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jjbalice · 23 days

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Martyr's Folly

Summary: Yunho helps and comforts the reader after they've accidentally cut too deep.

Genre: a hurt/comfort Yunho x reader oneshot

Word count: 4.81k (15-20 mins)

Trigger warnings: semi-descriptive self-harm (blood, cuts, use of blades - nothing too crazy, though, don't worry!), panicking, crying, mentions of relapsing, lots of pet names, nicknames, and physical affection lol, Yunho is a blessing

A/N: This fic is pretty personal since I've been struggling with not feeling valid enough because of the way I SH, which isn't the stereotypical kind you see in movies and such. In a way, it's an attempt at scaring myself from buying any actual blades mixed in with the comfort I crave whenever I slip up, I guess.

Baby cuts. Cat scratches. Damage dealt within the epidermis and the higher half of the dermis. Whatever you want to call it.

For a few weeks now, that's exactly what has been slowly but steadily appearing on your feet and lower calves. Or re-appearing, rather. A bad habit from the past coming back to haunt you all over again for no apparent reason.

No but seriously, what reason for doing this is there? You're happy, you have a stable part-time job on the side of your studies that are also going great, and an incredible boyfriend with whom you've just celebrated a 6-month anniversary. No real issues in your life as far as you can see.

Sure, sometimes you get caught up in a fight with your friends or parents, or even with Yunho, or maybe some of your insecurities hit extra strong on some days. But all of that is normal, right? Just some passing obstacles that get resolved in a few days tops.

So why are you here, at 3 am, staring at the husk of a person in the mirror? Why is your head so empty yet incomprehensibly full at the same time? Why are your hands all fidgety, getting ready to strike any moment?

Truth be told, you have no clue.

This was supposed to be a lovely weekend for you. You got off work early on Friday, securing enough time to pack your stuff at your dorm before heading to Yunho's apartment for a sleepover. He's been trying to convince you to move in with him after your anniversary, saying how it would be both cheaper and closer to your university. Both of those arguments are true, and yet you remain stubborn, wanting to keep your independence for just a bit longer.

Alas, Yunho has no choice but to respect your decision and settle for weekend sleepovers in the meantime.

And even those are great! The two of you get to talk for hours and play games, cook dinner together or order in and watch TV... Mainly, though, you get to cuddle and snuggle to your hearts' content (and maybe even do a bit more than that, if the opportunity and want arises).

That's also one of the main reasons for your hesitance over this whole... relapse thing.

Because of Yunho and his affectionate nature towards you, hiding the traces of your renewed habits became much more difficult. You couldn't cut where you used to before, all of those areas feeling way too exposed now.

And so, you settled on the bottom of your legs. Anything a pair of longer socks could easily hide without too much questioning from your boyfriend. Let's just say your feet are cold all the time now, even though summer's just barely starting to end.

Is it satisfying to harm there? No, not at all. The area is too small and angular, and the pain-to-mark ratio is nowhere near optimal. Everything feels too bony and stings more than other places, and all you get from it are the faintest of scratches.

But anything to at least partially quell the urge, right?

Well, not exactly.

If the razor blade hidden within the confines of your duffel bag was any proof, your methods weren't exactly effective.

You've never used an actual razor blade before, never even planned on trying it since you knew about the dangers of using it and how everything could get out of hand within seconds. Sure, the scissors and other sharp objects you've used until now weren't exactly perfect either, but they didn't put you at as much of a risk of going to the ER.

...So why did you buy the blade then?

Well, it was pretty cheap, first of all. You could just buy it, think about using it, and then throw it out without feeling too guilty about it, right? Not to mention how it helped you feel more valid about harming, even if you haven't used it yet. Self-harm is always depicted as razor blades on wrists, so even just owning one somehow helped you feel a bit more valid amidst the disappointing scratches on your leg.

It's been a week since you've bought said blade (or 5 blades rather, as they came in a pack - what a steal!). During that week, not much has happened to it. Right after you paid and got your receipt, you tossed the paper into a nearby trash can and stashed the pack of blades into your wallet. And there they were even later tonight, as you quietly crept to your bag to retrieve them, careful not to wake Yunho up.

But let's rewind back a bit. Back to where today's misfortune started.

Just like with everything else lately, you don't know why the urge to indulge washed over you specifically tonight. You and Yunho have spent such a fun evening together, lounging around and enjoying each other in whatever way felt right.

And yet, the moment the lights were turned off and your boyfriend spooned you from behind, holding you close while his breathing slowly evened out, it was as if something had shifted in the air. An overwhelming sense of emptiness washed over you, making you feel both completely dull and overstimulated. Yunho's arms around you felt both like an anchor and a vice, the opposing feelings adding even more to the already rising chaos in your mind. You were suddenly overly aware of every part of your body, as if your own skin was calling out to you.

You didn't want to.

You knew you had to.

As gently and quietly as you could, you unwrapped yourself from Yunho's embrace and got up. He let out a soft sigh at the loss of contact, and you had to admit, you already mourned it too.

Sneaking into the bathroom, you closed the door before turning on the lights. Avoiding the reflection in the mirror, you began searching through the cabinet under the sink. You didn't want to see yourself right now. If anything, it would just add to the confusing conflict raging within you, and you really didn't need that.

Rummaging through each shelf one more time, you let out a frustrated huff. There was nothing you could use. Well, save for the expensive-looking razor Yunho owned, but you really didn't have the patience or coherency to take apart your boyfriend's belongings.

It's time, then.

The return to the bedroom was a bit stressful, as you couldn't decide between searching through your duffel bag there or bringing it with you to the bathroom. Both options seemed too noisy right now, causing you to awkwardly loom over the bag for a few moments, chewing nervously on your bottom lip.

In the end, you decided to just risk it, crouching down to begin unzipping the top. Strangely enough, you kind of hoped Yunho would hear it and wake up. Maybe the shock of being caught would stop you for the time being and you could just go back to bed.

To both your luck and dismay, Yunho didn't wake up, his biggest reaction being the slightest stir of the sheets.

With your wallet in hand, you walked back to the bathroom, your steps a bit bolder this time. Now that you knew Yunho wouldn't wake up so easily, you didn't pay as much mind to the noise you were making.

In a weird way, you were upset. Upset he didn't wake up. Upset he didn't magically realize what your new obsession with socks could possibly mean. Upset he wasn't there to stop you right now.

But along with the upset came a strange feeling of calm. Joy, even.

He doesn't know. Nobody has any idea you're doing this right now. Nobody cares enough to find out anyway. You're free to reign over your body as you please, especially if it will finally shut down the confusing mess of emotions boiling within you.

It will, right?

It's 3 am. You're staying over at Yunho's apartment and he's currently sleeping in the bedroom next-door. You finally gather enough courage to look at yourself in the mirror, but it's rather disappointing. The shell standing in front of you doesn't bring up any emotions anymore. It doesn't even look like you, you think. Maybe this isn't you, after all. That's what you like to tell yourself whenever the moment is over, that this isn't actually the real you harming yourself. This is someone else taking hold of you and your upcoming actions.

You sit down on the cold bathroom floor, a razor blade in hand. When did you unpack them? The small paper packaging and 4 other blades are lying right next to you. Huh. Guess you did just now.

You don't bother taking off the socks. A precious thing like this shouldn't be used in such a shitty spot anyways.

Then again, you also don't exactly want to die right now, so the wrists are off-limits. Sure, you want to feel more valid and that place is the most stereotypical one to cut, but you're already holding the blade you thought you'd never dare use, so that's enough "progress" for now.

Now that you think about it, the thighs sound pretty scary too. You've always heard of some major arteries being located in the thigh. Perhaps you shouldn't risk it there then. Not yet, at least.

And so, like a coward, you move back to your lower leg.

To your defense, you do go considerably higher than usual! You pick a nice spot that's vaguely in the middle of the side of your leg, where your shins and calves would meet.

Deep breaths. You can do this. Just brace yourself and-

...

Oh fuck.

No, no, no nonono-

You knew the risks, you knew you should watch out for the pressure when using a razor blade for the first time since it's so much sharper than any pair of scissors you own, but somehow even the lessened pressure you put was too much.

Within seconds, blood started flowing to the surface. You dropped the blade, making it fly in a random direction as your hands trembled.

Your eyes welled with tears as, despite the blood, you could see a gash way deeper than any cut you'd ever made until now; you could literally see two parts of your skin split-

You're gonna throw up. Or faint. Or both. Oh fuck.

The first drops of blood fell onto the tiles just as your own tears pooled over. Your chest heaved with your labored breathing. You didn't know what to do.

Should you go to the ER? Will it stop on its own? Should you wake Yunho up? Oh god, you should probably wake Yunho up, shouldn't you.

Wiping your tear-stained face as best as you could with your shirt, you crawled over to the bathroom door. You were too scared to walk, afraid you'd faint if you stood up so suddenly.

As you sat by the door, another sob wracked through you. You couldn't calm down, you were too scared of what might happen if you didn't take care of the gash in time. And yet, you couldn't help but fear what might happen if you woke Yunho up. Now that you think about it, maybe it will just stop on its own and you can hide it for the rest of the weekend and then you'll just make up a story of how you got into an accident at work and-

One look at the trail of blood behind you was enough to get your hands on the door handle, pulling the door open on your second try. The door handle flew back up with a loud bang as you dropped back down, but the door was open at last. You pulled it fully open from where you sat, taking a few shallow breaths once you did so.

"...Y/N?"

Now. Now he wakes up. Not at any point before you could have done this. Now.

In the back of your mind, a strange feeling of anger bubbled up. Somehow, you wanted to blame Yunho for not getting to you sooner. But the second you realized what your brain was trying to do, you felt another pang of nausea hit you.

Yunho was not to blame in the slightest. This is all you. You started this, you went through with it, and now you're crawling back to him for help. Don't even try to put any blame on him, no matter how much easier it would make this whole thing to stomach.

"Y/N, are you okay?"

Right, he was awake. The shuffling of the sheets coming from the bedroom confirmed as much.

You tried to call out to him but choked on another sob instead.

All of your fear of being seriously hurt and needing help immediately shifted, transforming into the most heart-wrenching wave of guilt imaginable. Just what have you done? Why are you burdening someone else with this? Are you really going to make him see this?

Your thoughts were quickly interrupted by the first footstep. All the raging panic hit you anew, making you speak before you could think.

"W-wait!" You cried, an unknown feeling of desperation clutching your chest. "Please, please don't come here, please."

To your surprise, the footsteps actually stopped.

"...I'm waiting, but please tell me what's going on," Yunho replied with obvious unease.

Well, uh. You haven't exactly thought this far, have you?

"O-okay, I, well, I," you stumbled over your words, trying to work through the mush of your brain to come up with anything even barely comprehensible. "I did something really bad and I think I need your help but you have to promise not to be mad. I don't know what to do but please don't be upset."

Selfish. That's what you were. Even amongst all this chaos and pain you were about to drag Yunho into, all you could think about was saving your own face and evading consequences.

"Y/N, I'm sorry but I'm coming in," Yunho suddenly announced, and the footsteps resumed. "I need to see if you're okay, I promise I won't be mad."

There was no escaping it now. You could only brace yourself for the worst, whatever that would entail.

Two feet stood before your hunched-over form. You didn't dare look up, you didn't dare see what he was feeling.

As carefully as he could, Yunho stepped around you and further into the bathroom. You heard the scraping of metal across tiles before the cabinet doors opened. A towel, a first aid kit, and a medium-sized, colorful box appeared before you, along with your boyfriend in his cozy pajamas. Still, you didn't dare look up.

Wordlessly, he propped your injured leg up as gently as he could, as if he was handling the finest china in the world. Placing the dark grey towel under it, blood immediately rolled down and seeped into the material.

"Okay, this might seem a bit weird, but just- I'm not an expert or anything, far from it, really, but-"

As Yunho rambled nervously, you watched his hands tear open a pack of pads. Ever since your sleepovers became a more regular thing, he'd made sure to keep some in his apartment at all times in case of an emergency. Never had he thought he'd use them in this type of emergency, though.

You watched in confusion as he pulled out one of the pads, opening it and double-checking which side was sticky and which was dry. Unable to hide his worried grimace as he got closer to the wound, he pressed the cotton pad against it.

"I- I probably have something better in the first aid kit to stop the bleeding, but while I look through it, just hold that down to the cut, okay?"

You nodded weakly, deciding not to ask any questions and just let your boyfriend try to fix you. Not that you could say much anyway, not with the way your throat had dried and closed up from all the anxiety.

You silently kept watch as Yunho fumbled through the red bag, noticing the slight tremors in his hands. When you looked at his face, however, it appeared surprisingly neutral.

Ah, so he was trying to stay calm to not worry you any further, but on the inside, he was freaking out just as much as you, if not more. Great. You didn't think you could feel more guilt than you already had, but guess not.

"I'm sorry it's taking so long," he spoke up again, "Mingi would get injured all the time before he'd moved out - you know how clumsy he can get - and I, uh, haven't exactly taken the time to re-organize everything. Sorry."

Your lips twitched into the smallest of smiles, along with a hushed "It's okay, babe".

Yunho's eyes shot up at your words, mirroring your soft smile with his own. Pausing his search for just a second, he leaned over and planted a quick, reassuring kiss on your forehead. "You're right. I'll take good care of you, don't worry. After the first accident Mingi had here, I bought some steri-strips... They should still be around here somewhere, but we threw the original packaging away, so they're just a bit hard to find."

You hummed in understanding, hoping you could ease at least some of his worries by showing him you were doing alright.

Somehow, the moment Yunho appeared in the doorway, all of your previous panic stopped. It was as if through his presence, the jumbled mess of worries surrounding you had split into two. Yunho had graciously shouldered the worries about your physical state, while you focused on keeping his mental well-being in check. All of the fear about his reaction to this situation as a whole was still there, of course, but for the time being, you'd managed to shove them to the back of your mind. It was something to worry about later, when the two of you could calm down and properly talk to each other.

For now, all you had to do was just worry about Yunho while he worried about you.

"Finally!" Yunho sighed in relief, fishing out two small packs of steri-strips. "Okay. Let's do this, then."

But as he shuffled closer to your leg again, he paused.

"Wait, I'm sorry for assuming," he began while opening the first set, "but you don't want to go to the hospital, right? They'd obviously do a much better job than me, but since you said you needed my help, I just, I guessed that- you know. Should we go to the hospital instead?"

You immediately shook your head no, making Yunho smile faintly, glad to have read you right and that he wasn't wasting time trying to play hero.

You were thankful he didn't insist on taking you to the hospital. You knew it would probably be for the best, but right now, in your state, you couldn't even fathom going. You were terrified just crawling to the door to beg for Yunho's help, let alone driving to the opposite part of town to have complete strangers examine you.

"Right then," Yunho sighed, mentally steeling himself for the next step. "Can you feel your leg fine? Feeling faint or anything?"

You just shook your head, slowly easing the pressure you held on the cut. "I'm okay, I think. Just a little shaken up still."

Yunho nodded thoughtfully, helping you unstick the bloody pad from your hand. Luckily, it seemed that most of the bleeding had stopped, at least for now. "It's okay, I'm a bit out of it too."

"Sorry for making you do this," you whispered sincerely, but Yunho quickly stopped you again.

"Don't be sorry, Y/N. I know you didn't mean to do this. You wouldn't have called for me like that if things went down the way you wanted them to."

You couldn't bring yourself to say anything after that, feeling your throat tighten as a fresh wave of tears rushed to your eyes.

You averted your gaze as Yunho began cleaning the area as gently as he could before placing the strips down, helping hold the wound shut. Four strips helped the cut close up, and then two were laid on top of them to help everything stay put. Despite no professional medical training, you swear your boyfriend could do anything like an expert first-try. Well, considering him saying something about treating Mingi's injuries, he might have actually trained a bit already. Either way, you could feel your nerves easing a considerable bit at the sight of the gash finally closed-up.

"There we go," Yunho said contently, giving your other leg a gentle pat. "Just stay put a little longer, okay? I'm gonna clean up a bit in here."

Oh, that's right.

You were so out of it you completely forgot about the blades scattered around, the blood dripping across the floor, the towel, pads, first aid kit, everything.

Closing your eyes, you tried to focus on your breathing. It has mostly returned to normal, but you could still feel a lot of tightness in your chest.

"Hey now, don't go falling asleep on me, okay?" You heard Yunho calling out to you a few meters away, making you peek one eye open.

He was kneeling by the sink, scrubbing at the dirty tiles. When he noticed you looking at him, he flashed you a quick, comforting smile.

"'m not falling asleep," you protested, "I'm just resting a bit, sorry."

"It's okay, I was just a little worried."

Yeah. That's definitely one way to put how Yunho was likely feeling right now.

But that could be dwelled on and discussed later. For now, all you had to do was sit still, breathe deep, and stay strong.

...

"You still with me, princess?"

You opened your eyes again, this time to find Yunho sitting in front of you. You don't know how much time has passed, too focused on pacing your breaths, saying the alphabet forwards and backwards, thinking about your favorite TV show moments - anything to calm down, really.

When he saw you were still fully awake, he pulled out a gauze bandage with a small smile. "We should be fine with just the steri-strips, but let me wrap this up for you to be one hundred percent safe, okay?"

You let him do as he pleased, trusting his judgment better than your own at the moment. As he bandaged your leg, you looked around the room, noticing everything was back the way it was before you'd entered.

"I put the, uh, the blades away for now," Yunho continued, a nervous edge to his tone. "I didn't want to just throw them away without permission, but leaving them out here in the open didn't seem like a great idea either. Sorry if it seems distrustful, it's just... you know."

"You're scared I might do it again," you finished for him, making him nod hesitantly. "It's okay, I get it."

It was honestly surprising how easy it was to talk to Yunho about this. Maybe it's because he already saw the worst of it, maybe it was the way he took such gentle care of you, or maybe it was just his entire attitude about this so far. Caring, non-judgemental, open to listen.

"Alright then, I think we're done here. Let's get you to bed, shall we?"

Before you could respond, you were picked up by a pair of strong, warm hands. You wanted to object for a split second, but on second thought, maybe it was in your best interest not to move too much right now.

A few moments later, you were laid back down on the bed, a soft kiss pressed to your temple before you were shrouded in your blanket. With a whispered promise of returning again, Yunho rushed back to turn off the lights and close the door, enveloping the two of you in darkness. You waited a second, two, and then the bed dipped behind you with a quiet creak.

"Come here." Yunho's arms wrapped around your waist from behind again, holding you closer than before. "Is this okay? Should I give you space?"

"It's fine, Yuyu."

His chest shook with a small chuckle. "Oh come on, don't call me that right now." He somehow snuggled up even closer to you, pressing his face into your neck. "I'm already emotional enough as is."

A beat or two of silence passed between the two of you before he spoke up again.

"Was this," Yunho paused, hesitating for a second, "was this the first time you did something like this, or are there... more?"

You sighed. "Well, this was the first time I've messed up like this and used an actual razor blade, but in general? There's been a few instances, yeah. Most of them happened years ago, but lately, it started up again."

Yunho stayed quiet this time. As the silence stretched on, you began to grow worried. Is this the moment where he gets mad at you?

A sniffle broke through the air, quickly followed by another. The hold around your waist tightened.

"It's the socks, isn't it?" Yunho barely choked out, voice trembling.

Never have you felt so guilty in your life before.

"I thought it was weird, I wanted to ask you about it, I really did," he sobbed, burying his wet face further into your shirt. "I didn't want to make you feel bad about it if it was genuinely just something you preferred, so I held back, but it worried me anyway. I should have asked so much sooner."

"Yu..." You tried to turn around in his embrace, but he stopped you, not letting you see his tearful eyes. "Honey, it's not your fault in the slightest, please don't beat yourself up about it."

"But I should have-"

"Just listen to the same advice you gave me, hm? You never wanted this to happen, you wouldn't be so torn up about it otherwise. It's really not your fault."

With what you assumed to be a watery hum of agreement, Yunho nodded into your back.

You tried to turn around again, and this time, Yunho finally let you. You watched as his silhouette sat up, reaching around for the tissue box on the nightstand before wiping his tears and blowing his nose.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, crumpling the tissue and putting it away, "you're the one hurting and I'm making it all about myself."

You tutted softly as he laid back down, shuffling closer to him to drape yourself over his broad chest. "That's not true, Yun. I know this is really hard on you as well, you have all the right to be upset. Please don't hide it just because I'm also in pain."

"Okay," he accepted, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

The room stayed quiet for another few minutes, save for the faint rustling of the sheets as you intertwined one of your hands with his.

"If it's okay," Yunho croaked in a careful, ginger tone, "could we maybe talk more about this tomorrow? I feel like I have over a million questions right now, but I don't want to overwhelm you when you should be resting."

You let out a small, sleepy chuckle. "Yeah, that sounds good. I think I'll also feel a bit better if we talk about this some more tomorrow. It's a bit embarrassing even now when I know that you know, but I trust you enough to share this part of me, I think."

Yunho leaned down to kiss the top of your head, making you smile. "Thank you, you have no idea how much that means to me. And please, never feel embarrassed about this. Just because this stuff is not talked about enough doesn't mean your feelings are wrong or not valid. We'll figure this out together, I promise. No matter what it takes."

"Okay. I look forward to tomorrow," you said, pressing a quick peck to his sternum before lying down again. "Goodnight, Yuyu."

"Goodnight, love."

Please, don't hesitate to reblog or comment!! Any kind of feedback is much appreciated!! <333

(Also would once again like to say that this was not meant to romanticize SH in any way, and I hope it did not come across that way. Take care, everyone <3)

#ateez x reader #ateez comfort #ateez imagines #ateez reactions #yunho x reader #yunho comfort #ateez fluff #yunho fluff #yunho oneshot #ateez oneshot #ateez x y/n #ateez hurt/comfort #yunho imagines #ateez angst #yunho angst

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lilacmingi · 3 months

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A QUEST FOR LOVE

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Half-orc!Hongjoong x Elf!fem reader

Word count: 13,960

Note: I did NOT intend for this to be nearly 14K words!?? I just kept writing until the story was finished. This is the longest imagine I’ve ever written. Idk if I’d even consider it an imagine at this point. It’s more like a mini fic lol. Idk how you guys feel about long imagines (I feel like a lot of people don’t really read them) but if you do, I REALLY appreciate it

The noises in the tavern were loud. Conversations of patrons mixed together to a point where you could hardly make out what anyone was saying-not that you were listening. Belly laughs and the clanking of tin steins hitting against one another in celebration of a successful quest filled the space of the establishment. One might find the cacophony of noises bothersome, but you found it comforting. You'd spent many evenings in the tavern to wind down or just have fun. It was a place you frequented often to treat yourself to a nice meal.

Presently, you were sipping on a delicious soup that was doing wonders for you. That day had been particularly chilly and the broth was warming you up nicely from the inside out. At one end of the room a small group of people danced together as a local musical duo performed songs for them.

Your attention was pulled towards the crowd which had grown quieter and was separating as someone squeezed their way by. You craned your neck to see someone with a head of black hair moving through the mass of people, only catching glimpses of whoever it was. For some reason, your gaze stayed glued on the person as they emerged from a particularly dense group of people and went to sit at a table near the edge of the room to meet with a burly man that you knew as the local quest giver. The stranger was a man, and based on his appearance he was half-orc, though he looked a little different from the usual half-orcs that visited the tavern.

Your interest was piqued and you found yourself watching as he exchanged words with the quest giver. Though half-orcs weren't totally uncommon, they were rare around your village and this one looked different from the others. You didn't have the best vantage point, but from what you could see this half-orc had more gentle features. His skin was a pale green hue like that of a normal orc, but his face was nothing like one-at least from what you could see. You were only getting a side view of him, as he was on the opposite side of the tavern. He wore a black leather vest, brown pants, and knee high boots with a baldric strapped across his back that held a silver sword. No matter how much you tried, you couldn't seem to tear your eyes away from him as he spoke to the quest giver.

The half-orc leaned back in his seat, glancing around the interior of the establishment and that's when he locked eyes with you. The entirety of your body froze and you found yourself staring back. His gaze was sharp and almost intimidating as he maintained eye contact.

It was only when the quest giver got his attention that he turned back to the burly man across the table. Ever so slowly, you lifted your eyes and watched the half-orc as he retrieved a scroll from the man and started making his way out of the establishment. Your gaze followed him as he walked out, noticing how the tavern became quieter when he exited. Everyone seemed to be muttering about him.

A vaguely circular object went tumbling across the floor near the doorway just after the eye-catching man left. Having finished your meal, you shot up from your seat and scrambled to retrieve the item, reaching between the people that passed across the wooden floors, snagging it before anyone could step on it. Upon brief examination you saw it was a rock of some sort-a chunk of red ruby. The gasp that left you was one of both awe and realization as you hurried out of the tavern after the gorgeous mystery man. Shallow huffs left your mouth as you jogged down the cobblestone streets of your village, catching sight of the half-orc just a short distance ahead of you.

"Excuse me!" You called out, hurrying after him.

He heard your call as he came to a halt and turned around, looking for the source of the summoning. His eyes landed on you as you approached him.

"I think you dropped this in the tavern on your way out." The ruby was presented to him.

"My lucky rock." He plucked it from your palm, wondering how it could've fallen out of his bag.

He examined the small satchel he kept tied to his waist, frowning when he saw a hole in it.

"Thank you." The half-orc clutched the ruby rock in his hand. "I didn't even know it fell out of my bag."

"You're welcome."

