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livingdreams97 · 4 months

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Eloise Bridgerton - "The Prince" (Part 3)

Eloise Bridgerton x Male reader/oc

Summary: Two people who have never seen each other before, with the same need and desire to be free in different ways. What could come of that when both people meet each other?

Words: 4.181

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Masterlist

POV You

Just as I had discussed with Eloise that night in the maze. I have been showing my interest towards her in a more noticeable way and she towards me too.

Four days have passed since that night and on each of the days I have gone to the Bridgerton house, had tea and thus could spend more time with Eloise in front of her mother. Of course, I have never appeared empty-handed, because if anything it is etiquette and manners regarding situations like these.

The first day I showed up with a lemon cake, along with a bouquet of Eloise's favorite flowers which were daisies, blue roses and blue dahlias. Also along with a bouquet of violets for her mother. It goes without saying that the matriarch was impressed and Eloise gave me a subtle wink as a sign of success.

The second day I turned up with some cakes and Lady Bridgerton 's favorite sweets. Since having a detail with the mother is always well seen and adds points at all times.

On the third day I was a little more daring, bringing a carrot cake made by myself; with the help of the cook and Eloise 's favorite chocolates.

And today I had decided on a book on the natural sciences and their use in medicine, since my studies had come to light in one of my conversations with Eloise and she had shown an interest. So I thought it was a good idea to give her a basic book on the subject, because she likes to read and I'm sure she'll appreciate it more than the desserts.

While for her mother, I brought her favorite sandwiches so that she can accompany the tea with them.

I knock on the door of the Bridgerton house , making sure my black tailcoat is tied securely, my khaki slacks are wrinkle-free and my tie is tied just right.

I put my hat back on and take a deep breath. The door opens, letting me see the housekeeper of the place and she, recognizing me, allows me to pass.

Before entering the house, I receive the gifts from my coachman and I thank him by entering the site. I follow the woman into the living room, where I immediately see Lady Bridgerton sewing something, Eloise reading a book sitting on the sofa in a tomboyish manner, and the younger members of the family playing chess.

XX: My lady, Prince Y/n of Hanover is here. - she informs her of my arrival and I see how the matriarch gets up from the couch immediately.

Violet: What a pleasure to have you back here.- she walks towards me excitedly, passing by her daughter and giving her a light blow to make her sit good; causing a small amused smile from me.

Y/n: The pleasure is all mine Lady Bridgerton .- I assure her, greeting her with a kiss on her hand. -I hope I was right when i choose them.- I commented, extending the box with the sandwiches .

Violet: It wasn't necessary my lord.- she denies with a small smile receiving the box.

Y/n: Don't tell me my lord Lady Bridgerton, we are not in public and honestly I feel a bit old when it comes to it.- I say with a certain humor. -As long as you calls me by my name, we will be more than fine.- I assure her with a smile.

Violet: Okey Y/n, are you coming to have tea with us? - she asks with some emotion and illusion.

Y/n: If you are so kind as to accept me, then I would like to have tea with you. - I respond politely and without imposing myself.

Violet: I'm going to tell them to prepare it outside, since it's a wonderful day and the garden is beautiful. - she warns and leaves the room with a huge smile.

Gregory: When my sister marries you, will I be a prince too? - he asks running towards me, as soon as his mother disappears and with his sister by his side.

Hyacinth: And can I be a princess? - questions excited. - Because if Gregory can be a prince, I want to be a princess too.- she says confidently, receiving a push from her brother and she returns it.

Gregory: You're a copycat.- he reproaches her and I can't help but think about my absurd and childish fights with my brother when we were just kids.

I watch as they playfully push each other, poking each other and can only look longingly at them. I long for when life was as simple as copying your brother or playing a prank on him to annoy him.

Eloise: Stop fighting and making a fool of yourselfs.- she tells them, separating them by the heads. -Second, like "when my sister marries you"? - she asks his little brother.

Gregory: Mom says you're getting married, because Y/n comes every day for you and because he likes you.- he answers as if it were obvious and that causes me to laugh without being able to avoid it.

Eloise: Mom said that? - asks with a surprised expression.

Hyacinth: She and Lady Danbury have commented on it, they compare you with the work they did with Daphne and the Duke.- the youngest of all responds this time and I can't help but look at the oldest with a raised eyebrow.

Eloise: And what makes you think that I will marry him? - she points at me and I pretend to be offended; causing the children to laugh.

Hyacinth: Because you talk to him for more than a minute and you don't complain about him like you do with the rest of the suitors.- she answers as if it were the most obvious.

Y/n: So you don't complain about me? - I ask with amusement . -It's interesting to know.- I assure her, seeing how she kills me with her eyes.

Violet: We can go outside, they are already organizing the tea.- she warns us happily, entering the room and seeing the four of us standing together. -What are you talking about? - interested question.

Gregory: About how Y/n and Eloise are going to get married and I 'll be a prince.- he answers with total sincerity, causing the matriarch to open her eyes surprised and somewhat curious.

Eloise: Don't pay any attention to them, mother, the dwarves are just saying nonsense and commenting on some unimportant things they've heard.- She brushes the matter off with her hand.

Violet: Okay.- she nods not very convinced. -Let's go out.- she points out and placing her hands on her children's shoulders pushes them out.

I laugh at the attitude of the youngest and the conspiracies of Lady Danbury and Lady Bridgerton about my possible relationship with Eloise .

Eloise: Are you okay? - she asks me after a few seconds.

Y/n: Yes of course, why wouldn't I be? - I ask somewhat confused, starting to walk out with her.

Eloise: When my brothers have started to fight, you made a sad and somewhat thoughtful face.- she answers me with a small grimace. -And I wanted to know if you were alright.- she comments and I nod with a slight smile.

Y/n: I just remembered what it was like to be his age and fight with my older brother for any trifle.- I answer with a slightly sad face. -But I'm fine.- I assure her with a small smile.

Violet: Y/n and Eloise sit together on that side.- she points to the two free seats at the round table outside.

I take Eloise 's chair out for her to sit in, tucking her in nicely, then I sit to her right and across from the Bridgerton matriarch .

As soon as we sit down, tea and sandwiches along with other sweets are served on the table. And it is at that moment that I remember the book in my hand.

Y/n: Before I forget.- I speak turning to Eloise and stretching her the book. - The other day we talked about my studies and since you showed some interest regarding natural science and its uses in medicine, I have brought you this book for you to read.- I informed her seeing the smile appear on her face.

Eloise: Thank you.- she thanks me by receiving the book and opening it immediately. -There are things written.- she comments confused.

Y/n: It's my book; well it was, now it's yours. - I pointed out a bit nervous. -I asked my father to send it to me, since it is quite interesting and something basic so that you can understand it better.- I comment with a small smile. -What is written are my notes, which I wrote at the time to better understand the concepts and I have believed that this way it would be easier for you to understand everything too. It took me a while to understand everything, but to be honest; You're smarter than me and I'm sure you won't need the notes. But I wanted to make sure and that's why I'm giving you my old book and not a new one. - I explain to her, pointing to the small paragraphs written by hand on some pages.

Eloise: Thank you very much Y/n, it means a lot that you give me this book.- she assures me with a smile, looking into my eyes and I can see how her beautiful blue eyes water slightly.

Y/n: It's nothing, I know how much you appreciate books; I thought you would like and appreciate a book more than another dessert. - I explain somewhat embarrassed, scratching the back of my neck and feeling observed.

I couldn't tear my gaze from Eloise 's, feeling that if I look away from her I'll miss the happiness and excitement that sparkles in her eyes at the gift. And that's something I don't want to miss for the world.

POV Narrator

What he wasn't aware of, and neither was Eloise , was the look that Violet Bridgerton was giving into the interaction between his daughter and the prince. As she watched with a smile full of happiness, her daughter's face lit up at the detail and the prince's own detail towards her daughter.

Her daughter could deny it all she wanted, but she was falling in love with the Prince of Hannover and her eyes or the way she looked at him couldn't hide it. And for the first time, the former viscountess felt calm about the future of her rebellious daughter. Because she had someone who cared and would take proper care of her.

And Violet Bridgerton didn't just see that look on his daughter, She could also look at the look the prince was giving her daughter and the slightly reddish color of his cheeks. She just hopes that she and Lady Danbury are right and that the proposal is close.

Because her daughter had never looked at anyone like she was doing at that moment with Prince Y/n and she didn't want anything or anyone to get in the way of her happiness.

Eloise's POV

I was determined, I was going to accept the proposal and marry Prince Y/n. Sure, if the offer still stood.

After weighing it carefully for almost four days, I have realized that I win much more than I can lose. And not only will I end up winning, but my family and Y/n will also win; so it's the best I can do.

Also, that Y/n is not so bad and every day I am enjoying his presence and company more. The truth is that I never imagined that I would get married, but it was because it went against my ideals and my growth as a human being.

But I know that with Y/n my growth as a human being and as a woman will not be crushed or reduced in any way. The freedom that I would have is also something that has pushed me to accept, since that is something that has made it clear to me and I can do what I want as long as it is not something that puts my "marriage" at risk.

And lastly, Y/n was a nice company and I can have an intellectual discussion with him . Without feeling insulted by my sex and my "few" studies or level of knowledge.

He had been really great to me. My mother, like every day, has not stopped asking the prince questions and talking to him in an animated way. Like my little brothers, who have not stopped asking questions about the crown and royalty like every day.

Leaving little time for me to talk to him and tell him in a hidden way that I accept the proposal.

Just before he leaves, I stop him and look around making sure no one sees us. Once I make sure that my mother is busy with my brothers and they with my mother; I have the green light.

Eloise: I accept.- I tell him directly.

Y/n: Accept what?- he asks a bit confused.

Eloise: You are supposed to have studied and gone to the university.- I reproached him amused, giving him a light blow to the back of the head.

Y/n: That's not a reason to hit me.- he claims, rubbing the affected area.

Eloise: Exaggerated.- I say because of her reaction to the light blow. -But I accept your proposal.- I clarify and after a few seconds he opens his eyes in surprise.

Y/n: Are you serious? - he asks excited and with a certain illusion shining in his precious emerald eyes.

Eloise: I'm not kidding, you don't see how I laugh.- I say sarcastically causing him to laugh.

Y/n: I don't care about your horrible humor.- he downplays it with a smile. -I have to think about how to ask your mother for your hand, in the ring and in the house.- he enumerates and opens his eyes. -Where do you want the house? - he asks me with interest.

Eloise: Near Aubrey Hall, it's my family's country house and I don't want to be far from them, but I don't want to be in the center.- I answer. -In addition to the fact that my family is only here during the social season, then they live at Aubrey Hall for the rest of the year.- I explain and he nods in agreement.

Y/n: Perfect, well I guess I'll be back tomorrow for the I 'll ask your mother for your hand.- He nods according to his own plan.

Eloise: I'm afraid we won't be here tomorrow.- I comment with a grimace and I see how the smile disappears from his face.

Y/n: And why is that? - he asks confused.

Eloise: We're going to Aubrey Hall for the weekend, to bond with the family and spend time together; and blah blah blah.- I downplay any kind of importance.

Violet: What are you two talking about? - she asks appearing out of nowhere and scaring us completely.

Eloise: For God's sake mother, don't appear like that.- I ask with a hand on my chest and feeling the accelerated beating of my heart.

Violet: Sorry dear, I didn't know you were so engrossed in your conversation and that you hadn't seen me.- she apologized with an amused smile for my reaction.

Y/n: It's okay, the scares help keep the heart beating.- he says with an amused smile.

Violet: So? What were you talking about? - she returns to question too interested from my point of view.

Eloise: About the fact that tomorrow we're going to Aubrey Hall and that we'll spend the weekend there, so we won't be here for the prince Y/n to come for tea.- I answer my mother and see how the gears of her head begin to move.

Violet: Maybe Y/n can join us and be our guest this weekend.- she offers and it doesn't seem like a bad idea to me.

Y/n: I don't want to impose myself on your family weekend.- he denies with a small smile.

Violet: Don't say nonsense, you don't impose yourself and I'm also inviting you.- she assures him happily. -In addition, the Sharmas and Lady Danbury will also accompany us for another year. In fact, I'm surprised that Lady Danbury hasn't told you anything.- she says a little confused and thoughtful.

Y/n: It will be because of Edwina and her possible relationship with my cousin Friederich .- he comments a bit insecure. -From what I know, they spend a lot of time together and since my aunt can't be supervising all the time, it's Lady Danbury's turn to be watching.- he shrugged at the information.

Violet: Then we'll see each other tomorrow at Aubrey Hall.- she assures Y/n. -Let's go out, so I tell one of my drivers to give directions on how to get to your coachman.- she says threading her arm through the prince's and pulling him towards the entrance of the house.

I just laugh, when he looks at me over his shoulder with a face between surprise and amusement at my mother's attitude.

I shake my head and sigh calmly, knowing that many of my problems will be solved as soon as Y/n asks my mother for my hand. And the rest of my problems will be solved when the prince and I give each other the "yes, I want".

Because something is clear to me, if my mother believes that Y/n is going to ask me to marry him and that we are in love; the rest of the world will believe it too. Because if there is something that my mother is in this life: she is insightful.

None of my brothers have been able to deceive our mother, since she always knew when something did not quite fit and we hid something. So if Lady Danbury is being talked to about my possible marriage to the prince; it means that she believed it.

POV You

As soon as I get to the palace after being at the Bridgerton house , I head towards the tea room and where I'm sure my aunt is.

Now that Eloise has accepted the proposal to marry me, I have to start organizing the proposal and I need my aunt for it. I know that Eloise is not her favorite person after the last season, since at first she was sure it was Lady Whistledown and then she dismissed it; when her political position came to light.

Y/n: Aunt.- I greeted entering the room and making a reference. -I have to talk to you in private.- I ask and I see how she nods giving her servants a look.

Charlotte: Sit down dear.- she asks me pointing to the hole next to her on the sofa . -Tell me what do you want to talk about ? - she asks me interested when I sit next to her.

Y/n: You know that I have come to London with one intention, which is to fall in love and marry a woman from high society, right? - I ask a little nervous, because my aunt is the key to making everything believable and if she doesn't accept my engagement; neither will my father.

Charlotte: I am aware of this and that is why I put Lady Danbury as your supervisor, so that you could be successful in this first season. - she nods with a serious face.

Y/n: Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, aunt.- I point out the interest in her eyes. -I have found the person I want to marry and I want to have your blessing to ask for her mother's hand.- I comment with all the confidence in the world.

Charlotte: So soon? - clearly surprised question. -We've barely been in the season for three weeks.- she says, somewhat impressed.

Y/n: I know, but I can't explain what I feel when I see her or when I'm with her aunt.- I start to say to make it sound credible. -Besides that you have always told me that love does not have a predestined time.- I remind her with a small smile.

Charlotte: Are you sure dear? - she asks me and I just nod. -Do you love her? - she asks staring into my eyes and I stay for a few seconds thinking.

Y/n: Yes.- I answer without taking my eyes off his, trying to look sincere and credible.

Charlotte: Then I give you my permission.- she nods with a huge smile. -And can you tell who is the lucky one? - she questions interested.

Y/n: Eloise Bridgerton, aunt.- I answer confidently and I see the surprise and a hint of annoyance appear on her face.

Charlotte: No.- she denies immediately.

Y/n: Aunt please, I love her and I want to marry her.- I ask, grabbing one of her hands and looking at her with pity.

Charlotte: Can't you choose someone else? Someone who doesn't hang out with political radicals? - she asks in the form of a complaint.

Y/n: She's not a radical girl, she's intelligent and has something on her mind besides the pianoforte.- I defend her without thinking. -The hours fly by when I talk to her, I feel comfortable and I feel that she really wants to be with me because of who I am; and not for being the prince aunt.- I say honestly.

Charlotte: And I'm glad you feel that way about someone dear nephew. But couldn't it be anyone else? - she asks in surrender and I smiled knowing what it means.

Y/n: I'm sorry aunt, but she's the right one for me and I'm sure that if you meet her you'll like her too.- I assure her smiling and seeing how a slight smile appears on her face.

Charlotte: I'll accept her because for me you're like a son and if she makes you happy I can't oppose it.- she finally accepts and I jump on her to hug her.

Y/n: Thanks aunt, you don't know how much this means to me.- I tell her when we parted from the hug.

Charlotte: And how do you plan to ask for her hand? - question interested and excited by the event.

Y/n: Lady Bridgerton has invited me to spend the weekend with them and Lady Danbury at Aubrey Hall; and tomorrow when I arrives I'll ask for her daughter's hand and if she accepts I'll ask her after dinner. - I reply a bit nervous, due to the possibility that she refuses and the plan is spoiled.

Charlotte: And you already have the ring? - she ask and I deny. -Well, come with me dear.- she asks me getting up and I walk next to her.

We walk towards her dressing room, where there is a table full of precious stones on a table in the center and as soon as we stop in front of her she opens a box in the center.

When she opens the box, I widen my eyes to see what's inside and look at her in astonishment.

Charlotte: This was one of the first rings that King George gave me as a gift.- she comments showing me the ring. -The king discovered that emeralds were my favorite stone and he thought it would be a good gift for me; and he was right.- she tells me looking at the ring with a certain sadness and affection.

Y/n: It's beautiful aunt.- I compliment seeing the brilliant stones of the ring.

Charlotte: It has a lot of meaning to me and that's why I want you to have it.- she tells me, offering me the box.

Y/n: No, aunt, as you think, I can't accept something so important and with so much emotional value.- I deny immediately.

Charlotte: I insist.- she says pushing the box in my hands. -I want you to ask that girl to marry me with my ring, for me you are my son and I want this ring to pass into your hands.- she explains and I nod, looking at the ring more carefully .

Y/n: It really is precious. - I whisper, looking hypnotized at the great emerald in the ring.

