#crazy what feeling the need to defend a white boy's honor will do to you 😳

[bylertruther]

i don't like season three when viewing it as a continuation of seasons one and two, but i do very much like season three when viewing it as the prequel to seasons four and five... hmmmmm.

[outerbankspreferences]

Love Story - JJ Maybank

Request: Anonymous said:A jj imagine where the reader and him are secretly dating cause she’s a kook but she has a “fake” (rafe doesn’t think it’s fake and wants it to be real) relationship with rafe because their parents made them date for the family buisness or whatever and rafe catches them meeting up one night or something and he tells her parents and they go and get her and she fights to be with him??? (Sorry Ik it’s super long lol)

MASTERLIST

WORD COUNT: 6485

A/N: I am so sorry this took so long to post, but I’ve been going through some stuff and working, but I hope you enjoy this, Plus this is the longest fic I’ve ever written.

  We were both young when I first saw you I close my eyes and the flashback starts I'm standin' there On a balcony in summer air See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns See you make your way through the crowd And say, "Hello" Little did I know

  You were stuck at another Kook event hosted by the country club your parents attend. Your parents were one of the wealthier families in the Outer banks. Your father was the district attorney, and your mother was an accomplished writer. You always hated the flashy money lifestyle they lived, finding it completely fake. The only other family that came closer to yours were the Cameron’s’. Ward and Rose Cameron had plenty of businesses and investments which helped them claim high status on the Figure Eight.

 It’s didn’t surprise anyone how close the two families were. You and Sarah were close friends considering you were the same age. You and Sarah bonded over many shopping trips and getaways. You weren’t as close with her other siblings, finding Wheezie annoying and Rafe stuck up. You thought maybe Rafe would grow out of things as he got older, but he grew into a nasty personality that your parents were oblivious to.

 It had been your father and Ward’s idea to set the two of you up. Ward was trying to sneak his way into your lives, thinking the DA wouldn’t be a bad friend to have when he needed something done. Your father thought Rafe was a “wonderful young gentleman with plenty to offer.” You didn’t think anything of it when it would just be your parents and the two of you until you found out from Sarah that she wasn’t invited because of this arrangement.

 You were happy to carry on the façade if it helped your parents. What could it hurt? A few supper dates and showing up to events together. At least you wouldn’t have suffer through dumb Kook things alone. Soon enough you and Rafe started to hang out even when you didn’t have to. You liked seeing this side of Rafe, a more vulnerable side. He was carefree and silly when he was with you. Rafe had found himself falling for you and all your quirks. He had been feeling a lot of pressure from his father about taking over the business, and you seemed to ease some of the pressure from him.

 You thought he was an okay person before he started doing drugs. You were fine with smoking weed considering you smoked yourself. You were even okay with the partying and drinking, but when you found out he was snorting coke, it went too far for you. You had talked to him about and he would always brush it off as being too stressed and it helped him. He would always get upset when you talked about, so you tried to avoid the subject.

 Soon enough the drugs took over his life and he started to sell them. The people he hung out with scared you, so you kept your distance. It was rolling around to Midsummers and you were nervous of going with Rafe. He seemed to be snapping at you more and more lately and you weren’t looking forward to seeing him.

 ~~

You and Sarah had gone to the mainland one day to go dress shopping and have lunch. You guys were wondering around the store when she started going on about some boy she had met. “I don’t know Y/N, he’s so great but things are so complicated.” Sarah spoke, but you didn’t understand. The last time you checked she was seeing Topper, and things were going great. “Wait are we talking about Topper? What can be complicated there, he’s a nice guy.” You questioned. “What if I’m not talking about Topper?” She trailed off, trying to gage your reaction. “I don’t know you guys were having troubles, but if he doesn’t make you happy then you should probably move on before it gets too serious.” You skimmed through some more dresses, grabbing a green one you liked. “Wait, if you’re not seeing Topper then, who is it?” You looked over at her.

 “You promise not to tell anyone?” She asked almost whispering like the other people in the store might be listening. You nodded encouraging her to tell you. “John B.” She whispered. “John B. that works on your dads bought John B.? Oh-Rose is going to so pissed.” You laughed to yourself. “Yeah, we had some weird encounter the other day after the Boneyard party.” “You mean the party that he fought Topper, and that JJ Maybank almost shot him?” You recounted the last party you guys went too; things had gotten out hand quickly. “You know how things went down Y/N, Topper almost killed John B.” She reminded you. “Well, if he makes you happy then I say go for it. I’ll support you. I mean, he’s friends are pretty hot.” You giggled thinking about how attractive you found JJ.

 You never tried to pursue anything with JJ because everyone knew he didn’t go for Kooks, or actual relationships. It was more of a “one and done” kind of scenario with him, and you knew that’s not what you wanted. It didn’t stop you from checking him out from your bedroom window when he came to mow your lawn once a week.

 ~~

The night of midsummers had finally rolled around, and you were getting everything ready. You had your hair appointment earlier in the day and now you were getting the finishing touches of your makeup down and giggling with Sarah. “Are you guys almost done?” Rose had come in seeming inpatient. This year the Cameron’s were getting honored for all the hard work Ward had down for the community and you had to walk in with them. “Uh yeah we’re almost done, just finishing up.” You spoke up. Rose let out a huff and told you guys to be downstairs in five minutes. “Oh god, I think that crowns gone to her head.” Sarah spoke up making you laugh out loud. “What’s so funny in here?” Rafe came in texting on his phone. He was wearing a baby blue suit and you had on a simple off-white gown. When Rafe looked at you his jaw dropped. He had been to plenty events with you, but you had never gotten this dressed up. He thought looked stunning in your dress. “Holy shit Y/L/N, you look amazing” he spoke causing you to blush. Rose called up to you guys again pulling you from you trance. You and Sarah got up and headed downstairs and Rafe said he needed to get something from his room.

 You guys were downstairs taking pictures with your family when you father asked where Rafe was. “I’m right here” Rafe spoke coming around the corner. You could see a bit of white powder on his suit and you knew exactly what he went to do. You rushed up and brushed the bit of powder away before anyone could tell and he let out a silent thank you. Once you got the pictures done, everyone got ready to leave, but you pulled Rafe aside for a second.

 “No funny business, promise?” You asked looking into his eyes, but all you could see were blown pulps and him rolling them. “When do I ever cause problems?” He countered obviously annoyed. “I’m not saying that Rafe, I’m just saying that I don’t want anything to happen like last time.” You explained. He moved out of your grip and headed for the door. “As long as those Pouges don’t cause any problems then we have nothing to worry about.”

 ~~

You practically avoided Rafe like the plague the rest of the night. You and Sarah had dance for awhile before you were interrupted by JJ Maybank, “this is from Vlad.” He shouted over the music before moving to scoop you up in his arms spinning you around as he handed something to Sarah. You looked at her confused, but she was smiling like an idiot. You gave JJ a weird look, “young love, makes people do crazy things.” He spoke still dancing with you.

 You got a good look at his face; it had a few scars and a small black eye. You pretended not to notice, even though you knew it was from the movie night last week. Rafe had come home with the similar marks.

 That you were Romeo, you were throwin' pebbles And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet" And I was cryin' on the staircase Beggin' you, "Please don't go, " and I said

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

 “Where’s your plus one princess?” JJ asked pulling you a little closer to him. You couldn’t help but blush at the nickname. “He’s somewhere”- “I’m right here Maybank, and I’m pretty sure you’re dancing with my girl.” Rafe stepped in, “do you mind getting me another drink, you’re working here right?” He said in nasty tone. “Well, I would you see, but I’m super busy,” JJ spoke trying to get away from the death grip Rafe had on the collar of his shirt. “Rafe, stop please, you promised.” You cut in, not wanting to cause a scene. Rafe let go of JJ and grabbed you by the arm pulling you away. You sent an apologetic look to JJ before leaving with Rafe.

 Rafe had pulled you all through the venue before he got to the balcony on the second floor. “What the hell Y/N? Do you know how that looks to everyone when you defend some low life over me?” He yelled at you. You had never seen Rafe this angry with you before. “Why does it even matter, it’s not like we’re actually dating. We’re doing this to help our parents out.” You raised your voice at him. “These people don’t know that,” he gestured to everyone downstairs. “they think we’re together, but know they think you’re with that scumbag.” “Shut up Rafe, you don’t know anything about him.” You hollered at him. He had no right to say those things about JJ.

 What you didn’t know was that JJ was watching from the party. He knew what Rafe was like when he was angry. He wanted to go after you when Rafe drug you away, but he also didn’t want to cause any drama towards you. He watched the two of you go up the balcony. When he saw Rafe getting in your face he headed towards the balcony to make sure you were okay.

 When he got up there, he could tell you were crying, and he could still hear Rafe yelling at you. “Is everything okay Y/N?” He asked walking towards you and Rafe shook his head, “everything is fine pouge, mind your own damn business.” JJ ignored what Rafe was saying, walking towards you, “do you want to come downstairs Y/N?” he asked softly, trying to calm you down. “Look, I said we’re fine, she’s fine”- “oh yeah, most girls are fine when they’re crying like that.” JJ cut Rafe off, and you finally spoke up. “I want to go home, JJ can you please take me home.” You asked him, not looking at Rafe. “Y/N don’t be dramatic. I can take you home, we came here together.” Rafe reasoned with you, but you didn’t want to be anywhere near him.

 JJ led you out of the venue and towards the door when Kelce and Topper stopped him. “Oh shit.” He mumbled under his breath, but you heard. You grabbed his hand, silently telling him you were scared, and he tucked you behind him. “Hey there Maybank, where do you think you’re going?” Kelce asked, looking down at you. “Great choice of company Y/N, hanging with trash like yourself.” He snickered, and JJ pushed him back, “what the hell did you just say about her.” He questioned and Topper pushed JJ. You saw security make there way over with your father and Rafe.

 Once you left with JJ, Rafe had gone to find your father, and update him on the “bad influences” you had been hanging out with. Of course, to your father Rafe was once again the hero, even though he had been making you cry not only ten minutes earlier.

 You pulled on JJ’s sleave, “J please, can we go.” You pleaded not wanting to have this fight out in the open. Before you and JJ had the chance to make a quick getaway you father grabbed you by the arm. “Y/N what are you doing?” He asked in a hush tone pulling you away from JJ before security escorted him out. You looked back at sent JJ and apologetic look and he just winked at you.

 Your father took you home after that and you got the third degree from both he and your mom. “He’s a pouge Y/N/N, you deserve so much more.” You mother said, she wasn’t nearly as upset as your father. “I thought things were going well between you and Rafe, you guys seemed to get along so well.” She questioned. “How do you know what he’s like, you’ve never met him. I was just trying to help him get out before Rafe and his goon squad could cause a bigger scene.” You informed them. “Oh please, had Rafe not come got me, that Maybank’ kid would have started a fight with those boys. I’ve heard the stories Y/N, and I’ve talked to Deputy Shoupe. He’s told me all about his father’s business.”

 Your father was being harsh. You didn’t know much about JJ, but everyone on this island knew about his hot temper. “I don’t want to catch you around that boy again. Do you understand me?” He asked, “yes, I understand you.” You responded trying to put the conversation to rest.

 You stuck to your word, but it really wasn’t that hard. You guys lived on opposite sides of the island and never ran into each other. You had only seen him once at the Wreck and you were too nervous to go talk to him, plus he was just leaving with his friends. You spent a lot of nights thinking about him. You don’t know why he stuck up for you with Rafe that night, but you were glad he had.

 The next time you saw JJ alone was at the beach. You had gone out early in the morning to paint the sunrise. There was a quiet spot on the beach that no one knew of. It was off the beaten path and was always so calm. Art was your way to escape everything and just be in the moment. When you got there, you noticed someone was already there surfing. You couldn’t tell from the shore who it was, but you decided to stay anyways.

 You got yourself all settled and started to sketch the outlines, including the surfer. You had your music playing softly in the background just enjoying being in the moment. You must have zoned out because once you looked back up you noticed the person surfing was coming from the water. You were shocked to recognize JJ’s signature blonde shaggy hair. ‘Of course, it had to be him’ you thought to yourself. You hoped he wouldn’t recognize you, considering the last time he saw you; you were all dressed up for midsummers.

 You went back to your painting, trying to look busy but that didn’t stop him from coming up to you. “Y/N?” He asked even though he knew it was you. “Oh, hi JJ, how are you?” You asked looking up at him. The sun was making a halo around him, and he looked gorgeous. “I’m good, what are you doing out here so early?” He asked, JJ thought he was the only one who knew of this place. “Uh, I’m just trying to get some sketches done. The sun always hits the marsh so nice out here in the morning.” You explained as he dropped his surf bored to sit next to you.

 You moved over so he would have space on the blanket, and he helped himself to some of the fruit your brought with you. “I never think to bring snacks, you have anything else to eat?” He asked, “yeah I have some yogurt and granola in the backpack.” You told him and rummaged through to find it. You didn’t mind him eating it, you weren’t hungry anyways.

 JJ was grateful that you let him eat your food. John B was away and the meant he couldn’t go over there and get food. He had eaten at the Wreck a couple of times, but he could only live off leftover fish and chips for so long. He basically inhaled the yogurt, finally getting a good look at what you were painting. It was the marsh, with him surfing. He didn’t know you were that talented. You guys made small talk while you finished the picture. JJ couldn’t understand why he wanted to be around you, maybe it was the calming effect you had on him.

 Of course, he had seen you around the island before, but he never paid much attention. You were a Kook and by island rules, you were off limits. He knew that at midsummers, but he couldn’t help but step in when Rafe was treated you poorly. “I hope I didn’t get you in trouble at Midsummers.” He spoke up. You hadn’t expected him to bring the conversation up. “Oh, don’t apologize. If anything, I owe you an apology. My dad shouldn’t have had your escorted like some”- “Criminal?” JJ cut in, still a little upset with being kicked out. “yeah, like that.” You said, “if it makes you feel any better, I don’t think you’re a criminal. I mean I don’t really know you, but I don’t get the criminal vibes, y’know?” You spoke causing the both of you to laugh.

 “Is that me in your painting?” He asked looking over your shoulder and you could feel his breath on your skin. He was close enough that you could feel the warmth of his tan skin on your own. “Uh-yeah it is. But I didn’t know it was you when I started, so does that make it less weird?” You asked, not looking at him. “It’s not weird, I’m flatter that you would include me in your drawing.” He told you and you could sense the honesty in his voice. You finished up some little details before signing it at the bottom with a heart handing it over to the blonde. “Here you can have it. I have too many drawings of this place anyways.” JJ took the drawing and placed it safely in his book bag.

 You both collected your things getting ready to leave. “Maybe we can meet here again?” JJ asked hopeful you would take him up on his offer. “Uh, yeah sure. How about tomorrow?” You suggest, wanting to see him as soon as possible. “Alright, let’s meet here around 8 tomorrow morning.” “Okay.” You say smiling like an idiot before JJ is leaving in his truck.

 It became a ritual between the two of you. Always meeting up there to hang out. It was easier to keep it a secret from everyone. JJ wasn’t worried about the Pouges knowing, but he knew the Kooks would never let you live it down. Of course, you didn’t care about that, but it was your family you worried about. JJ knew the pressure they put on you to be the perfect daughter and it was not easy shoes to fill. It started out innocent, just hanging out talking, you would bring food for JJ, and he would make you forgot about the pressure of being a Kook for a couple of hours.

 You and JJ shared your first kiss there too. It was late one night when you heard something being thrown at your window. You had cancelled plans with JJ because of fight with your father. It was the same argument about not spending enough time with Rafe, and how it reflected badly on him and his business. It didn’t matter to him that Rafe was seeing other girls, he was blind to the Cameron’s ways. When you got up to look out the window you saw JJ standing there waving to you. He was worried when you cancelled because you had never done that before.

 “What are you doing here?” You asked looking out the window. “Come down and see me, I missed you.” He spoke trying not to be too loud. You heart flutter thinking that he missed hanging out with you. You threw on some shoes and ran down the stairs.

 Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

So I sneak out to the garden to see you We keep quiet, 'cause we're dead if they knew So close your eyes Escape this town for a little while, oh

 Once you got outside you jumped into JJ arms giggling. The two of you took off to his truck parked down the street. “Where are we going?” You asked curiosity getting the best of you. “To our spot, I figured you need some time away.” He spoke up as he drove. You relaxed into the worn leather of the truck, and JJ was happy that you found comfort in the truck with him. He backed into the beach and the two of you got out into the bed of the truck. He grabbed some blankets from his bed at that chateau before he left and put them down to make a somewhat comfortable spot to lay down.

 The two of you laid looking up at the stars and he started point out constellations in they sky. “And there’s Ursa Major.” He pointed towards the sky, “where I don’t see it?” You spoke sounding frustrated. He took your hand in his and pointed it towards the stars, “that’s the tail those 3 stars there, and then her body and legs.” He guided your hand to point in the direction of where he was talking about. “oh, I see it now!” You exclaimed giggling.

 JJ knew at this moment that he was in love with you. He knew at this exact moment he would do anything for you. He thought that you were the most kind and gentle person he ever met, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. He was pulled from his thoughts when you spoke up, “huh?” he blushed realizing you were still holding his hand. “I asked, how do you know were all these constellations are?” JJ wasn’t prepared for this conversation. You didn’t know much about his home life; he never spoke about it so you assumed he would tell you when he was ready. You could sense that he was nervous, and you squeezed his hand in a comforting gesture.

 “uh-my mom used to take me down to the beach when I was kid. We would spend hours looking at the stars and she would show me all of the constellations.” He spoke not looking at you. You watched him, he was biting his lip, a tell tale sign he was nervous. “That sounds wonderful J, it must have been nice.” You spoke softly not sure if he wanted to take the conversation and farther. “She left. I don’t know, I was like in the third grade, I think. I don’t know why, but she never came back. I guess we weren’t enough for her. My dad never forgave himself, or me for it.” He almost whispered the last part, like he didn’t want you to hear.

 You had seen the bruises and asked him about it, but he always blamed it on a run in with the Kooks, but you finally put two and two together. “He’s the one who hurts you isn’t he?” You ask never looking from him. It was a vulnerable conversation to have and you wanted him to know you were there for him. It was the first time he looked over at you since he started talking, and you could see the tears in his eyes. “Yeah, he is. He gets drunk to cope with mom leaving and then starts to yell. It’s the same thing every time, he says I have her eyes. When he’s sobers again, he apologizes but he’s stuck in vicious cycle.” You leaned closer to him resting your head on his shoulder, “one day we’re going to leave this stupid town and find our own place, I promise.” You whispered to him; you weren’t looking at him, but you knew he was smiling.

 JJ looked over at you and leaned down locking his lips onto yours. It was like a dream come true. It was everything he wanted it to be and more. You were feeling the same thing, over the last little while hanging out with JJ you had developed a crush on him but didn’t want him to know scared the feelings wouldn’t be returned.

 You both stayed in each other arms for what felt like hours when he stopped, “what time is it princess?” He asked grabbing your phone looking at the time. That’s when he saw the countless text messages from your parents. “oh shit.” He cursed under his breath. You gave him a confused look. “what? What’s wrong J?” You ask looking at your phone coming to same realization.

 'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet" But you were everything to me I was beggin' you, "Please don't go, " and I said

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes" Romeo, save me, they're tryna tell me how to feel This love is difficult, but it's real Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes" Oh, oh

 The two of you started to get everything packed up texting your parents to tell them you were on your way home. Just as you were climbing back in the truck another set of headlights came into view. It was weird because this was a quite a way from the rest of the island and it was late at night. “Get in the car.” JJ said to you, opening the door. You could sense his nervousness when the car came to stop. “Let’s just go JJ, probably some kids looking for a place to hook up.” You spoke wanting to go home.

 To both of your surprise your father had called Rafe asking if you were with him. When Rafe said that he hadn’t seen you all night he offered to check some of the places you hung out the most. After interrogating some hopeless Pouge, they finally told him that he saw JJ Maybank’s truck head to secluded area of the island. The kid told him that he saw you in the truck with him, and then ran off. Rafe headed towards the south end of the island watching for JJ’s truck. Once he had driven the whole south end of the island, he circled back to Topper’s place to in list his help.

 Topper got into Rafe’s truck pissed off because Rafe had interrupt his date with a girl he had been trying to win over for like a week. “What was so important I had to leave Kate for?” He asked as Rafe pulled out of the driveway. “Y/N’s dad called me and said she snuck out and she’s not answering her phone. You’re going to help me find her.” He explained. Topper was still confused. “Why do you need my help? She’s probably at a friend’s house, did you try calling her? Plus, I thought you were with that girl from the mainland now?” Topper inquired. “Yeah, well I ask around and someone said they saw her hanging out with that low life Maybank and she deserves better.” “Oh well then she’s probably on the old station road, someone told me that his trucks been out there a lot lately.”

 Rafe was fuming with anger. He was sick of you messing around with a pouge making him look bad. He also knew that he wanted to work for her father one day and getting in good with his daughter was a good way to do it. They two men pulled down the road and drove until the saw the familiar truck and watched JJ help you get in the passenger seat. Rafe had texted your father the location and told him it was best he come; this would be a good opportunity to look good in front of him again.

 You recognized the truck as soon as it came to a stop, along with your heart. JJ could tell you were scared by the way you gripped his arm. You gave him a sympathetic look. “I’m so sorry JJ.” You said and he looked at you confused until he saw who was getting out of the truck. He eyes widen at the sight of both Rafe and Topper. JJ protectively pushed you behind him before walking up to Rafe. “What’s going on here?” Rafe asked looking over at you. “Just taking Y/N home, what are you guys doing out so late?” JJ asked in a calm tone not wanting to come off threatening. He just wanted to get you home without out any fights.

 Rafe had other plans on his mind. If he was going to look good in front of your father this was one of his only chances. He gave JJ a shove, “oh yeah? What are you doing with my girl Maybank?” JJ stood his ground before getting up in Rafe’s face too, you went to grab JJ’s arm trying to avoid the fight that was about to break out. “I’m not your girl Rafe. Please JJ can we just go home.” JJ looked down at you, “can you please move your truck Rafe so I can get her home.” He asked through gritted teeth. “No Topper and I’ll take her home. She doesn’t need to be hanging out with some piece of shit from the Cut.” He said his words twisting like a knife in his back.

 JJ was beyond angry at this point, “kiss your mother with that mouth Cameron?” “At least my mom isn’t a runaway like yours.” That was all it took for JJ to punch Rafe square in the face. Rafe stumbled into Topper a bit before launching at JJ. The two broke into a brawl and all that could be heard were their grunts and you screaming for them to stop.

 The next thing you know Topper is pulling JJ off Rafe, and your father is pulling Rafe away. Once Rafe is pulled away you run up to JJ to make sure he is okay, but before you can your father grabs your arm. “I warned you about hanging out with this trash.” He spoke with a tight grip around you arm. You looked over at JJ who was crouched by his truck. “is that what you want? Do you want to be known as trash like these other kids? Do you what he does, what his father does? Do you?” He was shaking your arm and screaming at you. “Ouch dad, you’re hurting me.” You spoke over his yelling. JJ looked over at you, he saw you father shaking your body and he could see the fear in your eyes. “Just let me say goodbye to him, please.” You pleaded with your father, and he reluctantly let you.

 Once you got over to JJ you wrapped your arms around him trying to be careful of his already forming bruises. He wiped the tears off your face with the back of his thumb. “I’m sorry JJ, I should have never let any of this happen.” You whispered, and he cut you off with a quick kiss. “I’m fine princess, just go home with your dad, I don’t want you to get in any more trouble than you are. We’ll figure it out, I promise.” “No JJ, I don’t want to leave you.” “I’m fine, please you’re in enough trouble because of me in the first place.” You finally agreed to go after he promised to text you when he got back the Chateau.

 It had been almost a whole week since everything went down. You almost never talked to your father anymore, and you stayed clear of Rafe and his goon squad. You went down to that spot on the beach everyday, but JJ never showed. He hadn’t texted you that night when he got home even though you blew his phone up with texted and calls. It broke you to think that you might have lost the love of your life all together just because of your selfish father.

 Your parents had gone out for the afternoon and told you that the only person coming by should be the grocery boy. You protested not even wanting to answer the door. You wanted them to just have him leave them outside, but your parents didn’t want to food to spoil so you sat in your foyer staring at the wall waiting for him to come.

 When you finally heard the knock on the door you open it to find Pope Heyward, JJ’s best friend on the other side. “Hi Y/N, your parents want these groceries dropped off, where do you want them?” He asked with a smile on his face. You always liked Pope he was kind and had tutor you in Math freshman year. “Um, in the kitchen is fine.” You spoke and lead him to your kitchen. “I also have some mail.” He handed a letter to you that had your name on it with messy writing. You thanked him and gave him the tip your parents left for him. Going to sit back down in the living room you opened the letter. You quickly looked over it is seeing JJ’s signature at the end with a heart.

 Y/N,

 I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you in a few days but my phone broke that night so I couldn’t text you. I didn’t go to our spot because I didn’t want you to be upset when you saw me, I know how you always panic when I’m hurt 😉 I promise I’ll make it up to you. Meet me on the outskirts of town at dusk tomorrow night. ~ JJ <3

 I got tired of waiting Wonderin' if you were ever comin' around My faith in you was fading When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone I keep waiting for you, but you never come Is this in my head? I don't know what to think He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring And said, "Marry me, Juliet You'll never have to be alone I love you and that's all I really know I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes" Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh 'Cause we were both young when I first saw you

 You had dressed in a simple white romper with a cardigan considering it was a bit chilly out tonight. You also told your parent that you were staying at friends’ house so they wouldn’t come looking for you. You walked to the outskirts of the island and waited for JJ. You were giving up hope when you saw his truck pull up. He pulled up next to you and got out, and you ran to jump in his arms but suddenly stopped when you saw his face. It was all cut up and he had a nasty black eye. It didn’t take much for the tears to prick your eyes as your thumb smoothed over the freshly formed bruises. “It doesn’t hurt as bad as it looks.” He whispered to you, catching a few stray tears with his thumb.