Your eyes stayed on him for a few moments, taking in every detail of him now that you were up close. His brown eyes were soft and captivating, his dainty nose was fairylike in the way that it sloped and came to a delicate point. His tapered ears donned many piercings, a double helix on one side with a single lobe piercing, on the other side a single helix and three lobe piercings. An array of jewelry decorated his ears, most being silver hoops, some with charms hanging from them with a couple ruby diamond studs in the mix.

"I bet I made quite the spectacle in the tavern."

His words made you blink yourself back to reality and you realized you'd been staring at him for longer than you intended.

"Oh. Well, new people always grab the attention of locals."

"Yeah." He let out a short huff, he knew they were staring at him for another reason. "I'm Hongjoong, by the way." The half-orc extended his hand.

"Hongjoong." You echoed his name, giving his hand a shake. "I'm Y/n. Are you going on a quest?"

"Oh." Hongjoong glanced at the scroll tucked under his arm. "I am."

You glanced around. "Who's accompanying you on your journey?"

"No one. It's just me."

"That's a bit dangerous, isn't it?"

"Maybe." He shrugged.

"And how are you going to defend yourself?"

"I'm pretty good with a sword. Besides, I couldn't find anyone that wanted to tag along."

"Why?"

"I don't know if it's obvious but I don't exactly look like your typical half-orc."

"I know. You're much prettier." is what you wanted to say, but chose to keep that to yourself.

"And that's why you're going alone?" You inquired. "Because you look different?"

Hongjoong let out a short huff through his nose. "Yes."

You furrowed your brows, but chose not to question him for the time being.

"Have you ever been to this village before?" You asked, the question seeming random to Hongjoong.

"No. I heard this was a place where I could receive quests and it was the nearest location."

"Ah." You nodded. "Well, our bakery is the talk of the town. I'd love to take you there if you're up for it."

"I'd better not. Thank you for the offer though."

"Please. My treat. Besides, you'll need something to eat before your quest."

His eyes met yours and he stared at them for a while before nodding.

"Alright."

A small sense of relief and delight washed over you.

"Right this way." You beckoned the half-orc, heading down the cobblestone street towards the bakery.

You had just eaten a generous portion of soup at the tavern, but you wanted to continue speaking to this Hongjoong fellow, which is why you invited him to the bakery, hoping you'd get the chance to extend your conversation with him.

As soon as the wooden door was pushed open, you and Hongjoong were greeted with the pleasant scent of freshly-baked bread and confections as well as a warm gust of air that contrasted from the chilly outdoors. A cheerful 8 foot tall half-giant whom you knew as Yunho, greeted the both of you when you walked in, asking what he could get you.

"I'll have a square of chocolate fudge please." Hongjoong spoke.

"And I'll have one sweet roll please." You added.

The half-giant nodded, getting to work right away, moving to the display case and pulling out what you'd ordered. About that time, a gremlin came hurrying out of the kitchen carrying a tray of freshly-baked blueberry muffins. He had grayish skin, pointed ears adorned with hoops, black hair, and an apron tied around his waist. Most gremlins were quite ugly, but this guy was the complete opposite.

Yunho's eyes lit up at what the gremlin had brought out. "Oh you made my favorite." His large hand moved towards one of the baked goods only for it to be smacked away.

"Get your giant hands away. These are for customers."

Yunho pouted and you could hear the gremlin whisper in a huffy tone, "If there's any leftover at the end of the day you can have some."

"Thanks, Wooyoung." Yunho smiled before bringing your roll and Hongjoong's fudge over.

As you fished out some coins to pay, you asked the half-giant, "Does he bake everything?"

Yunho spared a glance at the gremlin who was making sure the display looked presentable, slightly nudging over a muffin so it sat in line with the others he'd just set down.

"He does. He's really good at baking, which is surprising since gremlins are so... unpredictable."

You and Hongjoong nodded knowingly. Though you had been to the bakery a handful of times, you'd never seen the owner before, probably because he was always back in the kitchen preparing his culinary creations.

Yunho counted the coins you'd given him, thanking you for your purchase as he dropped the money into a wooden chest under the counter.

You and Hongjoong went to sit at one of the tables. The latter glanced around the establishment, his eyes falling on the handful of patrons sitting about, their gazes on him.

"So, what's your story?" You inquired, pulling off a piece of the roll and popping it into your mouth while simultaneously tearing Hongjoong's attention away from prying eyes.

"My story?"

"Yeah. You're going on this quest but you're going alone."

"I don't really have a choice." He spoke, staring at the small fudge square. "My tribe kicked me out."

"Kicked you out?"

"Because I look different. I'm too short, I'm not strong-looking, and I'm not an asset to the group. I'm a liability."

His words etched a small frown onto your features. It hardly seemed fair that he was kicked out simply for his appearance.

"Well, I personally think you're the perfect height."

He gave a half smile.

"How tall are you, anyway?" You inquired purely out of curiosity.

"5'8." (172cm)

"Can't half-orcs be as short as 5 feet?"

"Yes, but most of my kind are closer to 6 feet tall, so I stick out like a sore thumb around them."

"Height doesn't matter."

"It does if you're an orc."

"Not necessarily. I've seen quite a few powerful half-orcs pass through town. They've shared tales of their adventures and excursions. They're quite successful."

Hongjoong finally took a bite of his fudge, nodding softly at your words as if he were processing them.

"You said your tribe kicked you out. What about your parents?" You asked after a few drawn-out moments of silence.

Hongjoong scoffed. "I'm the product of a raid in a human village. My mother didn't want me and dropped me off with a random group of orcs that raised me... sort of. They more so tolerated me, though they made sure I knew exactly how they felt about me."

The frown returned to your face, deepening at his words as you imagined some of the horrible things the orcs might've said to him as he grew up.

"I wanted to prove myself to my tribe and make them reconsider their decision to kick me out by going on a quest, but everyone laughed. No one thinks I'll be successful." He continued.

There was a part of you that, despite not knowing Hongjoong very well, wanted him to succeed in his quest and show those nasty orcs that he was just as strong and capable as they were, perhaps even more.

"Is this your first quest?"

Your inquiry was followed by a nod from the half-orc seated across the table.

It was his first quest and he was going alone because he couldn't find anyone that wanted to accompany him?

"I'll go with you." The words spilled right out of your mouth without warning.

"What?"

"I said I'll go with you."

Hongjoong leaned to the side in his seat to give your appearance a once-over.

"No offense, but you don't look like someone who goes on quests."

"You're one to talk."

His eyes became wider at your quick quip.

"Sorry. Low blow."

"It's true though." He cracked a small smile, showing off a small set of lower fangs which you hadn't been able to see too well before.

"Look, I know an elf girl like myself doesn't look like much, but I'm quite skilled with a bow and arrow."

Hongjoong nibbled on his fudge in thought, tossing around your offer and taking into consideration that he'd be letting you tag along without knowing the extent of your skills. Then again, you were the only person willing to join him and, though he felt he could handle the quest on his own, there's power in numbers-and two is better than one.

"Alright. You can join me."

"Really?"

He nodded. "I suppose it'll be beneficial to have a second person along for the journey."

"Out of curiosity, what's the quest you received?"

"Retrieving a stolen artifact."

"What information do you have?"

"The quest giver said it's an hourglass called The Cromer. It's said to have the power to allow someone to travel between dimensions according to the moon phases."

"Wow." You had never heard of such a relic. "And does that map tell you where it's located?"

"It's supposed to, yes. Apparently, a dragon has hoarded the relic and a local keeper needs someone to retrieve it so that it can be put away safely. The reward is quite large too."

Your brows raised. "A dragon?"

Hongjoong gave a nod of confirmation. "The map is supposed to lead right to his lair."

The suggestion was then made by you to swing by your place and solidify a plan for your journey as well as pack for what would surely be a few days worth of traveling.

Moss blanketed the roof of your quaint cottage, long tendrils of green ivy and purple morning glories growing up the sides of the structure which was surrounded by a plethora of bushes. Hongjoong noted how fitting your home was for a forest elf such as yourself, smiling softly at its woodsy appearance.

Once inside, Hongjoong spread the map out across your circular dining table, using your salt and pepper shakers to keep it weighed down.

"This leads from the tavern to the dragon's lair." Hongjoong pointed out, dragging his index finger from one point to the other. "The quest giver told me the dragon dwells in a cave in these mountains here."

You nodded, glancing at the map, trying to figure out which way would be the safest and shortest passage for the both of you.

"We should avoid going this way." You called attention to a dark cluster of trees by pointing to them.

"Why?"

"Banshees."

"Ah." Hongjoong nodded, relying on you to tell him where the biggest threats lie since he was unfamiliar with the areas on the map.

After some deliberation and heedful planning, you and Hongjoong had your route decided.

"How soon do you want to head out?" You asked while placing a handful of supplies into your bag.

"The sooner the better."

"Very well." You went off to another room, returning moments later with a bow and a quiver of arrows. "Before we go, you might wanna let me fix that torn bag of yours. We don't want anything important falling out of it."

Hongjoong spared a glance at his satchel. "Oh. Right."

As you rummaged for your sewing kit, the half-orc removed the bag and laid it out on the table. The hole wasn't too big and easily repairable.

Your hands busied themselves by threading the needle that was pinched between your fingers, securing it in place and getting to work. Hongjoong's brown eyes observed your actions, a certain emotion swelling in his chest as he watched you do such a simple task. You were so welcoming and had shown him such kindness—it was nothing like Hongjoong had ever experienced. Others were harsh and judgmental, making assumptions about him before he could even open his mouth. Then there's you: warm, friendly, kind, accepting. You'd even offered to accompany him on this quest despite the fact that you hardly knew anything about him. Who does that?

You. That's who.

"Done."

Your voice pulled Hongjoong from his reverie. He blinked himself back to reality.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure. It's good as new now." You smiled softly, the light shimmer on your cheeks catching in the sun that filtered in through the window.

Hongjoong could feel his heart squeeze a bit at the sight. Were all elves this enchanting? He wondered.

Pushing yourself out of your chair, you scurried about your home, gathering only the absolute necessities for your journey which was food, money, and a first aid kit equipped with herbs and other things to make a salve in case of injury.

You excused yourself to change into some quest-appropriate attire, ditching your forest green dress and chestnut corset for a more comfortable cream-colored button down shirt, dark brown pants and knee high boots.

While you changed, Hongjoong rolled up the map and tucked it into his satchel.

Emerging from your room, you collected your quiver of arrows and slipped the strap across your body. Hongjoong blinked a few times, taking in your new garb. You retrieved your bag and bow, turning to the half-orc who averted his gaze immediately.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes." He stood up, adjusting the leather baldric strapped across him, tossing his satchel over his shoulder.

"We need to make one stop before we set out." You mentioned, stepping out of your house.

"Where to?"

"You'll see."

A brief walk through town brought the both of you to an apothecary.

"Potions?" Hongjoong questioned, gazing up at the wooden sign.

"We don't know what we'll run into on the journey. We may need some." You mentioned, stepping inside the small business.

The bell above the door jingled, signaling your entrance. A man with black hair that flipped out at the ends and curled just under his ear stood behind the front counter, a stunning set of small, green-tinted iridescent wings on his back. He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, tucking a strand of hair behind one of his pointed ears, lifting his head to greet you and Hongjoong.

"Hello." He smiled warmly, his voice deeper than you expected. "I'm Yeosang. What can I help you with today?"

"We're going on a quest and I'm looking to purchase some potions."

The fairy's eyes lit up. "Oh! A quest? What potions are you interested in buying?"

"Defensive potions. Maybe one that can be used as a smoke bomb?"

"Yes, yes." The fairy nodded, turning around to rifle through the shelves along the wall behind the register, pulling two small bottles out, inside was an opaque grayish white liquid. "Throw these on the ground and they'll explode in a mist that'll temporarily disorient your opponent and give you a chance to flee."

"How much?"

"100 gold pieces each."

"Ah. I think I'll just take one." You dug around in your bag, pulling out one of small tied satchels that held your extra money, sliding it across the counter. "There's 100 gold pieces in there."

The fairy opened the bag and poured out the coins, handing you the empty satchel before beginning to count the pieces. "100 exactly. Thank you for your business."

You gave a small nod and took the potion, placing it into the potion holster secured around your waist.

An unexpected muffled boom sounded from somewhere in the shop, causing you, Hongjoong, and Yeosang to flinch. Moments later, a tall man with messy, brown hair and glasses sitting askew on his nose emerged from a back room in the establishment. His face and robes were dusted in a pale blue powder, assumably from the small explosion.

"Yeosang, I messed up."

"Mingi." The fairy sighed before turning back to you and Hongjoong with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I'm training him."

You raised a hand, shaking your head in a dismissive manner. Yeosang turned to Mingi, telling him to start cleaning up whatever mess was made and that he'd come help in a moment.

"Clumsiest mage I've ever met." Yeosang murmured under his breath when Mingi left. "Apologies. Is there anything else I can get you for your quest?"

"The potion should be enough. Thank you." You bid the fairy goodby before heading out.

Your boots crunched under the gravelly dirt path leading out of your village with Hongjoong in tow. The pretty cobblestones that paved the streets had gotten sparse as you exited the village limits and entered the unknown.

"Map please." You held a hand out.

Hongjoong immediately fished the rolled parchment out of his bag, handing it over.

The guide was unrolled and you glanced at it, your eyes following the line of ink that had been drawn along the path you and Hongjoong agreed to follow.

"We just keep going until we get to the blueberry fields." You directed aloud, rolling up the map once more.

"Can't believe that smoke bomb potion was 100 gp." Hongjoong huffed out.

"It's a fair price for something like that." You shrugged, following the gravelly dirt trail.

Your trek was mostly uneventful as you traversed along the path, sticking to the planned route that was discussed earlier. Eventually, the lush grass and sizable trees lining the dirt road thinned out and the vast, wild blueberry fields came into view. Hongjoong pulled out the map, the tip of his index finger gliding along the parchment until he came upon the blueberry fields you both stood by. His eyes drifted from the illustrations on the map to what lied head of you.

"According to the route we decided on, we need to take a left here by the tree." Hongjoong informed you.

"Left by the tree." You repeated, stepping forward and veering off to the trail on the left, the rocks in the dirt crunching under the soles of your boots.

"You seemed familiar with some of the locations on the map. Have you ever been outside of your village?" Hongjoong asked, putting a stop to the silence that had been hanging in the air for the last half hour.

"A couple times. I don't like to wander too far, but I've been to two or three places outside of town. Have you traveled outside your home village?"

"With my tribe, yes. Though I never had the opportunity to really enjoy where we went. Too much commotion."

"Ah." You nodded.

Orcs were known for their brute strength and violence, which led you to believe they were too busy causing a ruckus and raiding. You felt a twinge of pity for Hongjoong knowing he could never fully enjoy any of the places he went with his tribe due to all the trouble they most likely caused.

"Maybe this journey will give you the chance to enjoy new places." You mentioned with a smile.

Your words brought some comfort to Hongjoong and gave him something to look forward to. Perhaps he could try and enjoy himself a bit on this journey. After all, it was the first time he was on his own and he didn't have his tribe causing trouble or teasing him.

Your journey led you through valleys and along a few rocky trails, but nothing either of you couldn't handle. Presently, you and your quest partner were trekking through a dense forest, the foliage on the towering trees so thick it was blocking the sun, giving the woods an eerie atmosphere.

"So, how difficult do you think locating The Cromer will be?" You asked Hongjoong as you stepped over a particularly large tree root. "This dragon that's guarding it has to have it hidden somewhere safe." You added.

"I'm not sure. According to what I heard, it's a powerful artifact so I'm going to go ahead and assume it's gonna be difficult to obtain."

"That's probably our best bet."

"The Cromer, huh?" An unfamiliar baritone voice spoke from somewhere in the trees.

Before either of you could speak, a monstrous troll came thudding out of the dense cluster of trees that surrounded you.

You and Hongjoong both came to a halt, taking a collective step back as the troll looked back and forth between the two of you.

"An elf and a little half-orc." The troll chuckled deeply. "What a pitiful duo."

You took a defensive stance, your heart hammering against your chest as you narrowed your eyes at the big oaf.

"What do you want?" You asked, keeping your voice steady.

"I want the map to The Cromer. I could do a lot with an ancient artifact like that."

"Not a chance." Hongjoong spoke sternly.

The troll let out a bellowing laugh, finding Hongjoong's defiance to be amusing, not taking it seriously.

"I can always just take it from you." The troll spoke, pulling out his spiked wooden club.

Hongjoong shook his head, not giving up so easily, especially not to a stupid troll. He was determined to complete the quest and prove himself to his tribe. In other words, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

The troll grinned, showing off a set of ugly, yellowed teeth as he did so, seeing that he'd have to forcefully take the map.

You and Hongjoong collided with one another while attempting to scramble away from the threat just as the wooden club was smashed into the earth, sending clumps of dirt flying up in the air.

The troll laughed deeply, swinging the club towards you. A yelp escaped your mouth as you ducked, the weapon colliding with the trunk of a nearby tree instead, knocking off chunks of bark. Scrambling for a place to hide, you slipped behind another tree nearby, your trembling hands reaching for an arrow from your quiver.

Hongjoong gathered himself and pulled his sword out, the blade making a resounding shing as it was withdrawn from its sheath. He saw you struggling to slide your arrow into your bow as the troll stomped in your direction. Without thinking, he ran forward and swung the blade, slicing along the troll's lower back. A loud, rough groan reverberated through the air as the troll spun around, no longer focused on you.

"You little weasel!" The troll growled, swinging his club and knocking Hongjoong with immense force, launching him right into a tree trunk. He yelped upon impact, his sword falling from his hand as he dropped to the ground. His body lie crumpled in the dirt and undergrowth as he groaned, his bag having come undone during the fall, the map sticking out. The troll laughed victoriously at the sight and took a step forward.

"There it is."

You gasped, sliding your arrow into place and stepping out from your hiding spot, aiming right at the troll's calf. Though tensions were high and your hands were still trembling, you knew you needed to save your friend. Expelling a long breath, you released the arrow, watching as it went straight into its intended destination.

A loud roar of agony ripped through the air as the troll stumbled a bit, glancing back to look at the arrow lodged in his calf, pulling it out with a hiss. This gave Hongjoong the chance to push himself up from the dirt and grab his sword. He staggered, getting a good grip on the hilt before swinging it with all his might as the blade sliced through the troll's backside. You watched with wide eyes as the troll groaned and dropped to his knees, falling face first into the dirt. Hongjoong rushed over and took hold of your forearm, tugging you away from the collapsed troll.

"Let's get out of here."

You nodded, running by him as the both of you fled the scene.

"This might be a good time to tell you that this is my first quest." You confessed, huffing as you leapt over vines and tree roots.

Hongjoong's expression fell into one of shock. Instead of questioning you, he kept quiet, deciding to focus on getting out of the woods and away from that troll first. He could ask questions later.

Short, labored breaths left your dry lips as you slowed to a jog, the trees around you becoming more sparse, indicating that you were close to getting out of what you presumed was troll territory. Hongjoong huffed out a sharp puff of air, slowing to match your pace.

"Almost there." He announced, his voice sounding strained.

A few brief moments later, you emerged from the woods, no longer in an area that was unsafe. Hongjoong let out a soft grunt, his hand placed over his side as he doubled over.

"Are you alright?" Concern laced your voice.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Just getting a pain in my side from running."

You peered out at the sun that was beginning to drop lower in the sky, taking note of how late it was getting.

"We should find a place to set up camp for the night."

Still catching his breath, Hongjoong merely nodded, forcing himself to stand upright.

"Here." You gestured to a decent-looking terrain just off the trail. There were trees and rocks scattered about the area, which seemed like an ideal place to settle for the evening.

Hongjoong trudged behind, following until you got to your designated camping spot.

"I can gather some firewood." He offered.

"Alright. That'll be good." You nodded.

As he walked off, you noticed the way he kept placing his hand on his side. It caught your attention for only a moment before you brushed it off, deciding to start setting up camp.

Retrieving a small blade from your bag, you used it to cut off a few twiggy branches from nearby trees, using them to lie across the grass as a makeshift bed. It wasn't the best, but the leaves added some cushioning.

Hongjoong returned shortly with an armful of sticks and chunks of wood. He appeared to be in no pain, so you chose not to ask questions about his earlier behavior, merely thanking him for collecting firewood.

"I can go back for more if you need me to. This may not be enough."

"This'll be fine."

"I'm gonna go back and get some more."

"Wait. Are you sure you're alright?" You decided to ask.

"I'm fine. I won't be gone long."

The words of protest that were about to leave your lips died on your tongue as Hongjoong walked off.

The fire crackled softly in front of you, bathing its nearby surroundings in an orange glow. You sat a short distance from your half-orc partner, the both of you leaned back against a sizable boulder. The day was fairly warm, but now that the sun had gone down, the night air was beginning to cool. Thankfully, the fire provided just enough heat to keep you both comfortable.

When Hongjoong returned from collecting wood a second time, he had brought back a few berries wrapped in a leaf for the both of you to share. Presently, the both of you were eating and watching the flames and the embers.

"You're hurt." You stated after noticing Hongjoong shifting uncomfortably for the last few minutes.

"I'm fine."

Scooting closer, you hovered your hands tentatively over his side, not touching him just yet. "May I look at it?"

"I said I'm fine. Really."

"You're not." Your voice took on a firmer tone that made Hongjoong fall silent. "I saw you holding your side earlier today."

His lack of response prompted you to unbutton his leather vest to get a look at the injury. Your wandering eyes momentarily halted, lingering on his exposed figure before they finally trailed down to his right side which he had been nursing for the last hour. A nasty-looking purple splotch blemished his perfect skin right where his ribs were.

Before you could question when this could've occurred, you remembered how he was knocked against a tree earlier during your brief battle with that troll. You winced at the sight of the bruise, knowing just from the sight that the injury wasn't minor.

"How have you been walking around like this?"

Hongjoong shrugged. He wasn't one to show much weakness, especially when it came to injuries.

"How does this feel?" You applied light pressure on his side and he hissed, his face twisting in agony.

"Mmm. I think you might've cracked a rib."

"Feels like it." Hongjoong grunted.

"Stay still."

"What are you doing?"

"Just stay still." You repeated, keeping your palm pressed to the bruise.

Hongjoong watched idly as you closed your eyes and took in a deep breath, slowly releasing it through your nostrils. A soft glow emitted from around your hand, a warmth seeping into his skin. The dull throbbing in his ribs subsided after a few moments. The half-orc's brows furrowed in awe while he watched you focus, the bruise that stained his skin fading ever so slightly.

"There." You sighed out, retracting your hand.

A small part of Hongjoong missed the feeling of your touch, but he pushed those emotions aside in order to assess the damage, or lack thereof.

He tentatively sat up straighter, moving a bit to test out the effects of what you'd just done.

"It... doesn't hurt." He murmured breathlessly.

"I healed it for you. Elf magic." You wiggled your fingers, making Hongjoong crack a tiny smile, amused by the cute display. "You'll still have a bit of a bruise, but you'll be able to continue the quest without any hinderance."

His fingers traced lightly over his side, his skin still tingling a bit from where you palm was.

"Thank you."

You began sifting through your satchel, producing a small canteen and an apple.

"Here." You passed them to Hongjoong. "You should eat something besides berries."

"What about you?"

"I've got another apple. No worries." You proved your point by pulling out a duplicate of the fruit.

Hongjoong nodded, satisfied to see that you had something extra for yourself.

"So," He began after taking a bite of his apple, chewing for a moment. "earlier you said this is your first quest."

"That's right."

"Why didn't you tell me before volunteering to tag along?" His question wasn't laced with malice, but genuine curiosity.

"When you told me why you were going on this quest and what you'd been through, I just couldn't let you go alone. My lack of experience was the last thing on my mind."

He nodded, taking in your words. "You were really good earlier when we fought that troll. If you hadn't distracted him by shooting that arrow, I don't think I would've had the chance to get back on my feet."

"You're the one who delivered the final blow that knocked him down." You pointed out.

"Ah. That's true... but, again, I wouldn't have been able to do that if not for you stepping in."

"Right." You chuckled. "So we have each other to thank then."

A moment of silence passed between the both of you before Hongjoong spoke up again.

"I guess we make a pretty good team."

"Yeah." You smiled fondly, nodding your head. "Yeah, we do."

It wasn't long after that the both of you decided to call it a night, hoping to get an early start the following day.

A relaxed sigh left your nostrils as you gazed sleepily at the stars above, admiring the way they dotted the expanse of the atmosphere. You then turned your head to spare a glance at Hongjoong who was already fast asleep. His pretty lashes rested on his cheeks as small snores left him. A fond smile tugged at your lips when you noticed his lower fangs poking out from his bottom lip as he slept. The sight was incredibly endearing and had your heart swelling with adoration towards the half-orc. With a gentle exhale, you shifted your position on the makeshift bed of leaves and closed your eyes, drifting off to the sound of the crackling fire and distant crickets.

The next morning, you awoke to chirping birds and the quiet shiff of someone's shoes moving through the grass. Raising up a bit, you squinted your eyes to see Hongjoong walking around, looking at the map.

"Oh. You're up." He announced once he heard you stirring, heading over and taking a seat in the grass.

"Yeah." You grunted, sitting upright and rubbing your eyes. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not too bad. You?"

"My back is a little stiff."

"Mine too."

"How's your ribs?" You asked, sliding on your quiver of arrows.

"Much better, thanks to you." Hongjoong gave an appreciative smile.

"Good." Your eyes moved to the map, which he was looking at. "Ah. Looks like we'll be passing through a village today."

"Maybe there'll be someplace to eat."