Charlotte: And valuable, that's why I want you to ask her to marry you with that ring and pass it on from generation to generation.- she assures me and I nod safely.

Y/n: Thank you very much aunt.- I thank her again and hug her again; immediately being wrapped in her arms in an almost maternal way.

Charlotte: I am very proud of you my little one and of how much you have matured; your mother would be proud too. - she whispered safely against my ear and I can't help but tighten the hug feeling the itch in my eyes.

I'm sure you wouldn't be so proud if you knew the truth and the reason for my marriage. She always defended love and from the first day she told me to marry for love. That I would never marry for any other reason than love and here I am, marrying by agreement with my father.

Y/n: Thank you.- I whisper feeling the guilt invade me.

Charlotte: Also, I understand that that girl also likes emeralds.- she assures me amused when we part from the embrace.

Y/n: Let's hope for the best.- I comment amused and looking again at the ring in my hands.

Now all I have to do is pack for this weekend and have Lady Bridgerton accept my marriage proposal to Eloise. I just hope everything goes well.

#eloise bridgerton #bridgerton #eloise bridgerton x reader #bridgerton netflix #eloise bridgerton x male reader #anthony bridgerton #lady whistledown #queen charlotte #benedict bridgerton #violet bridgerton #edwina sharma #kate sharma #oc character #male reader

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kiss-theggoat · 10 months

Note

Ok okay okay- I’m back and I just have to pitch this idea to you. Don’t feel like you need to write anything for it but I just need to slide this over to you. House of Wax setting again lol- okay so the clothes and outfits- the boys have a lot already from their previous victims. But sometimes they want something a bit different for an exhibit. Enter the S/O. Who’s sitting in the garage with Bo, sowing outfits together for Vincent’s new figures. She can’t be in the basement with Vincent since she needs proper light- but can’t be completely alone since the boys are still, even after years, unsure if she’ll try to leave.

So She’s just there, tongue sticking out as she thoughtfully sows glass beads onto a dress. And if any victims walk through the garage, and ask why she’s sowing in here or what she sowing- she’ll say;

“Oh its clothing for the museum”

“Oh I’m working on one of the girls prom dresses.”

“Oh, one of the old men in town ripped his pants again.”

“I just enjoy the company and music.”

She’s also always repairing the boy's clothes when stuff… happens (cough cough knife and chasing)

Angrily sitting there, sowing up Bo’s shirt and lecturing him. “I just re-did this Bo! Now I have to pause my work on the gown for Vincent.”

-🪴🖤

A/N: Hi hi hi 🪴🖤!! Thanks so much for the request and I love the idea! It’s so cute to think of one of the boys coming up with some clothes that need mending. Anyways, on with the one shot!

The Sinclair Seamstress

Sinclair Brothers One Shot

Summary: You find yourself as the personal seamstress for the Sinclair brothers.

TW: none 🖤

The radio was quiet, filling the kitchen with a soft melody which you hummed along to. You were hard at work at breakfast for the Sinclair brothers, whom you’d become very close to in your year in Ambrose. The toaster popped up beside you, and you held the pan that contained almost nine eggs worth of cheese covered scramble. You’d filled the house with an amazing aroma, mixing cheese and eggs and bacon, and onions in half because Bo and Lester liked onions and Vincent and you didn’t. You smiled as you grabbed the toast, now having two pieces for each of you. You placed the carefully on the plate and then buttered them all before putting the egg scramble between the two pieces, along with three pieces of fresh, crispy bacon.

“Somethin’ smells good.” You heard Bo’s raspy morning voice and it filled your chest with warm honey, making you turn around with his plate in your hands like a little kid presenting a handmade gift.

“Breakfast!” You said happily, setting his plate down where he usually sat, at the head of the table. “Sit.” You said, walking towards the fridge. You wanted to grab out the gallon of orange juice you’d gone so far to buy, but you knew that he’d hound you for a beer, so you skipped the hassle and grabbed one for him. You popped the cap off and set it besides his breakfast. Bo looked up at you with a quaint lopsided smile, which you knew meant he was pleased.

Before you could ask what he had planned for the day, you heard the creaking of the steps and whipped around to see Lester, sliding his loose old button up over one arm. As he moved, you noticed the huge hole near the armpit seam of the shirt.

“Lester, you can’t wear that. It’s falling apart.” You scolded and walked towards him, fingers finding the tear and tracing it.

Lester sighed, “Well I ain’t got another shirt today. It’s fine.”

“I can fix it for you before you leave. Do you have a sewing kit?”

Lester gave you a look with one eyebrow up. “You can sew?”

You smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I used to make my own clothes and stuff. It’s a really easy fix, no time at all.”

“…Well alright. I’m sure we got some sewin’ stuff somewhere.”

And this conversation was how you became a personal seamstress for the Sinclair brothers. You never thought you’d be in this position, living with three men in a town of wax and making clothes for their sculptures. But, here you sat, red fabric draping over your legs as you moved closer to the seams you were sewing. The only downside to this was that they didn’t own a sewing machine, so everything you made had to be by hand. This definitely simplified yours and Vincent’s designs, but you made it work.

The dress you were working on now was for a pretty blonde girl in a classy red cocktail dress. You were excited about the fitted bodice and the slight flare of the knee length skirt. Vincent was particular about this dress, and the girl that was about to become wax didn’t have anything that fit that vision.

You hummed to yourself as you sewed, enjoying the pace of the activity and the feeling of the fabric under your fingers. You were sequestered to your room in the house, locked, because the boys were dealing with a new group in town. But it was already close to two in the morning, so you decided that you’d stay in your room until sunrise and then you’d go out and look for them.

That concern and worry was quickly flushed away by the sound of the front door slamming shut and familiar big boots stomping up the stairs. You ran up to the door and unlocked it, seeing a sweaty but thankfully not injured Bo.

“Oh thank god.” You said, practically tackling him with your arms around his neck. “You scared the shit out of me, Bo.” You whispered. “Where are Lester and Vincent?”

“They’re alright. They’re in the workshop.”

You pulled away from him and nodded, sighing a breath of relief. As you stared at him, subconsciously scanning for injuries and blood like you were used to, you noticed a giant hole through your perfect sewing.

You reached forward and touched the edges of the tear. “Dammit Bo, I just fixed this! You guys can never keep your clothes in shape.”

“Not exactly my fault, darlin’.”

“Take it off. I already have my stuff out.” You grumbled, moving back towards your chair and moving the dress onto your bed.

“We’re gonna have to tell Vincent that this dress is gonna take longer now because I have to fix your shirt for the ninth time. And he also wants me to make a pair of pants for another sculpture, but-“

“You don’t have to fix it, doll.”

“Take your shirt off, Bo.”

Bo slid his button up off and handed it over to you with a sly smile on his face, chuckling a bit at the fact you were so perturbed at the hole in his shirt. You grabbed his shirt and finally your supplies, sitting back down in your chair to begin sewing.

Just then, you heard more footsteps clunk up the stairs. You looked up from your needle to see Vincent and Lester. And even though you were relieved that they were okay, the stack of drawings in Vincent’s hand, surely new clothes for his new sculptures, made you anything but happy.

#slasher x reader #slashers #horror movies #horror fanfiction #slasher x y/n #house of wax fanfiction #bo sinclair fanfiction #bo sinclair x reader #lester sinclair #vincent sinclair x you

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klaprisun · 12 days

Text

One Sunny Day

(Stardew Valley)(Haley x Female Farmer)

Chapter 22: Haley's POV

The whole day after Danny left, I had rotted away in my bed. I had no motivation to do anything, nor was my stomach up to doing anything. It wasn’t until the next day that I was back to being me.

Unfortunately, that me was the old me. I was short fused, hot tempered, and giving attitude left and right. I couldn’t help it for whatever reason, I was just really angry.

“I’m going to Alex’s. Enjoy the empty house,” I sneered at Emily before walking out the front door. Emily had a look of disappointment on her face after I told her where I’d be going. She just shamefully shook her head and went back to working on her sewing machine.

“I’m not even going to waste my breath. Do whatever you want, just don’t go crying to Danny when you get hurt by him again,” Emily shoots back.

Angrily, I turn on my heels and slam the door behind me as I walk out.

“Cry to Danny my ass. When have I ever cried to Danny about anything?” I mumble as I walk to Alex’s house. I pause in my step for a moment, realizing what I had just said. I started recalling all the times I have in fact cried to Danny. Shaking it off, I continue walking.

It was sometime in the afternoon, so there was a lot of hustle and bustle going on in town. Lots of townsfolk were going into Pierre’s to shop, or to the Stardrop Saloon for lunch. With every person I see, my heart skips a beat as I think they might be Danny. I don’t know if I am hoping to see her or not.

“Hi Evelyn! Beautiful day out today. Your flower beds are looking lovely,” I gush to Alex’s grandma when I arrive at their house. As angry as I am, no one can be mean to the sweet, elderly Evelyn.

“Why hello Haley. It’s been so long since you have been over, is everything alright?” She takes my hand and brings me further into the house.

“Everything is quite alright. I just thought I’d stop by and see how you all are. I also picked this on my way over!” I hand Evelyn a sweet pea that I found on the side of the path. She really likes flowers and will put any that she receives in a vase on the kitchen table.

“Oh my, it looks wonderful! That's very kind of you,” Evelyn starts walking to the kitchen to bring the sweet pea to the vase. Excitedly, I followed her into the kitchen to sit at the table.

When I round the corner to the kitchen, not only do I see the vase completely full of her all time favorite flowers which would be tulips and fairy roses, Danny is reclining back in one of the kitchen table chairs. I can’t see her eyes due to them being covered with sunglasses, but a huge grin is plastered across her face. She was also wearing a flannel tank top with the collar popped up to hide her neck and her cowboy hat resting on top of her brown hair. Her arms are crossed behind her head, as she dangerously tips the chair back and forth on its back legs. For a second, I can’t help but focus on the way her arm muscles are flexed but quickly snap out of it.

“A sweet pea is so thoughtful of you, Haley,” She jokes, continuously rocking back in the chair.

“How did you even get tulips and fairy roses! Those are only able to grow in spring!” I shout at her, aggressively pointing to the vase. All my anger I was suppressing has boiled to the brim.

Danny shrugs with no further explanation.

“What are you even doing here?” I shout at her again.

“Evelyn made cookies and asked if I wanted one. I’m not going to pass on that,” she says slyly as she takes a bite of a cookie.

“Haley, dear, do you want a cookie too?” Evelyn hands me a napkin with a fresh chocolate chip cookie placed on it.

I gently take the napkin from her hands and sit in the chair farthest from Danny. Just as I sat down, Danny had finished her cookie and got up.

“It was lovely seeing you Evelyn. Thank you for the delicious cookie. I’ll see you later,” Danny tips her hat down at Evelyn and starts to leave.

Before completely leaving my sight, Danny turns, slides her glasses down her nose and blows me a kiss. I feel my face get warm and quickly look away.

“What’s going on with you two? I thought you were friends?” Evelyn questions me.

“That’s not happening anymore. I completely ruined it,” I tear up as I explain to Evelyn.

“I’m sure if you guys just talk it out, you’ll be okay again?” She had walked over to rub my back as I let the tears fall.

“I wish,” I mutter. I cross my arms and rest them on the table in front of me. I lay my head down on my crossed arms and start tracing the designs on the wood of their table. Evelyn starts braiding my hair which calms me down immensely. It also causes me to let more tears roll down my cheeks from how nice she is to everyone. She truly is the best.

I spend all day hanging out with Evelyn and eventually George, Alex’s grandpa, as well. Alex was not home all day so I decided I’d wait for him by helping with chores in their house. I hate doing my own chores at home with Emily, but Evelyn and George are getting older and some things are tough on them. George is also in a wheelchair and can’t help her with much. I did a lot of their hard scrubbing and reaching into high places to dust. Helping out and cleaning really reduced the amount of stress I was feeling.

Around dinner time, Alex had waltzed through the front door. I was helping Evelyn with supper at the time, but quickly popped over to let him know I’m here and supper is almost ready.

“Hey Alex. I was waiting for you all day, where’d you go?” I ask him.

“No where,” he smugly says. I just nod my head and go back to help Evelyn. Clearly he isn’t in a good mood today either.

For dinner we had baked fish with, of course, a salad. A salad with leek in it for George. For dessert, I had helped Evelyn with making my favorite sweet treat ever. Pink cake! There was some left over so she told me I could bring it home with me.

“I’m going to the saloon. I need a beer,” Alex huffs as he gets up from the dinner table. I cringe at the thought of drinking, but quickly recover.

“I’ll come with you. Just to hangout though… I’m not drinking.”

I wave to Evelyn and George as I hurriedly try to keep pace with Alex. He is in such a rush.

“I’ll meet you over on the couch in the corner of the arcade where we usually sit. Do you want anything?” Alex states as he walks up to Gus at the bar.

“I’m alright. Still full from dinner,” I sigh as I walk to the couch. I don’t know why I wanted to see Alex so bad. He isn’t in a good mood and neither am I. Seeing Danny today left me completely flustered and lost in my thoughts.

Do I try to go see her? Do I try to talk to her about us? Is there even a point if I was to? I ask myself.

The couch cushion bounces me up as Alex plops down beside me on the couch. He takes a sip of his beer and reclines back. The two of us sit in silence, unsure of what to talk about.

Finally, Sam, Abigail, and Sebastian walk into the saloon and make their way to the arcade. Apparently the other night didn’t wreck Abigail’s friendship with the two of them. At least some of us stayed friends.

“Time to play some pool!” Sam hoots as he grabs a pool stick. Abigail grabs the other one and shoots daggers at Sam. I guess I was wrong about them being cool.

The rest of the group pours in as the night goes on. All except Danny. I’m not complaining since I’ve already seen her enough today.

Everyone in the group was looking at me funny today though. I’m not sure why they are smirking at me or looking me over. Elliot and Leah seem to be whispering about something but I see them looking my way every so often. It is really starting to bother me.

The bell over the saloon door rings out at the entrance of someone. Just as I hadn’t hoped, it was Danny. But instead of her flannel tank top with the collar popped, she had on a normal tank top that tied up in the front, showing her stomach. There was nothing hiding her neck with this shirt though, so the hickeys were on full display.

My hand flies to my mouth, causing the crowd in the arcade to bring their attention to me. I slouch back in my seat, trying to get the couch to absorb me. The entire restaurant and saloon had their eyes on Danny as she entered now, embarrassing me more since everyone can definitely see.

A few chuckles echo in the arcade area from Sebastian, Sam, Elliot and Leah, but the rest are all silent and straining their necks to look. Apparently the whole town has heard about the hickey situation and now it's their chance to catch a glimpse.

“Can’t keep anything private here,” I huff as I cross my arms.

Danny takes a seat at the bar instead of coming this way, which is the best thing she could do. She was smart enough to keep her distance. I watch as Gus takes her order and gives her a glass of water. She must feel the same about drinking again right now because usually she has a beer.

I jump up from the couch, and grab Alex’s hand. He gets the hint and stands up with me. I continue to hold his hand as we weave our way out of the arcade and saloon. Danny sees the motion of people walking out and turns to investigate. Her face is unreadable until I see her eyes focus on me holding Alex’s hand. Her face drops. I continue dragging Alex out, not giving it a second thought.

“That was only my first beer, Haley. Did we have to go already?” Alex whines as we near his house.

I pull him closer to me and whisper in his ear, “Evelyn and George are asleep. We can go to your room and… hangout?”

His face lights up and we pick up the pace into the house. We lock lips as we enter the house, bumping up against the front door from the force of the kiss.

We continue doing it all the way down the hallway, hoping to not wake up his grandparents from the bumping and stumbling around.

I rip his shirt off over his head and toss it aside once we enter his room. He guides me to the bed and starts undoing my shorts. I help him out and slide them down my legs once they are undone. He goes for my shirt next and flings it away. We continue to make out a bit longer until he pauses suddenly.

“I have to… go to the washroom,” he hesitates weirdly. He does this a lot when we are just about to go farther than making out.

He leaves me alone on the bed in his room, exposed in my pink lace lingerie. I sit up and take a look around the dark room. He loves to lift weights and play grid ball which is why there is a ton of weights and gridball equipment laying around. His whole room is covered with gridball print wallpaper which I think is cute. He also had a few posters of bodybuilders and weight lifters torn from sports magazines on his wall.

The silence of the room is interrupted by the sound of his telephone ringing. Who would be calling at this hour? Curiously, I went to pick up the phone.

“Hello? Who is this?” I speak into the phone, twirling the cord around my finger.

“It’s Taylor. Who is this?” A male voice rings through the phone. My mouth falls open in shock. Without thinking, I throw the phone back onto the receiver, hanging up on Taylor.

“Hey Hales, I heard the phone ring. You didn’t pick up, did you?” Alex bolts through the bedroom door suddenly. When he sees where I’m standing, his head lowers sheepishly, knowing exactly what I heard.

“You’re…gay?” I mutter. Taylor was the voice he always moaned accidentally whenever we had sex. He must’ve always been the person in bed when I caught Alex cheating too. I had never seen the face, but I always thought it was too unproportionate of a lump under the covers to be a girl.

Alex just nods his head, his eyes welling up with tears. Suddenly the posters of shirtless, ripped, men on the wall made sense.

“Alex, you could’ve just said something. I would never be mad at you for that,” I cautiously walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

“I didn’t…I didn’t want to admit it…” he sniffles. He lowers himself and wraps his burly arms around me, nearly squeezing me to death.

“It’s all okay. You are who you are and we all love you for it,” I try comforting him.

“Says you,” he says through sobs. I freeze and pull back from the hug.

“What did you say?”

“I know what’s going on between you and Danny. Everyone does, Haley. Except you,” he wipes away his tears and just stares at me.

The tears I have frightening to hold back all day make their appearance as I register the words he had just said. He pulls me in for another hug but it’s my turn to cry.

