#anyways they were ripped so he can’t fly anymore

[smiles-ocs]

Trying to design the fae for my story and it’s really hard lol. I’m trying to give them a beautiful yet spooky design and it is… not going well lol. Fae are brightly colored which goes against my color choices lol, and the face shape is giving me struggle cuz it’s strange looking but I don’t want them to have a human like face you know? I want them to be human like but otherworldly. The struggle. Rn I’m trying to base them after moths so we’ll see how this goes. I like the gold accents though, they’re cool

[goldhoekin]

Use Me or Lose Me || Jordan Li

Use Me or Lose Me || Jordan Li x Fem!Reader

summary: After Marie becomes #2 and Brink is killed by Luke Jordan slips in the rankings. They begin to obsess over the rankings neglecting their girlfriend who lets their frustration slips and Jordan takes their frustrations out on their girlfriend.

cw: fem!reader, porn with some plot, creampie, unprotected sex, rough sex, oral sex (m! & f! receiving), blowjob, overstimulation, ripping of clothes, biting/marking, dacryphilia, degradation, chocking

Words:1.8k

“I can’t fucking believe I’m still number 5. Fucking FIVE babe!” Jordan growls from their spot on their bed, you sigh quietly as you enter the room fully. You’d JUST walked into your partner’s dorm before you were bombarded with Jordan’s endless string of complaints about their place in the rankings. You knew that it bothered them to slip from #3 to #5 after the death of Brink but for FUCKS sake, Luke JUST DIED. You knew that Brink’s death was effecting Jordan as well ( you personally couldn’t give a flying fuck about that creepy fuck, and he held the same contempt as you because he thought you weren’t good enough for Jordan) but this is getting ridiculous. You’d been so wrapped up in your thoughts that you didn’t even notice you’d said it aloud.

“This-this ridiculous?” Jordan says back, their brown eyes flashing from hurt to anger. You yourself feel a flash of regret before you again become angry. 

“Yes Jordan, this is getting fucking ridiculous, it’s not that freshmen’s fault she was pushed. I’ve heard her thoughts-trust me she needs to do well so let her have this. Andre, is Andre. He’s a grand poobah nepo baby, there’s not much you can do there but what you CAN do is work out your anger and stop ignoring your fucking girlfriend! You will get your just do, baby I promise you but PLEASE keep sight of what’s currently in front of you before it's not here anymore.” You say, your words falling from your lips before you could stop them, Jordan freezes in place. 

Before you can even blink Jordan has you held against a wooden door, your hands on their broad shoulders and their hands on your face to kiss yours with a bruising force. Your legs wrapped around their waist as they roughly invade your mouth, a deep groan escapes their lips as they make their way down the column of your neck. You feel their hands ripping your shirt open, leaving a trail or open mouth kisses down your body.

Moans escape your lips and you feel yourself being unceremoniously tossed onto the bed. Hands running through Jordan's hair, they shift forms and you feel their hands go from large and callous to soft and small. The delicate digits ghosting their hands down your supple body, their tongue following the trail. A rough bite to your breasts causes a breathy gasp to leave your lips, a slender hand sliding into your panties and finding your sopping wet cunt.

Without warning you feel their fingers enter you roughly, two a time. A punishing pace set as Jordan finger fucks you closer and closer to completion. You somehow manage to remove all of your clothing, Jordan paying your antics no mind until they feel your dripping wet pussy clenching their fingers as you nearly reach your peak. They promptly withdraw their fingers from you. 

"What—what the fuck are you doing Jor. I was so close, baby please!" You whine, your thighs rubbing together to get some sort of friction as you look at your partner’s wickedly smirking face. Jordan's form changes yet again to their male form, their cock looking painfully hard. 

"OH baby did you think I would let you come so easily after what the fuck you said to me? Oh no babygirl you won't get to come until I say so…and if you don't behave and come anyways then I fuck you until there's tears streaming down your face for being fucked so good!" Jordan says, claiming your mouth again, the tip of their cock rubbing against your aching pussy. 

Without warning they plunge their length into you, a deep moan leaving their beautiful lips as you feel Jordan set a brutal pace. Their hands bruising your hips as they fuck you into the mattress, your breasts bouncing wildly with the force of their thrusts. Suddenly you feel yourself getting flipped onto your stomach, face pressed down into the mattress, your ass in the air and Jordan never leaving your cunt. Their thrusts somehow get faster, harder. 

Your hand tries to sneakily reach down to rub your clit, desperate for release. Jordan had unfortunately caught you and brought both of your hands tightly behind your back, one of their hands tightly grips them. The other hand roughly slaps your ass, "I told you baby girl. You cum when I say you can fucking cum, not before. Do. You. Understand?" Jordan growls, each word punctuated with a harsh thrust.

You whimper in response to their harsh treatment of you, and as fucked up as it seems. You actually fucking love it, it feels so good to be tossed like a ragdoll by Jordan. Them working their frustration out on you and finally paying attention to you since Marie got to Godolkin. You can feel their mouth nipping and biting any skin they can get to, leaving deep love marks and the like unto your skin. You can feel them gripping your wrists tighter and you feel the knot in your stomach so close to unraveling and you know Jordan can feel you tightening up around them.

“Don’t you dare fucking cum, do you understand me?” They whisper in your ear, nipping as they do so. 

“I𑁋i’m trying but I don’t think I can Jordan. Please baby, let me cum!” You whine out, desperate for release. 

A dark chuckle leaves their throat, their thrusts getting sloppy as they piston in and out of your weeping cunt. Their thrusts stop as they fill up to the brim with their hot cum and a deep groan leaves their lips as they fuck you through their orgasm. At the last second where you feel your own climax about to topple over the edge the cock is gone and Jordan’s large hands become delicate again. They fucking changed forms again and tears begin to fall down your face as you realize you didn’t get to cum. You feel their supple hand grip your face harshly, “What’s wrong baby? I did warn you didn’t I? Not until I tell you to cum to you cum Angel.”

They kiss away your tears, move their way to the top of the bed, lovely legs spread open and their cunt glistening in the cheap fluorescent lighting, they look you in the eye, “What are you waiting for? Get to work babygirl, you get me to cum again and I may think about returning the favor.” 

Without hesitation you lunge into Jordan’s cunt and begin lapping at your pussy with a vengeance, like a woman starved to get them to cum as soon as superhumanly possible. Your fingers rubbing their clit furiously, one hand gripping their left thigh in a vice grip, leaving crescent shaped marks on their thigh. A hand roughly pushes down your head, which causes your tongue to plunge into Jordan’s cunt.

You move your tongue at a steady pace, adding two fingers that you curl periodically inside Jordan, their cunt tightening around your digits. Their legs wrap around your head tightly as they reach their peak, a high pitched scream leaves their mouth as they cum again, legs shaking as they come down from their high. Sweat coats their skin as they struggle to catch their breath, “Fuck babygirl…I guess since you did so good I’ll give you what you want. How do you want me?”

You feel your heart soar, you’d been rubbing your thighs together to gain any sort of relief, any sort of friction to get yourself off. “I-i need you to fuck dick me down, real good and real hard. Punish me anyway please Jordan please!”

A smile graces their face as they switch forms again, they hold their cock in their hands, “Well I’m gonna need some assistance Angel…” You eagerly take their cock into your mouth, licking and sucking them until they get erect again, you remove your mouth from their cock, a string of saliva connecting the two.  

“You look so fucking good like this, I can’t believe you’re all mine.” Jordan says as they move into position behind you, rubbing the tip of their cock between your throbbing pussy lips. Ever so slowly they slide their cock into you inch by inch, Jordan holds your hips in place as you try to push back into them. Once they fill you to the hilt they immediately pull almost all the way out only to roughly slam back into you.

They set a brutal pace, holding your head down by your neck to brace themself as they roughly fuck you into oblivion. You feel your orgasm building up again so fast, you are so close and Use Me or Lose Me || Jordan Like a dam overflowing you feel yourself practically dissolving around Jordan.

You feel a gush of liquid escaping from your cunt, your legs giving up on you as you struggle to hold yourself up. Jordan doesn’t stop though, they continue fucking you through your orgasm, you feel yourself getting over stimulated and you try to wiggle away from Jordan but they hold you in place.

They slap your ass roughly and repeatedly, rubbing soothing circles onto your stinging flesh. Tears fall down your face as you look back at Jordan pleadingly but at the sight of your tears they laugh. “Look at you being a crybaby about getting dicked down like you wanted. You wanted me to treat you like the needly little whore you are and now you’re whining about getting what you begged for? You’re pathetic baby girl!” 

They fuck you through yet another orgasm, whimpers spilling from your lips as you feel yourself cum again spasming around Jordan’s cock as they give you no time to rest. They rub your clit as you cry out again and again, relishing the feeling of you squeezing the life out of their cock, you feel their hand gripping your throat. They tighten it around your neck cutting off your air supply, a rough kiss applied to you lips, their thrusting never ceasing their pace in the slightest. You feel them throbbing close to yet another release, just as they release your neck to fill you up yet again do you feel their teeth bite deep into your flesh.

As you take in gasping breath they lick at the wound on your neck, gripping your body as they slump onto you, not pulling themselves from your heat. They hold onto you and whisper into your ear, “I’m sorry about being an asshole, but just know I won’t just let you walk out on me without a fight Angel.” 

They nuzzle your neck and your eyes grow heavy and the ghost of a smile is on your lips, at least they paid me some fucking attention.

[touyaki]

part two of three

part one, part three

contains: tendou x fem!reader, squirting, pussy eating, consensual photographing, use of “pretty girl,” “slut,” and “whore,” unprotected sex

tendou knows ushijima has his eyes on you and that you have your sights on him, too. that’s why he’s doing this, fucking you until you forget about ushiwaka, making you crave him instead. you look so pretty like this, blouse unbuttoned with your breasts spilling out of your bra, knees pressed to your chest. your skirt is hiked up, revealing your glistening cunt, panties discarded somewhere in his room. 

you were practically drooling over the thought of his cock, and you’re even naughtier now that it’s inside you. your borderline pornographic moans are proof that his plan is working. poor ushijima who’s never laid hands on a single cunt before could never make you feel this good. he could never know how to rub your clit until you scream, how to angle his hips so that your eyes roll back and you see stars.

“come on, pretty girl.” tendou pries your arms away from your face, grinning at the way your tongue dangles from your mouth, brows scrunched in pleasure. “i wanna see your face.”

you only whine in response when he pins your wrists down with one hand, the other reaching to fondle your tits. he pinches and rolls your nipple in his fingers, smirking when your back arches and goosebumps rise on your skin. 

“s-satori,” you babble. “feels so good, y-your cock feels good.” 

he didn’t expect you to say such lewd things—hell, he didn’t plan on asking you anyway. it’s a pleasant surprise, and the fact you said those on your own accord makes him move his hips harder, faster, until he’s sure everyone can hear your screams. the tip of his cock is nearly kissing your cervix now, so deep and full inside your tight cunt. tendou was hoping to last a little longer, but with how hard you’re clamping down on him, it’s impossible.

his thrusts grow sloppy, moans ripping from his throat. he chants your name, calls you his pretty little slut, turning you into his whore, and he won’t have it any other way. tendou isn't giving you up to anyone, especially ushiwaka. it’s not long before his legs can’t handle it anymore and he collapses against you, feeling how much his cum is filling you up. in a last attempt to make you cum, he rubs this thumb against your clit roughly. he doesn’t expect the clear liquid that gushes out of your fluttering cunt, splashing against his pelvis until it drips onto his bed.  

“i’m s-sorry,” you slur. “i-”

tendou shushes you with a kiss, tongue pressed against yours. he smiles against your lips and brushes your hair aside before straightening up. once he pulls his cock out from you, the mess that’s left has him growing hard again. his cum spills out of your gaping hole, down your slick thighs, wet from when you squirted. with a smirk, tendou reaches for his phone and opens the camera. 

“can i take a picture, baby? gonna show ushiwaka who’s making you cum.”

surprisingly, you nod, even spreading your legs wider to give him a better view. he could fall in love with you right then and there if he wasn’t already. you hear the soft click as he takes a snapshot of your pussy that still aches for him. after he sends the text, his phone blows up with a slew of messages that he ignores with a sly smirk. tendou silences it before he hovers over you once more, kissing you sweetly compared to how rough he was before.

“did it feel good, princess?”

you nod and wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him close. “still need you, satori,” you whine. “please, make me cum again.”

“so needy.” he slides down the bed until his head is in between your thighs. the tip of his tongue drags up your folds, collecting his cum mixed with yours. your fingers fly down to grab his hair, making him groan. “i’ll give you what you want, sweetheart. don’t you worry your pretty head.”

[mar-im-o]

“The unfortunate side-effect to soul-binding is integration,” Ren explains.

Which, as far as he and everyone else on the server is concerned, makes sense. Soul-binding isn’t new. When they awoke on this plane and looked off into the world, they were well aware of what the thread fading off into the distance meant.

It was an old practice, born with the Old Gods of Ruin, where rituals could be cast to tie beings to one another. It tended to occur towards the end of life as a method of ensuring people may stay together after death. It was sweet. Romantic, some may even say.

But they don’t do it much anymore.

Not because love or faith is dead but because of the side-effects.

-

Impulse and BDubs noticed it first. Perhaps it was because they found each other first, or because they were so eager to be together that they hardly let one another out of sight, but they were changing. Impulse noticed it in the sprouting horns upon BDubs’ head. BDubs noticed it in the way Impulse has become suddenly protective of the clock.

-

“Think of it a bit like equilibrium, right?”

Ren’s lounging on he and Big B’s front yard (no matter the fact that said “front yard” is accompanied by an unfinished base). He’s picking off pieces of a cookie he’s been nibbling on, seemingly unaware of the fact that, as a dog, he should not be able to eat chocolate like he currently is.

But he currently is.

And Big B tries his best not to emote such a recognition through his newly-appeared ears. “Like, balancing?”

“For sure,” Ren says. “Two souls tied together, well they don’t want to be. So you get them trying to even out. Tryna become one soul.”

“That seems...”

Bad? Rough? Horrifying? He isn’t sure.

-

Grian and Scar notice it next.

Maybe it’s because they’ve done this before, even if unknowingly. A man swearing himself to another for the sake of righting a wrong, proclaiming that his life is theirs to share.

Scar’s back has been killing him, not in the usual aching but in the pricking, clawing pains he can’t seem to ease. He can feel his back wet with blood, can feel something tearing from the inside out. He relents and rips off his shirt, asking Grian to take a look and, well...

Feathers. Rainbow feathers growing where two wings would be.

And maybe, Grian realizes as he looks upon his flightless-friend’s down, that explains the green in his eyes and the fact that he’s suddenly become quite fond of the Jellies.

-

“So is there a cure? Can we undo it?”

Ren snorts, a thoughtless shrug matching it. “Maybe? Maybe not? We might just have to ride it out, man. I doubt it lasts outside of this server, but until we beat the game...”

“We become more and more like each other...”

“Pretty much.”

-

Cleo sits by the water that feeds their crops when she’s certain Scott’s still sleeping. A insect dances across it, tracing ripples, and she swats it away so the water might still. When it does, she can see the streak of yellow weaving through her hair. It’s gotten bigger. Harder to hide. She tucks it behind her ear anyway.

Inside, Scott’s reflection has become unfamiliar. Antenna sit amongst his hair now, fluffy and twitching with every new sound or movement. With a grumble, he gives it a flick, and hopes Pearl can feel it.

-

Big B sighs and collapses next to Ren, the sound foreign and loud amongst new ears. “I’m really not tryna turn into a dog, man.”

“Eh, you get used to it. The tail’s fun.”

“I do not want a tail Ren.”

-

Pearl stares at her reflection in the glass, unfamiliar blue eyes blinking back.

Martyn grimaces as an arrow in his back knocks dead skin loose. He’ll add “learning to stitch” to the list of things this server has asked of him.

-

“I’m not really sure the green streak suits me,” Etho says, pulling at the addition to his hair.

Joel snorts, owlish red eyes tilting towards Etho. “Right because you’ve got it the worst between us.”

“It’s not my color--”

-

Tango spins, chasing after the small, golden wings that have appeared on his back. “Can you even fly with these things? They’re so small...”

“Rude!” Jimmy says, but he’s not looking at Tango. He’s squeezing his eyes shut as if he can rub away the red now in them. But when he opens them again, the world is still foreign and changed and-- “How many colors can you see man?”

-

Big B drums his fingers against a chest, head dipped in careful consideration of the world around him. His ears twitch towards the east and wow Ren can hear far...

“We’re not the only ones,” Big B reports. “Seems like everyone’s woken up changed.”

“Figured. This is gonna be an interesting season.”

[yo-yo-yeonkai]

TO MY ANGEL, ARE YOU WATCHING? - HUENING KAI - SFW

Kai x reader

Genre: angst

Warning list: big ANGST! major character death, mentions of depression, if you squint your eyes ideas of suicide, mention of : hospital, blood, sickness, not proof read!

Word count: 1,080

Summary: Kai can’t be with you anymore, those chances had long passed, but can he see you and read those letters you send him?

Authors note: This was inspired by a piece I read recently by @mazeinthemoon called [6:27pm], which I highly recommend!!!

Dear Kai,

I’m not sure if you still look down on me, I haven’t felt your presence in so long, it’s been a bit lonely without you here. The house feels empty now, and it’s not like you ever left your room anyway. You stayed burrowed up in there, so I’d have to come join you if I wanted attention. I hope you knew I loved you, it’s too late to tell you now.

I regret it, not telling you whilst you were here, but I’m sure you already knew. The way you’d text me and tell me to come to your room, only for it to be lit up with fairy lights, a fort made in the middle and once we entered the cosiest bed for us to watch movies on. You brought all my favourite snacks, you let me pick the movies, I think you even tried to hold my hand. I’m sorry I got nervous and pulled away, I should’ve just let you hold it whilst you could. Was that a date? To me it was…

I have a new confession now Kai. I haven’t felt this way in such a long time. I did get better since you left, I promise. I’m not sick anymore, but, today I feel it. I feel the way it used to feel.

I don’t feel excited, suddenly everything I’ve ever loved feels bland. As if I took a picture and put a horribly monochrome filter on. My hobbies, are a dull grey, no longer a sparking silver. It doesn’t light up my days, nor does it make me feel like I’m living.

My voice can’t even raise in tone, I’ve tried, it just stays at a continuous monotone. No more inflections as I get excited, no more shouting as I get angry, no, I’m not even sure I felt anything but bland today. Even my emotions are mono, is this even real right now? My face doesn’t lift in a smile, doesn’t frown with disappointment, I have held a straight face for longer than I’d like. I wish you were here to make me smile… you’d probably make that dumb Pokémon noise you always replicated, I’d always whine but you knew I loved it, that’s why it always came flying out of your mouth the second I had a bad day.

Isn’t it weird that people are alive. Like, I’m living my life and you aren’t, you were stolen from me, ripped away too soon, it’s just not fair. Don’t you think? Sometimes I wish it had been the other way around, but I know that’s not possible.

I’ve been better for awhile, I’ve taken care of myself, even tried to go further than just being alive, I tried to LIVE, but I’m not great at that. Ever since i made that mistake at work, my life has consumed me, everything felt overwhelming. Like I was drowning in all the endless pain I left behind me. It came back for me when I least expected it. Can you protect me from it Kai? Can you be my angel?

Who am I kidding… I don’t want you to spend your afterlife worrying about me as well, do what you want to do, live the best you can up there. I’d cry if you thought about me the way I thought about you. In fact, I hope you forgot about me, it would hurt, but I could take it if I knew you were happy.

I used to say that health was a lie… that’s because i get sick with a click of my fingers. Now I mean that both mentally and physically. Our friends must think I chuck myself down the stairs each morning with how much physical pain I come to school with.

“What’s wrong today?”

How did they know I was in pain? Oh yes, that’s right, I’m always in pain. Can I catch a break please…

“I have a terrible pain in my stomach”

Do you remember that I actually had that pain for months and it got so bad sometimes that I missed days and days of school. You took me to the doctors because I hate them, they took my blood, but there was nothing wrong with me that they could find. So I was on medication for awhile, but it didn’t help so I got taken off it. The pain comes back sometimes. The worst bit is when my lecturers ask why I wasn’t in, and I have to explain it’s been the same pain since last month. They must think I’m a liar, I see it in their eyes. You told me I was being dramatic, but I know I wasn’t…

But when you fell sick I suddenly realised that anything I went through was just a silly bug, a little thing that would go away. You… you were suffering, true pain, true agony. I wish I could’ve done something, even ease your pain, but I couldn’t. You wouldn’t even let me stay in the hospital with you like I had wanted to. You told me “Go home, keep it warm so when I get back I won’t be cold”. You died that evening, when I was making your bed, trying to convince myself you’d be home soon. It was a lie I told myself, I knew you wouldn’t be coming home, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.

Do you know what it’s like to have your heart ripped from your chest? I imagine you felt a similar pain as your life was coming to an end, that’s how I felt when the nurse called me. She had plunged her hand into my heart and tugged it out with ease, as if my heart knew it was about to be crushed. I wish you were here to make that stupid noise once again… maybe then I’d stop feeling sick, but you aren’t.

I promise this feeling won’t continue, I’ll stay strong Kai, I know you’d want me to. I’ll even go on a walk tomorrow, and try walk it off. You always told me I should get out more. But you aren’t one to talk are you….

Perhaps I should stop sending you these letters, but how can I… when I can’t let go of you. The second I stop, is the second you truly die, because you’ll be a forgotten star, and you could never be that to me.

,Forever the dumbass roommate that fell in love with you…

[keulixeutin]

So hey! How was your day? Hope you're having a good week!

I'm not the most experienced person with requests but here we go: I just read your "lovelorn and lovable" and I really like it, it's just so cute! Could you please write a "previous hurt/comfort" type of thing were the reader feels insecure of their relationship with bakugo in the beginning of it because they still can't see this little things he do to show he loves them? I would be really grateful if you could make it gender neutral too but if you don't want to write it at all, is also completely fine.

Thank you either way, have a good day!

hi hi!!!  i’m doing much better now that i’m leaving my stupid ass job bahhahah.  i hope life is also treating u well, and i really appreciate the request!!!  it’s my first one; i was so excited!!!!  it’s also long as fuck and i’m not sure it constitutes as a drabble anymore (considering it now also has a title) but whatever LOL.  anyways thanks for enjoying my L&L fic, and i hope u enjoy this one, too!!!  🥰🥰🥰

title: multilingual. summary: requested. you weren’t always so confident in your understanding of bakugou’s love language.  a companion piece to lovelorn & laughable.

cw: gn!reader, gender neutral pronouns used.  hurt. fluff. swearing.

wc: 1765.

A fifteen second video of you and Bakugou trends for three days.  It’s something innocuous, something that Bakugou always does for you; you’re genuinely surprised that it catches so much attention.