 “I’m so sorry J. I hate that he let them do this to you.” You said holding his face in your hands looking up at him. You could get lost in his beautiful blue eyes any day. They brought you such calm and love. JJ portrayed all his emotions in his eyes and that’s why you feel in love with them. “I tried talking to your dad, but he wouldn’t listen to me.” He said and you were shocked. No guy had ever done something like that for you. The only time a guy ever talked to your dad was for their own benefit much like Rafe did. “I don’t care what he thinks JJ. I want to be with you, and only you. You’ve made me the happiest person in the world.” You said to him, kissing him. “We’ll figure something out, you promised. I don’t care if we must keep sneaking around together. He’ll see it eventually.” You reasoned with him, the tears you were trying to hold freely falling now.

 JJ hated seeing you like this. He couldn’t tear you away from your family, but he also knew that he didn’t want to try and live another day without you. He didn’t know how it was going to work but he would do what ever it took. “the two of us can jump in this truck right now and go wherever we want to go.” You said to him. “We could go for the summer, it’ll be fine. I have so money saved and we can get jobs on the mainland. Somewhere away from the Outer Banks.” You proposed hoping he would take your bait.

  He thought about it for a minute. He did know some guys that were looking for help on the mainland with construction and maybe it would give your parents some time to adjust to things. “Okay, let’s go get your stuff.” The two of you went back to your house leaving a note explaining everything and bought the first tickets off the island never looking back. It really was a love story.

TAG LIST:

@taylathornton​ @lemur46​ @drewstarkeysbitchh​

[thkingslayer]

jonsa fic rec list

Happy New Years!!! Firstly, I hope you are all safe and healthy. Secondly, as many have most likely said to you already, I hope 2021 is much better for you/us. Wishing you all happiness, health, and everything else nice! Cheers!

Now... I’ve been supposed to share this fic rec for the longest (no, really) time, but I haven’t gotten around to it. So... here’s a list of fics that helped get me through 2020. And I mean that. I don’t know about you, but I’ve gone stir crazy and when I needed a distraction or something to entertain, these fics were here. These fics are definitely all over the place, but hopefully you like that! Thank you to all the writers and readers!

Please note not all fics are completed. Remember to check tags. Enjoy!

*******

white knuckles [T] by ganymede_elegy | 9.5k

His hands are numb and white knuckled around the grip of his bow and he tries to tell himself that he has nothing to prove. If he loses, it means nothing. If it turns out that he is a terrible shot and that deer and rabbits are simply very easy to hunt, it does not matter. He has no house to represent, no honor to defend. He is no one and it means nothing if he does poorly.

His left hand checks, for the hundredth time, to see if the ribbon is still tied around his right wrist and he curses himself for it. He should've taken it off last night. Immediately, his eyes go to the crowd and it only takes him a moment to find her copper hair among the audience.

Wait But Don’t Ask [M] by @justadram | 59.5k

Jon considered asking Sansa out, but she beats him to the punch with an even bigger question, putting on hold any possibility of something more between them.

Shock You Like You Won’t Believe [M] by @chispas-and-broken-bindings | 19.2k

Sansa is homesick. When she spends the night at her brother's apartment to escape the dorms, she might have picked the wrong bed...or is it the right one?

A Real Truth [E] by ALCzysz17 | 13.9k

Joffrey promises her that he will show the traitors of Westeros, Robb Stark and Stannis Baratheon a real truth to the spreading rumor of his mother’s incestuous relationship with her twin brother. She knew it would be bad, but when he manages to produce her half-brother, Jon Snow in King’s Landing, weeks later, she never actually knew how truly bad it could get.

Mine for a Season [M] by @vivilove-jonsa | 17.1k

Colonel Jon Targaryen is a single man in possession of a good fortune who claims no interest in finding himself a wife. With his war wounds, he thinks no young lady would want him anyway for anything beyond the allure of his pocketbook.

Fortunately and unbeknownst to him, Fate has chosen to find a wife for him and will even deliver her right to his doorstep.

Taking on the responsibility of shepherding a young lady about for a Season in London is not at all what Jon had wished to do but he had accepted out of a sense of familial duty. However, once he meets Sansa again after only having met her years ago as a child, he may not consider it a duty so much as a torment.

Something wicked this way comes [T] by @dreams-for-spring | 93.6k

Sansa tries to tug her hand from the old woman’s grasp, but the woman is deceptively strong and holds her tight within her grip. She can feel a tingle down her spine, as though ice is melting and dripping down her back. “I’m not a wolfgirl,” she protests, “that’s my sister.”

The old woman tilts her head, and for a second the waning light catches her wrinkled, pockmarked face. "You are what I’ve seen, girl, and I’ve seen a wolf. Larger than any wolf should be, wild as the true north; white as snow, as the bark of a weirwood tree.”

--

AU where Maggy the Frog comes to Winterfell ahead of the King and Queen and gives Sansa a prophecy of her own.

run away with my love [M] by @jonsaslove | 71.6k

“Bran,” Jon says, one word and voice barely above a whisper.

Sansa takes a sip from her cup and sets it down, “I know.”

--

Or;

When Bran arrives in Winterfell’s Great Hall mere moments after Jon declares that he is going to Dragonstone, it changes everything. Mostly for Jon and Sansa, but for the rest of Westeros as well.

The Dragon Prince [E] by usuallysunny | 16.3k

Sansa always knew she would be Queen someday. King Rhaegar would ride into Winterfell with his son, mending a rift decades old, and Sansa's children would rule from the Wall to the mountains of Dorne.

Winter dawns and Rhaegar arrives to offer his son.

The only problem is... it's the wrong one.

The gods have fashioned us for love [E] by @myrish-lace-love | 26.2k

Sansa Stark had dreamed of the day her red omega mark would appear. It would gradually shade into a soft golden color over the course of a year. Then, she'd be ready to marry an alpha from a great house with a matching golden mark - if a match could be found. Not every alpha and omega pair shared them, of course - her mother and father hadn't, and they still loved each other very much. But Sansa was a young woman who loved stories and songs. She was certain the day would come when Maester Luwin would smile at her and tell her he'd received a raven with word of her mate who shared the very same mark as hers.

But when Sansa's mark arrived, the gods played a cruel joke on her. Maester Luwin had already recorded a match for her in his book - Jon Snow. And since he was within the castle walls, she and Jon would go into heat that very night.

What happened next was a matter of survival.

your halo slipping down [E] by @woodswit | 36.6k

When Arya disappears while hunting Sansa's stalker, Sansa knows she's got to take matters into her own hands. Her first move is to go north--

--to Jon Snow, who has just been released from prison. Jon Snow, the boy in black, is her last hope.

*******

[qvid-pro-qvo]

headcanon: “what your first kiss with the SVU boys looks like”

these got a little... out of hand. hence the “read more.” i guess it’s just my way of saying happy thanksgiving. 

gender neutral reader. created in conjunction with @hurricanejjareau.  

rafael barba -

it’s a couple of dates in, and you’re on cloud nine. being with rafael barba is as easy as breathing. 

after all, the tension has come and gone, at this point. you’ve seen the uptight rafael barba, the one that pushes and pushes the squad to do more, do better, do what he needs. you’ve seen the crazy rafael barba, the one that takes a belt and loops it around his neck because he knows he’ll get the win. you’ve seen the distraught rafael barba, the one that squeezes the back of squadroom chairs because the pieces just don’t line up. 

but so has everyone else. so has amanda, and liv, and nick, and fin. they know that rafael barba. that rafael barba is a little snide, a little sharp around the edges. everyone gets the wit, the charm, the little smiles. 

but little does the squad know that this rafael barba... is all for you. 

no one else gets this. no one else gets the rafael barba with an open button-down collar and blazer. no one else gets the dinner and a walk to pass the time. no one else gets the little smiles across the table, the gentle feeling of his hand in yours, or the tug as he loops your elbows together and settles on a destination that you’ll find together. 

no one else gets that grin - the way it softens his face, makes his eyes a little half-lidded. 

it’s safe to say you’re falling for him. and safe to say that by the time the second date is over, you think he’s falling for you, too. 

you’re close enough to your place that a few stories and rounds of laughter has you walking up the steps, rummaging around for keys that are invariably at the bottom of your bag. you keep glancing up, which kind of hurts the hunt, but you don’t mind because each time you see him. that little smirk, the settle of his body against your doorframe. you almost wish he had a tie, so you could press your fingers against, smooth it down his front. just an excuse to touch him a little more. 

“same time next week?” he asks, and it’s as easy as breathing, as smiling, as laughing with rafael barba to give an answer. 

“i wouldn’t mind sooner,” you say, and when that brings out his smirk you can’t help your little laugh. “if we both can swing it, of course.” 

“of course,” rafael says, and he’s pushing himself upright, leaning forward, and kissing you. the only hint was a glance to your lips, and you’re taking it, hand on his shoulder, curling a little around his neck...

oh. 

oh, he’s kissing you. 

it’s just as easy. it’s just as simple, it’s just as perfect. it’s like breathing, the way it comes out, and when he pulls back he looks just as shocked as you. blinks, like he wasn’t expecting to end the night on such a note. 

“was - was that all right?” he asks. you can see his mind start to race. 

you’re sure to quiet it with a grin. a nod. a “yes, that was perfect.” 

and if he lets you, you’ll add another kiss. 

sonny carisi -

where are you?

it’s the text you send for the third time, your foot tapping eagerly in the gallery. the jury’s back, after all. the jury’s finally fucking back, and sonny should be here. it’s your case, after all, weeks of work all for this.

barba turns around, raises a brow at you. asking the same question you are. but there’s no response, and you eventually sigh, shrugging your shoulders.

barba nods. turns back to judge barth, who settles into her seat. who looks to the two counselors, who both let her know.

they’re ready.

your phone hasn’t buzzed. and it doesn’t. not as you squirm, williams staring at you from his seat at the defense bench like you’re a meal.

but that smirk is gone once he turns to the judge. that smirk is gone as he stands, lifts himself up to face them. it’s gone as judge barth turns to the jury and smiles, genial, polite.

“has the jury reached a verdict?”

“we have, your honor.”

“proceed.”

the forewoman lifts the paper to her face. slides her glasses on, clears her throat. your hand is gripping the pew in front of you, and your knuckles are white.

“on the first, second, and third charges of rape in the first degree, we find the defendant, luke j. williams, guilty.”

your heart leaps. you see the way his face falls, even from the side, and the relief that fills you is almost crushing. you want to collapse, with the exhaustion, with the exhilaration. and then your phone buzzes.

im coming up the steps right now i swear to god

and you can’t stop yourself. you’re pushing past liv and amanda, pushing out the courtroom doors. your grin is unmatched as you sprint through the halls, shoes pounding against the marbled floors.

the outside is a downpour. you barely notice. you’re searching, hunting, and when you see him it’s because you can see the shine of his hair from rain, the gel.

god, sonny carisi.

he sees you next, like he was searching, hoping, praying you were there. and when you push into the downpour, out from under the overhang, the rain is but the background as you slam into his open arms.

“we did it?” he asks, over the sound of water against the streets, the slide of taxis through puddles. “we actually fuckin’ did it?” the exhaustion for you is eyes half-closed as he pulls you against his chest, while for him his words blend together in a mix of Staten Island and too little sleep.

“we did it,” you gasp out, and when you pull back it’s to place a hand on either side of his face. “we did it.”

and you kiss him.

you kiss him.

oh, god, he kisses you back.

nick amaro -

how fucking dare he. nick fucking amaro.

your hands clench into fists at your sides, the sides that ache after the hits you took just an hour earlier. your partner is glaring at you, eyes alight with frustration, and you can’t help the way your jaw clenches.

fucking gorgeous nick amaro.

if you had a choice you wouldn’t be in love with him. because nick amaro himself would tell you not to be. but you can’t help the way you stumble into caring for him, into feeling for him, into truly desperately wanting him.

“what the hell was that?” was the first thing he’d asked you, and you hadn’t had an answer for him. not one that’d make sense. after all, partners are supposed to protect each other, but it’s that desperation that had thrown you into him to take the hit, to get the bullet in your vest.

“i saved your life, and this is how you thank me?” you’d shot back. “you gonna give me a lecture in front of the whole damn squad room?”

and cragen had agreed. told you to sort it out, and so nick had rolled his shoulders, gritted his teeth, and the two of you had moved to the locker room to have it out.

and now you’re standing in front of him, watching him go at you for doing something so incredibly stupid —

“stop being a damn martyr, nick!” you snap. “say thank you and we can just move on!”

“i don’t want you getting hurt for me! i don’t deserve that, don’t you get it? you don’t deserve that!”

“i think i’ll be the fucking judge of what i do or don’t deserve! i think i’ll be the one who makes the call about which stubborn stupid detective i get a bruise for!”

“so you’re gonna get yourself killed? for nothing?” his nostrils are flaring, and he lifts a hand to run it through his hair, to turn away and then back to you, close, nose to fucking nose. “for me? no, i won’t let you.”

“i can handle it,” you mutter. he’s close enough you don’t have to yell, close enough that it makes your voice a little weak.

“you almost didn’t,” he pushes, and this time your hand reaches out to poke him in the chest. your fingertip digs into his skin a little, right above his heart. 

“but i did. and i’d do it again. however many times it takes, i’d do it again.”

“how many times it takes to do what?” 

there’s a beat. he looks at you and maybe, just maybe, he sees you. sees you. “what?” he asks, and you swallow.

when your eyes meet his, they’re shining, just a little. “you know damn well what, nick. you fucking know—“

it’s a collision, your lips. it’s nothing dainty, it’s barely even breathing. it’s an unstoppable force against another force of his own, and when your hands lift to his hair it’s to grip and never let go.

mike dodds -

he’s your sergeant, you tell yourself. you remind yourself, you almost have to. he’s your superior, he gives you orders, he can’t be the one you want to...

anyway.

so you move on. you try to. you try to ignore the way he smiles at you, the way that he grins when the case goes well. the furrow of his brow, the slightest purse of his lips when he’s frustrated. he came to the squad a stranger, someone you can’t trust, and he’s here now like a friend. sergeant michael dodds. the son of william dodds was supposed to come and be the voice of reason, after all, a way to keep an eye on the manhattan special victims unit. but you just know him as mike.

as “mike, stop hogging all the creamer.” as “mike, i swear to god you better not lose my favorite pen.” as “mike, we’ll get him, we’ll get him.”

and you can’t ignore it, not really. not when looks get purposeful across the room, not when you find the two of you leaning into each other. touching, brushing, smiling, watching, waiting.

and you care about him. you really fucking do.

it’s a win that gets you in the end. emotions are high, and the day ends on a high note, too. you’re packing up, and mike sees you. reaches out to you, gestures to the elevator as his duffel goes over his shoulder.

“can i walk you out, detective?” he’s smiling. you smile, too. it’s easy, being with mike, and you can’t help but laugh a little at the formality. your laugh makes his smile a grin, and he shrugs. “finishing out the work day.”

“sure, sarge. i wouldn’t mind the company.”

it’s snowing, but the walk is... easy. it’s bundled up, and the two of you end up leaning against each other. shoulder to shoulder, his head leaned toward you as your laughter echoes down the sidewalk. walking out becomes walking home, and there’s nothing that either of you want to stop.

it’s snowing. snow in mike’s hair. in mike’s eyelashes. on the curve of his cheekbones. and you don’t even notice the two of you have stopped walking until his hand reaches for the crook of your elbow.

“i don’t want this walk to end,” he admits, and you look up at him with a blink. “i don’t want time with you to ever end.”

your laugh is shocked out of you. because home is still so far, and honestly, you don’t want to ever make it.

“so do something about it, mike.”

he has to bend down, and you’re pushing up. it’s sudden, but not quite a surprise. it’s a kiss with the streetlights on you, with the warmth of his breath on your nose after. and when he grins this time, you’re matching it.

peter stone -

amanda is a meddler. sonny carisi is a meddler. odafin tutuola and olivia benson are all meddlers, and you can’t believe them.

or, actually, you can. which is so much worse.

adjusting to peter stone was, in fact, an adjustment. in more ways than one. warming up to him took time, took a lot of moments where you think about the fact that he could be a lot worse.

and what makes it even more difficult is you want to hate him. you want it to be easy to ignore him. to not think about him. but you can’t. you can’t, not when he looks like that.

and amanda picks up on it, dammit. she sees the way you can barely look him in the eye, and sends you to his office anyway. and she lets you invite him out to forlini’s, and she lets you sit across from him at the table, and she nudges your leg as the two of you end up talking all night.

“you’re an enabler,” you sigh at her, when peter leaves, citing a work obligation in the morning. and she just smiles, tipping back her glass.

so you don’t know what you can really expect from the lot of them. not.. something like this. not texting you to meet them at forlini’s and then ditching the both of you. you and peter, standing at the door, looking in and seeing nary a squad member in sight.

“looks like we’ve been duped,” peter says, and you turn to look at him with a weary gaze. it says something that he can grin right now, can look at you and twist his lips up in that signature way of his. all-knowing, all-teasing. and that smirk settles in your gut, makes your own peek out.

“leave it to amanda, i suppose,” you reply. “and i was really looking forward to a drink.”

you peek back in. and then you hear peter’s voice behind you, his phone up to his ear.

“yeah, you guys got a table for two?”

he’s a smooth-talker, that’s for sure. especially when it’s just the two of you across an appetizer, the two of you with glasses of wine too big for your bank account. he makes you laugh, snort a little, and you manage to finagle a blush onto those cheeks of his. when the night is over, the two of you end up walking and talking, prolonging the evening until it can barely be called evening anymore.

it’s a park that does it. the two of you stepping over crunching leaves that makes you stop, stare.

“was this a date, peter stone?”

and his smile is sly when he stops himself, turns to you and bites his lower lip.

“might’ve been. is that okay?”

you think back on the evening. on the way that he’s looking at you right now. the way he has been all night.

“yeah, i’d say so.”

with a step towards you he grins. reaches for your hand and takes it. “how about this?”

“that’s all right, too.”

and when his other hand comes up to cup your cheek, the way the night is going is more than okay with you.

“and this?” he asks one final time, and your breath of a yes is against his lips, pulling him close so your grin presses into the way he kisses you.

-

tag list (people who might like this):

@averyhotchner // @crazyshannonigans // @joanofarkansass

[babiesdreams]

Cry for me kim dongyoung

Warnings: death of a character, blood and mentions of violence, mental health issues :]

This is part of the collab with @slightlymore

What shall define a Kingdom’s faith? If war brings hunger and death, Illness and misery, and peace is meant for the weak ones. What is the real goal of a king? Is is power? Trust? Love? Benevolence? Or is it just an infinity war for a land of nobody, while people still die from hunger? If a man cannot be trusted to make the simple task of protecting the kingdom, I shall do it instead.

“I told you a hundred times, you are not going to this war” Your father’s firm voice gets you more and more furious over time. “I don’t care what you want. I’m the future queen. I know how to fight. Let me go to war!” You order him, but he stays still, not allowing a single protest out of your mouth after he says “Take her to her room” Your furrowed brows don’t help to soften his expression nor his heart, and soon you’re yet again imprisoned in your room.

You look into the mirror, cursing over your destiny and tears start appearing in your eyes. “I will go to that bloody war” You slowly whisper to yourself. There’s truly a lot of things you could lose in there, but your father shouldn’t go by any circumstances, he barely recovered from his last injury, going to war was a clear death. And he didn’t want you to do something about it? No way. You weren’t just a princess, you were the future queen, and you were going to fight like one.

So when everyone left the castle in March, you started taking your plan to action. You made every maid of the castle gather around, making a plan together as to how you should get into war. Some of them decided to remain in the castle, one of them pretending to be you. And the rest got their armour from the castle's hidden rooms, along with sharp swords.

Months of practice were required before you could properly leave the castle. So by June, you all got the best horses and rode them across the kingdom until getting to the border with the problematic neighbour kingdom. You ride your horse with grace, hurting the enemies that got on your way. The heavy metal helmet over your head, covered your famous face from the warriors. And when you stop, right in the middle of the battlefield, you are able to notice the amount of blood that paints the ground with a scary shade of red.

You look everywhere, impatient to find your father, hopefully lost in the crowd. But he’s nowhere to be seen, making your desperation grow inside of you. Your allies keep fighting different enemies in different positions around you, which makes you kind of the center of attention, as you’re still not fighting anyone. You notice a strong presence coming your way when you hear horse steps nearby. You lift the heavy sword, easily, compared with how hard it was during your training. The sharp weapon points directly to the unknown figure.

“Have you seen the king?” You ask as low as you possibly can, trying to hide the fact that you were a woman. Your breaths get heavier as time passes by, the thought of being vulnerable in front of the enemy wasn’t really pleasant. “You mean your king?” He says, looking down at the refined decoration over your horse, with your kingdom’s colors. “Yes” You simply reply, analyzing him as well. His horse was slightly injured and the soldier’s leg was bleeding out over the white horse’s skin.

“I haven’t seen him” His tone seems somehow suspicious, but you’re not quite sure if it’s the fact that he doesn’t trust you or the fact that he indeed knew where your father was. “I see you’re injured, I won’t fight an injured man. But I won’t hesitate to fight back if you attack me” Your words come out with anger, kind of losing your manly tone, but still not as high-pitched to make it suspicious. “Let’s not harm each other then” He says, making his horse run into the crowd again.

You get off your dark skinned horse, looking into the animal’s eyes, finding comfort in them, and after a few seconds, you start running around the battlefield, in search of your father once again. It doesn’t take you a lot of time to find his body, agonizing on the ground, while the soldier you left behind minutes ago was standing right next to his body. “DAD” You shouted, running even faster towards him.

You get your helmet off your head, kneeling next to his lying figure, caressing his face, completely covered in his own blood. “Why did you come here?” He asks slowly, sounding almost as a whisper. “Why did you come? You were already sick. We- We have to take you back to the castle, If we are fast enough-” His raspy voice stops you from talking any further. “This is the end. Don’t worry about me, but the kingdom, that’s what being a queen means”

Tears fall down your cheeks, until they are stopped by his big hand, wiping them off. “Dad” You call him in between loud cries. “I love you, more than anyone” He whispers, as his eyes close slowly, losing the last bits of life in him. Your cries get louder, as you hold onto his big cold hands, giving yourself a second to process it. After a while, you get up, slowly, supporting yourself on the ground as you do, and then you lift your sword up screaming “Who killed him? Who killed the king?” Your eyes fix on the bloody ground and, this time with a lower tone you ask “Who killed my father?”

Everyone’s eyes are on you, contemplating the scene, without saying anything nor making a single sound. “I did” The tall boy in front of you says, getting his helmet off. That’s when you realize the man you spared minutes ago, the man you felt bad about, was not only the enemy’s king, but also your father’s killer. “You….” You say slowly, lifting your head, to look at Doyoung’s face, as he breathes in and out, recovering from his battle. “I’m gonna kill you” You scream, lifting your sword in his direction, but a strong arm stops you. “Let him be” Mark whispers in your ear.

Mark was your father’s bestman, always protecting him and the reason why he survived previous wars, so for you, the fact that he was defending Doyoung made no sense at all. “Why?” You ask him, starting to cry once again. “Why shouldn’t I kill him?” Your screams make the boy step back, letting you do whatever you wanted, but the moment your sword touches Doyoung’s neck, making a light cut on it, you realize how you’re unable to do it, even if you wanted to. “I’m not like you” You tell him, getting your sword off his skin.

“Let’s go home” You tell Mark, as you walk away from the scene.

Once in the castle, everything gets cleared out by Mark. “Your father wanted peace between the two kingdoms, that’s why we can’t attack them from now on” His calm voice starts explaining. “How are we gonna be in peace, he killed the king” You protest at his words.

“They don’t know that, and you two…” Something in the way he stops his sentence, scares you out. “What? We two what?” Your concerns can be noticed in the way you speak. “He ordered you two to get married” The boy says, looking down, already knowing what your reaction was gonna be like. “Married?! Are you crazy? I’m not gonna marry anyone and I won’t marry my father’s killer. There’s no way I’m doing that.”

“People don’t like to be under a woman’s control” Mark says with a low voice. “I’m the Queen, I’ve been preparing for this moment my whole life, and I don’t need to marry him or anyone to be a good Queen”

“I know that, but they don’t” Mark says slowly. You try to think of the situation, if your father ordered that, there might be a reason. But then, again, he was killed by that boy, that wasn’t a good sign. How were you gonna even appreciate him, he was so… disgusting in your eyes. And people would even expect you to have kids.

The only thing you really wanted was to make decisions about the kingdom, help people, change unfair situations, just be a good Queen, like your father taught you. But you knew how people didn’t like the way a woman could govern a whole kingdom on her own, so maybe he was right and you needed to get married in order to get what you wanted. Also, marrying him meant stopping the war in between the two kingdoms and letting soldiers rest, the economy get better, and in general help your kingdom grow.