“I don’t know what to do,” I cry into his chest.

“You guys just need to talk it out. There is so much connection between you guys, you just have to embrace it. Danny seems to be very comfortable with it, you just need to let her take the lead. She will understand this is new to you and will be patient with your feelings. Once you’ve accepted yourself, then you can kick it into high gear when you’re ready,” Alex explains, comfortingly. I have never heard him be so wise before. I guess he is also speaking from experience.

“You’re right. I’ll give it a shot. Thank you, Alex,” I squeeze him tighter and he rests his head on top of mine. We were never destined to be lovers, we were meant to be a couple of “confused feeling” besties.

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bestfriend491 · 1 year

Note

F reader grew up with Ramonda and was her absolute best friend, and had the biggest crush on her. But Ramonda was promised to TChaka, and so reader joined the Dora, finally rising through the ranks until she could be Ramondas personal bodyguard. They were still best friends, and one day, after TChaka dies, Ramondas life is threatened, and reader takes a blow in her defense, nearly losing her own. She accidentally confesses her feelings to Ramonda as she lays in the medical center.

I'd do it all over again

Queen Ramonda x Female Reader

Summary: For Ramonda, you'd do anything. Including risk your life.

Word Count: 10.1k+

Angst, Hurt, Comfort.

Warnings: Injuries, Mention of Death of Character (T'Chaka)

Timeline Position: Post Black Panther 1, Pre- Infinity War.

User tags: @starrknessblog @abbyeliza28 @lehlehwrites @greek-freak101 @sweetsummerhaze @ashleyrosetto

“Ramonda; my dearest friend, my heart’s desire. The day I get to hold you in my arms in the way that I truly want, is the day I will be truly fulfilled” - Written by 16-year-old You

The atmosphere that your body had created in the room was unsettling. Your anxiety radiated off of your body and surrounded you along with the area around you. You ate your breakfast, nervous thoughts popping up in your head as you sat contemplating your love confession to Ramonda.

What if she rejected you? Or what if she completely lashed out at you and refused to be your friend anymore? Your fixation on the matter was making you grow more doubtful of the idea, but it was far too late to back down. It had been long enough.

Having known each other since before you were even in pre-school, you and Ramonda were the best of friends. You experienced living and growing up together, and there had never been anything that could break the two of you apart.

For the past 2 years, however, you'd been struggling with your feelings for Ramonda, and how they had changed from platonic feelings to those of romantic interest.

Simple things that used to be normal between the two of you, felt completely different. When the two of you would be gazing up at the stars at night right by the river, and she would lay her head on top of your chest, your heart would instantly start racing, and your whole body would go rigid, you face rushing with blood, embarrassing your even though she couldn't see it.

You knew after the 6 month mark that it wasn't a phase. You were in love with your best friend and you had no clue what to do about it. It was exactly like the age-old television drama scenario. And now you had to question; would she like you back or would you lose your best friend because she didn't feel the same way. The latter option kept repeating in your head.

The likelihood of her feeling the way you did felt slim to you, and you had little hope that your love was requited. But you'd been simmering on these feelings more desperately for a year, and they weren't going away.

As you sat at the table, you couldn't help but feel like it was time. Maybe the day out with her would be relaxing and you would find the strength within you to tell her about your feelings and it would actually work out.

It was risky, and your stomach dropping at the idea of it all didn't give you much reassurance, but you were going to do it. Just as you were finishing, your father walked into the kitchen, greeting you.

"Y/n, I need you to take these with you when you go to see Ramonda today. Her mother has requested them." He said, handing you a basket full of fabric.

You nodded, questioning why Ramonda's mother would need dress fabric when she didn't sew and more importantly, why your father had the fabrics in the first place.

Regardless of those questions, you took it with you as you went to her house. It wasn't very far away, so you were there in less than 10 minutes. You didn't knock on the door before entering, not even being afraid of getting into trouble with Ramonda's mother for it again.

Lumumba was scary when she was upset and she yelled at you many times for not knocking when entering her home, but she loved you like her own daughter so her lectures often flew over your head.

"Molweni, nonke (Hello, everyone)." You said happily as you entered the home, being graced with the presence of the entire family at the table except Ramonda.

"Molo, Y/n. (Hello, Y/n)." They all said in unison.

You put the basket down next to you, settling down next to them in your designated seat.

"Are those from your father?" Lumumba asked. Your nod confirmed her suspicions.

"Tell him thank you." She said, You nodded once again.

After a few minutes of silence, you asked. "Where's Ramonda?"

"She's out right now but she should be back before the afternoon. You can stay in her room while you wait." That was strange to you, because your best friend wasn't one to be out and about so early. You and her were more night owls than anything else.

You stood up and went into her room, sitting on her bed as you waited. It was her voice that woke you up. She shook you and you opened your eyes, smiling as you looked at her beautiful face.

"How long have you been here?" She asked.

"Since the late morning."

You looked at her in full focus now, and she was fully dressed up, like she had just come back from a special event. You looked her up and down a few times, then you made eye contact again.

She looked at herself for a moment, realising what you were looking at, "I'll explain later. Let's go."

And with that you both left her home.

The day was supposed to be fairly uneventful. You were going to your usual hideout in the mountains and would stay up there until the night came.

The mountain had been where you went for a break since you were kids. When the two of you were around ten, you had run away together. Like most kids, you didn't last very long before returning home, but you'd made it to the mountains that hid the real Wakanda from the world, just outside of Jabari Land.

For the 8 years following that, you had built and renovated a small house-like cave in one mountain and it had become your place together. It grew with you, your style and interests changing over the years. At the beginning, it was a cluttered mess of your toys and games; the walls decorated in posters on top of posters.

Now it was much more mature. There were two chairs that laid in the centre of the cave, while the natural hooks on the walls of the cave were used as shelves, storing the things you used regularly there. The walls were also a lot more bare. The placement of the chairs was perfect for looking out into the sky and land view, and that's what you did most of the time. It was a place where the two of you could escape.

The walk there this time was tense, your mutual silence being anything but comfortable. You could feel that Ramonda had something to tell you, and you were more sure than not that it had something to do with her earlier attire. But you didn't bring it up, choosing to take the rest of the voyage up the mountain in more silence.

When you reached your destination, Ramonda let out a relieved sigh, sitting in your seat just to annoy you. Usually, you would have said something sparky about her doing so, but you were so caught up in your own thoughts about your pending confession that you just turned and took her seat with a smile.

The two of you remained quiet for some time. Ramonda fiddled with your fingers while you looked out into the sky, hoping for her to start the conversation.

"I need to tell you something." She finally said.

"Okay."

She paused again. Hesitant to continue. You nodded your head, encouraging her to go on.

She breathed in, "I was with the royal family this morning."

"For political reasons?"

"In a sense, yes. But not completely." She explained. You looked away from the view, looking directly at her.

She was nervous, her mouth twitching as a result. "The prince and I had our first official private meeting. It is going to be the first of many, Y/n."

You hadn't caught onto what she was trying to say yet, you head searching for answers but not finding any.

"I've been promised to him, Y/n." She said, finally making you frown in realisation.

"As in a forced marriage." You stated more than asked.

She shook her head, hesitating once more. "I have agreed to start courting him now, but in a few years, when we are a little bit older, we will marry. It's more arranged than forced."

Your eyes grew wide and your body became stiff and still as it all settled in. Your Ramonda was going to be the future Queen of Wakanda. That was amazing. But she would be married to T'Chaka. And she'd leave the River Tribe and join the Golden Tribe.

"Y/n. Do you have something to say?"

Now it was you who shook your head.

"I just told you that I am going to be marrying the future king in a few years. You have nothing to say to that."

"No."

Your eyes grew glossy, and all you could do was pray to Bast that she couldn't see your clear heartbreak. Wiping your nose from instinct, "No, I'm happy for you, Ramonda."

She scoffed, knowing how you only wiped your nose when you were lying, "It doesn't look like it."

You tried again. "No, really I am." You laughed through the pain. "I always knew you'd be the queen of something. Who knew it would be the whole country."

She was still sceptical, but her tone grew softer and she chopped your previous emotion to the shock pf it all.

"Should I start calling you, my queen?" You joked.

"Let's not rush into titles." She smiled.

Hours Later ...

You slammed the door shut, entering your home again in a frustrated and manic state. You weren't sure who was home, but it was late enough for you to presume that everyone was in bed already.

The tears from previously came up again, and your throat tightened. Out of all of the outcomes that you had predicted, another person blocking you from confessing your feelings had never even come into the equation. You felt completely blindsided.

What angered you was her keeping it secret for so long. If their supposed courting was arranged from a promise, then she must have known about it for at least 6 months, if not a year or two. Her family wouldn't hide something like that from her.

Clearly all of them were willing to lie to you though.

You were caught up in your love for a year and she had been lying to you the whole time. This wouldn't have even mattered had you not already fallen. But you had fallen. Hard.

Now she would eventually move far away from the River Village, all the way to the palace where you probably wouldn't be able to see her much without travelling a whole distance.

Every attempt to stop the tears only made them worse and before you knew it the sound of your breakdown was echoing throughout your house walls, holding the potential to wake anyone up. Footsteps echoed towards you and you cursed internally for the noise you had created.

"Y/n?" Came your father's voice. His large figure appearing in your vision.

He wore the same pair of tacky pyjamas that you had gotten him for fathers day as a child, something he cherished entirely too much.

His work as a War Dog gave him an intimidating physique, but he was soft in personality. It was a strange sight to many, but to you it was just the man that raised you being himself.

He got to you and wrapped himself around you, embracing you in a comforting hug as you let your emotions run wild. You muttered curses and a few vulgar things in all the languages you knew, some that even your father couldn’t translate. You let your eyes go blood red from the tears.

You stayed standing in that hug until your tears had subsided, only then did you shift yourselves to your bedroom, where you sat on the edge of your bed side by side as you leaned against him.

“We don’t have to talk, but if you need anything, Y/n. Tell me.” he said. It was something he said whenever you cried. Your only job in his eyes was to tell him what you needed and it would be done.

Barely giving yourself time to think your request through, "Father, I need you to train me so that I can become a Dora." You said after settling down.

"You've never taken interest in being a part of the Dora Milaje. What brings this new interest?"

You looked away now, not wanting to admit to the spur of the moment idea that you had only just decided on seconds before.

He was right, you had never taken interest in becoming a part of the Adored Ones, and many people had asked you about it. You were built quite strong already, regularly working out with your father for most of your life giving you the gift of a great body.

The Captain, who trained new Doras had asked you to become one when you were 16 on numerous occasions but you had declined.

However, now that Ramonda was going to be a Royal family member, there was actually someone you cared to protect there. You liked T'Chaka and his family, but Ramonda was a much more rewarding person to protect.

You gave your father a shortened version of this explanation.

"Things have changed, Baba. Are you willing to help me?"

"Anything for my daughter." He responded, giving you his signature smile of assurance .

You mirrored that smile, being grateful for his constant blind support.

"Thank you, Baba."

He sighed, allowing you to get into bed, clothes and jewellery still on and all, while he went back to sleep. You went to bed with a completely new life plan, not having a clue what you were going to do about your feelings, but at least knowing that you would be staying close to Ramonda.

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Ramonda could feel the shift in your character that day. How you had grown more hostile towards her, even if only subtly. How you were less comfortable sharing physical contact with her in any form.

Hand holding was a staple to your friendship for years, and that day you hadn't put out your hand for her to take like usual. Regret started to fill her body when she realised that her initial plan to ease you into the situation slowly had failed completely.

Why had she waited so long?

She couldn't even answer that question.

For a while she thought it was because the event wasn't that major, so there was no need to tell you yet. But, after the day had ended, she knew that that was far from the reason. Becoming the prince's wife was going to be a big event. And she knew that.

Sitting down to ponder on her decisions, she couldn't help but start to feel like there was an emotional barrier that had prevented her from telling you. The problem was that she wasn't sure what the emotions were.

Your friendship felt like something close, like something more than just a friendship, but the denial was so deeply sewn in, Ramonda refused to acknowledge it.

Others who saw the two of you would call it a sisterhood, but you and her constantly felt weird when people called it that. It didn't feel like you were family. At least, not in the way that others thought it looked.

Of course you had been the only one to delve deeper into your dynamic and realise that the friendship had more of a romantic resemblance than a familial one.

Ramonda had yet to pick apart the way that the two of you behaved around each other. That is why she hadn't fought very hard when her mother informed her that she was to wed the future king.

She had happily gotten into her best clothing and gone to the palace to meet T'Chaka and his family more formally. The teens already knew each other, from their families having close relations, but there was always an official meeting that needed to take place in these situations.

T'Chaka was kind, and charming and he seemed to actually care about making Ramonda comfortable, which made her feel like the situation was perfect for her. She wasn't going to lie and say that she didn't feel a spark with him. There was definitely chemistry there.

But the memories of the nice morning meeting soured when the rest of the day's encounters didn't go as sweetly.

Ramoda struggled to sleep that night, not sure why she was even truly conflicted.

Her beads buzzed the next day, and she tiredly checked what it was.

It was a message from you: Meet me at the mountain.

She didn't take a second glance, getting ready and leaving her home in the early morning.

Dawn had barely arrived when she got to your spot, and she was still a bit sluggish. Ramonda was really not a morning person, and you knew that, but you couldn't wait to tell her your news.

You exchanged pleasantries, and she sat in her chair, waiting for you to define what was on today's agenda.

"I made a decision yesterday." You said, rubbing your hands together awkwardly. Once you noticed your nervous habit creeping in you made your hands into temporary fists, before releasing them and taking a deep breath to reset.

Ramonda didn't say anything, just waiting for you to continue.

"My father is going to help me train and I'm going to become a Dora."

Ramonda raised an eyebrow, "Why can't you just train with the regular trainees? Why are you also going to train with your father?"

Luckily you were prepared for that question.

"I want to be the best at it. Maybe climb a few ranks by the time we're 25." You explained.

She nodded in understanding. Even though she didn't understand the sudden desire to be a part of the Dora Milaje, she didn't ask you about it.

"That will be nice. We'll both be at the palace." She smiled as she woke up more, and you talked about the possibilities.

"I can see it right now. Y/n, General of the Dora Milaje." She continued, causing you to let out a stiff chuckle.

"And everyday I'll greet you by saying, My Queen." You brought out the nickname again.

She rolled her eyes but did not argue, "and I'll call you, My warrior."

Your heart fluttered at that. You liked that name, especially when it came out of her mouth.

The two of you continued on that route and yesterday's bad news seemed a lot less sad by the end of it. You knew that your feelings were going to affect you, but you just wanted to take it one problem at a time.

For the years that came after that, you did exactly what you had set out to do.

You trained heavily with both the Dora Milaje and your father, and in less than a few months, you were a part of the Dora Milaje. Your training intensified as time went on, and your dedication to the job was heavily praised and acknowledged by both the royal family, and your fellow sisters.

You moved to the Golden City 6 months after that, the voyage from the River Village to the Palace being far too large for you to take everyday. You said your goodbyes on an emotional day, thanking your father for his help, while tears flooded both of your faces.

You promised to visit once a week and although your family insisted that that was too much and would put a strain on you, you kept that promise. You went to stay the night every Friday after work and you'd leave in the middle of the next Saturday, going back to work once again.

Ramonda moved into the Palace a year later, and the engagement between her and T'Chaka was announced. You struggled to but forced yourself to go to the engagement celebration, meeting T'Chaka as Ramonda's best friend, though the two of you had been working together for 4 months at that point.

You grew a slow liking for him. Seeing how well he treated her, and how happy she was.

He respected your close relationship with her and never interfered in it, which you appreciated.

Ramonda and you stayed just as close, and you were right beside her on the day of her wedding, wearing your best dress as you handed her to the one she truly loved. You left early that day, claiming that you didn't feel well. Which you didn't. You ran home that day. Confiding in your father as he comforted you.

"Let it out, my child." He said as you cried that night. And you did exactly that.

You stayed there for the week, needing to be with your Tribe, even though you were technically now part of the Golden Tribe. The River was your true home, and nothing would change that.

Returning the next week, you put in all of your energy into your work as an Adored One. You became the Captain in the 3 months following that. And less than a year later, you were the general. You became the youngest general in recent history, leading the group at the ripe age of 21.

T'Chaka became the Black Panther only a few years after that, and the title of King didn't come very long after that.

The two of you grew closer, more for Ramonda's sake than anything, but you did create a friendship of your own. You worked well together and the two of you ended up having a brother-sister kind of relationship. You were similar in that you were both sometimes quite reckless at work sometimes.

Ramonda would reprimand the both of you for taking unnecessary risks on missions but you never seemed to stop.

"It's like the two of you are on a constant mission of risking your lives everytime you leave." She would huff as she fixed either of your wounds. Her words never stopped you though, as you were so high on your title and obligations.

The high of it all only got to you again when Ramonda announced that she was pregnant.

Your reaction was better than at the wedding, as you stayed there the entire time, only retreating to the River Village on your regular Friday afternoon.

You kept your sorrow inside the entire time, only showing love and support to the couple.

At the time, your father was used to you crumbling into yourself whenever you came over, so he was ready.

You took only the night though, and you were soon back in the palace celebrating the news like everyone else.

The thought of becoming a war dog, just to be away from it all, crossed your mind a lot but you chose to just stick it out.

When Prince T'Challa was born you couldn't help but love him. He looked just like Ramonda to you and you loved being around him.

Watching Ramonda and T'Chaka raise him brought you a lot of joy, though you knew that it would never be you there.

You acted like a second mother to him, and he treated you as such but as he grew older, the questions about your lack of a romantic companion or your own children became more frequent.

"Ma," He would call you, "Why don't you have any kids?"

You would play with his hair and tickle him as you answered. "You are the only child I need right now." And he wouldn't ask much for a while after that.