"You read my mind." You chuckled at Hongjoong's statement. "I'm ready for some good food."

After a journey along some rocky terrain and across a creek, you and your quest partner arrived at the village you were set to pass through on the way to your destination. The town was bigger than yours and had many different businesses from clothing shops, weapon shops, bakeries, and eateries. One in particular was called Mountaintop Tavern.

"How about eating here?" Hongjoong gestured.

"Yeah. Let's check it out."

The both of you stepped inside the establishment, which had a decent crowd. Your eyes roamed around the interior of the tavern as you followed Hongjoong to the bar, taking a seat on the stool. A man, presumably a human, with short, choppily-cut black hair stood behind the counter drying a glass. Once he noticed the presence of customers, he approached and greeted you both with a dimpled smile.

"Hi. I'm San. What can I get you two?"

"We're not sure." Hongjoong spoke.

"We're just passing through." You added.

"Oh! Travelers. Are you exploring or are you on a quest?"

"A quest." Hongjoong responded.

"How fun!" The cheery bartender grinned. "Well, we have soups, freshly-baked bread, meat, ale, juice, beer. Normal tavern stuff."

Hongjoong's eyes lit up at the mention of meat. "If you have any sort of seared beef, I'd love some of that."

"We do. It's served with a baked potato and a roll."

"Perfect."

After mulling over the options San had given, you placed an order for what you usually got at your tavern back home.

"We'll have two silver dragonic ales as well please." Hongjoong added.

"Coming right up." San winked, turning around to prepare drinks first.

Two tin steins were set on the bar top moments later, filled to the brim with a slightly coppery liquid.

"I'll go pass your order on to the cooks." San informed before walking off to the back.

"To a successful quest." Hongjoong held up his mug.

"To a successful quest." You echoed his words, clinking your stein with his, taking a generous sip of the ale, humming in satisfaction afterward.

"Ooh. That's crisp." Hongjoong commented, the coolness of the ale colder than expected.

"It's delicious." You took another sip. "Tastes like cider."

"Made with the finest apples." San's voice rang out as he returned to the counter. "Your food will be ready shortly."

"If the ale is this good, I can't imagine what the food will taste like." Hongjoong said with a grin.

You nodded in agreement.

"Well, thank you. I work hard to keep the patrons coming back." San grinned.

"So, you're the owner?" You asked.

"I am."

"I'm curious about the name of the tavern."

"Ah. My name means mountain, hence the name Mountaintop Tavern."

"Ooh." You and Hongjoong nodded in unison.

A customer approached the bar and San excused himself to go take care of them.

"This place is really nice." You commented, looking around at the different items hanging on the walls: swords, shields, and shelves lined with various trinkets and crystals.

A heavenly voice reached your ears, making you turn your head in the direction of the melodic singing.

On a small stage at the front of the tavern was a man with chestnut hair. He held a small guitar and was belting out the most enchanting notes. San noticed how you and Hongjoong were zoned in on the performance, chuckling to himself.

"That's Jongho. He's a local bard that performs here." He informed, walking back over. "He's pretty good, isn't he?"

"Pretty good is an understatement." You murmured.

"He's incredible." Hongjoong added.

"He's very popular with the customers."

True to San's words, the patrons in the tavern had migrated towards the stage, all of them looking just as captivated as you and Hongjoong.

The both of you were so focused on this Jongho fellow that you sat there watching him perform until your food arrived. The mouthwatering aroma is what drew your attention away from the bard.

As expected, the meal was delicious. It was probably the best tavern food you'd ever eaten—even better than the one back home.

Hongjoong let out a satisfied sigh, having cleaned his plate. He didn't know seared beef could be so tender and flavorful. Back in his tribe, he often ate dried meats or meat grilled over a fire, though it was flavorless and sometimes overcooked. This, however, was so well-cooked it practically melted in his mouth.

San gave you the total for your meals and Hongjoong promptly counted out enough silver pieces to pay for them, giving you no time to pull out your own money. You quietly thanked him for covering the meal, standing up from your seat.

"Everything was phenomenal." Hongjoong praised San.

"It was." You agreed. "It took us a day to get here but I'd almost consider coming back just to eat here again."

A bright and prideful grin spread across San's face at your positive words. "Thank you. Both of you." He gave each of you a nod as you headed out. "Safe travels."

The both of you stepped out into the dirt streets, satisfied after having a decent meal.

"We should hit the road." Hongjoong mentioned, reaching towards his bag to retrieve the map.

"Wait. Let's walk around for a bit and check out the village."

"What about the quest?"

"The quest can wait. You said you never got the chance to explore new places with your tribe, right? Let's just enjoy ourselves for a while."

The half-orc's expression softened, settling into a gentle smile. He couldn't believe you suggested sticking around just so he could explore. It was so... considerate.

The both of you set off through the village, window shopping and waiting for something to grab your attention. Hongjoong's eyes were practically glimmering while passing by each store, taking in everything like it was his first time seeing it. You could only imagine it was the first time he was seeing a town that wasn't in a panic from a raid his tribe started.

"Could we go in here for a minute?" He gestured towards a shop.

You nodded, following him into the small establishment where many garments were being sold. From fine clothing for fancy events to simple travelers clothes—it appeared this shop had it all.

Hongjoong veered over to a rack displaying a variety of satchels which he started perusing. The thought of purchasing a new bag crossed his mind since his current one had ripped, but he paused, glancing down at it and running his finger over the seam where you'd sewn the tear shut. The image of you sitting across from him, quietly mending his bag flashed in his mind, making his heart feel warm. He decided at that moment that he didn't need a new bag.

Abandoning the display of satchels, he headed to the clothing where he briefly scanned the wares, finding simple lace up blouses, neutral tone trousers, leather jackets, and even animal pelts. Just the sight of the furs reminded Hongjoong of his tribe. Many orcs back home wore pieces of armor, tunics made from animal skin, or fur pelts tossed over their shoulder—some only wore a loincloth. Hongjoong shivered at the image. He was the only one who dressed civilly, which was another thing he was made fun of for.

Any thoughts of his life back home were chased away when he laid eyes on a rack of coats, more specifically a long fur coat. It didn't look messy and primitive like some of the animal pelts his tribe members wore, this one was regal and carried an energy of prominence and grace. He didn't have a need for something like that and he wouldn't be able to bring it with him on the remainder of the quest, but it was a wonderful coat. His hands ran over the fur, feeling the soft material before relocating to another area of the shop.

Meanwhile, you were browsing a selection of dresses in an array of colors and styles. Your fingertips brushed over the fabrics, taking in the various designs. One dress in particular caught your eye; it was in your favorite color with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a long, flowing skirt. You quietly marveled at the simplicity of it, liking that it wasn't too frilly. After admiring the dress, you moved to a different section of the store, browsing everything there was to offer, occasionally sparing a glance in Hongjoong's direction to check on him. He was completely engrossed in what he was doing, meandering around the shop with bright eyes. A fond smile tugged at your lips while you watched him, stepping a little closer to admire him. His delicate and stunning features were what first drew you to him. He truly was the prettiest half-orc you'd ever laid eyes on.

Hongjoong lifted his head, making eye contact with you from where he stood a couple racks away. You gave him a small smile before busying yourself by looking at a collection of boots nearby. You tried not to stare at him after that, slightly embarrassed that he happened to look up while you were silently admiring him.

After spending some time in the village and stopping inside different shops, you and Hongjoong got back on the road, following the route drawn on the map.

"So, what did you think?" You asked. "Was it nice to enjoy your time in a village for once?"

"Yes. Even if I didn't buy anything, it was enjoyable to be able to browse in peace."

"I assume your tribe was always raiding places and causing chaos?"

"That's right. I never participated in raids and chose to stay home. Though there were a couple times I was forcibly dragged along. I just stayed back out of the way and watched." He shook his head, visibly reliving the memories. "It was horrible."

A sympathetic expression flashed across your features at Hongjoong's recollection of events.

"It must be difficult being the only half-orc in your tribe."

"It is. They're all so... primitive and boisterous. I'm nothing like that."

"I like that you're not."

Hongjoong's eyes met yours, his fingers playing with the strap of his messenger bag. "You do?"

"Yeah. I like you the way you are."

Your words made a smile spread across his face and a warm feeling blossom in his chest.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about." Hongjoong spoke after a few moments of silence.

"Yes?"

"We never discussed the reward money, but I plan to split it with you."

"What?" Your brows furrowed in perplexmxent. "No, no. That's not necessary."

"It is. You offered to tag along and you're helping retrieve The Cromer so you should get a cut of the reward."

"I only tagged along because I didn't want you going alone."

"And I'm grateful for that, so we're splitting the reward."

Heaving a reluctant sigh, you silently agreed to his proposition. This pleased Hongjoong, as a content smile settled onto his lips and he gave a nod of finality.

The map was retrieved from Hongjoong's bag and he gave a glance at it, locating the village the both of you were headed out of.

"Looks like we'll be at the mountains sometime today." He spoke. "If we don't run into any trouble, that is."

You released a long breath, glancing out at the few cottages dotting the land. "Let's hope for the best."

Things haven't been too bad for the both of you. Yes, you'd run into a troll, but you and Hongjoong both made it out of that situation with your weaponry skills. Not many people had it that easy.

"So, that ruby of yours, is it really lucky?"

"I don't know." Hongjoong shrugged, reaching into the pocket on his bag and pulling out the small rock, turning it between his fingers to watch it shimmer under the sun. "I just keep it with me. Though nothing too terrible has ever happened to me while I've had it on me."

"How'd you acquire this lucky rock?"

"I found it while my tribe was raiding a town. I was stood behind a couple barrels trying to stay out of the way and happened to see it in the dirt right by my feet. There were no crystal or gem shops nearby so I'm not sure where it came from, but it seemed like a special find. It was nice to find something so beautiful and precious while all this chaos was ensuing around me."

You smiled, happy that he was able to find some semblance of positivity while being forced to witness the wrath of his tribe.

"This is it." You commented, staring into the narrow mouth of the cave.

Hongjoong looked up from the map, expelling a sigh. "This is it. The Cromer is in there."

"Here goes nothing." You took in a deep breath and took a step forward.

"Wait." Hongjoong held his arm out to stop you. "Let me go first."

The fact that he wanted to take the lead and go first made your heart flutter just a bit.

He stepped ahead and entered the cave. You allowed him to do so, steeling yourself for what might await.

Trailing behind Hongjoong, you followed him through the narrow and rocky tunnel. It was just big enough for the both of you to walk through it. However, the farther you got, the less light from the outside was able to reach, making it difficult for you to see.

"It's too dark." Hongjoong murmured, feeling along the walls.

"I think I might be able to help. I can't promise it'll work, but it's worth a shot."

Focusing your energy, you held out your palm and steadied your breathing before casting a dancing lights spell. A glowing orb was created, hovering above your open palm. With some light now illuminating the area, you could see Hongjoong's amazed expression.

"I didn't know you knew how to do that."

"I guess you can say I have a few tricks up my sleeve." You grinned. "I wasn't even sure it would work. I only know a limited amount of spells and they're all pretty mundane."

"Well this one seems useful." He gestured to the light. "Come on. Let's keep going."

You continued to keep the ball of light hovering over your palm as you two made your way through the cave, walking over the uneven terrain below your feet. The further you got into the cavern, the more anxious you became. You'd never battled a dragon before. You'd never battled anything except for that troll the other day, which turned out well, but who's to say the battle with this dragon will go the same way?

"You alright?" Asked Hongjoong.

It was almost as if he could sense your nerves.

"I'm okay. Just a little anxious, I guess. There could be a big battle ahead of us."

"Not if we evade the dragon." He paused, glancing back to see your concerned expression, offering you a small but reassuring smile. "We'll be fine, Y/n."

His words brought you some comfort and helped to ease a little of the dread and anxiety you'd been feeling.

A dim glow up ahead let you and Hongjoong know you'd made it to the dragon's lair.

Emerging from the passageway, you were met with the sight of a vast interior area with gold and treasures galore. Large torches lined the rocky cave walls, giving an orangey glow to its surroundings and filling the air with a smoky, sooty scent.

Hongjoong surveyed the area, giving a jerk of his head to signal that the coast was clear to keep moving, so you did. Staying close by, you and the half-orc started tiptoeing past the giant piles of cold coins, jewelry, and other precious objects.

"Where do you think The Cromer is?" You whispered, keeping your voice low.

"Don't know." Hongjoong looked up at one of the higher levels in the cave, noticing an opening. "Maybe up there?"

You nodded in agreement, prompting him to proceed, moving past one of the piles of treasures. His arm immediately shot out to stop you, his unexpected strength making you grunt when your abdomen collided with his forearm. You opened your mouth to ask what the problem was, but promptly snapped it shut when you saw what had startled Hongjoong.

Lying just a few feet away was a massive black dragon with scales so shiny that they reflected the lights of the torches on the cave walls. The winged creature was curled up, resting on a bed of shiny coins, expelling low snores from its nostrils. Hongjoong held a finger up to his lips, his free hand reaching for yours. The sensation of his hand clasping your own sent a fluttering to your stomach, which you were forced to ignore due to the snoozing threat a few yards away.

Hongjoong started climbing clusters of rocks that led to the higher platform. He kept a firm hold on your hand while he moved up, using his free one to grip the rocky wall and maintain his balance. He huffed, taking one final step to the top where he released your hand.

Hongjoong cautiously tiptoed towards the opening of the elevated cavern with you just behind. Ahead was a much smaller cave filled with more treasure and as you got closer you scanned the pile of precious belongings.

"I don't see any hourglass." You whispered.

"Maybe we have to dig for it. We don't know how long the dragon has been hoarding it."

The both of you began working in tandem, sifting through the pile, pushing aside coins, crowns, and bejeweled items, doing your best to not make a lot of noise in the process.

"What if it's in one of the piles down there?" You jerked a thumb towards where the both of you had just come from.

"We'll know if we don't find what we're looking for up here."

After some more digging, a soft gasp from Hongjoong reached your ears.

"I found it."

Ever so gently, he extracted the bronzy-gold hourglass from the coins and other prized items, holding it up to show he was telling the truth.

"That's The Cromer?"

He nodded.

"We need to be careful with it." You cautioned, remembering what Hongjoong had told you about it.

He nodded once more, rummaging inside his messenger bag to rearrange something before placing The Cromer inside.

"Alright." He sighed, feeling a small sense of relief. "Let's get out of here."

With The Cromer in possession, you and Hongjoong started descending the rocky side of the cliff which you'd climbed up earlier. You kept a tight hold on the side of the raised platform, unable to keep your eyes off the mounds of gold sitting below you on the main floor of the cave. Subconsciously on edge from the startling sight, your grip tightened on the rocks as you took one step at a time back down to the ground.

"This way." Hongjoong gestured, taking your hand and pulling you in the direction of the cave entrance.

You were so focused on getting out, neither of you noticed the absence of the sleeping dragon.

Just as you and your quest partner were about to head that way, a massive, black beast swooped down in front of you.

"Where do you think you're going?" His gravelly voice spoke sharply.

You gasped, stumbling back a bit.

"Hongjoong." You whispered out in a trembling voice.

"Don't worry." The half-orc gave your hand a squeeze before releasing it and withdrawing his sword.

The dragon roared, raising one of his clawed hands and swinging it at Hongjoong who jumped out of the way, grabbing you in the process. This sent both of you tumbling to the ground, landing in the edge of a pile of coins.

The dragon wasted no time in taking another swipe with his razor sharp claws. Hongjoong, with an arm still hooked around your waist, rolled away just as the monster struck the spot you were at.

"You want to take what is mine?" The dragon roared.

At that moment, you and Hongjoong got to your feet and started to run. You fumbled for your bow, sliding it off and loading an arrow into it. There was no time for you to focus on aiming properly as you pointed the weapon in the general direction of the dragon, releasing the arrow which flew through the air, just barely grazing the beast's arm. He growled out at the stinging sensation it caused, lunging forward in retaliation. You and Hongjoong swerved in opposite directions to flee, separating from one another.

The dragon huffed, glancing left and right before deciding to go after you. A scream was ripped from your throat as you ran, pushing your legs as fast as they would go, ducking and dodging, moving around pillars and mounds of hoarded possessions in order to evade any attacks from the dragon. Unable to use your arrows due to the closeness of the dragon, your only option was to run. Any moment of hesitation would get you caught. Rounding one of the many piles of treasures, you found yourself at a dead end. Without thinking, you grabbed onto the rocky wall of the cave and started climbing, sparing a glance over your shoulder to see how close the threat was. Extending a trembling hand, you grabbed hold of a rock only for it to slip out of place and tumble to the ground. A yelp left you as you went sliding down the abrasive rigid side and back to the ground. You didn't get very far before you fell, so the drop was only a few feet, but the jagged rocks really did a number on you. You whimpered, squeezing your eyes shut as you rested against the wall, knowing you were about to meet your demise.

Hongjoong saw you were about to be cornered and knew he had to do something. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, he frantically searched the interior of the large cave, his eyes landing on a boulder sitting on a ledge near the opening. If he could get the dragon closer, he might be able to push the rock onto him. Without wasting another moment, he started climbing up the wall towards the large boulder.

"Y/n!" He shouted.

This grabbed your attention and made you open your eyes. On the opposite side of the cave, you spotted Hongjoong standing on a small ledge with his hands on a boulder the size of his body. Your gaze then darted to the approaching threat that glared at you with golden eyes. Mustering your strength, you pushed yourself to your feet, holding your side as you stood, your fingers brushing the glass bottle secured in the holster on your waist.

The smoke bomb potion.

You'd nearly forgotten about it. Unfastening the button, you pulled the bottle from its confines and smashed it on the ground, the glass shattering upon impact as a plume of smoke clouded the air. You took off, bolting past the disoriented dragon who was growling and roaring in agitation as you fled, dashing towards the exit.

"Come on!" Hongjoong shouted from up on the ledge. "Get him over here!"

You gave him a thumbs up, pushing your legs to go faster.

The dragon gave a flap of his wings, growling when it didn't clear the magical smoke that obstructed his view. With a roar that reverberated inside the cave, he shot up into the air, away from the plume of clouds and began flying directly towards you.

Hongjoong used the boulder to hide from the beast's view, his heart aching as he watched you run. He wished he could be down there but he needed to execute his plan.

Your face twisted at the burning in your side which was no doubt covered in scrapes. The only thing keeping you going was the entrance of the cave coming into view. That sight alone gave you the extra push you needed to close the space between yourself and the cave opening.

Once he knew you were safe, Hongjoong pushed the boulder, his orc strength coming in handy for moving such a large object.

The dragon was moving closer. This was it.

Before he could push it over the ledge, he hesitated, something inside of him unable to follow through with his plan. Clenching his jaw, Hongjoong redirected the boulder to the entrance of the cave, pushing it over the ledge before he started making his way back down. Hongjoong's last-minute plan B was to leap in front of the rolling boulder just before it was lodged against the opening of the cave, thus separating you and him from the dragon.

The half-orc made a beeline for the opening, slipping through just seconds before the rock collided with the mouth of the cavern.

"Hongjoong!" You exclaimed in relief, rushing over to him.

He huffed, leaning against the wall to catch his breath for a moment, his heart beating so violently he could hear it in his ears.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He responded breathlessly. "We should go."

You nodded, preparing to cast another dancing lights spell so you could see to leave, but before you could do so, the boulder blocking the opening started to move. Hongjoong instinctively took hold of your arm and began guiding you away. He'd rather feel his way out in the dark than risk facing the dragon again. With a palm pressed to the wall, he started moving forward, keeping you at his side while making his escape.

"Wait!"

You both stopped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Turning around, you were met with the sight of a dark-haired man with sharp, golden eyes and shiny black scales framing them. His black wings stood proudly behind him and a dragon tail laid on the floor at his feet. Seeing the dragon that had chased you both standing before you in hybrid form was unexpected. What's more, he wasn't trying to attack either of you.

"You could have pushed that boulder onto me and yet you didn't. Why?" His golden gaze was directed at the half-orc beside you.

"I couldn't." Answered Hongjoong. "It didn't seem right."

The dragon stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again. "What are your names?"

"I'm Y/n and this is Hongjoong." You answered.

"Why were you trespassing? What was it you were stealing?"

Hongjoong reached into his bag and pulled out The Cromer.

"An hourglass?" The dragon appeared confused. "Why?"

"We were sent on a quest to retrieve it. It's an ancient and powerful relic that belongs in the hands of a keeper."

"We've no desire to steal any jewels or other possessions." You added.

After a prolonged silence, the dragon nodded knowingly, which took both you and Hongjoong by surprise.

"Very well. You spared my life, so you may keep the hourglass."

"Thank you..." Hongjoong trailed off, not knowing the dragon's name.

"Seonghwa."

"Thank you, Seonghwa."

"I have one condition though." He mentioned.

"What's your condition?" You inquired.

"Living in this cave can be rather lonely. As you can probably imagine, I don't have many guests, unless they're thieves wanting to steal some of my hoard. If you didn't travel too far, would you perhaps be willing to come back sometime?"

"Come back?" You and Hongjoong echoed Seonghwa's words.

"Yes." The dragon had a gentle and almost pleading look in his golden eyes which were now round with something akin to hope.

A brief look was shared with your quest partner to gauge his reaction before you both nodded in agreement to Seonghwa's condition.

"I think we can arrange that." Hongjoong stated.

The round, golden eyes that were full of hope were now sparkling with anticipation.

"Very well. I look forward to your next visit."

After bidding each other goodbye, you and Hongjoong parted ways with Seonghwa, making your way back out of the cave. Once outside, you dropped down on a nearby rock, heaving a drawn-out sigh of exhaustion. Your side still stung from the fall you had earlier.

"Are you alright?" Hongjoong's question gained your attention.

"I got scraped pretty bad when I fell." You responded, reaching into your bag for the first aid items you brought. "I haven't looked at the damage yet."

"Can you heal it like you did with me?"

"I don't really use that magic for scrapes. Besides, it takes a little energy out of me." You tugged your collar out just enough to glance down at the injuries under your shirt. A sharp intake of air was taken in through your teeth at the sight of the discolored scrapes on your ribs and hip.

"Is everything okay? You need me to take care of it?" Hongjoong sounded a bit frantic as he stepped closer to you.

"I think I can bandage it up myself." You grabbed some of the herbs you brought with you, grinding them up in the small bowl, taking some fabric strips and spreading the salve onto it.

You worked to unbutton the bottom buttons of your shirt to reveal some of the scrapes. Hongjoong winced at the sight. He wanted so badly to jump in and bandage your wounds for you, but you insisted you could do it on your own, so he stood by quietly.

You did your best to hold your shirt up and apply the strips of fabric, but the task was proving to be difficult.

"Here." Hongjoong decided to intervene and offer his assistance. "Let me do it."

With a soundless sigh, you surrendered and allowed him to take over, holding your shirt up just below your chest. Hongjoong took one of the strips of fabric with the salve spread along it, placing it on one section of the scrapes that littered your side. You hissed softly when the fabric made contact with the wound.

"Sorry." He murmured. "I'm trying to be careful."

You watched as Hongjoong secured the bandage around you, his fingers gently brushing along your skin every so often, making you suppress a shiver and sending warmth to your cheeks. He worked meticulously, applying the salve you mixed up onto the strips of fabric before delicately wrapping them around your midsection.

"There."

You glanced down at your bandaged body, assessing the work he'd done. "Thanks."

"Will you be good to walk?" Hongjoong asked while standing up and offering his arm.

You grabbed hold and got to your feet. "I think I'll be alright. Now, what do we do with The Cromer?"

"We take it to The Keeper. His location is on the map I was given." Hongjoong pulled out the parchment, unrolling it so you could see. "That structure right there is where he resides." He pointed.

"That's not too far from here. We might be able to make it there today."

"Then we should get going."

With a nod of agreement, the both of you set off for your final destination, traversing through the wooded area surrounding the mountain.

You kept a hold on Hongjoong's forearm as you walked. The stinging in your side had subsided thanks to the salve, but you continued using your quest partner as a support so you wouldn't strain yourself too much.

"The idea to roll that boulder into the cave opening was a smart idea." You told Hongjoong.

"Oh. Thanks." His cheeks were dusted with pink at your praise. "Using that smoke bomb potion was pretty clever too. I hated that I wasn't there to help, but it seems like you had everything under control."

"I did." You nodded with a small smile.

The sound of distant voices reached the ears of you and Hongjoong. Assuming it was other travelers passing through the area, you paid no mind to it and continued on. It wasn't until you caught a glimpse of a small group of men through the trees that something didn't feel right. They were all dressed in black and had bandanas tied around their faces, concealing their noses and mouths. Hongjoong seemed uneasy at the sight as well, his instincts telling him this group was bad news.

"We should go." He whispered to you.

You gave a nod before he tugged you further into the trees. The area you were traveling through had a mix of evergreens and rocks as well as some clustered boulder formations, which gave you a few options for a place to hide.

"In here." Hongjoong guided you inside a small cave he spotted nearby, pulling you further into the darkness where he took a seat on the rocky floor. "We should be safe here."

The both of you were far enough away from the cave opening that the group of potential bandits wouldn't be able to see you if they were to pass by the area—at least, you hoped they wouldn't.

You grunted softly as you lowered yourself to take a seat next to Hongjoong on the ground, trying not to bend your body a certain way to prevent any stinging from the bandaged scrapes.

"Well, looks like we're gonna be staying here for a while."

"That's fine." You sighed out, resting your head against the rocky cave wall. "I'd rather stay here until it's safe than risk running into bandits and having The Cromer stolen."

Hongjoong hummed in agreement.

