounds coming from him.

The family next to you freezes in terror, their horse kicking and rearing at the wagon desperately trying to vacate the situation as her owner tugs on her reigns for dear life. The bear growls at the horse from across the clearing, face dripping crimson as the other soldier slashes the beast across the face with all that he can, still it does little but make a small scar of red on its furry cheek.

You gasp in pain at a stinging sensation on your cheek, however your mind doesn’t have time to weigh on it as the bear tears the man’s throat out with teeth the size of butter knives, claws digging into the soldier’s black armor as he feasts. Soon your companions furry head raises to meet eye to eye with Geralt who’s found his way onto the messy scene.

Your heart beats rapidly as you shake with adrenaline as your Witcher’s golden eyes dance from the large beast in front of him to you who’s behind both of them. Suddenly the bear takes a step forward causing Geralt to step backwards cautiously. Shit!

You move quickly to the creatures side, “Don’t.” You warn firmly, “He’s mine.” The enchanting ember eyes of the familiar meets your stern gaze as he snorts, giving a distinctive nod in understanding just as an arrow thrusts itself into the beasts shoulder.

“No!” You scream in unison with the bears roar of pain as a sharp stinging races it’s way up your arm when he knocks you to the ground, now standing protectively in front of you like a shield of steel. Geralt quickly turns around to find half a dozen more Nilfgaardian soldiers racing out from the village, one drawing another arrow as they ready a charge.

From behind the bears legs you can see what terror awaits, “Geralt!” You cry desperately as his eyes find yours, “Don’t let them hurt him!”

Heeding to your command, your brave Witcher jumps into action, taking out two soldiers before launching himself at the bowman who’s ready to fire. Your companion moves just as a last arrow plunges into the snowy blood spattered earth right in front of your face. You gasp in shock, staggering to your feet as the men that Geralt couldn’t stop attempt to take down your bear with their swords and shields.

Failing miserably they fall to the beasts paw one by one as you watch in relief, then to your great annoyance and admittedly slight fear does a lone man charge for you. One who’s been able to slip past the defenses, you reach down and take a fistful of snow before throwing it into his face, taking him off guard as you race for the wagon.

“Hand me a weapon!” You shout, “Quickly now if you want your children to live!” The terrified father keeps stiff and silent as his wife throws you a shovel of all things. Turning around you clash wood with steel, the soldier grunts as you kick his feet from out under him. Falling to the earth you quickly swing the rusted shovel around before harshly cutting right through his exposed neck in one clean motion.

His eyes gloss over as you pull the makeshift weapon from his bleeding neck, grimacing in disgust as you drop the shovel to the ground. Not feeling keen on witnessing the reactions of the family from behind you, instead your head stays forward as you walk away towards Geralt.

“Y/N! Are you hurt.” Rushes Geralt worriedly as he jogs over to your disheveled side, eyes all over you in case you really are wounded.

You nod, waving him off, “I’m fine, fine...I promise.”

He smiles, grateful to know you’re alright and uninjured, “Good. We need to leave.”

“I know, come on let’s find your hors..arh ahh fuck...” You scream in pain falling to your knees in the wet snow, Geralt catches you as your eyes darken in anger, two black pupils glaring furiously away from him. “No!” You shout, “Don’t hurt him!”

Turning his head to follow your pained gaze, he’s surprised to find some idiotic villagers as they throw rocks and other shitty weaponry at the roaring beast, “Stop it he’ll kill you!” You shout even louder now as he holds you back. Your familiar grunts and growls in protest as the men push him back farther into the woods, though they don’t stop, idiotically they follow. 

“Let me go!” You snap at Geralt angrily as he holds you tight, “Geralt!”

“Y/N he’s a bear what are we supposed to do now, he cut through those trained soldiers like they were nothing, I’m not having you get anymore roughed up then you already are.” Pleads Geralt. No you idiot they cannot kill him!

Eyes darkening in rage you break from his tight grasp and shove him to the ground before grabbing his fallen sword and racing towards the stupid villagers who are disappearing into the forest, the roars of your companion sounding painfully throughout the woods.

“Y/N!” He shouts after you, still you ignore him, to focused on tearing into the woods with determination clear in your heart. Soon enough you find the men in a snowy meadow among the great timber, makeshift weapons pointing dangerously at the bear who’s now standing his ground. 

“Get back!” You shout as they shove their sticks into the bears face that’s not even ten feet from them. “Don’t!”

The bear growls a fearsome roar of protest and pain as it backs up closer to the tree line while the villagers press closer and closer with their steel and wood, shouting insults as they go.

“Stop it he could rip your throats out you fools! Stop-ah..ouch fuck.” You seethe through clenched teeth as one of them knocks you to the ground with his garden hoe. He chuckles maliciously, eyeing you grossly as he holds up the tool readying for another hit.

“This your beasty, huh?” Taunts the dirty man with a smug grin just as your fearsome bear races to your aid with a new found purpose. He throws men that stand in his way before slashing open the mans stomach, entrails slipping out right before your vary eyes.

“Fuck.” You mutter before all hell breaks loose, more of the village men try and take down the bear but it’s no use, he slashes and tears at them, causing most to flee in terror back through the woods and eventually into the village.

“Stop! You’ve done enough for me! It’s time to go now, leave!” Is lost on the wind as the beast mauls down another man. Soon warm arms pull you from the ground and into a strong chest as your Witcher pleads for you to fall back. “Geralt no! I have to make him leave this place, he’ll kill all who try and harm him!”

“Y/N your bear is murdering innocents, this has to end now!” He exclaims while holding you close though he’s just making you more frustrated. No one is innocent.

“What are you implying?” You snap at him, dreading what he’s about to say next as you hold his arms against your chest.

“Y/N.” He whispers almost regretfully, face pressed against your cheek, “We have to kill him, it’s the only way to stop this slaughter from continuing.”

Elbowing him in the stomach you shove him from your side, face a mask of anguish and fear, “I can’t Geralt!” You exclaim loudly, “Fuck, there are just some things you don’t know about me yet! Dammit this is all wrong!”

He gives you a deep frown as he studies your face, confusion clear on his handsome features, “Y/N we have no choice.”

“There is always a choice!” Your voice is strong as you shout at him, he huffs in frustration at your outburst, clearly he doesn’t know why the bear cannot die. Y/N just tell him, he trusts you. Eyes softening you swallow thickly while touching your sore shoulder, “You don’t understand.”

Staring at you desperately, his face and hair undoubtedly a mess of dirt and blood, he looks to you now with deep confusion, “What do you mean?”

Breathing a heavy sigh you look down at the palm of your hand that’s still covered in bandages, “You can’t kill it, that creature is bound to me by an unbreakable link..”

“What?” He wonders, grey brows furrowing in puzzlement at your strange half explanation, “What does that mean Y/N?”

Your gaze falls to the snow covered earth then over to the beast that’s now decided to head for the woods, leaving a trail of bloody paw prints in the snow, no men left alive in it’s wake.

You frown deeply, your features conflicted and almost lost as you find his lingering gaze once more, “It’s complicated.” You begrudgingly mutter, Y/N he trusts you. “Let’s get out of here and I’ll explain everything.”

“Fine, come on.” Urges Geralt as the two of you make haste for the woods where Roach is waiting patiently.

The ride back is deathly silent, a new tension filling the small atmosphere around the two of you as you sit quietly in front of him. He doesn’t further press you for anything until he’s made it back to the secluded old cabin where he clicks his tongue to stop Roach. Boots hit the snow as Geralt looks up to you now, you nod lowly and let him help you down though you don’t truly need it, he ties off Roach before following you into the warmth of the small house.

As soon as you stand in front of the dying fire do your eyes fill with unshed tears while you bite your lip anxiously. Geralt’s gentle gaze falls onto your form as he steps closely in front of you, reaching his hands up to carefully clasp his hands with yours, “Tell me why this bear is so special to you, please Y/N?” He quietly asks.

Blinking the tears away you rest a hand onto your wounded shoulder that’s left a red mark through your shirt, though still letting him hold the other one. “That beast is my twin brother Geralt.” His brows raise in surprise still he keeps silent as you continue, “I don’t understand it myself, and neither does he. But ever since we came into this world something has linked our very souls and vessels together so that if one of us is hurt, the other feels it too.”

Blinking hard, the Witcher’s brows furrow even deeper now, “That’s your brother.” He repeats, trying to wrap his head around the whole thing as he starts to connect the dots, “Is this why your hand is hurt and your shoulder is wounded?”

You sigh, tilting your head up to fully look at him, “Yes. When you cut his paw it cut me too, then earlier when that damn archer shot him in the shoulder I felt everything.”

“I could tell you looked in pain, and your cheek.” He brings a hand up to gently caress your cheek, “A fresh scar. I did wonder how that happened.”

“It’s a quick pain, still hurts of course. But it’s something I have always lived with, and it’s something mages would be very inclined to study so you mustn’t tell a soul.” You affirmed through pleading eyes as you suddenly pull apart from his grasp when a jolting pain hits you on the temple unexpectedly. “Fuck, what the hell?”

Geralt’s at your side in an instant, “Y/N you’re bleeding.” Worries your Witcher as he grabs a spare cloth and applies it to your head. “Will you be okay?”

“Yes, it’s a simple cut. My brothers thick skull is to thank for that. Dammit if I could only find him.”

“Couldn’t you through some twin bond like you said, maybe that would work?” He suggests.

“Ah shit, fuck...okay yes there is another way...but please don’t look at me differently when I tell you. This is the last secret I promise.”

“Nothing is stranger then this twin link, tell me Y/N I trust you.”

Giving him a kind apprehensive smile do you nod, “My brother isn’t the only one who can change form, I can too. Difference is....I’m a wolf.”

Your heart beats with fear as Geralt begins to chuckle much to your confusion, “A wolf huh? Of course you’re a wolf, I’ve heard this could be destiny of some kind. Do you believe in that horseshit?”

You let out a humorous breath, “Well, I’m a skin-changer and if my twin gets hurt so do I. So...uh....I’m not exactly one to not question what weird shit destiny has in store for me, I mean look, I’m with a Witcher and he hasn’t killed me yet.”

Geralt’s hums, golden eyes shinning bright down at you, “And I don’t ever plan on it.” Oh, Geralt.

He smiles fondly at you though you begin to frown, “Well that’s just it huh, my brother has taken bear form for a while now, he won’t want to come back. And those villagers saw me with him, they’ll know...they’ll hunt for us. Geralt I can’t have him hurt anyone else...but what can I do? There’s only one way to truly reason with him....but I’m afraid.”

“Why? What would happen?” Worries your Witcher.

Your eyes briefly drop to the floor before they shift back up to Geralt, “I must take my beast form to speak with him, he understands me as I am now...it’s just, well I can’t really understand him as a bear.”

“Then we’ll find him.” Mutters Geralt reassuringly, causing a tiny smile to appear on your face, “Together.”

[liquid-luck-00]

Overprotection

Bio!Dad Bruce

Day 5: Overprotection

@biodad-bruce-month

Ao3 ~~~ First ~~~ Previous ~~~ Next

~~~~~~~~~~

About a week before her term began again,

Bruce pulled Mari into his office. After her telling them about the situation in Paris and him and Tim looking into it he was worried.

Seriously he found out the two heroes had contacted the Justice League but Lantern, Hal, had laughed at them stating it was a joke. After that they sent another video stating that all heroes affiliated with the Justice League, its members, their sidekicks, and even anyone that the above has worked with were banned from setting foot in Paris. Or else they would be treated as criminals. After that information was scarce. So he was rightfully worried about sending his daughter to a country he could do nothing in as a hero.

"Mari, your break is ending and I wanted to ask, do you want to go back to Paris to finish the term?" he waited for her answer watching her reaction.

---

Do I want to go back to Paris? Yes, no, maybe. She was confused and rightfully so. "Who wants to go back to a place to be held emotionally captive."

"So is that a no?" Bruce asked, making her realize she said that out loud.

"Well I... I want to stay in Paris it's my home, but this is my home too. I, I, I can't leave my... friends" she hoped she was convincing but even she knew she wasn't. Hell she stumbled on the word friends, yes she will miss her best friends but Chloe, Kagami, and Luka always call. They've been calling her once a day minimum, excluding patrols and fights, luckily no one has dropped in on their conversations or else... well she didn't know what her family would do with that information .

"Mari" Bruce was on her level, when did he get there, "Is something other than the akuma attacks bothering you?" This was the first time since arriving at the manor that she heard him speak that softly.

"N..." she bit her lip and closed her eyes making firm her resolve. "Yes there is something else"

"I'm here to listen. Even if you want to go back you still have your family behind you."

"Well there is a girl in my class who turned everyone and I mean everyone but one person in the class against me" she looked at him and she saw the same pensive expression when she was figuring out a lucky charm. "she lies with every breath and..." she started to cry.

---

As soon as she started to cry he hugged her. everyone who knows him knows he is not the person to go to with feelings, that would be

Dick, but here he is.

"You don't have to go back you can go to Gotham Academy with Damian. You never have to see them again." he whispered, but she shook her head against him.

"I have to go back" she whispered barely audibly. A frown began to appear on his features. All he wanted was to keep her safe but she refused everytime.

"Then Damian is going with you" he began, but he really should have seen her facial reaction. She had stiffened in his embrace, he thought it was because she would now have an ally so he had continued his rambling. "Damian has the most reign on his emotional state. Jason's not the most stable emotionally so that's out. Tim is helping run WE, but maybe I could get him into the Paris branch so you both have someone else to lean on. Dick is busy with his daughter not to mention the station so no. Cass..."

"NO!!!" Mari yelled pushing out of his arms, and

he was shocked and hurt and it must have shown. "Sorry, but no" her tone was firm, much

firmer than he had ever heard before.

"Why?"

She huffed before seeming to come to a conclusion "The Bats aren't allowed in Paris" she spoke quietly and then everything went silent and his brain functioning stopped.

When he was finally able to speak again, but still not think straight asked "Can you repeat that I don't think I heard you correctly."

She seemed to speak slowly and delibertly" The Bats are not allowed in Paris."

the had heard correctly but "How did you find out?" now he was concerned if she figured it out could others, they had always been careful about their identities. Steering clear of the topic with her.

"It was a few things, one the manor is much too quiet at night, two the thin excuses and sudden disappearances were all too familiar, and three Tikki."

Too quiet at night fine, can't do anything about that. Thin excuses and sudden disappearances, okay we can work on that.

"What is a Tikki?" He looked at her as if to elaborate but she remained silent as it waiting for him, oh, oh, "familiar, you're Ladybug" he looked at her and she gave him a knowing smirk. If he were Jason he would have cursed. Well that explains things. "Mini let us help you please" he watched her she passed through so many emotions fear, hesitance, regret, and ended on worry.

"I don't want to need to fight you Dad, I don't want to need to fight any of you." she was on the verge of tears.

"let us protect you, Mini, let us help."

"But"

"You're a Bat whether you like it or not and Bats stick together"

"How are we going to put an end to Hawkmoth"

"Do those butterflies show up on camera"

"Not until they are about to corrupt someone"

"That's out, how about..." the two stratigiod until Alfred said lunch was soon ready. "You know you never told me what a Tikki was and that was your third reason." she giggled.

"Come out Tikki. Dad this is Tikki the Kwamii of creation. She is the reason I can transform into Ladybug."

"Hello there Tikki. So how is it you were able to figure out our family's secret" he gave the little creature a small smile.

Tikki giggled and said in a chirpy voice "It's easy when you can phase through solid objects and end up in a cave with extremely recognizeable suits in it."

"Wait if you were in the cave why didn't the cameras catch anything?"

At this Mari held up her phone with the camera pointed it at Tikki and nothing was on the screen.

"How?"

"Kwamii and technology don't exactly mix. That's why you guys could look at a photo of me next to Ladybug and never realize we are the same person. That is until now since you have been told."

"Let's head over for lunch before chaos breaks loose and the boys come looking for us"

"Okay, wait! How are we going to tell everyone?"

"I might have an idea" Tikki's eyes shone with mischief.

---

Plagg may be the Kwamii of chaos but never, and I mean never get on the bad side of creation.

The plan was simple in the middle of the meal Tikki would phase out of Mari's pocket, under the table and then through it. Specifically next to Damian. Tikki was determined to get some sort of reaction from him.

She succeeded.

He was going to get his cap when she popped out. He jumped throwing his water all over him and falling backwards still on his chair.

No matter what happened Mari and Bruce were not supposed to react. Granted Mari recorded the whole thing. One thing she learned about the boys, have blackmail material it may end up saving you.

Damian, Dick, and Jason freaked out there was a lot, but I mean a lot of yelling.

Tikki had flown over and sat at the table between Marinette and Bruce where a plate of cookies were waiting for her.

Dick was the first to snap out of the trance of screaming, "Why is there a bug-mouse eating cookies on the table?" he still yelled and that was when Mari and Bruce looked up at them.

Damian was staring daggers at her reaching under the table, probably to get the katana hidden underneath, but he won't find it. Ah he figured out it was missing and is now, ohh he is pouting he really is a little kitten.

Tim, Dick, and Jason were staring yes, but they were staring at Mari and Bruce for an

explination.

"He is definately your brother little bug" she giggled still munching on a cookie.

"Really why is that Tikki?" Bruce had gone back to eating sparing a glance at Tikki.

"I called her a bug-mouse when I first met her too." Mari stated also going back to her meal.

Now all four boys were pouting. This continued until the meal was almost finished.

"sigh, I guess were going to have to tell them directly, non" Mari said over dramatically getting the boy's attention.

"That seems like the case" Bruce answered with a frown trying to cover the amusement in his voice. "In a family of the world's best detectives and they still can't figure it out with everything in front of them." Mari was begining to laugh.

"Perhaps it should have been in another location" Bruce responded.

"I still stand that transporting them to Paris would have been too much" Tikki replied to the conversation.

"The cave would have been overkill, but I still think their reactions would have been

just as funny" Mari countered. This got everyone's attention.

"Cave,what cave there's no cave" Jason surprisingly tried to do damage control.

"What do you mean by transporting to Paris"

Tim had asked looking between the three suspiciously. Then finally both Damian and Dick shared a look then looked at Mari and her and shouted "Ladybug!"

"Took you guys long enough" Mari smiled, Bruce was on the verge of laughter.

---

They then explained further the situation in Paris and in the end the boys seemed ready to fight the class as well as Hawkmoth for their little sister.

Damian and Tim would be joining her in Paris. Tim at WE Paris and Damian at her school and hopefully her class as well but there is still a week before she has to see those harpies she calls classmates.

Next