“I’ll think about it” You tell him, before you run towards your room. You take off the last pieces of the heavy armor, and look into the big mirror in front of you, recalling the moment of your father’s death. You can’t help but be mad about him. Your father wasn’t a bad soldier, and that boy was injured, he could’ve won for sure. You sigh loudly, letting yourself fall onto your big bed. Your eyes look at the ceiling, as you keep thinking about what happened and how it happened.

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Doyoung’s horse fastly gets closer to the given position. The pact was clear, the king had to die in order to regain peace in between the two kingdoms. Since he killed Doyoung’s father in the previous war, people weren’t so happy about him, but his daughter was seen with different eyes. Everyone admired her fierce yet peaceful personality and her beautiful looks. So the king agreed on having a fake honor death, to let the kingdoms live in peace.

The young boy gets off his horse, slowly walking towards the already injured old man. “Are you sure about it?” He asks, with a low voice tone, and the old man simply nods, not fighting back to the sword’s pain. He falls onto the ground. Pain could be perceived in his eyes, as he tried his best not to scream nor cry. Doyoung kneels down next to him, and grabbing his hand he whispers “Let go, it won’t hurt as bad” But the old man’s pride was over the need for rest. A smile forms on Doyoung’s face, as in his head the image of that man turns into his own father’s last moments.

Heavy steps are heard nearby, making him stand again. When he sees that girl arrive all he can think about is the moment he found his father’s dead body, feeling compassion about the situation, he steps aside. The whole scene passes by pretty fastly, almost like the boy didn’t want to go through that at all. “Let’s go home” He whispered with a low, concerned voice to his best man, who had been watching all along, wanting to make sure he was alright, yet too scared to interrupt.

The ride home felt eternal for both of them. On one hand Doyoung couldn’t stand how Renjun checked on him as if he was some sort of sick man, unable to control his feelings. And on the other hand, the young new princess was battling over sadness and anger, getting a bittersweet sensation after her father’s death.

“So, you already love her” Renjun says, giving up on his never ending questions and letting his back rest on the carriage’s soft seat. “Where does that come from?” He asks, raising a brow to the shocked boy. “Were you even listening?” His offended voice made Doyoung’s blood boil out of anger. “I was, and you just came up to that idea out of nowhere” He defensively replies, getting his handkerchief to apply some pressure over his injury.

“I care about the kingdom Renjun, like my father did” His voice starts off sounding firm and calmed, as it was usual on him, but as the word father comes in, a sad and melancholic tone can be appreciated too. “Okay, I was just saying that your eyes soften when they look at her face” The young boy replies without a single hint of empathy for Doyoung, who simply sighs as an answer.

But it was certainly something growing inside the young King’s heart, something he hardly got to experience throughout his life. Something confusing and fascinating.

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It was finally the big day, and you couldn’t help but curse over your own name, for accepting such a simplistic and unwanted future for yourself, for letting every single drop of ambition drown and disappear in a lake of sadness. Destiny wasn’t your main belief, but certainly this wasn’t made for you.

“I’m just saying that I don’t even appreciate him, I hate that man” You scream to Guangheng, who was the butler assigned to help you prepare for the wedding, while he could also make sure that you wouldn’t run away. “It needs to be done” He replies, with a simple and emotionless voice tone, which makes you return to reality, realize why you were doing this and how you needed to go along with it.

“Hey” Mark enters the room, instantly noticing the heavy atmosphere and comprehending the situation. “Hey, look if you don’t want to do this it’s fine, we can always run away right?” He looks at you for reaffirmation but all he gets is a sad look. “Right?” He repeats, looking at the serious butler now, who replies with a deadly glare that speaks on its own. “You guys are really no fun at all. Look most of the queens marry the old ugly king and get some affairs right after, you got a young decent looking man, I wouldn’t protest if I were you” His words get inside your head, making you mad at him, maybe just projecting the anger you felt about yourself onto someone else, to make the guilt fly away for a second.

“Then be me” You simply reply grabbing your crown and placing it over the boy’s head. Remember the make the guilt fly away thing? Well, it didn’t work.

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“Yes I do” Doyoung’s eyes were truly filled with that something that only Renjun could notice, the way he looked at the girl wasn’t usual on the young king, but for those, who weren’t used to being around him it could be impossible to notice. “Yes I do” The contrast in the girl’s voice, body language and expression, were enough to tell apart the difference between who was being forced to get married and who wasn’t.

The wedding went on as usual royal weddings do, a lot of celebration and happiness, from everyone except the married couple. But the spacious garden of the queen’s castle was lonely enough for her to think and get a break from acting happy. You see, there’s sometimes that sorrow can’t be completely buried under a fake smile. And that’s what the queen was going through, even if she thought the king wouldn’t notice the way her eyes were full of tears, that wasn’t enough to fool him.

She was sitting on an old looking swing, decorated with all sorts of flowers, making it look like another branch of the big old tree it was hanging on. “Do you come here often?” Doyoung’s voice in the distance is the last thing that the girl wanted to hear, since all she was seeking at the moment was peace and silence.

“Go away please” Her forced voice whispers, and even if it’s the softest kind of sound that you could possibly imagine, the boy hears it as clear as if it was his own thoughts, but still he pretends like he didn’t, just to have an excuse to get closer to the girl that he could now call his wife. “That corset might hurt” He points out when he notices the restrictive piece of clothing on the girl’s white dress. “It does, but I can’t take it off” She replies, fixing her sight away from the boy, since every look inside his dark eyes made her blood boil.

“May I?” The boy asks, almost touching the girl’s corset laces. “Sure” She simply replies, making the boy’s fingertips grab the laces carefully as his skillful hands were unmaking the tight hold of the said corset. He tied it in a way that it still looked somehow tight but without the pressure that it implied. “Are you used to working with corsets?” The girl asks with an ironic tone, hiding her genuine curiosity.

“My mother taught me how to tie and untie them” His gentle voice replies, as he sits on the ground, full of soft flowers that almost feel like sitting over a cloud. “Have you worn them?” She asks, turning her head slightly, not enough to look at him, but definitely enough to let him see her face. “I did. It’s a nice protection from swords” His words were genuine, but it sounded unreal.

“You’re telling me that you’ve worn corsets for fights?” The girl asks, with a noticeable doubt tone to her sentence, provoking the boy to chuckle as he nods. Doyoung’s gentle hands slowly lift his shirt, revealing a white corset tied even tighter than the girl’s one. “Oh” The girl just says processing the unusual situation.

After a short but painfully awkward silence, both laugh nervously. “I’m sorry about your dad” Doyoung says with a serious and low voice tone which completely breaks the peaceful atmosphere. “Wow, you really are incredible” The girl says, standing up from the swing and walking away, without letting him protest for a single second.

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You start running only when you’re sure he can’t see you anymore. Tears keep falling down your cheeks as you repeat to yourself how stupid you have been, by letting the idea of the young king being good to appear in your brain. You were by the lake, sitting on the soft grass as your now bare feet touched the freezing water, provoking goosebumps to run all over your body.

“He’s not that bad” Mark’s voice sounded in the distance and you instantly stopped crying, not wanting him to see you being vulnerable. “I don’t care about what my dad said, nor what people think of me. I don’t need a man and I certainly don’t need him” Your voice is firm and steady, not hesitating about the words that have been on your mind for quite a long time now.

“Well it’s too late to say that, don’t you think?” Mark sits next to you, getting his expensive looking shoes off so that he could feel the cold water as well. “Don’t you think people will pity a sad widow?” You ask, finally looking at the boy’s face. His eyes fix on yours, processing what you just said. “You know you could never kill him” His soft voice whispers, as he looks down to the grass.

Your hand looks for the bottle you’ve been working on for the past months, showing it off to him. Mark looks at the glass bottle, and its black content, laughing right away. “If the thought of it makes you feel better, you can work on poison for years, but you know you’re not that type of person”

“But what if I am? What if I want to avenge my father? Can’t I?” The emotions in your voice are more than noticeable, nobody expected you to act like nothing happened, so there’s no surprise in Mark’s eyes when he notices tears filling your eyes. His hand cups your cheek softly, caressing your soft skin in slow motions. “You don’t need to go through this alone” He whispers, getting closer to you as he does.

“I wish we could be kids again” You say, sniffing as you try to get your tears out of the way. “Okay, what if” He says, smiling at his sudden thoughts. “What if?” You ask intriguedly, looking at the boys eyes directly. “What if we act like we did when we were kids, just today, and then we go back to our boring adult lives” You smile at his idea. “Just today” You repeat, grabbing his hand, still on your right cheek and once more, the boy repeats “Just today”

You stand up, untying the knot Doyoung previously left on your corset. Slowly you get the different pieces of clothing off you until you are just in your underwear and just then, you jump into the lake. The freezing water feels somehow warmer, as your body is filled with adrenaline. Shortly after you feel the big splash of water when Mark jumps in, swimming closer to you. “It used to be warmer back then” The boy says shivering because of how cold it was. You laugh at his cute reaction to the lake’s water. “It’s winter you dummy, of course it’s colder” You say, patting his head, as if it would warm him.

“How come you are not cold?” His cute voice asks, almost like a whisper, but this time it’s not because he wanted to, but because he really couldn’t talk louder. You grab his shoulders and pull him closer to you, giving him a hug to help him warm up. His arms grab your waist, pulling you even closer and, slowly he begins to understand the nature of your warmth.

As kids you two would always play around, train, fight, swim, jump, run, but now you were forced to stay in the palace, put on corsets, smile, and “act like a queen” this jump, even the party was the most exciting thing you’ve done since the war finished. His hug tightens, as he thinks about what you had to go through, how you had to forget who you were, and what you loved for something you didn’t even ask for. “Are you okay?” You ask him, feeling how his body stopped shivering a few minutes ago.

“I am” He whispers, caressing your hair with his hand. “You know, I’ve always loved your hair” You laugh nervously, not understanding what’s gotten into the boy. “When we were kids you said it was your pride, and you never let anybody cut it, or touch it”

“You’re right” You say slowly, remembering how you used to be in those times. “And you always tried to touch it, just to make me mad” You add, smiling at the innocent memories. “Until the day you let me” He pulls off the hug slowly, as he looks at your face cupping your cheek with his cold hand. “I hope that the king earns to touch it as much as I did” You smile, getting closer to him. “He will never be like you” You say and the boy only replies with a kiss on your forehead, before he swims away, and gets out of the lake.

“You better get dressed before someone undesirable passes by” He says and, after a second he walks away.

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It was a mix of feelings, a really confusing one. Watching from the distance truly felt like something wrong to be doing, but the way she smiles, has fun, the way she looks at him… That’s all Doyoung was seeking for. It was strange to feel this way for a girl he barely knew, but deep inside he felt like he had known her for his whole life, and having the dramatic story in between them seemed like an unfortunate and cruel destiny.

But when the boy’s hand rests on the girl’s cheek, it is too much for the young king to handle. His blood was boiling from jealousy so he decided to let it go and walk into the party again. The girl’s palace was really different from what he was used to. The boy always lived in his dark Gothic castle that looked more like a giant empty cathedral, always with a lot of rules to follow and ridiculous restrictions to one’s behaviour. But this castle was light, colorful, and you could feel the freedom within every step you took over the marble floor.

Doyoung gets lost in the feeling of that unusual freedom that could have overwhelmed the strongest person in the world, but a gentle touch of a familiar hand, wakes him up from his trance. “How is your married life going?” Renjun asks with a soft yet deep voice, making sure that the question wouldn’t sound too harsh or personal.

“It’s hard to tell a difference, when we barely talk to each other” The boy replies, getting one of the numerous glasses filled with an unknown alcoholic beverage that he took in in a single gulp. “She’s a hard girl to get” The innocent boy replies and immediately Doyoung’s hand is over the boys neck, warning him as he slowly says “Don’t you dare talk shit about her in my presence”

“Calm down” Renjun whispers, taking the older’s hand off his own neck. The looks that both of them exchange is enough for them to communicate to each other how they feel in that exact moment.

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The cold sensation of the water was fastly replaced with a warm one as your body entered the hot bath water, full of rose petals and bubbles. You wouldn’t normally take a bath, since just a shower seemed more than enough for you, but this was on the castle maids, and you couldn’t refuse a special gift like that.

The bathroom was positioned right next to the shared bedroom so when Doyoung entered after the party was over, you could perfectly hear him. In your mind, your plan was already plotting itself, you could try to be nice and offer him a cup of tea with a few drops of poison and after that, the throne would be all yours, no king, no limits, just you. So you, excited for the plan, got out of the bathtub, slowly drying your body with a soft white towel.

The moment you got out of the bathroom, you could feel it in his eyes, the way he stared at you, he was suspecting something from you for sure. “Would you like a cup of tea?” You sweetly ask and he simply hums as a reply. You were now pouring the boiling water over the leaf pieces, making a scented steam go everywhere around the house. You made sure to pour just enough poison to kill him without making it obvious that you did.

He grabs the cup with two fingers, trying his best not to burn himself in the process. “Under any other circumstances I would have let you do this. But I have a promise to keep, therefore, I won’t drink your poison, hope you understand” His sweet soft voice says, as he walks into the bathroom, spilling the tea on the sink. You look at him, both confused and surprised.

“Why aren’t you angry?” You whisper, almost as if you didn’t want him to hear you. “Because I would have done the same thing if I were you” The boy clears out. You can only find yourself speechless, as you watch his body disappearing through the big doors. “I will sleep in another room, until you want to share a bed” He says just before the doors close.

Heavy breathing isn’t new for you, but this time, it feels like you are not breathing at all, your chest hurts, your head gets dizzy and the world gets blurry. You try your best to breathe normally, but all you can really do is cry yourself to sleep. You almost killed a man, the man you married, just to get more power for your own, and you still wanted to think that you were all about satisfying people’s needs.

Dreams are a weird thing to describe and so are nightmares, but it’s obvious you’re in one when monsters appear, or when someone who is dead, is still alive.

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A scream wakes the young king up, and as soon as he identifies who it comes from, he gets even more worried than he already was from the initial shock. He gets his sword and runs over to the big bedroom where the queen was resting, and when he opens the door he finds her bleeding and crying loudly.

He sits next to her before even making sure there’s nobody else in the room. He tries to calm her down, while he makes sure the injury on her dorsal is only a superficial cut and nothing to be worried about. “Hey, hey look at me, everything is fine, okay?” He cuts his shirt off, tying the fabric around the wound to stop the blood from coming out. His hands rest now on the girl’s cheeks, carefully caressing her soft skin.

His firm grip on the queen’s face forces her to look into his dark hypnotizing eyes. Tears slowly drop from her eyes, making two small waterfalls to form on her cheeks. “Who did this?” Doyoung asks and she can only cry harder as she gets into a warm tight hug from the boy.

The situation is still unclear a couple of hours later, now having the whole castle workers in the room makes it look far more serious. Of course, an attempt of killing the queen was a serious topic, but the dense atmosphere created by all the different eyes focused on the queen’s stomach was pretty much useless, except for the anxiety growing up inside the girl’s head.

Yet everyone left with the firm words of the new king, who made sure nobody except him and the queen were now in the room. The cut stopped bleeding almost completely by now and just the look in his eyes could ask the question without the need of words, but he asked it anyway “Who did this?”

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Words come and go in your mind and there’s no actual way to focus on something to understand what’s going on or what people are saying, but his voice, you hear his voice clear and loud, as if it was the only sound in the world. “Who did this?”

But that was not a question you could properly answer. There was no right answer since the root of the problem was nobody’s fault. Yet the carrier of the knife had a name, and that name was yours. So you decide to stay silent and show him the knife you were still holding in your hands.

“I’m sorry” was the only thing you managed to say to the confused looking boy. He didn’t question it tho. He, instead, decided he would protect you in a way you were far from understanding. But let’s not anticipate events.

His body laid right next to yours, his large hands, were posed over your injured stomach, making it feel better. Making you feel safe. But the constant reminder of the moment you went out of control, the moment you harmed yourself without being able to stop it nor control it in any way kept haunting you.

But every thought you had, disappeared with the sound of his voice, his sweet and lovely voice as he started singing an old lullaby. It seemed effortless but, at the same time, he was hitting all the right notes. And just like that the sweet and calmed melody made you fall asleep instantly.

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There isn’t a real connection between strangers, but enemies just have that undertone added to their lore that seems almost right to fall in love with each other. That’s the reason for the thought that enemies and lovers are such similar concepts. Both have that dramatically intense feeling to it. And that’s how the queen felt.

A man that she could’ve been happy to see dead was gently caressing her hair in an empty bedroom with such a romantic atmosphere and she was in fact feeling it. Doyoung, on the other hand, he felt completely different. Since he was a little boy he had been told how the enemies could never be trusted and how he should fight to death for his kingdom.

But for the boy, the idea of hating that peaceful looking girl, as she fell asleep on his lap to the sound of his voice, was something he could’ve never done. He always imagined how he would marry someone like her when he was a kid. But he wasn’t fully conscious of the responsibility that it all implied. It is hard for someone who hardly ever socialized to get into a romantic relationship. And he realized in the moment that he noticed she was a human, who makes mistakes and has stuff to deal with, just like him, just like everyone.

It’s a weird thing to think about when you are lonely, but being next to someone isn’t always like we all imagine, and certainly Doyoung had never thought of it that way. We all picture our perfect partner to be there at all times, to have a perfect life and to be able to listen to our concerns but love is far away from that concept. The level of complexibility implied can be at times suffocating.

But the good part about it is that the boy truly loved her, and there was nothing that could make him feel differently. Therefore his gentle long fingers kept on caressing the soft skin of the girl’s face until he helplessly fell asleep as well.

The morning light brought with it a nice and warm feeling as the sunlight rested gently over the couple. Doyoung was quick to wake up as he was used to strict schedules. His first thought that morning was about the posture he fell asleep to, with the girl on his arms, kind of compromising him and making him hesitate to move. And even with the awkwardness that it implied, he couldn't hide his smile.

Masterlist –requests open–

[not-close-to-straight]

FATWS Episode 4

I’m finally fucking getting time to watch this thing. 

Dramatic reactions, incoherent ramblings and spoilers under the cut. 

Right off the bat I’m feeling like the only thing I really remember about Episode Three is vaguely not trusting Sharon Carter. I’m really supposed to believe Peggy Carters Niecey, defender of Captain America and dismantler of Hydra really is selling stolen art in Madripoor? Seems fake, but okay. 

Let’s get into it. 

Have I mentioned I love Karli’s freckles? Her hair and her freckles kill me, I never understood people who don’t think freckles are cute. They are actual dots of delightfulness

AYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AYO AYO AYO She is so ridiculously beautiful wtf. I’m shaving my head TOMORROW so I can be half as amazing as her. 

Wait is this a Wakanda flashback? Six years ago... ohhhh look at my goatherder Jesus Bucky, let that baby rest. WHY IS SHE SAYING THE WORDS? LOOK AT HIS EYES PLEASE STOP. This is hurting my soul. Oh god homecoming, and it’s the moment he knew Steve. Oh the tears, I can’t. I CAN’T. “You are free” I’m already crying and it’s been 1.2 minutes. 

Damn right the White Man doesn’t understand anything of their loss and shame. LISTEN TO BUCKY SPEAK WAKANDAN. I LOVE IT. Urgh she’s so beautiful. Her murder strut is impeccable. I’m in love and I’m swoooooooning. 

“It was sweet of you to defend me” Zemo take ten to twenty percent off the top there, This isn’t a date.

Hey, I feel like I don’t love that they refer to Karli as “Karli”. If she was a man, it would be Last Name Basis. “She’s a kid” “she’s a supremacist.” hmmm seeing a parallel between Wanda and Karli and the way they were treated. “She’s a kid?” She’s actually ridiculously powerful but thanks for that. (no Wanda hate here, just pointing it out) 

“My TT” ITS HIS AUNTIE BUCKY YOU’D KNOW THIS IF YOU WERE EVER INVITED TO THE COOKOUT 

Uh Zemo, maybe we don’t be the creepy guy in the coat offering children candy. I mean, the tactic worked but you could literally not be creepier right now.  Honestly I don’t know why I’m so surprised he’s keeping the Donya thing from them, duh he’s a villain, but I’m still surprised?? The sugar daddy role got me FOOLED

Sam being the one that understands what it means to be fighting to be on the other side of the “barbed wire fences” is so sad. 

BUCKY’S MAD. Sam has something against head tilts, that’s so funny to me for some reason. I DON’T TRUST SHARON. 

Why do I smell some foreshadowing with Karli’s talk about destroying the shield and how it’s a relic of a bygone era and a symbol of everyone that was left out

“take it easy before it gets weird” SAM. 

John Walker literally looks more sketchy every time we see him. Also, if you can’t say “son, just don’t” and everyone stops in their tracks, you are NOT Captain America. Its worrying me that Battlestar (battleship? lmaoooo) is starting to side with BuckySam because if there’s one thing literally every movie has taught me, it’s that the person who switches sides ends up dead and if I have to watch a POC first be relegated to sidekick and then killed I might actually riot

It’s so good to see Sam being Counselor!Sam. I think that gets so overlooked with him and I think it’s one of the most defining traits of his character. He’s not just a soldier, he’s not just brave, he’s seen the loss and he knows the struggle and he chose to help others through it while also being equally willing to suit back up and save the world. 

“Don’t patronize me” stop acting like a damn child. Why is John so twitchy, I don’t like it. OH is he really gonna say “this is easy for you, all this serum running through your veins” as if Bucky had a say in anything about in his life beyond Azzano. 

GET HIM BITCH punch his raggedy ass! 

Oh look at Bucky jumping, Winter Soldier, more like Winter Squirrel PARKOUR. Goddamn Zemo with his gun, oh no look at all that super soldier serum! I mean, you have to commend the guy for never wavering from his path. JOHN WALKER AND THE SERUM! It’s supposed to amplify what’s in your heart?? AND HE SUCKS OH NO. 

The power broker texts her “little girl” that’s so gross. 

“Separate them and kill Captain America” three months ago I would have howled at that line, now I’m like...meh. 

Sam wouldn’t have taken the serum-- not surprising. He’s a good man all by himself. No serum needed. Have you seen those arms? Actual Cannons of Freedom and Justice. “What about bucky” I love that he’s thinking about Bucky. Someone please protect these boys. 

Aw Bucky baby you’re not crazy. It’s funny to see him drink cos he definitely can’t get drunk. It’s the equivalent of some diva drinking a white wine spritzer. 

WHY IS JOHN WALKER BACK. 

THERE’S MY WOMEN OH MY GOD I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE EXCITED IN MY LIFE. Do not shake her hand. John Walker, she will bite your hand off. Pointy Sticks, the Dora Milaje have jurisdiction wherever they want OMG HE TOUCHED HER omg. Look at Zemo sipping his drink LOOKING STRONG JOHN I CANNOT I CANNOT.

“Lets talk about this” Bucky is so calm. Bye bye Zemo. Oh GET it Sam with those fancy moves. 

...what just happened with Bucky’s arm. what just happened. “James” oh man waht does that mean?! Has Wakanda left him? Has he dishonored Them? My brain is moving too fast for this. 

I would like to have a moment of silence for John Walkers ego because he, a White Man (tm) and Solder (tm) and American (tm) just got his shit actually handed to him by a Black woman and he sat there and tried to more her “pointy stick” and couldn’t and then she full on did the shield kick thing while he sat on the ground and looked up at her and you know what? i think that’s very sexy of her, I will be watching this scene on repeat for the next hundred years wtf. 

Also ALSO? This is it. This is the moment where The Man (tm) can’t handle being beat so he goes and does something stupid, this is it, isn’t it? The Man Pain he just can’t tolerate? 

Oh my god Bucky’s face with his arm. I mean, it makes sense his arm would come off but to have himself literally disarmed (get it) in a fight is so... I mean it’s violating in a way, and its almost a betrayal as well but at the same time maaaaaaybe it’s a relief? Maybe its a relief to know he doesn’t always have to be a Soldier, he can take the arm off and just be Bucky?? 

Also I had to pause the show to write about this because my hand cramped up from trying to type too fast ughhh

Back into it 

ARM PORN NOISES I LOVE THEM

Whats an El Chapo? Oh wait, I figured it out. 

I love Lemar’s voice. He’s so confident talking about the serum but lets be perfectly honest, Karli Morgenthau and Steve Rogers are basically the same person a hundred years apart. If you don’t think Steve Rogers would have singlehandedly led a revolt against a world government he thought was wrong, you are 100% incorrect. Not that I think he wouldn’t have resorted to bombings etc, but also... that sort of life does awful things to people. 

WHY IS SHE CALLING SARAH. “My world doesn’t matter to America” oh sweetheart, I feel that in my soul. Sarah knows who Sam is. She knows he’s not working for John Walker. This is the first time I’ve been anti-Karli. I know she’s desperate but you don’t threaten someones babies. 

HEY LOOK THERE’S ME NOT TRUSTING SHARON AGAIN

It actually makes me angry to even see Walker carrying the shield like that. I’m aware it’s an overreaction, but your honor, I hate him. 

...Lemar? 

Don’t make me watch a POC die for some White Man’s story arc, don’t do that. 

Oh. Shit. 

Sam do something. SAM DO SOMETHING. HE’S NOT GOOD SAM! 

My god do I love watching Bucky fight. Those Kicks of Vengeance will never get old. CAW CAW MOTHERFUCKER use them wings Sam. 

Oh Hoskins is okay. Alright. 

Bucky with the good knives, I LOVE HIM. The fight scenes are always so well coordinated in WS. We see you definitely not killing when you absolutely could. 