You closed your eyes for a moment, leaning your head back a bit while soaking up the silence. When you opened your eyes again, you noticed glowing specks on the cave ceiling.

"Hey, what's that?"

"Where?"

"Up."

Hongjoong glanced up, taking in the array of spots that looked like stars. "Woah. Looks like some sort of bioluminescent fungus or something."

"It's so... pretty."

"Yeah. I've never seen anything like it."

You slowly got to your feet, cautiously taking a couple steps forward while navigating the dark, your curiosity getting the best of you.

"I wonder if there's more."

Wanting to stick close by and also keep an eye on you, Hongjoong stood up and followed behind as you moved further into the small cavern, his eyes wandering along the ceiling that slowly started to get more speckled. Up ahead there was more fungi growing on the walls and even between some of the crevices in the rocky floor.

"Woah." You breathed out in awe as the cave was now coated in a pale blue glow that emanated from the bioluminescent fungus.

Turning to Hongjoong with a bright smile that radiated pure exuberance, you let out a laugh of elation. The half-orc could've sworn his heart beat right out of his chest at that moment, his breath hitching softly. You looked so beautiful and so happy—the picture of perfection. The way your eyes glimmered and reflected the glowing clusters as you admired the fungi made Hongjoong feel like he was going to melt into a puddle.

"Y/n?"

Hearing him call out your name so softly made your turn to look at him, the faint blue glow from the fungi highlighting his face beautifully.

"There's something I wanted to tell you."

His tone was serious, though it carried a hint of nervousness, which made you focus all your attention on him.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to thank you for volunteering to join me on this quest. I can't imagine what it would've been like for me if I'd gone alone like I originally planned."

"You're welcome. I've actually enjoyed this little journey, despite the battles... and injuries." You chortled.

"Me too." Hongjoong returned your grin. "I wanted to also thank you for being so kind. Rejection is all I've ever known, growing up in a tribe of orcs who looked down on me and belittled me for being only half of what they were. When I met you, you didn't look at me differently. You treated me just like anyone else."

"Well, if I'm being honest, you're not like anyone else."

Hongjoong blinked a couple times, puzzled.

"You're unique. There've been half-orcs pass through my village, some even live there, but none have been as handsome as you."

"You think I'm handsome?" His words were uttered in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I do. And I think people stare because of that. I personally couldn't take my eyes off you when we first met."

Your words were setting Hongjoong's cheeks aflame. He was preparing to confess his feelings to you and here you were doing exactly what he was planning to do.

"Well," He began, gathering his nerves that were slowly fading thanks to your positive words towards him. "as long as we're being honest, I've never seen an elf as ethereal as you."

Now it was your turn to be flustered. Your mouth opened to say something, but you uttered no words and ended up snapping it shut. Hongjoong was amused by that, chuckling as he took a step closer to you. He hoped he was reading things correctly and that this moment was heading where he hoped it was.

Your eyes met his, the natural shimmer on your cheeks catching in the bioluminescent glow from the fungi. The gap between your bodies was slowly closing as each of you moved on your own volition towards one another.

Hongjoong's hand was warm as it cupped your cheek gingerly, his touch leaving faint tingles in its wake. Your breathing was shallow and anticipatory as he inched closer at an agonizingly slow pace.

The tip of his dainty nose brushed against yours, the sensation making your eyelids flutter. Then, finally, his soft lips made contact with yours and you melted instantaneously. Your hands rested on his chest as you leaned into him, though your palms didn't stay there for long and slowly migrated to his shoulders where your arms slid around his neck. In turn, Hongjoong's free hand came to rest on your waist, slowly gliding up your side to feel the shape of your body. A shaky exhale left your nostrils at his gentle caresses. He was being so slow and deliberate as if to commit every dip and curve to memory. His lips moved just as leisurely as his hands, dragging over your own in a passionate kiss that was making your knees weak and your stomach explode with butterflies.

A small hum from you vibrated against Hongjoong's lips as you pressed your face closer to his, deepening the kiss. This caused his hold on you to tighten, the hand that was cupping your cheek moving to the nape of your neck to keep you locked in place. Hongjoong's other hand that was exploring your waist slid around to your lower back, guiding you forward until you were flush against him. The closeness sent a wave of heat throughout your body, another low hum left you. There were so many sensations being experienced you could hardly focus, your mind clouded with thoughts of the man holding you. Heavy exhales, soft hums, and kissing sounds were all that could be heard inside the cave.

After what felt like forever and yet not long enough, Hongjoong parted ways, pulling his lips from yours. His thumb gently dragged along your bottom lip as he licked his own.

"So beautiful." He murmured, his voice hoarse from the heated moment.

You suppressed a shiver, your half-lidded eyes looking into Hongjoong's with pure affection, and an undertone of desire to kiss him again, but there was a quest to complete.

"We should head to The Keeper." He spoke once more.

You nodded at his suggestion, knowing The Cromer needed to be taken somewhere safe as soon as possible.

You and Hongjoong stood at the entrance of a large structure made of gray brick; it wasn't a castle nor a temple, but something in between. With a push on the door, the both of you started making your way inside to meet with The Keeper.

You entered a small room with plinths lining the walls, each one with an item displayed on the top. Striding about the room was an elderly man with a gray beard, his dark robes dragging behind him. His attention was drawn towards the presence of you and Hongjoong.

"What brings two young travelers to my preservatory?" The man's left eye was covered with a patch that had a crescent moon embroidered on it.

"Are you The Keeper?" You asked.

"I am."

"We're here to bring you an ancient artifact." Hongjoong responded, approaching the man.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the hourglass the both of you had retrieved from the dragon's—Seonghwa's lair.

"The Cromer." The Keeper spoke in awe. "I've been waiting for brave travelers to bring this to me." He carefully took the hourglass from Hongjoong's hands. "You two are the only ones to succeed. Thank you. I can assure you, your hard work will not go unnoticed."

You and Hongjoong watched as The Keeper walked away, muttering, "Follow me." as he shuffled across the marble floors.

The elderly man led you into a separate room with a singular pedestal situated at the far end. He placed The Cromer on the plinth and held his hands out, a pale green glow emitting from them as a glass case materialized around the artifact, sealing it away. You and Hongjoong were in awe at the impressive display of magic.

"Now," The Keeper strode to a chest on a shelf, murmuring some words as it unlocked and opened. "I believe you two have earned this."

A large bag of coins was removed from the wooden box and placed into Hongjoong's awaiting hands, it's weight taking him by surprise.

"The Cromer is now in its rightful place thanks to the two of you."

With the quest now completed, you left the preservatory and began the journey back the way you both came.

Hongjoong couldn't believe it. He did it. He completed his first quest. His tribe would certainly accept him now.

The thought of his tribe made the half-orc pause his train of thought for a moment, his expression falling ever so slightly. This entire time, his plan was to complete the quest and prove to those who made fun of him that he was capable. His eyes turned to you who was gazing up at the trees that towered over the trail. Hongjoong's heart softened at the sight and he began to realize that going back to his tribe didn't sound as appealing as he once thought. After spending time with you, he'd been shown kindness and had experienced acceptance and appreciation, which he wasn't used to, but he really liked it. He liked the way it made him feel warm inside and filled him with happiness. For the first time in his whole life he felt like he was enough—and it was all because of you.

"Don't go back to your tribe."

Your sudden vocalization caught Hongjoong by surprise, especially because it aligned with what he was currently thinking.

"What?"

You turned your head to look at him. "I said don't go back to your tribe. You don't need them. Stay with me instead."

He blinked a couple times.

"You said you were going on this quest to prove yourself to your tribe, but you don't have to prove anything to anyone. Besides, I can't stand the thought of you going back to a group of nasty orcs that treated you so poorly. They were terrible to you and they don't deserve to have you as a part of their group."

A soft smile of amusement slowly spread across Hongjoong's features.

"I have no plans to go back... not anymore." He responded. "Besides, I can't abandon my new girlfriend, can I?"

A small gasp left you, your eyes widening momentarily at the title. "Girlfriend?"

"We kissed, didn't we?"

"Well, yes," Your cheeks warmed as you recalled the memory. "but we never really made it official. You never asked me to be your girlfriend."

"Well, do you?"

Pressing your lips together to hold back a smile, you nodded. "Yes."

Hongjoong grinned at your acceptance.

"Oh. That reminds me, I have something for you." He reached for his bag.

"You do?"

"I couldn't figure out when to give it to you, but now seems like a good time."

You both slowed to a stop as Hongjoong rummaged for a moment before pulling out a messily-folded wad of fabric. He held it up and you watched as it unfurled itself, your breath catching in your throat at the reveal. It was the dress you were looking at in the clothing shop earlier that day.

"I saw you looking at it and I couldn't stop imaging what you'd look like in it." Hongjoong confessed, his pointed ears dusted pink.

You stepped forward and trailed your fingers along the soft fabric.

"I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"I was hoping you'd wear it on a date with me." Hongjoong's words were quiet, almost unsure as he uttered them. It was as if he expected you to say no.

"I would love that." You gleamed, clutching the dress.

The smile that overtook Hongjoong's features was so large it made his eyes crinkle up into crescent shapes.

Your dress was folded and placed back into his bag for safe keeping and your journey home continued, this time with Hongjoong's hand linked with yours.

"So, if I'm staying, does that mean I get to live with you?" He asked with a smirk as the two of you headed down the trail.

"Of course it does. You're stuck with me now."

"Hm. I like the sound of that."

Hongjoong started this journey with one mission in mind and that was to prove his worth to a tribe of orcs that saw him as nothing. Now, he's ended with a girlfriend, newfound confidence, reward money, and a new place to live where he would begin his own happily ever after.

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nickfowlerrr · 2 years

Note

This picture has ruined me. Now I need a fic with Bucky as your professor banging you in the library during regular hours.

clear your mind

pairing: professor!bucky barnes x curvy!reader

words: 7.5k

warnings: 18+ ONLY. smut. public sex. cockwarming. student/teacher relations. possible age gap depending on how you read it (reader is at least 25 or older but it’s not really specified and bucky is late 30s or older but again, not specified. imagine whatever you like.) i added an alternate kind of darkish ending that is separated with a divider near the end (duh) but of course you can choose to not read it and stick to the original cute ending lol. if i’m missing anything you feel needs to be added, please let me know.

notes: disclaimer: i never technically went to college so i don’t really know what i’m writing about lmao but when i say this was instant inspo, i mean instant. i’ve been in such a funk since i lost chapter four of keeping secrets, but this really ignited something in me so i just went for it. it was originally gonna be a little smutty drabble but then i started writing and it just became a whole one shot - not that i’m complaining lol. this was so fun to write, thank you @sammyisfat for sending it in! 🖤 i hope you all enjoy it! as always, feedback and comments are welcome and appreciated. and thank you in advance for reading and reblogging!

You were sitting hunched over, eyes scanning the same sentence repeatedly, trying to force yourself to focus. You were reading the words but you weren’t really putting them together. You were too bored to make them make sense. Your brain was far off and you were sure you were about to burn out completely at this point.

Why you thought going back to school after so long was a good idea was beyond you. Was the degree really worth it? You’d gotten this far without one, hadn’t you?

As you were contemplating your life choices, and working on convincing yourself to just screw it and drop out, you’d failed to notice the presence of two of your professors passing by.

You had been alone at the far back of the library, closed in by the sturdy cases of books around you, for so long you’d nearly forgotten you were actually there. You had needed solitude, lest the chatter of other students in study groups or working on projects distract you further than your mind already did on its own. Your back was to the open aisle so as not to get distracted by anyone passing by, either. The zone you were occupying was normally a hot spot, but on a Wednesday afternoon, not so much. And for that you were grateful.

The knock on the bookcase next to you accompanied by your name being called, almost in question, startled you as you quickly corrected your posture and looked toward the noise, adjusting the glasses you were wearing as you did. You were greeted with two pairs of blue eyes looking back at you. Standing next to the bookcase, waiting for your response were two of the most lusted after professors on campus. And that wasn’t just you thinking so. The way students fawned over both Mr. Barber and Barnes was near juvenile. They were like kids gossiping about their crushes in elementary school. It was always funny to you seeing the line of people waiting to speak with Andy at the end of class every Wednesday and Friday, whether they had a genuine question to ask or not. You couldn’t say you didn’t get it, though. He had great hair, a soft smile, kind eyes.. He was gorgeous. It was clear why so many people had a thing for him. But you always found yourself a little more than preoccupied with thoughts of Mr. Barnes. Though they were both at least six foot tall and unfairly attractive, easy enough to spread your attention between both of them, as most of their students did, there was just something about James that had you in a hold since the first day you met him.

It was your first day on campus and you’d accidentally bumped into him with your green tea as you were leaving the small corner cafe after your first morning class. You apologized profusely, but he’d claimed it was his fault, that he wasn’t watching where he was going. He insisted on buying you a new drink as he removed his tea damp jacket. You didn’t fight him on it, walking back into the cafe as he held the door for you. You introduced yourselves as you waited for the drinks to be made and spoke a bit. It wasn’t a super long interaction, both of you having places you had to be, but you would have sworn there was something there. And the glimmer in his eye as he smiled and told you he’d see you around convinced you it wasn’t one sided. You were instantly smitten, hopeful you would see him again, that maybe it could lead to getting to know him better, lead to something more.

That was until you walked into your afternoon class the next day to find him standing at a podium, setting up his orientation slides. You had been hoping all day to run into him, but this was certainly not how you’d been imagining the circumstances. Of course he was your professor. You breathed a humorless laugh to yourself as you found a seat. You got your laptop out and looked back up at the same time he looked up from his, making direct eye contact with him. You saw the instant he recognized you and gave him a tight lipped smile that he returned before you diverted your gaze back down. His look of disappointment matched your own, but at the very least, it made you feel wanted.. The “professor x student” trope was never really your cup of tea, but as the weeks went by, the stolen glances and secret longing stares you exchanged were starting to change your mind. After one particular heated night of self pleasure, absentmindedly picturing him while you were reveling in your own touch, imagining it was his, you knew you were really gone for him. And heaven help you, the idea of it really happening was growing hotter and hotter the more you told yourself you couldn’t. Imagining showing up to his office hours one evening and just letting him have you any way he liked. Letting him take you apart on his desk, or sucking him off under his desk while he works. God, you’d daydreamed so many scenarios.

You just couldn’t bring yourself to act on any of it. You didn’t know how to. More importantly, you knew you shouldn’t. It wasn’t like you were some barely legal star eyed student he’d be taking advantage of, but still, you were his student. You weren’t sure how that dynamic might play out or the optics of it for either of you. Instead you willed yourself to stay focused on the work, to keep your thoughts set on passing the course and that was all.

Even when you would find yourself needing actual help from him or needing to ask him about an assignment, you would always talk yourself out of it. You didn’t want to let yourself be alone with him, you couldn’t be trusted. You were worried you’d make a fool of yourself the second you got the chance. So instead, you’d get help from a classmate if you could or you’d end up just winging it. It had been working that far.

The real problem started just last week. This most recent section was challenging to say the least. You had tried the study group offered on Monday nights, but you got absolutely nothing done.

Your last essay assignment had been returned to you on Friday with a note on it, asking you to come by his office hours before the next class. You had been putting it off all week, but knew you’d have to go by Thursday. You just weren’t expecting to see him around any earlier than that.

“Professors,” you greeted, slightly taken aback.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Mr. Barber apologized. “Thought you might’ve heard us walking up.”

“I was uh, lost in the text, I guess,” you replied, giving them an awkward smile.

“Well, I’m glad someone’s reading it,” he laughed.

“Do you mind if we join you?” he continued, motioning to the otherwise empty table you were sitting at the end of. It was big enough to seat at least 8 people easily and it’d, of course, be rude of you to try and keep it for yourself. But what would they need to be in the library for anyway? The question must have been written on your face as Mr. Barnes answered it for you.

“The heat isn’t working in our offices. We’re just grading some work.”

“Right, yeah, of course. Go for it.”

“Thank you,” Andy smiled.

They took seats at the other end of the table, surely trying to avoid distracting you. You appreciated the gesture, but it was futile. As they worked on grading papers, they were talking and laughing every so often and even if they hadn’t been, their presence alone was not at all aiding you in your attempt to focus on schoolwork.

You’d given up trying to finish the passage you’d been reading and instead pretended to start making notes in your laptop. In all actuality, you were really just googling alternative career paths and the question: “Do you really need a college degree to be successful?”.

Thirty minutes later, Andy’s phone went off and he began to gather his things, telling Mr. Barnes, who he called ‘Bucky’, that he had a lecture in 45 minutes but he’d see him later.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Andy pointed at you as he passed by.

“Bright and early,” you affirmed with a nod and a small smile.

“Have a good night,” he smiled back.

“You too,” you returned.

The second he was gone, you became fully aware that you were now alone with Professor Barnes, the situation you’d been trying to avoid for the past almost three months. Despite your efforts, your entire focus was being pulled to the man just down the table from you. He was still grading, in the middle of someone’s essay as you glanced over to him. You admired the quirk of his brow as he read and how his tongue jutted out to lick his lip as his eyes scanned the words on the page. You pulled your gaze away from him and back to your laptop, deciding to close it and put it away, begrudgingly returning to your textbook. Just one more hour. You had promised yourself 2 hours of studying today minimum, you were halfway there. You could do it.

Not ten minutes later you heard the flipping of paper and glanced over to see he’d just finished the paper he was on, writing the grade on top of the first page. You looked back to your text just as he slid the paper down the table to you. You furrowed your brows as you watched it slide into your book. You saw the “C-” he had given it circled in red ink and immediately recognized the title. Your lips parted and you clicked your tongue as you looked back up to meet his eye.

“Anyone else that would’ve been a D,” he told you, sounding slightly disappointed. “Your work is normally a lot better than what you’ve been turning in lately. That’s why I asked you to come by my office hours.”

“Yeah, I- uh. I don’t know, I’ve just been having a hard time with this section,” you explained. “And I wasn’t ignoring your note, I was planning to see you on Thursday.”

“Well, we’re both here now, right?” he said and you nodded.

“Good a time as any,” you shrugged.

He got up and moved his stuff down the table to take the seat next to you. You closed your textbook and straightened up in your chair. Nerves eating at you as he sat and turned to angle himself towards you.

“My main concern isn’t really about you understanding the materials, all the concepts are there in your work, it's just..lackluster. Sloppily written, a bit jumbled here and there. Nothing like what you had been turning in at the start of the semester,” he said. “Are you sure it’s the section you’re having a hard time with?”

You looked at him for a moment, not really knowing what to say.

“What else would I be having a hard time with?” you questioned quietly.

It was his turn to look at you for a moment as he thought about how to word his response. He opened his mouth to say something but seemed to think better of it before he finally spoke.

“You’ve seemed more and more distracted during class lately. I just want to make sure you’re okay,” he said sincerely, his blue eyes gleaming into yours. He was already close, but you suddenly found yourself mindlessly leaning closer to him. You took a breath as you sat back, licking your lips ever so lightly without realizing as you looked away.

“I’m okay,” you told him. “Sorry I’ve seemed distracted. Well, uhm, been distracted. I don’t know why I’ve been having such a hard time focusing on this,” you lied, “but I appreciate your concern. I’ll work on being more present. And putting more effort into my writing.”

He smiled softly and nodded before he turned back in his seat, returning to his pile of papers.

You bit your lip as you sat there. Of course you knew why you were so distracted, but you couldn’t just tell him it was because of him.

“You know there’s a study group you can sign up for,” he said as he was still looking down, reading the new paper in front of him, red pen in hand.

“Yeah, I know. I just, uh, work better in smaller groups,”

“Alone isn’t exactly a group,” he lightly smirked with a slight tilt of his head.

“I’ve never really had the best focus when it comes to studying, anything. I get off topic and then I get everyone else off topic and then we end up having spent the entire session debating something trivial, like who the best Batman is,” you said.

“Christian Bale,” he responded.

“Obviously,” you agreed with a smile. “But uhm, yeah. Less distractions the better, so I try to avoid big groups. Though I’ll admit, just trying to stay focused on my own is a feat in and of itself,” you laughed lightly.

“Sounds like you just need someone other than yourself to hold you accountable. Have you thought about one on ones? I offer tutoring sessions that no one seems to want to take me up on,” he laughed. “I have three one hour sessions all still open for tonight, actually.. Not that you need tutoring, but you could use the time to work on your assignments without distractions - and I'd be there, of course, if you need any help.”

You told yourself to say no. You really did..

“Well it couldn’t hurt, right?” you breathed, a small smile on your lips. Just then the clock chimed three, drawing both of your attention.

“I have a class in twenty, I have to get going. But I’ll be in my office from five to eight, you can come whenever. Like I said, no one else has signed up, so whenever you can make it. Hopefully the heat should be working by then.”

“Okay,” you agreed. “Thank you, Professor.”

“Please, James is more than fine,” he told you. “I’ll see you later.”

When he left, you packed up your things - letting yourself off the hook for your two hour promise. You were gonna be studying later now, anyway so it wasn’t like you just checking out for the day. Your apartment wasn’t too far from campus, so you drove home and decided you’d head back around 6.

You made yourself a late lunch/early dinner and then got your things together for when you’d leave. You figured you had time for a quick nap, so you laid down on the couch with the tv still playing in the background. After about 45 minutes, you woke up feeling more flustered than you had felt all week. You were starting to regret your quick agreement to his one on one offer, but you couldn’t just not show up now. You were getting yourself worked up over nothing, you were sure. Really what could you do that would be so bad? It’s not like you were planning on seducing the man. You’d probably just ask him to review the essay you’d been working on that would be turned in at the next class and ask for clarification on the requirements for the part of your midterm paper you’d been confused about for the past two weeks. You probably wouldn’t even stay the whole hour.

Checking the time, you decided to head back to campus. You’d get to his office a little after 5 and you’d be home by 6:30 at the latest. It’d be fine.

As you walked up to the sturdy oak door that led to his office, two cups of coffee in hand, your nerves started anew. You took a second before you knocked lightly. A few moments later, the door was pulled open as he greeted you, ushering you in.

“I got you a coffee,” you offered with a smile.

“That’s very much needed, thank you,” he smiled back, taking the drink you’d extended to him. “Please, have a seat.”

You took the only chair across from his desk as he sat.

“So, I was wondering if you’d be able to go over my essay for this week. See if it’s missing anything, or if it needs to be rewritten entirely,” you laughed nervously.

“Yeah, of course,”

“Great,” you breathed, “I just emailed you a copy.”

He pulled it open on his screen and you watched for a moment as he began reading before you pulled out your laptop to work more on your midterm. You couldn’t focus though. Not with him right across from you. The little noises he’d make as he read caught your attention repeatedly and when you’d glance up, you’d find yourself admiring the shape of his face, the quirk of his lips, the squinting of his eyes.

“The whole point of this is so that you have no distractions,” he said as he continued reading before turning to look at you. “Something distracting you?” he asked, his eyes finding your own with something akin to a playful glimmer shining in them.

You opened your mouth to speak but you just shook your head instead, taking a steadying breath.

“No,” you answered after a second. He looked at you hard.

“You sure about that?” he asked again.

“No,” you repeated softly.

“Well since you can’t seem to focus on what you’re working on, why don’t you come over here and we’ll go over this together.”

You stared at him, gawking before your body finally moved. You stood up and he did the same, pulling his chair back for you to sit in as you rounded the desk. He pushed you back in and then leaned down behind you so he was at the same height you were, looking at the screen.

You were stiff and you felt like you couldn’t breathe. He was so close. And he smelled so good. And he was so pretty. God, you didn’t know what to do. You really couldn’t focus, even as he read your words aloud and went over a line you’d blubbed.

“Are you listening to me?” he asked, standing to his full height as he spun the chair around, looking down at you. Your eyes immediately landed on his crotch before you quickly looked away, trying to not look so flustered.

“Sorry,” you eked out.

“It’s obvious you have something on your mind. You’re clearly distracted,” he said, finding your eye. “I think you just need to clear your head to find your focus.”

“Right, well, I don’t really know how to do that,” you breathed.

“Why don’t you let me try to help,” he returned softly as he leaned down and grabbed your chin, tilting your face up to meet his as he leaned in, brushing his lips against yours.

You were definitely not expecting this to happen, but you weren’t upset in the least. His lips were soft and he tasted like coffee. Your hand found his hair as you pulled him closer to you, the gentle kiss turning into something hungrier the longer it went on. He pulled away suddenly and pulled you out of his chair before taking his seat and pulling you down onto his lap just as quickly, his lips returning to yours the instant he had you on him. Your arm wound itself around his neck as your other cupped his jaw, keeping his face close to you as he held you close to him.

Slowly, his hand traveled under your sweater and along your waist, causing goosebumps to rise on your skin. He easily slipped his tongue into your mouth, eliciting a moan from you as he did. You felt his erection growing as you sat on his lap, smiling into the kiss as you teasingly rubbed against him, earning a groan from him in response. He broke away from you for a moment as you both caught your breath, “Tell me if you want to stop,” was all he said before he maneuvered you with ease. He sat you on the edge of his desk while he took your boots off before he pulled your leggings down your thick thighs, his touch sending chills through you as he did.

He made quick work of his trousers, pulling them down before he took himself out of his briefs. He sat back down on his chair as he looked at you with lust filled eyes. “Stand up,” he told you. When you were standing before him, he pulled you close by your wide set hips before his fingers hooked the band of your thong, dragging it down until they were past your thighs and dropped to your ankles. “Step out of them, sweetheart.”