~~~~~~~~~~

Tag list:

@mochinek0 @justafanwarrior @abrx2002 @ranger-gothamite @fantasiame @moonystars14 @mochegato @bigbeautifulandfullofsugar @maribat-is-lifeblood @iglowinggemma28 @miraculous-ninja @talutah0 @vixen-uchiha @danielslilangel @witchsblackfox @pawsitivelymiraculous @lizziejay @marinettepotterandplagg @colorfulmongerpsychicranch @dast218 @sassakitty @miyla-lokidottir @lilkymilky @tazanna-blythe @tired-butterfly @lozzybowe @smolplantmum @queencommonsense @loopingtangent @chez-pezeater @paintedhope7 @technicallyburninggarden @meme991001 @wannajointhecrabcult @melicmusicmagic @trippingovermyfeet @greatcatblaze

[sorcerersofnyc]

The Last Thing Life (Zemo x F!Reader) 2.5/9 Standalone Short

Ghosts weren’t enough to hold two people together.

Zemo leaves you alone while he takes care of business. He makes a stop to mourn his losses and you take a step toward friendship.

Angst, various mentions of death & mourning, Zemo's wife's name is Heike because of comics.

Note: Main Character is neutral in most regards, but the story was written with my own cultural background in mind. (In other words, I won't say what she looks like but I envision her as being black.)

I took this scene from the previous chapter. But I liked it so much I posted it as a standalone.

First Chapter | Previous

The house in San Sebastian was impressive; a large sand-colored building with a pitched low roof and deep red tiles. Plants grew in pots below the bay window of the parlor and two imposing columns stood sentry on either side of the door.

It was a cheerful facade, a house meant to please tourists and other summertime guests. The inside, however, was filled with dread. Thick layers of dust settled across each surface, cobwebs took residence along the walls, and the air was stale. Even the light which filtered in through the dark green curtains was listless, almost gray.

This house hadn’t seen a visitor in years.

“You may redecorate if you’d like.” He told you, “Oeznik will ensure you have everything you need, including a hotel for the night.”

You flickered on a light and looked around briefly.

“You’re not staying?” You asked, turning around to face him. Your voice was pitched higher than usual, and the vulnerability in your tone gave him pause.

For as long as he’s known you, such openness had never been directed his way.

“Of course.” He made his voice soft for you. “I’ll be returning to Sokovia to settle legal matters and see to my military duties.”

“When will you come back?”

“Soon.”

Helmut was true to his word and returned within a week; He was given special leave from his military duties (being a Baron and losing his entire family earned him much reprieve.)

It took mere days to complete his work, but he lingered there. Tents and shelters lined the crater that used to be Novi Grad. Dozens of angry people shouted in protest at the vans that lined the makeshift streets. There was still rubble to clear, mouths to feed, insurance to be paid, and loved one’s to bury. But even as the clouds gathered, the people screamed louder and the soldiers used force to keep them in line, he stayed in camp with his former charges, toasting with them one last time.

Oeznik kept him updated; he left messages about the status of the house cleaning, the laptop he asked him to procure, and how you seemed to be doing. He took care to be delicate in his phrasing but it was nearly always the same: you were doing poorly.

But before he could leave his homeland behind, Helmut returned to the place where his home once stood, the estate he shared with his son and wife, just outside of Novi Grad.

He stood for what felt like hours, committing the sight to memory; the bricks and splinters of his home, intermixed with rocks and parts of buildings from the city.

It was a difficult sight, but he would never forget what he lost that day, what was taken, and what would never come to be.

So long as the Avengers exist, he thought, someone will rise to challenge them .

So Helmut made a promise that day, one he would keep no matter what the sacrifice.

*

When he returned to the airfield to board his private jet, Oeznik was there to greet him stoically. He was supposed to be in Spain, but Helmut didn’t care to address his rogue priorities. He didn’t have the energy.

“Sir,” Oeznik nodded, handing him a colorful bag tied with string. “It’s your annual delivery.”

Helmut placed the bag inside his coat pocket, took a seat, and asked for a glass of whiskey.

Then another.

Then another.

He slept the ill-effects away, staving off the worst of it before the plane arrived in Spain six hours later.

It was dusk when he entered through the front door, his military coat slung over his shoulder like a sack.

The entire house was spotless now, the air smelled faintly of lemon water and bleach.

There was a lamp in the parlor that wasn't there before, a sort of abstract statement piece.

“Helmut?" Your voice carried across the room as you padded down the stairwell, your voice dripping with relief.

Had you not believed him when he said he was returning? He wondered, or did you believe something happened on the way?

“I’m sorry," he stated, "I didn't expect my business to keep me away.”

“No, it’s alright. I just…How are you feeling?” Your words were careful, polite. Unlike the day he left, you kept your emotions tightly reigned.

You were worried about him, and if he didn't find your feelings bothersome, he'd think it was quite touching.

It was, after all, Carl’s 8th birthday.

Silence settled between the two of you, but your gaze did not relent. He never realized you were stubborn.

“Here," Helmut pulled the colorful bag Oeznik gave him from the pocket of his coat. He offered it to you instead of answering.

You opened it and peered inside.

“Candy?”

“Turkish Delights; they were Carl’s favorite, you know.”

You knew, and he knew that you knew, but you let him go on anyway, allowing him time to grieve in his own way.

“I promised to buy him an Xbox. I applied for Leave two weeks early just to help him celebrate. He was so happy.” Helmut’s voice was soft as he spoke, low and filled with sorrow.

There were no words for what he was now, not in Sokovian or any other language he knew; He was a father without a child.

He didn't expect anything of you, not comfort or empty words. Luckily, you didn't offer either of those things.

You didn't say anything at all. Instead, you took a single shaky breath and approached him.

Your steps were uncertain at first, as if you were approaching something broken. And perhaps he was—because Helmut felt as though he needed to brace himself when you placed your hand against his shoulder.

Moving slowly, you slid your hand lower and brought them together on the other side.

You were hugging him.

And though your shape felt foreign in his arms and he feared you’d catch the smell of whiskey on his breath, he returned your hesitant embrace.

“I’m here for you,” you promised, “for whatever you need.”

“Thank you.” He could appreciate your kindness, but you couldn’t give him what he needed.

He allowed himself to linger, to stay with you for just a while longer, even when there was little else to say.

*

When Helmut retired for the evening, he took the master bedroom room at the end of the hall and locked the door with a soft click.

The plush pillows and blanket of the massive bed beckoned him closer, but he didn’t have time to rest.

So with a single heavy sigh and a heavy heart, he took his laptop from his bag and got to work at the corner desk.

There was research to do.

This is what he needed.

Thanks for reading!

In part 3 we'll take a look at those early days of living with Baron Zemo and all the highs and lows that go with it. How does one go from 'person with mutual friends' to "Partner?" Not easily.

Taglist:

@actuallyanita

@fillechatoyante

Previous | Next

[lostsoulaltair]

OnS Chapter 99. Yuichiro Hyakuya/Amane - Deep Analysis

Hello everyone, I hope you’re doing alright, one of the things I’ve noticed is one of the most controvertial characters within the series and that character is Yuichiro Hyakuya, the main protagonist of the story.

Therefore, I’d like to make a deep analysis on him due to his psychology and his bevaior. 

P.S: THEORIES AND ANALYSIS ARE HELD WITHIN NEUTRAL VIEW. SHIPS ARE EXCLUDED.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi3D_PnaxT0

Yuichiro Hyakuya is well known for being the main protagonist of Vampire Reign; but of course, like any other character within the story; he has had his hardships within the past along the fact that he was something without form but rather, someone treated as an object or a synthetic human by Sika Madu.

It is well known that Yuichiro had quite the personality before he befriended Mikaela Hyakuya; he didn’t consider the Hyakuya orphanage his family until the events with Ferid Bathory changed his life:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 01

Of course, this only made Yu fear of bonding with other people; the only figure he could rely on was Guren since he was his saviour, a person that found him lost in a destroyed world; but even after Guren picked him up and trained him to defend against others; he couldn’t interact with people; Yu was left unable to make friends nor wanted to follow up orders; which eventually gave him the result of going to a school in order to bond with others; thus leading with the encounter of Shinoa Hiragi:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 02

Shinoa was tasked to keep an eye on Yu but along with this, she was also ordered to make sure Yu was able to make friends; and of course, her being an observant, she detected easily Yu’s fear which was to make friends or find the love of his life, though of course Yu wasn’t having such thoughts, his only thoughts were to avenge Mikaela and slay vampires.

Gradually, his world started to become bigger; he was able to find a new family; despite the ways he made friends; those who became important to him were Shiho Kimizuki, Yoichi Saotome, Mitsuba Sangu and Shinoa Hiragi.

He took his time to follow up orders; and that was due to the fact he aimed to be stronger, he wanted to defeat vampires to fulfill his revenge, that was his sole reason to live. 

But after several chapters which could mean days within the demon army; a fateful event occured.

Correct, he was able to meet Mikaela once again; with the surprise he was alive but as a vampire. Though, the reunion didn’t go as expected since Mikaela was aware the demon army only experimented on humans; by worst Yu saw his new friends being food for vampires which made him lose control and awake his seraph until he ended up returning to normal and thus lead to a comatose state of a week.

But then, was this the factor that made him acknowledge Guren as everything?

No. At this point, Yu was happy Mikaela was alive no matter what, plus he received the support of his new family. He felt blessed; until he discovered that Guren had knowledge of previous events but despite that, he stated the next thing:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 18

Correct. Yu stated he wouldn’t mind being a Guinea Pig if it meant to bring Mika home; of course Guren dismissed such thoughts and stated they were family, and family would bring or save each other.

Despite that, time went peaceful, Yu was still impulsive and mostly when the Nagoya Arc began; he met another squad which was Narumi’s squad; they eventually worked together and supported each other until they heard Guren was caught.

This triggered Yu’s mind to the point he didn’t mind consuming pills in order to unleash his demon; of course, Asuramaru at that time halted him from doing such reckless move towards his body and instead suggested him to allow him to possess him; which only made the squad rush for him and save him; only to see Mikaela attempt to retrieve him without thinking that he was surrounded by the Demon Army.

Afterwards, they were reunited again, but something changed; what do I mean?

If many might recall, Yu went towards Nagoya’s airport with Mikaela in order to meet with his friends, but what he wasn’t expecting was to see the demon army killing humans in order to trigger the experiment of the Seraph of the End with Mirai Kimizuki.

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 40

This was the detonant as to why Yu had the mental set of seeing Guren as a good person and in fact, he’s not wrong; Yu’s aware Guren carries a big weight over his shoulders but like any other rational being, such message isn’t easy to deliver specially when the squad doesn’t know Guren like Yu does; Yu was able to see sides of Guren since he was the one that took care of him after his rescue.

But then, does this mean Yu will always be trusting Guren as if nothing happened?

At first, it seemed he understood why Guren did such thing and that was because he commited the biggest taboo which was to bring back the dead; Yu understood that his actions were out of the pain and grief and thus he didn’t mind his return nor the fact he’d use him again; thus lead to Mika get angry 

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 58

Mika was the first one to tell Yu it wasn’t alright but Yu didn’t respond to that because to Yu’s possible mindset, it was that Guren endured a lot and he needed everything he could to restore the world again; such event followed suit to the preparations to face the 5th progenitor Ky Luc.

Afterwards, Yu’s heart stopped and was treated quickly but this only made Mikaela fear rage and anger towards Guren due to how he was using Yu specially after showing those two that he kept the 6th trumpet within his household:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 64

Nevertheless, Yu still supported Guren’s ideals. After stopping the 6th trumpet, the squads went to Shibuya since Kureto Hiragi called Guren; of course, he called them in order to inform he was possessed by something Godlike for the time being and his demon was fending against such monster; said events would follow suit to the possession of Shinoa Hiragi and the fracture of the squad.

Yu was kidnapped by the Hyakuya Sect along his cursed gear; Mikaela eventually found a way to escape and find Yu; Yu’s friends escaped by their own while Mitsuba tried to find them; and of course, after Guren saved Shinoa from Shikama’s possession; the battle between Yu, Mika against Guren, Mahiru and Noya began.

Such battle was intense, it only made Yu allow Asuramaru take full possession of him in order to give him power but the results of that strength weren’t enough; Yu was halted by Mahiru; Mika did the imposible to rescue him leading to his death and of course, the biggest impact on Yu’s heart came:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 90

Yu stated he wished to die; Yu’s been bearing too much pain for so long and whenever he attempted to rescue someone, he couldn’t go further which made him think he was the problem. And as surprising as it was, Asuramaru conforted him and made him recall what Mikaela told him; the fact he needed to live was what made Yu cry and see his first family, his treasured person die in front of him.

After such events, the demon Mikaela started to manifest on the real world; Krul Tepes was able to meet up with Yu and told him a way to save him but of course, they needed to find a spot where to hide for the meantime. Within this, he pleaded Krul to save Mikaela or to at least get knowledge on how to save him

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 96

This result only ended up making the Queen start asking them if they knew who the enemy of the world was, who they were fighting, what their reasons to live were; but before everything could keep going, the First Progenitor took control of Shinoa’s body which was something Krul quickly detected and luckily, Mahiru managed to supress his cells from Shinoa’s body with quite the strange drug.

After that, we saw Guren and Mahiru entering the building the squad and Krul were in leading to the eventful details of chapter 99, which were the sealing of the demon Mikaela and the most controvertial scene for the fandom:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 99

Now the real analysis begins.

Why is Yu so trustful? Why is Yu so easygoing with Guren’s actions? Or something that the fandom asks, why is Yu so dumb to not even doubt Guren in the sightlest?

WARNING: Theories and analysis aren’t focused on viewing characters in a bad light nor attacking the faves of the readers; analysis and theories are held within a neutral view and ships are excluded.

Something the fandom hasn’t noticed is Yu’s nature within the story. What do I mean?

Yu himself viewed as the character that deserved to die for bringing harm towards those who were close to him which explain why he didn’t want to make friends before meeting Mika and after Mika’s death as a human.

The fact that he eventually found support made him have a change of heart and the fact that he discovered Mika was alive gave him more reasons to fight the world he lived in; he was tired of always running away from everything that could harm him and so, he decided it’d be best to find answers; such answers would lie with the Vampire Queen.

But among this, Guren kept coming back to his life; was it bad that he did?

In a sense it wasn’t bad, because despite the harsh decisions Guren had to take in order to fight a God like entity, he did care about Yu and the squad as well;he understood the distrust they had and it was fine for him to carry such weight on his shoulder but, does this mean Yu will easily forgive Guren every time his feelings gets hurt?

The answer for this isn’t a yes or a no, but rather a why. Why is Yu forgiving towards Guren?

The answers is scary and the reason is because Yu has an overwhelming fear.

How can I state such thing?

Yu’s mentality hasn’t been stable from the very beginning; ever since the incident with his parents; he saw himself as a monster, and the fact Mahiru met him one day and saw the terrible experiments they did with Yu only made her give him an advice which was to find a reason to live even if it was a simple one. He had the right to live.