The one thing noticed by all though was your need to be the greatest had heightened. All you did when you weren't with T'Challa and Ramonda was train.

If you weren't hurting yourself trying to prove yourself on a mission, you were hurting yourself trying to prove yourself in training.

Ramonda would yell at you and complain whenever she saw a new unhealed wound on you, but your behaviour never changed.

After almost 2 decades being the General, your commitment was recognized with many awards and you were also assigned a much less tasking job. You were to be Ramonda's personal guard, and you were to be with her at all times, to protect her.

Conveniently enough, this was when she became pregnant with her second child, so it was perfect timing. T'Challa was grown up, and his training had started. You were still a mentor to him, and you regularly trained not only him, but the new Dora Milaje trainees.

You were a legend then, to say the least. Your life journey fighting to protect the royal family being plastered everywhere.

By the time Princess Shuri was born, you were more than confident that you'd fulfilled what you had to.

You didn't need a spouse, or kids of your own. You had plenty of family, all around you. And although your feelings never truly went away. You were content with what your life had given you.

2 years post T'Chaka's death

You and Ramonda walked into the American conference room, looking around to see the growing number of representatives arriving for yet another conference where Wakanda's vibranium was to be a topic of conversation.

T'Challa, being not only king, but the Black Panther, couldn't make it to this meeting, and Ramonda was quick to dismiss his worries of missing the event and offered her help by taking his place and reporting what happened back to him when she was done.

You, her bodyguard, were obligated to be there, for her protection.

Even though Ramonda was adamant that it was safe enough at a meeting like this, you stayed close by her, feeling wary and suspicious of everyone who approached.

There just seemed to be something off about the whole thing. How they called this meeting when Wakanda had been operating very well with protocol.

You had been just as reluctant to share the truth about Wakanda's true power, your head siding more with T'Chaka's reasoning behind keeping it safe. But, T'Challa was so convinced that this was the way that things needed to go, and your heart supported him fully, so you didn't argue but rather just helped him as much as you could.

You travelled to new outreach centres regularly when your duties for Ramonda were less necessary or when she insisted you leave her to be alone.

You gave T’Challa advice when he asked for it and you kept your mouth shut when your opinions weren't needed. But now, it just felt like some parts of the world were getting greedy, and the more Wakanda gave to them, the more they asked for.

This is why you stood so rigid, your spear in close proximity to your hands just in case anything happened. You scanned the room as Ramonda exchanged pleasantries with the representatives of the other countries.

Most of them you had seen before, and some of their assistants and guards even looked familiar, but there were a few new faces around.

Just as the meeting was about to begin, you spotted a suspicious woman hovering by the door. She looked extremely familiar to you, but you couldn't decipher the reason why. You knew that you'd never seen her specifically before.

You glared at her as people spoke, and Ramonda looked at you with a worried expression for the majority of the meeting but it was only when the meeting came to a halftime break when you said something.

"Do you see that woman there?" You pointed at the woman as discreetly as possible. Ramonda nodded.

"She has been hovering by that door since we arrived. She's not with a representative, that's one thing I know." You said.

"What are you insinuating?"

You became stumped again. You weren't really sure what you were insinuating.

If you were to outwardly declare that the woman was a threat, without having even spoken to her, you could just be accusing an innocent bystander of being a major threat. That wouldn't be fair to her. Mostly because she had yet to actually do anything besides hover.

On the other hand though, you had a bad hunch about her, and your hunches were never wrong.

Seeing that you couldn't answer her question, Ramonda sighed and directed you to look at her.

"Look, My warrior. I get that your Dora senses are creeping in but I'll tell you if I need your protection."

You nodded begrudgingly, silently lying so you could keep eyeing the woman out.

When the meeting commenced, you couldn't help but keep looking at that woman.

Something was strange about her. The bag she was carrying looked heavy. Abnormally heavy.

"Y/n." Ramonda whispered. "Stop staring."

You averted your gaze for a few seconds, deciding to look more around her than at her.

Something wasn't adding up. You squinted, looking closer to see that she had something small in her unoccupied hand.

Ramonda let out a fake cough to get your attention again. You looked her way for only a brief second, dismissing her with your hand as you looked more at the bag.

There was a wire coming out of the bag, and the wire led to the wall, where it was attached to more split wires that ran up the walls.

They were almost invisible, but you could tell that there was a lot of them.

What in Bast's name was this woman plotting?

You turned your gaze back to her, examining her face again. Then it hit you.

She looked exactly like Ulysses Klaue, the one that Erik had killed two years ago. They were almost identical, down to the same look of revenge.

"Ramonda. Get down." You commanded, taking your spear out. Ramonda looked at you confused. "Ramonda, I said GET DOWN!"

"What's happening?!" Asked a representative on the left, looking at you making a scene.

4 seconds passed before an explosion happened. Every inch of the room lit on fire.

Screaming followed as everyone was knocked onto the ground with great impact.

You hit your head hard, and your vision became blurry as you looked for her. Where was your Queen?

"Ramonda!" You yelled, looking around for her.

"RAMONDA!"

Successfully finding your spear, you stood up onto the unstable podium to search for her. People were fleeing, and your ears were useless. Your vision cleared up slightly, and your eyes landed on the woman.

Her hands reached down for the bag, and she took out a machine that you could tell almost instantly was made of vibranium.

Her aim was towards the left. Towards Ramonda.

Ramonda was getting up, looking around in a daze and she wasn't fully aware of what was going on. Before you could think, you jumped down towards the woman, running your spear towards her.

As you jumped and lodged your spear straight through her chest, you felt the impact of three sharp shots coming, straight through you, followed by a final shot that left you on the floor, unconscious.

"Y/N!" Ramonda screamed out as she saw you get shot and impaled 4 times.

She rushed to your side, stumbling over the broken objects that laid on the floor. When she reached you, she nearly collapsed seeing you.

Your body was severely hurt, the vibranium from the weapon causing a lot of damage.

Ramonda's mind went blank, and she didn't remember much of what happened next.

She remembered screaming for help, and pressing her beads to get someone to get a quinjet to the two of you.

The next thing she knew, T'Challa was there in a Black Panther suit, and Okoye was ripping your spear out of the woman's chest.

She came back to reality when T'Challa lifted you into his arms screaming, "We have to get her to Shuri!"

She followed quickly, and the ride back to Wakanda was longer than any cross trip had ever felt. It wasn't actually that long, as the quinjets speed was far more advanced than any other aircraft on Earth.

Shuri was prepared as soon as your body arrived, having a group of Wakanda's best doctors there with her.

You were taken to the lab, and while Ramonda herself needed to be examined, she was fighting everyone in her way to get to you.

"She is losing too much blood, Shuri!" Ramonda yelled as Dora Milaje tried to constrain her to stay away from you.

She was stressing the young girl out. And her statement only made things worse. Now Shuri paid attention to the blood on her hands, and how much of it was coming out.

"Mother, you must let them help her without interfering!" T'Challa spoke, trying to get Ramonda to calm down.

"I AM NOT LEAVING HER!"

"You have to Mother!" He yelled.

Shuri looked at your mother in shock, having never seen her yell like that.

The sound of your heart rate dropping to zero is what got the attention back on you.

"She's going into Cardiac Arrest!" Shuri panicked, looking at your dying body.

She immediately started CPR. Trying to get oxygen back into your body. After using both your beads for shock waves and her arms for chest compressions and still not results, she became worried. Tears filled her eyes and she tried to revive your lifeless body.

Ramonda was finally taken outside, fighting off both Okoye and the 3 others that it took to take her to just outside the lab.

"NOOOOOO!" She screamed, kicking and fighting with all of her might, until she finally collapsed on the floor.

The Dora wrapped her in a tight;y gripped hold on the floor, mostly to stop her from getting up but also to get her to calm down.

Her voice grew raw as she yelled out your name.

"Let me GO!" She directed the demand towards Okoye, who she knew would relent to her command easier than the others.

"My Queen, Please. We can not risk you going back there."

"I won't! Just let me go!" Ramonda cried out.

Ramonda felt the words tear through her like a knife. Slowly letting go of the queen, Okoye commanded the others to do the same.

Ramonda laid on the floor, praying that you weren't with the ancestors yet. That you were still with her.

She couldn't handle your death right now. Or ever. You were everything to her. You were a part of her, and if you were gone, so was a large part of her. She listened for the noises coming from the lab, though the sound proofing feature made it impossible.

In the lab, your heart had started beating again, and Shuri was now working on your wounds.

Her mother's pleads rang through her head.

"She's losing too much blood, Shuri!"

"Mother. She is alive." Shuri struggled to look down at her mother's broken figure on the outside of the lab.

Ramonda looked up, eyes red and still crying.

What Shuri had expected was a sigh of relief, but instead Ramonda broke down even more.

"Mother, we saved her. She is alive." Shuri repeated, thinking that maybe she hadn't heard right.

"You barely saved her." Ramonda spat out, still furious that both Shuri and T'Challa had allowed the Dora Milaje to take her away.

It wasn't an appropriate reaction by any means, but it was the only thing Ramonda felt. Anger.

"She could have died because of you." She said next, just saying things to hurt her.

"What?" Shuri's previously hopeful eyes watered at those words. She had just witnessed the most horrifying sight. Her second mother was basically dead. And she had to be the one to save her. And her mother was blaming her.

She stepped back, going further back into the lab.

Okoye, who had heard it all from behind the door, followed a crying Shuri to a corner in the lab where nobody would see them.

"She didn't mean that." Okoye insisted. She offered herself to Shuri, allowing her to come in for a hug. Shuri took the offer, wrapping Okoye in a tight and anxious hug, even with all of the blood still on her.

"Because of me?" Shuri said, prompting Okoye to shake her head. "Shuri. She is in pain. She didn't mean it."

Shuri tried to nod, tried to agree with Okoye and reassure herself that her mother hadn't meant those words. But it didn't work, the tears doubling as yet another sentence went through her head.

"Give her a moment, Shuri." Tears were in Okoye's eyes too. Seeing Shuri emotional and seeing your blood on her triggered the emotions up.

You and her had a close bond too. You had trained her to become General when your reign was over, truly believing in her capabilities. You had basically taught her everything that she had used to her the position, older techniques that were never taught in training.

Seeing you in your state was shocking to her too.

"She's going to be fine, " she assured herself, while Shuri nodded, letting go of her after some time.

Your body was relocated to Intensive Care once you were stitched and wrapped, Shuri staying with you to settle you in.

Thanks to Wakandan technology, you'd be awake in a matter of hours, but your pain levels were something Shuri anticipated would be excruciating, being hit with vibranium being very different than with a regular weapon.

Ramonda entered the room as Shuri was pondering, slowly approaching your bed while completely ignoring Shuri.

Shuri stood, going to leave.

"Mother, I-"

"-Shuri, please." Ramonda's face was fragile and her emotions were close to overflowing again. Her daughter's words could wait.

Shuri took that and left the room, not before hearing, "Tell the guards to leave."

The two Dora that had stood by the door, exchanged glances, before going with Shuri, not wanting to cross the former Queen after seeing her blow up.

10 Hours after the event …

The first thing you felt when your body allowed you to become conscious again was fire. Every muscle in your body felt like it was on fire, the burning sensation reaching parts of your body that you had yet to discover before. You felt every organ in you working to keep you alive. Your heart was pounding trying to get blood throughout your body, extreme chest pain that felt like it was killing you being an effect of this.

You let out a loud scream that pierced through the ears of anybody that was in the room with you. Your eyes shot open but you couldn't move beyond that, your body feeling like a kettle boiling your insides.

You looked around to see that you were in the palace infirmary. The intensive care section; you could tell by the sign that hung by the door.

Tears slipped out of your eyes and were quickly streaming down from the pain that you were in.

"Y/n…" Came Ramonda's voice as she appeared seemingly out of nowhere and wiped your tears, trying to calm you down. There was a heavy relief in your mind when it finally registered to you.

She was alive and okay. You thanked Bast as that was all that you could wish for. For her to be safe and for your pain to be worth something.

That wasn't to say that you were content with the amount of pain you were in. Out of all of your years being a Dora, even the worst injuries had not hurt this much. This was a different type of pain. One that reminded you of death even though you'd never died before.

"My warrior, breathe for me." She said, offering her hand for you to take. It took everything in you to but you took her hand in yours and used it to balance the pain. Ramonda easily tolerated the intense squeezing of her hand, feeling that it was the least that she could do.

Trying your best to breathe as the tears still streamed down, a knock came at the door.

Ramonda turned, conflicted. Not wanting to leave your side as you were in your own world from this pain but also not wanting to welcome people in to see you like this unless absolutely necessary. After weighing her options, she reluctantly decided to let the knocker in.

"Come in." She declared, and the door opened to Shuri entering the room with a vile of a pink liquid.

"Mother, the pain reliever is finished. She needs to drink some of this for temporary relief." Shuri hesitantly walked toward her mother and handed her the vile, sparing a glimpse at your tranced state. The day had been one of new experiences for the child, not only seeing you, her 3rd parent nearly die in her hands on the operating table, but also seeing her mother's reaction to your near death.

She was no stranger to the close bond that you and her mother shared but seeing the way Ramonda so quickly crumbled into herself, losing it on everyone around as your heart rate quickly dropped. It was a sight that even Shuri was not prepared to see. Her mother hitting rock bottom.

Ramonda gave her daughter a look, one that asked for privacy, knowing that she would only be able to talk to her daughter about the day's events when you were peacefully asleep.

Shuri got the message, slowly shifting to leave, before walking out of the door.

Alone again, Ramonda turned to you, who was squeezing her hand only moderately less. Your eyes were closed again, as your breathing required all of your energy.

"Y/n, you need to drink this. Your heart is under a lot of strain and it could lead to cardiac arrest again." She croaked out through the tears that you only now realised were on her face.

'Cardiac Arrest Again?' You thought.

The injury to your body was worse than you thought. You couldn't imagine being that close to death. But you did feel like your heart had stopped for a while, and was now struggling to catch up.

But the liquid in the vile looked anything but pleasant, and you weren't one for putting concoctions in your body. You couldn't help but question whether you were willing to ingest it.

"Y/n, Please!" her voice brought you back to reality, her pleads for you to drink the concoction breaking your already weak heart.

You slowly opened your mouth and allowed her to pour some of the liquid in your mouth, swallowing to taste the worst thing you had ever tasted in your life. If it hadn't brought you almost instant relief, you would have passed out from the added nausea along with the burning pain.

Your face relaxed, letting Ramonda know that it was working. She breathed out a heavy sigh, sitting down next to you as your grip loosened. The two of you sat there for several minutes while you waited to see how much relief the pain reliever could give you.

Ramonda soaked in your alive presence, refusing to let go of it now that she had seen it when it was not alive. The both of you pondered to yourselves, thinking of what you could say to each other after such a major event.

When you could tell that your pain relief had peaked, with most of your fiery pain being reduced to aches, you opened your eyes and you cleared your throat.

"Are you okay, My Queen?" You groaned, your voice extremely hoarse.

Your best friend looked at you with eyes of complete disbelief. "Am I okay? No. I just witnessed your heart stop and nearly not start again." She blurted out, a bit agitated that you would even ask that. Seeing you flinch at her words she sighed out an apology.

"What I meant to say is that your question is irrelevant, Y/n. My wellbeing means nothing right now. " She insisted.

You shook your head, "Your state of being does not mean nothing, Ramonda."

"This is no time for compliments, Y/n. What you did was reckless and nearly killed you. You're what matters right now."

"Doing my job was reckless? You've never been one to judge someone for simply doing their job." You stated, not wanting to argue with her but also getting more and more annoyed with her being upset with you for protecting her.

"You did your job as my bodyguard, yes. But what about your job as my closest companion? You're itching to save me would have meant nothing if you had died!" Her voice increased in volume, the tension in the room building quickly.

"WHY would you even do that, Y/N!" She yelled now, and it all just bubbled over.

You lost all sense and the words that you'd so deeply wanted to declare for the last several decades finally came out.

"Because I love you, okay! I love you! THAT'S WHY I DID IT!” You argued back at her, which surprised her considering your state. She was so caught up in that, she almost missed your declaration.

"You love me?" She said, requesting for you to explain yourself. You stayed silent, refusing to repeat nor expand on the words that had slipped out completely accidentally.

You could feel your heart racing, and Ramonda saw the distress in your face. She squeezed your hand to tell you to breathe; and you did.

"Forget it." You huffed, trying to move to face away from her but failing miserably.

After a few calm breaths, "Just don't say that your wellbeing means nothing. Not as I sit in this condition because I wanted to do everything to save it." You changed the course of the conversation almost instantly. Ramonda, although wanting so desperately for you not to, understood why it felt that you had to.

"I'm sorry for saying that. It was an inconsiderate thing to say, after…" She couldn't even bring herself to finish her words.

You looked deeply into her eyes, moving your free hand to sit on top of your interlocked ones. Immediately, tears developed and fell, both of you crying silently.

15 hours after the event

Shuri sat in the laboratory, still shaking from seeing what she had. It was a lot for an 18 year old to handle.

T'Challa sat next to her, less shaken physically, but mentally his head was in the clouds.

"How did she look?" He asked his sister, as he had left shortly once you were confirmed as alive, needing to get back to America to finish looking at everything before false information spread. He had fought off reporters for hours, answering questions that lacked actual importance. He had come back as soon as possible and had been sitting there for an hour.

"Not great. But I barely saw her properly anyway, Mother was all I could focus on. Her beads indicate that she is fine now, though." Shuri replied, looking off into the distance.

After much debate with herself, Shuri finally brought herself to ask her brother some very important questions.

"T'Challa, have you ever seen Mother like that before?"

The king nodded his head, immediately. "With Ma? Definitely."

"Never with Father?" Shuri continued. She wasn't sure why she was even asking, already sure of the answer she was going to receive.