OH FUCK HOSKINS WHAT THE FUCK I THOUGHT WE WEREN’T GOING TO DO THIS WHAT THE FUCK

...this makes me so mad wtf. We couldn’t have done this journey without pointlessly sacrificing a POC? No? Have to drag that trope out? Gonna make me watch another Black man be killed just so the White Guy can move his story forward. 

oh shit Walker is MAD. 

Fuck he just-- he just murdered someone with Steve’s shield. he just MURDERED SOMEONE WITH THE SHIELD AND EVERYONE WAS WATCHING. 

And look at him, he feels no remorse. He feels perfectly justified. He is DARING them to say something to him. He is America (tm) brutally silencing protests and rebellions and taking his own issues out on people he feels disrespect him and you can’t tell him he’s wrong because he can justify every drop of blood by making it about how he felt “they beat me and they weren’t even super soldiers. they disobeyed me. they should have listened to me. they killed my friend.”

I keep hearing preserum Steve saying “I don’t like bullies” and then imagining him beating the shit out of Walker. 

...That visual of the shield with blood on it... it’s so... shocking isn’t even the right word. Horrifying. Its horrifying.  

I don’t even know what to say. 

This episode was a whiplash. The writers of this series need to be commended. Also the stunt men and the fight choreographers. Fucking kudos, and now I need a stiff drink and a good cry because this episode took it OUT of me. 

[gatheringbones]

hey bones I'm a femme lesbian but i feel like I'm not entirely a woman idk how to explain like i feel like a funhouse mirror version of a lady but I don't think I'm nonbinary as well bc only certain gendered terms (like queen) make me flinch from them but not others? idk what to do, do you have any recommended reading to figure this out?? i live in a v homophobic country and don't know any other lesbian irl to talk about this

I don’t necessarily want to recommend reading certain materials that would give you the definite, clear-cut, completely unambiguous example of what you’re looking for (even though Joan Nestle’s work in particular jumps out at me as having very much to say about lesbian and femme especially as their own genders) because I find myself questioning the efficacy of simply handing you a citation and saying “See? There you are in your entirety. Somebody figured it all out for you thirty years ago and it’s all in here, problem solved.” I don’t think that’s possible, frankly; I think there are still pieces of you that won’t line up exactly, especially considering the cultural differences and societal pressures you face that directly inform how you interact with gender and history and desire and presentation, and that not lining up is still going to feel lonely and uncomfortable and potentially forbidden for you.

What I would like to offer you instead, if I can scrounge the words together, is that no matter what you read, you’re going to find examples of people who had absolutely no language or theory or analysis surrounding who or what they are, and how those common those accounts are in the historical and literary record. I would point towards people from historical periods who when presented with the current definitions of what a lesbian for sure was and wasn’t, promptly said “ah, no thank you” and trailblazed into territories of gender so forbidden it barred them from taking part in wider lesbian culture as it was defined and defended at the time. People who grew up very rural, or very working class, or both, people from below the poverty line, people with different racial backgrounds; all sorts of people whose class and racial backgrounds do not remotely line up with white, upper-class, academic cis-feminism, whose language has always been inadequate at describing how much diversity of experience there is with people who choose to interact with the lesbian label. I would want to point you towards people who did it wrong, in other words, who were the thing that you feel isn’t permissible within the current language system that’s been approved for lesbianism, and who carried on being that thing despite the vocal and enthusiastic presence of a great many people who saw lesbianism as a crumbling fortress beset on all sides by tainted invaders.

Joan Nestle’s great for this, but so is Leslie Feinberg— wordlessness and ambiguity and the freedom you can find in both runs all throughout hir work, and you can find echoes of that trickster strength in all kinds of authors— Amy Fox, Audre Lorde, Sinclair Sexsmith, Tristen Taormino, Rae Spoon, Ivan Coyote. Ivan’s also who I turn to when I want to read someone who grew up in the backcountry with no theory because that’s me; I didn’t grow up in a city with visible gay people, I grew up with no electricity or running water in a shack with crazy people who were very vocal about performing violence on anyone who so much as resembled a homosexual, and I grew into a gender and sexuality shaped by my trauma and disembodiment and the kind of searing rural loneliness that only people who lived it are going to be able to empathize with. Right now I’m thinking about the story from Bushfire I read that’s set at a secret Black lesbian house party in the south where there’s so much conversation and vernacular happening and the moments of sexuality are so bewilderingly presented that you can’t tell what anybody necessarily is only that it’s wonderfully unlikely that any of this is happening at all. I’m thinking about Larry Mitchell and The Faggots and Their Friends In Between Revolutions and how much of that book has to do with intentionally fucking with categories in order to subvert patriarchal control. (“The faggots and their friends and the women who love women can keep the men off balance for a long time by subtly, but continually, changing their identities. The men who are in charge of controlling it all find it difficult always to know how many of each kind there are, and who they are. Each group can grow and shrink as the men’s changing ferociousness demands.”) I’m also thinking about Jeanne Cordova writing in anguish about having to cut the chains off of her boots because the lesbian feminist scene she was involved with said they were “male-identified” and therefore forbidden. I’m thinking about the white woman at the Womyn’s festival in Minnie Bruce Patt’s S/he who pokes one of her companions in the chest and accuses them of having “boy energy” and that they need to leave immediately, and of Leslie Feinberg turning to them and asking her to decide right then and there what gender ze is and whether or not ze should be kicked out as well. (“You turn to the angry woman and ask quietly, “What about me? Do I have male energy? Am I a woman or a man?” She pauses, taken aback, and finally says, “I don’t want to talk about each person...” You reply, “But you do want someone to decide. You want someone to judge, and us to submit to judgement. So tell me, am I a man or a woman? Tell me how you can decide? The woman falls completely silent, all of us sit silent. She does not answer. She walks away.”) I’m thinking of ambiguousness as a defense mechanism and a weapon all in one, because people do all sorts of things when presented with ambiguousness that tell you exactly who they are, and people who can co-exist with and honor ambiguousness are incredibly rare. I think that feeling like a funhouse mirror of a woman is only dangerous in spaces where ambiguity and exploration aren’t allowed, where it isn’t safe because of the presence of people who find more meaning and comfort and safety in mapped categories than they do in the lived experience of gender outlaws. I think they’re delusional and brittle and authoritarian and that Larry had them pegged exactly right. I want to invite you, if at all possible, to see your status as both incredibly common and a gift.

Will you run across something that seems to describe you word for word and fills you with joy and certainty? It’s more than possible; lesbians are a prolific bunch and the more you keep tracking down and reading the more likely you’ll come across something exactly like that. But if you don’t? if it’s a lifelong search, or more like an ongoing conversation between you and other members of your community, throughout history and person-to-person? that’s even more likely, that seems like what we’re all doing. And if you end up being your own weird thing, to the point where some For Real Lesbian points at you and shouts that you’re undermining and betraying the very concept of lesbianism? you’ve made it baby! You’re in such good company!

[mysingularitybts]

Glances a Jung Hoseok One-Shot

Pairing: Jung Hoseok x famous!reader

Genre: romance

Warnings: smut

Part 1

Part 2 

As soon as I got home I let out a deep sigh. What had just happened? How can a person affect me this way? I have dated in the past and none have ever made me feel this flustered and out of control.

I decided to go to bed since it was late and tomorrow I had to go to the studio, yet when I closed my eyes instead of darkness greeting me it was his sharp eyes staring deeply at me. It was the smirk he threw me all night and it was the heat I felt when we came into contact.

I couldn't keep this to myself or I would drive myself crazy. So, I did the only reasonable thing... I called Nari, my best friend. The phone rang many times and just as I was about to give up hope Nari's groggy voice greeted me.

"What Y/n?" she grumbled into the phone.

"Something happened and I don't know what to do about it," I answered desperately

"Are you okay? Where are you?" she worriedly asked.

"Yes, I'm okay. Well, kinda. I'm home" I huffed into the phone.

"Y/n, you are worrying me," she told me. I felt her bedsheets ruffle as she got up.

"I met BTS," I let out as if it was the most tragic thing ever.

"Really?! That's great!" she exclaimed, ignoring my tone.

"I'm not finished,"

"What... don't tell me you hooked up with one of them?! Who was it?" she then again yelled into the phone.

"None of that," I answered, rubbing my tired eyes out of frustration.

"Damn it y/n just tell me already!" Nari fumed.

That's how I spent almost an hour recalling what happened in the past 12 hours. As I told the story Nari would release oh's and ah's. I think she thought for a second my life was a drama.

"So, what do you think?" I asked hoping to get some advice out of my best friend.

"Holy shit that was intense," she exclaimed. I just hummed at her reaction.

"I can't get him out of my head," I whined, throwing myself face down on the bed.

"Sadly I can't help you that much. The only thing you can do is wait for him to ask you on that date which I guess should be soon," she tried reasoning with me.

"How do you know?"

"He will want to go out with you before he leaves LA, duh," she explained simply.

"You're right, you are so smart," I said as she let out a noise agreeing, "I'll try to sleep now, goodnight!"

"Night!"

I tried to sleep once more, but this time I was so exhausted physically and emotionally that I fell asleep in a few moments not allowing the rapper's actions to haunt me.

The next day I felt a lot better and had a better grip on my emotions. I went to the studio and had some recording done. I also got some writing done having found some inspiration on the dark-haired man.

At around noon I went out for lunch with Carly. Stepping into the studio a huge flower arrangement greeted me. It was very colorful making me suspect who it was from. Carly just looked at me with a raised eyebrow waiting for an explanation.

I ignored her as I searched for a card to confirm my suspicion. I found it between the many flowers I quickly took and read through it a smile forming on my face.

'Sweetheart,

Would you do me the honors of having dinner with me at 8?'

-Hoseok

Xxx-xxx-xxxx'

Not wasting a single minute I searched for my phone and typed a simple message

'Yes ❤️ - y/n'

He answered very rapidly with a message of his own.

'I'm so happy to hear that sweetheart. I'll pick you up."

I made sure to send him my address when a chuckle behind me startled me.

"Huh?" I dumbly said.

"Who's got you blushing?" Carly asked accusatorily at me.

"Nooo oneeee," I said innocently.

"Is it one of BTS?" she asked knowingly.

"How did you know?" I asked, baffled at her guess.

"Nobody else caught your attention yesterday, honey," she explained.

"Yeah, it's J-hope," I answered, playing with my fingers hoping she wouldn't scold me.

"Okay, just be careful, okay?" She said with a supporting smile, "I'm not saying they're bad, but they are very busy guys and you also have your career to be worried about."

"...I know I'm just hoping for the best,"

"Let me know where you'll be so I can give a fake lead to the paparazzi. I don't want them bothering you today and spreading fake rumors,"

"THANK YOU SO MUCH CARLY I LOVE YOU SO SO SO MUCH," I squealed in her ear as I gave her a huge hug.

This is why I loved Carly. She always gave me the freedom to explore. Even if it came with a hundred warnings. I knew it was because she cared about me.

Going back to work I tried to rush through it so I could go home earlier. Seeing my rush Carly just told me to leave and go enjoy my date. I didn't question as I picked up my stuff and almost ran out the door.

Once home I had a bath and made sure to exfoliate my skin so it was silky smooth. Having some extra time I put on a face mask so my skin was also on point. I was going the extra mile to impress Hoseok.

At around 5 I began doing my hair and makeup. I opted for straightening my hair making it look shiny and long, I took the two front strands and tucked them behind my ears. For the makeup, I did a soft, neutral, glam look with a red lip. Then the hard part came...choosing what to wear.

I remembered he mentioned we were going to a restaurant so I began searching for a dress.

I picked a black silky dress. It reached my mid-thigh, had an open back, and only showed a bit of cleavage in front. Looking at myself in the mirror I looked hot!

At exactly 8 PM my doorbell rang. I went down and opened the door to see a very handsome looking Hoseok in a black suit and a white button-up. The first few buttons of it undone.

"Hey," Hoseok greeted me as I opened the door.

"Hi," I shyly said, noticing how his eyes took in what I was wearing.

"You look stunning," he complimented not missing to shoot me a grin. l

"Thank you," I said, not knowing how to proceed my nerves taking the best of me.

"Ready to go?" He asked, offering me his ringed hand.

"Definitely," I answered, placing my palm in his embracing the warmth he emitted.

The first minute of the car ride was a bit awkward, but it quickly dissipated as we began talking about our day. Once we got to the restaurant we had a full conversation going.

He brought me to a very notorious restaurant in LA. It was known in the industry as the restaurant to go if you wanted a bit of privacy since it had many entrances and even though it had lots of windows you could see inside without actually being inside.

Tonight there were no paparazzi outside, thanks to Carly I believe, so we used the main entrance. Once inside the waiter quickly led us to a table and gave us the menu. After taking our order our conversation resumed.

"Nari and I used to get into so much trouble and we didn't even do anything horrible. We would always just prank her brother," I laughed remembering the old days, "He used to be a cry baby and that's what got us in trouble."

"Poor boy with two crazy girls torturing him," Hoseok teased chuckling at my memory.

"We didn't torture him! It was like a competition we had to see who could make him cry first," I tried defending myself but realized Nari and I were a bit cruel to six-year-old Youngjin.

"I remember when we were still trainees we did something similar with Jungkook," Hoseok said trying to recall the memory, "Sometimes he'd be upset and we'd simply say 'You're going to cry?' and it was like a trigger."

"You see it's fun!" I exclaimed giggling.

Somehow as the night went on his hand found mine at the table. He held it delicately, his hands were soft and warm, his rings in contrast were freezing.

"How is your album going?" He curiously asked, changing the subject.

"It's getting there... There are still a few songs missing and I'm working with some other ones to make them better. Hopefully, by next year it will be released," I uncertainly said, "This album is a bit more complicated since I'm trying to explore a new sound," I explained.

He just nodded his head letting me talk. I loved that he would just listen to what I had to say now and then adding to it or giving me his advice. We had a good conversation and I got to know him on a more personal level. He was a bright guy always looking for the positives whose smile made you smile. He was so supportive too and whenever he talked about his work you could sense the passion going out of his pores.

The night went in a blur and dessert soon came. He took me by surprise as he fed me some of it and then cleaned my bottom lip with his thumb as some chocolate was left behind. It was both sexy and sweet.

When we finished eating we went up to a little terrace in the building where you could see the view of LA and all of its twinkling lights. We stood there looking out at the view, it was peaceful.

I heard him clear his throat and call my name, "Y/n?"

"Yes?" I asked turning to look at him.

He looked nervous standing there playing with the rings on his finger. He looked hesitant so I extended my hand to hold his and reassure him.

"I am so glad you agreed to the date," he began saying his eyes on the floor, "When I met you I didn't expect to feel such a great connection to you."

"I'm glad I wasn't the only one that felt it," I told him softly.

Feeling more confident he raised his eyes to mine, "Even though we haven't known each other for a long time I find myself caring about you a lot and I can't seem to get you outta my head. I would really like to keep seeing you and I know it might not be so easy with me being on tour and you with your work, but I would really like to try..."

I stood there shocked. I hadn't expected him to reveal his feelings so rapidly, but I also understood why he did it. If he didn't do it now then when? Our lives are so hectic you don't know when the next time you'll see a person will be, so, you need to hold tight to them.

"If you don't want to, I'll respect that, but please think about it," he finished saying at my lack of response.

He gave me a defeated look as I didn't respond immediately or even after a few seconds. I was trying to organize my thoughts, if there was one thing I was sure of it was that I didn't want to let him go.

"I don't have to think about it," I said, squeezing his hand, "I would love to keep seeing you. After all, you've made me feel things I never thought I could feel."

At my confession, Hoseok's eyes regain that spark that was unique to him.

With his confidence returning he asked, "Does that mean you would like to give this a try and be my girlfriend?"

"I would love too," I excitedly giggled.

Facing him, I briefly looked down at our hands. His thumb lightly brushed against my skin and I smiled as he pulled me closer to him. My eyes met his but not for long as I glanced at his lips once I saw him do the same. He let go of my hands and gently moved them to my waist as I placed mine on his arms. He got closer to me until his lips met mine in the sweetest of kisses. I could tell how nervous he was and I was too, yet I also felt overwhelming joy at the same time. His lips were warm and inviting with a hint of chocolate from our previous dessert. We fit together, not just emotionally, but physically as if we were two puzzle pieces that lost each other long ago and finally found each other. I felt his grasp on my waist tighten slightly as my hands moved to his chest. His heartbeat was erratic and I smiled into the kiss knowing I had the same effect on his as he did on me.

We pulled apart, I opened my eyes to see him gazing at me. An unidentifiable feeling filled my heart as we went back in for another kiss not having quite enough. While the first kiss was sweet and tender this one was full of fiery passion. Our lips moved more feverishly desperate to feel each other, he pulled me even closer having me flush against him. The heat rose as I felt his tongue ask for entrance and without hesitation, I parted my lips. My hands then traveled to the back of his neck where they tangled themselves in his hair. We stood there for what felt like a small eternity, but eventually, we had to pull away as our lungs started burning, begging for air.

With smiles on our faces, we turned back to the LA scenery. Hoseok wrapped his arm around me and I leaned my head on his shoulder. After a few moments of peaceful silence, I asked, "What now? What else do you have planned?"

He looked at me with wide eyes, "I don't have anything else planned," he laughed, "I was too worried thinking you might reject me to plan something else."

"As if! I would never," I said in a defensive tone.

After thinking for a second I gave an idea, " We can go to my place... I have a bottle of wine waiting for us," I told him as I looked up at him, "That is if you want."

He looked down at me and with a kiss to my forehead he said, "Let's go."

He intertwined our hands and led me back to the car and as the gentleman, he is he opened the door for me. As Hoseok drove I couldn't help but observe him, there was something about how he gripped the steering wheel and how his eyes focused on the road that made him look so attractive.

Being so deep in thought he took me by surprise as he said, "You know it's rude to stare," he briefly glanced at my blushing face and finished by saying, "But since it's you I'll let it pass."

---------------------------------------------------------------STOP----------------------------------------------------

He placed his hand on my thigh warming it up with just a touch and as I grew accustomed to its presence he started to caress my thigh. Up and down. Up and down. Never touching where I wanted him to be making my core throb. It made the car ride unbearable and filled with tension. He knew what he was doing since when I turned to look at him he had a smirk on his lips.

I placed my hand on top of his to stop the teasing and gave him a knowing look.

He shamelessly laughed and said, "Sorry Sweetheart couldn't resist."

"All in due time Hobi be patient," I simply told him, squeezing his hand.

Once we got to my house I opened a bottle of wine and sat on the sofa beside him. It was as if he was a magnet and I was metal. We instantly attracted each other and came into contact not being able to be apart.

We had a nice conversation going about BTS's upcoming tour.

"So, wait, you just finished this tour and you have one scheduled for next year?" I asked surprised.

"It's for the new album that's dropping. Hopefully, we'll go to more places than this year," he responded excitedly while taking a drink of his wine glass.

"I don't know how you do it, I wouldn't be able to bear being away from home for so long," I admitted while watching the wine as it swirled in the glass.

"Remember I have the guys who are practically my family," he explained with a fond smile, "Besides we've worked so hard to get to where we are now we're scared it will all go away if we take a break."

To some extent, I understood his worry. In this industry one day, you could be on top and the next on the bottom. There was always a search for the next new talent, but there were also people who would do anything to be on top even if it meant playing dirty.

"I doubt it though you have the best fanbase in the world," I reassured him.

It was the truth ARMY was always consistent. They always tried to support BTS to the fullest even if they made mistakes.

"Is that so?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Of course I've been a proud ARMY since practically the beginning," I reminded him.

"So tell me who is your bias?" he asked, getting even closer cornering me in between the sofa and him.

"Hmm? I'm not sure..." I teased with a grin.

"Is that so? There must be somebody," at this point his nose was brushing against mine.

"W-w- well there is Namjoon but my heart's not set on it yet...there is time for it to change," I told him trying to gauge his reaction.

"Then let me convince you," With every syllable, he said he pulled me closer till the gap between us was no more and our lips touched in a searing kiss.

Our lips moved in unison as if we had practiced it a million times before. We separated for a split second placing the half-drunk glasses on the table, yet our lips crashed once again not wasting a single moment.

My hands found themselves around his neck playing with his dark tendrils. I pulled on them and the most beautiful sound came from his mouth, a deep and sinful moan. Wanting to hear it again I pulled again and my ears were blessed with the wicked sound.

His hands pulled me into his lap making me straddle him, as they then roamed my body leaving a fiery trail behind causing goosebumps to arise.

He started trailing kisses around my neck finding my sweet spot and sucking on it, making me moan and grind my hips over his groin which in turn led him to buck up against me.

My hands moved across his chest feeling his hard lean muscles contract. I couldn't get enough of it. I needed more of his burning skin. I had to feel the heat he emitted and the rapid beating of his heart.

I untucked his crisp white shirt while he marked my neck with purple flowers that I would surely regret tomorrow. He nipped my neck which made me leave scratch marks down his flawless chest.

He started kissing my lips again and dragged his hands to my back as he toyed with the zipper of my dress.

He pulled back and with dark and dilated eyes asked "Can I?"

Breathless I replied, "Yes."

We held eye contact as he torturously pulled the zipper down causing my dress to drop down to my waist leaving my chest exposed. My nipples hard due to arousal and the sudden temperature change. They weren't cold for long as Hoseok quickly took one into his mouth and covered the other with his palm.

All I could do was moan and whimper as he alternated between sucking the bud and rolling it with his tongue. He rolled the other between his fingers and occasionally pulled it making me whimper and say his name.

"H-Hoseok, ahh," I stuttered with pleasure while gripping his back.

"What was that sweetheart?" he asked while momentarily pulling back. His other hand lowering down to my butt and giving it a hard smack.

"Hoseok!" I screamed as pain and pleasure flooded my senses at the same time.

"Just like that," he darkly chuckled.

It was amazing to see how a person can change from a bright, sweet, and seemingly innocent to this sexy lust-filled man. Both beautiful and dangerous simultaneously.

Hoseok picked me up as I locked my legs around his waist trying not to fall and made me direct him to my room. Once in the room, that was thankfully clean, he dropped me on the edge of the bed and finished pulling off my dress. I was almost bare with only the thin layer of lace covering my nether regions.

I sat up to finish unbuttoning his shirt and taking it off in a swift motion. His chest was an amazing sight to behold. It reflected the hours of training and practice he endured daily. I kissed down his chest and stomach, making sure to leave some marks of my own, but stopped at the hem of his pants.

I looked up at him to see him staring at me with hooded eyes and slightly parted lips. Staring into his eyes I took off his belt, unbuttoned his pants, and lowered the zipper slowly to torture him just as he did to me moments earlier.

Once his pants were off I began to palm him through his underwear not missing how his hips slightly thrust at the contact and he let out a sigh. Having tortured him enough I lowered his boxers letting his member spring up. It stood proudly with a vein going up its length. His head leaking pre-cum.

I began pumping him while swiping my thumb over the tip. Hoseok groaned as he tipped his head back. He then looked at me with a mixture of confusion and desperation as I stopped my movements, but understood as I brought him to my mouth. I started bobbing my head as I worked my way deeper until I had most of him in my mouth.

Hoseok's hands grazed my shoulders not being sure what to do with them. So, I took them and placed them on my head letting him take the lead. Taking that as permission he grabbed my hair and started guiding my movements. At some point I had him completely in my mouth, I felt as my nose touched his pelvis but before I could choke he pulled me back with a string of saliva connecting me to him.

Hoseok pulled me up and started kissing me his tongue tangling with mine. He placed me by the pillows on the bed kissing down to my neck, to my sternum, down to my stomach until I felt his breath in between my thighs. He did all this while I looked at him pleadingly. He made me suffer as he kissed around my thighs making me wince now and then as he bit down.

By this point, I was dripping and he knew it. He touched me through my underwear and felt how soaked I was. With a smirk, he rubbed up and down my slit not giving me what I wanted most.

I let out a huff of frustration and he took it as a queue to begin his work. He lowered my underwear and I felt as it got stuck to me due to my arousal. He gazed at me intently while he very slowly and gently pulled them down.

I whined, dropping my head back onto the mattress which made me not notice when he brought his fingers to my heat. I gave a mix of a squeal and a moan as he rubbed my clit in circular motions. I tried clamping my legs shut due to the sensation, but he placed himself between them not allowing me.

He wasn't doing much and I was already a moaning mess. He stuck a finger into me and he cussed at how tight I felt with only a finger in. I started gripping the bed sheets around me trying to hold onto something.

"Hoseok... p-p-lease more," I begged the feeling of his finger inside me not being enough.

"Whatever you want sweetheart," he complied by inserting another of his long fingers the tightness increasing as he kept going.

The rings on his fingers added to the pleasure as they brushed against me and soon enough I started to cum, my thighs started to tremble and my eyes rolled to the back of my head. My mouth open but not letting a sound out.

He brought me down off my high slowly, not stopping immediately. As I came back to my senses I could still feel the twitch of my thighs. I hadn't noticed that at some point my hands exchanged the sheets for Hoseok hair as I released my grip on it.

"That was beautiful," he praised.

I couldn't stop the blush that covered my face.

"Don't get shy now baby," he hummed in a low voice.

Hoseok crawled back up to me and looked at me in the eye, lots of emotions swirling in them. He brushed my hair off my face and at the sweet gesture I couldn't help but bring my hands up to his cheeks and pull him down to my lips. His mouth still tasted like me but I didn't mind. I pulled back slowly as I bit his lip and dragged it out till I released it. His eyes turned darker than before at the action.

"Don't play like that sweetheart," Hoseok growled in my ear.