After Yu grew up and learnt the Hyakuya Sect performed experiments with kids and learnt that Guren knew such thing, he didn’t care if Guren used him, he was fine with that as long as he could provide help.

But, have you dear readers noticed such thing?

Of course. That’s the most terrifying thing Yu is afraid of. He is afraid of being alone and not being loved. He is afraid of being discarted, he is afraid that those persons around him hate him. He is afraid to be a let down to those who surround him.

Yu can’t simply discard such idea of his mind; that’s why when Mika was a half vampire, he didn’t mind if Mika drank his blood; he didn’t mind fighting and using his seraph powers or having his demon give him power if it meant doing something for the greater good. 

When his most important persons were endangered or were close to dying, he’d lose it; he wouldn’t even know what to do, he begged God or anyone to save them. But whenever he heard there was a chance, he didn’t mind the result, as long as it made it possible to bring back the person he cherished which is something that can be seen with Mika.

Yu’s nature goes to not only from being a kind guy but rather, he seeks to be helpful but along this, it only leads to a self destructive attitude despite him not acknowledging it.

The reason he lacks character development is not because of being badly written but rather, because his heart carries many traumas, he hasn’t been able to move on from them, he hasn’t learnt how to overcome them and have the confidence to state what he really feels aloud; he’s afraid of rejection; his actions alone speak that he wouldn’t dare to betray someone’s wishes because it’d mean losing the trust he might have built with the characters he has interacted with.

But then, there’s something else to notice about Yu’s behavior, what could it be?

Correct. Despite Yu being someone who wishes people could rely on, he unconsciously sets barriers towards the people that know him, such barriers are directed towards the squad that has worked up with him and became an important family to him; but how can make such statement?

That’s simple. It is reflected within the behavior seen in the latest chapter. Shiho and Yoichi for losing their loved ones and seeing Yu crying for losing his loved one as well, understood the pain he went through; and thus, for them being easier to express such thing without the fear of losing anything else, they don’t want to risk to lose more; such behavior is directed towards them unknowingly

It can only be said it is required to wait and see when Yu will stop fearing to have contradictions or rather, when he’ll start being more honest of what he truthfully feels.

What do you think dear readers?

Let me know!

GIF belongs to clair-audients

[uwua3]

Hello! Can you write something for Muku helping Juza impress his crush? Thank you!

thank you so much for requesting, anon !! i hope to make you proud with this piece ٩( >w< )و suddenly today, i was overcome with a charming concept for this prompt and i am so happy! please enjoy, and if you’d like a continuation, let me know!

summary: the crown prince ascending to the throne would be nothing without his number one advisor

warnings: arranged marriage, classism, disease, dueling, fear of touching, fighting, military, monarchy, parental deaths/issues, swords

author’s note: you know, no one said to do a royal au but here i am! this will be an enemies to lovers prompt, so please enjoy :D have fun, juza loves you !! ♡

word count: 6,220

music: eyes blue like the atlantic, pt. 2 – sista prod, powfu, alec benjamin, & rxseboy

the crown prince and his advisor.

🌻👑🍁🍰 sakisaka muku + hyodo juza

“absolutely not.”

it doesn’t take much for first in line, prince feared across many nations, and legend in the making, hyodo juza, to not cooperate with his royal court

an arranged marriage, was expectedly one of the things that made him incompetent

“ju–chan,” first advisor muku started, ignoring the snickers of the much older men around him at the childhood nickname and juza’s sudden flustered expression, “you would be a fool to not agree to this arrangement.”

“me? the fool?!” juza huffed, his voice on the verge of raising as he narrowed his eyes at his cousin with the sharp threat of a death sentence. muku sighed, knitting his eyebrows together as he patiently tapped his fingers upon the round table

(leave it to his older, much more influential, and wealthier cousin to be incredibly difficult to work with)

“yes, you know akizakura is the rising power this century. they’re challenging societal norms and making every other monarchy uneasy with their progressiveness. you and them together would have a shocking power play over every single nation on this map.”

muku used his feather quill to refer to the aged map laid out, gesturing as if to say “this could all be yours if you played your cards right”. juza was about to fight back, but bit his tongue, nearly slouching in his seat to contemplate before straightening with muku’s pointed glare

(seriously... juza was the older one?)

“i have no desire to be a dictator.” juza finally spat, turning his head away towards the window and closed his eyes. the rest of the court bristled at this bold, unambitious statement but muku solemnly nodded

after all, it was the dying king’s one true goal to conquer all, not juza’s

“if i may say, prince juza, the heir to the throne—”

“i wish to hear nothing about this so called heir. they mean nothing to me.”

silence plagued the court, the somewhat out of touch yet logical advisors sharing disapproving looks of juza’s childish behavior. muku did his best not to roll his eyes at the crowd, instead plastering a neutral expression

it seemed like most of the times, the whole kingdom forgot juza was a child. just a boy suddenly forced to uphold his responsibilities with his father’s slow demise

“shall we reconvene tomorrow?” muku suggested, to which juza nodded. the court quickly went up and left, shooting curious and nosy glances at muku who remained in his seat. when everyone parted ways and the guard by the door confirmed there were no eavesdroppers, muku quietly pushed out his chair and moved to stand by his cousin’s side

for a while, no one said anything. until, juza’s tense posture slumped and he buried his face into his hands, trying his best to keep it all together even with no one to witness his defenses down

“i wish... father wasn’t so ill. i shouldn’t be here, i don’t want to be here.” juza declared, the words muffled by his palms. advisor muku gently placed a hand upon the crown prince’s shoulder, patting it slightly with a sympathetic tone to his words

“i know, i’m sorry. but, you will be a great king for the people of higanbana.”

before juza could ask how he knew for sure, muku just fixed the kingdom’s red spider lily pendant to make sure it was straight. it was the royal family’s heirloom, a universally recognized sign this was the son of a highly respected, pure bloodline

“ju–chan, have i ever led you astray?”

yes, many times, juza thought, reminiscing back on when they were kids. but, he didn’t say any of that, he instead shook his head solemnly

hyodo juza, first in line, prince feared across many nations, legacy in the making, was only eighteen when he would be coronated as king. the youngest king in all of higanbana history, all because his father was dying

and, he needed to secure his ascension through marriage to a complete stranger

but rest assured, muku, number one advisor, cousin to the crown prince, wise beyond all, was surprisingly relentless. becoming the new upcoming king’s right hand man had changed him for the better, preventing him from letting his insecurity and indecisiveness show its true colors

sure, he was still the scared coward who screamed unlike a man and didn’t have the natural class of royalty, but putting on a front was worth it to save juza from losing all support inside and out

the abrupt news that the oldest son of the hyodo family was soon to be hailed as king was, a surprise, to the townsfolk. many who were comfortable and simply used to king hyodo’s reign were not vocally against it, luckily enough. it was more a thing to gossip about than anything, but the royal family never particularly enjoyed the rumor mill

unfortunately, being coronated as a... single king was a pressing matter to all of the people, apparently. no king in history just rose to power without an influential and powerful partner by their side, it would leave vulernability due to the limited allies

especially what would remain of them, considering some kingdoms may break ties with the hyodos since juza and his father were... very different people

so, as said before, muku was relentless. continously insisting that this marriage contract was the best possible option for juza, that no other heir could even come close. juza didn’t want to believe it even if it was true, considering his stubborn nature

it took many, many bribes of tea parties and constant challenging duels for him to admit defeat

it was perhaps a tiring match that afternoon before juza exhaled sharply through his nose, moving to sheath his sword as he waved the white flag. muku, also surprisingly quick and agile on his feet with a weapon, managed to suppress a “told you so” grin at the look of exasperation

“fine, fine! i’m tired of fighting—” juza was not a major fan of dueling whatsoever, even if he was blessed with the physical proportions to do so easily

before muku could jump up in relief, juza sent a stern glare with no malice towards his cousin’s way. the sword hit the sheath, making a loud cutting noise throughout the empty, private training grounds

“but, i want to meet them first. then, i’ll decide to marry or not.”

muku knew this was the best he was going to get, and had the private secretary immediately pen a letter toward’s akizakura. shortly afterwards, a request for the heir to visit was accepted

you were also first in line, an intimidating but just political figure, and also a legend in the making. you were the talk of the town, to say the least

but, you sure didn’t feel like it

you anxiously tapped your foot, feeling seasick from how long this boat journey had already been. you had been invited by the higanbara kingdom to “visit” to “discuss political alliances and ideas to better serve the people”, though anyone with a brain could see straight through that lie

your parents intended on promising you to some eighteen year old hyodo hotshot, someone you’ve never even met!

at first, you were extremely demanding for them to consider changing their minds, that you didn’t need... a man... to help you rule the world. men would only hold you back, they’d do nothing good for you, anyways!

but, you knew the future of akizakura was in your hands. your parents were strong, but slowly, their old age would catch up to them and they needed to protect the famly legacy. you were the next expected heir, considering how active you’ve been in the government since you could read and write

though, no one exactly stated a marriage contract came along with power

you didn’t exactly know what higanbara looked like, but you’ve heard... rumors, about the family that ruled it all. the hyodos were an imposing force, spreading their control far and wide with unfathomable military power and merciless tactics

you couldn’t imagine what the crown prince was like. how, barbaric, he must be. must’ve been an inhumane and unreasonable fighter that took everyones’ heads with him

lucky for you, you were a trained fighter as well who would never let a man even have a sliver of control over your dead body

“your royal highness, we are here in higanbara.” the captain announced, followed by the sound of the ship’s horn. thank the gods, or you might have swam there yourself considering how rocky sea travels were

fixing your appearance, you masked your face in a stone cold expression, showing you were all business without the supervision of your parents. you were your own person, you didn’t need to be ordered around by some man

as the ship reached port, you noticed a set of figures at the foggy dock. higanbara was... dismal. it was all shades of grey, like there was no life. the oceans were a glittering silver, as if there were thousands of treasures waiting to be discovered. and at the port, was a sight to behold

you stepped onto the creaky wood cautiously, looking around before you noticed a stoic face peering down at you. perhaps a beat too late from how much he was staring, he then offered his hand without ever saying a word

you ignored it, knowing you didn’t need it at all. but from the looks of it, they were calloused, scarred, large. hands of a warrior—his eyebrows rose slightly in surprise at your blatant rejection. before he could speak, you heard someone else introduce the kingdom

“your royal highness, welcome to higanbara!” you heard a gentle, but enthusiastic, voice from behind the tall man who helped you on land. you turned to see a rather short, pink–haired royal with a shaky but elegant smile. you couldn’t help but smile at the boy

(you didn’t notice juza’s subconcscious quirk of his lips at your guard coming down, before he looked away with his ears red and mind confused. why did he do that?)

“thank you...?” you trailed off, awaiting an introduction before the pink royal dropped into a hurried but somewhat graceful bow, coming up with a surprise rose. you had no idea where it came from, causing you to let out a surprised laugh. higanbara was filled with many surprises, apparently

“i am his royal highness’ first advisor, sakisaka muku, it is a pleasure.” muku smiled pleasantly, but you noticed his eyes lingered on the way you stood oddly close with the crown prince

you tried to step back casually as if there was nothing wrong, but you almost stumbled off the edge of the dock. unluckily, juza was fast and immediately wrapped his arm around your waist, keeping you close as he froze under the sudden attention at your close proximity

“let go.” you demanded and your tone was ice cold like the waters

“please... be careful—” juza mumbled, his grip strong before you pushed him off, scowling with a sharp glare his way

“let go!” you yelled, drawing attention as you glared daggers at higanbara’s crown prince. you couldn’t believe it, did all men just think they could grip you like that? as if you needed help?!

“do not touch me, i did not give you permission.” you cursed, shocking nearly everyone as you brushed off your clothes. juza blinked, taken back before he frowned, his eyebrows furrowed

“but, if i hadn’t, you would’ve fell into the water—”

“then, let me fall! i can swim!”

when you met his eyes, he was very clearly frustrated. the awe of meeting you had worn off, and juza was certain he’d make an enemy out of your stubborn pride and rude attitude right off the bat

muku intervened, laughing awkwardly as if a newcomer didn’t just yell at higanbara’s crown prince. stepping between you two, he seemed to communicate something with his eyes to juza who suppressed the need to storm off

“i am first in line, crown prince hyodo juza. a... pleasure.” juza faltered, his tone superficial and void of any genuine pleasure. he bowed anyways, his back rigid and yellow eyes analyzing your every move. he must’ve been a battle tactician with how observant he was

you didn’t do anything back, just crossed your arms and averted your eyes. “i know who you are, you know who i am. can we move on?”

juza was about to impulsively snap back before muku agreed, staying between you two despite the common courtesy of trailing behind royalty. the guards set at the port parted on command, yelling back “yes sir!” at juza’s order to march back to the castle

was this a power move? to intimidate you and make you go in shock over juza’s military background? two could play at this game

you stood taller, ignoring his gaze as you hurried forward, not wanting to be beside the man who just randomly touched you without your consent. not to mention, the audacity to linger! how inappropiate!

juza stared after you, and looked over his shoulder towards muku, visually confused over how offstandish you were

muku just sighed. this was going to be a long, long two weeks of akizakura’s ascending heir in higanbara

it was an understatement to say you and juza got off on the wrong foot. you never allowed just anyone to touch you randomly out of no where. you weren’t some clumsy person in distress, you were a leading figure in your kingdom, for goodness sake! you easily could’ve fixed your footing, stood back up straight, and moved on

juza was rather peeved at your reaction. you didn’t even take his hand like a polite royal would! didn’t thank for him for saving you from the ocean and had the audacity to curse him out like he was some commoner in front of his own troops. juza felt embarrassed from how low he was treated, you had no respect for him or higanbara

muku, was tired. when other nobles whispered about how out of the ordinary and eccentric you were and how strange akizakura’s customs were, he didn’t expect having to save his crown prince from a near beating

you had guts and nerve, just like juza. maybe, you two had more than meets the eye, but unfortunately, both people were stubborn, prideful, and arrogant privileged kids who didn’t want to see the other side

so throughout the first half of your stay, muku felt more like a babysitter than an advisor. it took everything in his power to keep you two from physically fighting each other in front of the royal circle

you two seemed to disagree on everything. while you were an “all or nothing” type of pefson, who went extreme on every suggestion you had and was willing to risk everything for a better future, juza was... the opposite

unlike his bold and brash father who would’ve gotten along just fine with you, juza wanted new change. he was always playing the devil advocate, pointing out flaws you hadn’t taken account for before. but, he was hesitant, wanting to take it slow, and ease into the plan than go head first

it made both your tactics and strategies clash and nothing was getting done. but muku, wise and relentless muku, knew it was more than just childish arguments at the round table. it was the slowly building tension between you two ever since that one bad first impression

and perhaps, the intense pressure from both sides to accept this arranged marriage for the sake of both kingdoms. it was too much on teens savoring their last few years of youth

and just like before, muku knew what needed to happen in order for someone (most likely juza) to give up their defenses and say something

you elegantly strode into the training grounds early in the morning, holding the first advisor’s personal note in your hand as you looked around. you were scheduled to meet muku, in a neutral place to get the overview of today’s meeting without juza’s involvement

or, so you thought

you heard a scuff of shoes and a quick “damn, sakisaka” behind you. whipping around, you came face to face with a sleepy juza, who’s eyes immediately widened and took a few steps back. it seemed like you caught him off guard, and he held a similar note in his hand as well

it didn’t take a genius to figure out what muku had done, as you huffed and placed your hands on your hips. juza straightened his posture and looked down at you, expressing that he wished he could be anywhere but with you

“hyodo—” you started, to which juza pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “that’s my father, i’m juza.” you continued anyways, ignoring his sharp pointed look

“are you here to fight with me again? perhaps, make a fool of me again?” you accused, pointing a finger at his chest as seethed. juza rolled his eyes, visibily frustrated as he threw his hands up, planning his escape already

“i have no business with you here. i will depart now.” juza forced out in a neutral tone, as if you two hadn’t been at each other’s throats the past week. before juza could spin on his heel and take his leave, you grabbed a sword near by and the sound of it leaving its sheath made him stop in his tracks

“you. me. right now.” you demanded and juza let out a humorless laugh. you were in over your head if you could think you could beat a hyodo at a duel. looking at the sky, he noticed it would be quite a bit of time until the official start of his day as crown prince. maybe, he could spare a bit of time

“at your service, your royal highness.” juza mocked, obnoxiously bowing that made your eye twitch at how insufferable he was

“take your pick. regardless, you’ll lose by my hand.”

juza chose his normal practice sword, the hilt engraved with his name and bore the spider design of the red lily. it had the grandeur of being a ceremonial sword, which you scoffed at. ugh, rich kids

you took the one closest to you and juza expected you two would walk to the middle, circle each other to see who would make the first move. he should’ve known you weren’t exactly the waiting type, because the moment he stepped into the ring, you hit first

luckily, juza whipped his sword up and the metal clashed with yours, the sound echoing in the courtyard. that was the start of the longest duel juza’s ever had

used to muku’s dexterity, juza had to find out the hard way you were much more of a strength fighter. you took him by surprise most times, with forceful and somewhat vengeful attacks. yet, juza was a formidable opponent. he had learned from the best after all, and this was one of the few duels he had the goal to try at

you smirked when juza nearly lost his footing, not reaching out to catch him by any means and holding your hands up. “see, i respect people’s private space and don’t touch them without permission.”

juza swung back with much more force than normal, which you hurriedly parried. the contact of metal rang in your ears as juza gained the upper hand, looming over you with distaste

“you would’ve drowned if i let you fall!”