The clip starts with a sleek, black car pulling up to you in front of a mall entrance.  Bakugou steps out, dressed in ripped jeans and a pale sweater, donning round, gold glasses.  He steps to the other side of the car, opens the door for you, and takes your many shopping bags.  Before closing the passenger door, he dips his head inside the vehicle, presumably to kiss you in greeting; then, he closes the door, pops open the trunk, and places your bags gently in the back.  The video ends with you and Bakugou driving off. 

—The internet goes wild.

There are people who adore seeing the private habits of a Dynamight in love, but there are many others (the louder ones) who can’t believe it—who won’t believe it.  They accuse the both of you of faking the relationship, claiming that moment—and many others—is staged for a PR stunt.  They’re can’t see that Dynamight is capable of touching without burning—that Bakugou is capable of loving without scarring.

It’s funny.  Hilarious, really.  You send screenshots to Ashido and Kaminari to cackle about the comments throughout the day.  Bakugou, on the other hand, is unfazed.

Once, you ask out of curiosity if it hurts his feelings to have these rumors circling.  In return, he asks, You agree with ‘em?  Of course, you say no.  He rolls his eyes so aggressively that you’re dizzy yourself, and he says, Then why would I give a flying fuckity fuck?  After his hostile response, Bakugou collapses on top of you on the couch, his weight making you complain and your complaints making him smirk.  He wraps his arms around you like a promise, and he falls asleep while you send skull emojis to your friends and curl your fingers into his hair.

Your relationship with him wasn’t always this easy to understand; you didn’t always understand Bakugou.  A while back, you might’ve considered his answer to mean that he was annoyed with you.  

At the very start of your relationship, you are too preoccupied with his words and grunts.  It’s not that they aren’t important, but you hadn’t yet learned that what he says in his actions are just as—if not more—important.  You had to learn his language—not how he says I love you with his lips, but how he says it with his hands, the tilt of his head, his proximity, his silence.

Of course, without understanding that his language its a nonverbal one, it’s difficult at the beginning.  Several weeks into dating him, you’re so focused on what he says that it chips away at you.  His muttering, his growling, his sighing, they all hit you harder than they should’ve.  With every it’s fine’s or it’s whatever’s, you’re left more and more confused and insecure.

He tells you, Wait here, as he enters the gas station, and you wonder if it’s because he doesn’t want you slowing him down in between the small aisles.

He says, Just shut up and sit down, in the kitchen, and you think he finds you a useless helper and unwanted presence.

He says, Yeah, yeah, when he brings you flowers and chocolate-covered fruits on Valentine’s Day.  That night, you lay awake in your bed, afraid that he did it out of obligation and not because he truly wanted to.

These are the little things that start to break you.  

You think you can ignore or get over them.  You think he’ll soften sweetly with time.  Logically, you know you should bring it up.  You’re a big supporter of open communication in relationships, but there’s a part of you that’s scared that, if you do bring it up, he’ll break off the relationship instantaneously—and you know how ridiculous it sounds.  If he doesn’t want to be with you, then it’s his loss; that’s how you should view it, but…  You can’t help but want it to work so badly with him.

You don’t bring it up with your friends because you know what it is they’ll say (the same things you’d say to them if the situation were reversed), so you do the easier thing and let it sit, and simmer, and sadden, until, finally, you break down in the shower, sobbing beneath hot droplets.

Your heart clenches and unclenches painfully as you let out your distress, sorrow, and guilt.  You know this isn’t a longterm solution, crying in the bathroom in secret, but at least you’ll get some of it off your chest.  You’ll feel clean and smell great, and you’ll make room in your heart for more things to carry and bury inside.

When you finish, you dry off, throw on pajamas, and step out of the heated and humid room—and you come face to face with Bakugou leaning against the wall opposite of you.  

He knows something’s wrong.

You pretend that nothing’s out of the ordinary, but, of course, he sees right through your half-hearted act.  Instead of coming clean, though, you double down, insisting that it’s something work-related and that you’ll tell him another time.

He doesn’t believe you—his eyes narrow and his jaw tenses—but he doesn’t press.  Instead, Bakugou says he’s here if you need something, and then he returns to the kitchen.

You stand there, trying to reconcile the reality your fears had created with the present in front of you.  You thought that he’d try and drag it forcefully out of you; you were afraid he’d follow you around the apartment with fiery words and fierier glares, but he doesn’t, and you feel immensely guilty that you’re surprised.

You stare at the corner of your glass coffee table in thought, wondering where you are supposed to go from here—and then you realize that it’s clean.

When you had hopped into the shower, you had a several books on the table that needed to be read, three cups of water you hadn’t finished, and a wad of napkins that you had been too lazy to throw away.  Now, the table is clean and wiped down.  The books have been organized by size, biggest on the bottom, and neatly stacked in the corner of the coffee table.  The cups and trash are gone.

Actually, a lot of your trash is gone, you think, looking around your apartment.

The blanket on the couch has been folded, the small trashcan underneath your desk across the room is emptied, and the various items and junk you’ve scattered around your little place have either been reorganized or thrown away.  Food has been laid out on your dining table, and when you look to the kitchen, Bakugou is washing dishes; one of the cups that had been sitting on your coffee table is in his hands, covered in soapy suds.

You watch Bakugou put the last mug into the dishwasher to dry.  Your back is still wet and warm from the bathroom, and in front of you, the room is peppery and spiced.  You will yourself not to become suddenly overwhelmed with this quiet and cry. 

You hungry? Bakugou asks.

Yeah, smells good, you manage to say.

You make your way toward the table.

Something tickles at your mind.  Something tugs on your heart.

Something tells you to pay attention, to watch carefully.

So you do.

Bakugou fills your bowl for you.  You mention that you like the searing on the vegetables, and then you notice that he puts more of them on your plate (some nights later, you see seared vegetables show back up on the dinner table).  When you’re both finished, he puts the food away and clicks his tongue and scowls furiously when you try to help.  You feel a sharp turn in your stomach, but you push it down to wait, to watch.  You grab another plate and Bakugou takes it from your hands instantly.

You’ve had an ass day at work, yeah?  So just fucking sit down.

You take a seat on your couch and turn on the TV.  You scroll through channels, but you’re thinking about Bakugou’s harsh swearing and intentional movements, how sharply they contrast, how you’re only ever focusing on one half of it.

How did you forget?

That’s part of why you fall for him in the first place: the things he does for his friends without needing to be asked and without needing to be thanked.  You’ve seen him excuse himself to the bathroom to sneak off and pay for the group’s meal; you’ve seen him walk all of them home after drunken nights out; you’ve seen him answer the phone at 4 AM and, despite his reluctant, sleepy swearing, lay awake until the other falls asleep through their nightmares.  He’s attended Kaminari’s second cousin’s birthday party because Kaminari had asked—begged, really—and attended dancing classes with Ashido because she needed a last-minute partner.

Bakugou takes a seat right beside you, and leaves all that space to the left.

Perhaps you’ve been going about this the wrong way.

Perhaps you don’t know his language as well as you thought.

So you learn.

Over the next few days, you watch closely and think back carefully.  Slowly, you learn to read his actions and decipher his words.  You learn that he tells you to wait in the car because he wants to get the items for you; you learn he tells you to sit down because he wants to cook you dinner after your long day; you learn he mutters as though disregarding your thanks to hide his pink cheeks and sweaty palms and beating heart.

(Later, you teach him a thing or two about your language, too, how yours is a verbal one, how if you can learn to understand him, then he, too, can understand you.)

Now, months later, it’s still not easy—but it’s easier.  You hear what he says, but more importantly, you see what he does, and Bakugou, in turn, sees what you need and says what he means.  Sometimes, anyways.  (Swearing comes much too easy to him.)

Later on, you tell him how you felt in those beginning weeks.  You think it’d be a quick conversation, a fast laugh, but Bakugou doesn’t take it well.  You’d never seen him so red-faced and speechless before in your life, like he couldn’t believe you could look at him and think he’d love you in any other way.

[polar-equinoxx]

Angst, fluff, hospitalisation, anxiety

735 words

Shorter than my usual ones, but still

They don’t tell Iceman that Maverick is missing in action.

Kind of important information when you’re in a hospital ward twelve hours after you’re shot down

≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺

Smoke in the Air

third person

Ice wakes with a start.

Maverick-

He sits up, but can’t lift his torso off the hospital bed.

Hospital bed?

Inhaling is painful, and his right wrist aches.

“Sir, sir I’m sorry but you have to lay down,”

The words from one of the doctors around him hardly make sense. But he does as they tell him, his ribs are less painful if he lays on them anyway.

What happened? How is he here?

The last thing he remembers is Maverick yelling at him smoke in the air twelve o’ clock!

“Wh-“ If it was hard to inhale then speaking is near impossible. “What happened?” He gets out.

“You got shot down twelve hours ago,” The doctor, who’s name badge says Chester. “The rescue team managed to find you and bring you here three hours after the initial accident,”

Ice stares at Dr. Chester. “What about Maverick?”

“Who?”

And Ice’s heart sinks.

“Maverick Mitchell-“ he takes a breath. “He was flying with me,”

Chester shoots a quizzical glance at the other doctor.

Oh god. Oh no. “Lieutenant Pete Maverick Mitchell is he okay?”

“Uh-“ Chester whispers to the other doctor for a moment. “He is in another hospital,” he finally says.

Another hospital? What?

“Do you need anything else sir?”

Conformation that he’s alive. Ice thinks visciously, anxiety crawling up his throat. “No thank you,”

“Alright, a nurse will come and check on you periodically,” Chester says. “Goodnight,”

Iceman manages to smile and nod at them as they leave.

He lets out a shaky exhale.

Why would Maverick be in another hospital?

Why did Dr. Chester look so confused?

Dammit Maverick, where the hell are you.

» ✧ «

Two, or is it three, days later, Ice is still in the hospital, but at least now he can sit up on his own. His right wrist is in a cast, and they established that he didn’t need the nasal cannula anymore. Thank god, because that was irritating to say the least.

Nobody knows where Maverick is. And that makes Ice stay awake for hours and wake up as soon as the sun rises.

He’s missing in action, Ice figured that out by himself two days ago.

It doesn’t help that none of the doctors knew that Ice was even supposed to be with anyone.

Who in their right mind goes on a scouting mission alone?

The lights flick off.

It must be half ten.

Not that Ice’ll sleep until two at least.

He sighs.

Somebody slams the ward door open, Ice flinches at the sound.

“Sir? Sir I’m sorry you can’t be in her-“

“I don’t care! Where is he?”

Who on earth is that? Yelling at the nurse on duty like that?

“Who sir?”

“Is he in here or not?”

He?

“Who are you looking for sir?” The nurse asks again.

“Lieutenant Tom Iceman Kazansky,” he snaps. “Is he in here or do I have to look somewhere else-“

“He’s here sir,”

Iceman sits up. Oh my god-

Pete? He thinks as he hears slightly limping footfalls across the hard floor.

And then he’s there and he crashes into Ice and his hair is messy and knotted and he smells of pine needles and smoke and sweat and his flightsuit is ripped but he’s alive he’s alive he’s alive.

“Tom I thought you were dead-!” Maverick’s voice is hoarse and full of tears against his ear.

“No, no I’m far from it-“ Ice whispers back.

They stay like that for a while, tears of relief dripping down each of their faces, breathing in the other one, holding them as close as they can.

Maverick’s alive. Ice thinks. He’s alive and he’s right here with me.

Ice sniffs as they slowly let go. “What corner of the world did you crawl out of to get here then?” He asks, smiling.

Maverick lets out a little laugh. “I don’t even know,”

“How did you get here?”

“I got picked up a day ago and nobody would tell me if you were alive or not,”

A day? “You mean you were on your own for three days?!” Ice says incredulously. “Mav you need to be taken care of!”

“I know I do Ice,” he sighs. “I just needed to see that you were okay,”

Ice sighs. “I know,” he says quietly, kissing Maverick’s forehead. “They wouldn’t tell me where you were,”

“I’m always gonna come back home to you Ice,”

[gsstories]

S&S&F: Nightmares (3/3)

There was blood.

So much blood. And it was all because of her...

A spear was in her hands, impaled in the chest of one of those imps...

She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, do anything but kill...

“Why... Why am I doing this... This isn’t my purpose...”

The angel attempted to take off her mask but whenever she tried, it felt as if she was trying to rip off her own face...

It hurt... so much...

The angel looked down and screamed in horror at the ground now being made of pure blood... Blood made from those she had murdered...

She feels herself sink into the sea of blood, accidentally breathing in the disgusting substance and it filling her lungs...

She tries to go back up, to use her wings to get out but she keeps sinking... and sinking...

When will this end?

...

The siren children slowly woke up, Sun opening his eyes before Moon and looking around the place. He was in the kelpie’s home. Right, he sometimes forgets he wasn’t in THAT place anymore. His sleep was... surprisingly nice. He usually had nightmares but lately, every time his nightmares were about to show the worst part, they just... vanished and were replaced with a more pleasant scenery. It happened with Moon as well. They didn’t understand why or how it happened but they were glad. They were okay.

The light colored siren yawned as he poked his head out of the blanket form. Weird, the kelpie should have been awake and checking up on them by now... Or even that strange lady that appeared days after the sirens were taken in by the kelpie.

Stirring was heard back in the blanket fort and the darker colored siren opened his eyes and looked at his brother, who still had his head poking out of their shelter. Moon hissed at him, a way to tell him to come back before the kelpie or the lady came. Sun looked at his brother and back out before going back inside the blanket form. The kids took their toys and started playing with them, not aware of the situation happening in the kelpie and the lady’s room.

“Ally, why do you keep doing this...? You’re getting hurt if you keep taking their nightmares...” The kelpie, Cameron, said as he sat in bed with his girlfriend. “Your own nightmares are already bad enough...”

“I know but I can’t just do nothing when I can clearly see the distress in their faces whenever they are sleeping. I can handle the nightmares, I don’t mind.” Alanis said as she smiled at Cameron, trying to reassure them.

It didn’t.

“I understand but...” Cameron looks down, holding Alanis’ hand with his talon. “Please, promise me you’ll be careful. I don’t wanna see you get hurt again.”

“I’ll try my best.” Alanis said with a grin before letting out a loud yawn. “Maybe you’re right though, the lack of sleep is being a bit of a pain.”

“I thought angels didn’t need sleep.” Cameron said.

“We don’t but I like sleeping. Well, when I ain’t getting nightmares of course.” Alanis joked. “Ya should go check on the kids. They’re probably awake by now.”

“You sure you don’t wanna check on them too? It would help them get used to having you around.” Cameron said, worried. “I mean, you don’t have to do any deliveries for now right?”

“Nah, not until Triple K or their parents call. After that last delivery, I almost broke a wing!” Alanis whined.

“What was the item this time anyway?” Cameron asked, curious.

“Pixie. Don’t worry, they weren’t caged up, just kept in a bubble so it didn’t accidentally injure itself.” Alanis explained. “There were a lot of beasts that wanted to eat it though.”

“Yikes!” Cameron exclaimed.

“Mmhmm. But everything turned out fine. Client got their pixie and I got the money so everything is good!” Alanis said as she flopped on the bed and Cameron stood up. “Maybe I’ll go flying later.”

“Heh, just don’t go flying to close to the sun!” Cameron joked as he walked out of the room.

“Hah! Like the sun can make this angel’s wings melt!” Alanis exclaimed with a sharp grin.

She giggled softly before turning her head and her smiled dropped. Alanis holds her throat gently, remembering the feeling of choking on the blood that she had breathed in. The woman gulped as she took a sheet, covering the mirror with it so she wouldn’t have to stare at the taunting grin of her reflection. She knows it won’t stay like that for long but... she is afraid. So very afraid.

Alanis sighs before turning away from the now covered mirror, now going to look for a way to distract herself and not remember the time she was not the protector but the attacker.

(Moon and Sun belong to @intistone’s fic Scars and Scales)

Cameron belongs to @ikari-shinsei

Alanis belongs to me :)

(Heeey, finished! Hope this was enjoyable to read and I hope I wrote the kids right, big fan of the fic and I just, I wanna hug them and spoil them, they to cute. Anyway, more of this AU will come soon, maybe! Adios!)

[pokeexehasstoppedworking]

Diamond In The Rough Ch8 Settling Down In Circhester P3

(WARNING: Reader does have some shards of ice fly at her but she does NOT get hurt and only her coat hoodie gets ripped. Thank you to everyone who suggested names. I could only pick three so here they are: Scoliopede: Girl- Venom, Mightyena: Boy- Night, Glacian: girl- Rena.)

A Date.

You were going on a date. WITH GORDIE....OK!! NO PRESSURE!! THIS WAS ONLY YOUR FIRST EVER REAL DATE!! Granted you weren't AS freaked out as you'd thought you'd be, but you chalked that up to still being really tired at the moment he asked you, and the fact that Gordie was actually a really nice person and you didn't really feel too nervous around him. But that didn't mean you weren't super nervous being a date! But why would he ask you to go on a date with him in the first place!? Sure you guessed the two of you had become somewhat friends lately, but you didn't think that would be enough for him to want to date you, and it's not like you liked him like that back. He was really nice, and cared about people, and yeah maybe he was REALLY nice looking and he saved your life and he was really gentle-

.....

.......

.....Oh no-

You immediately had Sparky emergency call up Sonia who was more confused on why you were calling her in the middle of the day but when you explained (three times in a row because you were panickily rapid firing your situation and Sonia had to have you repeat yourself to her), Sonia only chuckled over the phone and said one thing.

"Just be yourself. Can't go wrong with that."

Gee. Thanks a lot Sonia. Solid advice usually but you could've used a bit more advice other than that! UGH!! Well no time to worry about that now. You had something else to worry about for the moment. Sigh. No use worrying over it now. ...You should take your pokemon out today and gather supplies. It's been a while since you did that, and you had nothing else to worry about for the rest of the week, so you just sighed and slipped on your coat and beckoned for your trio of pokemon to come with you. Which they were happy to do so. You had to gather a few things to do your projects with anyways. Pokeballs being one of the key items. Why? Well to put it plain and simple because you were going out to catch some pokemon! Why? Well because it was one of the harder tests for your battle studies class you decided on doing next year of course! One of the final tests was to capture three pokemon and submit proof you did so. So if you could catch three pokemon and have Sparky record it, then you could just show the professor your videos and not have to worry about it later. How did you know this? Well-... Emerald of course. One night before you had a big exam last year.

"UGH!! You won't believe what they're having me do NOW!!," she complained to someone on the phone again not letting you get ANY sleep that night again in the room next to you. "That so called battles instructor wants be to get three pokemon.....*scoff* No, Mother. I can't get them from that stupid rotomi system. She wants us to go catch them 'in the wild'!! IS SHE CRAZY!? I'd get lost and freeze to death out there! Or some nasty critter's going to bite my face off!! That's why I'm having Jackson do it. What's the use in having a boyfriend if he can't help me catch a few pokemon.....No I'm not going to keep them unless there's any value. I just need them for the grade. ....Yes. I do want you to do that. ...How?...Hm. I don't know. I can always stage something. Don't worry. They'd buy something like that if I can think of something. Just pay them and leave the rest to me."

Of course she was cheating but you didn't want anymore drama and you figured karma would strike her for her actions. Turns out...You were RIGHT about that but wouldn't know until much later. In the mean time you were just glad to step out into the fresh air. It was nice out today. The sun was shining in the sky, and sure it was still cold as the norm in Circhester, but the air smelt fresh with the scent of pine trees and you let out a big sigh letting the steam of your breath be seen.

"Zang?"

Oh. Speaking of your pokemon- Silver was already bordly looking around with a sigh, hoodie still over his head. Seems he's gotten used to the cold by how long you've been here. He mostly stayed by your side. Cerberus was the one who was running around and rolling in the snow startling people. He seemed more happy being free and taken cared of...but he still seemed to growl at anyone not you who tried to pet him. Guess that was still an issue. Zen was on all fours sitting by and just looking around. Per Professor Joy's advice, you had started having him walk on all fours again because it wasn't good for his posture in the long run. Nor was it good to have his claws out all the time. He seemed unbothered by the change either way. Good. It was better this way. Right now Zen was looking at you in question with a tilt of his head and a brow raised in question.

"We're going to try out something different today," you spoke to him before pointing off in the direction you all usually went to let your pokemon run around without bothering anyone else. "I wanna see what you guys can do so we'll be training your moves today at a safe distance."

Today you'd be testing out what kind of moves Zen and Cerberus can do. You already knew what Silver could do from the times Gloria and the guys borrowed him for battles, but you'd never seen what the others could do, plus this could be a good time to see how Cerberus's health was concerning his fire type moves. He was back to a normal weight and was happier obviously with the way he so happily acted around you, but you wanted to be sure nothing else was wrong just to be on the safe side. You know how the saying goes. Better safe than sorry. With a smile on your face you turned and started walking over towards the pathway outside Circhester with your pokemon following behind you. All the way past Circhester's gates and then you turned and started off walking towards the left starting to walk through deeper snow now, around five inches up past your ankles. It was easy to walk through it despite it being it a bit deep and soon you all reached the tree line. Past the pine trees you all went and into the woods you all went. The smell of fresh snow and pine trees was increased now that you all had walked on past them and you hummed as you all went right onto the spot where you'd usually take them to play and let off steam. It wasn't anything fancy. Just a big clearing in the middle of some trees with one or two bolders sticking out from the earth here and there. Sometimes you'd see some ice type pokemon scatter off once you all entered said clearing, but it seemed today it was as clear as the sky. Perfect!

"Ok! This is a good time to stop and start working on our progress!" They looked to you confused but you only smiled. "Sparky!" Immediately the small orange phone flew from your pocket and up to your head. "Make a list of all possible moves Houndooms and Zangeese know."

"*ZZZTT* Calculating desired data! Data downloaded and organized to desired instructions! Awaiting further instructions!", he replied after a moment.

"Good. Just take off the moves that they don't have as we go along," you took a look at the screen Sparky provided you and hummed a little bit. "...Let's start with Zen. It'll be easier to do just one at a time." Once Sparky pulled up the list you nodded. "Ok Zen. You ready to show me what all that muscle can do?" In response the zangoose just casually stood on his back legs and stretched out with a yawn and a moment later, two pairs of sharp claws poked out from his red paws. Guess that was a yes. In one moment you pointed at the nearest tree. "Ok then! Zen, use night slash on that tree!"

Nothing.

"....Zang?" Zen rose a brow in question turning his head to give you a lost look.