I acted innocently saying "What do you mean?"

"You know what," he said as his thumb went over my lips.

"I need you Hoseok," I whispered. For a second I thought he didn't hear me until he spoke.

"Whatever you want you get sweetheart."

After what felt like an eternity I felt him sink into me and we both let out a moan in unison.

"Fuck you're so tight," he groaned shutting his eyes tightly.

"Just for you," I reassured, and as I said those words I saw a fire ignite in him as he started thrusting slowly and deeply.

"Faster baby," I whined.

He complied and started going faster, his hands laced through mine. He went deep inside me making me feel full and hitting all the right spots. The sight of him on top of me was otherworldly, the way he'd let out silent groans and how his eyes focused on every little reaction I gave.

Just as I was reaching my peak he stopped his movements. Pleadingly I looked at him. He took my hand pulling me up as he sat against the headboard and in his low voice said, "Ride me."

I could only say one thing, "With pleasure."

I straddled him and slowly sunk into him. He held my hips as I bounced on him, his hands occasionally roaming to my chest. He was truly a sight to behold as the sweat dropped from his neck and chest giving his skin a gleam. Plus, the way he'd try to hide his moans and groans. The moans caused by me.

"I'm not gonna last long sweetheart," he revealed with a grimace.

"Me either baby," I agreed as I felt the knot forming in my stomach.

He then started rubbing my clit with one hand while he pulled me to his lips with the other. Just like that the uncontrollable heat between us amplified to extreme measures as we reached our climax together. He muffled my moans as he kissed me. The long kisses slowly turned into pecks until we pulled away with our breaths heavy and our foreheads touching. The heat was there but it was faint having been satisfied for now. I got off of him suddenly feeling very empty.

We laid on my observing each other and recuperating from the past activity. Hoseok caressed my arm with his fingertips relaxing me even more. After getting my breathing under control I noticed he had an infectious smile on his lips which in turn made me smile back. Sunshine Hoseok was back.

"Was everything okay?" He asked slowly, making sure I was alright.

"It was perfect," I whispered, not wanting to break the serenity of the room.

"You were perfect," he responded, pulling me closer so I laid on his chest, the one I had marked in many ways.

"Oh, stop it," I said, the smile never leaving my lips. I hoped he wouldn't notice the blush appearing on my face.

"Know what?" his voice turned serious.

"What?" I was curious to see what he would say.

"The moment you walked up to us in the awards and gave me that sweet glance... I knew I felt something for you." He confessed sweetly as we laid there basking in each other's presence.

I didn't need to say anything since he knew I felt the same.

Cuddling more into his side he kissed my head. I thought about how the time to come would be hard because of our careers, but I paid it no mind. As long as I have Hoseok by my side I would go to hell and back.  

A/N: *cough cough* well that happened. It's my first time writing smut so bear with me. If you liked it let me know! If you didn't don't worry it won't happen too often. The way I wrote the first part really didn't leave much of a choice this was what was supposed to happen.  

So, if you guys enjoyed it please let me know and make sure to like and reblog to show your support.

I'm still shook.  Honestly.

PS. I'm sorry for grammatical mistakes but I really wanted to publish it. I'll probably go back later and fix them.

See you guys later ;) 💜 x

-Nikki Marie

[jennygirl2014]

White~Part Three

Summary: You try to compose yourself while going through all of the old memories, both good and bad.  You try to confront Mace about his disappearance and he exposes a ten year secret.

Warnings: adult themes, sexual content, mentions of loss of virginity, language

              Luckily, the restroom was empty, and you were free to pace back and forth without looking like an idiot.  The sound of your feet on the tile floor and your heavy breathing echoed in the chilly bathroom as you tried to shake your nerves out of your arms and fingers.  This was ridiculous, beyond crazy and stupid.  You were a psychologist for god’s sake.  Dealing with emotions was literally your job, but it was always easier when it was someone else’s emotions and not your own.  

“Come on.” You coached yourself as you quit pacing and leaned your weight on our arms on the counter top.  “Come on, don’t do this.” You willed away the tears the best you could, but a few managed to slip down your cheeks regardless.  “Shit.  Come on.” You drew in a deep breath and tried to calibrate. 

              You felt like there was a different person inside of you that you had hidden for a long time, and she was starting to come out again. James had that power over you, even if you tried to deny it.  Despite all of the teasing and bullying in school, you still got butterflies when he gave you a Valentine’s day card in class, noticing that yours was always different from anyone else’s.  When he had grabbed your face and kissed you in middle school, you hit him because that’s what your friends would have done, but the truth was you went to bed that night with a giddy smile on your face.  And when he had finally really and truly kissed you years later, it was the moment you had been praying for since that first terrible kiss in the hallway.  When he made that stupid comment about bringing you to bed in high school, you were genuinely hurt, but you remember fantasizing about it regardless.  You tolerated the torment he bestowed upon you, because you so badly wanted, and needed, his affection.  

              This was not just some man you used to be friends with back in the day, this was, as you were convinced, the love of your life. At least at the time.  You used to sneak each other notes in school, silly little love letters that made you giggle and blush.  You used to pour your teenage heart out onto a piece of paper daily over him.  You used to lie to your parents and sneak out to see each other, knowing they disapproved of him for his gruff ways and lack of religious upbringing.  He gave you your first kiss, your first orgasm, your first real heartbreak.  A small twinge hit your chest as you started to recall certain memories.  

That time you snuck out at night and met him at the lake, and he fingered you under the stars.  God how you mewled and moaned, but he was so gentle with you, kissing you and leaving a mark on your neck you had to cover up with makeup to hide from your parents. You saw more stars than what was really in the sky that night.  That time another guy in school was being mean to you and calling you a slut, and he punched the guy in the face, but he gladly took the detention to defend your honor. After your grandmother died, he snuck in through your window to sit with you through the night and hold you as you cried, but he was gone by morning to keep you both from getting in trouble. When you lost your innocence, how tender and sweet he had been with you, kissing the tears away and going slow to try and ease the pain, asking you if you were okay.  It wasn’t at all like you had imagined it, it wasn’t anything like in the movies, but he cradled you after and told you he would always love you.

And then there were all the other times you had given yourself to him.  In his truck, in his bed, in your bed, in the woods, at a friend’s house, each time it got better and better.  He took the time to learn your body and how to make your feel good.  That was what was so addicting about it.  Every time you got to feel his hot skin against yours, he managed to make your toes curl a little harder, or make you squeal a little louder.  He worshipped your body in a way that made you feel dirty going to church, but it also made you beam from the inside out every other moment outside of that building where you were supposed to have vowed yourself to God.  How could you keep denying yourself that amazing feeling? That intimacy with him, when nothing else mattered but the two of you?  

And then the hardest time of your life hit you like a ton of bricks.  You were burdened with a secret, you and your family, and you needed James the most, to lean on, to turn to.  But he was gone.  He had been expelled from school after getting into a major fight with another boy, and he was shipped off to military school.  He swore he would write you, but the letters never came.  The phone never rang.  Your parents told you it was for the best, but you cried, and cried, and you were broken into a million pieces over it.  Of course, you had never told anyone that he had beaten the shit out of that other kid for trying to force himself onto you at a party. A party you were never supposed to even go to.  You told your parents you got the bruises from gym class, but really, it was when he was trying to force your clothes off.  You had somehow managed to fight him off of you, and you ran away crying, hearing his taunting and drunken words echoing in your head for days.  “You’re a slut.” “Since you’re so willing to give it up…” “Come on little church girl, don’t be such a tease.” Your reputation had been sullied when a friend spilled that you had been having sex with James. You cried to him the next day, and while he didn’t tell you that he was going to beat the kid to a pulp, you had a feeling he was going to.  The rumor was that it was either military school or jail.  

For years, you wondered if some of the blame for his disappearance fell onto your shoulders.  You were so mad for so long about not hearing from him, but was it your fault?  Was it even worth discussing?  You had buried those thoughts and worries long ago, but now they were back from the grave and gripping you by the throat.  Was this a chance of closure?  Was that what he was hoping for?  Was that the purpose of this whole meeting?

You grabbed a paper towel and delicately dried the tears from your eyes, trying not to smudge your make up more than it already was.  It was humiliating, crying in the bathroom over this man again.  Hell, there was a ring on your finger, this was shameful.  Your fiancé would have been beyond upset to know that you were spilling tears over an old lover who you lied about going to see.  Everything about this was wrong, and it was time to end it.  Once you were composed, you took some deep breaths to find your courage, and you finally left the bathroom and made your way back to the table.  Your eyes stayed on the floor until you got closer to the table, rehearsing how to end the conversation and get out of there without making a scene.  When your eyes finally left the floor and went to the table, you saw that the food was sitting on the table waiting for you, along with James who sat there with his food untouched and a serious look on his face.  

“Look, James,” you tried to start without even taking a seat, but he cut you off.

“You’re about to leave, aren’t you?” he finally looked up at you, and the blue of his eyes swallowed you up. He was sad, maybe he was even scared.

“I…I don’t think this was a good idea.” You tried to be honest without hurting him any further. Why did it matter, though?

“Please just sit for another minute, let me explain.”

“I think you’ve explained enough.”

“No,” said sternly, “I haven’t.” and then he gestured to the spot in front of him, “Please.”  You stood there and briefly considered his offer, and somehow, you ended up giving in.  You cursed at yourself as you slipped into the booth again.  James let out a big sigh and got comfortable in his seat. “I called you because there is no way I’m leaving this planet without fixing things between us.” His eyes hit you again, the urgency of his plans were now apparent.  And there it was, proof that he was looking for closure, and it had you quiet.  “I didn’t realize you were so hurt by…what happened between us,” he didn’t seem to know how to word what he wanted to say, “I know that your parents were very religious, and I get how that makes you feel guilty, but don’t forget, I was a virgin also.”

“A girl losing her virginity is very different from a boy losing his, let’s be honest.” You mentioned.

“I get that, that makes sense.” He nodded, “But, it’s still a big deal.  I didn’t sleep with you to prove a point or hurt you, I did it because I thought we both wanted to, and I had feelings for you.  Yeah, I was a teenager, and teenage guys usually want one thing, but I wanted more than that.  You meant more to me than that.” He placed his hand on his chest, emphasizing his feelings. “And if you felt that way, why didn’t you say anything? Why did we keep doing it?”

You thought for a moment, wanting to give a good answer.  You kept doing it for many reasons.  “Because I thought you genuinely cared about me.” You drew in a deep breath and sighed, “And I genuinely cared about you.  And… it felt good?” you answered with more of a question than a definitive statement.  You shrugged a shoulder, feeling exposed and like you were trying to pry the feelings out of your chest.  You had dealt with many clients who were emotionally choked up, and you were able to get them to open up, but here you were struggling.  James’s lips curved up into a tiny, crooked grin.

“Yeah…we got pretty good at it.” There was a mischievous tone in his voice.

“I guess…also… because it was rebellious.  I was sick of being that good little girl who always went to church and dressed properly and never put a toe out of line.  There was a lot of pressure being the pastor’s daughter, and I guess I kind of cracked under that pressure.  You were a bad boy, a tough guy…I liked that.”

The words spoken stayed heavy in the air between the two of you, and you both stayed silent for a moment, letting it all sink in.  

“Do you remember what I used to call you?” he suddenly brought up an unexpected question.  How could you forget?  

“Angel.” You had to push the nickname past your lips.

“You really were.” He tilted his head.  “I knew you were too good for me.  I didn’t deserve you.  But that’s what made me love you even more.”

Your heart sped up and you started to tingle.  “You loved me?” you spoke as your mouth went dry.

“Of course, I did.  I told you that.” He stated with confidence.

“Yeah but, we didn’t know what love was.  We were kids.”

“You can choose to believe that if you want, but from what I knew about love, I knew I loved you.” And then he looked down at the food on the table, “I didn’t want to start eating while you were in the bathroom, but I’m sure the food is getting cold.” He changed the subject.  

“Oh, sorry.  You should have started without me.” You gave an automatic response, barely registering what he was talking about or the food that was cooling in front of you, you were still caught up on his previous statement.  

              There was a weight that suddenly dropped onto your shoulders, and it crushed the air right out of your lungs.  You forced another deep breath into your lungs before slowly exhaling, and you noticed your hands were starting to shake.  Why were you suddenly feeling so fragile? Your eyes landed back onto him as he cut into his steak, taking a cube of meat and placing it into his mouth and chewing, keeping his gaze down and on his dinner, but he looked like he was concentrating.  You knew that furrow of his brow meant something, there was no way he could go from such a deep conversation to simply enjoying his meal, right?  An unsettled feeling was shrouding the both of you from continuing, but you didn’t know if you wanted to be the one to push the envelope further.  James popped a single fry into his mouth and then reached for his beer.  

“Your food is going to be cold.  Do you want it heated back up?” you knew right then and there that there was more on his mind then he was leading on. He took a long swig of his beer and you shook your head slightly.

“Why didn’t you call me?” you meant for it to come out so much louder than it did, but it was barely loud enough for him to hear.  You wondered if you had to repeat yourself, but when his eyes shot up, you knew he had heard you.  “Why didn’t you visit?” your eyes started to water up again, your voice was weak and stunted.  “If you loved me then why did you leave me like that?” The words hurt coming out. There was panic in his face as you sat waiting for an answer, still shaking your head slightly.

“It’s complicated.”

“It was my fault you went away,” was your bottom lip starting to tremble?

“No, it wasn’t.” he quickly interrupted you, his eyes wide and shaking his head with more gusto than you were.

“You blamed me, didn’t you?” the thought was suddenly very clear in your head, just as clear as the day you realized he wasn’t coming back to you.  The tears started to form again, against your will.

“No, no…” he dropped his fork and knife and reached out and grabbed your wrist, “Hey,” you stared him down, cutting him with your tearful gaze, “Hey…” he tried to stop you from your emotional spiraling, but your gut was already in knots and your chest was already burning with anxiety. “It wasn’t your fault.  It was my own doing, okay?  I was treading on thin ice even before I beat up that kid.”

“Then why didn’t you call?” you challenged him more, a single tear made its way down your cheek, and you weren’t sure which was angering you more, the conversation or the fact that you were crying again.

“I tried to!” his hand slid down on top of yours, but his other hand ran down his face in exasperation, he was getting tense. “I tried to visit you, but…!” he huffed as he placed his hand back up on his forehead, “I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want to make the situation any worse.”

“What are you talking about? How could you have made the situation any worse?”

“Not with us,” his eyes turned to daggers, “With your dad.”

“My dad?” you cocked your head, spilling another tear.  What was he talking about now?  He had the most uneasy look on his face, and you saw his cheeks dimple as he clenched his jaw.  You remembered that look.  He was angry. “What about my dad?”

“Did you get any of my letters?” he paused, and you froze, “I must have sent you a dozen letters the first month I was gone.”

“What letters?” you whispered, a tear now slipping onto your lips.

His nostrils flared as he inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Y/N, I wrote you trying to explain everything, I even went AWOL and had my friend drive me back home one night so I could try and see you and talk to you.” His grip tightened on your hand, “But your dad wouldn’t let me see you.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out, not even a squeak or a single sound.  There as an entire hive of angry bees swarming inside of your chest and you felt your body going hot from head to toe. Was there a key part to the story that you were missing?

Was all this heartache a misunderstanding?  Were you not the only one with secrets in your family?

Next part here.

[some-lists]

All the Disney Princesses Ranked From Worst to Best.

(Sorry, no Vanellope.)

14. Merida

I know Merida has really badass archery skills. She’s also outspoken, strong willed, and clever. But she’s still my least favorite princess. I just didn’t like her. Maybe it’s the fact that she wanted to change her mom. And she actually went through with it. Of course, she didn’t actually know what was going to happen, and the journey brought them closer together. She grew as a character and that’s good. But just seeing her disrespect her mother, especially publicly in front of all the clans, is hard to watch. It doesn’t help that I thought Brave was one of Pixar’s weaker movies and essentially Brother Bear all over again.

13. Anna

Not gonna lie. I hate Anna. She’s so damn pushy and combative. I know, it’s all her parents’ fault. All of it. But still. She doesn’t listen to Elsa at all. She pushes and pushes triggering Elsa’s ice outbursts, which become more visible as they build along with her anxiety. Every uncontrolled “accident” Elsa has in the first film is because Anna didn’t listen to her. Of course, she also didn’t listen to Elsa’s warning about marrying Hans either. She foolishly left the kingdom in the hands of an outsider, someone she didn’t even know.

She definitely shows improvement in the second film. She becomes more sensitive towards Elsa’s feelings and her powers. She’s also very loyal and brave, risking her life for Elsa, yet again. She’s still very clingy and desperate for people’s love. It manifests in her fear of losing Elsa and Kristoff. I do not like her humor or awkwardness. I don’t find them relatable, but rather annoying. But I do appreciate that those insecurities are real and that’s what makes her more relatable. Her relationships with the other characters, especially Olaf, is what saves her from being last on my list.

12. Tiana

There’s nothing wrong Tiana. I think she’s great. She’s hardworking, determined, and a realist. Those are great qualities that I’m glad Disney decided to focus on too. The downside of this is that she comes across as rather boring. The film relies on other more colorful characters to bring the personality and charm. I think that’s a shame. She also suffers from starring in a weaker film.

11. Aurora

I like Aurora. What little we see of her anyway. We can tell by the way she interacts with the fairies, woodland creatures, and Prince Philip that she’s smart, sweet, shy, kind, cautious. She’s a dreamer, but not foolish. It’s too bad we didn’t get to see more of her.

10. Snow White

Snow White, in my opinion, does not get the respect she deserves. Was she stupid to take that apple from the very obviously evil hag? Yes, she was. But people have forgotten all about the really great qualities she possessed too. When she walked into the dwarfs’ cottage, it was a disgusting, unlivable nightmare. The dwarfs were pigs. They didn’t clean their home or themselves. They bickered all the time. Snow White changed all of that. She created order where there was disorder. And she didn’t do it alone. She delegated chores to each of the animals and made sure they did them right. That’s some managerial skills! She got a bunch of unruly little men to wash, sleep at a decent time, and behave. That’s authority. Those are some real life skills I wish I had more of. Yes, she cooked, cleaned, and sewed, but Snow White wasn’t a servant. She was in charge.

9. Cinderella

Like Snow White, Cinderella has gotten a bad rap over time, but I will defend Cinderella anytime anywhere. Those who say she “needed a prince to save her” lack compassion and are completely missing the point. Cinderella was a young woman who was abused by what family she had left. At a young age she experienced loss, grief, then neglect and emotional abuse. But Cinderella was resilient. That abuse didn’t stop her and it didn’t change her. She could’ve become mean, bitter, and jealous. She could’ve continued the cycle of abuse like her stepsisters. But Cinderella didn’t allow their mistreatment to define her. She remained kind, empathetic, patient, humble, and hardworking. She also didn’t allow herself to become a victim. She didn’t mope or give up on herself. When the ball was announced, she worked hard and believed she would go. When she got help from the fairy godmother, she accepted it and rocked that ball gown. She didn’t go to the ball to be rescued. She went because she wanted to, and she did. Moral of the story is do not let others’ treatment of you determine who you are or what you’re worth. Cinderella had awesome inner strength.

8. Ariel

I will admit that as an adult, Ariel’s appeal fades. She made really bad choices and sacrificing her voice for a boy is a terrible message to sell to kids. But for a 5 year old girl, only two things mattered. She was a mermaid and she could sing. The Little Mermaid kick started Disney’s renaissance and set a new precedent for its movies. Unlike previous princesses, Ariel was the first princess full of life, passion, and adventure. She had an exciting and lovable personality and a Broadway singing voice. Credit goes to Jodi Benson for bringing Ariel to life and the writers for getting the world to fall in love with her. She made a huge impression (hello, mermaid craziness everywhere!), even if she was a total idiot teenager.

7. Jasmine

What’s great about Jasmine is she can see through people’s BS and she doesn’t put up with it. She isn’t impressed by the superficial suitors that come her way. She stands up to Jafar. She catches on pretty immediately that Prince Ali is actually Aladdin. She sings like Lea Salonga, Disney and Broadway legend, and she has a pet tiger. What’s not to love?

6. Pocahontas

Pocahontas was the first Disney princess to not go after her dreams, but instead chose family, community, duty, loyalty. That’s incredibly mature and selfless. She taught a racist, arrogant, ignorant man to love and respect others different from him. She followed her intuition, was one nature, and dove off cliffs. The only minus is falling for John Smith over Kokoam. I don’t know what she was thinking!

5. Moana

Moana is not qualified for her mission. She has no experience and no skills required for sailing across the sea, finding Maui, and defeating a lava monster. But it’s her purpose. She was chosen. So she sets out and figures it out along the way. That’s an inspiring example. It’s not until the end that we find out why she was chosen. She sees Te Ka for who she truly is. Te Fiti. The image above is one of the most powerful moments in all of Disney’s films.

4. Rapunzel

Similar to Cinderella, Rapunzel has been abused throughout her childhood. IMO, Rapunzel had it worse because she believed Mother Gothel was her mother. Their relationship was nonstop manipulation, infantilization, and gaslighting. But Rapunzel was brave enough to go after what she wanted and smart enough to find a way to do it. On top of that, she was creative and artistic, incredibly strong from years of hauling Mother Gothel up the tower, and had magical hair with healing powers. In the end, she does what we didn’t get to see in Cinderella. She stands up for herself and confronts her abuser. She’s a real survivor and victor.

3. Belle

I love Belle because she is a true introvert and a true individual. She’s not very social, doesn’t gossip, doesn’t fawn over Gaston, doesn’t follow the townsfolk’s way of life. She literally just does her own thing. For that, she’s misunderstood and judged by the village. I think that’s very relatable. But she’s also intelligent, curious, adventurous, honorable (she keeps her promise to stay with the Beast), and stands up to the Beast when he’s out of line. She’s the only one that truly challenges the Beast and he grows because of it. And she saves him.

2. Mulan

Similar to Belle, Mulan is a bit of an outcast, because she’s individualistic in a society that values conformity. She’s socially awkward, clumsy, but brave. That bravery saves her father and all of China. She’s a true badass warrior.

1. Elsa

Elsa is technically not a princess, but a queen. She still counts and she tops my list. Out of all the Disney princesses, she is the most real and fully developed. She’s beautiful, kind, brave, strong, but also very flawed. Many people have identified with Elsa in different ways because her flaws are so real and so relatable. The LGBTQ community has adopted her as a symbol of their own. For me personally, I see a mental health issue. I think she’s a highly sensitive person with anxiety. Her ice powers are a beautiful symbol for that anxiety and the struggle over her mental health. Her journey to accept herself for who she is, to embrace herself for who she is, and to find her place in a world that deems her different is truly beautiful and empowering.

[baseballbitch116]

Fate

Pairing: Peter Pevensie x reader

Setting: Takes place in the first Narnia movie (not entirely accurate)

Introduction: Peter and his siblings end up in Narnia, where he meets Y/N. He knew that he could not stay here forever, but she made him want to...

Request: So, may I request a Narnia imagine using Peter Pevensie x Female Reader where Peter totally falls for the Reader in a Cinderella type setting? *Feel free to change anything around if you want and make as long as you need to!*

Word Count: 1426

Warnings: Mentions/suggestion of violence & death, angst

A/N: For the sake of realism and this prompt, I changed their ages to better match how old they look/act. In the first movie, Peter was supposed to be 13, which I think is insane, so I’m just saying that he was 16.

Listen to this as you read :) Return of the Lion

Masterlist | Fandoms | Request | Support My Blog | Coming Soon

(gif does not belong to me but the writing does)

The Pevensie siblings had not expected to get sucked into this whirlwind of an adventure when they came to stay with Professor Kirke. Their first night there was nothing extraordinary at all - it was just an old, boring house. Lucy had made up some story about a magical land inside of the wardrobe that was inside one of the empty rooms.

Peter soon came to realize; however, that his sister was not fibbing. When they stumbled backwards out of the wardrobe and into the snow, he was bewildered. This wasn’t possible...

But Peter soon came to realize that there was a lot more possible than he had ever known. They soon became lost in this new world, following Lucy to find her friend, Mr Tomas. They came across the Beaver family, and then Edmund disappeared off in search of The White Witch - whom the Beavers warned was a wicked woman.

Peter’s world was turned upside down, his time in Narnia changing him with each passing moment. Ending up in Aslan’s camp must have been fate - that was the only logical explanation he could come up with. After Edmund was rescued and brought to the camp, Peter was ready to get out of there. He felt empathy for Narnia and wanted to stand by Aslan, but he felt that he had a duty to get his siblings back to safety - home.

When he turned to see who was approaching from Aslan’s tent, he was taken aback by you. He had not seen you around the camp yet - he was sure of it. Between the fact that you were human, and your immense beauty - he would have remembered you. Peter could not help but stare as you exited the tent, Aslan tailing behind you. Susan did not miss the exchange, seeing how you captured her brother’s attention - and the knowing grin that Aslan wore. What did he know?

When you locked eyes with Peter for the first time, you felt the wind knocked out of your lungs. You became blind to the rest of the camp, only able to see this boy staring back you. His blue eyes sparkled, his full pink lips were parted with a surprised expression plastered across his face. You felt the wind blow through your hair as you hesitantly made your way down to stand before him, Aslan following behind you.

You said nothing as you approached the foreigners, unable to tear your eyes from his own. It was like he had you in a spell - you felt drawn to him. Your shy gaze remained on him as you approached them, a whirlwind of emotions surging through you.