You did as he said before he pulled you closer and got you onto the chair, positioning you so you straddled his lap, barely hovering above his hard cock. You were breathing heavily as your hands grasped his shoulders and his hands held your fleshy hips. He looked up at you like he was waiting for your permission and so you nodded softly down at him. He gripped himself with one hand and moved the tip of his cock along your wet slit, you gasped in unison at the feeling. He took his time and just played with you a bit until you were moaning, whining above him. Your eyes squeezed shut as he circled your clit before he moved to finally align his cock up to your slick entrance. He pushed his tip just inside of you and groaned at the sensation, his hands returning to your hips as he gripped you tightly, holding you there despite you wanting desperately to take more of him.

“James,” you whined. He shook his head.

“Call me Bucky,” he instructed headily.

“Bucky,” you whined further, trying to lower yourself further onto his cock.

“I know, I know, sweetheart,” he laughed. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Mhm,” you moaned as he took your lips in his again.

“You want more? Want more of my dick inside you?”

“Yes, yes, Bucky, please,” you mewled.

“Don’t worry, I’m gonna give it to you,” he said, kissing you along your neck, “but then you’re gonna focus on your work, okay?”

“Okay,” you agreed without really hearing him. You just needed more, you needed all of him.

He pulled you down further onto his cock torturously slowly as you gasped and mewled until he was seated fully inside of you.

“Fuck,” he grunted, eyes shutting in pleasure at the feeling of your tight walls squeezing him, at the warmth of your cunt around him.

You tried to move, but were stopped again by his hands holding you in place. He tutted as he looked at you, a smirk playing on his lips.

“What do you think you’re doing, sweetheart? We just agreed you’re gonna focus on your work now,”

“Huh? Right, right now?” you huffed.

“Right now,” he told you firmly.

You pouted as you leaned against his chest, your face pressing into his neck, even just that movement sparking pleasure through you.

“No pouting,” he laughed against your temple. You turned your face up to him, pout still in place before you leaned up further to kiss him again. Slow and heated, he got lost in your kiss. He almost didn’t stop you when you started rocking your hips against him. Almost.

You whined again as he held you still. His strength was impressive, you had to admit.

“Stop. Moving,” he growled, sending a new wave of arousal through you. “You’re gonna sit right here on my cock while we go over your essay and if you do a good job listening to me and stay focused, I’ll give you what you really want after. Understand?”

“Yes, professor,” you said quietly.

“Good,” he smiled, caressing your cheek as he looked down at you.

It was thirty five minutes of pure torture. He read a loud your entire essay and had you make corrections as he went, the entire time you could feel his thick cock throbbing inside your dripping cunt, just begging for any kind of movement. Near the end of your essay corrections, his hand dropped from your hip until he found your clit, slowly beginning to rub it in tight circles. You mewled pathetically and your walls tightened around his dick still deep inside of you while his lips attacked your neck with gentle kisses and love bites.

“You did so well, sweetheart,” he praised. “You took this from a C to an A with just thirty minutes of actual focus. All you had to do was face your distractions head on, find the right motivation,” he smirked against your skin.

“So we’re done with the editing then, right?” you asked.

“Mhm,” he hummed against you.

“Great,” you breathed as he brought you closer with his every touch.

“Fuck, you’re squezzing me so tight,” he groaned.

“I’m gonna come,” you mewled, breathing heavier still as his left hand tightened on your hip and his fingers worked your bud faster, sending you head first into your orgasm, his name falling off your tongue as you cursed and panted through your high, collapsing onto his chest.

“Oh my god,” he whined with a small gasp, his eyes squeezing shut. “Fuck, can I come inside you?” he asked. You nodded your answer as you were still trying to catch your breath. He grabbed your face and crashed his lips into yours, hot and needy, while you felt him tense suddenly as his cock pulsed inside you and he moaned deeply into your mouth as he let himself go, you could feel the warmth of his release against your walls.

The evidence of your orgasm was all over his lap, coating his dick as he pulled you off of him.

“Holy fuck,” he panted. You didn’t think it was possible, but you felt yourself heat up even more than you already had been. “Hand me a tissue,” he said pointing to the box he had on the corner of his desk.

He cleaned himself up quickly before he pulled his briefs and trousers back up. He had you again on the edge of his desk as he bent down to clean you up, too, admiring the way his cum was leaking out of you before he grabbed your leggings from the floor, handing them to you. He pocketed your thong before he stood back up to his full height, towering over you.

“That was nice,” he laughed softly as he leaned down closer to you, his right hand framing your face, tilting it up to meet his eye, his thumb gently stroking the soft skin of your cheek before he leaned in to place a chaste kiss on your lips.

You smiled in response. “Yeah, it was,” you agreed.

“I hope you don’t find this inappropriate, but I’ve wanted you since the day we met.”

“The feeling is more than mutual,” you assured him. “But uhm. Is this..,” you gestured between the two of you, “allowed?” you questioned as you hopped off his desk to pull your leggings on.

“Well, it’s certainly not encouraged, but there’s nothing in my contract that explicitly prohibits it. I made sure a few months ago,” he said, eyeing you with a shy smile as if he hadn’t just come inside you after making you cockwarm him for nearly 45 minutes. It made you laugh. “I would prefer to keep this between us for as long as we can, though,” he hedged.

“Yeah, I completely agree. Don’t need these kids gossiping about me, too.”

“They do love to talk, don’t they?” he grimaced, causing you to smile at him.

“I’m sure we can keep this under wraps,” you said as you pulled your boots back on. “And I’d like to sign up for next week's one on one sessions, too, if you're available.”

“I’ll be sure to block it out for you,” he grinned.

“Might as well make it a standing weekly appointment,” you suggested as you walked back over to him from where he was perched on his desk.

“Sounds like a good idea,” he responded as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer while you stared up at him, your arms wrapping around him in return. “Are you free for dinner tomorrow night?”

“Dinner?” you questioned, pulling back slightly. “That doesn’t sound very underwraps,” you teased.

“A private dinner. At a private residence. My residence,” he clarified with a smirk.

“I’m free,” you nodded as you backed away and went to the other side of the desk as he turned around to watch you.

“Great, I’ll message you the address.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for it,” you said as you grabbed your bag and slipped your laptop back inside of it. “I should get going, but, thank you. For everything,” you simpered. “I really appreciate your help.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. My door’s always open. I’ll see you tomorrow,”

“Tomorrow it is,” you nodded in agreement as you walked to the door. But before you could open it, Bucky was behind you, turning you around to face him. His lips met yours in a soft, unrushed kiss before he pulled away slowly, opening the door for you.

“Have a good night,” you breathed.

“You, too,” he smiled.

Three weeks later you had a routine set in place. Nothing changed much in class, except you found yourself paying more close attention to the material now that you weren’t so hopelessly longing for your professor. Wednesday’s were your one on one sessions in Bucky’s office and Friday nights had been spent at his place. This last week, you’d even stayed the three day weekend with him. You knew you weren’t crazy when you had thought there was something real between the two of you when you had first met, but you didn’t expect to have clicked so well the way you had. Your chemistry was unbelievable and you got on so well together. Plus the sex was incredible.

Fucking in his office was so cliche, but that didn’t make it any less hot. In fact, it was really the only place you called him “Professor” these days. The title just made things that much sexier. It was Wednesday afternoon and you’d just gotten out of your last class for the day. You were going to head to Bucky’s office in a few hours, planning to go to your apartment to freshen up before picking up some food for you both on your way back.

You’d just finished changing into more…accessible clothes when your phone rang. It was a text from Bucky letting you know that the heat in his office wasn’t working again, so you’d have to meet in the library instead as they’d be working on the unit in his room. You frowned slightly, accepting that you’d changed for nothing, but at least the skirt was still comfortable. You texted back asking if you should still bring food and he promised he’d take you somewhere after instead. Apparently only two of his students in his 3:20 class showed up, so he dismissed them for the day. He was already on his way to the library, so you grabbed your things and headed back to campus.

You walked around the library looking for him with no luck before you decided to walk up to the second level, which was technically closed off for some construction work, in order to get a better view. You spotted him easily in the far back section of the lower level as you stood at the railing of the second floor. He was sipping on a cup of coffee and you smiled as you spied a cup of tea waiting for you next to his satchel on the table while he read over some work.

You walked back down to the first floor and made your way to him.

“Professor,” you greeted as you knocked on the bookcase blocking the table he was at from an easy view. He greeted you in return as he looked up from his work, a smile on his face. His eyes caught on the low v-neck of the top you were wearing, your cleavage on perfect display. His tongue jutted out along his lower lip as he admired the view. You cleared your throat as you looked at him with a raised brow.

He looked back up to your eyes, smiling charmingly as if he hadn’t just been caught leering at you so openly.

“I’m here to study, not be perved on,” you accused.

“You know you need to clear your mind to get your focus, first. And you know what helps clear your mind best,” he alluded.

“You know we’re in public, right?” you asked, voice hushed as you walked closer to the table.

“It’s a Wednesday, no one’s gonna come back here,” he said smoothly. “We’re hidden from sight.”

“Not true,” you denied. “I saw you from the second level,” you informed him.

“Was anyone up there?” he asked.

“No..”

“Didn’t think so,” he said smugly.

“There’s not right now. Anyone could come in at any time. It’s the middle of the day.”

“You’re right,” he aquesqued, hands up. “All work, no play today. I got you a tea,” he offered.

“Thank you,” you smiled as you took the seat across from him.

“Wow, why are you sitting so far?”

“Where do you want me to sit?” you laughed.

“Preferably, my lap,” he started, earning a humored scoff from you. “But right here would be good, too,” he said, gesturing to the seat next to him.

You got up and moved spots, getting comfortable before you pulled up your essay on your laptop.

“Still going through midterms?” you asked as you looked over to him making marks on the paper he was reading.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“Have you gotten to mine yet?”

“Not yet,” he said absently.

You nodded as you took a sip of your tea. You looked back to your essay and found yourself trailing off. It was pretty much finished, just needed to be read through again for any edits you needed to make. It wasn’t enough to keep your attention. Too easy. You could do it later no problem.

Instead you took out your text for Andy’s class and started reading next week’s assignment. You didn’t have much else to do. Funnily enough, you’d been getting most of your work done earlier than normal so you’d have less to actually do on Wednesdays, instead spending your “study” time focusing on other things…

You weren’t paying attention to anything, lost in perverted thoughts of last week when Bucky had fucked you agaisnt the wall in his office, while twirling your pen as you stared down blankly at the words on the page, not reading them at all. Pulling you from your perversions, suddenly you felt Bucky’s hand smooth its way under your skirt and up your thigh. His hand was so warm and strong as he touched you, sending chills through you as he scooted his chair closer to yours. You didn’t stop him and absentmindedly spread your thighs for him as he inched his way closer and closer to your inner thighs before his fingers made their way between them, gently rubbing at your warm, barely clothed pussy.

You came back to earth as you remembered where you were and reached your hand under the table to hold his, stopping his movements.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing, professor?” you breathed.

“Helping,” he responded. “What did I say about distractions, sweetheart?”

“Who says I’m distracted,” you whispered as you heard chatter coming from the other side of the bookcase before it passed as some students made their way to the front desk from the back office you weren’t too far off from.

“You have that far off look in your eyes,” he spoke quietly, “and I saw you squeezing your thighs together not ten seconds ago.” You exhaled a breath so softly you barely even heard yourself.

“Maybe we can end this session early and call it a day?” you asked, wanting to get out of the library and meet him back at your place, or hell, meet him at his car and let him take you apart in the faculty parking lot.

“No, I don’t think so. We both have some work left to do.”

“Bucky,” you whispered.

“No calling me Bucky outside my office while we’re on campus,” he reminded you. “You know better.”

You bit your lip before whispering sorry.

“You just need to face your distractions so you can get past them,” he said. “Let me help.”

You let go of his hand beneath the table and spread your thighs a little wider.

You almost stopped breathing completely when he slipped his fingers past your panties and gently pushed inside of you as one of the librarians passed by the aisle over. She peered behind the bookcase that was shielding you from the side to see who was at the tables and greeted both of you quietly before she returned to the aisle and reshelved some books. Bucky’s fingers didn’t stop for even a second as he returned her greeting and went back to grading.

The second you knew she was gone you panted a breath. “James,” you chastised as you sat in your seat still, making no attempt to actually stop him.

“More?” he questioned without looking up from his work, only speeding up his fingering, curling them inside of you. You bit down harshly on your lip to stop yourself from moaning out loud, your thighs tensing with the impending wave of pleasure you were teetering on before he slipped his fingers out of you, a school boy smirk playing on his lips.

You exhlaed heavily and shakily before looking over to him, shocked. He finally looked back at you, still smirking.

“I wanna try something. If you want me to stop, tell me,” he said as he removed his hand from your thigh and stood up abruptly. You could see the outline of his erection through his trousers and found yourself getting more aroused. You didn’t know what he wanted to do, but assumed it'd be something at least a little discret. Along the lines of putting you in his lap again, or even just having you get him off. So when he pulled you up and spun you around, pushing you down against the table, you were surprised to say the least. You heard him unzip his pants as he pulled himself free and then pulled your panties down your thighs. You couldn’t even think as he prodded you with his cock, and gasped loudly when he finally pushed into you. His hand was on your mouth in an instant as he leaned over your back, his mouth next to your ear as he spoke. “Gotta be quiet, sweetheart,” he panted. “You don’t want anyone to see us back here, do you?”

Your gurgled moan was his response as he began fucking into you, keeping your chest firmly againt the sturdy table, one hand on your mouth and one holding your wrists behind your back. You were panting as quietly as you could as he slid in and out of you, getting deeper with each thrust. He took his hand away from your mouth after a moment and gripped your hip to keep you a little more steady, trying to keep your hips from slamming so hard into the wood. The salacious sounds of his pelvis slapping against your ass with his thrusts were only making you more slick as he moved his hand from your wrists to keep your skirt pushed up as he fucked you from behind.

It was taking all of your willpower to keep quiet, your mouth open in silent moans as you tried to keep yourself breathing. His thrusts were getting more powerful the longer he went. Each time you heard people passing by, your cunt gripped his cock even tighter at the thrill of the proximity, and Bucky didn’t miss it.

“Who knew you were so fucking kinky,” he panted into your ear. “You like getting fucked in public, huh? Like the idea of anyone walking by and seeing you get fucked out of your mind? Seeing you getting claimed by me,” he husked.

You mewled as quietly as you could and nodded your head in affirmation. “I like it,” you whispered pathetically.

“I know you do,” he laughed before fucking into you deeper, making sure you felt every inch of his thick cock gliding against your velvety walls, squeezing him tightly.

“Professor, please,” you pleaded quietly.

“Fuck, sweetheart,” he grunted as he gripped your hip harder still, pulling your ass flush against him before he began rutting into you desperately. He leaned his weight onto you as he kept you pushed down, flush against the table. His hand left your skirt and found your clit, adding to the growing pressure building in your abdomen as he rubbed you, fucking you and stimulating all the most sensitive spots along your walls. Before you knew you were, you came completely undone, the familiar white hot pleasure induced euphoria spreading through you as you came around him, squeezing him like you never wanted him to leave you empty again. And truth be told, you didn’t. You’d never felt so fulfilled or satisfied in your life.

He could barely move as you came around him, but after a few more thrusts, he shot his load inside of you, cursing under his breath as he came, panting. After a moment, he pulled out gently and slid your panties back up for you, pushing your skirt down before he fixed himself. You were still reeling from the intensity of it all when you stood, a little wobbly, from the table.

Cute planned ending:

“I can’t believe we just did that,” you breathed, turning around to face Bucky. “We really just did that,” you said, still in shock at yourself while Bucky grinned proudly before looking around a bit, just making sure you were still alone. He grabbed you by your waist and pulled you close, leaning down to kiss you deeply, letting you go for a second before kissing you harder again.

“We did. And now,” he said, ushering you back to your seat, urging you to sit down, “you're gonna finish editing your paper while I grade a few more of these midterms, no distractions.”

“Easy for you to say,” you muttered as you looked up at him still standing while you were seated once again. “I’m the one sitting here with come leaking out of me,” you complained.

“Is it that distracting for you, sweetheart?” he asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Yes,” you responded.

“No problem. I can help with that, too,” he smirked as he got down on his knees, crawling under the table to kneel at your feet as your eyes went wide while you watched him. He pulled you to the edge of the chair before he slipped your panties off completely. “That essay better be ready to turn in by the time I get back up, do you understand?” he warned. You could feel his breath against your folds as he got closer.

“Yes, professor,” you mewled pathetically as you spread your thighs even wider for him.

Alternative kind of darkish ending:

You felt eyes on you as you turned around, but it wasn’t Bucky. You looked up to the second floor and could have sworn you saw Andy passing by, worry flooding through you instantly. You weren’t sure, though. Maybe he was really just walking by and hadn’t seen anything. Maybe it was no one at all and you were just imagining things. You almost didn’t even want to say anything about it, just act like you hadn’t seen, or thought you saw, anyone at all.

Until Andy came knocking on the bookcase, from the opposite direction, startling you as you gasped and spun around, hands flying to make sure your skirt was smoothed down completely, unconscious backing toward where Bucky was. Andy looked between you both for a second before he spoke, a knowing, devilish smirk growing on his face as he looked at you in a way you’d never seen him look at anyone before. Lewdly, leering, lustful, even.

“What’s goin’ on down here?”

You looked back at Bucky, hoping to find some kind of reassurance or protection, but he was completely unphased at the presence of his friend.

“You enjoy the show?” he asked, unamused.

“I think I could put on better,” he shrugged, eyes still locked on you, even as Bucky pulled you into his side.

“What do you think, sweetheart? Wanna let him try?”

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x curvy!reader #bucky x reader #bucky x curvy!reader #bucky barnes x plus size!reader #bucky x plus size!reader #professor!bucky #professor barnes #professor bucky x reader #professor barnes x reader #professor!bucky barnes #professor!bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes smut #bucky smut #andy barber x curvy!reader #soft!dark bucky x reader #andy barber

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xeeljii · 2 months

Note

PLEASE WRITE MOREEE

OH ANON I LOVE U <33333 this means the world to me!!!!

i have like 4 fics already written i just dont wanna spam the tag lol but here is a preview for the next one :>

WARNING! Explicit RPF!

CW: 18+, f! reader, friends with benefits situation, mentions of past sex, get together, soft angst but happy ending, fluff

EDIT: FULL FIC HERE!

You hear the water from the shower stop, you are probably not getting lucky tonight and that is okay, you just like having him near you, with the weather now he works as a personal heather. You haven’t really just slept together without sex as an excuse, not since the first time at least, and it makes you a little nervous. You think briefly about changing into nicer pajamas but he already saw the ones you are wearing so no point, you feel a rush of nervousness raise on your body. Before you get more anxious, he comes out of the shower hair leaving little droplets of water on your floor as he walks. White towel hanging low from his hips, you appreciate the softness of his belly, the happy trail that disappears under the towel, the way the hair there is darker than anywhere else in his body and even more noticeable when wet. You can’t help but scan all over his body, ogle at his chest, his soft pecs and the thin hair on them that looks white, his wide shoulders littered with freckles because he can’t be bothered to ever use sunscreen, he is so beautiful it hurts. Without the excuse of sex you feel shy looking and maybe like a little bit of a creep, you try to avert your gaze. If he notices the staring he says nothing about it and slowly walks towards you. You are holding a towel in your hands “Let me help you” You say raising your hands above his head, he stands right in front of you making you look up, you start gently moving your hands to dry his hair a little, he places his big hands on your hips and pulls you closer, wants to kiss you so bad but stops himself, he doesn’t want to get kicked out in the middle of the night when your unmade bed looks so delicious and inviting. You feel your cheeks heat up under his gaze, his thumbs drawing circles in the exposed skin under your sleeping camisole, you want to make this last forever. “Done” You say almost in a whisper, you throw the towel on chair nearby. Almost on instinct you raise to your tip toes and kiss softly at his cheek, too late you realize what you just did, infinitely more intimate than what you should, you just look away quickly and clear your throat. “Lets get some sleep yeah?” You say turning around to hide your blushing face, you climb on the bed and raise the comforter, patting at the empty space beside you motioning for him to move. You make it so incredibly hard not to like you and he is such a weak man. He takes a few steps before reaching the edge of the bed, takes the towel off and throws it to the chair before climbing up behind you.

#joost klein x reader #sorry for using ur ask but i wanted to post the snipped and didn't know how to lol #i think ill post it tomorrow if the vibe is right <3

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indigo-constellation · 5 months

Text

art for my fic Astra Inclinant, Sed non Obligant which is over! after over a year of work and thinking about it it's done, it's written.

The art is very specifically for very early on in the fic, I might do something for them near the end because things change

more details and individual mosaics under the cut + a silly burda thing I did

individual mosaics, these were so fun to do for each one

me when I have the ability to edit my wips, burda happy ending edition

the fic itself takes place 2 weeks after the end of the world, and is about the three healers and their places in that. Where Artemy's been in it the longest time, Clara knows the most, and Daniil is lost for first act

it has 3 acts where act I is the least organised, act II has these guys get to be happy (SHOCKING) and act III is the downwards spiral towards the end, I was actually so mad at myself writing the last chapter bc I wanted them to be happy writing it lol

the fic is set in my own world, which will get explained throughout the writing, but the characters don't really know what's going on all the time, and it's fun to have a world that's a bit looser

This started about a year and a half ago when I was discussing this world with a few friends and started assigning, Artemy was pretty much decided from the start, but the other took me a while to really get them the right role in the story

#pathologic #daniil dankovsky #artemy burakh #clara pathologic #burakhovsky #artists on tumblr #art #my art #digital art #ao3 #this also has dadkovsky to clara but only in act II and after and he's not doing well #none of them are really doing well tbh #it's so weird to have finished such a long project #but I am really glad with the result

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ohmtoff · 5 months

Note

could i request a fic of reader and nick having a friends with benefits type of relationship, reader is in love with nick but doesn’t realise nick is in love with reader too so they have a mutual pining situation?

Mutually Exclusive

Summary: You can’t handle being just friends with benefits with Nick, not when you’re in love with him.

WC: 1.6k

Contains: angst, pining, misunderstandings, friends with benefits (or is it?)

a/n: heyyy!! so sorry for taking so long to write this😭 hope it’s okay that i didnt write any smut even though it’s a FWB prompt lol i just wasnt feeling to write smut sorryyy anon. hope you like ittt <3

——————————————————————————

Your head was pillowed on Nick’s chest, your fingers skimming over Nick’s soft stomach, occasionally trailing it across his chest hair which makes him giggle, and you were trying to figure out how to tell him you’d been asked on a date. Nick was running his fingers through your hair, occasionally placing a soft kiss to your temple, and your head is racking on how to explain that this will be the last time you will ever be in bed with him. You both had just finished a particularly sweet bout of intimacy, you felt utterless boneless, and you needed to somehow tell Nick you couldn’t keep doing this.

When you had first met Nick — at a party thrown by Larray — you’d immediately been drawn to him. How could you not be; Nick was cute and soft, so handsome in a way that still somehow felt comfortable and approachable. Eyes so blue and piercing that your heart immediately fluttered at the first eye contact. And Nick had apparently been drawn to you as well, at least that was the impression you got when you both ended up making out in the corner of the party a mere hour later.

After that first time, you both just kept… hooking up. Initially, it was only at parties, both gravitating towards each other and ending the night entangled in some way. Soon, after Nick had insisted you and him exchange numbers, it morphed into scheduled hook-ups, no pretense of a party required. And then you both started hanging out afterwards, trying a new restaurant or watching a movie or just talking. You’d catch meals together and facetime each other before going to sleep.

You weren’t sure when you both transitioned from random strangers hooking up to hook-ups who occasionally hang out to inseparable friends who also happen to hook up with each other, but you didn’t want to question it. Nick was maybe the best thing to ever happen to you, and you weren’t about to complicate that with logistics.

A finger ran over your face, smoothing out the wrinkle that had appeared between your eyes, snapping you out of your thoughts and into the present. “What’s got you so stressed?”

I thought I was okay with us just being friends with benefits but someone else asked me out and I’ve realised that I don’t want to go out with someone who isn’t you but that’s not what this is and I don’t know what to do about it because this isn’t enough but I don’t want anyone else.

“Mm, nothing.” You nuzzled into Nick’s chest.

“I know you. You don’t get that little crinkle between your eyes unless you got something on your mind.” Nick kissed the area in question, featherlight and soft.

“You know that guy, Curtis?” You focused on the tattoo of Nick’s arm, smoothing over them lightly, marveling at the goosebumps he left in his wake.

“Um, I think? That one guy that’s stalking you?” Nick chuckled, and the vibrations in his chest shook you just a bit. Just enough to remind you how physically close you and him were in that moment, as if neither boy existed without the other. Something panged near your heart.

“He’s not… He’s not stalking me.”

“Oh, so he just happens to appear everywhere you are? I don’t think we’ve gone anywhere in the last month without him ‘randomly’ showing up. He’s obsessed with you.” Nick pushed back your hair from your forehead and kissed you there. “Can’t say I blame him, though.”

Your chest ached. You weren’t sure when you’d fallen in love with Nick, but you were now firmly in the throes of it and every delicate gesture from Nick, every word of affection, every tiny touch, twisted something deep in your stomach. When Nick held you like this, naked and sated and warm, and looked at you with those adoring eyes, touched you like you mattered, You found it almost impossible to hold back all that you was feeling.

“You obsessed with me, Nicolas?” You hoped the joke would defuse some of the tension, maybe make Nick believe you too could be cool and casual about all of this.