"...Ok. Right. Sparky cross that move off his list." Guess it was clear Zen didn't know that one. "Ok then! Scary Face!" Nothing. "Razor Wind." Zen just continued to stare blankly. "Scratch?" Still nothing. Zen still stood there staring as if he had absolutely NO CLUE what you were talking about and speaking in a different language on top of that. "How about Focus Punch? Iron tail? Fire Blast? Fury Cutter?" By how he was still staring at you it was clear he knew none of those moves. You inhaled. "OK! We can work with this. Lets just move onto the next one that's on the list shall we? Sparky!" Said rotomi phone popped up in your face and by Sparky's account that was most of the list so far. "Alright....We tried that one. What's that? Crush claw-"

BAM!!

SIlver gave a startled sound of alarm at the sound of something hitting something else and you flinched as something akin to splinters and pieces of wood rained down on you all. In response you yelped and threw your arms over your face until the rainfall of wood and bark subsided, then you ever so slowly peeked back up in time for Zen to pull his left set of claws from the tree you previously pointed out to him. The side of the tree looked as if a cannon ball was scrapped sideways across it leaving a giant gash in the wood and a mess of wood and bark all over the place. You stared. Zen just flexed his claws before shaking his claws out and looking at you.

"...Oh. I uh..Guess you can use that move. *ahem* Alright! Once from the top! Let's see if you can use X-Scissor next!"

So by the end of it you learnt Zen could use the following moves. Crush Claw, X-Scissor, Close Combat, Mega Punch, and Solar Beam. By the end of it the tree uh...looked like it had seen better days from all the moves Zen practiced on it (other than Solar Beam which you had him shoot into the sky. Wouldn't risk the trees setting on fire) but at least you narrowed down what he did and didn't know. Cerberus was a little different. You had to be more careful with him because of the greater chance of accidentally lighting something on fire, so you had him just fire straight into the sky like when Zen did that Solar Beam. In the end Cerberus only knew four moves. Flamethrower, dark pulse, shadow ball, and bite. Not bad. At least you all knew what they could and couldn't do now. You also went through it with Silver, mostly enough to make sure he got some exercise. The few moves he knew was Pound, water pulse, water gun, and tackle.

"Alright. That should be enough for now. Good job everyone!," you praised to which they seemed pleased at. Before you shivered again and looked up again to the sky. The once cloudless sky now had a few clouds scattered around it now looking as if it would snow yet again. "We should head back to town now. It's starting to look like it'll snow any mo-"

SNAP!!

You froze as soon as the sound of a stick snapping loudly sounded off from behind you before you whipped around as footsteps approached. Loudly. And VERY, very close. Crunching snow sounds were starting to come from the back. And there was one- Two pairs of footsteps approaching you now. Which means that there was two people or a giant pokemon walking on four legs! The footsteps were louder now and you stared wide eyed as they approached from behind a small pine tree. You froze, Cerberus growled, Zen quickly stood back up onto his hind legs, Silver latched onto your leg- And a human hand poked out from behind a branch of pine needles gently grabbing them and pushing them aside to reveal the ones on the other side. You jumped with a startle, and stared as two pairs of ice blue eyes stared back at you.

You blinked upon instantly recognizing the two people in front of you. "....Mrs. Melony?" You stared at the Gym leader and her daughter who stood there staring at you from the branches and who seemed just as surprised to see you standing there. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," the older woman spoke back stepping closer to you, Elsa right behind her, all bundled up against the cold afternoon. "I spotted something like fire shooting through the sky and I came to investigate it of course."

"Oh. That was me kinda." You gestured to Cerberus next to you. "I was just training up his moves a bit."

"Oh I see-"

"What are you two doing all the way out here anyways?"

She hummed and placed her head in one hand. "Same thing as you apparently. Training."

"That's right," Elsa chimed in and proudly crossed her arms, "Mum's been helpin' me train up ta take over the gym!"

"Oh that's right. I think your brother mentioned that. Congratulations on that. I hope it hasn't been too stressful."

She shook her head. "No. I mean-...Yeah it's hard but I wasn't expectin' it ta be easy. I need ta be strong if I wanna take over the gym."

Understandable. But-...You couldn't help but wonder how exactly Melony was training Elsa and how it differed from how she tried to train Gordie when he was younger if it even did. Did Melony learn from her mistakes with Gordie? Was she training Elsa differently? Or was she training Elsa the same way she attempted a younger Gordie? Elsa didn't seem the slightest bit bothered with her mother training her. Was it because she was keeping it hidden? Or did Melony's style of training work for Elsa? Or maybe Melony had completely changed her style of training? You weren't sure but both seemed to be just fine. Elsa gave another look to your pokemon before pointing at them.

"Whatcha trainin' for anyways? Ya don't look like the type to go shiny huntin'."

"Well you're right about that. I'm planning on catching some more pokemon later, but I'm not really good at battling so I figured I'd just practice a bit since I got some time."

At this the teenager look confused. "But how can ya practice battling if you got no one to battle against?" She gestured around the empty area. "There's not even any pokemon you all can fight. How do ya expect your pokemon to learn how to battle other pokemon properly if you don't even battle other pokemon?"

You opened your mouth...then closed it. "I-...Well I-...I haven't thought of that before? I mean my friend borrowed Silver to battle a few times so he has some experience."

"Wait..You never battled with your pokemon before, you're not training them to properly battle against pokemon, and you're out here thinkin' you'll be catchin' pokemon like it's not hard?"

"Elsa, don't ask that in such a rude tone," Melony scolded the teenager before turning back to you, "But she does speak some truth. One of the main points of having pokemon battles is getting your pokemon used to battling different kinds of pokemon."

"Well they do have battle experience." With Zen used to being a pack leader and the guys borrowing Silver, you knew they had some level of battling experience. You couldn't speak for Cerberus tho. You didn't know anything about him from before you got him.

"Yes..But do you?"

"Huh?"

"A pokemon's only as good in battle as their trainer," Melony explained, "If a pokemon's thrown into a battle especially against a pokemon that they don't know but YOU do then it's up to you to help guide it to have the best outcome possible. How do I explain this?...Take..Gordie for example. He might not beat every single trainer he comes across but being someone with lots of experience watching his pokemon battle different pokemon and trainers with different personalities and styles and moves gives him an advantage. Doesn't guarantee he'll win every fight, but being so experienced helps him be a good trainer and essentially builds a better trust with his pokemon."

"Oh. I uh-...Hadn't thought of that either. And it's not like there's anyone I know here who'd be down to help me with that."

"Oh. Well if that's the case, then I wouldn't mind battling you."

A record scratch went off in your head as you stared at the smiling Melony. "...Say what?"

"If you haven't battled anyone before, why not battle with me to see what you can do? Then you can just build off yourself from there. I don't mind. Watching me battle in person would also give Elsa some experience."

"Uh..." Your mind blanked for a moment before you shook your head. "H-Hang on! But you're a gym leader! There's absolutely no way I'd win against you!"

"Ah. But that's where you're missing the point." She smiled wider. "The point of what you're trying to do is see where you stand. Not if you win or lose. Sometimes focusing on just winning or losing can hold a person back and you've never battled me before. So how can you make an assumption when you haven't even tried?" Again..they had a point. "How many battle-able pokemon do you have?"

You blinked. "Huh? Oh. Uh just three. But I know their moves and I kinda have an idea about what to do with them."

"Excellent!'' She clasped her hands together happily. "Then a standard three on three battle won't be a problem!"

"I can referee!," Elsa added shooting an arm up. "The area's big enough to be used as a gym floor anyways! The boundary lines can be the tree line!"

"What do you say, Dear? Would you like to go up against an old lady like me?"

Her tone was nice enough but there was an icey cold edge under it which sent a shiver down your spine. "I- Well-...Sure. Why not?" Why not indeed. Worst thing that'd happen was that you'd lose anyways which wasn't the end of the world.

"Excellent! Then let's get started shall we?"

With that Melony turned and just started walking towards the end of the clearing. Oh. Guess you were taking the other side. With a turn you began walking off towards the other end of the snowy clearing before stopping and facing towards her. You didn't even get a chance to react or anything before she was already holding up a pokeball and tossing it out. In a flash of white light, a pokemon appeared. And not just any pokemon. A flying pokemon that looked like a moth dunked in white paint floated there. A Frosmoth.

"Well? Are you just going to stand there and admire it, Dear?", Melony asked tilting her head at you.

At this you frowned. Ok. A bug and ice type. Reasonably Cerberus being a dark and fire type would be the best bet to use against it, but you didn't know how powerful this pokemon was. Putting your bet advantage first might be a bad move. Zen was a heavy hitter as well but you weren't sure you wanted to use him so early into this. So your best bet would be-

You pointed. "Silver! Get in there!" A chirp and some snow crunching later, the drizzlie was fight in front of you with a frown.

"Alright! Let's do this!," Elsa cheered from the sideline. "First one to faint or goes out o' the clearin' loses! Three pokemon each for each round! Let's get the first round started, Mum!"

"Well, you heard my darling daughter!," she shouted voice echoing throughout the field before she pointed, "Frosmoth sweetie! Be a dear and use attract!" Following it's trainers commands, it let out a chittering sound and surrounding itself in bright red hearts before shooting them out towards Silver.

You didn't have any idea what gender the frosmoth was so there was no telling if it'd work or not on Silver so you made a hand swipe to the left. "Silver dive out of the way!" With a panicked chirp of alarm, Silver dolphin dived right into a snow drift completely missing the hearts tossed at him but now about neck deep in the small hill of snow- "Silver use water gun!"

"Sweetheart, dodge that and charge him with stun spore!" Silver obeyed your commands and a stream of water pulsed from his throat at the charging frosmoth. With one powerful flap of it's wings it was thrusted forward scattering snowflakes in it's wake and puffed up looking ready to blow that stun spore move at the water type-

"SILVER DUCK!!" Silver gave an alarmed sound before ducking his head back into the snow drift he'd dove into and completely missed the stun spore cloud blown at it.

"Ice beam!" It was so quick. How the Frosmoth changed from stun spore to ice beam and watching the white beam of light shoot from it's mouth area and towards the snow drift Silver hid under, and time seemed to slow as it made contact. A small BOOM! noise went off and you had to throw up your arms to cover your face from the spray of snow flakes. When you looked back up your jaw dropped.

The ENTIRE snow drift was encased in solid ice!! "SILVER GET OUTTA THERE!!" No response. "...Silver?" Again no response and it became pretty obvious why when you still didn't see him. "Oh my god- SILVER!!" Disregarding the battle, you quickly ran as fast as the deep snow could let you towards the ice prison until your hands made contact with the cold as artic ice and looked worriedly inside. "SILVER!?" Again no response except from the Frosmoth close to you who thrummed in curiosity. "Oh no- CERBERUS!! GET OVER HERE AND THAW OUT THIS ICE QUICK!!"

What followed was that Cerberus had to use flame thrower to melt the hard as rock ice all the way to the snow drift inside and you had to use your hands to dig through the remanding snow until you were able to pull out the shivering drizzlie who curled in on himself from the cold. You breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of him. Thank Arceus he wasn't hurt at least.

"Is he alright!?," Melony called from her side of the clearing with a note of concern in her voice, frosmoth already having been returned to it's pokeball.

Slowly you stood with him in your arms and nodded as he just chirped annoyed at his situation. "Yeah!...But I don't think he can fight anymore like this."

"In that case Mum wins first round!," Elsa said with a small arm thrown up in the air happily.

You again nodded with a sigh. Fair enough. Silver got it handed to him and with him shivering more than a cat dipped in cold water, there's no way he could continue battling and not get completely wiped out by Melony...But that wasn't what shocked you. You hadn't ever seen a bug type pokemon who could've switched between moves that fast before. How long had she trained it to be able to do that?

"Alright! It's time to start round two! Unless you wanna quit now but then Mum would still be the winner."

You took time out to look at Silver then to Melony who did nothing but smile patiently waiting for your answer. Before you looked back to Cerberus who panted but whined when you looked at him. "..Yeah. Cerberus, you're up!" If Melony was an ice type user then Cerberus would be your best bet. "I'm coming at you with more firepower this time!"

"Oh!," Melony gave a surprised face hand on her cheek before smiling. "That's wonderful, Dear! I hope you don't mind me washing the embers away."

You didn't get the meaning behind her words until you got Silver situated and Cerberus out on the field barking and growling in Melony's direction already heated up for the fight. Melony only smiled before tossing out her own pokeball and out came something that made your blood run cold. Out in a color of blue was a tall and intimidating looking Lapras. A. Freaking. LAPRAS. HOW COULD YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN MELONY HAD A FREAKING LAPRAS ON HER TEAM!? A water and ice type, which was something that could totally wipe out Cerberus in one water type move if you weren't careful. However the gym leader only chuckled at your reaction and Cerberus's now furious barking at the lapras who looked more confused at the pokemon it had never seen before.

"Oh dear. What's the matter? It looks like you had seen a ghost type pokemon. Don't worry. I'll make the first move since you're paralyzed. Lapras darling.~," she sing songed, "Why don't you cool them off with your icy wind?" Like clockwork the Larpas rung out it's (admittedly beautiful sounding-) voice and raised it's front flippers bringing forth a rein of icy wind rocketed right towards the still barking at it.

"Cerberus, to the right then charge right at it with bite-"

"Use Ice beam on the ground!" Again it was like watching something in slow motion, as the Lapras easily and again quickly changed from one move to another. It was hard to see with that cold wind blasting snow and cold wind into your face making snowflakes go everywhere, but you could definitely see the way that Lapras blasted a white beam from it's mouth and make contact with the snowy ground. Crackling sounds popping out as the ground quickly covered with a thick layer of ice with Cerberus charging. Only to slip with startled whine as soon as his paws touched the ice, and quickly crashing onto his side. "Good job! Now let's put out their flames with surf!"

SURF!? "Cerberus, hold your breath and turn your mouth away from the flow of water!" For the first time in your life, you saw cerberus gain a look of horror, especially when the a tidal wave of water sprung from the bottom of the Lapras's body and flowed towards the houndoom. Said houndoom flipped his body against the surf and clamped his eyes shut when the water hit him pushing him sliding back against the ice covered ground until he slammed into the leftover ice shield that had covered Silver earlier. Ice shards cracked and when everywhere as the water cleared and left Cerberus shaking his head and looking angrier. "Dark pulse!" His mouth opened instantly and a stream of black tightly spewed from the open muzzle and towards the Lapras-...Who..just leaned it's neck to the right and completely dodged it.

"Let's get ready to wash them away!"

"Use shadow ball to part the water!"The houndoom again opened his mouth and made a black ball gather energy in front of it.

"Use ice beam!" WHAT!? Instead of surf again which you completely thought was coming, the lapras tilted it's next again to completely dodged it!

"USE FLAME THROWER QUICK!!" A stream of fire was next to come from the mouth of the houndoom just as another white beam came from the Lapras. The two moves collided for half a second before the white beam completely cut through the fire and collided with his muzzle! There was a loud half bark half whine sound as it collided with his head and you could only stare helplessly as Cerberus laid there, unable to move on the ice, with now his mouth completely FROZEN SHUT!!

And then there was silence for around six seconds on the battle field other than Cerberus struggling and failing to stand on the ice until Melony spoke again. "Dear, are you going to give your pokemon an order?"

"I-...I can't!," you yelled back horrified, "His moves are all mouth based! He doesn't have anything else!"

You were expecting Melony to have her Lapras use surf again to just finished Cerberus off, but she only sighed and asked, "So he's unable to continue battling?" Sadly yes.

"In that case, Mum wins again!," Elsa added from the sidelines and it really made a pit form in your stomach. "But I suggest you get your houndoom off the ice and thaw out that maw o' his."

Yeah. She was right. It was kinda a struggle to have Zen fetch Cerberus off the ice and use his crushing grip to free his muzzle allowing the houndoom to gasp for air and whining from the whipping he got. That left only one pokemon you could use for battling, and Zen looked as if he didn't even want to do it but slowly walked out onto the still icy fields claws out and on hind legs ready for whatever pokemon sent out next. She didn't hesitate to send out her final pokemon for this, which instantly reminded you of an ape by the way it cried out and beat it's chest a few times. A darmanitan! A galarian darmanitan which were ice type variants of the usually fire type darmanitans. Zen was your heavy hitter so this should be an interesting battle for sure.

"I'm going to be nice this time 'round and let you have the first move, Dear," Melony called out with a small hand wave. "It's only fair, and to be honest I'm curious to what you'll churn out. After all I've never battled a zangoose before."

"Just be ready for whatever he throws at you!"

"Do you hear that, Darmanitan? Brace yourself.~" In response the darmanitan made an ape like noise.

"Alright then! Zen use crush claw on the ground!" In response Zen cried out raising his left paw as his two large claws glowed a bright almost painful to look at white before he struck right at the ground and made an instant reaction. A GIANT glass shattering sound went off as a good portion of the icy layer was broken, not all of it but a good portion, and let out the snowy ground underneath. Zen wouldn't have a too hard time not slipping now.

"Leveling out the field! That's a smart move! I'm impressed!," Melony complimented with a small clap, "But I'm afraid you aren't the only one with that ability! Darmanitan use icicle crash!"

"Zen dodge it!"

"GOOSE!?" Zen let out a questioning noise as the darmanitan cried out.

"LOOK UP!" He did so and yelled out as GIANT ICICLES appeared in the sky and fell down towards him. With a loud 'ZANG!' he quickly retreated to all fours again and started running, suddenly stopping as an icicles crashed in front of him, twisting his body this way and that, and by SOME miracle not getting hit by any of the icicles crashing about. But someone did. And that someone was you. The icicles crashed to the ground breaking apart the already broken ice broken by Zen earlier and making shards of ice fly everywhere, which unfortunately flew right at you as well. Your pupils shrank as one went right towards you- "AH!!"

A rip sound only loud enough for you (and Zen with his super hearing-) heard and instantly the zangoose stopped...and he turned to you as a hand zipped up to your coat's hood. Nothing hit you actually, thank goodness but that ice shared tore a good sized rip into your hood letting the cold air in and hitting the side of your head...You sighed in relief that it had missed you but Zen didn't stop staring wide eyed.

"GOOSE!?"

"I'm ok!," you assured him before pointing back forward, "Ok! Zen let's use Mega Punch!" He didn't move..."ZEN!! I said mega punch!"

"ICE PUNCH!!"

Zen didn't respond staring at the spot that was ripped on your hood...Before his eyes narrowed and he ever so slowly turned back to the darmanitan who already had his arm raised with a white light surrounding it. Time seemed to slow as the rival pokemon swung at him, and Zen leaned back barely missing the punch which slammed down onto the ice beside him. And he reacted. It was so face no one really saw it coming. A bright light in an X shape was slashed right across the front of the ape pokemon's face making the darmanitan let out a cry of pain at the close attack and you audibly gasped. That-...THAT WASN'T MEGA PUNCH!! The darmanitan had barely fallen down when those same deadly claws wrapped around that giant wrist of his and with a turn off his heel and tug, over his body the darmanitan was flipped only to be slammed down into the ice.

SLAM!! SLAM!! SLAM!!

One slam after another Zen yanked the darmanitan, slamming him into the ground over and over and over again like a sledgehammer. Each one ending in a loud noise which left both you and Melony stunned. You hadn't ordered him to do that or X-scissor!! What was he doing!?

"Zen, knock it off!! Stop it and listen to me!!"

"DARMANITAN USE ICICLE CRASH AGAIN!!"

"ZEN!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING BUT LISTEN TO ME AND USE THAT POKEMON TO SHIELD YOURSELF!!"

You weren't sure how but in between the tug of war Zen was doing to him he indeed made the giant icicles rain from the sky again which was unfortunately his undoing. Just as a giant icicle was raining down towards him, Zen did a 180 body twist and TOSSED the darmanitan into his own icicle making him give out a cry of his own and Melony give out a stunned scream herself. Watching her poor pokemon land just feet away. But it wasn't over yet. Two loud crashes rang out as claws dug themselves into the ground before Zen used his strength to launch himself across the ice right towards the darmanitan who didn't get up in time before Zen pulled his arms back and a series of punches began. The ice type cried out as Zen with his lips curled back into a menacing snarl threw a flurry of punches at him. Stomach, Gut, Shoulder, Head, and Face.

Stomach, Gut, Shoulder, Head, and Face. Stomach. Gut. Shoulder. Head. Face. STOMACH. GUT. SHOULDER. HEAD. FACE. STOMACH. GUT. SHOULDER. HEAD. FACE. STOMACH. GUT. SHOULDER. HEAD. FACE. STOMACHGUTSHOULDERHEADFACE-

Until with a final war cry of rage, Zen delivered a punch to the darmanitan's face so hard that it sent the ice type flying back skidding across the ice and snow covered ground until with a final thud it landed in front of Melony who-....Didn't even react?? She just stood there surprised for a moment staring at the form of her darmanitan before back to Zen. Elsa also remained blank face as you stared on in horror. YOU HADN'T TOLD ZEN TO USE CLOSE COMBAT!! The 'using the darmanitan to shield himself from the icicle crash' thing WAS definitely something YOU TOLD HIM TO DO but NOT close combat!! Zen just stood there heavily breathing paws balled into clawed fists before growling deep in the back of his throat and moving back stiffly to stand between yourself and the darmanitan laying face down in front of her.

"*HHHHHIIIISSSSSS!!!*"

Melony blinked for a moment at the long hiss the zangoose gave her and her pokemon before-....Smiling. "Oh. I see what that was all about now. AW!~ What a darling display of loyalty!~ I love it!" She gushed hands on her cheeks confusing you. What- "But unfortunately because he didn't listen he's all worn out now and tired. Oh Darmanitan, my little snow cone!~ It's time to stop playing dead now."

And then-...

Like what Zen just did HADN'T even happened-

You all watched as the darmanitan slammed his hands into the ground before pushing himself up and smiled dangerously at the dumbstruck zangoose-

"WHAT!?", you shouted completed in disbelief.

"Now dear, you didn't really think my pokemon were that easy to take down did you? After all, I've been a gym leader longer than Leon's been Champion." She waved her hand. "Oh of course other gym leaders are stronger than myself. Kabu, Raihan obviously, and of COURSE I'm no where near as strong as Leon and probably will never be-..." Her smile turned icy as she stared at you. "But it's going to take more than a few fighting type moves to bring down one of the pokemon I've trained with for nearly twenty years!"

"B-But-...Then how did Gloria-"

"She was smart. I'll give her that. She used her roserade's stun spore ability to instantly paralyze my poor snowcone to pieces." She sighed hand on her cheek. "The same move Milo uses against me whenever we battle. I've really got to better prepare for that later. However that's irrelevant now- Darmanitan!" She snapped said hand pointing at the smiling pokemon. "Taunt!"