“Children, this is Y/N. She is a strong member of our army.” Aslan introduces you. You know the stories of the four of them, although no one has ever met them - you knew their destiny. You forced yourself to gaze over the other three, offering a polite smile and curtsy to your future kings and queens.

“Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.” Aslan introduces with a solemn voice that would never never grow tiresome to you.

“Our army?” Susan questions, to which you see Aslan nod. Peter has finally removed his gaze from you and focused it on the large lion.

“Sir-” He begins, but stops with a look from Aslan.

“Come,” Aslan beckons, and Peter loyally follows, giving you one last glance before doing so. There was something about him that changed you in that very moment.

“Are you a princess?” Lucy suddenly asks, startling you. Your eyes widen and you can’t contain the grin that spreads across your cheeks.

“No, I’m not! You are, though.” You respond with a smile, brushing your dress back down in place from where the wind was swaying it.

As time passed, you grew closer to the Pevensie’s - Peter in particular. You trained alongside him and his siblings in preparation for the inevitable battle against the White Witch. You were ready to defend Edmund when she came to gather him from the camp. You watched him and Edmund train with their swords, picking up on things here and there. It was one of your favorite things to do - watch him duel. You tried to help him when the wolves came after Lucy and Susan, but Aslan demanded that he do it on his own.

After the battle was won was when you things took a turn in your developing relationship. Lucy had to recover you from a large stab wound you had suffered from one of the Witch’s followers. You were bleeding out on the field, fighting to stay alive long enough for someone to find you. Thankfully the youngest Pevensie sibling did find you, Peter not far behind her. He fell to your side to comfort you as she dripped a single drop of the auburn liquid into your mouth. His hands holding your head in his lap as you felt your strength recover and the wound healing, he looked almost magical as he leaned over you with regret-filled eyes.

“I’m sorry,” He mutters as you regain your strength. He helps you to sit up as Lucy goes off in search of more wounded. Maybe it was your near death experience, or maybe it was just heat of the moment - but you couldn’t contain it any longer. You stared up into his blue eyes before leaning in halfway, maintaining the intense eye contact. You see the expression on his face change as he slowly meets you halfway and presses his soft lips against your’s gently.

The kiss, while short, was magical. The butterflies in your stomach and the tingle in your arms from where his hands held you close were intoxicating. Everything about him felt right. You parted with a shy smile, leaning into his touch as he brushed away a strand of hair from your cheek. “C’mon,” He mumbles with a grin, helping you onto your feet to finish with the aftermath.

After their crowning, the two of you shared a blissful month together. The night of the crowning there was a ball held in their honor and Peter asked you to be his date. When you locked eyes across the dance floor, you felt your heart drop in your chest. The way that he made you feel was not explainable. He made you nervous, excited, happy, scared, anxious and content all at the same time. It all felt crazy to you given how little you had known him - but it was as though he was made for you.

Watching him stride across the room toward you, wearing his crown and Narnian royal attire, was a sight that would forever be embedded into your memory. “May I?” He asked when he reached you, a grin plastered across his rosy cheeks as he offered you his hand. With a tug of your heart pulling you in his direction you placed your smaller hand into his, allowing him to guide you onto the dance floor. You could feel your hot cheeks burning as you began to dance with Peter, unable to wipe the smile from your face.

“You look beautiful.” He mumbles in your ear as he leads you in the dance, one hand holding yours as the other held you close by your waist. Your cheeks are sore from how much you are smiling but you hold onto the moment with all that you have, knowing that it will not last forever.

“Thank you, my King.” You respond with a grin, leaning into his touch. He smirks lightly at the title but says nothing, dipping you gently before returning you to your feet with ease.

Peter knew in that very moment that there was no way he could return home. He had become too attached to you, to Narnia, to his people. So long as his siblings agreed, he had decided that he could not leave.

Unfortunately, it seemed that fate had other ideas. On the same day that he intended to ask you to officially become his girlfriend, he had been out with his siblings. They were messing around in the woods, the place unrecognizable due to the lack of snow. They were messing around, playing a game of keep-away, hiding and chasing one another. Lucy ran off into a bush and the others chased after her, unable to see where they were going in the thickness of it until it was too late. They all tumbled over one another as they fell out onto the floor of the empty room, right out of the wardrobe...

---

| Next >

Let me know if you would like to be added to my Narnia taglist! There will be a second part to this imagine as well ♥

@glitteryathleterebeluniversity @thebeckyjolene​

[skywardsoul]

Stories From the Sidelines: Chapter 2

Yeah believe it or not, I actually uploaded a second chapter to my Little Witch Academia fic that focuses on the background characters. Sure it’s almost been two years since chapter 1, better late than never right! Chapter 2 stars Sarah’s teammate Chloé and her one sided rivalry with Diana.

Read it on AO3: Here

Read it on FF.Net: Here

Unknown to most of its student body, there was a war raging in the halls of Luna Nova. A war being fought for honor, integrity, and the truth. The young witches that blissfully walked the campus may have been unaware of its importance, but for Chloé LeBlanc, it was her reality. The day would come when she would conquer this fight, when she would finally show her peers the truth! The day when she would prove to everyone, student and teacher alike, that she was a better witch than Diana Cavendish.

For the life of her Chloé could never understand just what everyone saw in Diana. She swore that she couldn’t go ten minutes without one of her brainwashed peers throwing out a “Wow Diana!,” or a “You’re so talented Diana!” So what she was good at a couple of spells? It’s not like she could pull off anything their teachers couldn’t! So what she was from a fancy noble family! As far as Chloé could tell there were several girls in her year with noble blood. Hell Chloé herself was from a long and historic magical lineage. The difference was she didn’t feel the need to flaunt it around like Diana did.

Every other word outta that snobbish brit’s mouth was about her dumb family. “The Cavendish family honor,” this and “My duty as a Cavendish,” that. And yet no one but her seemed to care. All the other girls, especially Barbra Parker and Hannah England, ate up that crap like it was a freaking ice cream sundae. They just loved to hear all about Diana’s dumb family history and her dumb realtives, and her dumb ancestorial connection to one of the olde nine witches. And Woodward knows that Diana was all too eager to tell them about it.

The LeBlanc family was just as storied and important as the Cavendish lineage, yet no one seemed to be chomping at the bit to ask Chloé about her history. For generations, witches of the LeBlanc name were crucial parts of the magical community. Her great great grandmother Belle was one of the founding members of the great mages library. Her great uncle Auguste revolutionized the magical culinary arts with his cooking. Even as recently as 16 years ago, her cousin Jean-Pierre helped to stop a dangerous drug trading coven. There was no shortage of excellent LeBlanc witches! Okay, yeah sure, her older sister Sherry might have gotten a bit too obsessed with that crazy motorcycle card game of hers, but that's hardly enough to erase the decades of impressive LeBlanc achievement. Didn’t seem to matter though, as these noble deeds meant nothing to the masses compared to Diana’s rambling.

The only other people who seemed to be immune to Diana’s annoying drivel was her teammate Sarah Bernhardt, and Sucy Manbavaran and Akko Kagari of the red team. Sarah was too much of a realist to get caught up in pointless hero worship, Chloé was pretty sure Sucy didn’t really care about anything, and Akko, poor, sweet, troublesome Akko, had convinced herself that Diana was her destined rival. A rivalry that the Japanese witch stood absolutely no chance in, but one that Chloé admired. Sure, She and Akko didn’t talk much, but Chloé saw her as a companion of sorts. The only other girl who was dying to see Diana get knocked down a peg.

And finally, after all this time, Chloé had found a way to make just that happen. A full proof plan that would once and for all prove herself to be a witch of equal, no, greater calibur than Diana Cavendish. Chloé grinned wickedly at the envelope she clutched to her chest. With her master piece in mind and her secret weapon in hand, Chloé proudly strode towards the peach team dorm. The last classes had just let out for the day, and the French girl was certain that both her teammates would already be back in their dorm. Not that she was eager to brag about her master plan or anything, Chloé just felt like talking to her friends was all. As she approached the door, Chloé’s suspicions were confirmed as she heard Sarah and Elfriede’s voices from within the room. With a confident smile on her face, Chloé threw open the door, just knowing her fellow peach team witches would be eager to listen to her magnum opus.

“I’m telling you El, that’s absolute nonsense,” Sarah said as she lay on her bed, looking up at the ceiling.

An annoyed grumble came from Elfriede who was sitting across the room on the bottom bunk of the bed she shared with Chloé.

“Oh what would you know about true love? Always looking at matters of the heart in black and white,” Elfriede retorted. The German witch had a book open on her lap. While Chloé couldn’t see the title from where she stood, she was certain it was probably another one of Elfriede’s trashy monster romance novels.

It was a sight that Chloé had gotten rather used to in her time at Luna Nova, as her teammates seemed to argue constantly like this. Elfriede would dream up some cheesy idealistic scene of love and confession and drama in her head, only to adamantly defend it when Sarah would ruthlessly point out how absurd it was. The arguments would never get mean spirited and they hardly ended in the two peach team members being genuinely upset with one another, but they did more often than not go on for a long time. Neither Elfriede nor Sarah was the backing down type, and as a result were more willing to waste an afternoon then admit they were being silly.

The fact that the two were in the midst of one such argument did not bode well for Chloé as neither had noticed her come in the door, and even worse, neither would be willing to hear about her awesome plan.

“All I’m saying is that true love is an unproven concept,” Sarah said, turning on her side to face Elfriede. “But you know what is a proven one?”

“What’s that?”

“Hunger. As soon as that lamia gets hungry, it doesn’t matter how ‘perfect for each other,’ they are. Goodbye lover boy or girl, you’re fucking dinner!” Sarah said, throwing up her hands for emphasis.

“Sarah!” Elfriede said with a huff. “You’re so morbid!”

“What? It’s the truth!”

“Ehem,” Chloé said with a cough, figuring now was as good a time as any to make her presence known.

Sarah and Elfriede both fell silent as they turned to look at Chloé.

“Oh hey Chloé,” Sarah said. “Didn’t see you come in. How long have you been standing there?”

Chloé walked forward and sat down at the desk the three shared.

“Long enough to know that you should cease this pointless argument before it becomes a whole ‘thing’,” She said with an air of authority. “And long enough to know that a certain team leader owe’s a coin to the swear jar.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and with a groan flopped onto her back.

“Seriously? I Didn’t even mean to! It just kinda slipped out.”

“Yes seriously,” Chloé said, grabbing the jar from its place on the desk and thrusting it towards Sarah.

The redhead grumbled under her breath as she sat up and dug for a coin in her pocket. Once the necessary penance was paid, Chloé put the jar down and turned to her roommates with a smile. It was time. Time for them to hear her plan.

“Girls, there’s something I would like to discuss with you.”

Chloé had only just said her first sentence when Sarah already let out another groan.

“What?” Chloé asked, somewhat put off.

“I know that face is what. It’s the ‘I’m gonna destroy Diana’ face.” Sarah said.

“I don’t have a ‘I’m gonna destroy Diana’ face!” Chloé retorted.

“Then what you have to tell us has nothing to do with Cavendish?”

“Well...not exactly…”

“See? I knew it,” Sarah said victoriously.

“You don’t understand Sarah!” Chloé said, excitedly shooting up from her chair. “This time it’s going to work! This time I’m going to show Diana what for!”

“That’s what you said about the swimsuit incident and we both know how that went,” Sarah said with a sigh.

Chloé’s response died in her throat as she felt her face heat up in embarrassment. Ah yes, the swimsuit incident. Not the LeBlanc family’s finest hour.

“This is different!” Chloé managed to say, blocking the embarrassing memory from her mind.

From behind her Elfriede joined Sarah in letting out a tired sigh.

“Do you really have to do all these schemes Chloé? Can’t you just try and get along with Diana?” the German girl questioned.

“Spoken like a true Cavendish apologist,” Chloé said with a ‘hmph’, crossing her arms.

“I’m not a ’Cavendish apologist,’ Chloé. That’s not even a thing. All I did was ask her for some help on the linguistics homework.”

“And that’s just how she lures you in!” Chloe said. “If you are truly loyal to the peach team and are not a Diana brain slave in the making, you’ll at least hear what I have to say.”

“Fine,” Elfriede said, resignation heavy in her voice. “Go ahead.”

“Sarah?” Chloé asked, whipping around to face her redheaded teammate.

Sarah gave her a frown, but relented all the same.

“Yeah go ahead. Regale us with your oh so clever plan.”

Chloé felt her heart race with excitement as her teammates gave her the all clear. They were clearly apprehensive at the moment but they’d surely change their tune once they heard her brilliance. Clearing her throat with a good cough, Chloé began her speech.

“Now, as you both know Diana Cavendish has garnered a rather annoying reputation as our grade’s, and perhaps the whole school’s, top witch. But do you know why that is?”

“Because she has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things magic?” Sarah said.

“No,” Chloé responded flatly.

“Is it because she’s dependable and is always there when her peers need her?” Elfriede asked innocently.

“No, wrong again,” Chloé said with a grumble.

“Oh, I know! It’s because she-”

“It’s because she supposedly gets top marks in all her classes!” Chloé said, cutting the German girl off.

“Well yeah,” Sarah said dryly. “She does get top marks in all her classes.”

Chloé couldn’t help but chuckle darkly at that. Oh how naive her team leader was.

“That’s where you’re wrong, my dear Sarah,” Chloé said with an evil grin. “For that is but an illusion, a lie that Diana has led the entire student body into believing. I, however, have seen the truth.”

“Which is…?” Elfriede asked tentatively.

“That Diana Cavendish has not, in fact received the best possible grades in all her classes, but has merely received them in most of her classes!” Chloé exclaimed.

A silent pause fell over the room. Sarah and Elfriede shared a look across the room before letting out a joint “huh?”

“Allow me to explain,” Chloé eagerly said, ignoring a groan from Sarah. “You see, last tuesday in potions class, while I was packing up our cauldron I noticed a certain British snob looking over the tests Professor Lukić had handed back to us.”

Chloé began to pace across the dorm room as she continued her story.

“Usually when Diana gets a test back, she simply nods her head before putting it away in her bag. Yet this time, this time was different,” Chloé said, ignoring Sarah’s interruption asking her how she knew exactly what Diana did with her tests.

“For whatever reason, Diana did not nod in confirmation when viewing this test, no she practically scoured at it. For on the top of that paper sat not the expected A+, no. The grade she had received was in fact...a B!” Chloé shouted.

Chloé whipped around to see her roommates' reaction. Neither had moved. They must have been reeling in shock at her revelation.

“A...B? That’s it?” Sarah asked

“Nay! It goes deeper!” Chloé responded. “You see I had to make sure I wasn’t mistaken, that I hadn’t been seeing things. Surely the oh so incredible Diana Cavendish hadn’t scored a grade not one, but three whole steps below an A+? But she had! And I have the proof!”

Chloé strode back to the desk and picked up the envelope she had been carrying earlier. It was time to deploy her secret weapon.

“Behold!” She said, opening the envelope and pulling out the paper within. “The record of Diana’s potions grades!”

“How on earth did you get that? Sarah asked somewhat worridley.

“I have my sources,” Chloé responded smugly.

“That sounds like an invasion of privacy Chloé,” Elfriede said.

“And kinda illegal,” Sarah added.

“Don’t get caught up in the details,” Chloé said, waving off her friend’s concerns. “Pay attention instead, to the truth!”

Chloé turned the grade sheet so that Sarah and Elfriede could see. Despite their misgivings, both girls leaned forward to read it.

“This page, this mere piece of paper is the key to toppling Diana! For it proves that not only did she indeed get a B on our last test, but that her class average is only a B+!! That’s right, not an A+, not a basic A, not even an A-, a humble B+.”

Chloé laughed wickedly as she threw the paper up in triumph. There! She had exposed the truth! Now both of her roommates were enlightened!

“Is...that it?” Sarah questioned.

Chloé stopped mid evil laugh to whip her attention back towards Sarah. This lukewarm reception was not the response she had been expecting.

“What do you mean is that it!? How is your mind not blown right now??” Chloé questioned angrily.

“Well, It’s just that, I don’t see how that’s a big deal?” Sarah said. Elfriede nodded in agreement.

“This seems pretty...normal?”

Impossible! Chloé could understand how a grounded person like Sarah could fail to see the bigger picture here but not Elfriede too!

“It’s not! Diana is supposed to be perfect! But here she is clearly achieving below perfect scores!”

“Everyone has something they aren’t good at Chloé,” Elfriede said. “It makes sense Diana would have a subject she struggles in too.”

“If you can even call a B+ average struggling,” Sarah added.

Chloé took a step back, wind knocked out of her sails. Clearly her teammates just couldn’t appreciate the gravity of her discovery.

“Hpmh. The two of you may not understand the opportunity at hand here, but that doesn’t mean I don’t.”

“And that opportunity is what exactly? Are you gonna go around the school screaming that Diana has a B in one subject?” Sarah asked.

“No! I’m not,” Chloé said. “If you must know, I will simply out perform her in potions class! When the school hears about how I, Chloé LeBlanc received a higher grade than Diana, they’ll realize that she’s just another witch. Just another girl in school, susceptible to normal grades just like the rest of us!”

Chloé crossed her arms and closed her eyes, a smug, satisfied smile on her face. A silence once again fell over the room until a nervous sound from Elfriede broke it.

“Uh, Chloé? Isn’t there something...wrong with your plan?” the German girl asked.

Chloé’s eyes flew open, and she turned to face Elfriede with a frown.

“Like what?” She asked.

“Like the fact that your shit at potions? Almost as shit as me?” Sarah said deadpan.

“Language!” Chloé retorted angrily, shoving the swear jar back in Sarah’s face.

Sarah starred her down with a frown as she dropped another coin into the jar.

“I am aware of my...lack of skills, when it comes to brewing potions. I know that I can’t beat Diana with luck alone,” Chloé explained. “But I have that covered! You see, I’m going to get a tutor, and under their tutelage, am going to work nonstop until I’m confident that I will achieve the A+ that Diana cannot!”

“That’s your big plan? To study?” Sarah asked incredulously. “That’s what you should be doing anyway for a class you suck at!!”

“You’re failing to see the bigger picture Sarah.”

“Oh yeah? Who are you gonna get to tutor you anyway? It’ll take a godd- er, gosh-darn genius to polish your skills.”

Chloé chuckled to herself smugly. “Oh don’t you worry about that Sarah. I’ve got my eyes on the best potion master in our grade!”

“Sucy Manbavaran?”

“The best approachable potion master in our grade!”

“Barsa McVinegar?” Elfriede asked.

“The very same!” Chloé responded.

“How exactly are you gonna get her to agree to tutor you?” Sarah asked drly.

“Oh please, Sarah, that’ll be easy. You may not know it, but me and Barsa are great friends. She loves me.”

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“Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea Chloé. I’m pretty busy after class these days, and I kinda...don’t like you?” Barsa said to a rather flabbergasted Chloé.

The day after having revealed her master plan to her teammates, Chloé had gone to talk to Barsa as soon as she could. She often frequented the potions lab after school and that was exactly where Chloé found her. The French witch wasted no time in asking Barsa for her help in being her potion tutor...only to be immediately shot down. Okay, so it was a possibility that she had exaggerated how close she and Barsa were to Sarah and Elfriede. In reality, they had barely interacted before Chloé had started this whole scheme of hers. Still, she couldn’t take no for an answer, not now! Not after coming so far! A LeBlanc wouldn’t give up so easily!

“Please Barsa! You have no idea what this means to me!” Chloé said, throwing herself down onto her knees. “I’m begging you! Just a few lessons after class. At least until our next test!”

Barsa shifted uncomfortably at Chloé’s sudden begging. Chloé took this as a sign that her pleading was starting to work. She had no qualms about keeping this up until Barsa cracked.

“I-I don’t know Chloé,” Barsa said, shifting her gaze to look anywhere besides the fairly pathetic witch in front of her. “I already made a mistake in helping you get that grade sheet outta Professor Lukić’s office. If she found out it was missing, I’d lose my job as her TA for sure! Hell, I could have gotten expelled.”

“Yes, I understand that was a big risk for you. Which is why I brought it back, as promised, unscathed!,” Chloé said, jumping back to her feet and handing the envelope containing said document back to Barsa eagerly.

Barsa hesitantly took the envelope, giving Chloé a sideways glance before checking the contents inside. Determining that the grade sheet was in fact unmarred and in one piece, Barsa let out a relieved sigh.

“See? Good as new!” Chloé said confidently. “Now you can slip it back in place of the decoy and no one will ever know it was missing. You see, I gave my word and a LeBlanc never breaks a deal.”

“Deal!? What ‘Deal,’? You blackmailed me into stealing it for you,” Barsa said angrily.

“Well blackmail is a bit of a harsh word, isn’t it?” Chloé said with a nervous laugh.

“You threatened to release pictures of me dressing up as Professor Lukić to the school paper. I’d say blackmail describes that perfectly.”

“Okay so I might have used some underhanded tactics, and for that I’m sorry. Truly I am,” Chloé said clasping her hands together. But that was then, and this was now. Surely you can overlook the past just this once? Isn’t our friendship strong enough for that?” Chloé said hopefully.

“Not really,” Barsa deadpanned in response. “and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to be your friend.”

Chloé gasped, somewhat scandalized. How could a girl with such a cute sounding voice speak such harsh words!?

Seeing Chloé’s shock as a chance to escape, Barsa quickly gathered her things, picked up her cauldron, and made for the door.

“Anyway, Bye Chloé. Good luck with...whatever it is you were doing, I guess.”

Chloé shook herself out of her surprise at these words. Barsa was trying to leave! Leave without agreeing to tutor her! Her window was closing, her plan was practically falling apart before her eyes. It was now or never! Gathering her courage, Chloé leapt at the fleeing form of the other girl, successfully clasping onto her leg. Barsa yelped at the sudden contact, and went totally red in face as she took in the scene Chloé had caused.

“Please Barsa! You’ve got to be my potions tutor!” The French girl begged.

“Just, a-ask another student!” Barsa said through her embarrassment as she continued to try and walk to the door, dragging Chloé with her.

“I can’t! My potion skills are dirt! If I try and learn from anyone but the best, my grade won’t improve enough,” Chloé retorted.

“If you want the best, then go ask Sucy. She’s even better at potion brewing than I am!”

“Ask Sucy Manbavaran for a favor? Do I look suicidal to you!?”

“Alright fine!” Barasa finally relented. “I’ll be your stupid tutor, just let go of me already! And stand up please! It’s embarrassing to see you clinging to me so pathetically like that!”

Completely missing the insult she had just received, Chloé could only hear an angelic choir as Barsa agreed to teach her. It worked! Diana’s destruction was one step closer! Oh she could see it now, the Diana Cavendish and all her brain dead worshipers standing dumbfounded as she, Chloé LeBlanc towered over her stupid ‘B’ with a perfect score!

Releasing Barsa from her grip, Chloé once again rose to her feet, composing herself with a polite cough.

“Thank you for agreeing to assist me Barsa, it’s much appreciated.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure whatever,” Barsa said flatly.

“Then I’ll meet you here after class, for let’s say, two hours or so? Starting tomorrow?” Chloé said, holding out her hand for Barsa to take.

“Ah ah ah, not so fast,” Barsa said, crossing her arms. “If I tutor you, what’s in it for me?”

What? In it for her? Chloé hadn’t expected for Barsa to ask for recompense. She hadn’t prepared a reward. In hindsight, that was probably a pretty big oversight on her part. Something was telling her that Barsa wouldn’t exactly take “the satisfaction of seeing Diana being beaten down,” as a fitting payment.

“Um, I’ll...do anything you ask?” Chloé offered with uncertainty.

“Anything, I ask?”

“Well, within a certain reason-”

“Okay bye Chloé,” Barsa said, turning for the door.

“Wait! Fine! Don’t go!” Chloé said, grabbing Barsa’s arm. “I promise, I’ll do anything that the might of the LeBlanc family name and fortune can achieve!”

For the first time since they started this conversation, Barsa seemed somewhat pleased.

“Okay Chloé, you’ve got yourself a deal,” Barsa said, turning back around to shake Chloé’s hand proper. “Meet me here everyday starting tomorrow as soon as class lets out, and don’t be late. I don’t want to spend more time doing this than I have to.

“Not to worry, Mrs. McVinegar! A LeBlanc is nothing if not punctual!”

“I’m not gonna be an easy teacher either. I can get a bit crazy when it comes to potions. You sure you still want me to teach you?”

Chloé felt her enthusiasm falter a bit at that. Well, it’s not like she expected this to be easy, right? Getting her potion skills up to snuff was always gonna be a bit of an ordeal. Besides, the harder fought the battle, the sweeter her inevitable victory over Diana would be, right? And no matter how ‘crazy,’ Barsa was about potions, she couldn’t be worse than trying to learn from someone like Sucy, right? There was no turning back now! She’d come too far.

“Yes, i’m sure!” Chloé answered confidently. “I’ll be the best student you’ll ever have!

“Sure, great,” Barsa said tiredly, finally leaving the potions lab.

Chloé watched her leave with a satisfied smirk on her face. Phase two of her master plan was complete, and she only had to beg a little! Diana’s demise was practically at hand and Chloé couldn’t be in higher spirits. Sure, Barsa had said that their tutoring sessions would be hard, but honestly, compared to the pain of living in Diana’s shadow, how bad could they be?