“Yeah,” Nick whispered before cupping your face like you were something precious and pulling you into a kiss, small and slow and perfect.

You wanted to cry.

You needed a moment to gather yourself after Nick pulled back, eyes closed and lips still puckered.

“What did Curtis do?” Nick’s fingers returned to your hair.

“He, uh, he…” You thought it may be less painful to pluck out his own eyelashes than continue. “He asked me out.”

You hadn’t known how you thought Nick would react, but laughter had not been anywhere on your list. But Nick did just that, laughing boisterously, shaking them both. “Oh, wow. Poor Curtis.”

Poor Curtis. What did that mean?!

You frowned and sat up, needing to somehow find a way to put space between yourself and Nick. You turned to face the wall and crossed your arms, fighting back tears.

“You don’t have to be cruel, Nick.”

“What?” Nick sat up too, placing a tentative hand on your shoulder, which you shrugged off. “I just meant—”

“I know what you meant!” You looked down, concentrating on Nick’s white sheets. “Just because you don’t want to date me doesn’t mean no one else does.”

“What?! What are you talking about?!” Nick almost sounded angry, as if you were the one mocking him.

“People can like me, Nick! People can find me attractive and compelling and worthwhile.” Tears formed in the corners of your eyes.

“Babe, I know that—”

“So why did you laugh? Why did you pity Curtis for liking me?”

“What are you talking about?!” Nick sounded on the verge of tears as well, which finally made you turn to look at him.

His face was flushed red, his eyes glassy and wet, and he almost looked scared, as though your words were wounding him somehow.

“I’m worth someone liking me like that. I deserve that.” Some of your resolve was slipping at Nick’s expression, but you still managed to choke out a self-defense.

“I know that. You think I don’t know that?!” A tear slid down Nick’s cheek.

“You don’t get to cry, Nick. You’re the one insulting me.”

Another tear fell down Nick’s perfect face, splotchy and red, but still perfect. “I don’t get to cry when my boyfriend seems to be trying to break up with me by accusing me of not liking him and talking about another guy asking him out?”

“Wh–what?”

“I’m gonna cry over that, baby.” Nick’s voice was thick, his face now covered in a steady stream of tears. “I’m gonna cry over you breaking my heart.”

“Boyfriend?”

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“You have a boyfriend?” Since when did Nick have a boyfriend?

“Apparently I don’t anymore.” Nick’s voice caught at the end, a sob escaping his mouth.

“I— I’m your boyfriend?” Were you an idiot? Had you been dating Nick this whole time? You reached out to grab Nick’s face, wiping tears with the pads of your thumbs. “Nick. I am genuinely asking you: am I your boyfriend?”

Nick gaped at you. “I— yes? I thought so.”

You floundered for a moment, surveying Nick’s face for any sign of insincerity. Instead, all you found was wide-eyed hope. In lieu of any verbal response, you pulled Nick’s face to your own, kissing him with all you had, all the twisted aches in your stomach, all the blind hopes in your heart. You guided Nick back down, settling on top of him as your kiss deepened. The only thing you could think was NickNickNick.

“Mm.” Nick lightly pushed you back, separating your lips so he could talk. “You really didn’t know?”

“You never said anything. I don’t even know if you liked me like that, I thought we were just… hooking up.”

Nick stroked a thumb over your bottom lip, blowing a soft breath of laughter out of his nose. “Baby, I’m almost embarrassingly in love with you.”

“I didn’t know. You never… I didn’t know.”

“I guess I could have been clearer. But I thought when we started actually going on dates…” Nick trailed off, cheeks flushing.

You groaned and dropped your forehead to his chest. “You know damn well people now go on dates and have sex casually. How was I supposed to know we were serious? I thought we were friends who hung out all the time and then had sex.”

“Yeah, my love, that’s what dating is.” A beautiful laugh bubbled out of Nick, a bit watery from his crying, but still so lovely and bright.

“Okay, well, that makes it a lot easier to turn Curtis down.”

“I may not like that he went after my boyfriend, but without him, you may have just assumed we were platonic best friends who kiss for the rest of our lives. Our grandchildren gather round to hear our love story and you’re like ‘he’s just my friend, he doesn’t like me like that.’”

You raised your head and grinned wickedly. “Grandchildren?”

Nick smiled back, soft and glowing. “Oh yeah, we’re ride or die besties. May as well go in on one headstone, purely for financial purposes. And one last name too. Again, for financial purposes.”

“You proposing?” Just joking about it made your stomach do several backflips.

“Nah, not yet. We have to at least buy our own house first.”

You chuckled. “Hey.”

“Hm?”

“I’m embarrassingly in love with you too.”

You settled back onto Nick’s chest, resuming your skimming of his stomach, listening intently to Nick’s heart race. Despite having been in this exact position ten minutes prior, you felt lighter now, none of the trepidation and insecurity remaining.

Nick wanted you — loved you — as so much more than a friend with benefits, and you had never been happier.

#nick sturniolo #nick sturniolo fanfic #nick sturniolo imagine #nick sturniolo x reader #nick sturniolo x male reader #nick sturniolo fanfiction #sturniolo triplets fanfiction

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doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou · 9 months

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Leave

What Does It Mean (Part One)

> lady lesso x fem!reader

> requested? yes! by @1ntr0v3rt3dsna1l

> content/warnings: R starts the chess match, L is annoyed, D is annoying, E is forever the neutral baby in this fics

> a/n: i just wish Lesso would finally catch on what's happening, i want to see her win this chess match between her and R lol (talking as if i'm not the author)

request prompt: Y/N is an Ever (and, of course, a reader) from the modern world (where we live, baby!). Y/N had already read the books of School for Good and Evil and is well aware of everything about it in general. Lady Lesso slowly harbored a crush on Y/N, and despite being opposites, they became close friends. Lady Lesso found out that Y/N is her soulmate, but Lesso keeps denying it. Y/N knew Lady Lesso so well, so she wasn't shocked or surprised (because, after all, the books). Then, Y/N eventually gave up on trying to bridge their relationship... And left after the Rafal thing?

As the school year comes near to a start, Dovey becomes increasingly bothersome, at least according to Lesso. The Dean of Good appears to annoy Lesso every chance she gets. This includes various types of meetings, whether they are staff or private ones, as well as encounters in the hallway of the School for Good.

“Give it a week, and I’m sure Lesso will just implode,” one of the teachers muttered. You, of course, the ever-eavesdropper that you are, leaned in and replied. “Can you tell me why?”

The Never teacher raised an eyebrow but shrugged. “Dovey has been getting on Lesso’s nerves lately. She’s been constantly trailing behind Lesso to ‘discuss’ the plans for the start of the year.” This had you pursing your lips. You didn’t like the term ‘trailing behind’ and, of course, you couldn’t comprehend what kind of ‘discussion’ Dovey was apparently annoying Lesso about. However, one thing was clear: you didn't like it at all.

“Pinch me.” You whispered to the teacher beside you, wherein she gave you a look that said, ‘Are you crazy?’

Rolling your eyes, you stomped on Uma’s foot, making her slap you on the arm quite harshly. This made you wince, but it didn’t matter to you. Because the moment you winced, Lady Lesso winced with you.

Aha! Got you.

Emma, who was on your front, raised an eyebrow at the voice she heard. Shrugging, Emma ignored the voice, yet it didn’t stop talking. Soulmates, huh? Who would’ve thought? An Ever and a Never? Oh, Storian, get ready, because I’ll be visiting you after this.

As the voice continued speaking, Emma’s eyes widened at each word that was leaving the mind of the owner. With every minute passing, the voice became familiar to her. Then it dawned on her that the voice belonged to you. It was you who was talking about your soulmate. And from the looks of it, Dovey’s plan has started, and you were making the first move.

Once the meeting ended and you were on your way to your designated classrooms, a hand grabbed your arm and pulled you towards a broom cupboard.

“Who were you talking about earlier?” The owner of the voice flicked her fingers, and the light went on. Revealing a smirking Emma in front of you. Feeling your blush from yesterday come back, you rolled your eyes and huffed.

“Talking? I didn’t even open my mouth at the meeting, Emma.” You feigned ignorance and cursed yourself for not putting up a barrier for your thoughts. The Storian will surely either tease or scold you for this.

“Don’t lie to me, Y/N.” Emma leaned towards you and pursed her lips. “I heard you.”

Leaning against the wall to add a little bit of distance between the two of you, you sighed and bit your lower lip. “Fine! Fine! I was talking about Lady Lesso earlier.” You couldn’t bear to lie about this. But in reality, you just didn’t have the backbone to lie to someone who genuinely likes you.

“Oh, this is perfect!”

Frowning, you gave Emma a questioning look and asked. “Perfect in what way?”

Giving you a pat on the shoulder, Emma grins and opens the door for you to leave. “Go on, shoo.” She then pushed you out of the cupboard and slammed it shut.

Looking around you to see if anyone saw what happened, you shrugged and left while muttering, "Gods, people here aren’t worth the hassle to get my happy ever after.”

“Lesso, just one word. Describe the new teacher!” Dovey slipped her cane to stop the door from slamming in her face. “Come on, this isn’t that hard to do!”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Lesso sat on her chair behind her desk and gave Dovey a glare. “Why do you even care what I think of her?”

Although she knew that Lesso’s words were a trap, Dovey thought of her next words to say. Because who’s to say that Lesso hasn’t caught up on what she and Emma have been working on for the entire summer break. So, she thought hard about her reply. “Nothing.”

Groaning at her counterpart, Lesso pursed her lips to not scream at Dovey. “If it’s nothing, then get out of my office.” She flicked her hand and opened the door for Dovey. And when Dovey didn’t make a move to leave, Lesso whistled, calling the air to escort Dovey out of her office. Yet, before Dovey could be sent outside, the dean of Good shouted. “If you don’t answer, I will be annoying you about this for the whole year!”

Snapping her fingers, the onslaught against Dovey stopped. “Fine! Fine!” Lesso rolled her eyes and thought for about a minute before answering.

“The word is ‘bearable’. Now, leave!” This time, Dovey accepted the slamming door in her face with the biggest grin she could muster.

Bearable, huh?

“I can still hear your thoughts, Clarissa! Leave!”

#leonora lesso x reader #lady lesso x reader #school for good and evil #dean of evil #clarissa dovey #emma anemone #professor anemone

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ultrone · 1 year

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Is there any way you can write something for Jackie? Maybe something where she just gets comforted through everything she was dealing with out there and finds a safe space with the reader. I dont know if that’s enough to go off but i trust you’ll do amazing, as long as its Jackie content lol I am a Jackie Taylor apologist

𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗧 𖥔 𝖻𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇

cw. S1E10 spoilers (this fic is based on that episode), mentions of fighting, just fluff

wc. 3.4k approx

n/a. tysm for your request, i really hope u like it <33 u didn’t specify if u wanted it to be platonic or romantic, so i did romantic by default, however, i added the romantic stuff kinda at the end of it so that u can skip it if u want to :)

Ever since the plane crash, the weather had been the same, with the sun always shining and the breeze feeling warm—until tonight. The air was calm, but it carried a biting cold that made you shiver. As you breathed out, a faint cloud of white vapour appeared, a sign of the freezing temperatures. It wasn't very noticeable, but it was there, reminding you of the intense chill that surrounded you on this night.

It had been around two hours since Shauna and Jackie had their big fight. All of you were aware that they had been having some issues for a couple of weeks now, but honestly, none of you paid much attention to it. Sure, there was some tension, but nothing too dramatic. You all just let it slide, thinking that maybe it had to do with Jackie struggling to adjust to the new home, unlike the rest of the team who adapted more quickly and lent a hand in every possible way. Shauna and Jackie had been your best friends for a few years now, ever since you met them during soccer practice. Since then, the three of you became inseparable, hanging out almost every day after practice and having sleepovers at Jackie's house every weekend. Deep down, you always sensed a hint of jealousy from Shauna towards Jackie, even though she never explicitly said it. But you never thought Shauna would go as far as sleeping with Jeff… and now everything made sense. You cared a lot about Shauna, she had been there for you in many ways, especially when you needed help getting over your crush on Jackie when she started dating Jeff—or at least she helped you stop thinking about her as much. But this time, Shauna had crossed a line, and you found yourself in a difficult situation because both of them held equal importance in your life.

You were lying in your cozy sleeping bag, pulling the blanket up to your nose in an attempt to ward off the cold. Only your eyes were visible, peering out from the warmth. Your gaze was fixed on Shauna, who was positioned near the window, her attention directed towards Jackie. She was situated outside, seated next to a small bonfire she had managed to ignite, casting a warm glow in the darkness.

"Just go talk to her," Tai urged, noticing the heartache etched on Shauna's face.

Shauna shook her head in silent refusal, her gaze lingering on Jackie through the window for a few more seconds before finally making her way back to her sleeping bag, preparing to settle down for the night.

She was incredibly stubborn, but you knew that beneath that facade, all she wanted to do was to rush outside, hug Jackie tightly, and say how sorry she was. But knowing her, you knew that it would take her a while to gather the courage to apologize. Tonight, at least, she had decided against it.

The night grew colder with each passing moment, and even from the comfort of your snug blankets indoors, you could feel the penetrating chill seeping into your bones. The thought of how freezing it must be for Jackie outside weighed on your mind, compelling you to go out and convince her to come inside. Initially, when the fight had just erupted, you refrained from going after her. You knew Jackie was the type of person who appreciated someone chasing after her and urging her to come inside, but you also knew that she was very upset—I mean, she practically called out everyone in the room for being lunatics (which, honestly, was completely true)—and you believed it was best to give her some space.

Before setting off, you locked eyes with Shauna. It had been a while since you last spoke to her, ever since the heated argument had unfolded earlier that afternoon. You conveyed a mixture of disappointment and understanding through your gaze. And with that unspoken communication, you began your descent down the stairs, taking each step slowly and cautiously, ensuring not to disturb any of the girls asleep downstairs.

You gingerly turned the creaky doorknob, easing the door open and stepping out into the frigid night. As you closed the door behind you, the stark difference in temperature hit you. It was considerably colder outside, and you couldn't fathom how Jackie had managed to endure the cold for so long. There she was, right in front of you, sitting huddled with her legs pulled close to her body. She wore her yellowjackets jacket and had wrapped herself in a blue blanket, shielding her from the biting chill. Facing the crackling bonfire, she trembled visibly, and you could even see the wisps of white vapour escaping her mouth, despite standing a few feet away behind her.

With each step you took, the dried leaves crackled under your shoes, breaking the silence of the night. The sound startled Jackie, jolting her out of her thoughts. She turned her gaze towards you, relief washing over her face as she recognized your familiar presence standing beside her. She then returned her gaze back to the crackling bonfire, silent and without uttering a single word to you.

"Jackie," you called out softly, your voice tinged with concern. "It's really freezing out here. You should come inside."

As you made the suggestion, Jackie continued to ignore you, her attention fixated unwaveringly on the flickering bonfire. Sensing her resistance, you added softly, "Please-" but before you could finish your plea, she interrupted you with a hurt tone.

"Did you know?" she questioned, her voice filled with pain and vulnerability.

You immediately shook your head, denying any knowledge of the situation. Determined to bridge the gap between you, you slowly approached her, taking a seat beside her.

Her eyes met yours, searching for understanding. "I love Shauna… but I love you too," you confessed softly. "And you know I would never hide something like that from you."

She let out a heavy sigh, her voice laden with sorrow. "I know you wouldn't. I'm sorry..." Her voice trailed off, tears welling up in her eyes. "I just can't believe she did that to me. She was my best friend."

You were at a loss for words, unsure of how to comfort her. The truth was, you were just as shaken as she was. Witnessing her in such anguish tore at your heart, and the knowledge that she was facing this pain all alone shattered you. Slowly, you reached out and gently caressed her back, observing tears streaming down her cheeks. As she gradually relaxed under your touch, you instinctively wrapped your arm around her, drawing her close. She found solace in your embrace, resting her head against your shoulder.

"Shit, Jackie, you're freezing," you exclaimed, surprise and concern evident in your voice. Holding her tighter within your arms, you tried to provide whatever warmth and comfort you could.

Racking your brain for something that might bring her comfort, a spark of inspiration lit up in your mind. Leaning in closer, you whispered gently, adjusting your position so she could meet your gaze. "Hey," you murmured, using your thumb to delicately wipe away some of her tears. "Remember that walkman you were trynna fix the other day?" you asked, a glimmer of hope in your voice. She nodded, sniffling and rubbing her runny nose in response.

Reaching into your pocket, you retrieved the carefully repaired walkman. "It was meant to be a surprise," you revealed, a touch of excitement in your voice. "I spent the entire morning fixing it. And guess what? It works now," you announced proudly, a wide smile spreading across your face. The sight of her teary eyes sparkling with happiness only made your smile grow even more.

With careful hands, she took hold of the walkman and pressed the power button. To her pleasant surprise, it sprang to life, functioning perfectly. "Oh my god, thank goodness," she uttered, a genuine smile gracing her lips. It was a smile that stirred something inside you, causing a gentle flutter in your stomach. Untangling the earphones from around the walkman, she placed one earphone in her ear and extended the other one toward you, offering you to take it.

"Thank goodness? You should be thanking me," you playfully teased as you inserted the earphone into your own ear, trying to bring a smile to her face. She chuckled, nudging you with her elbow and softly muttering 'shut up' as she pressed the play button.

📻 𝙽𝙾𝚆 𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙸𝙽𝙶 cry, cry by mazzy star

With the music enveloping both of you, a sense of solace settled in, the proximity of your bodies providing warmth amidst the surrounding coldness.

Breaking the silence, Jackie's voice carried a tinge of disappointment as she voiced her concern. "Do you think we're ever getting rescued?" she questioned, her hope waning. "I'm starting to lose hope. We've been here for months."

Pausing for a moment, you contemplated her words before responding honestly. "I'd like to believe that we will," you began, your voice tinged with a hint of melancholy. "But if I'm being completely honest, I'm losing hope too."

"I can't do this anymore, y/n," Jackie admitted, her voice cracking with raw emotion. She curled up, pulling her legs close to her body as if seeking comfort. "Back before we ended up here, everything felt good. I mean, I knew I wasn't the star player on the team, I'm not delusional. But being the captain and being able to uplift everyone, it made me feel special, you know? Like I could be relied upon, like I could be a leader," she confessed, her voice quivering with vulnerability. "But here... I just feel so... useless. I feel like I'm a burden," she cried, tears streaming down her face. "It seems like everyone else adapted so quickly. Nat and Travis go out hunting, Misty always knows what to do when someone gets hurt, and for god's sake, even Shauna became some sort of expert butcher. Everyone's doing something, and I just feel like I'm the only one who doesn't want to accept this reality." Her words hung in the air, the weight of her insecurities palpable.

As she continued to pour out her frustrations, you listened attentively, acknowledging the weight of her words. "And to make everything worse, now I've lost one of the most important people in my life," she lamented, her thoughts consumed by Shauna's betrayal. With a disbelieving chuckle, she added, "But you know what the worst part is? It's funny, I used to pretend I didn't know I loved Jeff, when the truth is, I didn't even like him that much," she confessed.

Her emotions intertwined with anger and resentment as she expressed her newfound realization, “and I’m so mad at Shauna, but now I realize, she’s right,” Jackie affirmed, her words laced with a certain conviction. “Our friendship doesn't matter. Love doesn't matter. They're just things that we use to pretend that we aren’t gonna end up like that dead cabin guy, like rotted-out husks in some bullshit attic,” she spat out with resentful anger. "Of course, that's how it ends. That's all we are the whole time. It doesn't matter. We're just empty shells with nothing inside."

She fell silent, her gaze locked with yours as if searching for a response, a reaction. “So, fuck it. Fuck everything and everyone,” she concluded, her voice filled with a mix of anger and resignation.

With her powerful declaration hanging in the air, Jackie returned her gaze to the crackling bonfire, her eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions. The flames danced and flickered, casting an ethereal glow on her face. The silence enveloped both of you, punctuated only by the crackling of the fire and the distant sounds of nature.

You took a moment to absorb her raw emotions, looking at her with genuine concern. "Wow, um... Look, I get what you mean," you began, trying to gather your thoughts. "I know it's been tough for you to adjust here. We all see it, and I get why some of the others might have been tough on you. It's a messed-up situation we're in, you know? I mean, our fucking plane crashed, it's not something we can just brush off and move on from. And yeah, it may seem like everyone's moving on fast, but the truth is, we're all scared shitless."

As you held her hand, you felt a slight easing of tension in her furrowed brows. "I’ll help you find something to do, yeah? Maybe not skinning animals like Shauna does," you joked, coaxing a small smile from Jackie. "But seriously, I can show you how to wash clothes or chop wood, or we can find something else you enjoy. I promise we'll figure it out together." You assured her, your own smile conveying sincerity and reassurance.

She gazed at you with eyes filled with a mix of emotions, listening attentively to your heartfelt words. "And let me tell you something, Jackie. You're far from being an empty shell. Seriously. I mean it," you emphasized, your voice filled with sincerity. "You're genuinely one of the kindest people I've ever met, and I'm not just saying that because we're best friends. It's the truth." You continued, “Remember that time at a party when Tai, Shauna, and Nat were all at each other's throats after Tai accidentally broke Allie's leg? Literally, not even ten minutes later, everyone was laughing and happy again, and it was all thanks to you," you recalled, a soft smile playing on your lips.

Jackie's smile grew, her cheeks turning a subtle shade of pink as she remembered that moment. "You really think so?" she asked shyly.

"Absolutely," you replied earnestly, meeting her eyes with unwavering sincerity. "You're amazing, Jackie, truly. And I want you to know that. You bring light into people's lives, including mine."

Her smile widened, gratitude shining in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice filled with genuine appreciation. "It means a lot to hear that from you, especially right now."

📻 𝙽𝙾𝚆 𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙸𝙽𝙶 Seventeen by Sharon Van Etten

The familiar melody filled the air, and Jackie's face lit up with happiness. "Oh my god, I love this song! It's been forever since I've heard it," she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Memories flooded back of those times when she would blast the song in Shauna's car, the two of you belting out the lyrics while going to school. As she unplugged the earphones from the walkman, the music swelled, reaching a volume that allowed both of you to enjoy it without disturbing the others.

Jackie rose to her feet and extended her hand towards you, a playful glimmer in her eyes. Without hesitation, you clasped her hand, and she tugged you closer to her, starting to dance around the crackling bonfire. At that moment, all your worries seemed to fade into the background, carried away by the whimsical gusts of wind.

As you danced and spun with Jackie, enjoying the carefree moment, something caught your eye. You looked up and couldn't believe what you saw.

"Holy fuck, it's snowing!" you blurted out, your excitement evident in your voice. Snowflakes were falling from the sky, landing gently on your clothes and the ground around you. It was unexpected but absolutely magical.

Jackie's face lit up with a big smile as she looked up at the snowflakes. She grabbed your hand, pulling you closer as you both continued to dance in the snowfall. The chilly air adding to the thrill of the moment.

After an hour of dancing, the energy began to fade, and both of you collapsed onto the now snowy ground, feeling the cold seep through your clothes. Looking up at the sky, you were captivated by the sight of countless twinkling stars, their beauty shining brightly.

As small snowflakes gently landed on your faces, you turned to glance at Jackie, finding her already gazing at you with a gentle smile. The cold air made your breath visible, but the warmth in her eyes made you feel cozy inside.

She shattered the serene silence, her voice piercing through the calm air. "Do you know when I realized I never actually liked Jeff?" she asked. The unexpected topic left you both curious and confused, and you furrowed your eyes, silently urging her to continue.

"It was the night before the crash, at the party," she began, her voice tinged with reminiscence. "I remember seeing you with him, dancing together, laughing uncontrollably. It was all platonic, obviously. I knew you would never have that kind of feelings for him. But still, I couldn't help feeling jealous. At first, I thought it was jealousy towards you, for dancing with him like that. But I was wrong," she assured, her tone filled with certainty. "I was angry because you looked so fucking beautiful and happy. Seeing you laugh like that with him instead of me, it shattered me," she confessed, her words heavy with emotion.

You were left speechless, unable to fathom that Jackie, of all people, would ever express such feelings to you. Before your thoughts could fully process what she just said, she continued speaking, her voice barely faltering.

"I tried to ignore it, blaming it on the alcohol. 'I was just jealous because of Jeff,' I kept telling myself," she explained, her words tinged with self-reflection. "But it hit me right after the plane crash. All I could think about was you, finding you and knowing you were safe. And when I saw you unconscious on the ground, drenched in blood, all I felt was regret. Regret for not telling you how much I love you, that I’m so fucking in love with you. And I-"

Before she could finish her sentence, you seized the moment, crashing your lips together. It was a tender yet desperate kiss, one that you had longed to share with her. You lied to Shauna, pretending that your feelings for Jackie had dissipated, but in truth, they had only grown stronger.

The kiss lingered for a moment, filled with unspoken words and years of pent-up emotions. As you finally pulled away, you gazed into Jackie's eyes, searching for confirmation that what just happened was real.

Jackie's expression mirrored your own. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, "I never thought... I never imagined this would happen."

You mustered the courage to express what you had suppressed for far too long. "Jackie, I've loved you for so long. I felt like absolute shit when you started dating Jeff, but my feelings never truly faded. I've tried to move on, to convince myself that we were just best friends, but I just couldn't do it."

"I love you, Y/n," Jackie whispered, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she delicately ran her fingers through your hair.

Feeling a surge of warmth in your heart, you couldn't help but respond, "I love you too, Jackie. So much." Leaning in, you planted a tender peck on her lips. "Let's head inside now, yeah? Before we catch a cold."