Instantly a hand appeared and motioned for your zangoose in a 'come here' motion, to which Zen instantly hissed and chared forward at. "WAIT!! ZEN DON'T-"

"Ice punch!" The darmanitan raised his fist and with swing he swung at Zen but was stopped with a single crush claw of Zen's. "Grab him and don't let him go!" Zen's other hand was quickly grabbed in a tight grip Until they were both fighting against one another. At this rate Zen wouldn't have been able to

"ZEN! Flip him backwards!" Zen immediately obeyed literally falling onto his back and pulling the darmanitan forwards and up to slam onto his back- "GIVE HIM A TOSS ACROSS THE ICE!!" Zen. Obeyed. Jumping to his feet in an instant. Grabbing a hold of that darmanitan's wrist and with a dig of his heel, twisted around and tossed him across a patch of remaining ice. The pokemon let out a cry as it went skidding across the ice, Rolling over and over and over again until he inevitably slammed against a tree. WITHOUT EVEN FLINCHING the darmanitan shook itself off and got back up turning to Zen-

"MUM!!," Elsa suddenly yelled out making everyone look at her. The teen pointed at Melony's pokemon with a concerned look. "Darmanitan's past the treeline! Doesn't that mean he's out?"

Melony hummed. Then looked to her pokemon who shook off snow clinging to his fur, and then rose a brow. "....I think you're right." She smiled back to you with a regular smile again. "I guess you win by default, Dear."

"Yeah. But you still bested 'er in the first two rounds so ya still win!"

"Well it's not about winning or losing really," Melony stated as her pokemon came back over to her. It let out a content sound when she patted it's head. "You did such a good job! I'm so proud of all of you." She praised before returning the darmanitan and turning back to you. "It was to see how you could do and if I do say so you do need a bit of practice. You're not the worst trainer I've had the pleasure of battling against but there's definitely room for perfection." She then gestured to Zen huffing from the workout. "Especially controlling that's one insistence to jump the gun and fight for you rather than with you. Your pokemon chosing not to listen to you is usually because they see you as an incompetent trainer or is too stubborn or another problem. Rarely is it a problem because they're too worried about the trainer."

"Ugh." You facepalmed as Zen trodded back over to you and you instantly felt two giant paws grabbed the sides of your head as red eyes examined you.

"Ang?"

"I'm fine, Zen." Your hand trailed down your face and Zen stared at you skeptically. "I can see the problem...I'll definitely have to work on that." You turned Zen still holding your head to the gym leader. "But..thank you, Ms. Melony. I really appreciate your help."

The older lady only smiled at you. "But of course! I'm happy to help you-"

"Um..Hey Mom." Melony hummed and turned to Elsa who had walked up to join you all and the teenager look between you two then gave a sly smirk to her mother. "I have an idea. Why don't we invite Y/n to dinner tomorrow night? That way ya can give 'er all kinds of advice! N' Gordie'll be there too. He can give his friend tones of advice too."

"Oh, honey. You know Friday night's family night, and I'm sure Y/n's already got plans-"

"But Gordie said he wasn't coming," Elsa interrupted making Melony blink in surprise.

"He isn't?" Elsa nodded. "When did he say this?"

"He told me this mornin' to tell you but I haven't gotten a chance yet. He said his busy tomorrow with something special."

You lit up in realization. "Oh that's right! I'm going to be hanging out with him tomorrow."

At this both stared at you. Melony in surprise and Elsa knowingly. "You two are- OH wait! That's right!" Melony smiled again. "He mentioned the two of you were friends."

"Eh...Well yes. But he meant it more like a date wise."

"A date!?" Melony's hand grabbed her cheek in surprise again. "A date? He hasn't been on one of those since he was yelled at in public. I just thought he was too busy with his duties."

"This is perfect then!," Elsa butted in again. "We can invite Y/n for dinner and then Gordie won't miss dinner either!"

"Oh that's sounds like a wonderful idea!" Melony clapped her hands happily and smiled at you. "Of course you're invited, but please do ask Gordie first if he wants to. I wouldn't want to intrude or disrupt any plans you two already made."

You nodded. "Sure. I'll ask him about it tomorrow. But it's getting late now. I think I'd better stop by the pokemon center and then go home."

"That's not a bad idea. I think we should get our looked at as well. Do you mind if we join you?"

"Sure! Why not? C'mon guys!"

Your pokemon obeyed and followed you after Melony meanwhile Elsa walked slowly behind you both and rubbed her hands with a smirk.

"Step One of Operation Get My Brother A Girlfriend has been completed. Step Two is jus' around the corner."

-TIME SKIP TO NEXT MORNING-

It was snowing this morning again. Not surprising with all the clouds you saw in the sky yesterday but it did little to calm your nerves as you ran about this way and that trying to make yourself look presentable, debating on calling and cancelling the date with Gordie, and repeat the first two steps over and over again until you mindlessly going back and forth. Were you supposed to go find him? Was he waiting for you? Should you call him? No. Scratch that! You don't have his number! Were you supposed to wait here for him!? Your answer was given when there was a knock at the door making you jump nearly out of your skin and whip around to the door. Another knock sounded out and a voice came out from behind the door.

"Oi! Y/n, 's me! Open up!," Gordie called from the other side. "I've got somethin' real important ta discuss with you."

You stood frozen for maybe a couple more seconds before taking a deep breath, letting it out, and walking to the door. This was it. No backing out now. With a steeled expression against your nerves, you grabbed the door knob and opened it to the other side. What you were expecting was Gordie standing there with a somewhat concerned expression. What were weren't was the woman standing right next to him with a frown on her face......You blinked.

"Um...Hey, Y/n," Gordie started rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Uh. You look good this mornin'. I uh-....Y-Y'know Officer Jenny right?" He asked with a nervous smile gesturing to the POLICE WOMAN next to him. "So funny story. She actually came to me because she wanted ta interrogate ya! HAHA!! Isn't that funny?"

You still stared saying nothing until eventually Officer Jenny sighed and looked you over with a raised brow. ".....Are you the woman known as Y/n L/n?"

"Uh...", you spoke numbly, "Yes?"

"I'm Officer Jenny of the Galarian Police Force, Poke-Federation Investigation Division or P.F.I for short, assigned to Circhester under the Chairwoman Dahlia's orders and under super vision of Gym Leaders Gordie and Melony respectfully." She pointed to the badge pinned to her coat front. "Currently I've been investigating a serious crime I believe is being held behind Circhester's doors. I've come to question you of how you obtained the pokemon you currently have in your possession."

"......Wat?"

[tonberryslantern]

Vita Enim Mortuorum: Prologue

When You Can, Come Follow Me

The man was tall and handsome with an easy smile that made Celesa's heart jump in her chest.  She could hear the combat going on beyond the walls, and Miss Castellus had led the younger kids into the Bastion to keep them safe, but Celesa was fourteen, which made her practically an adult, so she'd hidden so she could get a look at the blasphemies, but this man had found her peeking her head around the corner of the greenhouse.

"Hello," he said, and it was the most innocuous thing that Celesa had ever heard.  Most adults in this situation wouldn't hesitate to start screaming at her and drag her away, but this man almost seemed in on the adventure.

"Hello," she said back.  She couldn't figure out why, but he just seemed so… Safe.  Everything about him said that he was where he was supposed to be and absolutely nothing was wrong. Even with the screaming and the roar of the guns on the defense towers he was looking only at her and she could not stop looking at him.

He was pureblooded and well dressed, much better dressed than anyone else in this half built little town.  He reminded her of the kinds of people who walked around the nice parts of the city, back when there were nice parts, and bought things in the expensive shops.  And there wasn't a speck of dust on him.  "My name is Cicero," he said.  "What's yours?"

"Celesa," she replied.  "Celesa bas Fulgentius."  Why was this conversation so normal?  And how was he making it feel normal?

"It's nice to meet you, Celesa.  Are your parents around?"

She swallowed.  it was the question she always got asked, and the one she hated the most.  "No."  it was all she said, but it was all the man needed to understand.  His smile became sad, his eyes comforting instead of inquisitive.

"I'm very sorry.  It's been rather rough, hasn't it?  For everyone, I mean."  he looked up, finally acknowledging the battle going on.  Above them Miss Lee's ship was fighting some kind of horrible thing that looked like an orange had been left out for years and all the rot and mold had made it come alive.

Suddenly Celesa didn't want to see the blasphemies anymore.  "I should go," she said and started to head towards the bastion where Max had taken all the babies, but the man's next words stopped her.

"You should.  This place isn't safe.  Nowhere is anymore.  Especially not out here in the cold the monsters can see you for miles and miles."

"Miss N keeps us safe," she said.  "She has a magic barrier that stops us from turning into blasphemies.  And there's a cloaking field that keeps us hidden.  This is the safest place."

"And yet, look around."  He gestured upwards.  Miss Lee's ship had been grabbed by the orange thing and it was trying to rip through the armor with its tentacles.  She could see Mr. Basile flying towards it, but she didn't know if he could make it on time.  "I have a better idea," he said, pointing across the square to the big glowing aetheryte.  "What if instead of making you safe I could make you strong?"

Celesa didn't know how the aetheryte worked, and she couldn't use it anyway.  Only the magic people could use it and she didn't have any.  "Strong?"  Was strength enough?  "What do you mean strong?"

"Strong enough," he said, "To come back here and save everyone.  You see, I have a place that I built a long time ago.  I built it to make girls like you strong.  The strongest in the world."

Mr. Basile tore the blasphemy off of the ship with his gunblade, but it grabbed him and they both fell from the sky.  The roar of the tower gun stopped and Mr. Pollux was screaming for more ammunition.  Something hit the town walls so hard they shook.  Miss Rhua was punching on control screen.  She looked even worse than usual, sweating and pale and scared.  Seeing her scared made Celesa's knees shake.

"I can't use the crystal," she said.  If this kept up then the monsters would break down the walls.  They'd rip open the doors to the Bastion and… And nowhere was safe.

"I have a way around that, just run over and touch it.  Touch it and I'll do the rest.  Then you can come back and save everyone."

The walls shook again and her legs moved before she made a decision.   She ran.  She ran harder than she'd ever even thought of running, and the man kept pace.  "Come on, Celesa.  Just a little further.  Just a little bit further, you can do it."  Her hand touched the freezing surface of the spinning blue crystal, and something like electricity jolted through her body.

Before she could scream she was gone into a roaring current of blue and white.  She couldn't feel any part of ehr body.  Everything was speed and chaos and horror, but the man's voice was there, deep and reassuring, guiding her someplace dark and cool.  "Good girl, Celesa.  You're going to be a hero."

[darkhymns-fic]

It Takes Three (On a Treetop)

Genis has always felt like he was the more grown-up out of the trio, despite his age. Years later on their journey together, that feeling hasn’t changed.

Still, he can’t help but play along with Lloyd and Colette’s silly games.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairing: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel/Genis Sage Rating: G Word Count: 1337 Mirror Link: AO3 Notes: A small treat I wrote for Tales Rarepairs that was arranged by @talesofexchanges! One prompt asked for Iselia trio cuteness and I wanted to try it out because the Iselia trio is always cute.

--

On their next visit to the tree, Genis saw how it was no longer just a small, fragile seedling that could have been ripped apart from a strong gust of wind. But it still wasn’t the giant behemoth that Lloyd and Colette told him it could one day become, at how its boughs would stretch out to the sky, its leaves numerous and plentiful, the sun sneaking through the open spaces of its canopy in fragments.

Yggdrasill was instead much like the trees back in Iselia, in the way it still towered over him, when six years ago, it had barely made it past his knee. Only those with elven blood could feel the currents of the mana that traveled from its roots to the branches overhead, how it fell through the air like rain, invisible to most.

But that wasn’t what he was here for.

He had been searching for fifteen minutes, and honestly, that was long enough. He figured where they were anyway – the snickers from above were already too obvious by this point. Cheaters.

Genis raised his head with a pout, seeing the tell-tale hint of a pink glow, and then a much more obvious shade of red that the leaves couldn’t fully hide. He adjusted his satchel, a little miffed that they’d left him with the supplies again just for this game.

So with a sigh, he cupped his hands around his mouth, and called out, “Hey! I found you guys, so get down from there!”

“Aw…” That pink glow flashed once again, Colette hovering just above the branch she had been hiding within. “I thought we picked a good place too.”

Lloyd poked his head through the leaves, dislodging a few of them to flutter to Genis’ face. “It shouldn’t count if you just yell. You’re supposed to actually find us!”

“But I did find you!” Genis crossed his arms, tapping his foot on the ground that once held the debris of a collapsed tower. Much of it had been buried over with the earth, the grass sprouting from above and already overtaking this small valley, that it was hard to believe anything else used to exist here. “Besides, I told you I wasn’t going to play. We’re way too old to be playing hide-and-seek anymore.”

“Who says?” Lloyd finally moved from his hiding place, getting his foot stuck in between the split-path of a branch before wrenching it away. A small flail, but he caught hold of one twig overhead, grinning wide. The wind pulled at his white ribbons in a flutter. “It’s still fun.”

The sun highlighted his stubble, which was, to Genis, the only sign of Lloyd growing older. For he was still loud, and he still whined whenever he got too bored with literally anything. Colette flew close to Lloyd, and there were only a few changes in her appearance, such as how her hair curled more at its ends, and that her smiles seemed a bit brighter than before.

“Yeah! Remember, Genis, when you hid so well, we had to get the Professor to help?” Colette clasped her hands at the memory. “I don’t think we’ve ever been able to beat your record.”

He could feel the flush rising in his cheeks. “Again, that was when we were kids. I can’t play that kind of stuff now.”

“You could try.” Lloyd swung from another branch, unmindful to the long drop below.

“No, I can’t!” Genis yelled. “How am I supposed to win anyways half the time when you guys can just cheat and fly?”

Oh. He hadn’t meant to say that.

The guilt on Lloyd and Colette’s faces were immediate. Colette slowly flew down, the shine of her crystal winking from the brightness. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just so used to using mine. But I know Lloyd mostly climbed up!”

“Yeah! I mean… I did use my wings a little bit though…” And as he said that, there was that quick flash of blue, Genis feeling the mana soak through the air. Lloyd still rarely used his own wings, but whenever they appeared, there was that great urge to reach out and touch it. But, Genis at least restrained himself from doing so (and not just because Lloyd was far away!)

“It’s not like I care that much. I’m just letting you know that it’s an unfair advantage to me when I can’t just fly up to trees like you two can.” He shook his head, wondering how a trip to the tree had turned into a weird discussion about a kid’s game. “And we’re still too old for this anyway!”

But at some point, either by whatever he said, or just through an idea in their heads, he saw both of their eyes light up. Lloyd flashed a grin to Colette, his wings dwarfing the branches he held, while Colette nodded in eagerness.

Genis stilled. “…What are you two smirking about?”

Colette planted her feet gently on the earth, then quickly wrapped her hands around his arm. He caught the scent of lilac drifting from her hair. “Well! Maybe if you can’t fly…”

Lloyd was less graceful, letting out a swift exhale when he landed, and then proceeded to be far more grabby. One hand grasped Genis’ shoulder, while another placed itself around his waist. “We’ll just help you fly up with us!”

“Huh? How does that solve anything?!”

Lloyd chuckled. “Don’t worry about it!”

It didn’t really matter what Genis said at all, because already they were lifting him through the air. His legs hung down, the lack of anything solid beneath him making him flail. He hung onto them unevenly, and throughout their flight, Lloyd and Colette seemed to try and adjust their positions to carry Genis with a bit more of a balance.

“Man, just how much stuff are you carrying?” Lloyd grunted a bit as he now carried Genis’ right leg in his grip. “Did you overstock on the gels again?”

“I can probably carry him if you can’t, Lloyd,” Colette suggested. She was less troubled by the weight, humming as her fingers tapped along Genis’ arm, flying along easily.

“You’re both going to drop me! And we shouldn’t play hide-and-seek in the World Tree of all places!” Seriously! What would Martel think?

But that didn’t seem to matter, because they continued to carry him up, higher than their original hiding spots on the branches and now to the very, very top.

The branches up were thin. Even if Genis had been a kid again, he was sure he’d break something just from sitting. But with Lloyd and Colette’s wings out, he remained weightless, he stayed attached in their grip as they both held him close.

“You probably see this plenty on the Rheaird…” Colette once again tapped his arm, one hand sneaking down to entwine their fingers together. “But from here, I think it looks so pretty.”

The sky ahead of them stretched out into colors of pink and orange, the clouds drifting in the wind currents, and the mana feeling the strongest here. From the tree that spread out the mana through its leaves, to the wings of that gently touched the small of his back.

Genis stayed within their embrace, and sank into it, sank into the mana that were the two closest to his heart, knowing they wouldn’t let him fall.

“You good?” Lloyd still had on his goofy grin, practically engulfing Genis in a bear hug. But he had to share with Colette, who nuzzled into Genis’ shoulder, then placed a small kiss on his cheek.

“Y-yeah.” Genis cleared his throat. His hair was pulled by the wind, revealing his sharp ears. He thought he felt soft lips against there as well, but from who, he wasn’t sure. Not like it really mattered, (though was that the gentle scratch of a beard against his skin?) as he was still held together by them both. “I’m…I’m good.”

Maybe they weren’t too old for games after all.

[rickittys]

𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐳𝐛𝟏!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

genre: smut

summary: going out with ur bf to pick out new bras, underwear, and intimate wear! but horny bf + changing room = ???

warnings: fem!reader, soft-dom!member, switch!member, semi-public sex, unprotected sex (wrap up gdi!), grinding, cunnilingus, begging, fingering, cursing, pet names

a/n: inspired by a black friday victoria’s secret run ;)

MDNI MDNI MDNI MDNI MDNI MDNI MDNI MDNI MDNI MDNI

𝐣𝐢𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠

for the most part, jiwoong was able to keep himself composed during your spree. he walked along with you holding your things, throwing compliments in when you picked out a new teddy (“you’ll look really elegant in that, angel; mm yeah, that’ll be so sexy on you”), just a sweet date! until you ended your trip in the dressing room.

“oh my, j-jiwoong!” you squeaked as you crashed against the wall. given the privacy, he’d switched to being absolutely ravenous, heavily breathing and gripping any part of you he could get his hands on. your whimpers were cut off while he left open mouthed kisses up your neck and pressed them to yours, hands tangling in his dark tresses.

“could hardly control myself out there,” he huffed, tilting his head to groan into your mouth. “everything you picked out made me wanna strip you, almost didn’t make it in here without fingering you.” you gasp as he hoisted you up against the wall, arms holding your thighs around his waist. panting filled the stall as your eyes roamed his figure, mewling feeling the hardening fabric of his jeans pressing up into you.

you reached down and freed his member with ease, rubbing him rapidly to harden him while he moaned into your neck. you squirmed as you tried grinding down on him, desperate to stimulate your aching core.

“can’t wait anymore baby,” jiwoong seethed. without warning, he spread your thighs even wider, causing a tear over your drenched pussy. any scolding for him died in your throat as he drew his tip through your sopping folds in preparation. you shuddered, digging your nails into his shoulder as he shoved himself inside, throwing your head back.

checking out of the store was. an experience to say the least. you hid behind jiwoong while he apologized to a staff member, claiming"yeah she just tried it on but the material was so thin? or just wasn't her size and it ripped :(“ all while planning to do it again as soon as possible.

𝐳𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐨

he’s holding so many of your items that he just stands off to the corner to recharge a bit, yk? ugh, the shop's rush is so draining...until he peeks at the new items you've picked out.

"hao, can you come with me? i might need help tying this up,” you pout.

zhanghao is able to stay relatively calm as you undress, nothing he hasn’t seen before. though once you thumb through your picks, he feels himself staff to sweat. he curses to himself at how much string is in the piece and how...little it covers. eyeing the amount of skin accentuated by the overlapping material. the pudge of your ass, stomach, breasts- it was driving him mad. sheer and skimpy, zhang hao swallows, shifting as feels himself growing a painful boner.

he finally loses it when you lift your hair for him to continue tying, fully exposing the backless piece. he leans into you, kneading the plush of your hips, sucking hickeys on your nape.

“u-um hao?” you stutter, already leaning back into him, sighing deeply. you feel him hump you against the wall, looking back to see his eyes practically eating you up.

“sorry baby, j-just help relieve this for me just this once,” he hushed, unzipping his fly and pulling the your near-crotch less portion to the side. pushing his fat flushed tip into you, your gasp was caught against his tongue as he held your neck and side. as he started rocking into you, any moans and whines were muffled out by your lips being attached to his. at least you hoped so.

anyways. y’all make sure to get out asap to continue this ordeal in the car ;)

𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐛𝐢𝐧

the seasonal options this year were so cute! among the dizzying festive colors, the red satin pieces were especially eye catching. hanbin’s line of thinking was made obvious by him picking out various thongs and balconettes in maroon and crimson. as you walked together in the direction of the dressing room, you suddenly yelped when you felt a pinch underneath the fat of your ass. you whipped around to see your boyfriend smiling cheekily.

“can’t wait to see this fine ass bare and pretty for me,” he winked. you lightly slapped his arm, him giggling when you quietly screeched sung hanbin!

little did he know that you’d swiped a naughty or nice babydoll garter set with plenty of frills and lace. almost too easy to flip up and rip off of you, to discard on the floor. his eyes bulged seeing your breasts swell against the fabric and eyed you up and down as you pranced sultrily towards him.

leaning down over him, you purred, “well? gonna unwrap your present, babe?”

he jumped up immediately, pulling up the thin material to grip one of your legs over his hip, boner pressing against you. “with pleasure,” he grunted.

a short while later, you find yourself licking his cum off of the lingerie, legs buckling and trembling. hanbin holds your face and leaves kisses, playfully saying, “missed a spot” drawing his thumb over your lips. you loll your tongue out obediently as he tugs at his cock some more, quietly groaning as he spills more cum into your mouth. when you leave to pay for the set, his voice rings in your head as you nervously hand the item over to the cashier: “gonna buy so many more of those to fuck you senseless in, love.”

𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰

now we know matthew to be a lover of exercise, yes? he loves watching your ogling eyes even more: beads of sweat running down his reddening neck, his tee taunt against his chest, his arms looking even big-pardon me i almost got carried away

on this particular shopping trip, matthew was eyeing the store’s colorful loungewear collection. tights and cotton shorts lined the shelves, tight bras that left little to the imagination..

“babe look, we can match!” you heard him say excitedly. you look up from the racks to see your boyfriend’s eyes sparkling, holding up a loose bra and pair of shorts that-

“will barely cover anything!” you exclaimed, getting flustered. while you recalled him having a sportswear set that was similar in color, his eyebrows wiggle, giving himself away.

“all the better to see, my dear,” he whispered against your lips, making your stomach swirl. you lightly shoved his shoulder, making him whine.

“pleaseeee, it would be so cute!” his visible frown made you fold in seconds and you tug him along with you to the changing rooms.

“tits look so good in these baby,” matthew smiled, watching you twirl in the clothes. “almost too good.”

“yeah? how so?” you egged him on, biting your lip as he moved forward to hold you.