"She would be worried sick when Baba came home hurt, but it never compared to when Aunt Y/n would come back hurt." T'Challa explained, reflecting back on the times when you or his father would be severely injured, and how differently she would react to each of you.

"When Baba came back hurt, she would stay strong for us and the country, and then when she knew he was okay, she would fall into herself for a few hours, and then stand strong once again." He spoke to his sister, and Shuri listened, knowing that he had more experience seeing these instances than her.

"When Ma would come back hurt…" he shook his head at the memories ",she would fall apart first, then stay that way for a while even after she knew that she was okay. Mother has never been able to stay strong when it comes to Ma."

"Why is that?" Shuri asked another question. T'Challa wasn't used to this, Shuri usually being far smarter and more knowledgeable in the things they talked about.

He thought for a second.

"Mother loved Baba. Her struggle with his death has shown us that, but there has always been more than that with Aunt Y/n. Something much stronger."

"It is almost like they are one person, and when Aunt Y/n is hurt, it feels to Mother that she is hurt as well." He explained more to himself than to you.

"Is it because of romantic feelings?" Shuri asked finally.

"That, I can not answer. Only mother could tell you that, Shuri." With that, T'Challa stood up, knowing that he needed to go and continue his duties as King.

He left the princess with one last statement.

"Mother will be fine, Shuri. She just needs time and our support."

Shuri nodded in understanding.

Watching her brother enter the elevator to exit the lab, she rose from her position, resuming her monitoring of your heart rate.

There was nobody else in there, as she had dismissed all work for the day when your body had arrived, so it was completely silent besides the ambient sounds that the working machines released. The atmosphere resembled that of when she was working through the night and someone would have to come in there to tell her that it was far past an appropriate hour, and she needed to go to her headquarters to sleep.

"Griot, where is my mother?" Shuri asked the AI.

"Queen Ramonda is located in the 1st intensive care ward in the infirmary with Y/n, Princess." The voice replied.

Shuri nodded, having figured that her mother wouldn't have moved much since she had left.

Deciding to listen to her brother and offer her struggling mother some support, she kept the screen monitoring your status up, but moved on to leave the lab as well, to go and offer a helping hand.

Ramonda looked at you as you slept, your hands still interlaced. Your tears had gradually stopped an hour ago, and you'd been asleep for almost that long.

She analysed your sleeping state. She could tell by the scrunch in your face that the pain was returning, and she knew that you'd be back to your burning state soon, so she decided that it was time for her to quickly leave and retrieve some of your and her necessities, because it was going to be a long couple of nights.

Just as she was opening the door to leave, seeing that the guards had listened and not stayed stationed outside of the room, she saw Shuri approaching with a large tray in her hands.

Shuri looked up, surprised that her mother had even opened the door, yet alone went out of the room.

"Mother!" She said, "I was just coming to offer you some food. Ma’s vitals seemed strong in the lab so I assumed that you would be relaxed enough to eat something by now."

Ramonda looked lovingly at her daughter, looking down at the tray once again.

"I didn't cook it, Mother." Shuri finally let out, causing Ramonda to laugh at her daughter's self-deprecating statement.

"Thank Bast for that." Ramonda joked, receiving a dramatic gasp in return accompanied with a relieved smile.

"I was just going to retrieve a few things from my chambers for the night." Ramonda explained, reluctant to say much more.

"I can do that, Mother." Shuri offered.

Her mother shook her head, "No need for that, my child. I was also going to pass by Y/n's headquarters to retrieve a few of her things upon my return"

"I can do that too, Mother. Just tell me what you need." Shuri offered once more. Seeing the look on Ramonda's face, she offered her own expression of reassurance.

"Mother… I am here to help, nothing more. I understand your reaction from earlier. I might have been the same way had I had the history that you and Aunt Y/n have. Go be with her. I'll get everything."

Ramonda nodded, finally listing all of the things she was going to retrieve, also making sure to clarify where everything was located.

"Shuri." Ramonda said, with the tray now in her hands, her body headed in the direction of your room again.

"Yes mother."

"Thank you… and… I'm sorry for taking my emotions out on you, earlier. That was not right."

Shuri smiled an accepting smile and went on her way, Ramonda doing the same.

As she entered your room, you were shifting more than before, which gave her a bit more peace of mind, knowing that this too would pass.

She just hoped that when it did, you wouldn't take back the words that you had said. And if you didn't, she hoped that you also meant to say them in the way that she interpreted them.

Her feelings were as mixed as the first day she had just spent with T'Chaka before they started courting. Only this time around, she knew a lot more about what she really wanted.

Three weeks later

A knock came at your door and you already knew who it was.

"Come in."

Ramonda walked in, wearing her much more casual attire. She hadn't worn anything formal since the event that had taken place all those weeks ago.

She gave you a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, another thing that you hated about being hurt.

Seeing her for the past fortnight had been extremely tough on you. She was trying so hard to be strong for you but you had caught her crying while she thought you were asleep multiple times.

Your conversations held very little depth to them, both of you never mentioning the words that you had so foolishly yelled out but rather just talking about your recovery.

Your injuries were healing well, which you were grateful for. You just had to move a lot slower than you were used to, and you barely left your headquarters without assistance, Ramonda having reprimanded you when she caught you trying to go to the kitchen by yourself during the first week.

The only real difference between Ramonda on that day and Ramonda now was that she allowed other people to see you. More specifically Shuri and the people that you felt were important to you.

Your heart was still at high risk, so she was wary of too many people overwhelming you and you possibly having more complications, but regardless, things were getting better.

Ramonda looked at you sitting up in your bed, choosing to sit on the edge of the bed on your left side. The silence was deafening. You could see that she had so much to say, but she wasn't saying anything.

"My Queen," you took her hand and placed it between both of yours. You hadn't used that term in 3 weeks, so her face relaxed at your attempt at reassurance.

"My warrior…" She started, smiling a more genuine smile now. You reciprocated. "I wanted to talk with you. About a very important matter."

"I didn't go out last night. Whoever you saw was someone completely different." You defended your actions from the previous night, assuming that that was the thing she was confronting you about.

She laughed. "No, that's not what I'm here to talk about. Although your defence is terrible, and we'll probably talk about that later."

"Y/n." She cleared her throat, needing you to hear her as clearly as possible.

"You said something 3 weeks ago, when we were alone." She ended up saying. You shut your eyes in defeat. You'd hoped that what you said could be ignored forever.

"Ramonda, I'm sorry. I crossed a line with all of what I said. I was just so high on adrenaline and things that were never supposed to come out, ended up coming out."

"So it was true."

You kept quiet at that, too embarrassed to admit that it was the truest thing about you.

"How long?" Is all she asked next. You understood exactly what she was asking.

"A tremendously long time."

"So, for years."

You shook your head. "More like for decades." Detaching your hand from hers, you pushed yourself out of the bed.

Going to the corner to put on some half decent clothing, not wanting to go out in your pyjamas.

Ramonda watched you as she pondered over the decades that you had just described.

Putting on your top, you slowly turned to leave the room, the tension building more than it ever had.

"Y/n wait!" Ramonda called out when she finally realised what you were doing.

It was too late though. You were out of the door, heading to the gardens outside.

You weren't very fast, so she easily caught up to you, making you feel even more embarrassed.

You turned a corner, and she continued to follow you. Up until you entered the garden and needed to sit down. On the bench.

"Ramonda, please just leave me to be alone."

"No, Y/n. I nearly lost you not even a few weeks ago, and then you sprung a confession out of nowhere that has led me to question many things. I won't leave you alone."

"Why do you even care so much? I apologised and explained that it was all adrenaline."

She got caught in her own words again, not knowing what to say to that. She sat down next to you, looking down.

"I care because the truth is that I love you too, Y/n." Ramonda whispered. You looked at her in shock. "I'm not sure for how long, or if it's been buried deep down for years since our young adulthood. It's all just so complicated."

"Ramonda." You interrupted her. "You loved T'Chaka. You can't deny that he was the love of your life. It's okay to admit that you don't have feelings for me. I'm not a fragile child anymore" you lied to her. Sure you weren't a child anymore, but you were just as fragile if not more. You knew that her rejection would break you but it was time. Over 40 years of waiting was weighing in on you.

"He might have been the love of my life, but he has never been my soulmate." She declared.

You let off a breath of disbelief.

She said, "You have always been the real soul that I was tethered to, Y/n."

"You're just saying that."

She took your chin in her hand, forcing you to look directly at her. "What will it take for you to see that I'm not lying. I love you with everything in me, Y/n."

Tears welled up in both of your eyes. It was like deja vu, crying together again.

Your heart was beating fast now, your body not knowing how to respond.

Ramonda hesitated, but brought her face close to yours, bringing her lips to brush yours softly, allowing you to rip away if you wanted to.

You didn't.

Instead, you let her kiss you. Her lips were soft, and she was trying to be delicate with you.

All of your emotion went into the kiss, the decades of longing for that very moment not being forgotten.

Ramonda came closer, bringing you in for an embrace as she let her lips depart from yours.

You reluctantly split, and laid your head on her shoulder, feeling like a school child. Tears slipped down, falling on Ramonda's back as she hugged you tighter.

"I have waited my whole life for this moment. But still. I'm scared, Ramonda." You were honest now, your fears of this all being too much coming up, while also being scared of none of it being real.

She caressed your back, coaxing you into letting the clearly pent up tears fall.

"I know, sthandwa. I'm scared too. But we're going to take this slowly. I promise."

Your journey took longer than most, and although it took such a long time and a lot of painful events to get there, you both couldn't help but think of the same thing.

'I'd do it all over again.'

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

Author's Note: And with that, a new character is unlocked for this account. I really hope that this was okay for those of you who were waiting so patiently.

I love you, all so much. I don't think you know how much I really mean it.

I'm off to sleep now. It's been a long week.

Have a good day.

#queen ramonda #queen ramonda x reader #ramonda #black panther #black panther character x reader #queen ramonda angst #black panther2

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themotherofblood · 2 years

Text

Legendary Lovers

Tywin Lannister x Reader

Tears of gold AU

A/N: I am a desi writer, so I was really excited to use some elements of my culture. My culture has a rich war ritual and wanted to include a scene of jauhar. I will still make it as suicide even though it is something much more than that’s

TW: birth, blood, murder. Mentions of suicide.

The news of Stannis Baratheon approaching King’s Landing spread out pretty quickly. More women were seen at the godswood praying for their husbands and intendeds, their sons and brothers, their fathers and wardens. While the men were away sharpening their swords, acing their aims, preparing their horses.

Lady Y/N Lannister spent most her time in her gardens. Looking out to the shore that would either bring forth a victory, or would end her life. Her hands occupied with the golden and red silks of her house, sewing a banner together for her husband. It was tradition derived from her culture, the lady of the house would sew a banner for the men at war, the banner that held the prayers of the families under the sigil. She remembered her mother sewing one during the days of rebellion. She also remembers her mother ordering for a giant pyre to be built. Should the city fall, the women of the house would not be taken but instead die with their honour in the fire.

When you were married, with you came twenty women from your city. Women that very much followed the traditions of your home, who had reached out to you about the pyres as the news of war spread. You however needed permission from your husband, you knew he wouldn’t take this well but as a woman. This was owed, he vowed to protect your honour and this is how he would do it even in his death. This is how he would protect his children. What you were asking of him becoming even more imperative, since the tales of what was done to Ellia Martel were all too familiar.

A fortnight ago, Lord Varys had crept up to your garden. Nearly scaring the life out of you as he called out your name. He presented you with a message, an unopened, sealed message which made you look up to him in confusion. All correspondences go through your husband, Vary’s simply said nothing and urged you to read. The letter came from Dorne, from your uncle’s lover; Ellaria Sand.

“The Sand Snakes await you by east shore in a fortnight, no more Dornish blood on pale hands.”

You read it over again, there was a chance that you could leave, but you weren’t a hostage. You were the wife of Tywin Lannister and you were going to die on the same ground as him, should he fall. You crumpled the parchment and handed it back to Varys. It was answer enough, you were staying in King’s Landing.

You’d sat at the dine, awaiting your husband. You’d requested to eat alone today. Just the two of you,and the King for goodness allowed it. Though if Tywin wanted to eat alone there was so stopping him. You sat out of breath after journeying back to your chamber, pressing a cool glass of water to your sweaty neck.

“You do realize the Maesters do not tell you to not walk around for entertainment.” Your husband’s voice called out from behind you. His hand leaning down to your bump and pressing a kiss to your temple before sitting down on his seat. Servants poured in to set up your table, as each item was placed you tried not to look displeased as most food this days made you sick. Tywin pushed forward the fruit bowl to you, the cool texture of melons were the only thing you could eat.

Tywin didn’t want to say it but he was terrified for you and his children. You could birth in two fortnights or three, and now he didn’t even know if the Lannisters would survive one. He watched as you bit into the watermelon, a small hum leaving you as you savoured the red fruit. “How is the banner coming along?” He asked. His wife told him of this tradition, and he would do everything possible to bring that banner back to his wife after the war.

“Nearly done, husband.” You said sipping out of your water cup. “Just a few more stitches.” You took a deep breath, not sure of how to wage the conversation you wanted to have with him. “Husband.” You paused making him look at you

“We have another war tradition. Jahaur.” You stated looking at the fruit bowl in front of you. “Should the city fall, I need your permission… to let go.” He looked at your confused, not quite understanding what you meant. “The women, we’d rather burn in a fire then be taken by Stannis, I would not impose this on the other women but my ladies and I request the flame of you, my lord.” You looked at him sternly, a look Tywin himself mastered to often hide any emotion he felt. His brows were scrunched tightly as he took in what you had just said

You facade cracked through however, a slight gloss in you eyes as you pleaded you husband to allow your death. Tywin knew that even Stannis’s army wasn’t devoid of the treacheries that men imposed on women. He couldn’t bare the thought of those men touching you. He too thought of Ellia Martell and how her child was cut out of her. He simply gave you a tight nod as approval. You looked to you maid who stood at the corner of the room, her eyes too glossed over. You nodded at her as she scurried off to make preparations. Both of you sat in silence, opting to move to lay on the couch. His hand gently rubbing your bump as you looked out to the night sky.

Days before the siege, you’d found Cersei in the royal gardens, with her youngest Tommen. He overjoyed when he saw you. His little feet running over to you before falling into a wobbly bow. “My lady.” The boy called out

“My prince.” You smiled back and lifted the boy as best you could. “Aren’t you getting bigger.” You spoke to him as you walked to his mother. Cersei never liked you, she thought it betrayed the memory of her mother, she didn’t trust you because you weren’t a Lannister.

“Your grace.” You bowed before handing her Tommen. She gave your her practiced tight lipped smile.

“I’m surprised you haven’t run yet.” She spoke as she patted the seat next to you, to sit.

“This is my home, why would I?” Cersei scoffed at that. Watching Tommen run about the garden as she looked to your belly.

“You love him?” She said almost as if she was trying to believe it herself. She looked at you for answer but you said nothing. She sported a look you couldn’t quite decipher, it was maybe of sympathy or pity. Maybe she thought you were pathetic, willing to die for a man who would never truly be yours. You let your gaze go back to Tommen, you wondered what Stannis would do to these children. You thought of what he would do to you.

That night Tywin found you in bed, wide awake staring at the canopy. The sheer curtains drawn and within it your silhouette laid perfectly still, the gentle rise and fall of your chest and the movement of your hand on your belly. He’d sworn he wouldn’t share such intimacy with anyone other than Joanna. A small part of him, as wars raged on, wished that a pierce right through his heart would send him to his beloved. Though that was a fool’s wishful thinking, to even believe he would go to the same place as his first wife. With Stannis’s army about to rain down on them in a few hours, he didn’t seem to care. He looked at you laying there, and if he could let your care consume him. He’d happily die on your marital bed. He watched as you became aware of his presence, extending your arm out and wiggling your fingers at him.

“Come to bed. Husband.” Your soft voice called out to him, his feet carried him like a siren’s song towards you, already stripped into his tunic. There you laid in a sleep dress, the white shinning like stars against your skin and while in other circumstances Tywin would have you screaming his name for looking like that. There was melancholy in the air, he saw the small frown on your face, the little shake in your fingers. You were scared and so was he. The gods had blessed him with yet another chance and here he laid as within mere hours you might be taken away from him.

He shuffled in, facing you as you moved your head to look at him. His large palm found yours that rested on your bump. “My wife, promise me” He huffs against your shoulder. “No matter what happens tomorrow, you will wait till the very end.” He didn’t need to elaborate what he meant. He wanted you to wait until Stannis was at the Red Keep to enter the pyre. A tear felt past your eye, as you looked upward to the ceiling again.

“I promise.” You smiled sadly at him. A small purr erupted a Lion jumped on the bed to lay in between the little space between you and you husband. Hearing him purr made your frown grow and bottom lip quiver, you closed your eyes to compose yourself. “Do you think they will hurt him?” You voice broke halfway.

“This is why we don’t name things, wife.” Your husband whispered as if speaking any louder would make this room ignite. His knuckles rubbing the feline’s snout. You were crying, not inconsolable, or breaking down. It was grief, anguish just silently pouring out of you. Tywin’s heart would give out from not showing it. He too felt the way you did. “Sleep, my wife.” You felt his touch lull you to sleep. In that limbo between coniousness and sleep, you could swear you heard the faintest humming from him. You couldn’t quite decipher the song but he was humming for sure.