“you knew i didn’t take your hand for a reason, i refuse to let a man touch me!”

you pushed back but he was like a rock, unmoving and resilient. he seemed to contemplate something before putting his sword down, nearly sheathing it before stopping, making sure to meet your eye

“i’m sorry.”

you blinked, taken back. was that an apology? from a hyodo?

“i understand you have your reasonings to hate physical contact, and i respect that. by no means did i mean to make you uncomfortable.” juza explained, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders as he finally found a time to apologize properly

“i wouldn’t have touched you unless i knew it was for your own safety, i’m sorry.” juza finished and you thought about it, before putting your own sword down with a heavy sigh

“i’m... also sorry. i knew you had good intentions, but i blew up because...” you seemed to think some more before exhaling. “i don’t need a man to save me, don’t think i need you or anything. i’m a perfectly capable, independent person.”

juza related to how your pride blinded your anger, and nodded. you two seemed to reach a mutual understanding and juza ducked his head, lowering it so it’d be easier to talk to you away from the castle that was waking up

“i did not mean to insult your character. i’m sure you are a whole person who does not need saving, it was not my intention.”

without another word, you moved past him, acting as if you were going to put your weapon away. instead, you quickly knocked his sword out of his loose hands, smiling innocently as if nothing happened

“i believe i win.”

“a dirty play, mind you.”

“a win is a win.”

“a victory is nothing if not honorable.”

you looked over your shoulder with a curious look, as if you were really seeing juza for the first time. you expected a burly man who would burn down nations just for a taste of godhood. instead, he seemed humble, unlike a hyodo

“hyodo—”

“i’m not my father, i am juza.” juza repeated again, without the usual bite, and you suddenly understood why juza taking the throne was big news. he was nothing like his father, this would be the ushering of a new age

hopefully, a golden age

“juza,” you said for the first time and for once, he presented a close–lipped smile that seemed void of royal duties. “i look forward to dueling you again.”

“as do i.”

“do not expect to win.”

(first advisor muku held in his squeals on the balcony adjacent to the training grounds. he typically liked to sneak up there to read and prepare for the day, but he was hiding this time to eavesdrop. looks like his plan worked!)

(when juza looked up to meet his eyes, he looked as if he knew all this time. muku nervously smiled and waved slowly, to juza’s hidden relief that he made progress)

(but... why was he so happy to see you weren’t holding a grudge against him anymore? did your opinion truly mean that much?)

the round table was much more, productive. muku liked to take credit for the riveting debates that replaced the senseless arguments, finding that both you and juza had similar goals at the end of the day, just different tactics

although there were still some very inappropiate comments here and there by your mouth, it didn’t seem personal anymore. it was clear to the court that you were intelligent, bright, and offered new perspective that no one else considered. they all knew akizakura was a force not to be reckoned with

by then, a week had passed, and it was time for the welcoming ball!

you would be introduced to the rest of the castle through a rather lame excuse to party. you knew what all of the glamarous charades and rich pleasantries were really all about, to assess if akizakura was worthy of taking their beloved crown prince’s hand. you could’ve laughed, because that was a major joke

you didn’t need to do anything, you knew you already were above and beyond what they expected. so that night as you insisted on preparing your appearance alone, you were slightly annoyed to hear a knock on your guest chambers

“go away! i said—”

“your royal highness, this is crown prince juza’s first advisor, sakisaka muku.”

you paused, looking away from the mirror and relented, letting him come in. when muku silently stepped inside and closed the door gently, he bowed with newfound confidence and sent you an easy smile that made you feel at ease

you understood why juza would want muku around, he didn’t seem like that dependable of a guy, but he was a good person through and through

“sakisaka, i remember you. you were the one who misled me to duel juza.” you said, giving him an once over before fixing your hair, staring back into the mirror. out of the corner of your eye, you noticed muku blush and he resorted to laughing awkwardly unprompted

“ah... yes—”

“and you were the one hiding in the balcony, correct?”

muku’s eyes widened, how did he get caught?! he thought only juza noticed. it was no wonder how you were such an equal match to higanbara’s crown prince, you had the same strengths and few weaknesses

“please, you do not give me enough credit.” you hummed in response, standing up and approving your final look of the day. you would wear akizakura’s kingdom colors, with the crest pinned. it would leave no question who you represented and where your loyalties lied

muku rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a breathy “haha” as the silence overcame. you slipped your kingdom ring on, watching it glint in the subtle candle light

“though, i must thank you, shouldn’t i?” you spoke in rhetorics often, muku realized. he waited for you to continue and you did, busying yourself with cleaning up your station. you had no need of maids even if you respected the profession

“without you, i wouldn’t have gotten an apology out of him. now, we’re...” you trailed off, unsure on how to finish that statement. muku hid his teasing smile, masking it as something innocent as he gratefully bowed his head, his white–gloved hand over his heart

“friends?”

you didn’t answer, instead standing tall and turning to completely face muku. he didn’t look you in the eye, but he too increased his height as if to match your authority. he was admirable for at least trying

“i must say, first advisor, juza is most fortunate to have you clean up his messes.” you half–joked, and muku nodded, agreeing seriously even if it was in jest

“however, i can promise you this. if you must contact me, do not trick me. i will not be as merciful.”

a shiver ran down muku’s spine. you truly were next in line of ruthless akizakura. but, it was a sign of respect, nonetheless. everyone was fully aware of how outstanding and remarkable you were to be the voice of the new generation

“understood, your highness. i did not come to deceit you, only to greet my cousin when he arrives.”

you tilted your head. this was news—no one could exactly tell muku and juza were cousins. really? the same bloodline?

“are you serious?”

“we get that reaction a lot.” you heard juza’s voice behind the door and you subconsciously broke your stern expression, rolling your eyes as you crossed your arms. muku noticed your shoulders dropped ever so slightly, you must’ve been comfortable around juza, then

“come in already, don’t be a creep.” you called out and juza stepped inside, stopping at the sight of you. instantly, his cheeks became flushed and he seemed like he was about to do something incredibly stupid (which he did, amused muku did not stop him)

“you—um, you, you look... nice.”

nice? you looked absolutely amazing, you already knew that. you were going to be the best dressed in the entire ballroom, that’s for sure

(but, for some reason, you were disappointed. nice? was that all you were to him? wait—why did you care?! a man’s validation of your appearance was the last thing you needed)

muku was this close to intervening before you huffed, patting down your outfit. “do i suddenly have value because i look nice?” you air–quoted “nice” and juza got even redder, looking away as if to save his dignity

“no, no. your worth isn’t based on your looks.” juza reassured and you knew he meant it. you relaxed a bit, thankful juza didn’t have the same intentions as every royal noble out there ever. muku’s eyes bounced back from you and juza continously, picking up on the signs with increasing interest

he had never seen juza slip up this much around someone before... could it be? did he actually like you now?

“look at the time! i must go help with the preparations, come down soon.” muku lied, which juza caught on fairly quickly. before he could call muku to come back, the young advisor sliped out of the chambers and ran to the main event. he succeeded in leaving you and juza alone

an uncomfortable silence set over both of you as juza examined your room out of curiousity, and you tapped your foot. you were confused, what was this feeling inside your chest? why were you suddenly so nervous?

if you were confused, you didn’t let it show on your face. instead, juza offered his arm, holding it out to you with no threat at all as he gestured his chin towards the ballroom

“would you do me the honor of letting me escort you to the ball?”

you stared at his arm, the arm you noticed was slightly shaking, whether from nerves or holding it out too long, who knew. as much as you hated to admit it, you wouldn’t want any other person escorting you

with a turn of events, you took juza’s arm and felt it tense before relaxing, giving you a chance to let go any time. he put on a rare smile, and you liked how his yellow eyes crinkled at the corners when he did

“thank you.” for trusting me, for changing your opinion about me, for giving me a chance even if i don’t deserve it, juza thought, but it was all unsaid

“sure.” you responded, but you smiled, too. it was the first time you had given him such a genuine smile, that he couldn’t help but do the same

you two moved to stand at the top of the stairs, awaiting the announcement of both your names. in the mean time, you realized juza wasn’t the hyodo you thought he was

as he escorted you down the stairs, with everyone’s eyes on you two, you two were the splitting image of graceful and threatening intimidation and power. but, it didn’t feel like that. instead, it was just you and juza, a crown prince who had a nasty temper and natural hand at sword dueling

the ball seemed to last a lifetime. so many unnecessary introductions which you put a front on. social interaction was draining, it was becoming a difficult task to shake everyone’s hands and pretended like you cared about rich people problems

so, like every celebration ever, you escaped the main event and stepped into the hyodo rose garden. mostly hues of orange, you noticed the eternal autumn that hung over the kingdom. oranges and reds entranced you as you sat at the edge of the water fountain in the middle, the constant stream distracting you from the background party noise

(“where are they?” juza asked, pulling wallflower muku aside who mainly stood by the buffet table to hide extra sweets for his cousin. muku smiled, his eyes sliding in the direction of the rose garden as juza caught on. though, juza seemed hesitant, like he was worried if he should go or not)

(“do not be a fool, ju–chan. what other time will you have to confess?” muku asked and juza nearly choked on his champagne glass, shooting a wide–eyed look at his cousin. it was as if he was asking how did he know?)

(“this is your first crush, isn’t it? luckily, the person you intend on marrying.” muku lightheartedly jested, to which juza bumped his shoulder into his slightly. “like i said, do not be a fool, ju–chan. go.”)

(juza contemplated it before nodding, slipping out of mind and out of sight. muku proudly raised his glass after him, as if to say congratulations. all that gossip with the town cupid paid off for muku, his crown prince would be hopelessly pining without him)

(all he needed to do was one last thing. first advisor made his way towards the orchestra, about to request a song)

you watched the moonlight for quite a time before you heard a rustle of leaves towards the entrance, turning your head to see juza. juza, in his orange and black uniform and red spider lily pendant. juza looked dashing beneath the stars, as he waited for you to invite him

you moved aside and juza sat down at a safe distance, stargazing along with you. the silence was comfortable, this time around. it was filled with glasses clinking together, the everpresent buzz of crickets, and flow of the water fountain

unlike your initial thoughts, you didn’t exactly mind higanbara as much as you thought you would

“the ball, is a bit much.” juza admitted, to which you agreed. “tell me about it, i don’t know how you lasted that long.” you said lightheartedly, but it seemed to make juza think as he leaned back, balancing himself by stretching his hands out on the rim of the fountain

“i... i don’t like balls, really. my father always liked them, he was the life of the party.” you noticed juza used the past tense even if his father was still alive, but you knew not for long

“he was also, born to be king. could command a whole army without fail, delivered inspiring speeches that could get the whole town riled up, was the face of his kingdom. now...”

“it’s you.”

juza nodded, as if accepting this fact for the first time. it was as clear as the full moon that night—juza was afraid he could never live up to the legacy his father would soon leave behind

“i don’t want to be king.” juza confessed in a whisper, like it could change anything. you wanted to be a monarch, but you understood juza’s struggles. he must’ve missed out on a normal childhood, like every other person born into nobility

“but, i care for the people of higanbana. i will do my best to make them proud, and to continue the legacy of this kingdom.” juza continued, clenching his fists as he did so. you turned your head to see he looked lighter, like it was something weighing him down ever since he found out

“you’ll be a good king. i have seen your plans, and you are unlike your father. you will be better.”

juza turned to stare into your eyes, searching for any sign of lies. you were telling the truth, and you were shocked at how honest you just were. but, you believed it. you believed in juza and his legacy, the incoming new golden age would arrive

“thank you, i—your people are lucky to have you.” juza said, but he seemed distant. before he could lean in, you heard the soft playing of the orchestra from far, far away

this time, you stood up and offered your hand. unlike last time however, juza accepted your hand and it was true. both your hands were calloused, scarred, large. so the two warriors wordlessly slow danced under the moonlight in the rose garden to their new favorite song

that night, juza may have not said it out loud, but both of you were too observant and smart for your own good. as he walked you to your chambers, you were the one who leaned in this time

“is this a dirty play?” you teased, inches away from his lips. juza gulped as he admired your face illuminated by the lanterns

“a win is a win.”

it was all fair, in the game of love

your two weeks had passed. it was time for you to go home, back to akizakura to make your final decision of whether to marry a hyodo or not

you let juza help you into the boat even if you didn’t need it, and said goodbye to the grey higanbana and it’s forever autumn. there was no one around since juza requested a private departure, so you let yourself smile at him

“will i see you again?” juza asked the question that had been weighing on his mind ever since that night in the rose garden. you were on the ship, but didn’t let go of his hand

“do not be a fool, juza,” you started roughly, and juza could feel his heart drop. was this the end? he didn’t want this to be the last time, he liked you

“next time, you’ll go to akizakura. there, we can duel.”

“and i’ll win.” juza confirmed and you let go, fondly rolling your eyes. as the ship departed, you suddenly rushed to the edge, cupping your hands around your mouth

“tell sakisaka i said thank you!”

of course, you found out about everything. juza just nodded and waved, watching you disappear into the horizon

juza would await your invitation to akizakura as he practiced his dueling skills with a certain matchmaker named sakisaka muku

[smolbeandrabbles]

Selfish pt.8 - Sheriff of Nottingham x Reader (Robin Hood 2018)

@wltz-bby​ @happyskywhale​

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7

Author’s Note: This sat in my drafts for ages with a note screaming that I had all the plot points and just had to write it. At least it made me chuckle every time I looked at it! But it’s finally done! And I get to bring you more of the Sheriff and his Norse Goddess. (Come on, we know she is.)

I read this back out loud and made myself laugh a bunch of times. But also there are SO many great conversations in this. It’s another piece of mine I like very much 🥰

Disclaimer: Robin Hood characters & plot not mine  / mad world still courtesy of Otto Bathust / lyrics not mine

Premise: The more you look at Nottingham the more you see corruption in it’s power structure, and you turn to the one man you can confront. There are things that you want to move forward with in your relationship, but not until you’re on exactly the same page...