“like you’re not even wearing anything…” his voice trailed off as he slowly snapped the material below your hardening nipples. he began sinking to his knees, pulling down the panties and grazing your thighs in the process.

“you know, i’m starting to think what i ate after the gym this morning wasn’t enough,” he looked up at you, licking his lips.

𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐞

definitely the type of boyfriend that people would roll their eyes at a bit. taerae’s idea of helping on your shopping trip was swooning and sighing at you doing the most mundane activities. it was cute really, you waved and smiled at him sitting near the store entrance, he waved back and rested his cheek against his hand.

“darling, which one do you think i should get?” you chirped, jogging over to him. you held up a lacey teddy and a satin crotless set with stockings, watching him blink once before answering, “both, love.” you shook your head and sighed affectionately.

fast forward to the changing room where not much changing is occurring. instead you’ve lost track of the time with how languidly you’ve been kissing your boyfriend. your wet lips smiled against his, him gazing at you for a moment before cupping your face again, tilting it to the side to kiss at your neck and grope your sides. you sunk into his embrace, mewling.

“taerae…” you started, wiggling in his hold. “taerae, not here, i don’t wanna hold up anyone.” he pulled away, his look of disapproval reaching his eyes.

“aw, there’s no fun in that, though?” he chided gently. he leaned back in, warm breath fanning your cheeks. you felt your resolve quickly crumble, yearning again for his plump lips against yours. not fair you thought a dimpled man should not be able to sway me like this.

“i suppose for a little longer then..” you were able to get out before his lips molded with yours again. little did you know that your boyfriend’s hand had started creeping past your jeans into your underwear. you only finally noticed when you fell forward and let out a broken moan against his ear, a deep chuckle filling yours.

“you never said we couldn’t start in here, did you?” he raised an eye brow, unconsciously very attractive to you making you tighten around the two digits pressing into you. your mouth fell open while his eyes gleamed. “something tells me you like this, yeah?”

you quivered as he started pumping his thick fingers inside your dripping core, quiet squelching resounding in the stall. you bit your lip to stifle your pants and whines before forcing them against taerae’s again. you felt him grin against yours, fisting his shirt.

looks like this will be preoccupied for a while, dear customers!

𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲

you’d be like partners in crime going from store to store with him! your personal stylist, going thru any piece of clothing from push up bras to stockings. he was able to enjoy the trip too, finding it fun to find items that compliment your skin and give him more to fantasize about.

you’d reached the last boutique for the day and were pretty much at the bottom of the pile. ricky was sitting on a stool next to the mirror, checking for online lingerie when you stepped in front of him.

“fuck…” he whispered. the set you were wearing managed to blow all the others of the day out of the water literally making him salivate. his eyes trailed up and down your barely-clad figure, smirking to himself. he leaned back and drawled, “yeah, i’m definitely getting this one. do a lil twirl for me, baby.”

you spun happily, pausing abruptly to make your ass shake and breasts bounce, not going unnoticed by your boyfriend. "mmm you like it?” you grinned shyly.

he bit his finger, voice dropping an octave. “mhm... might need to get another pair if you keep that up.”

your eyes met making your stomach flip. heart pounding, you rubbed your thighs together, already feeling sticky under ricky’s smoldering gaze. he chuckled and motioned for you to sit on his lap. eagerly, you plopped yourself down, batting your eyelashes.

“such a long day, huh? had fun?” he sighed, eyes gentle, mainly staring at your lips. you nodded, shifting on his thighs, grinding down slowly. your tongue darted out out of habit, making his pupils snap up to watch you.

“how about this,” he proposed. his arm snaked around your waist, hand resting on your ass. he tugged you forward, directly above his now-apparent bulge, ghosting his lips over yours. you whimpered, wanting nothing more than to crash yours against his.

he continued. “wanna reward my girl for being so good today, so fucking sexy everywhere she goes,” his gaze unwavering. “want me to fuck you? wanna ride me, baby? wanna cum?”

“uh huh. please ricky.” you cry, eyes almost watering. he presses a sweet kiss on your lips to remedy your begs before shoving his hand into your panties. before you can gasp, he slaps his hand over your mouth.

he smiled darkly, rubbing gently in your soaked underwear. you jolted as he murmured, “want some extra treats today? stay quiet for me while i fuck you, so no one else hears.”

𝐠𝐲𝐮𝐯𝐢𝐧

“uhh, baby what size tits you got again?” gyuvin quipped. he ducked from the bra you tossed at his face, laughing at your glare and catching it with ease.

“wait, i know how to check!” he exclaimed, stepping behind you quickly. he suddenly groped your boobs from behind and squeezed, messaging even your nipples through the shirt. he jumped away before you could kick and scream, grinning widely.

why you decided to take your puppy-like boyfriend along with you shopping? you choose not to question, besides remembering how much he pleaded to come along (“i basically get to see you naked for like an hour!”) he hummed happily, getting giddier by the minute seeing how many bralettes and such you wanted to try on. while you had a shopping list, he’d nabbed plenty of lingerie sets for him to drool at you to model for him. a win-win situation in his book, best day ever to date.

you’d been able to somewhat avoid being overly touchy in public but completely melted once you locked the changing room door. gyuvin helped tug off your clothes while sliding his tongue into your mouth, moaning when you lifted your arms and tugged at his roots. you’d begun backing up into the small space, nearly bumping into the wall when you urged him to sit, choking out a laugh. he smiled back at you and wiped at the corner of his mouth.

your boyfriend watched loves truck as you wore the first set but didn’t even allow for you to wear the panties before tugging you towards him again.

“gyuvi what-” you started before he pressed your hand against his crotch. feeling the thick imprint you swallowed and looked up at him, noticing his flushed cheeks.

“babe please, i’m sorry but i can’t wait anymore please just ride me or something anything God i’m so hard,” he begged, undoing your bra, growing harder seeing your nipples spill out. he yanked your body downward, squeezing the pudge of your waist and the garter belt around it. hurriedly, still dazed from the make out session, you watched him undo his pants and spat onto your hand. he shivered when you massaged his painfully hard dick and slowly sank down onto him. gyuvin hissed, burying his face in your neck while you whimpered into his hair and clenched around him.

“s-sorry baby,” he groaned as you started lifting yourself up off of him and sank down again, pecking his lips when his eyes rolled back. “don’t think i’ll be able to resist fucking you after you change, drives me crazy.” he latched onto one of your nipples, sucking and lapping while urging you to bounce faster.

© 2023 rickittys

[bouwrites]

Those Warm and Halcyon Days: Chapter 35

Interlude: Homecoming

Ao3.

First, Previous, Next.

Story under read-more.

“That was fun! And profitable! I’m honestly feeling kind of sad that our trip is almost over,” Anna pouts.

Veery cringes, using the hood of his travel cloak to mask his face. Yes, travelling and working with Anna is fun, and she’s very conscientious of his needs and alone time even on the road, but… Veery can go his whole life without another road trip like that. “…I guess. Did I really have to do that to Pallardó, though? I can still taste it…”

“He tried to rip us off! Besides, I fed you like a king after that, so no complaining!”

“I thought you said my meals came out of my cut of the profits.”

“Details, details!” Anna waves him off, laughing earnestly all the while. “What’s important is that after all this, we’re both swimming in cash!”

Veery frowns. “I’m still concerned about Edelgard hearing about what we were doing.”

Anna snorts. “What’s she going to do? I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain to the letter. She never said I couldn’t do some work on the way. And we’re out of Adrestia now, anyway, so there’s nothing to worry about.” Anna taps her chin, frowning suddenly. “Although… I do have to ask… are you really okay with this? You’ve made more than enough to pay for a boat to Derdriu if you want to get back. I was only paid to get you to Albinea, not keep you there.”

The icy northern wind cuts through Veery. He tugs his cloak tighter around him as he sighs. “I…” Already his voice wavers. “No. Claude will be fine without me. Having the so-called cat saint with him will only make things worse for him in the long run. And I… I hate fighting. I don’t want to go to war.”

Anna hums. “Well, I can’t blame you. Just take care of yourself. Alright? You’re the best assistant I’ve ever had. Not just anyone could have gotten us out of that Pallardó fiasco and come out with all the loot.”

“See, you bring that up, but I still feel bad.”

“And I keep telling you, he tried to rip us off! You don’t have to feel bad for him. I certainly don’t.”

Veery crosses his arms, pouting. “You aren’t the one that-”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, anyway!” Anna says. “The point is, no matter where you go, if you see an Anna, she’ll take care of you. Got it?”

Anna pats Veery on the head, making him duck just a little, but he smiles up at her nonetheless. “Yeah. Thanks… I’ll remember that.”

“Good! And look, Albinea is finally in sight!”

Veery follows her pointed finger to the bow of the ship and beyond. And it’s true. Finally. Over a year gone, and Veery finally lays his eyes on Albinea once more.

Feelings he doesn’t even know the name of fill him up to the brim. A cold, leaden weight in his gut is ever present from the moment he decides to leave Fódlan. That doesn’t go away, but overtop of it is something that expands within his chest, pressing out against his ribs like it’s alive, begging to be freed to fly the rest of the way home.

Gods… home. At last. Veery may joke about Albinea being horrible – and during the winter at least, that’s definitely not wrong – but nonetheless… this is his home. His eyes land on the town they’re approaching, wood and stone, low but intricate, so big but miniscule compared to what he sees in Fódlan. Then, he casts his gaze up past the town, to the snow-capped mountains towering over the land and the forest crawling up them.

That’s home. Veery’s breath comes up short. He can only smile at the sight. Nagging guilt and doubt become so constant in his life, fear and uncertainty have always been there, and even now he does miss Claude and Sylvain and Lysithea and… everyone. He worries for them, he hates himself for leaving them to fight this war while he hides in Albinea, he is ashamed that he fails them so severely when they need him, both with the people and in battle against Edelgard. But… this is home.

Despite everything else he feels, for the first time in a long time, maybe ever – he can’t remember if he felt this way before he left, if he’s honest – he feels like he’s somewhere he actually belongs.

Very nearly, at least. Not this town, but that forest beyond it. He can taste the bitter chill on the air, the distinct Albinean trees, everything that is familiar to him. And he is… excited to be home.

The ship docks and Anna has Veery carry some cargo for her. He’s a little paranoid of the Albineans seeing him, but it turns out that Anna’s sister isn’t far, and no one seems to notice.

Anna’s sister is… nearly exactly like her in every way. Of course, Veery knows this already, in theory, but it’s still interesting to see for himself. The Albinean Anna tries to play a trick on him, in good fun, by pretending to be the Fódlander Anna, but though they look identical and neither has any discernable accent, Veery quickly figures out that scent is an easy and reliable way to tell them apart, so he’s not fooled.

(He thinks he impresses both Annas, but he’s not entirely sure.)

Uninterested in whatever business two Annas could possibly be arguing about (a road trip with one is more than enough Anna business for him) Veery hangs back as they chat. This Anna’s shop isn’t that different from the one in Garreg Mach, so it puts him a little at ease despite the very real chance of one of the townspeople or sailors coming through the door at any moment. Veery keeps his hood up because of that chance.

In Fódlan, though he suffers gossip and rumormongering, he is relatively free to walk about without hiding his identity. He can’t shift outside the academy grounds, except when escorted by Knights of Seiros, but he doesn’t have to hide his ears and face in this form.

Even so, Veery smiles, because this shop is so alike to the one that he knows and because soon enough, he will be free again. Free to roam the wilds, to live as he pleases, alone and at peace.

He hopes. He believes. Fly free, Sothis tells him, and alone, if that is what he wishes. Veery is a hermit, solitary by nature… Even so, he’s going to miss his family. But he will be free. Free and alone, as he is meant to be.

The Annas wrap up their business, and together take him to the edge of town, where he can run off into the forest and make his own way. Goodbye is bittersweet. Veery knows this is likely the last contact with humans – maybe with anyone – that he’ll have in a long time. He’s as eager to get going as he is reluctant to bring this wild, adventure-filled chapter of his life to an end.

But people are shaped by memories. The person he is is forever changed by his experiences. He will look back on his time in Fódlan… fondly. He can see his mistakes, he feels the guilt for them, but even so he does not regret a thing.

The last time he walks through an Albinean town… he is so paralyzed by fear that he very nearly misses his boat. Probably the only reason he stays on the boat is because he can’t bring himself to come out of hiding and face trying to get back onto the dock.

Now, though… he’s wary, scared and cautious in the same way that he is when hunting, but not overwhelmed. Even as he walks boldly through the streets, avoiding the center of town but still navigating through it to get inland, the difference between the Veery that leaves Albinea and the Veery that returns is stark in his mind.

Fódlan is a great adventure, a crazy, confusing, terrible, horrifying year of his life, but also perhaps the most fun. He won’t be bored back home in Albinea, but… he is going to miss having so much excitement all the time. And he’s going to miss his family.

He… wants to say goodbye, at least. If nothing else, he can take comfort in that, if Anna doesn’t tell them directly, their adventures on the way out of Adrestia will likely reach Claude’s ears. His friends and family will at least know he’s alive.

And that he’s abandoning them.

He shakes his head roughly. No thoughts like that. They’re worthless. He’s home now, and Albinea is not so hospitable that he can slack off like he does at Garreg Mach. He needs to take care of himself and run free, so that he can survive. He will not shackle himself with worthless thoughts.

“Well… this is it,” Anna, Fódlander Anna, says. “I’ll see you again. Right?”

Veery fiddles with the hem of his cloak. “I hope so,” he says honestly. “I don’t know when, but I’ll… try to make it back to Fódlan someday. This is my home, but… I think I’d be sad to never see Fódlan again.”

Anna smiles. “My sister will help you get there, if you don’t run through all our profits by then.”

Veery snorts. “No offense to your sister, but I seriously doubt I’ll be seeing her nearly as much as I saw you.”

Albinean Anna laughs. “None taken! The trek to here from the wilds isn’t even close to going into town from the monastery. I’d be surprised if I saw you more than once every few months. Still, I’ve got a good memory. Don’t ever hesitate to drop by – any friend of my sister’s is a friend of mine. Maybe you can do some work for me for a change?”

Veery chuckles. “If you need my help and I’m around, I don’t see why not.”

Fódlander Anna giggles. “Well, I’m sure we’ll see each other again. Keep an eye out for me when you come to Fódlan next. Otherwise, I’ll keep my sister updated on the war, so if you’re curious how things are going over there, you just come back and ask her.”

Veery nods. “Thank you. Information on Fódlan will be hard to come by alone in the wilds.”

“Tell me about it.” Anna shakes her head. “Well, time is money. I have a little more business here, then I’m heading back to Fódlan.”

Veery looks between the two sisters for a moment and slowly turns away. “Stay safe, Anna.”

Anna grins, grabs her sister, and heads back into town.

Veery turns to the forest, warming from the onset of spring. He shifts and begins his journey deep into the wilds, where he will be alone. Alone, and free.

It’s easy to forget, when he is surrounded by people and walls, the easy simplicity of simply picking a direction and wandering. Veery has no true destination. The agell lie to the north, the humans to the east and south, but beyond that Albinea is home to only the wildlife.

Of course, bears pose a threat even to him, and neither are moose safe. The agell likely won’t be eager if he accidentally wanders into their territories, either. All the same, that’s just… natural. It’s no towering wall, but respect and caution and a well-trained survival instinct. It’s not a cage.

How strange. Now that Veery is finally home, he sees everything so differently. He grows up in these wilds, yet he doesn’t make these comparisons when he goes to Fódlan, but rather when he comes back.

He can’t honestly say that he doesn’t realize how oppressive the humans’ towering walls are until now, but it’s only now that he’s home that he really and truly appreciates not having them. It’s like something heavy weighing over him lifts, and he can finally let loose.

Every standard, every pair of eyes watching him, scrutinizing him. Every lesson on etiquette and every rule of Garreg Mach’s culture. It’s all stripped away with those walls. He runs because he can, he jumps because he can. He romps and plays and laughs alone because no one can possibly judge him, because doing so cannot possibly injure someone else.

And he travels, a day and a night of hunting and living and generally moving northwest, towards the mountains and then following their spine more directly north, and away from the coast he arrives on.

And then he finds a nice enough place and roars.

A roar of dominion, of righteous assertion that he is home, no matter what anyone has to say about it. Veery roars to carve his place into Albinea once more. To mark his territory, and his right to roam through it.

He’s home. He belongs here, and he roars it to the heavens to stake his claim to even the gods.

Panting, he quiets down, laughing to himself with a kind of childish glee. Roars like that are something that, for the past year, he reserves only for battle. The humans in Garreg Mach would panic immediately if he were to stand and roar like this, but now that he’s home, he can roar to his heart’s content. Oh, how he misses simply roaring! It’s a simple pleasure, to unapologetically assert oneself to the land, sky, and sea, but it’s a great one.

Veery pauses, turning his ears and tilting his head. Yes, there. Another roar. Another agell! Veery may not jump for joy to go and meet them, but he can’t deny that he’s filled with a warmth and peace to hear another agell after so long. He’s aware that they face none of the threats he does in Fódlan, only the typical Albinean ones, but even so to have confirmation that they yet live is… remarkable.

Ha, they are curious. Of course, they are. Veery has no idea if this agell knows who he is or where he comes from. It’s understandably rare to have a new neighbor that comes up from the south rather than down from the north. And if they do recognize Veery at all, they likely are surprised that he is not dead.

Frankly, he’s surprised that he is not dead.

But no. He’s faster, stronger, smarter, and has a collection of new scars mapping out his mistakes, but he is not dead.

He’s home. He’s home! By the gods, he’s home! He can sit content here forever, if only the sun would stop turning in the sky.

Alas, the world keeps moving as it always does. It is not the callous indifference of the world that keeps it going no matter how much any individual may wish for it to stop, but a reminder that he is not the only one living in this world. To stop the world would stop everyone, so the world keeps moving.

And so does Veery.

It is a warm day. In the bright, blue weeks during which the sun turns in the sky but does not hide from view, agell roar notice of gathering, stories, and celebration.

Veery, the hermit that he is, does not typically partake in such events. He attends perhaps half of all gatherings, and then only to hear the histories from the elders. There is no oath or creed that obligates his attendance, but most agell show up more often than not. At the very least, they act like they do.

This year, however, when Veery hears the gathering-roars, he travels north to the usual meeting place. An ancient agell ruin, not all that dissimilar to Zanado, save for the fact that it is in the flatlands west of the mountains rather than in them, with the earth itself crumbling out from under it.

Echoes of Zanado linger in Veery’s memory. The Red Canyon. The tragedy that befalls it, once upon a time. Veery knows how terrible a sight it must have been, after fighting and living through the battle for Garreg Mach. Red blood and red flames consume all. Veery pauses as he walks, staring at his own paw, hating its color.

It’s not the first time he wishes he were different, but such wishes are unwise to linger on. He should not worry himself overmuch with things that cannot be changed. He can control his behavior, to an extent his experiences, and with care the status of his mind, but he cannot change his coat of fur save to shed it all and die in the cold.

How funny, to think that his jasper fur could fit in so well under Adrestia’s banner. But appearance does not define allegiance. Circumstances as they are, there is simply no way that Veery can support Edelgard. Even if she is a friend.

Veery honestly does not know if any fondness remains in her heart for him. He won’t be surprised if there is none. But as for himself, his heart still hurts to think of her. He cares for her still, and so to support, even distantly in no significant way, what will ultimately end in her demise does pain him.

But he has other things to concern himself with. He is no longer in Fódlan. His life is here, in his home, and so he must build that life. It will be good to hear the songs of the elders again. It’s… nostalgic even to think of it. It is so difficult to think that he is only gone from Albinea for a single year.

“Is that you, Veery?” A familiar voice, one that dominates what little of Veery’s childhood is spent listening to others speak. What’s more, it’s in his own language. Veery hears the roars for some time now, but hearing this spoken tongue feels like coming home all over again. “It’s been too long. When you did not show yourself for so long, we feared the worst.”

Veery smiles. “Affah. It’s… good to see you.”

Old Affah chuckles, patting Veery’s shoulder with a familiarity that, despite the part of him that appreciates the gesture – the welcome – Veery is not prepared for and shies away from. Veery shying from touch and people is nothing new to someone who knows him as well as Affah, however, so all he gets in response is another laugh. “You’ve grown,” Affah says sagely. “You are stronger than you were the last time I saw you. With a different air about you… something new in your eye.”

Veery sighs. Veery knows he doesn’t hide his emotions well, and he knows he will have to answer these questions. All the same, he isn’t looking forward to it. Still, it’s why he’s here. He must face the agell eventually. Postponing it won’t do him any good. He needs to know if he’s even… If he’s welcome anymore, after his time among the humans. “Yes,” Veery agrees. “I’ve experienced much this past year.”

Affah hums. “Perhaps this time you will be the one to tell the stories, then, hm? Or will you beg me once more for a song you’ve heard a thousand times?”

“I always was the best listener you had at these gatherings, Affah. Don’t act like you don’t appreciate it.”

“Ha! And you’ve even grown a wit! Mind you don’t get carried away, though, little cub. Come. You will tell me of your growth. Whatever makes little Veery into such a strong warrior is surely a tale worth shutting my old trap for.”

“It’s a long tale, Affah,” Veery says, following the old cat through the crumbling walls. “I’m not sure I know how to tell it all.”

“You disappoint me!” Affah chides affectionately. “Any cub who listens so intently to my old yowling can only grow into an unmatched storyteller. Pick up a drum. Tell your tale. I will listen to you for a change.”

“You, and you alone.” Veery frowns, watching the other agell note his presence. There is curiosity, of course, but also suspicion. Veery has always been a little too close to the humans. He doubts many here don’t know where he’s been for the past year – at least not now that they know he’s alive. There aren’t exactly many places to go. He is either within agell territory or in human territory. “Or have you not figured out where I’ve been this past year?”

Affah pauses his shuffling for a moment to scowl. “The humans, I suspect,” Affah says simply. “And yet you come back to us. I would hear this tale, that I might know who you are now.”

Veery bites his lip, withering under the serious gazes of Affah and all the other watching agell. “Affah…”

“I have known you since you were a tiny cub, Veery,” Affah says slowly. “I have long wished to see you hold your head high and show the true strength of your heart. You have some way to go yet, but the one speaking to me now is not the same Veery who I saw last. I want to know just how the humans have changed you.”

Veery gulps down the lump in his throat. Despite everything, and even though Veery does not regret going to Fódlan, he does feel as if he has betrayed the agell. After all the warnings, all the lessons, he discards them all to carve his own fate. It’s a miracle he’s alive, and it feels disrespectful to face Affah now, having thrown half of his lessons into an avalanche.

Even so… “You’re soft, old man.” A cutting voice pierces the gathering. Affah raises a patient brow, only smiling at the interjection. “No one should listen to the words of a taguel.” The cat is large, easily the side of Raphael – quite a bit bigger than Veery – and in the height of his strength. His hulking figure bears battle-scars on display, obviously from both human weaponry and agell tooth and claw.