The next morning was chaos, the court in shambles as women sewed gold in the hems of their dresses, more women showed up at the pyre. Arrows being accounted for, soldiers being head counted. Common folk being urged into the insides of the abandoned dragon pit, which now held food, clothing and milk for children. You and your husband on the other hand were wrapped in each other’s arms. Both unwilling to let go, your back to his as his arms engulfed you back into the sheets. Waiting and dreading for the knocks of your servants which rest assured came.

next chapter

#tywin lannister x reader #tywin lannister #desiblr #house lannister #tywin lannister smut #game of thrones #got x reader #ruiewrites #got #game of thrones fanfiction #reader insert #dorne #stannis baratheon #angst #charles dance

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scoops-aboy86 · 7 days

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♠️♥️ once again! It's Halloween time and for the past month Steve has been chauffeuring the kids around for whatever they wanted (all with attitude of course) and he can't help the annoyance he feels dealing with them, especially Mike. Sometimes he and Eddie get together and talk about what little shits they are, and Halloween night the two get the idea to get a little revenge. All in good fun of course. They all gather at Steve's house and the two make the plan to get the kids (teens now wow) to leave their candy with him while Eddie distracts them and to basically fool them by making them think he ate it all. Of course he has backup candy bags (the good stuff; full size candy bars), but now he has to figure out where to dump their actual candy. He can't hide it because that's too obvious and he technically has to pretend to have eaten it all so Steve concludes to actually just eat it (a horrible idea really, but this was a last minute prank and the joint he smoked an hour ago doesn't help either).

With Eddie and the kids gone he gets started: flicks on a scary movie and settles into the couch, all six candy bags nestled by his side. Chocolates and gummies, licorice and skittles, little bags of treats slowly popped into his mouth. One after the other, Steve methodically unwrapping, chewing, and swallowing. After awhile the taste gets a little old so he cracks open a coke. He's halfway through the third bag when his stomach cramps, gurgling loudly from all the sugar and fizz. He shimmies a bit before unbuttoning his pants and continuing with the plan, telling himself it's all for the sake of revenge.

And again, he keeps going, lost in his own gluttony as he tries to pick up the pace before they get back. He's finally down to the last bag when he hears the van pull into the drive way and he bolts up, bloated gut groaning and sloshing. With clumsy hands he grabs the bags and bolts up to his room, locking the door, hiding the evidence and determined to finish the sixth bag. He can hear them in the living room and he's barely chewing as he shoves the candy down his throat, chugging coke to wash it all down.

With one last gulp, he's done it! But with it gone, and his gut too loud to ignore, he catches sight of himself in the mirror and he's positively potbellied. Unbuttoned jeans tight where his gut lays, his polo shirt having ridden up from where it once covered his deep set belly button, lips smeared with chocolate. He couldn't suck in if he tried 🙊 happy halloween!

Oh my god this is so funny, and my first thought is MIKE what did you DO? But it would have to be all of them, for him to target all their candy bags. (Not Erica’s, though. She’d legit slash his tires, and Eddie’s too for aiding and abetting.) But nothing genuinely hurtful, six parts because I like fluff and half a dozen because that would make this a pretty lame revenge.

Oh! Oh I know… Added some cool (read: kinda nerdy) homemade Halloween costumes, because Eddie can sew and Steve’s is pretty easy, so it’s a little different from what you laid out. 5608 words! Thank you for the prompt, pal, this was a fun one.

🔞

Always one thing after another with these goddamn kids, Steve swears. Sure, it’s not uncovering deadly monsters and government plots anymore… but they’re teenagers now, so it’s still always something.

Today it’s wax fruit, a fake Oreo, and a plastic pickle snuck into his sandwich (that he had made, how the fuck…?) that looks like Mike must’ve stolen from one of Holly’s old play sets.

And now, to top it all off, Dustin pretended to hurl and got him with fake vomit.

It’s a rough April Fool’s day.

But like, at least they aren’t actively making fun of him for the weight he’s gained since the Upside Down ordeals had ended for good. Everyone laughs just as hard when Mike gets Will with a wax apple, and that kid is still a string bean.

“Mike needs to branch out from pranking people he has a crush on,” Eddie mutters darkly later that night, when it’s just the big kids having some good old-fashioned off duty babysitters time around the pool.

Steve, confused, is about to ask what he means from behind his (fake pickle free) sandwich, but Robin coughs on a mouthful of beer so instead he has to pound on her back until some of it comes out her nose.

“Jesus Steve, did you have to thump so hard?!”

“I thought you were choking!!”

Robin sticks out her tongue and pushes him into the pool, and in his flailing attempts to avoid his fate Steve manages to snag Eddie and drag him in with him.

Then Nancy sputters “Steve, again?” while laughing so hard that she can barely breathe. It reminds Steve of how he’d dragged her into the pool on purpose the first night they’d—

Steve’s cheeks flame immediately. He’s only actually told Robin how he feels (thinks he feels? is starting to feel?) about Eddie, but Nancy is smart and she knows him, he’s not shocked that she’s noticed. So he has to splash both her and Robin, obviously, before they give away anything.

Unfortunately, Eddie takes the opportunity to latch onto him like a barnacle and pull him over, so Steve misses and douses Argyle instead, and—

—Steve still remembers, come October. He wants to get them back, but to do that successfully he’s going to need backup. Tough, with both Robin and Nancy off at college and Jon and Argyle back in California, but not impossible.

He swallows down his nerves and asks Eddie. No big deal, they hang out together practically every day these days. Practically best friends. Except… Steve hasn’t exactly told him the reason he doesn’t take girls out on dates anymore.

“A revenge prank, you say,” Eddie murmurs, hands in front of his mouth and fingertips drumming together in intrigue. He’s sprawled in one of Steve’s kitchen chairs with one leg over a wooden arm like no one ever taught him how to sit like a human. It should be ungodly uncomfortable, but the dude looks perfectly at ease. Weirdo, Steve thinks affectionately. “I like it. Do you have anything in mind, or are we brainstorming?”

“Brainstorming,” Steve confirms, and they relocate to the living room and get to smoking about it over bowls of the spaghetti bolognese he just finished making.

Eddie’s condition for helping is that they plan matching Halloween costumes, and since they both know the boys are pulling their old props out of closets and attics to suit up as the Ghostbusters again, it’s not difficult to decide on a theme.

“No no no, we can’t be the Gatekeeper and the Keymaster,” Steve protests with a laugh, waving his hand through the smoke in the air. Since he’s currently holding the joint, the motion paints all new swirling shapes before them.

“Why not?” Eddie squawks, and steals the joint back before it can ash anywhere unfortunate.

“Because you have the hair to play Sigourney Weaver, but I could never pass for Rick Moranis. It totally wouldn’t work, man.”

“Dude, work with me here! What else are we going to be, Gozer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man?”

“I…” Steve pauses. He’s seen Ghostbusters, and remembers the Gozer the Gozarian costume from the end of the movie. Can he turn down an opportunity to see Eddie in a nude body stocking and heels? “… Yeah, okay.”

Apparently not. Can he survive it? Remains to be seen, but he’ll find out eventually.

“Wait, really?” A disbelieving grin spreads across Eddie’s face, making both dimples pop. “You’d put on the little hat, sailor’s collar, and neckerchief for me, Stevie?”

And it’s not that Steve didn’t register the other half of the deal, but he doesn’t really mind. High as he is at the moment, his hand drifts to the belly he’s put on since high school—the munchies keep hitting him in waves and he’s already finished most of the would-be leftovers from the pot in the kitchen, so he’s a little bloated right now. He giggles and gives himself a pat. “I mean, why not? I’m in shape for it, aren’t I?”

The pat knocks loose a burp that sneaks up and out of his mouth as soon as he’s finished talking, but Eddie laughs so brightly that Steve forgets to be embarrassed.

“I’ve got it,” Eddie gasps once he’s pulled himself together again. “Steve. Steve, you could be the one hundred foot marshmallow man summoned to destroy… their Halloween candy.”

“Destroy it?”

“Yes! It’ll be your revenge for all that fake food! I can be a distraction, while you confiscate all their hard-earned, tooth-rotting treats. They come back—oh no, they’ll weep!”

“Weep?” Steve snorts. Eddie rolls his eyes.

“They’ll weep, Who stole our candy? Who could have done such a thing? With much gnashing of teeth. And you make your appearance, maybe smear some chocolate sauce around your mouth to really sell it, and say, That’s what you get for all that wax fruit.”

“I guess I could do that,” Steve says slowly. When Eddie offers him the joint again he accepts, taking a hit absently as he mulls it over. “Kinda mean though, stealing their candy. Waking all over the place to get that stuff is a lot of work.”

Eddie shrugs. “Get ‘em candy from the store. The full-size bars and shit. Then once they’ve learned their lesson, they can have that; everything’ll be fine and you get your own trick-and-treat stash. Oh—” he flails with excitement at another idea, and Steve can’t help the way it stirs butterflies in his already full stomach to see all that enthusiasm on his behalf—“but before you do, if Dustin gives you shit, you gotta say something like, What, are you so sad you could puke, Dusty-buns? That’ll show him.”

It makes Steve laugh, a warm feeling growing in his chest to know that they’re good enough friends for Eddie to come up with zany schemes on his behalf. He already knows he’ll go through with it, if Eddie is serious.

Several weeks later it’s Halloween, and the plan is set. Everyone (minus Erica, who’s trick-or-treating with friends her own age instead) is coming over after making their rounds through the neighborhoods, and Eddie will take them all to the haunted corn maze at one of the local farms. Steve, meanwhile, will hide their candy and pretend to have eaten it by the time they return.

It’s a great plan. Eddie comes over around sundown to do some pre-celebrating in the form of hotboxing Steve’s bedroom before all the kids in Hawkins start ringing the doorbell at any house with a front light on.

And Steve feels like he’s been hit between the eyes with a brick when he opens the door to Eddie’s knocking, because wow.

That is Eddie. With his hair up. Wearing a nude bodysuit covered in plastic baubles and white feathers. When he blinks, his eyelids are dark red with eyeshadow, just like Gozer’s eyes in the damn movie. And all Steve did was fish out a few elements of his old Scoops uniform—not the one he’d been interrogated by Russians in, he and Robin had burned both of those outfits after Starcourt—and put them on over a white sweater and white pants.

Eddie leaps across the threshold, strutting around in… oh god, he is wearing heels. Steve has to look up slightly to meet his gaze, and it makes him want to lean in even more than he usually always lowkey does.

“Gozer the Gozerian,” Eddie howls, baring his teeth in a feral grin as he continues to announce, “Gozer the Destructor, Volguus Zildrohar, the Traveller has come!” He jabs a finger towards Steve demandingly. “Choose, and perish!”

Somehow, Steve manages to keep his composure—maybe from all the practice he’s had. He puts his hands on his hips and raises his eyebrows. “I thought I’m the one destroying stuff tonight. Isn’t that the Marshmallow Man’s whole job?”

“Aw, Stevie,” Eddie starts, looking him up and down and… getting distracted for some reason.

Steve glances down at himself, worried that maybe he’s gotten something about his sweater, but no. And he can’t see anything on his pants either, unless it’s just under where his belly pooches out over the top of his pants and makes it hard to see—he’s made his peace with that, but it makes him nervous now. “So, uh, are we gonna smoke or what, man? Do you even have pockets in that, um… outfit?”

Whatever it was that had snagged Eddie’s attention, he shakes himself out of it to shoot Steve an exaggeratedly put-upon pout. “Sir Stay Puft, you dare question a god? Of course I have pockets.” He reaches towards where the over-layer of fluffy decoration is thickest winding up his torso—the left side, where Steve knows his scars are also the most prominent, even after a year and a half. Turns out there’s a cleverly hidden zipper pouch beneath it, and Eddie produces two roll-ups and a zippo with a cheeky grin.

So they’re definitely both decently stoned by the time the kids come by. The four original Party members are in their Ghostbuster suits, as expected: Will as Winston, Dustin as Egon, Lucas as Ray, and Mike as Venkman. El has her short but growing out hair curled and a guitar case slung across her back (presumably because no one had seen fit to let the kids borrow a cello, which was for the best). Max, in her wheelchair, is green from head to waist and styled to look like Slimer on top of the hotel maid cart from the movie.

“Oh shit,” she crows when she registers Steve and Eddie’s costumes. “Okay, you nerds are definitely outnumbered in terms of ghost power now. Looks like I chose the right side.”

The three of them exchange high fives, before Steve insists on getting pictures. “You know your mom will love it,” he says pointedly to Dustin. “And since she cooks me dinner more often than any of you—”

“I cook for you sometimes,” Eddie pipes up. Which is true. But mentioning Mrs. Henderson’s cooking has already reminded Steve’s high brain that he hasn’t eaten much since Eddie arrived, not wanting to get spills or crumbs on his glaringly white outfit, so Steve just waves him off, distracted. He feels his stomach give a quiet little grumble.

“Yeah yeah, I know you do. I’m talking to the twerps.”

“We’re not—”

“Anyway,” Steve says loudly over Mike, clapping both hands together, “come on people, pictures! Everybody! Let’s go!”

They manage to get a few shots of the entire group using the timer feature on Steve’s parents’ fancy camera (that they’ve never used). He has no idea if any of them will be any good from the way he can hear Eddie muttering encouragement for everyone to strike weird poses right before the flash goes off, but at least they’ll be funny. Poses are much more encouraged for the rest of the photos, featuring the Ghostbusters battling their different ghostly opponents. El seems a little annoyed that she doesn’t have anything in particular to do, and thankfully no one suggests that she try to act out Dana possessed by Zuul—that’d be a little too close to home.

So the last couple shots are of El fending off all three ghosts with her ‘cello’ case, delightedly shouting “Get away from her, you bitch,” no matter how many times the boys try to explain that yes that was Sigourney Weaver, but in a different movie.

And then—

“Okay,” Eddie says loudly, clapping his hands and winking unsubtly at Steve, “who’s up for the haunted corn maze? Gozer is granting you lame little mortals a ride too and from, otherwise my associate Mr. Stay Puft here will be free to step on you with impunity—”

Ten chaotic minutes later, Steve is alone in a house full of candy and an empty stomach. He rubs absently at it while dumping all the kids’ candy bags out on the kitchen island counter. As he goes, he makes backup bags to send them home with—plain brown paper, the same ones he always used to take his lunches to school in—and matches every fun-sized bar he dumps out with a full-sized bar he drops in.

If he hesitates on a few of his favorite kinds of candy, no one has to know. Mostly, though, his thoughts are a mix of Claudia Henderson’s lasagna and wishing he were at the haunted corn maze with Eddie. He’s taken dates to the haunted maze before, it’s not that hard to find a dark corner where no one would realize it’s a guy he’s trying to woo, especially with the form-fitting Gozer costume thrown into the mix… But, well, they’ve spent a decent amount of extra time together while plotting this—read: getting high and congratulating each other on being so devious and smart—and that will have to do for now.

When alternate bags are all done, he grabs a Coke from the fridge and slurps at it while sorting the remaining candy into different bowls: one for just chocolate, one for nuts, one for nuggat, one for toffee, one for sour, and one for the rest. And then… he takes them all out to the living room couch, along with a new six-pack of Cokes. Fully aware of what he’s doing, but still floaty enough from the weed that he’s not really sure when he made the decision.

The plan was to stash the stolen candy and share it with Eddie later, but he’s hungry. Probably won’t finish it all, anyway. There will still be some—and even if there’s not, he can always buy more. Doesn’t care right now, he’s hungry. He hasn’t eaten since, like… lunch.

And, fine, yes, his weight has really gotten away from him, especially lately. He’s spent all summer whenever he wasn’t working lounging by the pool in his backyard, working on his annual tan while completely unbothered by danger beyond forgetting to apply enough sunscreen. Relaxing. Snacking. Drinking, sometimes beer but most commonly pop. He gets to do this now, he’s earned it, and he’s really enjoying himself.

Steve settles himself amongst the candy bowls with a VHS in the player and a hand on his belly. It’s so soft and squishy, he usually ends up touching it one way or another these days; now, he feels all over the way it spills into his lap a little, kneading at it like a stress ball. With his other hand, he reaches for a Snickers bar and melts into the couch as it hits his tongue.

Most of the trick-or-treat candy is small for each one to fit in his mouth in one go, and anything larger is a challenge that he meets with happy enthusiasm.

After that initial bite, he starts with his least favorites, wolfing them down to get it over with and washing each mouthful down quickly with a Coke chaser. When he gets to the stuff he likes okay he lets himself slow down, still going at a steady pace but allowing himself to really taste and only popping a new Coke can as a palate cleanser when his mouth feels thick with chocolate and other layers of sweetness.

He’s no longer hungry at this point, but he’s not full, either. Maybe a little pinched though, so he sucks his fingers clean, shifts around a bit and leans until he can get at his waistband, and unbuttons his pants with a sigh. Stroking the red lines of his tummy as he reaches for a Three Musketeers, barely aware that it juts out a little more every time he frees it from his jeans these days.

This is where he pauses to revive the tail end of the second joint he and Eddie had started just before the kids came over, sinking into the high and further into the couch with a pumpkin-shaped bowl balanced on his soft chest. He pours the little packets of M&Ms and Skittles into his mouth at the same time, just to see how it tastes, and it’s weird but he doesn’t hate it. Does that with the rest of them to try and decide if he likes the combo, and whines a little (he’ll never admit it) when they run out before he can reach a conclusion. The pumpkin-shaped bowl is empty.

As Steve gets to his favorite candies (these in a regular white bowl, it matches his outfit) he picks up speed again. Somehow the movie is almost over, he’s hardly even watched it, and there’s only so much time left before Eddie’s van rumbles up into his driveaway again. He’s unwrapping the next two candies while still chewing, barely taking breaths between bites, trying to hurry and relishing every second of his impromptu and very unhealthy feast.

He’s so enraptured with the unending parade of sweetness on his tongue, the constant chewing and swallowing and chewing and swallowing, that he almost misses the telltale sounds outside. (The movie is over, nothing of interest showing on the TV screen, when did that happen?) Frantic, he sweeps as many wrappers as he can out of his lap before going to stand up. It takes him a few tries, he’s so sunken into his spot, and when he finally manages it, red-faced and puffing and buzzing with adrenaline and sugar rush and the remaining high, he has to put a hand under his full, heavy belly in order to move around comfortably. Not quite cramping, not quite stuffed, just… a really satisfying stretch.