Words: 9575

Warnings: Sexual Pre-Amble / All the plot threads for the movie pick up and our girl is not best pleased with any of them / Scars/Sheriff’s Backstory

______

I tried to warn her this ain’t a friendly game It’s just warfare by a different name She won’t listen so I’m tryin' to pretend That I don’t know how the story’s gonna end It’s like a tight rope hangin' by a thread A vicious cycle where no one comes out ahead She’s divin’ in to try to save a drowning man But I’ll take her down with me if I can My heart stays locked away somewhere You’re the reason that it’s there

---

Fighting for the things you give me I wanna share your love Feelin' like a wounded soldier Strength is not enough And I can't win this battle on my own My sword has long been buried Piled on with dirt Speak to me your promises Resurrect your word I'll rise up and be your voice I made my choice This is my story Your songs are stored inside my heart So break me apart It's for your glory Let it pour out of me Let it pour out of me It's for your glory So ride out on your wings of love Show me that you're here Cast down on my enemies Trembling with fear Cuz I can't win this battle on my own No I can't win this battle on my own I'll rise up and be your voice I made my choice This is my story

---

Months more passed into your marriage, and you could happily - hand-on-heart - say that you were enjoying it. Askel became a little softer on it, but kept trying to point out that he wouldn’t see it as a real marriage until at least he was involved. When you put it to Marcus, as the witness, he simply held his hands up. “Look, I just did what I was asked. But if it was just for a certificate to prove something… I dunno if it counts.” You would let the Church argue that one. Tuck would have the answer, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to hear it or not. It was a marriage, and that’s what Wil was putting to the people, documents standing or not. It wasn’t something you even had to push down or to the back of your mind, it was just something you never thought on. At least your brother was starting to realise how much happier you were now, and that your husband continued to make you happy. That was what mattered. And their relationship was certainly getting better because of it. Askel’s English was broken, and his accent at times make it difficult (not that he cared), but he was trying now. That made you proud of him, especially when the Sheriff responded in kind with Norse. That made Askel happy – to see you were not the only one trying in your relationship. Both of you were making an effort for the other.  It had Askel thinking this might work after all, although on occasion he’d grumble to you about not getting the opportunity to stab the guy on behalf of your father, and then take you back home. Teasingly you offered to let Askel return home but he always refused, preferring to ‘protect’ you. Although you weren’t sure you needed it. Askel did like spending a lot of time down at the docks now, however, as the Norse ships started arriving – you knew he was enjoying being around your people again. You weren’t always on duty with your guard, and you had them all pretty well trained by now. Marcus liked to, on occasion, give you breaks and you seemed to be given a lot more advisory meetings to attend. Luckily Lucian was still around to help you with those. You weren’t sure you wanted to put unnecessary stress on someone who was meant to be retiring, but he simply chuckled: “My dear, these are the hardest fought battles. Political ones, you’re doing excellent work out there I can already see that. But now I must help you master these. Besides, I would feel better doing something for the Sheriff. Wil does need guidance on occasion! He made the right choice with you, of that I am certain.” He didn’t need to add that statement, and you were certainly humbled. You were done with those today, though, and you knew that Wil would be busy for the rest of his own. Considering how much complaining he’d done this morning whilst dressing. To save him from leaving looking riled up – especially as the Lords decided to make it their mission to collect him - you pulled him back from the door at the last second and into a fierce kiss. At least he’d left with a smile, if not a yearning to spend the remainder of his day alone with you. He’d been continually busy for the past few weeks, and less time could therefore be spent with him outside of quiet morning and night hours. You were aware that during this time Vesper had been able to stretch his legs less and less, and that horse was growing restless. You were off duty, and with nothing else much to do other than read or sit with your thoughts, you believed you could provide the perfect solution. You approached the Sheriff’s office fairly cautiously, greeted with a smile by Alden, who was now every so often joining your guard in training. Although you seldom saw the point, because he was already very good. He didn’t need you – but he wanted to be involved and that was sweet. “Good day, my lady.” He stood to attention and you politely inclined your head, “How is he?” “On and off. You’ll be welcome respite.” “What a shame that it is only to ask one question, is he with anyone?” “No, and he’d prefer for it to be kept that way until his next meeting. Of course, you will be a notable exception.” “I’ll knock anyway!” And you did so, but didn’t wait for a response before entering. “…Oh, thank God. I was beginning to think my personal guard wasn’t doing his job.” “You specifically told him I could enter?” “I don’t think he’d stop you.” Wil pushed his chair out to stand but you stilled him, “No, please, stay seated it’s just one question and I’ll be leaving! You have much to do.” “Well, you may ask when ready.” “Vesper.” “…Yes?” His head tilted. “May I take him out? Beyond the walls? I just… You’ve been busy and I’d like to make sure that he doesn’t get… too restless.” “Ah. Well I’ll defer to you, if you think he’ll be fine.” There were a few seconds of silence between you, before he smiled and added, “I think he trusts you, but do be careful.” “I will, I promise!” You beamed – it was all about respect, but you would want to keep control of a stallion like that. You’d watched Wil with him enough to know how it was done. Thinking better of just turning and running back out, instead you approached his desk, leaning down to catch his lips – this kiss far more gentle. “Enjoy your day.” The smile that graced his face was a delight to watch, “Thank you. I’ll try my upmost to make that so.” Wil took your hand in his, pressing his lips to your knuckles to bid you farewell, you couldn’t help beaming as you left the room, closing the door behind you and wishing Alden well. You were certainly about to have a good day. Marcus had told you previously that Vesper only let the Sheriff anywhere near him to ride. So you knew that if this worked it was another number to add to the apparent ‘miracles’ that were happening here because of you. Then again, you’d always had an understanding with this horse; he was considerably calmer with you than the others, and it didn’t take long for you to persuade him to let you saddle him up, hands through his mane and over his neck, before stroking his muzzle – whispering gentle words in Norse. The same ones you used to use with your own horse before he was fully used to you; until Vesper allowed you to slip on his reigns. “Okay, Vesper…” You stroked him delicately again, before swinging yourself up onto his back, “let’s get you running!” Although you were careful with him through the streets of Nottingham, you could feel the both of you getting used to each other, figuring the other out. He was tall and steady, more than Eyhamel was – but you had to remind yourself he wasn’t the same kind of horse. Which gave him the edge out here – he was used to walking streets like this now. Eyha was still nervous about how close some of them were; in the mines especially – he was used to small spread out houses, sea air and countryside. You wondered how long Wil and Vesper had been a partnership, did Vesper grow up on streets like this, or did he know Wil’s country estate? The one where his family had- Vesper tugged the reigns sharply and you gasped, knowing you’d have got distracted, out of sync. Angrily thinking on something you shouldn’t have been. It had transferred through you into him, and you were forced to take a calming breath. “Sorry. That one’s on me.” Both of you were eager to get running, and you could feel that energy as you approached the gates. You’d come a different way to usual today, and this one led out to the toll bridge; the ground was a little flatter and smoothed out down a slope, with no trees here you knew you could let the power in the horse beneath you fly. Although you didn’t get to do that right away, because as you pulled up to the toll bridge the scene unfolding in front of you demanded your attention. The guards operating the bridge were currently yelling in the faces of a couple of scared looking peasants. And when the yelling didn’t work, they were dragged to the floor and promptly beaten. The anger running through you into Vesper had him starting forward, and you were glad of it, not attempting to pull him back. “STOP!!! STOP!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?”  Your shouts were at least controlled as you put Vesper between the guards and the people, forcing them to back up. Your look was hard and if they thought you were done with them- “What. Are. You. Doing?” You demanded once more, glaring. “They have to pay the toll, can’t pay, no entry.” The guard very nearly spat, as if you were the problem. Clearly he wasn’t impressed with your intervention. “Are you Nottingham guard?” If they were yours you were about to axe them on the spot, “Who do you report to?” “The council.” Oh, that meant they weren’t charged with defending the city. “We are not the guard.” “I should hope not.” You forced them to back up again, Vesper was happy to aid in the fact that you were having none of it, “I’d see you off my guard before you could think. Who authorised you to do this!?” “The Sheriff. We have our orders.” You stilled Vesper for a moment with one single blink, Wil? Wil was just letting this happen? Did he know it happened like this? You knew you didn’t want to believe it. “We’ll see about that.” If you weren’t so determined to take Vesper out you’d be marching back up to the palace and dragging him down here to witness for himself. “Let them through.” “On whose authority?” You folded your arms, “My husbands. My own. I don’t care – you should be ashamed of yourselves.” Power, give them a drop and things like this happened… You wheeled Vesper around to the two peasants, recovering themselves and their goods. “Are you alright? Do you need assistance?” Your face and voice were considerably softer. That would be a short trek, you wouldn’t have minded doing that.  But they both shook their heads, bowing their thanks to you. “No, M’lady! Thank you.” “Truly, it’s nothing. I can only apologise.” You waited to make sure that they got inside before turning back to the guard, “I catch you doing this again, you really will have to answer to someone higher than me, and I can promise you, you won’t be keeping your positions either.” You made sure to let that sink in with enough fierce in your voice, before once again turning his horse on a dime and urging Vesper out over the bridge. Well, now you’d need to spend some time out here cooling off, too.

The Sheriff, whilst all this was happening, had left his office. As much to be truly alone as to catch a glimpse of you, finding the highest point in the palace to keep an eye on as large an area of the outskirts as possible. He took his work with him, although he couldn’t say he wasn’t distracted. This could at least have been brushed off for a few days, the opportunity to watch you run his horse was not something to be missed. Wil found himself smiling uncontrollably as you did appear, and when you said run Vesper, you’d really meant it. You pushed him hard, galloping across the flat plains, fluctuating between sweeping and tight turns to add variety to the speed. But there were rivers and streams that you strayed into and Wil could swear he heard your laugh from all the way out there. And on the other side, lush long grass bled into the scenery and slopping hills, before it ended in forest. You never strayed up there, but you certainly strolled out of sight every so often. On these occasions he would just watch and wait for you to come back, instead of getting anything done. He sighed gently, before chuckling – wishing he could be beside you right now, wind rushing through his hair. A distraction maybe, but a welcome one. The Sheriff’s blue eyes flicked back down to his documents, before he firmly placed them to one side, focusing back on you. Voice soft as he mused to himself, “Well, Y/N… you’ve done it again…”

***

 Your escapades at the toll booth this morning didn’t take long to reach the Lords and, when eventually the Sheriff had to abandon his seat in favour of the Lords meeting, they were quick to jump on the subject with him. If he were honest, he was happy that you seemed to be taking control, using your voice, showing Nottingham your authority here. As you were married, he didn’t see anything wrong with you using him as your leverage. Wil supposed that the Lords didn’t like that you were female. He wasn’t about to let that kind of thinking stop you – and the Sheriff knew for a fact you weren’t either. However, apparently, you’d been busy in town this morning. “-She’s been messing with the toll bridge! That’s there for a reason, but she’s threatened the guard! They aren’t the city guard, not hers! She’s letting people through without paying the toll! This is unbelievable! She’s going to destroy everything we’re putting into place-!” Wil sat back in his chair, and stretched, looking between them all as they all began fussing and agreeing. He’d let them all talk, but not listen to a word. That was the reason you were here after all, was it not? You were here to shake things up, that was the purpose of putting you in charge. “With all due respect, gentleman, she is in her position to challenge the way things are done.” “She means to topple us.” The Sheriff held his hands up, “No, No. My wife will make things better for our city. I’m sure whatever happened at the toll was a misunderstanding. She already has our defences in better shape. She’ll do much more for us than that.” Pembroke gave him a look of significance, “The war effort?” His eyes narrowed, what was Pembroke suggesting? “She has no part in that, nor reason to know anything about it.” “The tolls-” “I will make sure that I explain to her the importance.” Wil took a breath, “I have this under control.” “Do you?” The Sheriff chuckled, “You think I can’t handle a woman like her? She’s young, she does not understand all our ways yet. She’s malleable – she’ll toe the line. I won’t even need to ask it of her.” He knew that you probably had a better grasp of things than he’d admit to them; but the war wasn’t anything he’d needed to involve you in, it was so far away. Getting you mixed up in it was unnecessary – besides that, he was sure that his side of the plan was something you could agree with. Also, right now William had to play the game the men in front of him wanted him to play – assumed he was playing. The Sheriff had to show that he could control you, that you weren’t unruly. It wouldn’t take much for one man in the room to think you were a little above your station and want you shipped back home. Or worse, there was so much worse that could be done… Wil crossed his arms over his body, just so the hidden blade pressed flat into his chest – they were underestimating the both of you. It anyone came for you, he’d protect you with his life, of that the Sheriff was already sure. You had a duty to defend him and his city, and you might think it to be that – whether you loved him or not. But he would certainly be doing this for love; the knowledge he’d never meet anyone quite like you ever again. Shaking Nottingham up was not the only thing you’d done, after all. You were undoing him piece by piece, and it had been so subtle at first Wil hadn’t even noticed – but now he wanted all these things he’d never considered before… and he wanted to share them with you. “See it done, Sheriff.” Oh he would. Just not in the way they thought.

*** By the time you got back it was late afternoon, you made sure to come back through the gate you went out of – shooting the guards a look, just so they knew you’d be going straight to the Sheriff with this. Luckily you weren’t in a nice dress today; you and Vesper by this point drying off nicely, but certainly a little worse for wear. Water stains and mud flecked your dress and his lower body. You couldn’t help but be glad you’d got to ride him, and from the signals he was giving off, Vesper was happy too. You dismounted as soon as you entered the palace grounds, laughing as you led him back towards the stable. You were happy to go and brush him down yourself, but when a stable hand came to relieve you of him – promising that all would be okay when you warned him of Vesper’s temperament – you found yourself void of things to do. Not for long, your curiosity had you running back to Wil to see if he’d be back from his duties today. Not in his office anymore, but his ready room. Doors and windows open, light flooded him and you had to pause and catch your breath at the way it broke over his form, his eyes, sifting through his hair, the occasional glint off his signet ring. You felt a knot in your stomach for a moment and couldn’t help but softly gasp as the heat ran through you. Oh. It was like that…

Eventually he put his quill down and his eyes raised to you. A small smile on his face as this time he did get up from his seat, “Darling, forgive me, come come…” The Sheriff waved you forward. “Oh, I-!” You walked to him, “I wasn’t waiting for your permission, I-” you took his hands in yours, loving the way the smile on his face grew exponentially as you did so, “I’m sorry. I was… a little dazed.” He chuckled, “By me?” letting your hands go he cupped your face, and that smile of his became a smug smirk. “Who else?” Your voice was soft, and you let him lead you to his lips. Even though his kiss was sweet and short it just made you want him more. But Wil cleared his throat: “What happened at the toll booth today?” You took a step back from him, hoping that tone wasn’t really as accusatory as it sounded to you, “Do you know what they are doing to your people-!!?” Suddenly all your outrage from this morning came flooding back, “I understand that tolls must be paid, but beating it out of people!?! If they can’t pay, turn them around, but BEAT them!?” “Y/N-” “NO! NO! Listen to me, do you have any idea how badly that reflects on you?” Wil’s eyebrows furrowed, how much you cared for him really was admirable, but you had to understand how this worked; “Y/N, those are the rules. You care too much. You do. It doesn’t matter what they think of me, but how they follow the rules.” “They’re BEATING pe-” you stopped yourself short, you knew he understood that. Hell, you knew he understood that better than anyone. “It matters. You are not a bad person. Stop… stop trying to make me believe you are.” “This is the way it goes.” “You’re better than this.” “I’m not.” You hated that sincerity in his eyes, why wasn’t he fighting this? “You are.” You shook your head, drawing him back to you, “You can stop this.” “You know it doesn’t work that way.” He stepped back and towards his desk, “Your actions are reflecting on you and if they think you’re pushing a little too far they will…” Wil left that sentence to finish itself. Any sexual excitement within you was suddenly gone at how nonchalant he was being, “I would like to see them try!” “This’s not the point, is it.” “You can’t ignore what they are doing on the pretence of protecting me, what if it was your idea?” The look in those blue eyes was almost haunting, “The Church is fine with this!?” “Backs bent, heads bowed.” The Sheriff’s voice sounded tired – something he’d heard and repeated all too often. Too much history. “I’m sorry, Y/N.” The shake of your head was not only in disappointment, but that you really hadn’t fathomed how big that barrier was to him. A wall you couldn’t see, and maybe one you’d never clear. “It’s not me you need to apologise to, but the people of your city. What they think of you matters, if only to me. And it should matter to you.” “They will think what they think, I have very little say in that. You on the other hand…” The Sheriff collected something from his desk, and held it out for you. “I care what they think of you very much. And whilst I may have my own barriers… you influence the thinking of this City. They will tolerate me to love you. And if you are swaying the people…” You took the letter from him delicately, “The Church can’t put a stop to that?” He nodded encouragingly as you turned your eyes to the parchment, and they widened at the seal, “…My- My father-!?” “I thought it only right for you to be the one to open it.” “Thank you.” The look in your eyes and that smile were so sincere. The kind he got to see on your face when all your defences were down, when you could be yourself with only him. Something Wil wished he could see much more often than he did. You broke the seal and read, small smile immediately widening, eyes scanning the English. It was a little grammatically incorrect… but the sentiment was there. It was English for your husband, that much was for certain. And your smile became a joyous laugh as you wiped a tear from your eye. “It’s a congratulatory letter on our marriage!” “Really!?” And the tone in the Sheriff’s voice made you look to him immediately; you didn’t ever think you’d heard it so light. So overjoyed. The wall was suddenly down as genuine awe crossed his face, eyes bright and wide. You gave a nod, before beckoning him to you, and as he rounded you Wil wound his arms around your waist, propping his head on your shoulder to read. You watched him curiously, at the way he tried and failed to hide that smile – eventually doing so by placing a kiss into your skin. “Well, the honour is certainly all mine.” You laughed, hands over his, “We’re getting somewhere.” “Anything is progress.” He agreed, “Long may that continue… But, with you here, perhaps there is nothing we can’t do.” “Well,” you reached behind you to run your fingers into his hair, “As long as I can change that attitude of yours. Keep your people on side… You keep running things as you do. We make quite the team.” This time the Sheriff’s kiss was to your neck, and he lingered there, making you shudder. “On that, I can agree.”