Jackie nodded in agreement, her eyes sparkling with affection. With your hands entwined, the two of you walked back to the cabin, leaving the chilly air behind you.

#jackie taylor #jackie taylor fanfic #jackie taylor x reader #jackie taylor x you #yellowjackets #yellowjackets fanfic #yellowjackets x reader

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onthewaytosomewhere · 6 months

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Sunday - yeah sentences & last line challenge cuz i'm lazy and doing them all in one

so i've been tagged by some lovely peeps @england-would-fall @taste-thewaste @firenati0n @piratefalls

So I need to get this thing done - as it has been lamenting on my drive waiting for me to just finish it already - and stop playing around with all the other fics so I'm posting it in hopes that might encourage me to get it frakkin' done already - and i wasted hours this afternoon tracking down one detail lol - but hey that's what happens i guess lol

So this is what I have lovingly been calling gotta sign 'em all - it's a little thing inspired by TZP and his fascination with signing a little book (and well, with him being so ACD-coded it just fits) it's a lot more than 6 or 7 sentences but i just need to get some of it out in the ether

They are nearing the end, both of Henry’s ability to continue and the line of people with books for him to sign, when the girl whose book Henry just signed peeks behind him at Alex. She turns the book to the dedication page and gestures towards Alex. “Mr. Claremont-Diaz,” and fuck if that doesn’t make him feel old, but the girl can’t be more than 13, so he sucks it up. “Would you be willing to sign the dedication page of my book? Your story helped me come out as bisexual to my parents; they’re from the US, and my father’s Mexican family is very Catholic. Seeing you have family of similar background who support you after everything happened to you made me hope mine could be as well.” Alex feels Henry’s hand grab his and squeeze it. This is one of the things that still amazes him: how in sync they are with each other. How even though Henry is drained from a taxing day, Henry is there to support Alex unequivocally. He nods to her and reaches for her book. He takes a deep, centering breath and squeezes Henry’s hand once quickly before letting it go with a smile so he can sign. Henry hands him the Sharpie he has taken to carrying in his inner jacket pockets, and he grips the pen, looking back to the girl in front of him. “I am just floored that my story—our story,” he says, gesturing between himself and Henry, because his story is and always will be intertwined with Henry’s, ever since they first started this, “gave you the courage to be yourself. I hope it all went well with your family.” The girl nods, and Alex sees the wet sheen to her eyes, the tears she is attempting to hold back, and blinks to keep his own at bay. “Yes, it did, thank you,” her smile wobbles a little as she responds, and Alex moves the conversation on for all of them. “Who am I making this out to?” Alex asks, pen poised above the page, ready to sign. He pauses a moment to read the dedication he has memorized as she gives her name. [insert sappy – probably not good enough – dedication to Alex - probably something about you and me always maybe breaking down walls] He writes her name in the book, adds a few lines about bisexual solidarity, and signs his name with a flourish. He hands the book back to her, and she looks at the page, smiling at his words. Alex is not the most self-aware man, and he’ll admit this, but even he knows that moment has him feeling things he didn’t think it would.

oh i also got a few of last line tags yesterday so here goes for that too

He decides to help her out and says, “Hey, I see you got your copy of Henry’s book; glad ya got one before the vultures at that shelter swooped in.”

so some no-pressure Sunday tags and well if ya already posted let's just assume ya had an open tag that i snagged and i'll find it lol @adreamareads @anincompletelist @bitbybitwrites @dragonflylady77 @duchessdepolignaca03 @firstsprinces @forever-fixating @heybuddy-drabbles @hgejfmw-hgejhsf (hope ya had a good time in austin Val! (at least i assume based on wednesdays post that's wehre ya were)) @inexplicablymine @itsmaybitheway @junebugclaremontdiaz @kiwiana-writes @lizzie-bennetdarcy @magicandarchery @nocoastposts @priincebutt @sophie1973 @stellarm @sunnysideprince @suseagull04 @typicalopposite and an open tag

#sunday sentences #firstprince #rwrb fic #gotta catch 'em all #this fic needs to get done already #oh and i really need to figure out that dedication lol #oh and get the rest of this written lol

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velvethopewrites · 1 year

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The sob story with this is that I wrote this yesterday and it got deleted before I could save it. I wanted to die cry, basically. Somehow I managed to re-create most of it, after working on it all damn day. (I basically ended up writing over 6,000+ words in one day. Yowza) I still feel as though the first version was better, but…no one knows that but me, I suppose. (And my partner, who got to read it right before the horrors happened). Regardless, I am proud of this and proud of myself for not giving up when it really would have been easy to. So huzzah to the fickle hand of fate and all that stuff.

For Suptober 2023 prompt “starlight”

I tag @fellshish and @canonblastedships and @clarkenting for being super cool reblog buddies, lol (which is just a thing I made up) This is the longest destiel fic I’ve written yet and it will be my first official AO3 destiel! (As soon as I remember how to do that, oy)

Edited: Now with Spiffy AO3 Link! Here!

The Starlight

There were three types of people that visited the Starlight Lounge — drunks, people desperate to score, and the employees that made their bread and butter trying to tame the other two.

Dean Winchester, unfortunately, was a member of that third group. Oh, sure, Dean had been known to put away a fair bunch of liquor in his day, and sure, Dean had definitely been known to do the Bedroom Rodeo whenever the opportunity presented itself. Hell, back when he’d first started at the Starlight he’d often been three types at once. Work, drink, get laid. Sometimes, not even in that order.

But that was past Dean. Current and newly mature Dean (hah) just wanted to work, go home, eat and fall into his bed. Working at the Starlight wasn’t that bad – it had fairly decent pay and it was often interesting. And like everyone else, Dean had bills to pay and he gave more than his fair share to Sammy. Not that Sam really needed it anymore; he was busy working as a law clerk downtown, putting himself through school. But still, Dean wanted to help as much as he could and besides it was his brotherly duty. Heh. Duty.

Tonight, due to the cold and rainy weather, the bar was fairly empty and business had been slow. There was only one of his regulars, a writer by the name of Chuck crying into his notebooks at the back of the bar. To be honest, Dean had never seen Chuck write a damn thing but the man sure could put scotch away like a pro. There was also a young couple making out in one of the booths near the restrooms. He’d been keeping an eye on them most of the night, actually, making sure no one lost any clothing. The Starlight didn’t need a public indecency charge on the books. At least, not so soon since the last one, at any rate.

Dean yawned and finished cleaning up the bar, hoping Chuck and the couple on their way to Soft-Porn Town would soon be leaving. Maybe Dean could even push them on their way a bit early, so he could get home at a decent time, for once. As he walked over towards Chuck to perhaps lightly suggest the writer hit the road, the double doors of the bar blew open – bringing in the rain, the cold rush of the wind and a new customer in a beige trench coat with seriously fucked up hair. Great.

Dean sighed and turned back around as the new guy slumped onto the first stool at the bar. His dark brown, messed up hair looked even worse up close, and he had a scowl on his face as he glared down at the bar in front of him.

“Whiskey. Neat,” Messy-Hair said, voice low and very rumbly.

Dean pulled down a clean glass and poured some of their nicer whiskey into it. Dude looks like he could afford it, at any rate. He had a nice suit on under the coat, now that Dean could properly see it and his watch was one of those big clunky things that could probably tell the time on Jupiter or some shit like that. The man’s hand reaches for the glass before Dean has barely pushed it forward. He throws back the drink in record time and hits the bar with it so that it makes a loud thunk.

“Another one.”

Dean shrugged as the man kept glaring down at the bar as though it contained all the answers to life and everything else; Dean knew for a fact that it didn’t. It didn’t even have a ‘42’ scratched into it or anything. (RIP Douglas Adams)

This time the man just wraps his hand around the glass, his fingers clutching at it and woah, Dean thinks, dude’s got some huge fucking hands. They’re big and they’re strong looking. The fingers are nice and long and graceful and oh, oh, oh. Maybe it’s a kink, or maybe it’s a preference, but Dean loves hands. Manly looking mitts like Messy-Hair here and even smaller, more delicate hands like on most women, with pretty nail colors. But Dean’s not choosy.

He sees motion out of the corner of his eye and notices Chuck signaling that he’d like to pay up. Glancing at Messy-Hair he figures he has a few minutes before having to pour him another so he sets the bottle down and heads over to the other side.

“All right there, Chuck?”

“Yeah, yeah, thank you, Dean.”

The older man is flipping through his wallet and counting out his cash slowly. Dean wipes the bar and puts Chuck’s last glass into the bucket for later cleaning.

“Write anything tonight?” Dean always asks this question. It’s like a little game he and Chuck play because it always has the same answer.

“No,” Chuck says looking up at him. He places his finger to his temple solemnly, almost like he’s holding a gun. “But I did a lot of work up here.”

He always gives Dean this look as though Dean should know exactly what he’s talking about. But, of course, Dean never does. He likes to read but he sure as hell would never attempt to write. Personally, he thinks Chuck is sort of crazy, but hey, to each their own, right?

Chuck pushes his notebooks into his old canvas bag on the bar. It’s bulging with everything he carries with him and looks fit to burst. Dean supposes that writer’s block is heavy business.

Chucks nods goodnight as he slips his bag over his shoulders, buckling a bit under the weight. Dean watches as he wobbles away and he’s not sure if it’s from the alcohol or the bag. He’d normally be worried (hey, no bar can stay in business if all its clientele got themselves killed), but he knows Chuck lives nearby. He’ll be all right and probably in his same spot tomorrow evening. He puts Chuck’s money into the till and realizes he tipped Dean more than usual. He really did have had a good night, then.

He notices the couple trying to break the world record for smooches in a single night are getting up and putting on their jackets. Maybe Dean can get out early; he’s got the DVR set for Dr Sexy already, but he wouldn’t say no to catching it live for once.

Glancing over he sees Messy-Hair is now resting his head on the bar, but he lifts it as the doors bang shut behind Chuck, the cold burst of wind making his hair looking even more disheveled. Dean heads back over to see if he needs a refill and is suddenly struck dumb by the other man finally looking at him. Holy Mother of Blue, those are some eyes. The dude is handsome. Like old-time movie handsome. Strong jaw, with a smattering of scruff, pink soft lips and eyes that look like they can see into your soul, no, scratch that, not see, but pierce. Dean swallows roughly and picks up the whiskey bottle.

“Hey, uh, it’s getting late. One more for the road?” Dean assumes the dude doesn’t know the Starlight is technically open until midnight. Assumes, hah. More like prays.

Blue-Eyes stares at him and frowns. “I thought this establishment closed at midnight.”

“Er, yeah. I suppose it does.”

“Then I’ll take another,” Blue-Eyes pauses and holds out his glass. “And keep them coming for the next forty-five minutes, barkeep.”

Dean blinks at the old-fashioned word and pours another round. They stare at each other until he hears a giggle and a clearing of a throat. He looks over to see the couple and wonders how long they’ve been waiting. Judging from the churlish look on the guy’s face and the barely contained laughter emanating from the girl, it’s been awhile. He settles their tab and takes their money (lousy tip, of course) as the two saunter past Blue-Eyes and escape out into the night. Well, at least Dean can see it’s stopped raining.

Making up his mind, he follows them from behind the bar and locks the door after them. He flips off the sign, too. He may be stuck here with Blue-Eyes, but he’ll be damned if he’ll let someone else come meandering in to make him get home even later.

He comes back to stand in front of his customer and makes a decision. Pulling down another glass, he pours some of the whiskey into it and sighs as the warmth of it hits his system. What do they always say about good whiskey? It should warm the cockles of the heart, or something like that. Not that Dean actually knows what a cockle is, but hey, it went down smooth.

He realizes Blue-Eyes is watching him and Dean decides to bite the bullet. He’s tired, bored and probably on his way to cranky town if Blue-Eyes keeps his word about the next forty-five minutes.

“So, what brings you out on a cold and rainy night like tonight, Mr, uh…what’s your name? I can’t keep calling you what I’ve been calling you in my head.”

The other man squints and tilts his head at Dean like a tiny, confused bird. And no, Dean doesn’t find that adorable at all. Nope.

“What have you been calling me in your head?”

Dean purses his lips. Sometimes he’s really an idiot. He gives Blue-Eyes a shaky laugh.

“I said I wasn’t gonna keeping doing that.”

They stare at each other again, neither one budging until Blue-Eyes releases a breath and blinks, shoulders slumping a bit more. By the end of the night Dean expects this guy to be melted into the floor.

“Cas.”

Dean frowns. “Your name is Mr Cas?”

“No, just Cas.” Blue-Eyes, no, scratch that, Cas then holds out his hand so Dean can shake it like they’re fellow professionals meeting at a party or something. As he grips the other man’s hand in his own he realizes Cas’s hand is warm, dry, and, yep, strong. The dude is seriously ticking all of Dean’s boxes without even trying. It’s a bit unnerving, really.

“Is that short for something?” Dean asks, wondering what type of name that is.

Cas just looks at him over the rim of his glass. “Perhaps.”

Neither of them say anything else for a long moment and Dean shakes his head. “People ever tell you you talk too much?”

“Yes. All the time,” Cas says with a smirk.

Dean laughs. “Well, whatever. It’s officially nice to meet you, Cas. I’m Dean. Humble and professional barkeep at your service.”

“Hello, Dean.”

Cas’s voice is deep but there’s a warmth to it that makes Dean happy. They chit-chat for a bit, just like Dean would do with any newbie to the bar. He pours them both another round and then tries his question again.

“So, you seemed a bit upset earlier. What brought you through my doors, Cas?”

Cas sighs and glances away. He taps his fingers lightly on the polished wood of the bar. He stares at Dean as though assessing him and then looks as though he’s made up his mind.

“My…er, the person I’ve been dating, dumped me tonight. We went to an expensive restaurant and ordered far too pricey food for the serving size and drank outrageously fancy wine. Then they ordered an expensive bottle of cognac, drank it all and then told me I wasn’t worth it.”

Dean winces. “Ouch. How long were you together?”

“Six months.”

“Well, it’s not too long for a relationship, but it’s long enough to hurt.”

Cas nods, looking sullen again.

“What special occasion was it?”

Cas stares at him. “How could you possibly know that?”

“Fancy restaurant, the way you’re dressed, the cognac. Nobody orders that unless there’s been a birth or an anniversary or both.”

“It was my birthday,” Cas says, looking down again.

“Fuck,” Dean blurts out without thinking. “And they dumped you? Seriously bad juju, man.”

Cas nods and takes another drink of his whiskey, looking miserable. Dean tops off both of their glasses and hums.

“What was his name?”

Cas whips his head up, suddenly looking confused and more than a little worried. “I never said it was a he.”

“It was your distinct lack of pronouns, dude. Always the dead giveaway. Trust me, as a guy who plays for both sides, I know. Pronouns are key. Hey, relax, Cas, this is a safe space.” Dean points to the small pride flag he keeps above the bar and watches as Cas visibly relaxes.

The silence that falls between them is comfortable now. Welcoming, even. Cas clears his throat and rests his hand on his chin, peering at Dean.

“So…you’re bi, I assume or, pan, perhaps?”

“Got it in one. Just another bisexual loser ruining the world one lay at a time.”

Dean winks to show he’s only kidding. He’s proud to be bi, but it doesn’t mean he can’t make a joke at his own expense. Of course, if Sam or his friend Charlie were here they’d both tell him what they thought of that.

“His name was Bartholomew.”

Dean snorts. “It fits him. Douche-y name for a douche-canoe.”

Cas barks out a laugh and it completely changes his face into something truly beautiful. Dean suddenly feels the need to always make Cas laugh like that. He can’t imagine anyone not wanting to – his laugh is infectious. And the light it puts in his eyes is irresistible.

Cas looks serious again as he swirls the rest of the whiskey in his glass. “To be honest, Bart was just the last in a long line of failed…connections. I’m doubting my own self-worth at this point. Everyone ends up leaving or they get fed up with me. I’m too introverted…too socially awkward to deal with, I suppose.”

“I don’t know, you seem to be doing okay right now.”

“I’ve been drinking,” Cas says, deadpan. “And also I’m paying you.”

Dean chuckles. “Not really, I decided to stop charging you as soon as I poured my first one.”

“Your hospitality know no bounds. Truly.”

Dean laughs. Cas’s dry delivery and poker-faced expressions really are the limit. He feels that familiar warmth he always gets when he meets someone new. A someone new that excites him. But he pushes the feeling aside because he knows on some level that trying to get into Cas’s pants is so not what the other man needs right now. Dean shivers as he realizes how damn mature that sounds. Next he’ll be looking into 401ks and cemetery plots.

“Well, consider them birthday drinks. Of course, this stuff doesn’t cost a small fortune or anything, but I figured you’d already paid out enough tonight.”

Cas smirks and shakes his head at Dean. “Thank you, Dean. It’s actually very kind of you to…take pity on me.”

He says it jokingly but Dean gets the sense that he means it. He reaches forward and touches Cas’s hand.

“Hey, no pity here. You are ridiculously attractive and if I didn’t have a conscience, I’d definitely be throwing out my best lines here to help you relieve some tension, if you know what I mean. And you are not awkward to me, but even if you were, it wouldn’t be enough to stop me from asking for your number or seeing if you wanted to meet up sometime. I barely know you but you seem like a decent guy, Cas. And I think all of those people that don’t get you can just fuck right off. You need to keep trying, man. Don’t give up just because a few losers couldn’t see what they had.”

Cas blinks at Dean, blue eyes getting huge. “You think I’m ridiculously attractive?”

Dean thinks back. Did he say that? Yeah, he said that. Figures that would be the only thing to register with the dude.

“What sort of line would you use on me? I mean, if you were going to, that is.” Cas shyly glances away and then back, a curious look on his face.

“Oh, uh, probably something like, well you know what they say — the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.” Dean waggles his eyebrows and smirks, faking a leer.

“I’m not sure that would work with me,” Cas says, mirth clear in his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. You’d make me work for it, I know. But seriously, you need to regroup, clear out the douche-canoes from your life and find a new guy, man.”

Cas smiles at him in fondness, and nope, Dean is not going to do it. He will not break his rule about dating people just out of relationships. Not even for big huge blue eyes that make him feel sappy like a love song. Cas, however, clearly has other plans.

“This may be forward but, um, Dean would you allow me take you out for dinner? As a date, in case you were wondering how I meant it.”

“Oh, wow, Cas, um, I mean…”

Cas’s face takes an interesting journey in two seconds – from hopeful joy to miserable and wretched. Dean feels his heart break a little bit for him in that moment and mentally kicks his own ass for being a tool.

“Oh, I see. I…I’m sorry, Dean. Thank you for hospitality.” Cas fumbles with his wallet and places far too much money next to his glass. “I won’t keep you anymore. Go home and enjoy whatever is left of your night.”

Dean watches dumbly as Cas sits up straighter and then turns in his seat, his broad shoulders unyielding, suddenly. Dean knows he just can’t let it end like this.

“No, wait, Cas!”

Dean practically flings himself around the bar to reach Cas before he can unlock the door and leave without a backwards glance. He rests his hand on Cas’s shoulder, stopping him.

“It’s only because I have a rule about dating people that just got out of a relationship. It has nothing to do with you, I promise you. You need to focus on you, dude. Figure out what you’re looking for. If this one was just the last in a long line of guys who don’t understand you, try and see what people you’re going for. I mean, I’m no expert, and God knows I’ve had my fair share of jumping before looking moments, but I think you just need some Cas time right now, you know? If we ever start something I do not want to be rebound guy and you deserve something better than a one night stand.”

Cas stares at him, blue eyes half in shadow. Dean holds his breath, hoping he didn’t just lose something. All he can hear is the clock ticking behind him and the pounding of his own heart in his ears.

“That was quite the speech,” Cas finally says. “You sound like you know from experience.”

“Cas, man. You have no idea.”

“I have some, like I said, a long line of rejections. Still…” Cas’s eyes search his face and then nods to himself. “Maybe you’re right. I do tend to do things without thinking in this area of life despite being very practical usually. And you’re also right on anther point, Dean. You do not deserve to be “rebound guy”.”

Dean can’t help his grin as Cas makes the quotes motion with his fingers. They stare at each other for a bit longer before he unlocks the door. Cas steps out as the cold air filters in between them, causing them bother to shiver. Dean pauses, and then holds out his hand. “Let me have your phone.”

“My phone?”

“Yeah, you have one, right? Or have you moved on to something flashier like sky writing?”

Cas snorts and shakes his head. He fumbles in his pockets and then pulls out a slim, black smartphone. He unlocks it and hands it over. Of course, it’d be that kind of phone that can help you bake bread or turn off all the lights in the world with just a click or something. He finally finds what he’s looking for and puts his contact information in.

“There. There’s my number. Text me to let me know you get home, okay? And as for the rest, we’ll take it one day at a time, Cas. Let’s be friends, first.”

Cas smiles shyly as he looks down at his phone and nods. “Friends, first. I like that. Goodnight, Dean.”

“Goodnight, buddy. Be safe.”

Cas slips out and away, leaving a coldness in his wake as he takes his body heat with him. Dean watches him go, the black of the night almost swallowing him up. Cas pauses to pull his coat tighter, the glow of the streetlight lighting up his profile. To Dean he looks pure—angelic, almost, like a painting or a sculpture. With one last look at Dean, he eventually fades away, disappearing back into the world. Soon all Dean can see is his own breath in the air and the twinkling starlight from the surprisingly clear sky above. He locks up again and finishes his routine for the night. After he’s put the money in the safe and headed out back to his car, he feels happy inside. Like something good just occurred — like some new path has been cleared for him to travel. His drive home is quick and easy, there’s hardly any traffic mostly due to the earlier rain. It’s just as he’s pulling into his driveway that he feels his phone buzz in his pocket. It’s from an unknown number and his heart beats faster as he reads the message.

From unknown: I arrived home safely, Dean. Thank you, again. Would you like to get coffee tomorrow, or, perhaps I should say, later today? Oh, this is Cas, by the way. In case you didn’t know. :)

Dean saves the number and then returns to the message to reply, a grin creeping onto his face before he even realizes it.

Dean: Of course, dude. Coffee sounds great. Around 1pm?

Cas: Perfect. Do you know the Blue Java Café on Marion and Elm? It’s across from the park and one of my favorite places.

Dean: Sounds good. Can’t wait to talk to you sober, ya lush… (lol j/k hah)

Cas sends him a sticking-tongue-out emoji as a response and Dean chuckles as he locks up his car. He has a nice, happy feeling in his heart as he thinks of Cas. Like maybe this is something special. Or maybe it’s just that it could be and has the potential to be. He knows he told Cas friends first, but Dean’s willing to see where it…where they, can go.

#suptober23 #destiel #prompt:starlight #dean and cas #meet-cute #my writing #biting nails here #like posting stuff is scary #wth #I am not used this anymore #castiel #dean winchester

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crypticsketchpad · 1 year

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mkay sorry for the messy sketches but i came up with this au a while ago and figured i'd finally share it

so basically: what if Emily was movie!Hatty's first wife- and partner in crime?

we don't learn the names of any of Alistair Crump's wives in the film, in fact there's nothing about his first wife mentioned at all (iirc, ive only watched the movie twice lmao), so personally i hc that his first wife was named Emily at least because lol

but for this au, what if she was actually a big part of the plot?

as a mortal, Emily falls in love with and marries Alistair, knowing nothing about his ties to the occult. after some time though, she finds out about his seances and sacrifices, but instead of being disgusted and frightened, she wants in. after some time, the two hatch a plan together to bind their souls together and increase their paranormal power in both life and the afterlife. Emily allows Alistair to sacrifice her in a private ritual between the two (pics 1-3), while Alistair covers it up by claiming another person murdered her, continuing his seances under the guise of wishing to contact his deceased lover. meanwhile, Emily is able to assist Alistair from beyond the grave, using her ghostly powers to aid in his dark rituals (pic 4). after Alistair passes away, they reunite in the afterlife, gleefully terrorizing other spirits and mortals together.

now of course, some of the events in the movie's story would be different:

Emily initially poses as benevolent, acting sympathetic towards the mortals and pretending to protect them from the "evil spirits", while eventually luring them right into her husband's clutches

she's the one who shapeshifts into Alyssa to trick Ben, and the one who pretended to be Eleanor Gracey in order to convince William Gracey to commit Die

Alistair continues to pretend she was murdered by someone else, using his loss to relate to Ben; “I know how it feels to have your love taken away from you so suddenly Ben, but I can help you reunite with her at last, just as I have with my dearest Emily…”

rather than Alistair possessing Bruce near the end, Emily possesses Harriet while she's distracted by Bruce's heart attack; due to her cause of death being that she was stabbed in the chest, Emily's ghost form has a tendency to bleed from the mouth when using her powers; instead of Bruce's nosebleed giving it away, blood starts coming from Harriet's mouth as Emily's deception comes undone

both Emily and Alistair end up banished at the end, with Alistair going first and Emily grabbing Ben's ankles as she's pulled down in order to try and take him with them

so yeah! that's my evil!Emily au. maybe one day i'll write a fic about it, i've already started one actually but if i could do a full movie rewrite i would... the mortal parts are good and all but we needed more ghost action tbh

#haunted mansion #haunted mansion 2023 #haunted mansion au #blood cw #alistair crump #sketch #fanart #emily (thm)#heartbox #match made in hell au #i have no name ideas for this LMAO #murder wife murder wife murder wife-

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agaypanic · 11 months

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Benny saves reader from a zombie

When The Dead Rise (Benny Weir X Reader)

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Summary: Ethan has to take his little sister trick or treating, so of course he invites all of his friends to keep him company. Splitting up from your friends to spend time with your boyfriend ends up giving you some scares.