Veery immediately sinks into readiness. Outwardly, he doesn’t show much, but he prepares himself just in case, waiting for this offended agell to try something more physical.

“The traitorous runt should run back to the humans. He’s not welcome here.”

Affah shakes his head sadly. “You are too eager, Hoarvug. We do not yet know Veery’s tale.”

“There’s no need,” Hoarvug says. “The whelp’s brain is addled. He chased the furless dastards and got burned. Now he crawls back here with their poison on his lips to do their bidding like the good pet he is.”

Pet? Ugh. It’s not an unexpected insult, but it’s one that stings nonetheless. It’s true that Veery pledges himself to Claude, and that Veery will honor that pledge should Claude call on him, but finding family is far different than being a human’s pet.

Though, the argument that he is simply being played for a fool, and manipulated rather than forced into servitude, is not an unsound one. Claude is clever enough for it, and Veery gullible enough. The question is a matter of if Claude would do such a thing. Veery does not want to suspect it, and he does not believe it, but it is something that nags at him from the moment he begins getting close to Claude.

Hoarvug picks at the wound of an old doubt, and it hurts.

“You’re always causing trouble, Hoarvug.” A young woman approaches, shaking her head. Her tail lashes as she glares at Hoarvug. “We should rejoice that one of our own has come back alive and whole.”

“Rejoice!” Hoarvug guffaws. “He is not one of us, Sadi! He’s taguel! He’s a disgrace to our proud people, a traitor who sympathizes with our enemy!”

“He has not even said why he approached the humans in the first place.” Sadi scowls. “Judge him after we know his story.”

“I will not listen to the words of a taguel,” Hoarvug growls. “And you would be wise to stay out of this. Unless you mean to join him licking at the human’s boots?”

Sadi huffs. “Your pride will be the death of you. Veery, is it? I’ve seen you before, but I do not believe we’ve talked.”

Veery shuffles in place awkwardly. “I’m… not much of a talker.”

Sadi giggles. “Yes, I remember. I only ever saw you creeping along the edges of our gatherings or listening to Affah’s tales. But from what I do remember, you are not the same cat that left us a year ago.”

Hoarvug curls his lip. “Do not debase yourself, Sadi. There are more than enough true agell to sire your children. It’s disgusting to think someone like you would consider a traitor.”

“Ugh. Speak to me like that again, and I will ensure that you are no longer capable of siring.”

“You’re welcome to try!” Hoarvug laughs. “That’s your charm!”

“Unfortunately, you have no charm.” Sadi shakes her head. “I would listen to Veery’s story, if he would sing it for us.”

“He will not!” Hoarvug growls, serious again. “I refuse to allow him to poison the rest of us. Taguel have no right to speak here.”

“There is no right to speak for anyone,” Affah says patiently. “We are a free people, who speak as we please.”

“But taguel are chained to their human masters,” Hoarvug sneers. “He can run back to his. Bring them here, so they might grant him permission. If we do not kill them first.”

“You are the only one causing trouble here, Hoarvug!” Sadi hisses. “Sheathe your claws before you embarrass yourself.”

Hoarvug laughs loud and full. “I am not the one who will embarrass myself. Watch me, Sadi. I will show you the strength of a true agell.” He narrows his eyes at Veery. “You! Taguel! You will fight me here. If you mean to call yourself agell, then prove your strength! Show me that your human masters have not dulled your claws!”

Sadi groans. Affah chuckles. “My, my… Hoarvug has always been a bit hotheaded. I wonder how this will go…”

Great. Already someone wants to fight him. “I have no interest in fighting,” Veery says dully.

“And I have no interest in the words of a cowardly runt,” Hoarvug says. “Shift and face me or run back to the humans. If you don’t prove your strength, your words fall on deaf ears, taguel.”

Veery shakes his head, almost disbelieving of the absurdity. “And if I defeat you in battle, that makes me worth listening to? Do you think with your claws?”

Sadi snorts. “Unfortunately, yes. Sorry, Veery, but I don’t think he’s going to let this go.”

“Of course, I’m not!” Hoarvug shouts. “I will not let anyone break our pride!”

Veery sighs. “And your pride is so fragile that you must gore everything it encounters.”

“Shift or flee, coward. Your words mean nothing!”

Once upon a time, this would terrify Veery. Hoarvug is no small agell. He has Veery beat in size and strength easily. His impressive golden mane fits him like a crown, and he is every bit as aggressive and dangerous as most fear from a cat his size.

But Veery faces down demonic beasts. Wolves and hawks and twisted, demented dragons more than double Hoarvug’s size. Veery bloodies his claws in the flames of Remire and Garreg Mach. He faces down the black beast in Conand Tower, the Death Knight, Solon, Kronya, and Edelgard herself. One proud, boastful cat does not scare Veery. Not anymore.

“Fine, then,” Veery says. “I’m not a people person, but even I would rather not avoid these gatherings forever. I can see that this is going to have to happen sooner or later, so we may as well do this now.”

“Ha!” Hoarvug laughs. “And here I expected you to run. Good, then! Show me that your humans haven’t shackled you! If you’re still a true agell, show me that your time away has strengthened you, runt!”

Veery sighs heavily. “Why do I feel like you’re more interested in fighting than any of this pride business?”

Hoarvug grins from ear to ear, already dropping low, tail thrashing. “I remember you too, you know. You’re the little ghost of a cub, always skulking about. I speak true about the honor of the agell, but I do admit to liking that look in your eyes. You’re a warrior now. I can tell. Show me your heart, taguel, so I know whether you’re one of us, or if I should rip it from your chest. Either way, I’m going to enjoy this.”

Hoarvug shifts, and surprisingly, in this form, Veery does recognize him. It’s not as if Veery has ever spoken to him, of course. As he says, before going to Fódlan, Veery is little more than a frightened cub avoiding everyone but the elders at story time. It wasn’t necessarily out of fear rather than his own solitary nature, but this hulking golden cat, loud and self-important and proud, definitely did scare him. Back then, Hoarvug scared him enough to stand out enough that Veery remembers even now.

How strange. Veery can see Hoarvug’s thick muscles, his massive teeth, and his razor-sharp claws, but frankly, though she’s just a small girl, Edelgard scares him far more. It feels strange to confront that fact, but it’s not that surprising. Strength alone does not win a fight. Perhaps even more important is how he fights, and what he is willing to do to come out on top. Edelgard will sacrifice anything to achieve her goals. That makes her far more dangerous than someone like Hoarvug, who is in this mostly just to show off his own strength.

Very well, then. This is happening. Veery shifts, readying himself for battle.

Hoarvug pounces first, impatient to draw blood. Veery slips around him and slashes at his flank, but Hoarvug is fast for such a large cat and manages to dodge it.

This entire fight is stupid. Pointless. If he can, Veery wants to end it quickly. There is no need to prolong idiocy.

Alas, Hoarvug’s pride in his strength is not without merit. As they clash, he proves that handily. As if he weighs nothing, Hoarvug lifts Veery from the ground and tosses him about, battering the air from his lungs. Veery land hard on his back when Hoarvug throws him, but even breathless, Veery sees Hoarvug’s pounce, meaning to land atop him and crush him.

Veery has no time to roll to his feet and out of Hoarvug’s way, but he does have time to meet Hoarvug with his claws.

Hoarvug lands hard, and his longer reach leaves Veery with a stinging muzzle from Hoarvug’s claws, but Veery still snarls and pushes with all his might. He may not be as big as Hoarvug, but he is no weakling. He kicks Hoarvug off of him flipping him over his head onto his own back and freeing Veery to rise to his feet.

What a pain. Veery winces, tasting his own blood as it drips down across his lips. Nothing will be gained from allowing an opponent stronger than him to control the tide of battle. Veery rushes in, pouncing the moment before Hoarvug stabilizes his own footing, and tackles him off his feet once more.

Hoarvug hits the ground and Veery jumps into the air to come down on top of him. Hoarvug brings his legs up to guard, but Veery twists his body around and lands with his front paws directly on Hoarvug’s throat. The stun gives Veery enough time and space to duck away from the dangerous claws and come back from a different angle, this time to get Hoavug’s throat in Veery’s jaws.

Coughing and spluttering, Hoarvug nonetheless rolls and draws back. Veery’s teeth scrape golden fur, catching a broad ear and clamping down. Hoarvug pulls back hard, so Veery digs his claws into the earth and yanks right back. The feeling of tearing through Hoarvug’s ear is visceral, almost chilling, but Veery snarls as his teeth pierce skin and rip a jagged line through, rending a piece from Hoarvug entirely.

Both cats stand bloodied, wounds littering their bodies, but Veery still has an advantage. Hoarvug doesn’t quite catch his breath, and if Veery waits too long, that will change. He does not allow a standoff. Instead, he darts in.

Hoarvug lifts up, showing off his full size and preparing to come down on Veery. Veery is fast, though. When he sees Hoarvug lift himself up, he pushes himself harder, not willing to let the opportunity pass. He leaps, catching Hoarvug in the chest just as he comes to the peak of his rise, pushing Hoarvug further up than he intends. With Hoarvug’s own strength helping Veery overcome him, Veery is more than strong enough to knock Hoarvug back so that he falls over his own tail.

Veery stays close, too. Too close for Hoarvug’s longer limbs to get between them and claw out Veery’s guts. They fall together, Veery landing on Hoarvug, and Veery crawls up, unwilling to rise to put nearly any space between their bodies, forces Hoarvug’s chin upwards with one small leap and a heavy paw, and closes his jaws around Hoarvug’s neck.

He doesn’t bite down hard. Veery has no interest in killing Hoarvug. Still, he bites firmly, so that Hoarvug feels it and does not struggle. And he does not.

Instead, Hoarvug laughs.

When Hoarvug shifts back, Veery backs off of him, scowling. Why is he laughing? Is Veery dealing with another weirdo like the Death Knight? Hoarvug laughs still and throws his arms out wide. “I’ve lost! Ha! I knew you were different, Veery, but I never expected you’d actually beat me! Good fight! I’ll be feeling that for days!”

Veery shifts back wincing at the stinging of his nose and upper lip. Stupid, pointless battle and the stupid, pointless injuries because of it.

“I’m as good as my word,” Hoarvug says far too jovially for someone bleeding as much as he is (and with part of his ear missing, no less). “Your time with the humans has turned you into a warrior worth listening to. I’ll hear your story.”

Veery blinks, still not following his logic at all. “…Thanks?”

Hoarvug hooks an arm over Veery’s shoulders, cackling. “I want to hear about all your battles! Tell us of your scars! A warrior like you has earned the right to boast of your strength.”

Sadi comes in quickly, shoving Hoarvug off of Veery and frowning at his wounds. “Don’t mind him,” Sadi says. “He’s an idiot. You’ll tell your story after we take care of these wounds.”

“Sadi!” Hoarvug complains. “We’re battle-flushed warriors! Let him enjoy his victory before ordering him around like a cub.”

“I thought you didn’t even like me.” Veery frowns.

“But you’ve impressed me in battle!” Hoarvug roars. “You’ve scarred me, and I you, and we are bonded in blood now and forever!”

Bonded in blood… does he mean what Veery thinks he means? Because you don’t just throw that kind of bond on someone. To be together in that way, in the most explicit sense, is to war together as a single unit, sometimes even sharing hearts on the battlefield. (In fact, some definitions have that act as the meaning of the bond, despite it generally having a broader meaning of simply facing struggle as a single power, whether that struggle is as violent as war or not.) It’s also considered something for life, like the kind of bond between a couple who would raise a cub together. It’s way too intense for barely knowing each other, not to mention, that kind of bond is supposed to be from fighting together against a mutual enemy, not each other.

And yet the way he’s talking…

What a weirdo. Still… “Speaking of which, do you want me to heal that ear of yours?” Veery asks. “You might pass out if you don’t at least tend to it.”

“Don’t worry about me, battle-brother!” That word, in Ancient, only has one meaning. He does mean it. Gods above. At least it’s the prospective form of the word, rather than the established. “You’ve felt how tough I am. A scratch like this won’t ruin my celebration!��� Hoarvug grins wildly, uncaring how his ear continues to bleed profusely.

Veery sighs. He’s not even going to try to process whatever Hoarvug is saying. “Well… don’t say I didn’t warn you. As for me…” He touches his face gently wincing from the sting of it. He has a collection of other new little scars from this battle, but wounds on the head and face always bleed a lot and the others aren’t that deep, so he should probably tend to this one first.

Sadi frowns. “What do you mean to heal him?” she asks. “You’ve bitten off a part of his ear – that doesn’t heal.”

Veery shrugs. “Well… no, I wouldn’t fill in the part that got torn off. But…” He hesitates, eyeing her, Hoarvug, Affah, and the others watching warily. If he tells his tale in full, they’ll learn anyway, and he’d rather not spend the rest of the night bleeding, so… He sighs. “In Fódlan, where I went for this past year, the humans have healing magic.” Sadi’s eyes widen. “I’m… strangely not too bad at it. I can at least close these wounds. Stop the bleeding.”

“Human magics?” Hoarvug frowns.

Sadi knits her brow warily as well. “I’m not sure about that… that sounds dangerous.”

Veery shakes his head. “It’s… kind of weird, I admit, but I’ve been doing it for a while now. Watch.” He reaches up to his face and heals the scratches there. It’s not that bad, all things considered, but it’s severe enough that when he’s finished with it there are still noticeable scars. Not the ugly, raised, jagged scars around Veery’s upper arm or stomach, but scars, nonetheless.

Affah approaches, examining Veery’s face closely. “The humans taught you their magic? Hm… I have heard of this magic before… the humans call it Faith if I am not mistaken. I did not think it possible for an agell to use it.”

“Neither did I,” Veery says. “Turns out there are a lot of lies about it, spread by the ones in charge to stop it from becoming widespread.” He shrugs. “It’s a control thing. I met the one in charge over there and she was… well, it’s a control thing.”

Hoarvug snorts. “That sounds like humans. Still, I can acknowledge you as a warrior, but… adopting even the human’s magic…”

Veery smiles. “Magic that benefits me,” he says. “And by extension the agell. Being able to heal like this has saved many human lives. Why shouldn’t it save ours? Simply because it’s a human invention?”

“You have a point,” Sadi admits. “Such easy healing is miraculous, assuming it comes with no drawbacks.”

Veery shrugs. “Everything has a cost, but nothing major. If I overuse magic, I could… burn out. If it gets too bad, it’s dangerous for me. But small things like this are nothing of note.”

Hoarvug narrows his eyes at Veery, frowning intensely. “Show me this magic of yours.” He gestures to his ear. “I’ve no fear of human magics; I want to experience this for myself.”

Veery blinks. “Uh… sure.” He steps forward, fondling Horvug’s ear gently and working on mending it. The part bitten off will still leave a large, jagged hole taken out of the ear, but the surrounding flesh scars over, knitting together under Veery’s attention.

Hoarvug closes his eyes as Veery works, frowning. “It’s… warm… but I sense no twisted poison.”

“Of course not,” Veery says. “Actually, I can clear poison with this magic.”

“I still don’t trust it,” Hoarvug says, crossing his arms as he backs away once Veery is finished. He still has a number of bleeding cuts, but Veery doesn’t think he’ll be healing those. “But you and I are bonded through battle-blood, so I will tolerate it, so long as it is yours.”

Uh… wow. Veery has no idea how to respond to that. This guy that hates humans so much is surprisingly accepting. Veery can tell he’s a huge weirdo, especially given the whole… sudden prospective life partner thing… but his standards are absolutely baffling. Veery can’t read him at all.

“What?” Hoarvug says, seeing how all three of them are looking at him. “Veery proved his worth in battle. He’s a true agell, despite his time with the humans.”

A true agell, huh? Veery sees some of the looks that the surrounding agell give him, and he wonders about that. Still, if Hoarvug acknowledges him, then he’s getting somewhere.

Sadi huffs. “Perhaps you should tell your story, if you’ve the energy for it after your fight. I think understanding your tale better will help us understand… you.”

“A fine idea,” Affah says. “If no more bold cubs wish to interrupt, now is the perfect time to pick up your drum, Veery.”

Ah, right. He still needs to do that. Veery sighs. “Yes… that’s a good idea.” He thinks back to his year in Fódlan, everything he learns about the humans, all the friends, the family, and enemies he makes along the way.

How can he possibly share everything? Still, he picks up a drum, pockets himself away where the storytelling usually occurs, and begins to sing.

It is the story of him, so naturally, it is a story of fear. A fear so great that he braves humans and the unknown in a desperate, hopeless struggle to escape it. It’s a story about doubt and distrust and helplessness, of reliance on the goodwill of people he knows will kill him, of surviving in a world not meant for him.

It’s a story of learning, of curiosity, of bonding over tales and relief over honesty. Veery sings of the humans he meets in battle, of the one who makes the split-second decision to save his life with no context of who or what he is. He sings of the humans who teach him, of Sylvain, Leonie, Lysithea, Lorenz, and the professors. He sings of those who protect him, of Mercedes, Dimitri… he cannot sing of each name and specific event, but he can sing of surprise and wariness and disbelief, and of the open rage, the patient denouncement, and the eager assistance.

It’s not hard to cast himself, in his mind, back in time to Garreg Mach. In the academy grounds, in peaceful days, before everything terrible happens.

Then he is stabbed through the gut from behind, and the humans go out of their way to save him, despite his survival looking bleak. They teach him, because he cannot fight and because one human looks at him, sees potential rather than an enemy, and encourages his growth. They care for him despite having no reason to. Despite him not trusting them in the slightest.

And that is when things change. It is hard not to bond with people who save his life, even if they do ultimately plan to use him or skin him for his fur. They are unfailingly kind to him. They fight with him, they support him. When things get bad – really bad – they walk through nightmares side by side and come out the other end.

Veery sings of battle, of trust, and of family. He sings of agell history uncovered, and of the humans who help him uncover it. He sings of discovery, of dragons, of gods, and of flying.

And then he sings of betrayal. He sings of betrayal, resolve, loss, and returning home alone.

He hopes everyone is okay. He doesn’t know. He likely won’t know. He can ask, he has someone he can ask, but it may be a year or more before he does. He can’t help but sing of hopes and dreams, of Arcadia, which he and his human family dream of.

He stops, panting, and sets down his drum. Affah sits rock-still, head bowed, face obscured by long, grey hair. Sadi hugs herself, shaking her head slightly as she screws her eyes shut and sighs. A collection of other agell, who stop to hear his story, vary from disgust to anger to open weeping to resignation. Not all in his favor.

Hoarvug stands and approaches Veery. He takes Veery’s face into his huge hands, presses their foreheads together, and says, “My battle-brother. I do not understand you, but I understand that you have fought and struggled. I do not agree with you, but I know the bond forged on the battlefield that you share with those humans. I do not trust your war-brothers, but I would trust you.”

“Hoarvug…?” Veery blinks, unsure what to make of this display, or if he should even tolerate it. It’s weird, and now he’s adding the possessive to his title for Veery. The possessive, in Ancient, when referring to another cat, is affectionate, like calling a partner their boyfriend or girlfriend, or even some pet name in Common.

Hoarvug grins, not backing away in the slightest. If anything, he grips Veery’s head tighter. In his golden eyes is a manic glee that Veery doesn’t understand at all. “I hear your tale of battle, and I believe you to be the truest agell warrior I know. You have walked into the flames of Chaos and come home alive, and that…” he shakes Veery a little, “that is what a warrior does.”

[imthebadguyyy]

Loved your first fic of Lewis!💛

Can you make one where Lewis Hamilton and Y/N have a fight and have been living separately and then Lewis comes to meet Y/N one evening and makes an excuse that his toothbrush is with Y/N? And then Lewis confronts Y/N that he knows Y/N still love him but won't admit?

..

* I know this is a very specific prompt. Bare with me. I just wanted more Angst/ Fluff with Longing for each other and Deep feelings and keep it Non-explicit. *

A/N - I'm so glad you liked the fic 😊

We're Meant To Be

Pairing - Lewis Hamilton x Reader (female)

Fandom - F1

Summary - After a messy fight, you don't know where your relationship stands. But when love is that strong, an argument can't stand in the way.

Warnings - Angst, fighting, swearing

Angered shouts. Tears of frustration. White noise. Desperate pleads. And then silence. That's what your neighbours would describe if they were asked to describe what they had heard from your house. An argument that seemed to have started over nothing, had blown up into a full scale fight. When had it become this bad? Only yesterday, you two had had a date night at home, with movies and wine. Everything was perfect. But then, suddenly everything seemed to go down a downward spiral.

Your relationship with your boyfriend had always been calm, it had been the type of love where you just loved each other with all your hearts, where fights were an incredibly rare appearance. You were both working, and he was away at races most of the time, so usually, you didn't waste time fighting, something that was an unnecessary waste of time in your opinion. But then, something had just switched for a second. It was after the race in Baku, and it hadn't gone well. Lewis had been heartbroken, after coming P15, and had heavily berated himself for it. To make him feel better, you had taken a couple of days off work. to just be with him and give him company to feel better.

It had been on the third day of you spending time with him that he had made an offhand comment that had struck a nerve with you. "I wish you could be there at race weekends more often. It's like you don't care enough about the races" The comment had pissed you off, to put it lightly. "What do you mean, I don't care about the races? I watch all of them Lewis, I'm always supporting you" you had practically seethed at him. "Don't get all huffy, darling, all I'm saying is that the other girlfriends and wives come quite often, but you only come to like three races a year" he had said, already regretting his words. "Maybe that's because I have a job?! I work for my living, and I love my job. I don't have time to fly around the world to accompany you to your races, and its damn hard to get leave off of work anyway, I was lucky to even get a week off of work, and you want me to be there every weekend? It's not possible for a working person, Lewis" you had said, anger bubbling in your voice, pulling away from him to sit up straight. "I know, I just meant-" "No, I know what you meant. I'm sorry I can't always be there, and don't you think I feel bad when I can't be there for you ?" "I know you do, I shouldn't have brought this up. But can you come for the next race?" He had asked, not looking at your eyes, regretting the answer. "I... can't. I have a really big meeting coming up and-" "And you can't come I get it"

And he had just left. You had felt your heart shatter, hating yourself for being so harsh with him. But it was true, you were a very hardworking person, and you had worked damn hard to get to where you were, successful at your job, one of the best in your field. It took years of hard work and perseverance and you were proud of it. But a part of you also knew that Lewis didn't deserve any of the crap you had given him, and you also knew that he was right, the other guys had their partners to support them during various race weekends, and you only showed up to one or two of them. He was well in his rights to tell you that. And you hated how it had ended.