But guess who doesn’t have time to enjoy it! God, he fucking hates being rushed these days.

Eddie has a key. They’ll let themselves in, so all Steve has to do is get to his bedroom with the last of his stolen haul and two remaining Cokes from the six-pack. He gets there, barely, before he hears the front door swing open, hustling so fast up the stairs that the motion keeps jostling burps from between his chocolate-smeared lips. And then he’s in, sagging back against the closed door. Candy bowl clutched up by his chest and pops set on the floor nearby to get one open and bring it to his thirsty mouth.

Okay, so maybe his exercise regimen has gotten a little bit lax lately. Maybe all he usually does is walk between his bedroom, the living room, the kitchen, and his car. Maybe he still sweats just as much despite getting around a lot less, because it costs him more effort than it used to…

No time to think about that, Steve tells himself dazedly. He needs to finish. The last of the candy is already unwrapped; he pushes the empty wrappers aside and grabs a handful, undiscriminating as he crams it in his mouth. One mouthful, then a second with hardly time to swallow, breathing hard through his nose. The treats act as a natural gag for his whimpers, fullness finally catching up to him, squirming on his padded ass with a muffled groan as the sensation sends a bolt of lighting straight south. Another handful, that’s basically the last of it, and he washes it down by chugging desperately at his Coke. Finishes it, claps a hand over his mouth to contain an inevitable belch—luckily, it’s covered by the start of indignant shouting from the living room.

And he knows the scene he’s left. Trick-or-treat bags scattered haphazardly around the kitchen, empty. The living room couch littered with empty bowls and empty wrappers. Destruction at the hands (and mouth) of Mr. Stay Puft.

His jaw hurts, but there’s only a little bit left. Just a little more, and he finds that he wants it. Wants to finish the challenge… No, the prank, this is… to get the kids back… He feels so hazy between the pot and his overfull state, tipping the very last of the candy into his mouth and chewing with his mouth open, head tipped back against the door, exhausted. And then dutifully reaches for the last can of Coke, opens it, and pours that down his throat too. Breaks away from the lip of the can with a weak cry and another series of burps, even starting to hiccup which makes him whimper and clutch at himself, overheated and churning gut too loud to ignore and too tight in his skin, or maybe in his clothes, or both, he just—

“Steve?” Eddie calls through the door, sounding a little uncertain. “Karen just picked up half the kids and Joyce got the other half, I gave them all the replacement candy already. Are you… You good in there?”

“Eds,” he pants, groans, hiccups. “Je—hic—Jesus, I’m so.” He carefully lays both hands on either side of his distended belly in an attempt to soothe it. “I, I did it, I ate—urrrrrrp, fuck—ate all of it. Did it, Eddie. I’m so… Feel like I’m gonna explode…”

And he does, an overheated tingly sort of feeling washing through him in waves, his heartbeat pounding in his stomach and his ears and his dick. Not the first time it’s happened, the way he eats, but he’s gone all out tonight and the sensation of being ready to pop has seeped from his stomach to also encompass his hard-on. Part of him wants to keep going, but he doesn’t have anything else, couldn’t possibly fit any more down his throat, but he wants to do something. Needs it. Needs…

“Eddie,” he groans, “he—hic—elp me.”

He can feel Eddie trying the door, but with Steve’s weight leaning against it there’s no way it’ll open. “Uh, I’m trying, I can’t…”

Laboriously, Steve kind of… rolls himself to one side, enough to haul himself onto his knees. He has to pause there, and again when he drops down onto his hands, and again after he crawls forward the barest few inches. Eddie tries the door again and it swings right into the meat of Steve’s ass, slapping against the tight denim and making Steve cry out, making him wobble and sway with a fresh wave of arousal that he absolutely didn’t expect but can’t help reveling in. He wants to drop down right there, he’s so tired and achingly horny, but knows instinctively that he can’t land on his belly like that. So he soldiers through, digging deep just to finish crawling to one side and slump against the plaid wallpaper instead.

He breathes shallowly and waits for Eddie to come help him.

The first look Eddie gets of Steve makes his eyes damn near pop out of his skull. Steve looks positively pot-bellied, spilling over his unbuttoned, unzipped pants like that, his belly button half uncovered and deep. Couldn’t suck in if he tried. He has chocolate and traces of candy-coating color all over his face and smeared on his sweater from all the times he’d thought he’d sucked his fingers clean but not quite, rubbing whatever was still on them into the fluffy knit. Messy, telling smudges at the bottom hem where he’d absently tried to pull the shirt down throughout his binge. It didn’t work; there’s a chocolate-smudged lip of far more than a mere muffin top bulging out the bottom, resting on his thighs. Jesus H. Christ, it almost looks like he’s doubled in size since Eddie last saw him a few hours ago, was there really that much candy in the kids’ bags?!

Eddie’s shoe knocks against an empty can as he enters the room, sending it spinning, and he supposes that’s his answer. It must be the combined efforts of candy and carbonated syrup water that have Steve so bloated, fizzing away in there.

When he’d first walked in a few hours ago and seen Steve in costume, his breath had caught in his throat mid sentence. Super embarrassing, but what was he supposed to do? One minute they’d been talking about costumes, so stoned and loose-tongued that Eddie had suggested they be the goddamned Gatekeeper and Keymaster—characters that had canonically fucked, just left of onscreen! Next, it was weeks later (and he hadn’t actually blacked out all the time in between, it just felt that way for a second) and his current best friend and longtime crush opened the door in a tight sweater and pants that looked painted on, wearing a jaunty little hat atop his magnificent head of hair. The words well hello there sailor had lined up on his tongue like pirates ready to walk the plank. He’d had to think very hard about how many times he’d accidentally stabbed himself with a needle while sewing the ‘ghostly’ accents onto his costume, just to avoid popping a boner right there in Steve’s foyer.

There’s just so much of Steve these days. So round, and all of his clothes perpetually tight. And Eddie’s been jerking off to the thought of this happening ever since they came up with this plan, imagining how the siren call of all that candy might make Steve’s mouth water, get his stomach rumbling, make him think that it wouldn’t hurt to have just one then taking another and another and another, insatiable… He just hadn’t expected it to actually happen.

“Eddie,” Steve groans again, looking up at him with pleading, bloodshot eyes. “I’m so full, n-need your help.”

“What can I do?” He drops down into a crouch in front of him immediately. “I’m right here, Stevie. What do you need, sweetheart?”

Okay, he needs to cool it with the pet names. Luckily Steve is already pawing at himself, looking so blazed he might not have even heard. “M’too, m’too hot Eds. Gotta get this off, get… off…”

Jesus H. Christ.

So Eddie helps him out of the sailor collar and no longer pristine sweater. He tries not to stare but his eyes go wide when he realizes how much it was compressing. Steve groans in relief as it comes off and his entire upper half seems to puff out a little bit more, all covered in thick chest hair. Eddie wants to dig his fingers into it, into all of it, but he has to stay focused.

Next are the pants, which Steve whines for Eddie to do and then whines more as he’s forced to lift his heavy ass, rock back and forth as Eddie drags the unforgiving fabric down, huffing and puffing between hiccups and burps and mewls of discomfort. Eddie’s dick is about to burst off and start running laps around the room for fuck’s sake, his hands are shaking he wants to touch so badly. Soothe away the stomach ache, tell him how amazing he did, finishing all that candy. Murmur in his ear, ask if that makes the revenge so much sweeter…

To make matters worse, the jeans take Steve’s boxers with them, elastic in the waistband already stretched to the point of uselessness, and Eddie can see so much. Too much, for his composure, as Steve’s cock slaps up against the underside of his belly.

They both moan at that and Steve turns his head to look at Eddie full on with reddened eyes, tremors running through him that only give him more tantalizing friction against his hairy gut and prompt his hips to rock faster. He’s so blissed out that he doesn’t even break eye contact, just reaches blindly to grab Eddie’s hand and guides it down between his legs, rings and all, where he’s already slippery with precome and sweat and half sliding down the wall to help with holding his own belly out of the way.

“Holy shit,” Eddie breathes, captivated by the desperate heat in Steve’s gaze. He strokes, reverent but quick. “Holy shit, holy shit Stevie…”

“Eddie,” Steve moans. His eyes roll back, his entire head going with them to thunk against the wall. “L-like that, fuuuck—hic—Oh god, keep, keep doing that, more, Eds, more, I—”

Eddie dives forward and shuts him up with a desperate kiss. He already knows that Steve is going to cause him to ruin this damn Gozer costume he worked so hard on—in the hopes of impressing Steve, actually. Which he must have done, from the way Steve kisses back like he wants to devour him, like even after all that candy Eddie is the sweetest thing he’s ever tasted and never wants to be without again.

Someone has definitely been impressed, and maybe Eddie will have to revisit the possibility of a god or something when he can think again because kissing Steve is heaven. Just… absolutely worth all the pining, even if it never happens again.

Then Steve goes almost completely slack, breaking the kiss with a wail as he comes in thick, pulsing ropes over Eddie’s fist. His only movements are his legs (thick, biteable, trembling so hard to either side of Eddie’s hips they fall only to jerk up in little spasms as his toes curl) and his mouth (plush lips bitten and messy, twisting into shapes of wordless ecstasy).

And Eddie has seen Steve relax, seen him indulge… seen him eat steadily through a large spread of snacks while lounging by the pool all summer in a Speedo with a sleepy, content look on his face, but this is the first time he’s really seen him let go. Lost in pure bliss.

He’s barely thinking when he brings his come-slick hand up, thumbing through the chocolate in the corner of Steve’s mouth before sinking the digit inside. Coming himself, the instant after Steve eagerly closes around it and sucks, licks, drools all over his hand to get it all. Shuddering harder when Steve grips weakly at his wrist and continues laving over each finger one by one, slow but thorough, eyes open and dazed but tracking Eddie’s face.

Until they’re both still, other than Steve letting out the occasional drowsy hiccup. Eddie’s fingers smooth over his parted lips, receiving faint kitten licks now and then as though Steve just can’t help himself. His other hand cradles the side of Steve’s bulging fullness, gentle against the duality of soft and immovable, in awe that he gets to touch. A part of him is still reeling that this happened at all, that he gets to see Steve so sated and sleepy and bare—except for one sock that’s managed to stay on his foot.

Jesus H. Christ. Steve’s naked and they’re in his bedroom and they didn’t even make it to the bed.

“Do you, um. Want to lay down?” Eddie whispers. He can feel his face growing hot from the lameness of that question… Steve is practically on his back where he is, enough that he might not be able to see his feet.

Steve nips at his pointer finger, blinking lazily with a little groan of contentment. “Does that mean I have to move,” he mumbles, but gamely begins to sit up. Eddie, from his crouch, shifts immediately to the side to help him, supports Steve’s back as he huffs his way towards semi-upright against the wall. “Urp—mm, thanks Eds.”

“No problem.” And Eddie doesn’t know why he’s whispering like he’s in a fucking library instead of kneeling in Steve Harrington’s bedroom with jizz sticky and cooling on the inside of his fucking body suit, but he doesn’t want to break whatever spell or dream that’s allowed this to happen. Wants to hold onto Steve a little bit longer, coaxing out little groans of contentment through belly rubs.

Steve gives Eddie the sweetest smile, sleepy and sated. “Felt so good. Still feels good. Did you…” A flicker of uncertainty crosses his face. “Was it good? Was I good?”

And Eddie just can’t let that doubt linger another second. “You were perfect, sweetheart,” he replies immediately, rubbing slow, soothing stripes along Steve’s side. “Fucking amazing. Move over, Mona Lisa, there’s a new masterpiece in town and his name is Steve Harrington.”

That earns him a laugh, cut off quickly when Steve clutches at his belly with a groan. “O-overdid it. Mm… ‘S fine, ‘s just… a lot.”

“Certainly looks like it.” He leans forward and presses a kiss just north of Steve’s belly button, can’t help cradling it with both hands and rubbing soothingly. “Let’s get you up, okay? Get you in bed.”

Soon enough Eddie has him cleaned up and tucked in.

“Stay?” Steve sighs, already more than half asleep.

So Eddie shucks his costume and climbs under the covers behind him, chuckling as Steve sluggishly reaches back and tugs Eddie’s arm over himself, demanding to be snuggled.

And that’s more or less how they wake up in the morning.

“Eddie,” Steve says through a yawn, subtly rubbing his naked ass back against Eddie’s naked front. There’s a teasing note in his voice as he continues, “I’m hungry.”

Secure now in the knowledge that this is neither a dream nor some kind of trick, it’s a morning treat that Eddie just can’t resist.

Permanent tag list (ask to be added): @hotluncheddie @lawrencebshoggoth @tangerinesteve @sofadofax

#wg steddie #♠️♥️ anon #ask #chubby steve harrington #chaser eddie munson #the kids aren't pranking steve because of his weight #they're doing it because they enjoy dunking on steve in general like the hellions they are (affectionate)

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florencemtrash · 11 months

Text

The Wisp Between Worlds

CHAPTER THREE: OVER THE WALL

Acotar fanfic/rewrite. Inner Circle x OC. Eventual Azriel x OC.

Summary: Have you ever wondered what you would do (and do differently) if you found yourself trapped in the fantasy world of your dreams? For Nora, this fantasy of hers is about to play out when she finds herself portaled away to the Moral Lands south of Prythian. But all is not as it seems. Feyre Archeron is missing and the deadline to break Amarantha’s curse draws near. Who will save Prythian now?

Warnings: None for this chapter

Masterlist

*Let me know if you would like to join the taglist*

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Dinah made good money that day, haggling at the market to sell the deer meat for a higher price than it was worth. They’d even cooked a few cuts for dinner in the fire, filling the house with the heady scent of meat that lasted long after they’d finished tearing into the food with reckless abandon. After nearly a week of surviving on stale bread, tea, and water it felt like they were doing something wrong. But after leaning back in her chair, stomach full and comfortably stretching the waistband of her pants, Nora wondered if it was the guilt eating away at her instead. If she was right about this, about everything, then she’d just killed a faerie today and the High Lord of the Spring Court would be coming for her.

Nora crawled into bed, bones weary and begging for rest. But her mind would not let her forget the glint of the steel tipped ashwood arrow sticking out of the beautiful wolf’s skull. Dinah and Jaskiel whispered to one another from their shared bed across the room. During the winter months they needed to crowd into the living room by the fire to escape the cold that seeped in through the floor and walls. Sleeping on opposite ends of the room was as much privacy as any of them would get. The beds themselves were little more than sheets stuffed with hay and scraps of wool from Dinah’s mending projects and just barely kept you from freezing on the ground.

Before Nora had met them, and before Jaskiel had fallen ill, him and Dinah had lived comfortable lives in this little cottage. Jaskiel was once a small-time merchant and craftsperson, making frequent travels to the Continent to trade his wooden trinkets for spices and silks to sell to nearby villages. Dinah stayed home, tending to the house and the now dead garden of roses in the backyard. Whatever comforts Jaskiel had brought back for Dinah had long since been sold to the highest bidder. The only pieces left from that previous life were the books tucked away in the corner shelf of the living room, swollen and yellowed from the many times they’d all run their fingers through the pages, and Dinah’s wedding ring.

“It was the first thing I bought on the Continent.” Jaskiel told her, smiling at the strange girl who sat on the floor by his feet, bright eyes staring at him with curiosity. After a bath and a dinner of boiled katniss she was looking better, less like a frightened bird with its wings clipped.

“My first successful trip, and certainly not my last! And I knew the first thing I needed to do when I came home was marry Dinah.” She smiled from her seat next to him, abandoning her sewing project for a moment to rub his knee. She was thinner now than when they’d gotten married, gray hair sprouting from her temples and framing the crows feet that grew from her eyes whenever she was happy. Her hands were stronger too, more calloused and accustomed to hard work after Jaskiel had gotten sick. By pure force of will she’d carried the two of them through life since then and she vowed to continue doing so.

Perhaps it was because they’d known a kinder life that they took Nora in, patiently allowing her to learn the skill of survival.

I don’t want to leave. Nora thought tearfully, praying to whatever gods existed in this world that she wouldn’t be swept away in the night. She’d dreamed of Prythian every day, dreamed of being able to go home. Part of her still wanted that, the other part simply wanted to make peace with the life she knew now. No more change, no more being taken to new places and forced to learn everything all over again.

Her prayer was not answered.

Dinah and Jaskiel had been asleep for hours now, unaware of the doom that had slipped through the wall and was now lurking outside their home. Nora lay awake, holding a knife close to her chest and continuing to murmur her pleas and prayers.

The front door blew open, shattering into a million pieces and raining down over their heads with sharp stabs. Nora immediately jumped to her feet, throwing her blanket around her to protect from the wood that continued to strike her as the creature clawed at the ruined door frame.

Dinah was screaming. Jaskiel shouted Nora’s name as he threw his body over his wife, grabbing his cane. His lame legs cried out in protest when he tried to stand, brandishing the glorified stick as a weapon.

Nora sprained across the room, heart pounding and vision a blur as she barely dodged the next spray of wood that came crashing down.

The beast had ripped the walls and part of the ceiling into ribbons with one angry swipe of his claws.

Well that was fucking rude. Nora thought, trying to quell the shaking of her hands as she stepped in front of Jaskiel and Dinah, holding her knife out towards the beast as he finally made his way into the room.

Every step shook the ground more powerfully than an earthquake. The little moonlight spilling through the cracks in the ceiling were snuffed out by his enormous frame. Standing taller than a fully grown man was a creature with the body of a bear, head of a wolf, and horns extending so far out from his skull it was a miracle they didn’t catch on the wooden beams. Pure muscle rippled underneath fur that glowed with a golden light, illuminating the mouth of jet black teeth that were bared as he roared, “MURDERERS!”