***

 Eventually you discovered that perhaps the Sheriff was not really protecting you at all. Perhaps he was protecting himself, perhaps his fairly blasé approach to the treatment of his people was not on account of the Lords and the Church. It was just more spun rhetoric; but spun to you? That hurt more than you expected. Clearly you weren’t supposed to find this out, but you had only just missed him in his ready room – with the window open and the wax still melted, a stack of draft notices ready to be signed; that right around now you had half a mind to burn - and all the signs that the room had been hastily vacated, made you believe that Wil was unexpectedly interrupted and he would return soon. You were fine with waiting but were looking a little too closely at the papers on his desk; one immediately confusing you, that looked like Arabic writing… And as you pulled it from out of the stack you gasped instantly in shock. Panic overtook you for a minute and in your wish not to believe it was what it so clearly depicted, you leafed through the documents to hide it again. But you knew you couldn’t leave it out of sight out of mind, and for all he had said to you, the Sheriff owed you an explanation. Wil took the stairs back up to his space with a grumble. Why anyone had thought that small breakages were important enough to interrupt him for he didn’t know. Other than him turning his annoyance on them “Just FIX it then!” and muttering about time wasting. He didn’t need to survey the evidence, all they needed to do was mend it: in fact the Sheriff wasn’t even sure he would have noticed if they hadn’t had directed his attention to it. When he reached his ready room, he was surprised to see you there, pouring over the papers on his desk. Wil thought this odd; you’d never been interested in draft noticed before now. You didn’t need to be either, he’d already said that he wasn’t about to touch your city guard. The Sheriff entered the room cautiously, and quiet, craning to see exactly what you were staring at. Unfortunately the angle of the rest of his stacks of documents didn’t make that so easy, and he was so tall you couldn’t fail to miss him. Wil didn’t even get to open his mouth. “This better be a peace treaty because not only is that Arabic, that’s the Church seal and there’s NO way in hell I want you involved with that!” You’d allow him an explanation, but your look to his face told the Sheriff he better not even think about lying to you now. Wil swallowed hard; his mouth opened then he thought better of it. You turned away from the desk, stance fairly aggressive – and that extended to the look in your eyes, colour vibrant with anger. Wil raised a hand to stop you before you started, you had to hear it from him, no matter how hard it might be for the Sheriff to say. “Y/N… It’s not- it’s not like that.” “Those are numbers, Wil, what are you doing!? Are you paying the enemy-!?” He pressed a finger to his lips “SHH!” and his tone was insistent, “Let me explain this!” “I don’t think you need to-! If you’re plotting with them that’s treason! What about the King!? And with the Church!?” You were clearly shocked, and Wil stepped back to close the door, eyes still on you, “After what they’ve done to you!? Being in league with them!?! The King is responsible for our union! He sent me here-!” “This has been going on a little longer than you’ve been present in my life and it’s not about that, it’s a means to an end!” “If they find out they will KILL you! You’ll be made a spectacle of! This is your country! Why send so many innocent men out there to die for a cause that you’re clearly working against! What is the play-!?” You took a step back as he took one forward, flinching. This wasn’t good, and Wil had to get you back on side quickly – but there was something about what you were saying, you still only cared for him. That’s what you were worried about, what would happen to him. “Is- Is that why you must be so silent!?” “Y/N. It’s not… please, it isn’t what you’re thinking. It is not that our King is bad, it is not… a means to seize power, that is just the outcome of an idea. But I need the support of the Church to take this all the way to being in power. Think about it, if I have unlimited power… control of England, then I have the means to stop the Church. There’ll be no more control, not of me, of the people, of everyone else they oppress just because they hold power through their ‘Divine’ cause.” He swallowed, exhaling deep and trying not to sound so fanatical, “…This only works if the King is removed. That will only happen if the enemy win. Then, once I am in place… Well, the Moors will bring their religion with them too, as you have.” You took one thing from this. “You don’t believe.” “Would you?” “…Wil…” That hurt so much, “Wil, you… you are lost!” No belief? No faith? In anything…? You stepped away from him again, which was too much for the Sheriff’s heart to take and his hand shot out to grasp your wrist, dragging you closer to him: “No! No. Not with you. I have never been lost with you.” He kept you there, but the look in your eyes was breaking his heart, “The King lets this happen. To me, to countless others… and so it continues. I can’t touch the Foundling House, I can’t stop this without winning this war, this way. What kind of King lets these things happen, Y/N!? Would your father!?” “There’s another way. Wil there is a better way. Working with the Church is not the answer.” “They will never see it coming if I involve them. They think the power is shared, really for the first time it is me using them. But, make no mistake, Y/N, I need them.” “No…” You wriggled free of his grip, but cupped his face instead, “You don’t.” “You told me I was a better person than this. Now you understand I’m not.” He indicated to the paper, “But I need you with me on this. And it is the only thing I will ask. Bad, yes, I admit as much… But to do a world of good? You must see that?” You looked away from him and back to the parchment, glaring hard. The Sheriff’s hands settled on your waist, but you didn’t back away from him this time. Your look was steely, and he was going to hear this once and once only and heed you on it. “I do not approve of this. But I am with you on it - IF at the end of all this I may slay some of these Lords and these people who hurt you. And I don’t want to hear another word from you on supporting our soldiers out there. You are going to tell me the truth, William, or I’ll take this to the King myself. Do you understand me? Not one secret.” There were a few more seconds of silence than you would like but eventually he nodded, “Yes, yes.  I understand.” And the Sheriff knew there was no way to threaten you or have you back down on this. You’d be much more likely to slit his throat than listen to his demands. You took a step back, “Find yourself. Because I don’t think you’ll do it in me.” Head down you brushed passed him and exited the room, deeply troubled. Wil turned to watch you go with a soft sigh; you had it all wrong. You were all of his faith that he had left. Nothing good had ever come of believing in a higher power or doing as the Church requested… but you, something had brought you across the water, and to him… The Sheriff wasn’t inclined to think that was just good luck. You stopped on the stairs and had to sit for a moment, hand against the wall; breathing hard to make sure you didn’t cry instead. You hated that you somehow sympathised with this cause. That you understood him. It was treason, it was crazy, Wil would bet his life on something so insane that may not even work out for him. You knew he was power hungry too… you didn’t like it but it was there, and you doubted he would deny it. The Sheriff wasn’t going to find taking that crown a burden, he would relish it. But after all the pain they had caused him in the past, if his end goal truly was to rid this country of its oppression under the Church, then you couldn’t help but agree it might be something desperately needed. It wasn’t just him after all – and it was quite clearly also affecting his present. Haunting Wil in everyone he had the misfortune of interacting with. After all, the Sheriff might be free of that house, but he was not free of them.

 *** The Sheriff certainly became more careful of the way that he spoke around you in meetings. But when you knew all the pieces at play, it was fascinating to watch them talk. You wondered if everyone in this room was in on it. Just a few of them? You started accompanying him to Church a little more just to keep your eyes on them. At night though, Wil would sit you down, or take you in his arms and he’d spill all those secrets that no one else would. Things that, by the way he told them, only you knew. When you asked if this was only because you asked, or if he really trusted you with such information he only smiled. ‘You should know.’ So, for the imminent attack of what every Town Hall meeting called ‘the far enemy’ you had begun challenging Marcus, Alden and Askel to defend the walls. Each of them picked a specialist crew from your guard and tried to defend the wall from you. Armed with a training sword and bow. The idea was to stop you from making your way inside the walls, but every so often another member of the guard was selected as a target and you had to get to them. Honestly it was the most fun you’d had in a while, even if it produced mixed results and some of the teams were far better at stopping you, or slowing you down, than others. Sometimes you wouldn’t even have scaled the walls or made it to the first gate. Sometimes you’d end up cornered on top of the wall, but you’d put up a pretty good fight before they finally caught you. Sometimes you could get through, but they’d slowed you down enough to gather a force up at the palace or to move your ‘target’ far from the scene. Sometimes they’d still be peering over the wall and you’d have to whistle them from an opposite roof, waving. Sometimes you’d end up dragging the target back to them and saying, “Well, my husband would be dead by now. Congratulations!” When they dared you to do the same thing, you were nearly always successful. Askel always scoffed and said that was just because you were so adamant at defending your man – not necessarily your city. Your argument was you were head of the Nottingham guard, so if you couldn’t stop people they might as well dismiss you now. (But you might also concede his point.) But it was a laugh, and you all enjoyed it so much that it became a regular drill, and you’d practice all times of day and in all weathers. The greatest thing was just to hear Wil turn it into propaganda; how the guard were preparing for all eventualities, that they were going to defend Nottingham just as the soldiers were defending ‘us’ in the Crusade. You’d only allow it because he always looked so happy to talk about good things happening and the Church always looked kinda sour about it. You did your best to act as a Lady of Nottingham would and not smugly smirk over at them… you didn’t always succeed. But pretty soon you and Askel were teaching the best and brightest to free run the roof tops and scale the palace in good time. Marcus was built a little heavier and it wasn’t his forte, but you admired him trying, before he eventually concluded he’d rather keep his feet on the ground. Alden however was quicker than you, and as you started to figure out how useful he’d be, you were actually glad of the Sheriff’s offer of his personal guard to the cause when necessary. More important to you, of course, was that you had to worry less about who Wil had to defend him, when you could see clear evidence of how good Alden was, and how much he’d grown, right in front of you. Lucien liked watching you with a shake of his head as if you were all young, naive idiots and, usually when you’d made it to the roof, called up to you that he didn’t realise Nottingham needed an ariel team. He wasn’t about to hide how proud he was of his guard growing, and almost literally flying, with you. One thing was for sure, if the far enemy did ever get over here, no matter what the Sheriff’s arrangement was, you and your boys would defend this city. You wouldn’t let innocent lives you were charged with protecting die just so he could take power. That, you vowed.

***

To show solidarity with your trainees - and those now returning to the city from war unable to be much use there anymore, but still wishing to help out, that you’d taken into your guard – every so often you would stand the wall yourself. You certainly didn’t mind it; everyone was in fairly good spirits and would call to each other up and down the wall. Sometimes they sung songs that you didn’t really understand and if Wil passed below you, he’d yell up about using such language around a Lady with a shake of his head. Only with them throwing back that you were ‘hardly a Lady’. You didn’t mind it much, you were just happy that everyone else enjoyed themselves and you got to look out across the landscape and dream about riding out as far as your eyes could see. Sometimes you could see smoke whisps coming from far off villages and on the occasions that you were facing Shirebrook you could only smile as you thought of Charles and Cara. They seemed due a visit, you would make a mental note of that. One thing you did always make sure to check on was the mines and the tolls. Regular contact with your people kept you popular and Marian, along with her Will, were always welcoming. Especially if you took Tuck with you. The four of you would discuss policy that you had no qualms taking back to your husband for your night talks; even if he blustered and told you he’d hear no more on it. As long as there was one voice in his ear attempting to help the people, you were happy being it. Especially away from the smoke and mirrors world of the Lords – who you trusted less and less the more they opened their mouths. Today you were back on the wall, and in a moment of true boredom, doing nothing more than passing the time of day with Marcus. There were still a few complaints you had that you’d only tell him, and as usual he’d simply chuckle about it and offer solidarity. Sometimes advice, but even just lending his ear helped you sort through things in your brain. Luckily it was a clear day, and the suns rays were warming but not beating down on you. Good on all accounts. However, you were distracted from the conversation by someone calling you: “My Lady-!” At first you couldn’t find the source, not the wall, or below you, “My Lady!” Turning you realised that they were in the street behind you, a small group on horseback. You approached the edge of the wall cautiously, Marcus walked in step, hand on the hilt of his sword, almost making you laugh to see how quick he would be to defend you from nothing. “Yes?” “My Lady, do you… perhaps know where we can find the Sheriff?” You tilted your head, why would they ask you? You’d been out here all day. “Your husband is expecting some very important members of his jurisdiction. They have arrived and urgently wish to speak to him but, we have looked everywhere. We were hoping you may be able to assist?” Instead of offering them any places you’d be convinced they wouldn’t have checked – that he wouldn’t want anyone else knowing of anyway – you simply chuckled, “Yes. I will find him for you, whereabouts would you like him sent?” “The main hall, if you please My Lady. Thank you.” You turned back to Marcus, “Well, right hand, I leave my watch in your capable hands.” “Go on. Aid him to his meeting. In fact stay, he’ll need you, I can imagine it’ll only be tedium!” You headed towards the set of steps with another barked laugh, “Thank you, Marcus! You’re sending me to that tedium too!” It didn’t take you long to figure out where Wil would be. If they’d been thorough in their search, there was only one room they wouldn’t dare enter. Each and every room you could knock on and, alright you’d be facing his wrath if you entered without permission, but you’d have still found him. If they couldn’t find him, then he was out – unlikely, considering Wil often told you if he was to be away from the palace for too long – or he was here. You knocked gently on your room door and upon receiving no answer opened it softly. Your assumption was correct and you closed the door quick, but silently, behind you. Wil was lying on his front on the bed, arms folded under his chin, completely unbothered by the day. You stilled for a second, wondering why he might have left his shirt off. You weren’t about to ignore how much those scars still made your heart ache. He was clearly here to hide away from the world, you weren’t about to stop him. “Darling, what’s wrong?” Your voice was soft, as you walked forward, studying him for any signs that it was anything of significance. Illness? He’d been alright when you’d left him this morning. Wil sighed, shuffling, “To be honest I’m fed up with everyone. I just needed some quiet time alone. Not to be shirking my duties, but…” You paused, not wishing to be intrusive if he didn’t want, “From me too?” “No… No…” He chuckled, “You can stay.” You clambered onto the bed, still surveying his body; “You’re tense…” “I’m what?” “Tense… It’s all in your body language… your shoulders are tense, are you okay?” Wil opened his mouth, but clamped it shut, lucky that you wouldn’t see. No, he dare not tell you about what was going on in his head. “Yes, I’m… fine.” “Just close your eyes and try to relax…” He was suddenly aware of a pressure on his lower back, and your legs brushed against his as you settled yourself on top of him, trying to make sure not to pressure him with too much of your weight. Suddenly your hands were on Wil’s shoulders, pushing gently against all the tensions that had built themselves up in his muscles. “What are you doing?” “It’s just a massage… don’t worry, I’m pretty good at it, you can thank your rigorous guard training for this – my mother passed it on to all her children and now all you guard are perfecting it too. Good for war and training injuries but, also tension… and you, husband dearest, are extremely tense. I will not ask what is troubling you, but I would like to relieve you of it.” He groaned gently as you worked at the knots, which made you smile, at least he was enjoying it, “That feels good…” “Yeah?” “Yeah… Where have you been all my life?” He moved his arms from under himself at your insistence. “Well, now you know. Just come to me!” The Sheriff groaned again as you worked down his arms, into his fingers, and then back up, “Can you do it a little harder?” “Oh I forgot, it’s not fun if it’s not painful.” You smacked him playfully, “Sure, whatever you say.” But that only made him elicit more contented groans, louder than before. “Shhhh!” Although you couldn’t help but giggle, “You’re meant to be hiding from the world, aren’t you?” “Harder!” “Wil – I don’t want to hurt you-! Y’know there’s a fine line between relaxing your muscles and tearing them!” You ran your knuckles up his spine; and the growl he elicited made you smirk; you did the motion again, if only to keep the Sheriff growling like that…  “Agh-----!!!” “I told you it’d hurt.” “That didn’t hurt, that was good, do it again.” Unbelievable. “You’re very good at this.” “Happy to help!” You made your circles a little lighter, assured that even when working tension out of him you wanted to be gentle. There was probably a lot of scar tissue under his skin, and you didn’t want to upset it, or cause twinges in him. He chuckled slightly, running his hands gently along your legs under your dress, you couldn’t help but sigh against his fingertips. Although you couldn’t see the Sheriff’s face, you were sure that pulled a smirk from him.   “I don’t know want to be too rough…” “Nothing wrong with being rough.” You wondered if you were supposed to take that with the sexual edge of his voice. Probably. You swallowed hard, happy that if you were blushing he also wouldn’t see your face. You pushed your fingers to his neck, and then through the ends of his hair, the Sheriff sighed again as you pulled your fingernails back down, and then over his shoulders and ran his spine; Wil shivered a little, which made you giggle. “Isn’t gentle so much better?” “I get the feeling this isn’t a massage…” You refused to rise to that, even if that heat that hadn’t flooded you for a little while – since you’d seen him in that glorious sunshine before speaking about the toll booth in fact – returned at just the sound of Wil’s voice right now. You continued circular motions up his back, pushing harder in areas and softer in others; what the Sheriff didn’t realise of course was you’d spent the first few run-throughs seeing what he liked best and where, so now you could give him a proper massage. All you wanted was his emotional responses the way he’d given them to you before. “Ahhhhhhh---!!” You smirked slightly; “Better?” He growled; hands back on your legs, “Harder---!!” Ignoring Wil’s command for his whole body, just pushed harder through the parts that wanted it, you refused to strain anything on him. You supposed this was fairly intimate, considering you’d not actually officially consummated your marriage yet… if you could call it a real marriage. He still messed with your feelings too much, you didn’t want to give yourself to him once more until you could trust him to keep your happiness paramount, to keep you completely in the loop. Your body let you know exactly how it felt about that idea, and threatened to shake, you pushed back through his hair, and stopped. The Sheriff’s smile was present in his voice, “Finished?” “If you want me to stop?” And you thought that was probably for the best. “Well. Lady’s choice.” You laughed, and sat back, so you were between his legs and not sitting on him anymore. Wil turned so that he was leaning on his elbow, and could look at you, “What is your verdict, should I be partaking more often?” “It’s possibly not the only way you can relieve tension.” The smirk twitched on his lips and Wil took your hand in his, guiding you a little close to him, “Well, I’m certainly fine with staying here and learning more.” This time you knew you were blushing horribly, and your body was fine with completely betraying you. “Well, I believe I should be telling you that you have visitors, but I will greet them for you as your wife… I wish for you to stay here. And rest, you do enough.” You smiled gently, “I’m glad you thought it was okay.” “Okay?” Wil shook his head, and leaned in, for your efforts you received a series of short and incredibly sweet kisses, “It was a lot better than just okay.” he murmured against your lips before kissing you one last time.