You all alone, in your house, in a cold and empty bed, in a quiet house with silence that was much, much more deafening than words ever could be. It was heartbreaking, to see a future you had dreamed of just shattering in front of your eyes, dreams of having a family of your own with him fluttering away like wisps of smoke, the burning flames leaving only a heartbroken mess of a human being behind. Was that what it felt like? To be burned and left to turn to ashes, when a person that knew exactly how to ignite your flame just left you to burn away? To have someone who could ignite your all consuming passion, and turn you to putty in his hands, who could mould you back into shape, leave you to melt into a liquid through his fingers to just lay on the ground, a sad, broken, person.

And here you were, lying on your bed, the sheets that had warmed the both of you on cold nights, or been home to your pleasure laced activities now offering only some of the warmth it used to, cold and unforgiving, as you turned your pillow for the fifteenth time, neither side cool anymore. Even the pillow didn't want to forgive you, the sweat settling in on your neck again, beads of sweat running down your forehead again. The pulled curtains shielded you from the over bright sunshine, your damp hair sticking to your shoulders and neck. Your eyes, red rimmed and tired, shut to protect them from the faint light in the room, the tiredness not permitting you to even open them to look in the dim light of your room.

Somewhere near you, your phone buzzed again, for what felt like the hundredth time in three days. It had been three days, three long, painful days since you and Lewis had fought and not seen each other, and those 72 hours had ripped a part of your soul out. You had spent those three days in bed, your leave days still saving you from getting out of bed and dragging your body to office. Was your relationship over? Were you never going to meet the love of your life, the man you were destined to be with again? Sighing, you rolled over, pushing the damp strands of hair away from your face. Using strength you didn't know you had, you pulled yourself up, feeling your head spin.

Slowly, you made yourself walk into the kitchen, grabbing a piece of bread and popping it into the toaster. Then you splashed some water on your tired face, shuffling over to the bathroom to brush your teeth. After finishing your toast, you peeled off the sweaty shirt you had pulled on when he had left, realising with a pang that it was Lewis's nightshirt you were wearing, a purple one he loved. Dropping it into the laundry basket, you turned on the shower, stepping under the warm shower. The warm spray untangled the knots in your matted hair, as you soaped your body and hair, fresh tears rolling down your cheeks as memories of your showers together with Lewis came flooding back, as heartbroken sobs wracked your form again.

An hour after the not so great shower, you found yourself in another shirt belonging to Lewis, the bed in fresh sheets and covers, your pillow finally cool on both sides. You were clean and refreshed, albeit heartbroken, waiting on your takeout Chinese food and ice cream. Just as you lay there, scrolling through your Netflix account to watch some episode of FRIENDS to help you keep your spirits up, the doorbell rang. The thought of flavourful Chinese food and ice cream was enough to lure you out of your bed again, bare feet padding across the wooden floor to go to the door. You grabbed your wallet, opening the door, to find not your dinner, but Lewis, at the door, in one of your favourite sweatshirts on him. Did the clothes make you feel better? No. In fact, it just shattered your heart further.

"What are you doing here?" was the predictable line that left your lips. "I um, I left my toothbrush at your place. Can I have it back?"

"I beg your pardon? You left your toothbrush? You came back for a toothbrush, but not for me? Is that all I mean to you?!" you said, anger and a hint of sadness creeping into your tone. "You do mean a lot to me" he replied in a sigh. "Look, I didn't actually leave my toothbrush. That was a lie, and wow, I'm just realising how stupid that sounded, I'm sorry" His words were met with silence. The sadness in your eyes said it all. You were upset. Of course you were. "I don't have any toothbrushes except mine, so please leave" Before you could shut the door in his face, he pushed it back open, stepping into the house on his own.

"No do not come in here, please just get out!"

"No" was his frustrating reply. "What do you mean no? I said get out of my house!" "Not until we stop fighting and talk about what the hell happened!" Lewis yelled back, matching your tone. "Why the hell do you care?!" "Because I still love you damn it, I always have, and this stupid fight cannot, and should not break us apart!"

Your burst into tears. Sliding down against the wall, you buried your face in your hands, the sweatshirt arms covering your face as you sobbed. In an instant, Lewis was walking across to you, strong muscled arms wrapping around your shaking frame. "I'm sorry" you managed to blubber out, "I thought it over, and I don't go to support as often as I feel I should, and I'm sorry"

"No my darling, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all that to you. You work so hard baby, and I'm so proud of you. And I know that you try to come whenever you can, and I love you so much for that. I'm sorry, and I never shouldv'e asked you to prioritize my passion over yours" rubbing your shoulders softly, he let his chin rest on top of yours. Sniffling, you let your head rest on his shoulder. The soft hiccups that left your lips broke his heart even further, something he hadn't thought possible.

The last 3 days had been pure hell for him. He had missed you, God, he had missed you. He had missed having you in his bed in the morning, tracing patterns on your bare skin. He had missed leaving kisses on your soft cheeks and hands and on your cute nose, missed smiling against your skin as you giggled. He had missed you playing with Roscoe, the doggo following the both of you around the house. Even Roscoe had missed you, sniffing around the house for your familiar smell, cocking his ears up and looking at his dad questioningly.

He had missed your perfume, the scent filling his senses, intoxicating him in the best way possible. He missed you curling up to him, playing with his hair or tracing his tattoos, leaving little kisses around the compass tattoo, tracing his 'Still I Rise' tattoo, missing the goosebumps that would rise on his skin when you traced Michelangelo's Pieta on his skin, and kissed the family and faith tattoos on his sternum. He missed you everywhere, and it had taken three days for him to realize that your presence grounded him. Your presence was something he needed, not to survive, he had done that before, he needed you for his happiness.

And having you in his arms, crying over what he had said? It shattered his heart. And he wanted to just fix everything, to bring everything back to normal. Stroking your hair softly, he kept his lips pressed to your ear, whispering soft "I love you's" and "I'm so sorry baby's" and "I'm here for you's" into your ear, feeling his heart lighten ever so softly when your sniffles decreased and your grip on yourself relaxed.

Moving up to meet his eyes, you moved so you were at eye level with him. "So we're both idiots who are sorry?" You murmured, running your hand up to his collarbone. With a soft laugh, he nodded taking your hand into his, rubbing his thumb over yours. "Fighting sucks" he mumbled pushing a stray strand of hair behind your ear. "It really does" your replied, moving so you were straddling his waist. "Let's never do that again, and let's just make a schedule. We can figure out when you can come and visit me, and I'll just deal with the fact that my ethereal girlfriend won't grace the race tracks every race weekend-" "It all sounds lovely but all I want right now is your lips on mine" you interrupted, bringing a smirk to his lips.

Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to yours, hand moving to maneuver your head closer to his, your hands moving up to cup his cheek, as your traced his jawline, his thumb running over your waist. Breaking apart softly, he let his forehead rest on yours. "I love you" he whispered softly. "I love you too" you mumbled back. Before he could lean back in, the doorbell rang again.

"Damn it. That's my chinese food and ice cream" you sighed, smiling when he laughed. "Was it that bad?" He asked, letting you get up to open the door. "Like you wouldn't believe it"

After getting the food and paying for it, you set two plates on the table and put enough on your plates. "You know what the worst part was about fighting?" "What was?" "Not waking up to you tracing my tattoos" "Aww that's what you missed?" You giggled, walking up to kiss the tattoos on his hands. "I really did. You're cute and adorable and you're all mine. That's why I don't wanna fight. Let's keep it that way" "I love you so much" "I love you too"

***

A/N - I'm so, so sorry I took so long to write this, I really suck at angst, and I hope this is what you wanted, the last thing I want to do is give you subpar work 😭😭

Anyways, have a great day 💙

[miyalove]

[ ❄ ]— SNOWED IN.

⤷ pairing. roommate!miya atsumu x fem!reader

⤷ genre. smut, fluff, humor, college au, and they were roommates au

⤷ warnings. swearing, dom!atsumu, sub!reader, ass slapping, begging, atsumu is 1000% a tease, oral (male receiving),  praise, choking on atsumu’s (large) dick, domestic sex, hair pulling, dirty talk, penetrative sex, sex without a condom (please, be safe ya’ll), hickeys, *unedited

3.5k | being snowed in with a broken heater is anything but ideal. when your favorite thick blanket and the layers of fluffy sweaters no longer cut it, your roommate ask of you something you just can’t turn down.

five days.

it has been five days in which the snow storm forced you and atsumu to stay inside. the first day was fine. the power hadn’t went out and your heater was set to a temperature that you and atsumu agreed on. your phones and other electronics were fully charged and ready to use for emergencies or for quick netflix binges. everything was okay.

day two came a little harsher. waking up with your hairs on the back of your neck standing, you realized the power had finally went. it was sometime in the early morning, but even within a short time span the chilly air was still able to nip through the interior. no power meant no heater or hot water. the day dragged on just like anyone would expect. atsumu had complained for hours upon hours. screeching dramatically and throwing his body on the floor like a child who wasn’t allowed to eat candy before dinner.

day three was just as bad if not worse. no amount of blankets and thick winter coats could fight off the cold. you wake up with your teeth chattering, your body shaking, and to top it all off, you think you might be getting sick too. you could tell night had finally came when everything got immensely worst. your breath frosted and sneezing between you and atsumu was non-stop. this was also the day you proposed that the two of you cuddle up for extra warmth. it was a casual conversation that you had to murmur between glassy breaths.

reluctantly, atsumu agreed. at first, he turned away saying something about not “liking the cuddling lifestyle”. you rolled your eyes at his claim because everyone loves cuddles. you had gotten excited at the aspect of showing him what a good session can awaken within. your theory was proven right later into the night though. you rested your head on his shoulder, using some candle light to read through a chapter of a book you’ve been into recently. an exciting thriller that has you anticipatingly flipping through page after page.

atsumu was doing his own thing though. what it was? you didn’t know. really you weren’t paying attention. even when he hummed and grumbled lowly a few times, your brushed it off. not wanting to stray away from the words on the pages, you hoped he worked out whatever his problem is by himself. the last straw though was when his fingers slowly creeped up your thigh.

you shifted your attention, eyeing the man besides you. he boldly holds your stare. he’s daring enough to put on a nonchalant expression, face completely relaxed. his hues shine with something hidden behind them. something you can’t quite make out but they have you not wanting to look away. he doesn’t say anything and for a while the two of you just stare. 

when you drop the book was when he finally pounced. 

“’bout damn time,” he teases. 

in seconds, he pulls you close. your back flush against his chest and his arms pulled you in by your middle, resting there. your sat in between his crossed legs. you had no words at first. everything had happened so fast. for a second you sit there wide-eyed and in shock, fazed and stare lingering in the darkness. then you felt  the comforting warmth slowly creep in. when he spoke, the vibration in his chest felt inviting and things went lax again.

“keep your mouth open ‘nd a fly ‘ill get in there.” you can’t help but laugh.

“whatever happened to ‘not the cuddling type’, huh?”

“shut the fuck up,” venomous words but the way he dug his nose into your neck proved the opposite. 

day four went the same way except now you were both all over each other. the night before had broken something between the two of you that wasn’t just roommates status anymore. he’s become a friend and someone you actually look forward to hanging out and talking with. you see pass his honestly and realize that he’s actually quite charming too. atsumu had thrown you tons of curveballs that day and getting to know him was fun. you recall when you where practically straddling his lap, your hands roaming anywhere and everywhere. 

you faced him, eyes soft and laughter apparent because who knew he was a jokester too. gently caressing at his sharp jaw then sliding down to his firm pecs. your hands roamed his body like an ocean waiting to be ventured. with every feather-like touch, you learned another thing that day. miya atsumu is incredibly attractive. you’ll never admit it to him (because you also learned that miya atsumu has an incredibly large ego), but you must be insane if it took you a damn snow storm to realize something that’s so blaringly obvious.

day five was the day he came to you with that intimate proposal. cuddling in any and every position possible was something that was easy for you to do. you’ve warmed up with close friends, both male and female, so you could say that the special act doesn’t truly mean anything, but this– dear god, this man will be the death of you. 

“you want to– what?” you practically screech. you jump back from his body, already missing the heat, but you want to look him dead in the eyes. his eyes, are the most expressive thing about him. atsumu can lie and tease but there was no getting past him when you gazed into his golden hues, but was he really saying what you think he was saying?

“cuddling and all that can only do so much, yanno?” silence. but he goes on anyway, “thought this was a more... practical solution.” and in pure atsumu matter, he doesn’t stray away from you. looking you dead in the eye with all the confidence in the world. there’s no teasing smile or sarcastic cackle. he’s serious. this attractive man that has women constantly falling at his feet... wants to fuck you.

“this is like for the warmth and all that... right?” you’re hesitant. he can see it in the way you look at him. your hues are clouded with all sorts of swirling emotions; concern, worry, uncertainty. he thinks about taking it back. but it’s far too late for doubt now.

“yeah, for the heat,” he repeats it to reassure you or maybe to reassure himself, he doesn’t know. atsumu sits before you. his hair messy from all the times you ran your hand through it and his cheeks are slightly colored pink. why was this such an awkward conversation to have? there’s a constructing feeling in his chest. he feels like he’s suffocating like every breath he takes is stopped by words trying to choke themselves out of his throat. perhaps it’s the cold finally getting to him or maybe it’s the way the candle light perfectly frames your face. 

“so are ya in?”

it’s the way he bit at his lips that get you contemplating. the way he looked at ready to take you whenever and wherever you asked. it was the anxious way he his leg bounced and the ghost-like circles he was rubbing into your thigh. it set ablaze a trail of desire wherever he touched. it laced your veins with adrenaline and lust made for him by him. him, him, him.

when you leaned into his lips was when he finally got an answer. 

“oh, shit,” you sink down on him as the words leave his mouth.

your lips wrapped around him and he mumbles something thing under his breath that you can’t really catch. the warmth from your tongue makes his stomach tighten. the sight from above looks incredible. your down on your knees, mouth stuffed with his cock, and your sweet little ass on display just for him. atsumu lays right at the edge of your bed, legs spread just wide enough for you to kneel between them. one hand pets at your hair, lacing it between your locks.

the way you expertly circle his tip and how your hands play with his balls, makes him sees stars behind his lids. his stomach tenses with every swallow, every small hum that erupts from your throat. god, you are going to be the death of him. when you look up, you let out a small moan, absolutely loving atsumu’s fucked out expression. his thin lips pout at you, his chest is heavy and falls unevenly. it motivates you, the way he groans and grunts; the way he falls apart at your touch.

“just like that, doll. mhm,” he praises. when you look up, his eyes are half-lidded, clouded with lust meant only for you. a small smirk plays at his lips. he’s completely enamored, sweat beads at his forehead and you don’t think he’s ever looked prettier.

your jaw goes slack when you feel his hips buck. you bob your head, gladly welcoming his shallow thrust. the feeling of his dick heavy on your tongue while he forces you to slide further down makes heat between your legs pool. atsumu takes your humming as a sign to go deeper. soon you’re nose is pressed up on his skin and you’re choking on his cock.

“you’re so pretty like this,” he punctuates his praise with a harsh slap to your ass. the sudden movement makes you fly forward, effortlessly swallowing his dick down again. atsumu is clearly caught off guard. he let’s out a surprised mewl, hip stuttering at the overwhelming pleasure.

“fuck– with y- your mouth full of my cock.”

his grip tightens with every thrust. your scalp burns with all the harsh tugging. there’s droll and snot leaking down from your face but it’s all worth it. your lungs burn, begging you for any kind of air. like he was reading your mind, he lets off of you for few seconds. the lewd pop that follows after rips through the empty room as you catch your breath but that sly smile remains on his face. 

even with your heavy panting and watery eyes, atsumu doesn’t exactly let up. his length rest, merely inches away from your face. he pets at your hair, tugging your locks to give him more access to your neck. you shudder when he starts peppering your skin with soft kisses. your eyes flutter close, enjoying the way he nips and sucks at your neck. that’s definitely going to leave a mark, but you don’t find yourself caring. 

his mouth goes to work while his other hand roams your valley. without hesitation, atsumu slides his hand lower cupping your ass. “fits like a gem,” you hear him mumble between sloppy sucking. the breath he lets out tickles your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

his hand slides up to your front, grazing your nipples through the thick lace of your bra. opening your eyes, you look up just in time to see his gaze darken. reaching higher, atsumu cups the back of your neck. there’s a moment in which he stills. golden eyes bore into your own hues. a plain of emotions swirl within him. admiration in the way he smiles at you, hunger in the way he bits his lips. his hair is messy, tousled with all the times you delicately laced your fingers through them and his lips are swollen from the way he was marking you.

there’s only one word that comes to mind; “pretty.”  you didn’t mean it aloud, but when it comes to atsumu your brain short circuits and all sense is thrown out the window. you feel your face heat up at the embarrassingly simple compliment. 

“speakin’ about yerself, now?” of course, he would. typical atsumu miya with his smooth words that make all the panties drop (including yours). you let out a breathy giggle, liking the way your checks ache with all the smiling. without another thought, his head dips down to your own capturing your lips in a heated kiss. 

it’s lazy and sloppy. all teeth and tongue and no space to breath or think, but you like it like this. you like atsumu like this. raw, exposed, and yours. his hands roam to the back of your thighs, pinching slightly in hopes you get the hint. he wants you. now. 

without breaking away, you lean into atsumu. his back gently lands on your sheets, pillows and blankets shaping his tone body to perfection. you brace your arms to help with the fall, successfully trapping him between your body.

“atsumu,” you say, breaking free. 

“hhm?”

“please, fuck me.”

he chuckles, “say less, doll.”

pulling your sweatpants down, his big hands grope your ass in the process. he moves quickly, rushing to get you ready for him. in one swift moment, your underwear is gone and thrown carelessly somewhere.

“you’re so shameless, baby, with that demanding mouth,” flipping you over, you’re under him now. body perfectly, angled so he can see your pretty features  shift whenever he fucks you just right. he loves seeing your mouth agape. loves how you hang off every word, how your body quivers with every touch, how you cry and moan his name. it’s beautiful. you’re beautiful. 

he leaves a trail of kisses down your body until he’s mere inches away from your cunt. his fingers brush against the thin lining of your panties. why you still have them on is beyond him. arousal leaks through the material while atsumu presses against your heat.

“ah– ‘tsumu,” your breathing is frantic when he presses a fleeting kiss on your clothes core. “you’re such a t-tease.” 

he doesn’t say anything. allowing his actions to speak for him. he teases you, hooking his fingers under the thin lace. the way his cold digits brush at your heat makes for a delicious contrast. 

“you look so good,” he purrs pressing a kiss to the inner part of your thigh. “and you’re absolutely fuckin’ dripping. bet i could just slide right into ya.” his fingers are relentless, they ghost over your clit tracing feather-like circles. it’s enough for short spikes of pleasure to rush through you but just as quickly as they come, they’re gone.

“do you want me?”

“god, yes.”

“beg for it then.”

like clock work, you do. “please, ‘tsumu. i need you so bad right now. your hands, your tongue, your cock-- everything. please, i just wanna feel you so bad.”

“ehh,” he ponders before pressing a kiss to your thighs. “could be better.”

it’s stupid the way your heart flutters at his playful teasing. looking up at him through your hazy eyes, you try your best to muster up the perfect puppy dog face. “please, ‘tsumu?” 

he lets out a huff, “god, you’re so annoying.” everything happens so fast. one second, atsumu is softly pecking at your neck. the next he’s roughly grabbing at you, complete man-handling. 

he pulls you impossibly closer. there is no warning or preparation. he rams himself into you, completely taken over by the way your tight pussy swallows him whole. the burn feels fucking painful, you can’t help the screams that tremble from your lips. 

“oh my f-fucking-- mhpm, god!” he’s so big, in length and thickness. moans fill the room while he fills you up. your hot, wet walls clench around him and he groans at the delicious feeling.

“yer so fucking tight, holy shit.” he nuzzles his nose into your neck. “love this cunt so fucking much.” another slap to the ass that rips a deep moan from you.

“please, ‘tsumu,” you pant.

and at that moment, something within him finally snaps. pulling out from your sopping cunt, the tip of his dick rest within you, then in the same second he slams back into your entrance. lewd moans rip from the both of you while pure euphoria runs through your blood. you arch you back, pressing your chest to his, eyes rolling back every time he rams back into you. with each thrust and roll of your hip, his dick rubs at the spot that makes you see stars.

“you feel so good,” you whimper out watching as his dick pumps in and out of your pussy. “filling me up so good-- fuck, with your big dick.”

he shudders at your words, head coming down to latch onto your pebbled nipples. his tongue laps around the sensitive bud while his spare hand kneads at your other breast. a sharp inhale escapes you in between sobs. his hands are freezing from the chilly air within your apartment. it’s like ice on your skin, a complete contrast to how heated you feels. the feeling knocks you back into reality; you and atsumu are fucking in the middle of a snowstorm.

“how’s that feel, babe?” you answer him with a wanton gasp.

“absolutely fucking amazing,” you punctuate your pleasure with a deep roll of your hips. atsumu chuckles, a mix of a strangled moan and teasing.

 “god, yer such a little freak.” he leans down again repeating his action to your other breast. deep thrust becoming more frequent now.

“only f-for you.” 

your words spur him on, atsumu angles his hips to pound onto the one spot that has you crying out. he has your body shaking, his name tumbles out of your mouth like a mantra while he wrecks your body, moaning into your neck. 

the knot of your pleasure tighten. it burns like a white hot coils that’s about to snap. he knows you’re close. with the way your pussy sporadically clenches around him making him groan. god, you’re almost there. he can feel it. your orgasm is right at the tip of your tongue. so close yet so fucking far. you need more and he senses that with the way you silently beg him. “harder, please-- oh, god.” 

your words get caught on your tongue. he fucks right into you with a force so hard, you might have forgotten how to breath. “yes, just l-like that. hmph.”

“fuck yeah,” he groans, nipping your neck. “so good to me, fuck. such a good girl keeping me nice and warm and shit.” at that, you squeeze around him and he lets out a lewd groan. his cold digits travel down your body, rubbing circles around your messy clit. it’s all too much. the way he expertly runts into you, the pleasure his fingers give you, the way he praises you and nips at all your sensitive spots. 

all you can manage at this point are a high pitched whimpers and pleas of his name. sweat drips down both your bodies, your walls clench around him like a vice as he tries his best to fuck you hard. every thrust brushes right at your sweet spot, clouding your vision. a fire burns within you, leaving you gasping and moaning between sobs of air. 

“cum for me, doll.”

and with his words and one last thrust, the coil finally snaps. pleasure rushes through your body in euphoric waves taking over you. your veins pump absolute bliss through you. atsumu follows soon after, painting your walls with spurts of his seed. overwhelming, toe-curling pleasure floods within you both like surges of electricity. his lips find yours as the last parts of your orgasm finally dies.

once he catches his breath, he pulls away smiling down at the way you look effortlessly gorgeous with his cum stuffed in you. you meet his hues too, mirroring the same exact smile. 

your room is dark, curtesy of the snow covering your windows. candles flicker at your nightstand, painting the room in a dim, yellowish hue. fatigue hits you like a train. all you want is to lay down, close your eyes and welcome the sweet relief of slumber. shifting around, you turn on your side body molding perfectly spooning atsumu. 