Nora cringed, clapping a hand over her ear. Don’t drop the knife. Don’t you dare drop the knife.

“MURDERERS!” he screamed again. The foundations of the house shook with his power. Dinah’s screams died into quiet whimpers. Jaskiel crumpled to the ground, legs folding like paper beneath his rickety frame.

“WHO KILLED HIM?!”

The house remained silent. Only Dinah’s choked sobs punctured the stillness of the night. Nora tried not to faint, her mind fracturing into a million pieces as she tried to think of what to do next.

Do I tell him I killed the faerie? Do I tell him I killed Andras? Was that even the faerie’s name? But he hasn’t told me who I killed. I know who I killed. Am I supposed to know who I killed? Am I supposed to know I killed a faerie at all? What will happen to Dinah and Jaskiel?

Infuriated by the silence he lifted one arm, slamming his paw into the ground so hard that it broke through the wooden floors. Nora could feel the heat of his breath as he drew near, shoving his face right up against hers. “WHO KILLED HIM?!”

Nora refused to falter, irritation slowly beginning to overtake her fear.

His breath smells like roses. How ridiculous.

“We didn’t kill anyone!” Dinah sobbed, clutching her husband's shaking arm. The beast took one step backward and Nora let out a breath of relief. They were still alive. Dinah must have caught onto that string of hope because she began to regain her composure. Her blubbering might do nothing more than enrage the beast enough to slaughter them all.

“Please we didn’t-” Jaskiel’s feeble words were cut off by a growl. The beast’s eyes were still fixated on Nora, filled with even more fury for the fact that she remained standing - standing with a weapon brandished in her hand. The gall of the girl. He ripped it out of her hand as easily as one swatted a fly. Nora was too shocked to register the pain in her forearm as she stumbled backward, blood dripping down her hand and landing with a rhythmic thump thump thump onto the floor.

If he regretted hurting her he didn’t show it. As if to make a further point that he could kill them all in an instant, he whirled around towards the dining table. It exploded without so much as a whisper from him, taking out a chunk of the wall in the process.

His horns threw shadows against what remained, twisting and turning like a pair of skeletal hands. Jade green eyes glared out, filled with fury and some small seed of grief. “Who killed him?”

“We didn’t kill anyone.” Nora said. Her pain made her angry.

“LIAR! THE WOLF! Who killed the wolf?”

Jaskiel and Dinah shared a look. Nora hadn’t said anything about a wolf.

“I did.” The young girl didn’t flinch, although her throat tightened from the admission like someone had a hand around her neck. “I killed a wolf. This morning in the woods.”

“Hush, child.” Dinah hissed. She tore a strip of fabric from her dress and tried to stem the flow of blood from Nora’s arm.

“And did you know?” The High Lord growled out, barely concealing the threat of death in his voice, “Did you know he was faerie?”

The color drained from Nora’s face.

This is it. Two choices: lie and say you didn’t know and maybe he’ll let you live. Or… tell the truth. Tell him you knew the wolf was a faerie. Tell him you killed him out of hatred. Go to Prythian… try and get home.

The beast caught the flicker of recognition in Nora’s eyes, caught the narrowing of her inky black eyes in a look of hatred.

“You did know.” he seethed. He pulled away from her, disgust in his eyes at the feeble human girl before him. This was the girl who’d killed Andras. Some pathetic little human had slaughtered his trusted friend. “Did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy it when you slaughtered my friend.” He prowled about the room, never taking his eyes off the three of them still huddled in the corner by the cinders.

“Better him than me.” Nora held her head up, glaring at him.

“No.” Jaskiel breathed out, grabbing at her uninjured hand. “Please,” he begged the beast, “She’s my daughter. She’s young. She didn’t know any better. She was afraid.”

“Is that true?” the beast hissed, baring his fangs, “Did he attack you?”

She squared her shoulders. “No.”

“So you slaughtered him. Unprovoked. You murdered him.”

Nora barked out a laugh, “And how many humans have you murdered? How many will you continue to murder? How many homes will you break into? How many lives will you threaten?” her voice was filled with venom as she spit out the words, “I hope your friend is suffering right now in the afterlife. I wasn’t certain at the time, but now that I know he’s faerie I don’t regret it at all. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

She ignored his deep growl and dealt a final blow, “It was a quicker death than he deserved.”

With a roar he brought his claw down on the bookshelf next to him, shattering it completely. The beloved tomes tumbled onto the floor, half shredded and dusty from their fall.

If you were really going to kill me, you would’ve done it by now.

The fear of a painful death with Tamlin sinking his teeth into her throat and thrashing her around had made Nora forget one key fact: she knew this story. She knew about the curse that hung over his head - that hung over Prythian - and like it or not, he needed her.

The realization gave her power. She stood up again, ignoring Dinah’s desperate hands as she tried to force her daughter to kneel again, “What do you want?”

“What do I want? I want justice for what you did. I want you to pay.”

“We’ll pay the cost.” Dinah said frantically, “Name your price.”

Nora’s heart broke. Please don’t.

They had no money to spare. Dinah worked hard enough as it was, coming home every night with bleeding and cracked hands, and Jaskiel could do little more than beg for scraps of work. The wealthy in the village would offer them no respite, no mercy. They were too comfortable behind their iron gates and towering walls. Nora didn’t want to see Dinah beg too.

“And what is the price you’d lay on your daughter’s head?” the beast asked, stepping off the ruined shelf. Dinah stilled. “Whatever pathetic sum you offer won’t be enough. Andras was worth more than one-hundred of you.”

“Then what would be enough?” Tell us and be done with it already. “What do you want?”

“A life for a life. That’s what I want.”

“I’ll pay it.” Jaskiel said, voice even and strong. Dinah swore at him as he struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on his cane.

“What the hell are you doing, Jaskiel?” Nora hissed, turning around and stepping directly between him and Tamlin.

His kind face, weathered and leathery after decades of sea travel, softened when Nora’s face blocked the terrifying beast. She knew he liked her. He’d treated her with the love and kindness he would have shown his own daughter if he and Dinah had ever been blessed in that way. But the fact remained that Nora wasn’t theirs. She owed them a debt that could never be repaid and she wouldn’t forgive herself if anything happened to them.

“I’ll pay the price.” He said again, stepping to the side. Nora stepped with him, refusing to let Tamlin get close to Jaskiel.

“No he won’t.” Nora commanded, swinging back to Tamlin. The beast’s eyes flickered for a brief moment with something like surprise.

“As touching as the offer is,” he drawled, “I want the actual murderer.”

“Take me outside then. Don’t do it here.”

Again, that flicker of surprise, “You dare ask for such a thing?” He scoffed, eyes narrowing.

“I wasn’t asking. You already ruined half the house and left a hole in the floor, you don’t need to fill it with blood either.” Nora spit out.

He snarled, “For having the gall to ask me for such a thing, I’ll clarify something: I want your life. Prythian wants a life for the one you stole. So either you come with me across the wall to live out the rest of your days, or I take you outside and tear you to pieces as you so kindly told me to do.” His lips pulled back in a threatening smile.

“So either you kill me here and now, or some other beast over the wall kills me in a few days time. Tell me, Beast, which would be quicker?”

He cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed. There was something in the way he moved, cat-like and predatory. Doubt flickered within her. What if I’m wrong? What if he kills me?

“I have lands,” Tamlin said carefully after some consideration, “So long as you don’t leave those lands you will be safe.”

“And what about Dinah and Jaskiel?” His eyes flickered over to the pair. Dinah’s eyes were trained on him, fear and fury simmering under the surface of her now composed face.

“What about them?”

“They’ll die without me. You only asked for one life. What fairness in ‘a life for a life’ is there if my absence leads to their deaths.”

Dinah and Jaskiel both tugged harshly at the back of her sleep shirt, begging her to control her boldness.

If a wolf could frown, it would look like the annoyance that crossed Tamlin’s face. “They’ll be taken care of.”

Nora’s breath caught in her throat. Did he mean it? He must mean it. I’ll give him hell if he doesn’t help them.

“You swear it?”

Tamlin’s eyes passed through each of them in turn. Nora, the girl’s name was. He tested the name out in his mind finding it agreeable enough. And he had to admit, some small piece of him was impressed - if not annoyed - by her boldness. The couple would surely die without her, already their frames were too thin and delicate to support their aging souls.

“I swear it.” He said, and found it a very easy promise to make, “But, you must promise to never leave Prythian. The moment you step foot back in the Human Lands, the deal is off, and I can’t promise what will become of your precious little family.”

“Take the offer.” Dinah said, turning Nora around and grasping her too-thin face. Tears welled up in her amber eyes and Nora did all she could to stop the rising emotions in her chest. “Take the offer. You’re a survivor, child. You’ll make it. You’ll make something of yourself.”

Jaskiel said nothing, face falling and aging twenty years in a few mere seconds.

“When does she leave?” Dinah said with a sniffle, wiping her tears away and taking a deep, shuddering breath.

“Now.”

“Now?!” Nora wanted more time with them. She wanted one more night.

“Now.” The decision was not up for discussion.

Dinah grabbed Nora’s shoulders, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. “Don’t worry about us,” she whispered, burying her face into Nora’s dark hair, “Just worry about taking care of yourself, alright? You know how.” She kissed Nora’s cheeks, wiping her hands on her nightdress as Jaskiel took his turn.

Nora braced her legs, feeling the weight of Jaskiel in her arms as he held her close. His legs may have been weak and broken, but his arms were strong. He brushed the hair back from her face with a calloused hand, stormy gray eyes expressing all he could not say. Goodbye. You will always be a daughter to me. Until we meet again.

Dinah grabbed her thickest cloak from the back of Jaskiel’s chair and threw it over Nora’s shoulders. Somehow the most important piece of furniture had managed to survive Tamlin’s rage. Final whispers of encouragement escaped Dinah’s lips before the beast snapped at them to leave, maneuvering through the wreckage he’d created with grace and power.

Nora could do nothing but allow her hand to slip through Dinah’s and quietly trail after the beast.

He led her to a beautiful mare that had been waiting obediently for them by the treeline. Her coat was as silky and pristine as a polished pearl. Nora hesitated. She’d never ridden a horse before, but Tamlin was in no mood to wait any longer. He grabbed her roughly by the waist with one paw and dumped her unceremoniously onto the mare’s back.

Asshole. She glared at the back of his horns as he led them into the night.

When Nora looked behind her she found Dinah and Jaskiel standing together in the gaping hole of their now ruined house. She didn’t stop looking until the woods closed around her and her home disappeared from sight.

>>>

They traveled for hours through the woods, the sun slowly sliding into place over the horizon and transforming the frost-bitten forest into the world’s largest chandelier. The constant rocking of the pearl-coated horse beneath her made Nora’s stomach turn and her thighs ached from the effort of staying upright. Tamlin’s utter silence didn’t make matters any better as he traced some secret path through the woods. Over time the rhythmic crunch of snow breaking beneath the mare’s hooves began to drive Nora to insanity.

You’re supposed to be getting me to fall in love with you, you know? Fucking idiot.

The more and more Nora thought about the events from last night, the more irate she grew. He’d crashed into her house in the middle of the night in his beast form, scared them nearly to death, demanded Nora leave her home, and now wasn’t even putting in the effort to speak to her. It was deathly silent in these woods, as if even the squirrels and birds knew that royalty walked among them.

Nora huffed. Tamlin continued to walk unbothered.

“You didn’t need to break into my house like that.” She said pointedly, breaking the silence.

Tamlin’s left ear twitched. “What did you say?”

Nora rolled her eyes. With his fae senses there was no way he hadn’t heard her.

“I said you didn’t need to break into my house like that.”

He ignored her, which only fueled her desire to speak her mind out loud.

“You could have stolen me away in the night without bothering them. You could have waited until daylight when we weren’t sleeping.”

“You’re upset because my timing wasn’t convenient enough for you?”

Nora frowned. When he put it that way her words sounded quite childish. “What I’m saying is that you barged into my home with more pomp and circumstance and-and drama than you needed to.”

“You killed my friend.”

Nora stilled. She wanted to apologize for it. As much as she didn’t like Tamlin she regretted what she did. Part of the reason she hadn’t been able to fall asleep the night before was because she kept seeing the light leave Andras’s eyes. She couldn’t stop herself from hearing the pitiful whine that had escaped his throat as he finally stilled. She’d dared to touch his body to close his eyes. But as quickly as she’d laid her hands on him she’d reeled back. In the time it had taken her to gut the deer and bind it to the sled, his body had turned cold and rigid.

“You threatened to kill my family.” She said lamely.

“And yet they’re still alive, aren’t they?” “How can I trust you? How do I know you won’t just send someone else to kill them after we’re beyond the wall?” “I promised you they would be taken care of. I keep my promises. The question is whether you’ll keep yours.” His voice was gentler, more tired the further and further they got from Nora’s village. She thought his power would be tied to Prythian in some way - that he would gain strength as they neared the wall. Instead he was dragging his feet, limbs landing on the ground with heavier steps as they went along. She made note of every change in his body, storing the information away to mull over later.

“If it means they’re safe you can be sure I’ll keep true to my side of things.” She replied.

He’d been walking ahead of her the entire time, forcing the mare into a brisk pace that had Nora jolting in her seat, but after a few moments of cautious thinking he slowed down to walk beside her. Even while atop a horse, Tamlin stood taller than Nora, his horns dangling over her head like the swaying branches of a tree. She looked at them for a long while, tracing the grooves in the bone all the way down to where they connected to Tamlin’s skull. He stared at her the whole time.

“You don’t look like your parents.” Tamlin said carefully, catching her eye.

Nora snorted. With her dark hair and darker eyes and… well the rest of her, she was well aware that no piece of her looked like it came from Dinah or Jaskiel.

“They’re not my parents.”

She flung her arm out, grasping at Tamlin’s horn for support when the mare took a quick jump over a fallen log. Her thighs were burning now, holding onto the lean body beneath her like a lifeline.

“Sorry.” Nora muttered, jerking her hand back to her body and cradling it beneath the folds of her cloak. She flexed it uncomfortably.

She’d just touched the High Lord of the Spring Court.

Suppressing a shiver she instead focused her attention on the strip of fabric still wrapped expertly around her forearm, running her fingers over the material and ignoring where it dried stiff with blood. It reminded her painfully of Dinah. She would have to mend the rest of her nightgown now. Nora hoped she hadn’t stained it too badly with any blood.

“What happened to your real parents?” Again he asked the question carefully, like she was a flight risk he couldn’t afford to scare off… which she very much was.

“They’re alive… or dead… I don’t know.” A truth. “I was stolen from them too and brought here from the Continent to be sold by slavers.” A lie.

“But you escaped.” He almost sounded impressed.

“Obviously.”

And one day I’ll escape from you too.

The words hung unspoken between the two of them like a spider’s web between two branches, delicate and complex. They descended into silence once more.

“I’ll need to bind your eyes when we cross the wall.”

“What? Why?” Nora snapped her eyes to Tamlin and she forgot about the raven in the sky she’d been examining for the last twenty minutes.

“I cannot risk you seeing my lands.” His back tightened and he held his head up high.

“You said I would be safe in your lands.”

“You will be. That doesn’t mean I want you to see all of them.”

Because you don’t want me to know how to run away.

“Fine.”

A black silk sash appeared in Nora’s hands, cool as water and weightless as she obediently tied it tightly around her eyes. He must have enchanted the fabric because when she tugged at the knot she made it would not budge. She tested the blindfold but as much as she tried to pull it off it would not give. She huffed as she gave up, turning her head towards where she imagined Tamlin still was. He may be taller than a man and ten times heavier but his footsteps were imperceptible.

Blindness forced her to see with her ears, straining to identify every flutter of wings and rustle of snow falling onto the ground from a disturbed branch. She was just about to ask when they’d reach the wall when the world went still.

All the sounds of the forest she’d been analyzing died out. Magic rippled through the air, humid and all consuming as it reached out for her.

Her face paled. Suddenly she was back in the sea, screaming underwater as salt water filled her lungs and magic dragged her from her world to this one. Her reigns on the horse tightened, knuckles losing all their color.

“Take off your cloak.” Tamlin said tightly. “You won’t need it anymore.”

Nora only gripped the cloak tighter as though it would keep out the magic that threatened to consume her.

Tamlin said nothing, but he must have continued forward because despite Nora’s protests, the mare passed through the break in the wall.

They passed through like they were passing through a waterfall. Magic rushed over Nora’s body, slick and alien, but it was quickly replaced by the comfortable heat of spring. The heady scent of flowers filled her nose, clouding her mind with their fragrance. While the oppressing winter in the Mortal Lands had driven all but the scavenger birds into their homes, here they fluttered about seeking companions with whom to live out the eternal spring. The subtle morning sun blanketed Nora’s shoulders, heating her up beneath her clothes. Still she refused to give up the last piece of her home.

Tamlin let out a sigh of relief or despair - Nora couldn’t tell - as he felt his bond to Prythian grow once more. His magic would always run through his veins as intrinsically as blood - being in the Human Lands had done nothing to diminish that power - but he could not deny his connection to the magic that ran through Prythian, a magic that was beyond himself and to which he was only a borrower. These were the lands to which he would be tied until the end of his days.

“Welcome to the Spring Court, Nora.”

________________

Author’s Note: Hope you all enjoyed! Apologies it ended up a lot longer than I was expecting... whoops 😅. I have a masterlist up and am also starting a taglist so if you want to be added just let me know!

Taglist: @myheartfollower @impossibelle

#acotar #acotar rewrite #acotar fanfic #acotar fanfiction #the spring court #acotar spring court #inner circle #inner circle x oc #azriel x oc #azriel shadowsinger x oc #azriel shadowsinger #found family #writeblr #a court of thorns and roses #azriel #azriel x reader #tamlin #tamlin the tool #shadowsinger

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