***

Quiet mornings were nice between you, today you didn’t need to be anywhere in particular until much later in the day and even then, the Sheriff had extended his invitation as a courtesy. Certainly, therefore, a meeting to present only as his wife and not an important advisor. You’d probably decide if you were turning up or not at the very last minute. Wil was getting ready for the day, but, sitting there at the end of the bed talking to him in your white nightgown was distracting at best. You had one foot dangling off the edge of the bed and your other tucked up under you as you rested your arms and head on your knee. Due to this, your nightgown had ridden up, and both legs were fully exposed to him. This wasn’t unusual, he couldn’t lie about that – but… this morning looking at you was getting him a little worked up. The Sheriff supposed that was mostly because he had a lot on his mind right now, especially about you. His movements were sluggish as he got dressed, and Wil felt uncomfortable at best, breathing heavily. He bit his lips together, hoping you weren’t noticing this… and yet perhaps hoping that you were… Good God he wanted you, but, did you want him? Did you really? There were too many mixed signals, an he needed to be sure.

The Sheriff cleared his throat, approaching you, “Y/N... I realise that... we have not been intimate in a long time. And I don’t know if that is because you don’t trust me, you don’t want me- Well, with what you know it almost doesn’t surprise me. Although I... have been in conversation with Tuck.” You immediately looked up; eyes wide, attentive to what he was about to say. Clearly you couldn’t trust anybody anymore. “And he... imparted to me that you have been in conversation about... the possibility of children?” Of course Tuck would betray such a conversation. After all the confessional visits; this was a big one. “I...” You blinked a few times, unsure of exactly where this conversation was going to lead. It wasn’t one you’d ever had; you didn’t have the faintest idea of Wil’s stance on it. “I have talked to my handmaidens about it, yes.” The Sheriff stepped forward, taking your hand in his as he sank to his knee, “Oh, so… you would… want to-” He paused for a minute to think on his phrasing, “Do you want this with me?” “I never exactly envisioned this conversation happening this way.” “Well, what better time?” “Why did he even mention it?” Wil shrugged delicately, “He thought I might like to know.” Your eyes dropped from his face and you chewed your lip, “Forgive my thinking, but I wasn’t so sure – with your own past – you would want to have children.” “It wasn’t something I suspected to get the opportunity to-” He waved a hand, and then smiled gently, “Forgive me, but the prospect is exciting, isn’t it?” You swallowed thickly, “It is.” You wouldn’t deny that, “But I cannot bring a child into a world where we are not on the same side about where we’re going.” “Aren’t we?” “…Wil. There are problems here, and I will not have a child with you to fix them.” Your hand was still in his and you squeezed it, as his eyes dulled and you knew you were hurting him, “…But,” and it was a big but, “I am ready to try. While we figure everything else out.” Then you took his other hand in yours, “And we will, figure it all out, together.” The smile on the Sheriff’s face, the brightness in his eyes, the way he laced your fingers had your body screaming at you. Louder than ever before, than even that first night. “We will.” He agreed, “But do not doubt that I want this, with you.” That emphasis was clear, you knew all about the other women; but you were his only focus now. Your body trembled and you hoped that it was not betraying you to him; was that excitement? Or desire? Or both? ‘It’s now or never!’ was all you could think. ‘If you want him as bad as you know you do, what better time than when he is asking you for this.’ “Do you, have anything important to do today?” The Sheriff’s head tipped, eyebrow raised, wondering if you were going where he hoped you were: “Not, particularly.” “I do not wish for you to just shirk your duty for this…” Although there was a tiny smirk on your face. “Is my duty not to you?” and to our future. “Stay. With me.” “Now?” This wasn’t just the conversation about what could be, this was the conversation. His eyes brightened, “Of course, I will stay. If my wife insists.” “Oh…” You pulled him off his knees and to your lips, as Wil already shrugging himself out of his coat, “I do.” Wil’s hands glided up your legs, as his kisses became a little harder, a little hotter. Your nightdress moved up your body and it was all you could do to help him, pulling at the ties at the top to wriggle out of it. You looped your arms around his neck, already moaning against his kisses, knowing that your arousal was already plain to see on your inner thighs. The Sheriff stripped himself of his jacket and undershirt, and then his trousers and undergarments. His hands on the inside of your thighs as you kept kissing him, parting your legs delicately as he laid you back. That sticky sweetness already lingering on his fingertips, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “How long?” “Too long…” Was your only breathless answer as Wil pulled his lips from yours to lick his fingers, “Oh, Y/N. You should have said something.” You shook your head, but he denied you the opportunity to recapture his lips as he ran his fingers through your wetness – causing you to shudder. “…You just said it for me.” That smirk of his was bigger than usual as he tasted you again, and this time when he kissed you harshly, the Sheriff pressed his tongue to yours, giving you the opportunity to taste yourself. You moaned quietly again, pulling his body to completely cover yours and he held you strong in his arms as you wrapped your legs around his. “I love you.” You pulled back for just a moment, just to study his face as he said it. “Do you?” “You know I do.” You were once again struck by the vulnerability, the way Wil said it with such conviction. No games, no lies. There was no room for any of that here, not between the two of you. Not here. “I love you too…” He shuddered at the Norse. Your hands were up in his hair, gentle kiss to his forehead, then his lips, “I want this… and I need you… Wil, I need you.” He held your hands once more as he pushed into you, gentler than before – but so different. Your body tingled, coils in your stomach radiating the same heat as before. Everything was suddenly so pleasant. It had been before, but now… perhaps that was just you thinking on context. Before it was about you, it was about becoming his… This wasn’t; this was about both of you, about your future. The possibility of having a family… You pulled him closer, and mixed with your moaning were distinct words; Norse – what else? The Sheriff smiled into your skin, pressing lingering kisses against your shoulder. “I want to hear them, Y/N, even if I don’t understand them…” But you both knew he already did. The sentiment, the million different ways you were capable of telling him how much you loved him. The million different ways you always would…

---

💜Thank you for reading! I don’t think I’ll get 9 done by the end of the year but I’m happy that we’re at this point and we can start heading towards the movie plot now!💙

[buffyversefanfiction]

Slayer of Slayers

Warnings:I do not own, nor do I claim to own any of the copyright or characters within the Buffyverse which includes but not limited to the television shows Buffy and Angel, as well as the Darkhorse comics series’ continuation.

15+ Strong to moderate violence, Graphic to mild descriptions of gore, and torture, sexually charged scenes, sexual innuendos, mild to strong language, and practices of witchcraft.

M/M, F/F, M/F, GEN, OTHER +

PART SEVEN LINK HERE

Part Eight - Vampire Island

Theo Frey’s life had well and truly been a series of impossible events, his birth being miraculous conception between slayer and vampire, one of whom should never be able to produce any form of life, his birth then followed by being abandoned in the past and forced to grow up in the past, only to witness the death of his adoptive parents at the hands of Drusilla, which was then followed by Theo becoming a vampire slayer, falling in love with vamp Tobias, and becoming known as the slayer of slayers. And if that was not enough impossibilities within his life, he then witnessed his love Tobias’ death at the hands of old one Illyria, only to then die himself after being shot by former watcher Rupert Giles that saw him coming back to life as the world’s first vampire to have turned without a siring. Theo’s world had continued to crash around him, repeatedly, but for once his latest surprise was one he was happy about, that being declared a king of vampires following his survival after being staked, and now he was on a mission to earn that title, by finding this infamous vampire island, home to the first-ever Hellmouth, and the only place in the world that would solidify his claim as king amongst vampires, making him the most dangerous creature on the planet as the prophecies foretold and the only thing standing in his way, was his mother, Buffy the vampire slayer…

Buffy Summers had been out of the slaying game for what felt like forever but, it had only been over a year since she disappeared to the middle of nowhere, and as she returned, following the revelation of Theo, she found herself patrolling, hunting, and researching, 24/7, as she struggled to deal with her son’s hatred towards her and his many evil deeds, which she blamed herself for. The last time she saw her son she called his bluff about being ready to kill her, luckily things went Buffy’s way, and he couldn’t kill her in the end, but still to see her child so distraught, so broken, almost broke the once preppy and feisty blonde-haired vampire slayer. However, the fact he could not bring himself to kill her gave Buffy some hope that there was something still there deep within him that she could reach and after hearing news of his plans to take out Drusilla, those hopes grew, only to be dashed after learning her son had become something of a king among vampires. Buffy and Willow had been deep in the books within Willow’s San Francisco apartment for days, as they sought out to learn all they could about Theo’s prophecy as the first vampire not to be sired by another, as they learned the unnerving news that mother would either kill a son or be killed by a son, before going on to learn about a prophecy going back many centuries which detailed a self-sired vampire reigning king of an island, vampire island, and how his blood would open the world’s first Hellmouth, as they began to realize the importance of his birth, and why he was born, with Buffy beginning to fear that not only could her son not be saved but she may have to be the one to stop him. And before long Buffy and Willow hired a boat, enlisted the help of fellow vampire slayer Faith Lehane, and Illyria, and took to the sea with ancient books, maps, and spells directly linked to this mystical island of vampires, as they hoped to find the island, and to get there and destroy the Hellmouth before Theo had a chance of opening it, claiming his undead throne, and unleashing hell unto the world. “This child of yours sure knows how to cause trouble I bet you're missing the good old days when you only had to try to keep me in line.” Faith joked with Buffy as they stood to the port of the big yacht-like boat that they had rented, both slayers looking out towards the sea. “Well, I would not go as far as saying I’m nostalgic about rogue Faith and Sunnydale High, but things were much simpler back then for sure.” Buffy laughed, appreciating Faith’s humor during a difficult time for her. “Speak for yourself B, I do not want to sound all savior-like and everything, but we are going to get through to him Buffy without having to kill him.” Faith responded as she remained determined about her believes over Theo being redeemable. “If we were certain about that, I’d have got Angel on this mission instead of his super smurf sidekick and you’d have had his witch frenemy join us,” Buffy confessed to the fellow slayer, a slayer she had once become enemies with but had over time rebuilt their friendship. “I’m the slayer no matter what, and deep down you are the same…if I have to choose between the world or my son I’ll choose the world, Angel will choose his son, I guess that makes him the better parent and me the better, killer.” “It will not come down to that Buffy, I did not come on this mission to kill your kid and neither did you, we will stop him without killing him, and then you will ground his ass for at least a decade or two and we’ll go get some drinks.” Faith told Buffy, knowing Buffy was right but also knowing she did not want to admit it to her. “Being a slayer has cost me so much, forced me to sacrifice so much, and although I hate that more than anything if it comes down to it, I will continue to make those sacrifices because that is what a slayer does,” Buffy said in a defeated sigh, knowing that this quest to find the island of vampires could end with her killing her own son.

Later that very same night Theo stood at the front of a large shipment containing ship looking at the nearby island, with blood on his mouth, the blood coming from the human passengers of the boat that he and his group of vampires fed on while hiding out in the darkest places of the ship, choosing to keep the captain alive so he could sail the boat while they hid from daylight, but chaining him to the wheel so he dared not escape. Theo couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared at the island from a distance, a hauntingly beautiful island, almost completely in darkness if it was not for the night’s moon in the sky, reflecting light off the water, he could not believe that this lost island was the home to the world’s first Hellmouth nor could he believe that this island would be his kingdom, his way to a throne he never knew even existed. As the boat sailed closer towards the island, his vampire companions appeared from out of the blind spots, with glee in their eyes, knowing they had found the only true home for their kind, completely oblivious to the fact that their king was beginning to question the path he had chosen so quickly after facing off with his nemesis Drusilla. Theo had wanted many things in his life, he wanted love which he found with Lucien Knight and then later the vampire Tobias, he wanted companionship which he once had with his bewitching best friend Ruby Moon, and he wanted a family to replace the one he lost, but he had never dreamt of being a king among monsters nor did he dream of one day becoming one of those monsters but fate had dealt their cards and Theo had no choice but to either accept or deny his destiny. Losing Tobias had awakened emotions within the vampire that he thought was long gone, human emotions, grief, sadness, and loss, and somehow through reunions with old friends, meeting his biological family, and turning against his mentor Drusilla, somewhere through all that he had felt a part of his old self slipping back through, a part he had hoped he killed a long time ago and apart if he wanted to become king, he would have to kill now. Theo’s only mission in life had been to avenge his parents and with an army, and more undead soldiers to add to that army, after opening the Hellmouth and claiming his undead kingdom, he knew with certainty he would achieve that goal, for even Drusilla herself could not outrun an entire army instructed to hunt her down at all costs, and if it meant ending the world, well that was just a sacrifice the slayer of slayers was willing to make. But as his minions anchored the boat Theo was shocked to suddenly see Sineya, the first slayer, appear standing within the sandy shores of the beach, staring right at him, as if she was staring right into his soul, and perhaps she was, as Theo suddenly felt a rush of guilt hit him hard, like a ton of bricks, causing him to gasp for a moment before like she had appeared, Sineya disappeared into the night’s air within a blink of the eyes. “We’re here boss!” One of his minions announced to him. “Time to go as far as we can before looking for coverage from the sun, then when night falls again we will get you to your throne.” “Yes,” Theo replied, as he then mumbled to himself, unimpressed by the island’s restrictions. “What kind of island meant for vampires has no way of blocking out the sun anyway?”

Buffy, Faith, Willow, and Illyria were not too far behind as the sun began to rise in the sky, the two slayers, witch, and goddess, drew closer to the infamous island of vampires, an island that Illyria herself had conquered many millenniums ago, back when bloodsuckers were nothing more than pets to her, messy pets whom she’d easily put down if they pestered her. All those years ago Illyria never really sense the true power of this island, thinking of it as nothing more than a home to bloodsuckers, but now as she grew closer to the island of vampires she began to sense its power more and more, a sense of untapped potential, the same sense she got from the slayer of slayers which only served as further evidence to the goddess that Theo Frey was indeed linked to the place, just like the prophecy foretold. As she stood behind the boat’s wheel, Willow Rosenberg, standing next to her, the two women seeing the island in their sight, Illyria knew that Willow too could feel the untapped power radiating from the island of the undead. “I know we’re going to win because we always do but what’s the odds, we win without having to kill Buffy’s son?” Willow asked Illyria, fearing her answer, but knowing Illyria would be honest about their odds. “The son of the slayer has survived far longer than I expected him to when we first met however, in this fight I believe in order to win, he must die, and I’m not one for losing,” Illyria answered honestly with a rare sign of reluctance which showed a sense of empathy towards the situation, a feeling which was rather new for the blue haired goddess. Before long Buffy, Willow, Illyria, and Faith had anchored the boats and were now on the sandy shores of the island, ready to face whatever awaited them on this prophesized island for vampire kind, but before they traveled further into the island, Buffy noticed another boat heading towards the island’s direction, instantly knowing it wasn’t Theo’s, as something in her gut told her that Angel was on that boat. “So, about not telling Angel about the mission…” Faith began to say to Buffy. “You decided to go against that I guess.” Buffy interrupted her fellow slayer, infuriated by her actions but understanding them at the same time. And so, Buffy waited for Angel’s ship to anchor itself near the island before deciding to get on the boat, going under the deck where Angel and Spike were hiding out from the sunlight, having had the help of Rupert Giles to sail the boat, and Xander Harris, because well he was Spike’s roommate, and one of Buffy’s best friends. “I told you she wouldn’t be happy with us tagging along on this one,” Spike said to Angel as the two vampires sat at a table within the kitchen room on the boat as Buffy walked in, the windows completely blacked out by carboard to protect the vampires from the sunlight. “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t give a damn about what she wants.” Angel snapped at Spike while standing up to face Buffy, furious with the slayer for once again going behind his back regarding their son. “I was just trying to save you the pain if things go bad out there!” Buffy told Angel. “Theo’s about to bring about another apocalypse and if I don’t make it in time to save him then I will have to stop him.” “I will not let you hurt our son Buffy!” Angel argued with the slayer, furious to learn that she was prepared to kill her own child. “I don’t care if he does bring about the apocalypse, there’s always some apocalypse and we always defeat it, but I will not lose him again…I will not let you take him away from me again!” “Do you think I want to kill my son? No, but he’s not leaving us much choice, and once again it falls on me to choose between someone I love and the rest of the world, you have no idea what that is like so don’t you dare stand there and judge me!” Buffy shouted at the brooding vampire, as Spike sat there having no choice but to watch the two bickerings with each other awkwardly. “I have lost people too Buffy, you’re not the only one who has had to make sacrifices, but I refuse to let you go in there ready to kill

him if you need to. What happened to the girl ready to risk the world for her sister? Why does Dawn mean more to you than your own son?” Angel continued to argue with the slayer furiously. “Dawn was an innocent, she did nothing wrong and has continued to do nothing wrong, Theo was a cold-blooded killer long before he became a vampire-like his father, Dawn never chose her fate, she fought against it like we all did but Theo is willingly choosing this and if we do not stop before he opens that Hellmouth then we have to throw his ass in there,” Buffy replied, equally as furious as Angel, not liking the position she had found herself in, willing to do anything to make this not true, but ready to accept whatever fate may fall upon her son, as she once again had to choose to be a chosen one over all else. Buffy knew she had the sun to her advantage, and she could use it along with Illyria, Giles, Willow, Xander, and Faith, to get trekking through the vampire island, and get a head start on Angel and Spike, hoping however the big battle went down that she could spare Angel the pain of seeing their son’s death even if she could not spare herself the same pain, but with only a matter of hours to go, and no clue where they were going on this island, the chances of this getting messy seemed unavoidable.