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Turns out, lessons with Barsa could be hell. No, actually Chloé was pretty sure Satan himself would want nothing to do with the punishment that Chloé had been enduring everyday after class for the last week and a half. Barsa had not been kidding when she said that she got crazy when it came to potions. It was like the normally passive girl morphed into a completely different person, one fueled solely by rage, and insulting others. Barsa had little to no patience for Chloé’s lack of skills, so rather than starting by reinforcing the basics of brewing, like Chloé had suggested, Barsa had decided to go with a more trial by fire kind of approach. This of course meant that she made a lot of mistakes, mistakes that Barsa didn’t take kindly to. It was like the orange haired girl took each and every fumble as some kind of personal affront to the art of potion brewing.

“And what exactly is that supposed to be?” Barsa had asked harshly, looking at Chloé’s attempt at making a panacea.

“Um, it’s a pa-”

“Because I know that you aren’t stupid enough to try and tell me that that pathetic excuse for sludge sitting in your cauldron is supposed to be a panacea,” Barsa said, slamming her hands on the table and leaning towards Chloé. “You aren’t stupid enough to do that, are you Chloé?”

Chloé could practically feel the venom dripping off of Barsa’s words.

“No! I’m not, Mrs. Barsa, uh sir!”

“Good. Then throw that trash down the drain and start again. From scratch.”

Seeing Chloé’s hesitance, Barsa slammed her hands down once again. “Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation!? Get brewing!”

“Yes ma’am!” Chloé said snapping to action.

And that was basically how all of Chloé’s tutoring sessions went, with her scared out of her skull as demon mode Barsa berated her. Still, as much as she didn’t want to admit it Barsa’s tutoring certainly seemed to produce results. It wasn’t long before potion mixtures and techniques were coming easier to Chloé. Now all that was left to do was see if the training paid off, which is exactly what Chloé currently found herself doing. As she sat there in potions class Friday afternoon Chloé found herself fighting to stay awake for what was probably the fifth time today. She may have been just a tad bit excited about destroying Diana’s perfect girl image and had been unable to fall asleep the night before. Nevertheless, she had pressed on throughout the day as any good LeBlanc would. She would not falter here! Not when she was so close to tasting victory!

After sitting through a class period that felt like it had lasted ages, Professor Lukić finally finished her lecture.

“That’s all we have time for today girls,” the old witch cronned. “I will see you next week.”

There was a general commotion as the witches in the room all began to stand and gather their things, clearly eager to leave the potions room and start their weekend. Chloé was not one of them, as she was starting to feel something that was probably akin to panic, just magnified times a hundred. What about the tests? They were supposed to get back their tests! Did Professor Lukić forget to grade them? Or worse, were they destroyed in some horrible unforeseen accident? Was all her hard work doomed to-

A hand shot up out of the corner of Chloé’s eye. She didn’t need to turn and look to know it was Diana’s. Chloé had long since memorized where her rival sat. Which was a totally normal thing to do, regardless of what Sarah thought. Professor Lukić took notice of Diana’s raised hand.

“Yes, miss Cavendish. What is it dear?”

Diana stood up from her seat.

“Forgive me Professor, but I believe you have forgotten to hand us back our previous test scores.”

A flash of recognition went across the old witches face before she turned back to her desk.

“Ah, right you are Diana. I know I have them here somewhere…”

A collective groan spread across the room as Diana sat back down in her seat. Obviously most of the class was not looking forward to getting their results. It was an open secret that potions was far from the most popular subject. A subpar grade in it being handed back to you was hardly the way any witch at Luna Nova wanted to start their weekend. Chloé couldn’t help but scoff. It was just like Diana to bring something like that up. Chloé bet she was the kind of kid in grade school that reminded the teacher to give homework. It baffled her to no end how Diana maintained all her fans when she pulled stunts like this. Of course, Chloé herself had also been eagerly awaiting her test results but that was neither here nor there.

Having seemingly found the graded tests, Professor Lukić turned back to the class. With a wave of her wand, the papers all began to float towards the seat of the respective students that owned them.

“Overall, you all did quite well. Even I have to admit that I’m impressed with some of the improvement I’ve seen since the last test.” Professor Lukić said. “With scores like these we might finally be able to get into some more dangerous and difficult brews.”

The professor cackled darkly as another wave of groans swept across the classroom. All of it however, was mere background noise to Chloé. The world around her practically fell away as she stared at the test in front of her...and the large A+ written on top in red ink. She’d done it! Actually really done it! She had sacrificed her pride and crawled through the trenches of potion brewing hell to get here, but she had reached her goal! The coveted A+ that even Diana Cavendish struggled to achieve! She had won! For the first time in the history in the halls of Luna Nova The LeBlanc name had reigned sup-

“Woah Diana! You did it!”

Suddenly Chloé felt herself being dragged harshly back to reality. With a speed that almost certainly wasn’t healthy for her neck Chloé turned to face Diana. The British girl had a small smile on her face, her test held in her hands, a large, red A+ adorned atop it. Chloé felt her jaw go slack. She blinked slowly in disbelief. How? How could Diana have gotten an A+ too? How!? Wasn’t this supposed to be her weak subject!? Chloé knew that the proud Cavendish could have never asked for help in her studies!

“See? I knew you’d get that A+”

Chloé hadn’t realized it before, but it was Akko who had spoken earlier, and who was now praising Diana. Wait a minute, since when in the hell was Akko friends with Diana!? It couldn’t be! Not only did she lose her chance at Diana’s destruction but had she also lost a (self-proclaimed) comrade in the battle against the Cavendish tyranny!? The Japanese girl was sitting awfully close to Diana, hell they were practically shoulder to shoulder. When Diana turned to address Akko, the smile on her face grew.

“Yes well Akko, It would appear you were right. Perhaps I was selling myself a little short,” Diana said. “Still, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Wait a second that didn’t make sense. Akko was awful at potions. How could she have helped Diana-

“Thank you Sucy. Without your lessons my grade never would have gone up.”

The witch in question scoffed in response as she stood up from her seat and walked to the door. “Yeah yeah, whatever. Akko was never gonna stop bugging me if I didn’t help you. Not like you were a difficult person to teach anyways...”

“Don’t mind her Diana,” Akko said through a laugh as her fellow red teammate left the classroom. “I bet she’s just embarrassed with how sincere you were.”

“Oh, my bad. I didn’t mean to embarrass her. Should I not have thanked her so publicly?”

“Nah don’t worry about it. It’ll take more than that to rattle Sucy. Like one time, she…”

The sounds of Diana and Akko’s conversation faded as they too left the room. Chloé remained glued to her seat, her mouth still very much hanging open and her mind still very much blown. She didn’t know what to think anymore. Diana Cavendish and Atsuko Kagari, were friends. Not only that but the notoriously stubborn and prideful Diana had actually asked someone else to help her study. A someone that just so happened to be Sucy Manbavaran. The most unapproachable witch in the entirety of the school. Slowly, Chloé closed her mouth, and turned back to face forward in her seat. She glanced down at the A+ that sat on her paper. What had filled her with near elation only minutes ago now seemed like nothing more than a cheap consolation prize.

With all the force of the disappointment that now weighed on her shoulders, Chloé slammed her head onto her desk. What she had once thought as truths, were broken and what had once been hope, was now despair. She had no idea how this day could get any worse.

“Hey Chloé.” Barsa said as she walked up to the sulking witch.

Chloé didn’t give a response, but more of an acknowledging groan.

“I see you got the grade you wanted. Good for you, I guess.”

Chloé let out another groan. “Good for me? Yeah right. This is nothing now. Nothing but the promise of what could have been.”

Unfortunately Chloé’s words were muffled by the fact that her face was currently flat up against her desk. Barsa considered asking the French witch to repeat what she had said, but just shrugged in indifference instead.

“Yeah cool so you remember our deal right? I help you, you do whatever I ask.”

Chloé raised her head to look at the ginger witch.

“And what would that be?”

“There's gonna be a potion’s expo in town this weekend, but I can’t make it because I’m visiting my family,” Barsa explained. “I was planning on stocking up on some rare ingredients, ones that I won’t get another chance to get my hands on for a while. So you’re gonna go in my place.”

“Okay. So uh when is it?” Chloé asked tentatively.

Sure, Chloé wasn’t looking forward to this at all, but hey with the leadway she gave Barsa, the ginger witch could have asked for a lot worse. What’s one day out of her weekend?

“It starts tomorrow at 9 a.m and goes until Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. The lines can get pretty long, especially for the stuff I’m after, so you’re gonna have to get there early. Six in the morning should do it,” Barsa said.

She turned to take an envelope out of her pocket and handed it to a bewildered Chloé.

“Here. That’s your ticket. Be sure not to lose it. I’ve also got a list of the stuff I need written down in there too. Make sure you get them all, especially the petrified dragon vomit. That’s really important.”

Barsa patted Chloé on the shoulder and made her way towards the door.

“Okay have fun!”

And with that, she was gone. And so was Chloé’s weekend. Finally Chloé managed to find her way to her feet. She slowly gathered up her things and made to walk for the door. As she was contemplating whether throwing herself off of the new moon tower or drowning out by the cafeteria vestibule would be a more fitting end, Professor Lukić emerged from the ingredients store room at the front of the class.

“Oh, miss LeBlanc. You’re still here. Was there something you needed child?”

“No Professor. I was just leaving,” Chloé said dejectedly.

Professor Lukić raised an eyebrow at her student’s clearly downtrodden mood.

“What’s gotten into you girl? Why are you so mopey?” The professor asked.

Chloé cringed at the question. She didn’t exactly feel like explaining her entire ordeal to the old witch.

“It’s nothing professor, really. I’m fine,” she said, hoping her professor wouldn’t press further.

Lukić let out a huff. “If you say so. Still, try and smile a bit child. You did very well on your test. You’ve far exceeded what I thought you were capable of. I’m almost proud of you.”

Chloé blinked in surprise at that. It was practically as close as possible as one could get to receiving a compliment from the old potion master. Despite everything that had gone wrong today, Chloé couldn’t help but smile.

“Thank you professor. I’ll be sure to keep trying my best.”

And with that Chloé finally made her way out of the potions room. It might not have brought Diana to her knees, but suddenly her A+ didn’t feel so worthless.

[myluciferiscody]

In Case You Don’t Live Forever P.4

pairing: Xavier Plympton x Reader

word count: 2,313

warnings: language, sadness, fluff, slight angst

not entirely proof-read. *title inspired by Ben Platt’s song*

part 1 part 2 part 3

Life was fucking weird. 

If it wasn't apparent to you then, you definitely realized it now. 

Camp Redwood should just be burned to the ground, you thought to yourself. Your body felt like it was floating; nothing was holding you, you were just floating. Your eyes would not open, no matter how many times you attempted it. The air around you was cold, gently ruffling your hair and tenderly brushing against your skin. You had been there for a few moments, you thought.

In the real world, you were gone for weeks. 

The day you died, everyone had come running back to the cabin, their arms loaded with supplies to take care of you. The sight of Xavier holding your dead body would haunt them forever. His cries of agony could probably be heard in Los Angeles as he begged you to come back. 

The boys attempted to pull Xavier away from you, but he refused, picking up the dagger Richard Ramirez had left behind when he was dragged out. Your blood had already started to dry, and the others held their hands up, promising they wouldn't touch you. At least, not yet. 

Montana sat next to Trevor outside, Ray and Chet leaning against some trees. They sat in silence, unable to hear Xavier as he forced them out, slamming the doors in their face. 

"She has to come back, right?" Chet asked.

"It wouldn't make sense if she didn't," Montana frowned, "All of us did, he needs to calm down,"

Ray glared down at the blonde, straightening up. He knew nothing about you other than your name, and you were friends with Xavier. Yet, he still felt the need to defend you, to defend Xavier. You didn't deserve this. 

You were here to grieve, not die. 

"Why are you so miserable all of the time, hmm?" Ray snapped, prepared to fight a girl. Montana could probably beat his ass if he let her, but he was tired of being unheard in the group. 

"What the fuck is your problem?" Montana asked, standing up. Trevor rubbed a hand over his face while Chet watched excitedly. 

"You have nothing nice to say about anybody! You have no respect, did you know that, Montana? What the fuck did y/n ever do to you?"

Montana remained silent, sizing up Ray from head to toe. Maybe she wasn't in love with Xavier, but she liked him enough. All he would talk about was you, before and after 1984. It pissed her off that nobody loved her like Xavier loved you.

"You only care about yourself, an innocent person just died! You're Xavier's friend, right? How about you go in there and say what you just told us, see how fast he knocks you-"

A loud slap came from nowhere, his head whipping to the side. Trevor's mouth dropped open, slightly turned on by what just happened. Chet was speechless, looking at Montana with concern. 

Montana was never one to apologize for her actions, and today was no different. She turned and stomped off, heading in the direction of the kitchens. Nobody bothered to go after her, knowing it would be a death sentence to disturb her. 

"You okay, man?" Chet finally spoke up, placing a hand on Ray's shoulder.

"I'm fine," he said, blinking away the slight tear that formed in his eye. "I just, I did a lot of screwed up shit in my life, I want to be a better person." 

"It's not too late for you," Trevor spoke up. The two boys turned, giving him a quizzical look. "We uh, we need to go in there, Xavier shouldn't be doing this to himself." 

The boys agreed, slowly climbing up the steps and opening the door. It was silent in the other room, and as they joined Xavier, he was still holding you, his head resting on your head. Your eyes had already glazed over, the beautiful orbs now dead to the world. 

"Xav," Ray said, holding out a hand. Xavier glared at them, his eyes still glassy, but no tears fell. "We need to move her,"

"LEAVE us alone, please!" Xavier said, his voice cracking. 

Chet took a step forward, mimicking Ray's actions, "Plympton, she wouldn't want you doing this, we have to get her somewhere, they need to find her and bring her home."

Xavier couldn't argue with that, he knew Chet was right, damn him. You would be upset with him if he made himself suffer like this.

Xavier pressed a final kiss to your forehead, before slowly climbing off the bed. Ray kept him in place as Trevor and Chet gently grabbed you, wrapping you in a blanket and carrying you out.

Since nobody could get beyond the gates, they had to come up with a solution. The chances of you being found right away were slim to none. Xavier stayed back, his blue eyes shedding tears like a broken faucet. 

You were one of the purest souls in the world, the most genuine Xavier had ever known. Would you come back to him? Would he be stuck for eternity in a world where you ceased to exist?

Xavier permanently residing in Camp Redwood was not easy. He managed to have a lot of good days, his new friends, and the things they did daily kept him grounded. But when it came to you, he had missed you dearly. It was more comforting to know you were alive in Los Angeles, leaving your mark on the world.

Now that you were gone, and that you might not return is what killed him the most.

_

Some poor souls found you while going on a hike.

They ran to the nearest payphone, calling the police, and once again, the camp was a crime scene.

Xavier and the others made no appearances, for the time being, Montana surprisingly honoring Xavier's wishes. The slight bruises and cuts along your body were clues, but it baffled the on-site coroner who was trying to figure out how you actually died.

Your car was then relocated, possibly going into evidence or to your parents who had filed you missing within two days of not hearing from you. When authorities questioned them, asking what business you had being there, they immediately brought up Xavier Plympton.

They found no substances in your system, obviously. Your injuries weren't deadly, so suicide was immediately ruled out. It brought some comfort to your parents, though. Your mom knew how distressed you were about Xavier, but the knowledge that a monster took you away stuck with them.

Eventually, Richard Ramirez was finally caught. Now that his count was to fifteen, he had no trouble admitting that he was the one who killed you. Though it was a freak incident, he took credit much to the horror of your parents and the family of the victims. Richard would eventually die in prison from cancer.

Your apartment was cleaned out, everything going to auction, or with your parents or the Plympton family. A framed photo of you and him was now hanging in your parent's house. They didn't just lose a daughter, they also lost a son.

You guys had known each other for years. The birthday parties, sleepovers, school plays, eventually going to homecoming dances together, (though Xavier had better things to do, he went because you did). Your mother wiped her tears, thinking of the more innocent times as they lowered your body into the ground.

-

December 1985

Your body slowly stretched as you woke up, yawning loudly. Your eyes were crusty, and you wiped at them with a slight grimace.

Your memory had been a little foggy, but as you sat up, you remembered where you were. You visited Camp Redwood in June, to see Xavier. He showed up, somehow, and then-

You slowly ran a hand down your torso, before feeling your legs that were clad in shorts. There were no cuts, no bruises, nothing as you started to observe your body. You knew you had died, and now you came back as a ghost?

You sat up and went to a dusty mirror, your hands touching your face. You looked flawless; any blemish, freckle, anything you hated was gone. It was like passing over made you into your most beautiful self, and it confused you.

You lightly smacked yourself in the face, seeing you could still feel pain. Your knuckles cracked when you flexed them, and your hair was silkier than ever. You looked and felt entirely human.

"This is crazy," you mumbled to yourself. Did everybody else react like this when they came back?

Since the sun was out, you decided to venture out. The air was crisp, telling you it had to be Fall, at least. Los Angeles never got cold, just a little nippy during the Fall and Winter seasons. You wondered why you woke up wearing shorts, but the long-sleeved top you wore (did you buy this in Heaven?) kept you warm. It was a plum purple, and it looked lovely on you.

You were hoping to run into somebody, just to feel like you weren't alone anymore. The last few months in what seemed like a dark, cold chamber left you isolated. You just wanted human interaction.

You remembered the others, Chet, Ray, Montana, Pornstache? You thought about calling their names, knowing they were around somewhere. You were anxious to see Xavier again, you remembered his words to you right before you died.

Even if you guys had the rest of eternity, you were dead. It was weird to think about.

"Hello?" You called your voice bored. "Somebody? Any help will be appreciated!"

Crickets.

You huffed, continuing on your trek until the sound of a twig snapping caught your attention. You looked around, the last time this happened, the Night Stalker abducted you. You still didn't see anything.

"Ray? Montana? Chet? The guy with the porno mustache?" You asked, refusing to step into the woods.

"Did you forget about me already, babe?"

Xavier poked his head from behind a tree, giving you a cheeky grin. You smiled at him, feeling as if an electric current was madly sparking between you two. He took a quick moment to observe how bright you looked, how beautiful you were. The past six months of endlessly waiting were finally here.

You were home.

You wished you could say the reunion was perfect, but you nearly stumbled into him as you overlooked a small hole in the ground. Xavier caught you, holding you up as the two of you giggled.

"I'm sorry!" You gasped, your hands fisting his now white shirt. He shook his head, cupping the back of your head and allowing your face to hide in his neck.

"I don't care, y/n, I'm just happy you finally came back to me," he whispered.

Xavier really didn't mean to say that last part out loud. His cheeks turned red as you looked up at him, your hands cupping his face as you smiled. His blue eyes were uncertain as they glanced from your eyes to your lips.

"I love you, Xavier Plympton," you stated proudly, loving the comical way his eyes widened. "I've loved you for so many years,"

Xavier's tear ducts were a work of art as he struggled not to cry. "I wish I hadn't been so stupid when we were alive, to tell you how I really feel,"

You nodded, "I was stupid too, Xav," his cheeks warmed up at your nickname. "I guess we have eternity now, huh?"

"You better believe it, babe," he said before he smashed his lips against yours. You gasped in surprise, squealing like a little girl in your head.

Your first kiss with Xavier was the best kiss you'd ever had. Even in death, he was a total babe.

It was quite a sight, the two of you making out in a wooded area. Xavier's hands stayed above your hips, running along your back, eventually sliding up your side to wrap his hands around your neck, just feeling you.

"GET A ROOM!"

You jumped from Xavier, but he didn't seem surprised. You hadn't had the chance to perfect the powers you now had as a ghost, but Xavier felt their presence before they even turned the corner. You hid your face from them, burying your head in his shirt.

After that steamy session, Xavier had a permanent smirk on his face.

"Well, I never thought I'd say this, but it's going to be nice to have another lady around here," Montana sighed, her arms crossed over her chest. The others were all smiling at the sight of you and Xavier.

"At least one of us can get laid around here," Chet mumbled. You gave him a surprised look, this time your cheeks becoming cherry red.

"My name is Trevor, if it doesn't work out with Plympton, I'm your man," he said, joking more than anything. Xavier glared at him, squeezing you tighter.

".. Joking," Trevor mumbled.

"How do you feel?" Ray asked, kindly.

You smiled a little, shrugging, "It kind of feels like I'm still alive,"

Montana grinned, the first time she really seemed genuine with you, "It's great, isn't it?" 

"Is it still 1985?" You asked, and they nodded.

"Almost into the new year, actually," Xavier said, "They need to restore the power out here, give us a chance to have a New Years' kiss," he said, ignoring the fake gags and whistles coming from the others. 

You gently nudged him in the belly, smiling at him. 

"Well, I guess it's time we show you how things work around here, y/n," Montana said, stepping forward. She yanked you from Xavier's grip, poking her tongue out at him when he pouted. "It will be fine, come on," she said, dragging you along. 

Maybe being dead wasn't that bad.

*if I missed anyone, please let me know! if you want to be added to my taglist, you know the drill. only one part left!*

taglist: @thexmancometh​ @the-walking-daryl​ @trichy-knitts​ @shydragonrider​ @thefandomzoneisdangerous​ @lemonwhiskers​ @jetblackpayne​ @langdonsvcrd​ @okoktrinity22​ @uwonman​  @stefanmikaleson1864​ @sevenwonderwitch​ @rubbrninja

[benscaligraphyset]

Starward- chapter two

A/N: so sorry this update took me so long! It’s been kind of a crazy month but my updates will hopefully be more consistent from now on! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! Comments and reblogs are appreciated :)

Warnings: drinking

You splashed water on your face.

Why were you so nervous?

The refresher’s shower ran in the background while you stared at your reflection in the mirror.

Should you wear makeup?

No.

You groaned and threw your face in your hands. You just needed to relax. You nodded at your blurry reflection in the now fogged up mirror and hung your robe on the hook.

The warm water was instantly calming and encouraged you to take long, deep breaths. Maybe you’d have time for a quick meditation session before you had to go. The thought made you question why you even needed one.

This was Ben.

Big, goofy, grumpy Ben whose ears were too big for his head.

Besides, even if you were interested in him that way, he made it pretty clear in the cantina that he did not. And you were glad that he didn’t. That would only complicate things.

You shook your head of those thoughts. Jedi weren’t allowed to form attachments anyway, so whatever you used to feel for Ben before you left doesn’t matter. You weren’t children anymore.

You inhaled deeply as your jebwa flower-scented soap drenched you in tranquility. It was the same scent your mother had always used.

Just as you were beginning to relax, a loud knock at the door startled you and caused your eyes to fly open. You cursed as shampoo slipped down into your eyes and they instantly burned.

“Hey, chosen one, other people have to shower, too,” a girl's voice rang out.

You already knew she was going to be the cause of a lot of your meditation sessions.

You quickly washed the shampoo out of your hair and stepped out of the shower, wrapping your lilac towel around your body.

You grabbed the clothes you were planning on wearing and slipped them on. You could’ve waited to do this until you left the refresher but her incessant knocking made you want to go slower.

Finally, you thrust the door open to see her scowling face. The girl’s white hair sat atop her head in beautiful, intricate braids that stopped just above her shoulder. Her bright green eyes were squinted and her full lips were twisted into a scowl. She was actually quite pretty, it was too bad she was a bitch.

She said nothing to you and simply slipped into the room behind you, being sure to shut the door a little too hard.

“Nice to meet you, too.”

~

The sun was beginning to set, bathing the inside of the temple in a golden light and making the floor tiles shimmer. The specks of light appeared to be dancing with each step you took. You took a moment to smile in admiration of the sight of the temple that basically looked like it was taken straight from a painting. This place wasn’t the worst place to spend most of your time.

“Hello, Y/N,” Luke greeted and you pulled your gaze away from the temple to see him give a nod in your direction.

“Hello, Master Luke,” you replied cheekily, stopping to come in front of him.

He rolled his eyes. “I told you, you don’t have to call me that.”

“I wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m getting special treatment, Master.” He chuckled with a shake of his head.

“I’m gonna regret training you aren’t I?”

You nodded, trying but failing to keep a straight face. He nodded his head in the direction of the archway of the temple and started walking, with you trailing behind.

“How was my speech?”

“You mean the three other times I heard it or...?”

“Listen, smart mouth—“

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” you interrupted and nudged him a little.

“The speech was great. I think they were really listening to you.”

Even if you hadn’t seen his shoulders lessen their tension, you could feel his anxiety lessening and relief replacing it. You gave him a smile, which he returned.

“I see you and Ben had time to catch up,” he said.

You stopped just outside the temple entrance and looked at him. He had a peculiar look on his face that you couldn’t place. You tried to press and feel what he was feeling but he didn’t let you in, much to your frustration.

You flushed at the thought of Luke seeing you hold his hand.

“Yeah. We had a lot to catch up on...it’s been a while.”

“It has.”

“And it wasn’t very kind of you to not-so-subtly aim your comment of controlling emotions at him,” you added, giving him a pointed look.

“Well neither you nor Ben have ever been good in that category,” he defended with a tiny smirk.

“Yes, but he doesn’t need you pointing it out in front of everybody.”

Luke chuckled softly and smiled at you.

You squinted. “What?”

“You always were the first to defend him,” he said adoringly.

Well if no one else is going to, you thought to yourself but thought better of vocalizing it.

“Anyway...who’s the girl with white hair?” you asked, eager to change the subject.

You were sure Luke could feel the irritation rolling off your shoulders at the mention of the mystery girl.

“Ah,” he said knowingly. “So, I see you’ve met Voe.”

“I wouldn’t call it meeting as much as her yelling at me for being in the refresher too long.”

“Yeah, Ben didn’t get along much with her either when they trained together.”