“sleepy already?” 

the bedsheets shift towards you. despite having your eyes closed, you can feel atsumu’s hues on you watching  the way your eyelashes fall perfectly on your cheek. you’re so warm and soft. effortlessly gorgeous with or without trying. your hair threads down on your pillow, spiraling to an abrupt end. he wants to run his hands through it, massaging at your scalp to sooth the aching.

then he reminds himself he can. when he’s meet with a mumbled response and a slight hum, he takes the hint. in your haze, you feel the weight of his arms wrap around your body cuddling up to you impossibly closer. 

his breath tickles at your neck, “goodnight, baby.”

(atsumu eyes the way you fall lax within his arms. your legs tangled and wrapped within the thick layers of your comforter. his heart beat rapidly and the smile on his face, despite the exhaustion that laces his veins, can't stop. atsumu isn’t an idiot. he knows what all these symptoms mean, but for now that’s a talk for another time. for now, he’ll silently thank whatever god out there for the terrible weather that brought the two of you closer then ever before. for now, he’ll enjoy the way your body molds perfectly to his.)

[firstbeachgoblin]

Hey! I hope you’re well, can i request an imagine where reader is Embry’s imprint and they haven’t seen eachother in months because reader has a life she can’t just drop for him but she comes back when the pack is blowing up her phone ? Thank youu and don’t worry if you don’t write it, it’s fine!

Thank you for the request! It took a Long time But It's now complete with a total whopping 5k words!! Any way I hope you enjoy the fic.

I put it under the cut because it's so long but it's my brain baby at the moment lo.

Returning to you.

Embry Call x Reader

5058 words

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Most of my life has been spent in the Forks area so getting to travel to Europe for six months to see the art and culture was a dream come true. The past four months I’ve been travelling through Europe, starting in Greece and ending my trip in the Irish countryside.

The old art and architecture filled me with a joy that I could not get anywhere else in the world. The smells, sounds and sights all played their own part into the experience. I got to see the moon rise over Mount Olympus, the David by Michelangelo in the Vatican, tour through the Louvre, drink wine on the beaches of France and so much more. I’ve been living my best life.

It's been a dream to see the world, I've met so many new people and tried so much food. I’ve enjoyed every minute of my trip, but there was a part of me that longed for the beaches of La Push.

That part is Embry. Embry Call. My boyfriend, my pal, my love and my light. To me Embry is my everything and to him I’m his everything. That is one thing that has been made perfectly clear the past four months I’ve been away. Every day he’s told me he misses me and I know he means it, I’ve been told not just by him but also the rest of the pack.

Everyday I’ve woken up to ‘Good morning I miss you.” Sometimes he phones to tell me that he feels like he might die if I’m away for any longer. I always chuckle and tell him he will survive, it’s not like I’m going away forever; but that's what he feels like it is. This usually earns me a long winded whine from the other end of the line.

My phone buzzed against the smooth surface of the bedside table while Embry’s face flashed across my screen signalling that he’s calling. A smile graces my lips as I pick up the phone to be greeted with his loving voice.

“Hi (y/n)!! I miss you so much.” sadness was laced in his usual cheery greeting, it hurt my heart to be away from him but I would never trade this experience for anything. I’ve been planning this for years and I wasn’t going to pass up cheap plane tickets.

He filled me in on the pack's shenanigans, complaining about how they keep teasing him for being glued to his phone awaiting any updates I would send him. The later it got the heavier my eyelids seemed to feel, my speech started to slur with exhaustion of time zones while Embry continued to become more energetic with each passing minute.

“Em. . .” A yawn interrupted me mid sentence, a low whine emanated from the phone as he knew I would want to get to bed to have the energy for the long trip I’ll embark on tomorrow for Ireland, which is my last stop. I’d be spending the remaining two months of my trip in the lush countryside.

“I think I should get to sleep, I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.” I mumbled into the phone.

“But (y/n)!” he dragged out. I knew he wanted to talk longer but I physically cannot do it. Even though Embry and I don’t live together officially yet, we’d talk into the early morning till one of us fell asleep.

“But (y/n) what?” I dragged out the ‘a’ matching his whine.

“I miss you and want you to come home.” I could hear him pause over line before he continued.

“Besides, sleeping isn’t the same without you.”

I ran my hand through my hair gently tugging on the roots easing the tension that’s built up over my trip. As much fun as I’ve had, he does have a point. Sleeping just isn’t the same without Em. My nights have been spent restless in beds that aren’t mine without the comforting touch of my boyfriend; but that doesn’t mean I can just drop everything and go back home.

“Em you know I can’t just pack everything and go home. . .” I looked at the painting that hung over the tv that sat opposite of my bed. A puppy-like whimper fell from his lips when he spoke again, his voice cracked like he was going to cry. It broke my heart hearing him upset.

“I-I know I just really miss you.”

“I know Embry I miss you too, but it’s only two more months then I’ll be home.”

We chatted for ten more minutes before I fell asleep on the phone. As much as I missed falling asleep in his warm embrace I can’t just fly back home, not yet at least.

The blaring of my alarm woke me from my slumber. The clock face read 6:02 a.m. taking everything within myself to peel back the blankets that encased me in their warm grip. I patted through the bed sheets to find my phone only to knock it onto the floor in the process.

My lock screen adorned a photo of Embry with icing smudged across his face from his birthday party but a swamp of text messages from the pack covered my favourite photo of him. Five texts from Leah, seven from Jake, nine texts from Paul, 12 texts and two missed calls from Sam and a whole group chat titled ‘(y/n) come home.’

The group chat kept pinging with the members of the pack who were still awake discussing the logistics of flying out to Ireland to take me back home. Was Embry really causing that much strife in the pack for them to create a group chat? Knowing him, it couldn’t be too far from the truth.

Leah and I call once a week to check in and make sure the other is doing okay since I left. It’s one of my favourite parts of the week being able to have a one on one with someone sensible. Every week she fills me in on Embry begrudgingly, she does it because she knows it makes me happy which I appreciate.

Reading through her texts she didn’t say much in regards to Em’s behaviour the only message relating to him was “come get your man child please, he’s getting snot on the floor.”

I listened through Sam’s voice mails which were begging me to come home, he informed me that once Em knew I was asleep he started moping around Emily’s house again for the fourth consecutive night in a row. This was news to me.

The texts entailed that Embry was becoming a pain on patrol and that Paul ‘couldn’t take another minute of the incessant whining.’ I told them the same thing I told Embry; I’m not dropping everything and rushing back home to sooth the wails of a love sick boy. There isn’t much I can do from across the ocean anyway.

I stretched my body and headed towards the bathroom to brush my teeth and shower before I had to leave for the airport.

I packed the few remaining things I left out to prepare for the flight and headed my way to the lobby to check out. I enjoyed travelling but I wasn’t going to miss sleeping in hotels and hostels.

Two weeks have passed since I touched down in Ireland and to say I’ve been having the time of my life is an understatement; I’ve been having a ball living my best life.

The land was capped in a luscious emerald green sea of grass that waved in the wind, the roads were lined with hand built stone walls that marked the division of farmers fields.

Sheep and cattle grazed in pastures, and old castles dotted the countryside. It was gorgeous. It was a view that I wanted to see again, a view I want to see with Embry.

It felt like time was flying by between sight seeing, trail hiking, museum tours and calls with Embry and Leah. It has already been a month. I had one more month before I was to jet set back to the U.S. and see my Embry.

One more month before I was back in La Push surrounded by the scent of sea water and trees with the looming threat of rain constantly overhead except in the summer. For two months of the year La Push was bright and sunny with the expected summer storms that happened.

I had fallen asleep on the phone with Embry again when I realized my phone was lost in the sea of sheets as it buzzed with an incoming phone call.

I couldn’t find it until the call had gone to voicemail and my phone landed on the ground when I gave up and ripped the blankets off of the bed but whoever called must have felt it was really important. Picking up my phone the most unflattering photo of Jacob was plastered on the screen, his name in white.

“Hello?” I asked groggily into the phone, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I looked over at the clock which said in bold red numbers 1 am.

“Hey (y/n)! You sound like you just woke up.” I heard him chortle from the other end.

“That’s because I just woke up Jake, it’s one in the morning.” a yawn escaped my lips, I know I’ll have a rough time getting over jet lag when I go home.

He occupied twenty minutes with idle chatter and borderline interrogation about all the sights I’ve seen before I asked him why he was calling me so early in the morning

“Embry has spent the week at my house, you need to come home there’s nothing we can do anymore to occupy him till you return.” He sighed, Jake knows I want to finish my trip but we made a deal that I would come home early if there were absolutely no options left to keep Embry from sending the pack into hysterics.

I knew he was buttering me up for something.

“Are you sure you can’t figure something out? It’s just another month!”

“Another month of him eating my cereal and getting dirt on me from my dad!”

I snorted with laughter at the fact that Billy was telling Embry every embarrassing detail from his childhood.

“Jake please just let me think about it okay?” I sighed, flopping back into my hollowed cave of blankets and sheets.

“Okay, I’ll let you think about it but don’t think I won’t be telling Sam.” he warned.

We laughed together and he wished me a good night before hanging up the phone, before I slipped back into slumber I sent Jake one more text.

‘You wake me up at one in the morning again and it’s over for you.’ in which he responded with ‘Oh no I’m so scared lol.’

I reached over to the bedside table and plugged my phone in before the sweet embrace of warmth and slumber took over my senses.

The next three days I was bombarded with texts from Paul whining about the wolf mind link and how every patrol shift he had with Embry was spent tuning out his constant thoughts of me.

Standing in the shower with hot water running over my skin soothing my tense muscles I heard my phone buzz against the granite countertop. I rolled my eyes and continued to bask in the endless hotel hot water.

As bad as staying in hotels could be, the hot water made up for the early breakfast and sheets that were tucked in a little too tightly.

I had shampoo in my hair when my phone started buzzing again, this time with a call. I grumbled under the stream of water washing away the soap before it could get in my eyes; whoever's calling can wait.

I moved on to conditioning my hair, letting it sit while I wash the rest of my body with a lightly scented lavender soap.

I refused to use the complimentary soap because it dried out my skin and the lotion just left me feeling sticky instead of moisturized.

Watching the soap run down the drain my phone rang again, I clenched my fists, who could possibly be calling me now? I still refused to get out of my steamy heaven to answer my phone.

My gut told me that whoever was calling wouldn’t let up until I answered. I washed out the conditioner from my hair and wrapped it in a towel.

The mirror was coated in a layer of steam, the tiles were cool against my feet. I wrapped the plush towel around my body, mopping up the droplets of water that remained.

My phone started vibrating with rapid fire text messages from the pack’s group chat they made a month ago. I sighed, picking it up to sift through the messages. I read a message from Jared telling me he’d pay me to return.

The pack always made me laugh, together they’re a walking sitcom. There is never a dull moment with them, someone always had something witty or sarcastic to say.

I checked to see who had called me and it turned out it was Sam, I listened to his voice mails and immediately phoned him back.

As soon as I hit the call button it only rang for half a second before he picked up.

“Thank you for calling back, I thought I’d have to call two more times.” he chuckled.

“Well I was in the middle of a shower, can’t really take a call there.” I moved through the room with my phone pressed between my shoulder and cheek. Stopping at my suitcase to pick out what I was going to wear for the day.

“I’m going to be frank with you, I need you to come home. . .” I let out a huff before he continued.

“Embry needs you badly, he’s just a pile of mush on the floor now. It’s a chore to get him up to go on patrol. Please?”

“Fine, I’ll see what I can do Sam, I’ll try to book a flight for the earliest date I can find.” I knew I was giving in but from what they were telling me and the constant texts were getting to be difficult to manage.

“Thank you, when you get back I’ll buy you take out for a month okay?”

“I hate that you know what my weakness is.” I laughed through the phone, a month of free take out? Hell yeah. It made the prospect of going back a little brighter since I wasn’t going to complete the rest of my trip.

I wasn’t losing out on too much though, I had seen and done everything that I wanted. It wouldn’t be too bad to go home early.

We talked for a couple more minutes before parting ways, I threw my phone on the bed and watched it bounce a couple times before turning my attention back to getting dressed. Since I had a flight to book it was okay to spend the rest of the day lounging in pj’s.

The soft fabric of my pj’s brushed against my skin as I jumped into bed with my computer in hand, and now it was time to book a flight back home. Maybe text Paul and tell him he can quit complaining as well.

I woke up the next morning with my flight booked for take off in the afternoon and my daily good morning text from Embry. I felt a little sad to be leaving such a beautiful country but the trees, ocean and Embry all called my name.

Pacing through the room I grabbed the comfiest set of clothes I packed for my return flight back to Seattle, I had enough time to sleep on the plane to be conscious enough for the three and a half hour drive back to La Push.

I was set for a long day ahead of me but it was going to be worth it in the end, seeing the bright and happy face of my boyfriend, getting to hug him and kiss him again.

I made one last check of the room before I gathered my clothes and toiletry kit and made my way into the bathroom to shower before my long flight. As I was stepping into the shower my phone pinged from the counter with a text from Sam.

“Have you booked that flight yet?” it read.

“Yeah I’m due for take off at 1. I should be back in La Push some time tomorrow!”

My fingers brushed the cool surface of the counter top as I put my phone back and got into the shower, hot water immediately running down my back; this time my phone wasn’t being blown up by a desperate wolf pack trying to get my attention.

I can’t sit in the shower for hours on end this time, I have a flight to catch and a boy to surprise. Embry was currently still under the impression that I would be coming home in two weeks. Boy would he be in for a surprise.

The residual steam wafted out of the bathroom while I brushed my teeth revealing my towel wrapped body and hair in the mirror behind the skin. I checked the time and noted that I had two hours to check out, make my way to the airport, and check into my flight back home. Two more hours before I could smell the trees and ocean, two more hours before I could see my friends and hug Embry.

The time managed to move by in a blur by the time I was shutting the trunk of the yellow cab that was going to drop me off at the airport. I got into the back seat and the driver peeled away from the hotel front onto the winding roads.

“Aye where are you headin’?” The driver inquired in a thick Irish accent.

One thing I noticed in my stay here was that the accent changed in every town or village I passed through. It added to the charm

“Well, I’m on my way home after spending six months in Europe.” My eyes scanned over the green hills that rushed past in a blur.

“My favourite places I’ve been have definitely been Ireland and Greece.” I smiled towards him.

The lines around his eyes crinkled with the smile that graced his face at the mention of Ireland.

“Well that’s good to hear innit? Glad you’ve enjoyed your stay. We welcome ya with open arms if you return.”

We held a light conversation until we arrived in front of the drop off area for passengers, thanked him and grabbed my bags before heading into the crowded lobby.

The front of the terminal was metal and glass that reached towards the heavens with automatic doors gaping open like a mouth. Inside was a dull white with light grey floor which my shoes clicked against with each step.

It was packed with people like a can of sardines, I weaved my way through the masses towards the check in desk which thankfully only had a short line to get through.

Under the mix of fluorescents and natural light the desk lady’s bags that donned under her eyes glared with visible exhaustion from the mass amounts of people that swarmed the terminal.

Despite her clear drowsiness she still greeted me with a warm smile and a soft hello.

I grabbed my ticket and thanked her then turned and pushed myself through to the security check, dropped my luggage off and took a seat to wait for the boarding call for my flight.

As I waited grey clouds started to fill the sky blocking out the little sun that was once shining in its place.

My eyes grew heavier by each minute that passed, waiting could be hard, but waiting in an airport where there’s no sense of time is worse. So I distracted myself by people watching.

A lady was bouncing her baby, the old man across from me was snoring. A businessman paced back and forth speaking urgently into his phone, a family chatted excitedly for their family trip to the Canary Islands.

I pulled my eyes away from them as the call for my flight rang out over the crowded terminal, grabbing my suitcase and making my way towards the gate.

Excitement filled my every step as the anticipation grew and bubbled inside me. I gave the greeting flight attendant a small smile and made my way to my seat, for being last minute I managed to get a window seat.

We sat on the tarmac for twenty minutes before taking off and before I knew it the seat belt light pinged off and I was fast asleep jet setting my way back to America, back to my home.

I couldn’t tell what time it was when I woke up but the clock on the tv screen said 2 a.m. and that we’re due to arrive in an hour. I sat up in my seat and gazed out the window into the starry night sky.

Energy started to course through me as I watched the arrival time tick closer and closer. A light rain misted down over Seattle as I left the Seatac terminal and made my way through the maze of cars in the night that was made darker by the rain.

I spotted my blue Subaru and popped the trunk so my interior and seats wouldn’t get wet. It had been a long six months since I last sat in my driver's seat, the wheel almost felt foreign in my hands as I turned the key and listened to the engine roar to life.

I drove through the winding roads of the city to the Seattle-Bainbridge Ferry to take the 45 minute ride into Bainbridge and headed North to get on the 101 then turn onto 110 which would take me back into the heart of La Push.

The closer I got to Forks the brighter the sky became; well as bright as it could be on a gloomy day. The clouds became painted in the glow of purple and pink as the sun rose over the horizon, the rain had let up and left me with an overcast sky for the remainder of the drive back.

Since I slept virtually the entire flight back I didn’t feel the weight of exhaustion at all, but surely when I arrived back in the arms of Embry I knew I’d hit the wall with sleep deprivation.

As I barreled through the corridor of trees I passed the signature ‘welcome to Forks’ sign and turned right onto the 110, twenty minutes to home. I was so close but my soul felt like it was light years away.

The clock on my radio told me that it was currently 6:45, the pinks and purples that coated the sky faded away to the typical grey that fills my senses with delight. Sea salt and washed up kelp started to seep into the air that circulated into my car making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

Closer to Beach Drive I got the stronger the smell of the ocean became. The turn signal clicked as I turned onto the road that gave way to Sam and Emily’s house so they could take me over to Embry’s in the off chance that he happened to be awake at this hour.

It’s highly unlikely that he would be up at this hour but it’s not something I could be one hundred percent positive about. I stepped out of my car and turned around to see Emily running as fast as she possibly could towards me with open arms and a huge smile plastered across her face.

Dropping my bags I dashed across their lawn into her embrace.

“Oh (y/n)! I missed you so much, you must be so tired.” She released me from her hug and settled her hands on my shoulders giving them a gentle squeeze.

“I missed you too Emily, I knew I’d be tired but not this tired.” I chuckled while wiping at my under eyes in a feeble attempt to wipe away the exhaustion.

She put her hand on my lower back and led me inside for the awaiting cup of tea while Sam moved my bags into his truck.

The warmth of their home embraced me, the comfort of their kitchen was familiar. The only thing missing was the rowdy group of boys that made up the pack who usually occupied every available seat in the home.

I took a seat at the kitchen table where three cups of tea sat waiting, I should have expected a q and a when I returned. Wrapping my hands around the mug the warmth that radiated from it filled my hands.

Emily took a seat beside me and Sam entered through the door and sat adjacent to both of us.

“So how was the trip?” We sat around their table chatting until our cups were empty and filed out of the house into the early morning air.

“Emily and I will drive your car back to your place after I drop you off at Embry’s, the kid’s been sleeping in my living room more often than I’d appreciate.” Sam’s eyes crinkled with a smile, I knew he was joking but at the same time there was truth to his words; and honestly I couldn’t blame him.

“Thank you for putting up with him while I was gone, I owe you guys one and you owe me take out for a month.” He rolled his eyes and ruffled my hair turning into the Call's driveway. Embry’s mom had already left for work leaving him to his own devices; which meant he would sleep in as late as his heart desired.

We got out of Sam’s truck and he dropped my bags on the doorstep. I turned and gave him a quick hug and a thank you before sticking my key into the lock.

The door creaked open and I dragged my suitcases to a stop in their front entry way and shut it behind me.

My shoes landed on the floor with a soft thud and I gingerly walked up the stairs to ensure I wasn’t too noisy while making sure to avoid the one squeaky stair.

I got to the top of the stairs and hung a left down their light beige hallway that gave way to the oak door that guarded Embry’s room. His soft snores filtered through the door, it’s door knob was cool in my hand. Making an audible click with the turn of my wrist.

Dark mahogany brown hair peaked up from beneath the sheet that tucked Embry’s body out of view. One pillow was on the floor while the other was tucked firmly between his cheek and arm, I smiled at the sight of my sleeping boyfriend which filled my every inch with the utmost joy.

My sock covered feet pressed into the carpeted flooring with each step I took towards his bed making sure to step over the piles of dirty clothes that were scattered around the room.

The sun filtered through the gaps in the window blinds casting pools of golden light on the floor and along his walls causing the crystal prism that hung above his closet to sweep dashes of colour across his walls.

I pulled back the grey top sheet to reveal his peaceful face and I swear my heart was going to burst with the amount of love that I feel for him. His hair was tousled in every direction and a cow lick stuck straight up on the left side of his head.

My hands ran over his hair, smoothing it out while I whispered his name. Embry groaned a bit and rolled over, I whispered his name a little bit louder and moved my hands from his hair to his shoulders running them along his arms finally waking him from his slumber.

“Hi Em!” I gushed out as his brown eyes opened and focused on me. His face split with his toothy smile and his arms shot around me, pulling me down into his chest.

“Do you know how much I missed you?” Embry mumbled into my hair.

“I figured a lot with the amount of texts I got from the pack.” I reached up brushing the hair from his face.

“You can never leave me for that long again. . .I didn’t know what to do without you here.” He ran his hands through my hair placing a gentle kiss upon the top of my head.

“I was so worried about you. I couldn’t protect you and make sure you were safe.”

“Well next time I’ll make sure you can come, then you don’t have to worry.” Craning my neck up I placed a kiss upon his lips which were still a bit swollen from slumber.

“The important thing is that I returned safe and in one piece. The other important thing is I get to spoil you with the gifts I brought back!”

His laugh filled the room sending vibrations through my body.

“Hey! That’s my job to spoil you, not the other way around.” He ruffled my hair causing us both to laugh. I peeled off my socks and wiggled my way under his blanket.

“I think it’s time we catch up on six months worth of cuddling.” I poked a finger into his side.

“Yeah I think that’s a good idea, you owe me for being gone so long.”

“What? I came back early!” His hands made their way under my shirt to rest on the bare skin of my back sending waves of heat through my body from being pressed into him. Oh how I missed my heater.

“Yeah, by like what? Two weeks?” his silky voice chuckled out.

“I missed you Embry.” I told him, placing a kiss on his exposed shoulder.

“I missed you too. Now let's go back to sleep, you look tired.” He said to me as he rested his chin atop my head and pulling me closer.