Theo, of course, was one step ahead of the others, as he and his gang of vampires sought refuge from the sunlight within one of the islands’ caves, but instead of sleeping like his minions, Theo stayed up plotting, marking out what he could see of the island and patrolling the cave for any signs of them being ambushed, knowing the champions of this world would no doubt find their way here sooner or later, however, it was when the slayer of slayers went deeper into the caves that he once again saw Sineya appear in front of his eyes. Sineya, was no stranger to Theo, for the two had met before, a very long time ago, but her presence was still a shock considering the first-ever vampire slayer was killed long before his time, and many others, but as he saw her for the second time since arriving on the vampire island, he could not help but want to know the reason behind her presence. “Do you remember me?” Theo asked the primeval slayer, who nodded in agreement before he continued to ask. “Why are you here?” “The dirt beneath you is the same dirt I once stood on, do you not recognize a place you have been before? Much has changed but it still feels the same.” Sineya replied telepathically, her voice piercing Theo’s mind without the slayer so much as moving her lips. “No…the prophecies say this is vampire island, not slayer island.” Theo denied her claims almost instantly. “As long as there are vampires there are slayers…once only one slayer but now an army.” Sineya continued to telepathically speak, accessing Theo’s mind with ease. “We did not choose this path, but you did…now you must decide if you are vampire or slayer.” “I think I made that choice long before I actually became a vampire, how are you even here?” Theo responded coldly, not knowing that the primeval slayer could sense the uncertainty within his very soul. “You already are where you are looking to be but is it where you want to be?” Sineya informed him with her cryptic words, once again choosing to speak telepathically instead of out loud. “You can do what you came here to do but the question is, do you want to do it?” Suddenly, the first slayer once again vanished within the blink of the eye, but this time Theo noticed the caveman writings in front of him, within the depths of the cave, and as he began to decrypt what the pictures meant, he realized that through that very wall, was where the Hellmouth was located, he had somehow found it instinctively without even knowing, and that’s what Sineya was pointing out to him, forcing his hand to make his choice, but as ruthless, and evil, as Theo Frey could be, was he really ready to end the world just to claim an undead kingdom?

[crowleyellestair]

I know this is a tad random but I was watching gbbo and it dawned on me...has geralt ever had a birthday cake, like one made for him? I assume he’s celebrated his birthday before but it is suddenly of the upmost importance to me that our good boy gets to have a birthday party filled with love and thanks, just for him

AN/// I love this, and got carried away. Didn’t know how long you wanted it, but this is a longer thing because you are right. The man deserves a cake.

  “How did you know?”

“Well, I have a knack for remembering important dates, and your birthday is one of the most important of all. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” she leaned down, giving a wink. Ciri threw her arms around the woman in front of her, a smile clear on the girl’s face. Ashen hair was sticking in every direction from the training she had been going through with the witcher, and her breath was still catching up with her. Sweat rubbed off from her forehead onto the woman’s blouse as she tightened the hug, but Y/n couldn’t be bothered as the hug meant more to her than a simple shirt. She returned the hug, her hand trying to smooth the wild mane.

“Excuse me, but I think I am in need of a hug too. After all, I was the one to make the cake.” The bards voice was dripping with sarcasm, but he had been the one to make the pastry. Luckily for the two of them, it was something he learned by spending his childhood with the cooks of his family’s estate. It wasn’t a big thing, as he had to convince the town’s tavern to let him borrow their kitchen. It was big enough to let Ciri have her fill of lemon cake with a simple vanilla frosting the two had made while her lover and his child were training.

Ciri let her go, jogging into the bard’s open arms, but she had to wait as he paused her to take off his doublet. She rolled her eyes, looking to Y/n who smiled and shrugged. Once the doublet was neatly folded and placed on the rock he had been perched on, he dramatically opened his arms again. She pushed into him, the hug being too heartwarming, even for the bard’s standards. Ciri pulled away for a moment, looking between him and the cake.

“Do I have to eat the flowers too?” That made the bard blush and huff as Y/n laughed. She had questioned the garnish when he placed it there in the first place, but he said it needed to look perfect. Gentians covered the top, the color being as close as possible Jaskier could get to Cintran blue. A dandelion had also made its way onto the cake, but his explanation for it was that it tied in with the lemon flavor, but the woman hadn’t believed that that was his whole motive.

Geralt had simply been an onlooker of the scene, not having been in on the plan. Guilt had formed in his chest as he hadn’t realized it was her birthday, but he refused to show it. Though, it grew worse once the girl pranced up to him, fork in hand.

“What to try it?” Her emerald eyes shined in the light that pierced through the canopy of leaves above them. He kneeled down, a ghost of a smile appearing to her.  His hand fell onto her shoulder, thumb making minute movements.

“It’s your cake, you should have all of it.” His eyes darted to the bard who was still chewing the piece he had accepted. His golden gaze shown over her again, and his tone softened. “Happy birthday.” Ciri smiled, popping the small bite of cake into her mouth before her arms draped over his broad shoulders.

The group moved in tandem as every other night, setting up for bed after the girl had finished her cake. Geralt had been fishing through his travel back when Y/n popped up next to him, shoving a small leaf wrapped item into his hand.

“I remember when you got this for her, but noticed you never gave it. I thought this would be a better time than ever.” He nodded, grabbing the small charm he had seen weeks ago. It practically called to him, whispering the  joy she would have from the tiny lion charm. He had put a chain on it, but it was meant to wrap around her dagger that she had, so she could always have a reminder of her blood family despite what had happened.

He felt Y/n’s hands on his shoulders as she leaned in to press her temple to his. He leaned into it, apart of his guilt subsiding.

“Sorry I didn’t tell you, but I know you don’t like keeping things hidden in general, let alone keeping things from Ciri. Even if it is a birthday surprise.” Geralt nodded again, humming while turning his head. His nose brushed her cheek in a small show of affection. The witcher was still coming around the bend when it came to normal sprouts of affection as he had never really received or gave it. But it was true that he didn’t like keeping things from his cub, despite it being for her benefit.

The witcher had taken his cub to a secluded part of the wood, likely the same place they were practicing in earlier. Y/n plopped herself by the bard, pushing his shoulder with hers.

“So, you’ve been with him for decades. When’s Geralt’s birthday?” The bard raised his brow to the woman next to him, feigning offence.

“You aren’t going to ask when my birthday is?” She rolled her eyes, looking up to the darkened sky.

“It was eighty….nine? Eighty-nine days ago, but I know you had a large celebration at the Rosemary.” He laughed, looking to the sky as well. It seemed for a moment that he got lost in a memory that flooded his mind at the mention of the night before Y/n shoved him again. His expression fell as he realized,

“I don’t think he has one. You know he doesn’t like to think of life before the trials, and I doubt he would find his change an exciting ‘re-birth’.” Y/n nodded, standing to go back to her bag. She fished out a journal, and sat back down, holding a gentian before pressing it into a blank page. As she put pressure onto it, she flipped through the pages, looking over all of the items and dates on each. She kept track of important memories by putting items into the book, and writing the dates over them to be able to revisit them anytime she needed to. One specific page jumped out. There wasn’t much except for a stain from Geralt’s swallow that had spilled there. That was the day that they had officially started their journey together. They hadn’t started their weird form of courting till months later, but they wouldn’t have been where they were unless they had met that day.

“Jaskier, how far away is this from today?”

---

 “Just keep him away! It’s not as hard as you’re making it seem.” The bard rolled his eyes, only his head popping into the room.

“He hates banquets, doesn’t want to leave Ciri and wants to spend his free time with you. It is hard!” Their whispered argument came to a halt when Jaskier heard the creaky steps of the inn grow louder. He was right in being cautious because Ciri hurdled through the door before Geralt followed silently. Jaskier fully opened the door for the witcher, who looked at the girl bounce on the bed after throwing herself onto it. His hands rested on Y/n’s waist, his forehead resting against hers.

“You are sure you’ll be alright?” She smiled, tilting up to brush her nose against his in a soft eskimo kiss.

“I wouldn’t let you leave if I wasn’t. And besides, it’s only a handful of hours.” He nodded against her, but pushed away to check on his cub before he and Jaskier left for a banquet the bard was performing in that night. It was a very lucky happenstance, but Y/n was still worried about her plan. If the two came back too early, or something went wrong on their end, the night could be ruined. Her biggest fear was his reaction.

Ciri had explained how the men of Kaer Morhen did celebrate birthdays, but it wasn’t big. It was a bigger dinner than most nights, along with more ale, and was more focused on living another year. She said Vesemir changed the day every year, as he explained to her, because the date didn’t matter. It was more of a celebration, despite them not really even acknowledging the reason behind the celebration. Y/n didn’t want to go against their makeshift birthday, but it wasn’t a day just for Geralt- it was for everyone there. And from what the cub had said, it wasn’t anything really special anyways. Despite how big or small it was though, it was with his family, and she didn’t want to undermine it. The wolf might not want to change celebrating the day, though Y/n didn’t want him to not celebrate in winter either.

Beside the anxiety, she was excited. The two were only supposed to be gone for two hours, which left the girls with a lot to do. Y/n had saved up enough to get the biggest room in the inn for her and the witcher. Ciri had agreed to room with the bard for the night, and was excited to help. She had free reign over Jaskier’s bath bag, and asking for extra candles from the innkeeper using her large doe eyes. The large room had a smaller one off of it that held a tub, and tried to make it as relaxing as possible.

While the cub went on a rampage of candles and decorations in the bathroom, Y/n was fusing in the kitchen. She had been trying to get Geralt to eat different types of cake over the previous three weeks to try and figure out what his favorite was. Unfamiliar textures and strong flavors had been rejected, and pushed in front of her to eat. It didn’t help too much, but she had an idea by asking around for dumbed down fruit jams. She was lucky again to take care of an older woman towns away who had given her a raspberry jam that hadn’t had much of the favor or scent. Her age apparently changed her taste buds, and tastes too strong became sour to her. And out of all the different types of cake, it seemed the only one she might be able to pull of was a simple sponge cake.

The baking process took longer than she thought, especially since she had to start over after over whipping the eggs. Ciri’s commentary certainly didn’t help her nerves, when she popped down to see if she could decorate the desert. The cake seemed darker on the bottom than it should be, and it isn’t level by any means. She cut through the middle to put the jam in, but afterwards she noticed the slight slant to it. Jaskier had given her the frosting recipe, but she tried to use less sugar. In doing so, it made it runny, but it covered up the filling line and that’s what mattered. Ciri tried her best to create a wolf out of berries they had picked up in town, but it seemed more like a cat. Atleast it had resembled something and that, again, is what mattered.

Y/n brought the cake up, as well as ordered water and a smaller plate of the honey ham that the tavern was selling that night. It was likely the man had eaten when he was at the party, but she couldn’t be sure. Ciri sat by the window, keeping watch for the boys as Y/n lit all of the candles. It was only minutes after she had finished when Ciri practically bounced over to hide behind the door. Y/n stood on the other side, waiting for the door to open. Jaskier made a grand entrance, with Geralt grumbling behind him.

“This isn’t your room bard.” The witcher fully stepped through the door, looking around in confusion before Ciri pounced, using the chair next to the door to get leverage and jupm onto his back.

“Happy birthday, Geralt!” The man turned to look at Y/n questioningly as she leaned next to the door. Jaskier mirrored the child’s statement and started strumming a birthday tune. Ciri let go to run to her bag, grabbing the gift she had made. It wasn’t much, but she had made a small saddle patch as embroidery was something she had to master by ten.

The witcher kneeled down as he always did with Ciri, as she gave him the gift. He pulled her in for a long hug, and she was surprised that Ciri hadn’t pulled away. Jaskier was busy tilting his head at the leaning cake. Eventually the white haired man let her go, and joined Jaskier looking at the cake. Y/n felt her heart pound in her chest. It was well known by everyone that she was not the chef of the group, let alone baker. Jaskier gave her a look, trying to put a smile up.

“It looks…like cake.” Y/n felt a flush spread, looking to Geralt. He simply stared at the cake, but she could see the cogs turning.

“Well…well, it’s not for you. Geralt, darling, happy birthday. It’s supposed to be a raspberry sponge cake, but I guess it could also be poison. If you don’t like it, I won’t take offense. The raspberry is toned down, and the amount of cake should balance it even more.” Her eyes danced everywhere but the man she spoke to. “Oh! And a special bath is ready for you, whenever you want it.” Geralt turned to walk into the bathroom, and Jaskier moved to take Ciri back to their room.

Geralt stood and stared once more for a long moment before turning to look to Y/n, who still didn’t look at him. Her hands were fiddling with each other, and her eyes planted themselves with looking to her feet.

“I, uh, know you already celebrate kind of, but I thought… You deserve more. Way more than this, even, but I thought this was good too for being on the road. The cake is definitely questionable, so I do warn you.” Geralt had closed the few paces between them before his arms wrapped around her. Y/n quickly melted into the tight hold, her own arms wrapping back. He pulled back before leaning down, kissing her. It was soft for the force he put behind it while landing his lips against hers. When she pulled away, she looked at him, searching. A disbelieving smile appeared, and she grinned back.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to.” She rolled her eyes, giving her arms a squeeze.

“Actually, I think I did.” Y/n let go, walking to the cake, but just stared before trying to cut in. She turned, handing him the fork with a nice bite, and he happily accepted. Her heart stopped, and waited with belated breath to wait for his verdict. Geralt smiled and nodded, handing the fork back.

“It’s great.”

“You can say it’s bad-.”

“My cake, my verdict.” Y/n gave a warry look, but nodded regardless.

“Just don’t eat the bottom. It seemed like it could be burned.” Geralt leaned over her, reaching and jabbing the fork into the sponge. He raised the bite to her lips, and she looked to him. “It’s yours.”

“Exactly. I want you to have some.” She sighed, letting the fork pass her lips, and was happily surprised by the pleasant flavor. It wasn’t the best cake, but it was passable. The woman turned in his arms, unlatching the armor buckles as he continued to take bites of the cake. There was a pause, as she had finished and waited to take his pauldrons off when he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“It’s just a cake, Geralt. You deserve more than this.”

“No one has given me a cake before. It’s special.” Y/n didn’t even think of that. She was sure he had, but it was probably before the trials. They continued to undress and eat cake before they made their way into the bath. Y/n was straddling him, washing every inch of skin in front of her before he asked, “Why today?”

“Oh, well, today is the anniversary of us meeting.” Geralt smirked, his hand coming up to brush a thumb over her cheek where rouge soap bubbles had landed.

“You logged that?” Y/n gave a scoff, trying to play off her flush.

“Well, you spilled swallow all over the page. I couldn’t possibly use it for anything else, so I wrote the date down. Maybe it was fate.” Geralt rolled his eyes at that, but let his head fall back against the rim of the tub. He felt Y/n place a small kiss on his nose, hearing a soft, “Happy birthday my darling Geralt.”