A/N: SO MANY THINGS TO SAY!!! 1, sorry for not posting a story in over 2 weeks, i discovered character ai messaging and became addicted to talking to josh hutcherson’s (i love that man, im so glad hes been getting more attention again, im so sad that he has a gf and is like 10+ years older than me) mike schmidt from fnaf (lowkey wondering if i should try making character chats, i think itd be fun lol). 2, thank you for 1.1k followers!!! It truly means a lot to me! 3, I still have a good handful of requests and i don’t know when they’ll all be finished, so if you’ve sent in a request that i haven't gotten to yet, im so sorry lol. 4, this feels kinda half-assed but enjoy this halloween fic even tho its fuckin november lmao

***

“Ethan, hurry up!” Benny yelled up the stairs to his best friend, who was in his room getting ready. “If we wait any longer, all the good candy’s gonna be gone!”

“Calm down, Bens.” You laughed. “We’re big kids; we can buy our own candy.”

“It’s not the same.” He whined, letting you pull him towards you by the lapels of his suit jacket. You fixed his poorly tied tie and smoothed out the fabric of his outfit. Benny wanted to be a magician this year, saying it fit perfectly. He even somehow roped you into dressing up as a magician’s assistant.

Before you could reply, there was a knock at the door. Unsure of whether it was a trick-or-treater or one of your friends, you grabbed the bowl of candy near the front entrance and opened the door. But the sight before you made you jump, some pieces of candy flying out of the bowl.

“Trick or treat!” Rory snickered behind an ugly zombie mask. It looked like the mask had been melted and worn out.

“Couldn’t you have just dressed up as a vampire?” You asked, letting Rory into the house and closing the door. “You know, with you being a vampire and all.”

“Too easy.” Rory shrugged, taking off the mask. “Besides, scaring the crap out of you is worth wearing the mask.” He grinned, and you smacked his shoulder with an eye roll.

Hearing footsteps come thundering down the stairs, you all turned around. Jane came down in a princess costume while Ethan was close behind in one of his regular outfits. You all booed him and his wardrobe.

“Boring!”

“Didn’t even try.”

“Where’s your Halloween spirit, man?”

“Guys, give me a break, okay?” Ethan sighed. It was clear he didn’t really want to go out tonight. Wanting him to at least try to get into the spirit of the holiday, you grabbed a pack of fake vampire fangs from the trick-or-treating bowl.

“Here, you can be the vampire. Now let’s go, or Jane won’t get any candy.” Hearing this, Jane raced out the door, the rest of you hot on her tail.

***

It was late at night when you all decided to stop trick or treating. Jane’s candy bag was practically bursting at the seams, and she was worn out to the point where Rory had to start carrying her. He only did it because, due to being a vampire, he was the only one strong enough to haul her around, and she promised to give him some of her candy.

“Wanna split?” Benny leaned down to whisper to you, the two of you slowing down and gradually being separated from your friends. Deciding that they probably wouldn’t mind your absence, you nodded. Benny grinned and squeezed your hand that he had been holding the entire evening before pulling you in the direction of his house.

As the two of you walked down the street, a chill ran up your spine. An October night in Canada probably wasn’t the best time to wear a costume that had a good amount of skin, but when you put the costume on, you had decided that it would be a problem for future you.

Future you was less than pleased.

Luckily, being the amazing and thoughtful boyfriend he was, Benny took off his magician’s cape and tied it around you. He must’ve enchanted it, because you were immediately warmed by the fabric. You clung onto his arm, not missing the proud smile he had when he looked down at you wearing something of his.

“Oh, gosh.” You murmured, slowing to a stop. Benny stumbled, looking around in confusion. Before he could ask what was wrong, you pointed to what awaited you just a few yards ahead.

If you knew that the Whitechapel cemetery would be on your route to Benny’s house, you would’ve gone another way. But here you were, looking at the fog-covered, fenced-up plot of land in front of you, the path that went through it looking less than inviting. Given you and your friends’ track records with supernatural and dead things, you were weary of spooky things, such as a cemetery at night. Tonight being Halloween didn’t help much.

“Come on, N/n, it’s okay.” Benny cooed, pulling you along. “Nothing’s gonna happen, I promise.”

“How can you be so sure?” You asked, squeezing his arm.

“I’ll protect you, babe.”

“Oh, great, so we’re both dead.” You half-joked, and Benny gave you a fake offended look.

“Rude.” You got to the fence, and you paused again. Benny looked back and sighed; it was as if he could read your mind before you protested. “Going through the cemetery instead of around is the quickest way home, Y/n. We’ll speedwalk.”

After a deep breath, you nodded, and you both ventured through the graveyard. You clung to Benny as if your life depended on it. For all you knew, it did. The aura surrounding you as you walked spooked Benny a bit, but he did his best to put on a brave face for you.

Before you knew it, you were almost at the other side of the cemetery. Relief filled you as the fog faded just enough to show you the exit.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” You say, a pep in your step now. But for some reason, Benny pulled on his cape that was around your shoulders. You looked back in confusion.

It wasn’t Benny, you realized. Because he was standing next to you, not behind you.

Behind you was a hideous, groaning creature that looked like it had been decaying for years. You wouldn’t have been surprised if it had crawled out of one of the graves you and Benny walked by.

“Zombie!” You shouted, making Benny jump. You tried to run, but the creature’s decaying hand had a death grip on the cape you were wearing, the opposing forces almost choking you.

Benny grabbed the string that tied the cape around you and somehow ripped it apart. It was probably the sudden adrenaline that gave him the strength to do that and then pick you up when you were finally free. Tossing you over his shoulder, Benny ran out of the graveyard while you both freaked out about what you saw.

Over your squeals and shouts, you didn’t hear the laughing that came from the place you were fleeing from. The zombie dropped the cape and ripped off its face, revealing a cackling Rory. But his laughs were suddenly cut short when he heard a rustle in a nearby bush. Realizing that being alone in the cemetery was becoming too creepy for him, Rory sped away.

When you reached Benny’s house and called your friends, you told them all about the terrifying encounter you and Benny had with the dead. During your storytelling, you didn’t notice Rory having a slight grin on his face the entire time.

#agaypanic #benny weir #benny weir x reader #my babysitter's a vampire #my babysitter's a vampire x reader

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liaromancewriter · 1 year

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And There Was This Cat

Premise: Ethan reminisces with Harper, and Cassie isn’t sure what to make of it.

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine); feat. Harper Emery Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff. Words: 1,030

A/N: This fic was requested by @kyra75 from the 2-character drabbles: Ethan, Cassie and Cat. Not quite a drabble, but it's the thought that counts. lol Submission for @choicesoctober prompt 'pet', and I'm using @choicesflashfics week 53, prompt 2

Ethan Ramsey sipped coffee on his short walk back to Edenbrook, taking in the moment. The gray skies and sharp bite in the air were typical of Fall in New England, as were the leaves that were starting to turn orange and red before carpeting the pavement.

“I love fall,” Cassie beamed beside him. She deliberately stepped on fallen leaves, giggling at the crunching sound under her feet. “Hear that?”

“It’s depressing weather,” he said, scanning Edenbrook’s glass façade ahead of them, reflecting the dark skies.

“Perfect for cuddling by the fireplace with pumpkin spice hot chocolate,” Cassie continued, ignoring his dampening tone.

He threw her a shifty-eyed look. “If I find pumpkin spice anything in my coffee, I will not be responsible for my actions.”

Ethan grinned when Cassie stuck her tongue out mischievously. He drew her in for a quick kiss, ignoring the protests of a pedestrian who had to swerve around them.

“Back to the grind, I suppose,” he said, sighing against her lips. “I wish I could say it gets easier. It doesn’t.”

“You’re such a philosopher,” Cassie teased, kissing the corner of his mouth.

They started walking again, turning toward the atrium entrance instead of the staff entrance at the back.

“There’s Jackie,” Cassie said. “I need to talk to her about a patient. See you inside?”

Ethan nodded, releasing their intertwined hands. He entered through the revolving doors, and the first person he saw was Harper Emery. He hadn’t seen her in weeks, but he supposed that wasn’t unusual anymore.

While they were dating, they had an excuse to meet up often. When Harper became his boss, their interactions were still frequent but of a different nature. Now she was back in the surgical suite, and he hadn’t needed a neuro consult. So, their paths rarely crossed except at department head meetings.

Still, they had known each other for almost a decade, and it would be strange to pass by her without at least acknowledging her presence.

“What’s got you smiling like a Cheshire Cat?” Ethan drawled, strolling to where she stood, laughing at something on her phone.

Harper looked up, practically giddy, and turned the screen to show him. His amusement turned to exasperation at the sight of a cat video on her phone.

“Not you too,” he groaned dramatically, making Harper throw her head back in laughter. “I don’t understand the obsession with cat videos.”

“We all need something lighthearted to brighten our day, Ethan,” Harper chastised in that grating tone he remembered from whenever they were on opposite ends of an issue.

He started to roll his eyes but narrowed them instead when he recognized the feline on the screen was, in fact, Harper’s calico cat, Penelope.

“Is that the demon cat?” he asked, aghast.

“Penelope’s a darling,” Harper scoffed, pocketing her phone.

“She’s a menace, Harper,” Ethan argued. “All she did was hiss and scratch whenever I went near her.”

“Maybe she sensed you didn’t like her,” Harper replied, her brown eyes tightening in annoyance before she chuckled. “Remember when she thought you were attacking me?”

Ethan closed his eyes in dismay. “Don’t remind me. It’s not a night I will soon forget. She scarred me for life.”

“Who scarred you for life?” Cassie commented, coming to stand beside him. She smiled at Harper. “Hi, Dr. Emery.”

“Valentine,” Harper nodded and smiled briefly. “My cat. She’s not a fan of Ethan.”

“That’s an understatement,” Ethan muttered under his breath. “I can still feel its sharp claws on my back.”

“I don’t understand.” Cassie stared at them in confusion, and he flushed at his careless words.

The incident Harper referenced was hardly fit to discuss with his current girlfriend. What was he supposed to say? His dick had been about to enter another woman when a fiendish cat jumped on his naked back and dug in her claws, effectively killing the mood?

Ethan glanced furtively at Harper, hoping she understood his predicament.

“It’s nothing consequential,” Harper said, coming to his rescue. She glanced at her wristwatch. “I have to get ready for my afternoon consults.”

Harper slipped away, leaving an awkwardness in her wake. Ethan slowly lifted the coffee cup to his mouth, using the brief respite to reorient his brain.

“That was weird, right?” Cassie mused, watching Harper retreat before turning to face him, a considering look in her green eyes.

“Was it?” Ethan commented for lack of anything useful to say, glancing at a spot beyond her shoulder.

Cassie snorted. “You know it was. There was something…” She shrugged the rest of the words away. “Besides, I know when you’re embarrassed. Your cheeks get flushed, and the tips of your ears turn red.”

She took a step back. “You also can’t seem to meet my eyes, so whatever the two of you were talking about had nothing to do with a cat.”

Ethan could feel the flush spreading across his face. “It was about a ca—”

He broke off when Cassie raised an eyebrow skeptically. He sighed. “It started out about her cat, but no, it wasn’t just about the cat.”

Cassie pursed her lips, not saying anything, and he wished he had kept his mouth shut.

“Thank you for being honest with me,” Cassie said a few tense seconds later and turned away. “I have patients to check on. See you later.”

Ethan hated leaving things like this and rushed after her.

“Want to grab dinner tonight?” he said, reaching for her hand as she entered the stairwell. He covered the distance between them, letting the door shut behind him. “Or I can make us something at home?”

Cassie tilted her head and peered intently at him. “I’m not angry or upset. So, you don’t have to take me out or feed me to assuage your guilt.”

“Good to know,” he mumbled before speaking in a measured tone. “Can I take you out because I want to?”

“Sure.” She stretched on her toes, circled her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply until he forgot where they were. “But I expect to be wined and dined in style, Dr. Ramsey. So, bring your black card.”

--------------

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leiawritesstories · 1 year

Text

1778 (My Soldier Boy)

Rowaelin Month, Day 28: Wartime Sweethearts AU

A/N: this might just be the most American thing i've ever written lmaooooo 😂😂 so here's the context: the fic is set during the American Revolutionary War, which took place from 1776-1781. Rowan is a soldier in the Continental Army (the American side) and Aelin is the only daughter of a Loyalist (sympathetic to the British) family. and they're star-crossed lovers, yay!! posting this partially as a lil birthday treat to myself but mostly for you, hope you enjoy :))

Word count: 2.8k

Warnings: archaic language (i'm a nerd lol), mentions of war, old outdated traditions, mentions of battle, brief mild angst, flirting

enjoy!!!

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

16th July 1778

Heart of my heart,

I write this in secret, barely able to make out my letters by the faint light of this single candle. I apologize for the sloppiness of my script; my governess would have a fit if she were to see this chicken scratch. Of course, I would then retort that she ought to have taught me to read and write in near darkness, as that is the more useful skill these days.

A few words, my love–we are leaving in three days.Yes, leaving! Mother has only said that it was what she and Father thought best, given the current…unrest. I am perfectly capable of reading the unspoken words. We are leaving because they fear what our neighbors might do while we sleep. We are leaving because the English are so hated here. We are leaving because nobody has seen or heard from my brother in months. Nobody save me, that is. I know where Aedion went, and I know what he is doing.

If you love me, Rowan, please send word that my brother is safe, that he is well clothed and has some form of roof over his head. Please. It will calm my nightly worries at least a small bit.

I do not know where we will go, only that we cannot make a scene of our leaving. We must pretend that we are only going into town like we typically do, except that our cart will be full of our belongings, rather than grain and butter to trade. I suspect we shall attempt to head east, towards the port at Baltimore, and from there we shall attempt to book passage on a ship. Father seems convinced that returning to England is the best course of action.

I do not want to leave.

They do not know that, nor do they care. It breaks my heart to admit it, but they do not. They expect me to keep quiet and obey. I have heard them discussing the possibilities of our lives once we return to Mother’s family estate in England–marriage. My marriage. To some titled landowner’s spoilt son, who gives not a whit what I want or who I am as long as I can give birth. I refuse to subject myself to such a fate.

Rowan, my love, I write this both as news and as a warning. I will not silently accompany my parents in their hasty retreat. I cannot abandon my brother in the middle of a war, nor can I leave you, the other half of my soul.

I will be waiting for you, my love. I swear it.

To whatever end,

AAG

Heart in his throat, Captain Rowan Whitethorn marched in step with his regiment up the muddy road leading into Baltimore. The bustling port city was largely unmarred by the war that continued to rage on, continuing to serve as major sea access for traders and soldiers alike. As he and the men that called him their leader entered the city proper, Rowan breathed a short, soft sigh of relief. They had two weeks of leave, unless they were called back into battle, and he fully intended to use those two weeks to the fullest.

“Enjoy your leave, men.” He saluted. “We shall regroup here in two weeks.” The blue-jacketed men broke ranks and ambled into town, most of them probably dispersing to the nearest pleasure house for a good strong drink and as many hours with a woman as their few remaining coins could buy. Rowan didn’t begrudge them their pleasure.

After years of war, they all needed whatever solace they could find. As did he.

Fingers instinctively wrapping around the small, precious bundle of letters in his jacket pocket, Rowan strolled towards the calmer part of town, the residential section not so crowded with soldiers on leave, traders, merchants, shouting vendors, and all the rest of the noise, chaos, and diverse cast of characters that populated a thriving shipping town like Baltimore. He glanced at the street markers as he walked, searching for the one with a blue stripe painted around it.

There.

Pulse hammering louder than gunfire, he turned down that street and walked past tidy clapboard houses interspersed with the occasional grocer, butcher, baker, and seamstress. He was certain every single one of the handful of people he passed could hear his thundering heartbeat, but none of them had said anything to the young man whose ragged blue jacket marked him an officer in the Continental Army who was walking up their quiet street like it was perfectly normal for him to do. One motherly lady had simply offered him a smile and a “thank you, son,” which had struck him right to the heart.

He emerged into a busier street, full of shops and taverns and public houses, the businesses bustling but not crowded with soldiers and sailors like the cheaper taverns down by the wharf were. Eyes scanning the signs, Rowan walked up the side of the street. The building he was looking for appeared suddenly in front of him. A brightly painted kingsflame flower adorned the pub’s wooden sign, its carefully wrought petals the work of a singular artist. An artist Rowan knew as well as his own heartbeat.

With his heart in his throat, Rowan walked into the pub. Immediately, a peal of soft, faintly raspy laughter caught his ear, and his attention snapped to the bar at the back of the softly-lit, cozy space. Behind the well-worn oak bartop, her golden hair tied back with a blue rag that he recognized as his own old shirt, stood the woman who owned every last shred of his heart.

Aelin Galathynius glanced over towards the door, and the whole sky lived in her vivid eyes.

Tin clattered against the bar.

Surprised grunts arose from a table full of stocky, gray-haired farmers.

And with a rush of air and a strangled gasp of his name, Aelin was in his arms, tears glittering in her eyes, warm and solid and real and clinging to him as if her life depended on it.

He was here.

Rowan was here, whole and healthy and standing on his own two legs in a much-patched blue jacket and dirt-stained trousers and battered boots, and his eyes were on her alone.

Aelin flew across the pub floor and all but leapt into her soldier boy’s arms, clinging desperately to him as if he would vanish unless she held him tight. She buried her face in his shoulder and drew in a deep lungful of his scent, the faint trace of mountain pines clinging to him even beneath the layers of sweat and grime. Hot, salty tears of joy leaked into his shirt through a tear in his jacket’s shoulder.

She felt his deep, familiar chuckle rumble beneath her ear. “Why are you crying, my love?”

“I’m crying,” she sniffled, raising her head to meet his adoring gaze, “because you smell so bloody awful that my eyes are watering.”

He tipped his head back and laughed, loud and unrestrained. “God above, I missed you.”

“I missed you more,” she returned, tracing her thumbs along the sharp juts of his cheekbones. “Every day felt like the longest one yet.”

“I’m here now,” he murmured in the soft voice he only used for her.

With tears pooled in her eyes, Aelin leant an inch forward and kissed him, her soldier boy, with all the pent-up fervor of the last several months. She’d been so terrified when her parents announced that they were leaving the Colonies, afraid that she would be uprooted from the life she’d come to love and forced to marry some stuffy lord and shut away in a manor house forever. The very idea that she would be forced to leave Rowan, her love, and Aedion, her brother, without knowing whether either of them would make it back to Baltimore unharmed was enough to disrupt her sleep. She had hardly dared to hope that her desperate escape plan would work until she stood on the pier and watched her parents’ ship depart without her on it.

Every long day of pouring pints of beer for rowdy sailors, handsy soldiers, and disruptive drunken no-goods was worth it to have her soldier boy back in her arms.

“Where–ah, Rowan!” Breathless, Aelin poked him in the ribs, pretending to disapprove of the promising way he kissed her throat. “We’re in public.”

“Let’s fix that, shall we?” He set her down onto her feet, caught her hand, and grinned. “I believe I need a bath, my love. Could you help me with that?”

“You are incorrigible,” she laughed. She pecked a quick kiss on his lips and led him out of the pub and down the streets, turning into a quiet neighborhood and leading him up the front steps of a tidy little brick cottage with a blue front door. “Please be kind about the mess.”

“I’ll show you a mess,” he whispered into her ear, far too tempting for his own good.

She flushed, her cheeks staining bright pink. “Rowan!”

“Aelin,” he mimicked. They were safely inside the house, so he looped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. “I’ve been dreaming of you for months, love.”

“And you’re going to bathe before you act out any of those dreams, my love.” Giggling, she ducked out of his embrace and led him down the short hall to a washroom. “The tub is full, but it might be cold.”

“I don’t care if the water is cold.” He shrugged off his jacket and stepped out of his boots. “It’s a hell of a better bath than we get in the army.”

She sighed fondly. “I’m still going to boil some water.” He made to protest, and she placed her fingers over his mouth. “Ah-ah, soldier boy. Let me spoil you. Besides, the hot water is half for your filthy clothes.”

“Fine,” he acquiesced. He shed the rest of his dirty, worn clothing and climbed into the tepid bathwater, groaning quietly as he sank into a proper bath for the first time in too long. “Join me, love.”

“Soon.” She kissed his forehead and dropped a washrag and a bar of soap into the tub. “When you stink a little less.”

His playful growl followed her all the way out to the front room.

Following the bath–where she had indeed joined her soldier boy and taken his mind off the weight of war for a few moments–and a hearty dinner, Aelin exchanged her regular blouse and skirt for a soft cotton nightdress, braided her hair, and settled into bed with a lantern lit on the side table and a novel in her hands. Rowan was in the washroom; the faint splashing of water indicated that he was scrubbing out his uniform like he insisted he wanted to. So she opened her novel to the page where she had last left off and lost herself in the tender romance unfolding amidst the pages. She was so absorbed in the novel that she didn’t notice the mattress shifting as Rowan climbed into the bed and settled down beside her.

His soft, low chuckle drew her out of the novel-world. “Good story, Ae?”

“Wonderful,” she murmured. Reaching the end of the chapter, she placed the bookmark, closed the book, laid it aside, blew out the lantern, and tucked herself into his side, her head against his chest.

“I missed you,” he whispered after a peacefully quiet interval, stroking one hand idly up and down her back.

“And I you.” In the faint moonlight, her eyes met his, months of pent-up yearning and uncertainty glossing their turquoise depths. “I am sorry I didn’t write more.”

He soothed her worry with a gentle kiss. “I would likely have found you before your letters found me. ’Tis the life of a soldier.”

She hummed in agreement. “On that note…when did you last see Aedion?” Her older brother, whom she loved dearly but whose rashness she did not ignore, had vanished from the Galathynius home early last spring, leaving no indication of where he was going or why. Aelin alone had an idea of what he had gone to do, because he had confided his wishes to her. He had gone off to be a soldier in the Continental Army, but his unit were scouts, which meant that he could be anywhere between Philadelphia and Yorktown.

Rowan exhaled a long, controlled breath. “The last time our paths crossed was in September, at the camp outside Newport. He mentioned going south, but no details.”

“South.” Aelin rolled the idea over in her mind, forcing herself not to consider the harsher implications. “Was he…how was he?”

“Healthy, as far as I could tell, and tired, but so are all of us soldiers.” Rowan ran his hands along Aelin’s tense shoulders, encouraging her to relax. “He said to give you his love and that he’ll do unspeakably horrible things to me if I hurt you.”

Aelin laughed. “Now that sounds like Aedy. Too protective for his own good, he is.” Idly, her touch trailed along the slope of Rowan’s shoulders, tracing the new scar that slashed from his right shoulder down towards his pectoral muscle. “Tell him that I will return the unspeakably horrible favor if either one of you does anything stupid.”

“Indeed I shall.” Laughing softly, Rowan pulled Aelin flush against his chest, her heartbeat atop his, and kissed her. She sighed into the kiss, threading her fingers into his overgrown hair.

“I don’t want you to go back,” she murmured after they had separated.

He swallowed thickly. “We both know I must.”

“I know.” Her voice was a fragile thread. “I’m keeping you all to myself for the next two weeks, though. It’s only fair.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, my wildfire.”

She smiled tenderly at him. “I love you too, my soldier boy.”

Mid-November, 1778

Aelin,

I apologize both for the shortness of this note and the fact that it took me so bloody long to write it. There is something I must tell you, and I can only hope that you hear it from Rowan rather than me and my paltry excuse for a letter.

We are marching to Savannah. Intelligence has it that the Redcoats intend to advance upon the city, and we cannot let the stronghold go without a fight.

I cannot promise that I will be able to write for any amount of time, and as much as I hate to do this, I leave you all my affection. I will stay as safe as possible, that I can promise. The moment I am able, I swear on my blood that I will come to you, and if possible, that I will bring Rowan.

Stay strong for us, dear sister.

Yours,

Aedion

The short note had reached her in late January of 1779, after three and a half months of ever-increasing tension and worry spurred by the grim reports coming up from the South. Before he left in mid-November, the same time Aedion’s letter was dated, Rowan had revealed that his unit was headed to Savannah to reinforce the troops already there. He had been confident that, with the extra reinforcements, the Army would be able to stave off the British–if not all on their own, then at least long enough for the shipment of French troops to arrive.

Just before the New Year, the newspapers reported Savannah’s defeat.

Since then, all Aelin had received was silence. No letters, no notes, nothing listed in the papers, no weary soldiers showing up on her doorstep. The fact that Rowan’s and Aedion’s names remained out of the papers was but a small measure of comfort; all too often, fallen soldiers’ names never made it onto the listings.

The cloth tying back her hair was black now, the only outward sign of suffering she would allow herself. The people who came into the pub noticed her quiet demeanor, the way her usual vivacious cheer was dampened, and passed quiet condolences to her across the worn oak bartop–a squeeze of the hand, a mourning mother’s shared tears, a word of comfort, a “thank-you” from someone who rarely spoke those words. It lifted her spirits a bit, but not much.

Every night, she trudged home to her quiet little house, cradled a small watercolor portrait of Rowan–done a year ago, it was the only portrait she’d ever convinced him to sit for–stared down into his painted face, and refused to let her captive tears fall. Though her heart and soul ached for her soldier boy, though her sleep was disturbed by nightmarish imaginings of what could have happened or could be happening to him, she refused to let her tears fall until she knew his fate for certain.

If nothing else, she owed him--and the child just beginning to stir inside her womb--that fragile hope.

~~~

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