“I can’t imagine why.”

Luke chuckled softly.

“Voe had a bit of a rough upbringing... she’s never felt good enough. Especially when it came to Ben. And he talked about you a good bit after you left—“

“He did?” you asked. A little too excitedly based on Luke’s eyebrow raise at you.

You cleared your throat. “I mean, he did?”

“Yes, he did. We both did,” Luke replied. “Ben and I both spoke very highly of you...And she can sense how strong your powers in The Force are for herself, which, I’m sure, contributes to her insecurities.”

You sighed.

How was it your fault that you were stronger than her? If she just worked harder and didn’t get so in her head she could be nearly as good and you and Ben.

“Easy,” Luke said in a warning tone.

“I didn’t say anything,” you replied defensively.

“I don’t need to be Force-sensitive to know what’s going on in your head.” He tapped on the side of your head and you rolled your eyes, pushing him away. He stared at you for a second before turning serious.

“Not everyone has had the same opportunities you’ve had, you need to remember that.”

You stared into his clear blue eyes before needing to drag your gaze away. His disappointed looks always stung more than anyone else’s.

You nodded; he was right, you knew he was.

“Where are all you going off to? Do I even wanna know?” He asked as the other younglings bustled around you and towards the valley.

“Uh, group bonfire slash bonding session? I don’t even know,” you admitted with a soft chuckle.

“Well have fun with that.”

“I’m sure I will.”

You felt a familiar presence and smiled to look over at the entrance where Ben stood in new tan robes. You could tell he was freshly showered as his hair was still damp and sticking to the sides of his face. His look of discomfort at the aspect oncoming socialization almost made you laugh but you held it in.

You were going to make sure Ben Solo had fun tonight if it was the last thing you did.

~

By the time you both made it down to the valley, the sun had nearly disappeared behind the horizon and the other students were adding sticks to fuel the large flame in front of you.

Neither of you had much time to admire the view before a purple figure was running to you.

“Hey, Y/N! You made it!” Helixia, the twi’lek from the cafeteria, greeted you excitedly. You had to hold back a laugh when Ben jumped in surprise.

“Hey, Helixia.”

Her gaze flickered to Ben and you instinctively went to introduce him.

“And you're Ben!” Helixia exclaimed before you could. “Ben Solo! It’s such an honor too meet you. Your mom has always been a hero of mine...”

You could feel Ben’s discomfort rising the more she spoke about his family.

“Hey,” you tried to find a polite way to interrupt, “Do you guys want a drink?”

“Oh, well I’ve already had a drink but if you guys want one they’re over there.” She gestured to a table with an assortment of drinks.

“Thanks,” you said and Ben took this as his opportunity to fast walk toward the table.

“No problem--Hey Tai!” You were relieved when she ran over to greet boy just arriving.

“So, everyone already knows exactly who we are,” you grumbled and took a sip of your Corellian whiskey. The strong burn was worth the feeling of warmth throughout your chest.

“I think I have you beat,” Ben replied, taking a sip of his own drink. “At least you had a chance of anonymity.”

“That is true.”

You sighed dramatically and watched as the other students mingled. You spotted the girl from earlier, Voe, in the crowd, wearing an unimpressed face. She looked like she was trying so hard. She needs to just let go--

You thought back to what Luke said and stopped your train of thought. Everyone learned at their own pace and it wasn’t your place to judge her.

“You know, I know we are, but maybe we shouldn’t stand apart from everyone like a pair of loners,” you said and nudged him. “We should try and socialize.”

Ben hummed. “Sounds awful.”

You giggled softly and grabbed his hand.

“Come on,” you said and began to drag him towards the other students, ignoring his protests. “This will be good for us.”

Ben grumbled something next to you but you ignored it.

Maybe it was the nerves or maybe it was because you haven’t had more than a sip of alcohol in years, but you had definitely drunk more than you should have. Ben had cut you off when you mentioned the stars spinning above you.

You remember convincing Ben to dance with you and him begrudgingly agreeing, lightly moving his limbs to the song playing before quickly finding an excuse to be somewhere else. You danced with another boy named Tai, who had a very calming, mellow energy about him and Helixia came to join. At some point, you went to socialize with others but everything after that is a little foggy.

Before you knew it, you were sitting on a log a bit away from everyone else. You blinked a few times and looked around, spotting Ben sitting next to you.

“Wait, what happened? I was forcing you to socialize.”

Ben snorted. “Yes, you certainly were. But, I figured we both could use a break as you and I both know that we’re happier just sitting here by each other.”

You were grateful the alcohol could be used as an excuse for the flush that rose to your face. Ben must’ve realized how his words sounded because he cleared his throat and began to backtrack.

“I mean, by ourselves, like, not disturbed by others not...“

You would’ve saved Ben the embarrassment of stumbling through his sentence if you weren’t in such a nice state of warmth and tranquility. Ben’s voice just felt like background music to you as you closed your eyes and let his voice lull you into an even happier state.

You really had missed him.

“...and you’re not even listening to me.”

Okay, that you caught.

“Sorry...I think I had a little too much to drink,” you said and a giggle bubbled inside your chest. Your brain finally got the signal to open your eyes and you saw Ben wearing an amused smile.

“A little? Without me, you’d be passed out by now.”

“My hero,” you said, dramatically placing a hand over your chest.

“Did I succeed in my mission for the night?” You asked.

Ben tilted his head. “What mission?”

“My mission to make sure you had fun tonight.”

Ben laughed loudly, throwing his head back. He took another sip out of his bottle. “Yes, I would say you succeeded.”

You both laughed and you took a second to just listen to the laugh you’ve missed for so many years. You smiled and rested your head on his shoulder.

“I really have missed you, Ben.”

His force presence was a storm of emotions ever since your head touched his shoulder. Maybe he just decided he didn’t care about all the thoughts in his head right now, or your relaxing presence helped him, you’ll never know which but after a minute, his presence finally felt calm for the first time since you had returned.

He sighed and placed his head on top of yours.

“I’ve missed you too, Starward.”

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[deejadabbles]

Spells of Defiance (Atem x Reader x Yugi) Chapter 6

Six: Speakeasies

One //// Two //// Three //// Four //// Five //// Six //// Seven //// [Eight coming soon] 

Summary: The Circle of Magicians protects the world from rogue, murderous fey. The police who keep bloodsuckers and flesh-eaters in check. You’ve hunted vampires for years, earning a reputation as one of the best magicians in that field; but what happens when an encounter with a particular vampire makes your already fragile loyalties split?

Supernatural/Demon Hunter AU. Vampire!Atem x Reader x Incubus!Yugi (yes, a polyamorous relationship). Warnings for cursing, vulgar language, violence, and some sexual themes.

A.N. Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter done, I had some personal stuff go down in my life a couple months ago and it took me a long time to get back in a decent mental state. I hope I make up for that with this long chapter. I also hope everyone and their loved ones are doing well during all the crazy stuff that’s happening right now, stay safe, and stay strong <3

“So who exactly is this Peggy guy?”

You almost wanted to snort in laughter at Joey’s nickname, and if it wasn’t for the knot in your stomach, you probably would have. “Pegasus, his name is Pegasus. And to answer your question, he’s a very prominent vampire in Domino. He owns a club that’s exclusive for highbrow fey and he’s been here for a good century or two.”

“And the circle just ignores his existence?” Atem asked.

Though his tone was devoid of anything accusatory (at least towards you) you still felt an uncomfortable tingle at the back of your neck at his words. 

“Not exactly,” you finally answered, “They have an...understanding with Pegasus. He’s supposed to give the circle information on his patrons if they’re doing anything wrong, but we all know he doesn’t, unless it’s something really big that’ll earn him favors from the Circle. Everyone also knows he has some shady dealings, and he toes the line of the Circle’s laws a lot. Still, he doesn’t go around blatantly killing humans or causing havoc, so they mostly leave him be. I guess you could say he’s a bit like a mob boss.”

Atem only answered with a sigh and looked away. Again that uncomfortable tingle crawled across your neck. Atem’s mood was still low from what little you had found at Marik’s last hideout. It was obvious that the place had been abandoned days and days ago, but you still felt an almost painful twinge of guilt in your stomach when you saw how much it pained Atem to have him slip away again.

You took the lapse in silence to look up at the sky, examining the clouds collecting overhead. The four of you were walking down the busy streets of downtown, the upscale, higher end of downtown with lots of private boutiques and day spas. The sun was just starting to set now, it was a good time to hit Pegasus’ club, less patrons to cause trouble, but enough that Pegasus would be less willing to cause some himself. Can’t look bad in front of the customers, after all.

“Do magicians come to his club often?” Yugi asked suddenly, and when you turned to look at him, you could see the worry in his lavender eyes.

You managed a small smile at him. “Don’t worry, Yugi, he rarely gets visits from the Circle. In fact, I’m one of the few magicians he’ll talk to...he’s a bit of a primadonna and usually demands to see ‘his favorites’ from the Circle only.”

“And how exactly did you become a favorite?” Joey asked, and you tried not to take the bite in his tone personally.

“When I was young and training under an older magician, my instructor and I got called to his club to arrest some trouble makers tearing the place up. In that particular moment he didn’t much care who from the Circle came to help him, but apparently he liked my…. spunk and started requesting me personally when dealing with the Circle.”

Joey gave a grunt of understanding but was obviously still unconvinced that this was a good idea with the way he averted his eyes to stare blankly ahead. Again the silence between you and the others caused you to get lost in your thoughts for a moment, mostly focusing on how all of this may go down. Atem wasn’t going to like what you were planned to suggest once you got there, but he would just have to learn to take his overprotectiveness and-

You sighed and mentally scolded yourself for the harsh thought. Atem’s protectiveness wasn’t him thinking you were weak, he just wanted to keep you safe. He and Yugi both cared about you. The feeling that rose in your chest at the thought made your fists clench. It wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling, per se, but it wasn’t familiar to you and the fact that it had crept up more and more around the boys made you want to stuff it back down to wherever it had come from.

In fact, you had to do exactly that now, seeing as how the club was in sight. You stopped in your track and waited for the boys to turn to face you with questioning looks before you spoke up.

“Alright, this is the place,” you said, waving at the well-kempt brick building.

It had large windows beside the ornate double oak doors but said windows were covered by thick, red velvet curtains. There was no sign on the building, leaving the passing humans to only stare and wonder what the place was, if they took notice at all.

Though he didn’t want to be too flashy and have humans constantly knocking on his club's door, Pegasus still left his own posh mark on the exterior. The fire escape stairs were painted bright red and had vines twisted around it, growing flowers that would bloom when the sunset; a symbol to indicate just who his particular clientele were. Then, on the roof, he had added on more brick additions to the building, a short tower on each corner, his personal living quarters and studios if you remembered right. The whole place looked like he was trying to make his own English castle in downtown Domino.

You sighed and looked back at the boys, “Listen, I’m going to need to go in and see Pegasus alone.”

“What?” Atem’s tone was flat and, given the setting sun, he actually took off his sunglasses so you could fully see the displeased look in his crimson eyes.

“I know you don’t like the idea, but he’ll get suspicious if I walk in with three random fey. As it is, he’s one of my contacts that the circle knows about, so I’m already having to hide this,” you flashed your palm, the pink scar of your magician’s seal, at them, “from him to avoid suspicion. I’ll get more info out of him if I’m alone.”

You saw Atem bite his tongue, quite literally, and seem to contemplate what to respond with. In the end, he closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “As you wish. But I want the rest of us to stay close so that if anything happens, we can help.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll signal you if I need help,”  you assured, relief flooding you as another argument was avoided.

“How will you signal us?” Joey asked, crossing his arms, “An’ just for the record, I’m not a fan of waiting.”

You actually smirked at him before looking back at the brick building for a moment. “If you three stay here you’ll be able to see when I give you the signal,” you actually winked as you turned back to them, “you’ll know it, trust me.” With that, you turned on your heel and started walking towards the door. “I won’t be long, just hold tight.”

“Be careful,” Atem called after you, apparently having to act on at least some of his protector instincts.

You almost managed to look over your shoulder and give him an assuring smile, but seeing the doors to Pegasus’ club made a begrudging air fall back on your shoulders.

Then, still about a dozen feet from said doors, you heard Yugi call out to you. Surprised, considering how quiet he had been since leaving Marik’s old hideout, you turned to him, brows furrowed. He was jogging after you, putting some distance between himself and the other two and he stopped right in front of you.

He looked a bit nervous himself and his tone was low as he said, “I just wanted to check on you before you went in. Ever since you started talking about coming here you’ve just...you’ve had this...anxiety around you. Are you okay?”

That unfamiliar sensation started in your chest again, especially with how sweet Yugi’s eyes were on you. Sometimes you forgot that incubi could sense more than just lustful emotions, that they were full empaths.

“Uh, yeah, I’ll be okay, Yugi,” you answered lamely, then continued since you knew that wouldn’t satisfy him. “It’s just that Pegasus has always kind of creeped me out, that’s all.”

You felt stupid for saying it, out of all the things you had seen (and done) in your years, it shouldn’t be easy to make your skin crawl. Then again, the fact that he kept his dead wife’s body preserved with magic and had it displayed in a glass coffin Snow White style was bound to creep most people out.

Yugi’s eyes narrowed a bit at your omission and you were glad you left out the dead wife detail. “Does he try anything with you when you go to see him? I can make us invisible, like I did at the Sanctuary, so we can go in with you. I’ll make sure that creep doesn’t-”

“Yugi.” He stopped his almost-rant at your firm word, though you couldn’t help but inwardly smile at Yugi wanting to defend your ‘honor’. “I’ll be fine, I promise. And I swear if I need your guy’s help, I’ll ask for it.”

The sweet incubus sighed, then reached out and took your hand, holding it just long enough to give it an affectionate squeeze. “We’ll be right here.”

You almost had the chance to squeeze his hand back before he pulled away, though you had to ignore the urge to ask yourself why you wanted to hold it just a moment longer. With another breath, you turned away and walked the last few feet to Pegasus’ club.

You knocked on the ornately painted doors thrice, slow and steady just like Pegasus had told you to all those years ago when he first requested your presence. The eye-level slat in the door opened to reveal a pair of yellow irises that seemed to glow in the dying daylight. You kept your face blank as you stared back at him and waited. A grunt and an “oh, it’s you” later, and the slat was shut with a snap, the door opening a second after.

“Good to see you again too, Saru,” you mumbled as you stepped inside.

The large henchman shut the door behind you and Pegasus’ haven for posh fey was splayed out before you. The whole place was bedecked in lush reds, thick carpet with simple but old designs, curtains and drapes covering the walls and hanging from the ceiling, blocking out the outside world and its troubles. A set of three steps in front of the door led to the main area where guests sat. Dozens of finely carved tables with matching chairs, leather settees, and armchairs filled the main room, with wide enough paths for people to walk through without feeling crowded.

Then there were the private booths. Vases on pillar-shaped stands as well as fine art lined the walls between each booth notched into the walls. Some had curtains drawn over them for privacy, others sat with them wide open. Only a dozen or so people occupied the venue now, not including the string band playing on the stage to the right. A rather quiet night it seemed.

As you stepped inside you tried to ignore the silhouette of a woman dancing behind one of the curtained-off booths, two patrons watching her from their seats behind the red cloth. More so was it hard to ignore the young man sitting on a vampire’s lap, baring his neck to the older man’s fangs with eyes half-lidded and smile wide, euphoric even.

Some of the other patrons actually took notice of you as you marched across the room to the lavishly painted pocket doors on the other side. A man from one of the booths watched you like a hawk, stirring his amber-colored drink with his finger and not bothering to hide the suspicion in his single eye. A woman with delicate-looking wings smiled at you as you passed, trying to make eye contact with you so she might compel you to join her seat by the fireplace. Other eyes, vampire, cyclops, nymph, and otherwise burned into you from all sides but you ignored them, keeping sights on the silver haired man guarding the double doors that cordoned off Pegasus’ private room.

“I need to speak with his royal highness,” you said, dropping mood evident in your flat tone.

This henchman always wore his thick sunglasses even inside, but you could tell he was glaring down at you behind them. “Master Pegasus is entertaining a guest at the moment,” he snapped, obviously forgetting that Peggy himself had ordered his staff to treat you kindly whenever you stopped by. He must have remembered those instructions now, because he put on a mocking smile, showing his fangs as he waved at the table beside the vampire feasting on the young man, “Please, have a seat and I’ll call you over when he’s free.”

You felt a sneer take over your face as you took a step closer to the man, he was taller than you, but height didn’t mean jack when he had seen what you were capable of. “I don’t think your boss wants me to sit down. Because if I do, I might have time to start asking that vampire if he has a legal contract to suck on that human. Or how about the succubus feasting on the two men in the corner booth?”

The man sniffed, nose wrinkling as if a rotten smell was shoved under his flaring nostrils. “I assure you, all of our patrons practice legal feeding.”

“Hm, that may be, but a magician going around asking questions and ruining their night is still bad for business.”

Looking downright livid now, he opened his mouth to say something biting in reply, but was cut off by a drawling voice coming out from the crack between the doors behind him.

“Oh let her in you fool. You know I love it when my sweet magician girl visits me!”

The overly sweet croon in his tone made your scowl deepen, even as the head suit slid the door open with a grumbled, “Yes sir”.

Pegasus had changed his private room a bit since you last visited him. Instead of the long dining table, he sat at a smaller round one covered in a beautiful white silk cloth. The china dishes, crystal wine glasses, chandelier, and candelabra centerpiece were all the same though.

“It’s so good to see you again, my sweet!” Pegasus all but cheered, a smile turning his lips as he swirled his wine glass full of red thick liquid that smelled of iron. He was wearing one of his favorite red suits trimmed in white lace and his long curtains of silver hair were styled to perfection. “To what do I owe this pleasure? What do you need from dear old Pegasus?” he asked before taking a sip of his drink.

A scan of the empty chairs around the table told you that Peggy’s right-hand man had lied when saying that he was entertaining someone, as the only other souls in the large room were his two bodyguards.

“I came to ask for information,” you said, crossing your arms as you looked down at him.

The vampire chuckled, the sound deep and dangerous as he set his glass down and looked at you through his long lashes. “Now now, my dear, there’s no need to take that impatient tone with me. You know I’m always willing to help you when I can. So long as you pay my entry fee, of course.” With that, Pegasus held out his hand, palm up and looking delicate as it waited.

Your body tensed at the gesture, even though you had been expecting it. Aside from his all-around creep factor, and the fact that you hated owing him favors, this was the main reason you hated crawling to Pegasus.

Trying to resist the urge to sigh, you skirted the table and approached him. You placed your left hand in his, wrist up and veins vulnerable. He pulled you closer as he gripped your wrist and leaned his face into the warm skin.

“No need to be nervous, my sweet,” Pegasus practically purred, “you know I’m always a perfect gentleman.”

The way he ran his nose along the veins made your stomach crawl and heave; you were glad he couldn’t see (or didn’t care about) the sickened look on your face.

“Oh my,” he said with a tisk tisk sound, then flickered his eyes up to yours, not leaning away from your wrist in the slightest. “You’ve been cheating on me, my sweet little magician. I can smell another vampire in your veins.”

The memory of Atem feeding from you made a different heat crawl up your neck, but it mixed with another sick feeling as you envisioned Atem seeing you like this. It was a good thing you had made him and Yugi stay outside, or Pegasus would probably be on the ground by now.

“I’ve never said we were exclusive, Pegasus,” you said, hiding the shamed embarrassment behind quips. Besides, it paid to play along with his sick little games.

He chuckled at that, “Right you are, my dear.” Without another word, he sank his fangs into your wrist.

You tried not to flinch as the curative on his fangs flooded your nerves. Even with the numbing effect they provided, it was still uncomfortable to feel him tearing into your skin. Though he feigned kindness and worry, his fangs had none of the gentle care that Atem’s did, none of the soothing thumb strokes or caution to not dig in too deep, just enough to draw what was needed. Pegasus’ treatment was all mock gentleness; a sickly sweet whisper while sharp nails dug into bruised skin.

He never took much, thank god, but the moment still seemed to crawl by before he was retracting his fangs. He gave a satisfied, dramatic sigh, “My dear, your blood simply gets better and better every time you come to see me, like a finely crafted wine.” He chuckled at his own comparison as he pulled the white handkerchief from his breast pocket.

Though his puncture marks were already closing, blood has still dripped out from the wound and he dapped at your wrist, again with that mocking care. You supposed he thought licking blood from your skin was too uncouth or savage-like because this was his usual routine.

The moment his grip on you slackened at all, you pulled free of his grasp, “Now that I’ve given you your usual payment, I have some questions to ask you,” the attempt to keep any snap or malic free from your tone failed, but Pegasus didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Of course my dear, always happy to help!” He waved at the seat across from him at the round table, “But I must insist that you take a seat, I do hate seeing you stand the whole time.” He snapped his fingers at the guard on his left, “Get our guest a glass of wine!”

Again, knowing it paid to play his game, you skirted the table back to the side of the room nearest the door and took the seat there. Now that the worst part of visiting the vampire lord was over, you made yourself look at ease as you leaned back, arm propped up against the ornately carved chair. A third vampire guard came into the room from the door to the right of Pegasus, carrying a dusty bottle of red wine. He poured it into the crystal glass in front of you, but you paid the alcohol no mind, instead looking the newcomer over. He was young, or at least, young when he was turned, but likely hadn’t been a vampire long judging by the way he held himself. Marik wasn’t the only one who tried to turn the humans he drained in order to get more servants. You had always had your suspicions that such a practice was a reason Pegasus turned on his clients to get in the Circle’s favor. They were all too willing to turn a blind eye to the occasional human going ‘missing’ if it meant having a good informant.

“He’s new,” you commented as the man leaned back but did not leave the room.

Pegasus ignored your observation. “So my dear, what is it that you need from me? I promise I’ll help in any way I can.”

“I heard that the cult leader Marik has given you some trouble recently. Tell me about it.”

The vampire hummed as he took another drink of the thick liquid in his glass. He waited a beat after he was done, closing his eyes and holding his hand to his chin. “Ah yes, that loathsome little nat. His thugs thought it would be funny to terrorize one of my other clubs. Tore the place up rather well too, before my men could deal with them.” He opened his eyes again and held your gaze, “If you’re wondering why I didn’t call the Circle for help, I assure you such thuggish heathens were nothing to worry about.”

“That’s not what I’m wondering,” you clarified, though you were sure an illegal dealing or two at said club was the real reason. “I want you to tell me everything you know about Marik. I’m sure after that you must know something about him...or maybe his right-hand vampire?”

Again Pegasus waited a moment to respond, then, he nodded at the man on his right. “Go fetch Kemo, he might be able to tell her a thing or two about the incident,” he turned his sights back on you, “As for myself, well, I’m sure I don’t know any more than the Circle does about this Marik boy. He’s a roach, but he’s good at evading capture like one too.” He tapped his chin then, and it actively came to mind how much he was drawing this out. Then again, Pegasus always was a showman. “But since you mentioned his right hand, there is something I can tell you. After the incident, Marik sent one of his followers here to tell me that he hadn’t ordered his thugs to attack my establishment and that he had dealt with them thoroughly. I was shocked to say the least, I assumed someone as chaotic as this Marik wouldn’t care about smoothing things over, but perhaps he simply didn’t want to risk me going after his followers in retaliation.”

“What did this follower he send look like?” you asked, trying not to seem too eager.

“Oh he was a strapping young vampire,” Pegasus crooned, “very tall and muscular, with tan skin and dark hair. The most distinguishing factor, however, was the tattoo on his face.” Another long drink taken after the statement almost made you growl impatiently. “If the design being on his face wasn’t odd enough, the fact that it was of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs makes it all the more strange.”

So, Marik’s right-hand man was someone from, or at least interested in, Egypt. Interesting. “Is there anything else you can tell me about him or anything he said to you while he was here?”

Again, Pegasus took his sweet time answering, and as he did, Kemo, as well as two other bodyguards, came into the room. The fact that they, as well as the guard who had poured your drink, were now filling the room did not go unnoticed by you.

“Besides his surprisingly calm demeanor, no, I’m afraid there isn’t,” the vampire gave a bit of a dramatic sigh. “I’m sorry my dear, but surely that distinguishing factor will help you…” his eyes narrowed on you then, shifting from that drama queen act to the dangerous man you knew he was underneath. “I’m sure the Circle will appreciate the information, be sure to give it to them when you return. In the meantime, please, drink. You haven’t touched your wine.”

The familiar burn of adrenaline was starting in your veins now, but all the same, you sighed. You didn’t exactly relish making a mess. “You know I don’t drink while working, Pegasus. And besides that, did you really think I wouldn’t notice your goons closing in?”

He chuckled darkly in response, “I don’t make a habit out of underestimating you, my dear, but I’m afraid it’s too late. Other magicians are already on their way here, you best just wait for them. And please, don’t take this personally. As much as I adore your visits, turning a traitor over to the Circle will earn me quite a large favor with them. It’s just business, after all.”

Again you sighed, staying in our laid back position despite the fact that two more goons stepped into the room. “It’s your funeral, Pegasus,” your eyes drifted to the young vampire, who still held the wine bottle and seemed to be sweating bullets. “You really should have stayed home from work today, kid.”

With that your leg came up swift and hard, launching the table and its contents into the air as you sprang up. Your full wine glass was halfway back down when you grabbed it, smashed the end on your chair, and stabbed the remaining stem into the neck of the first vampire that made to grab you.

Yugi tried to keep his eyes on something that would distract him, like observing the old building before them, but the sound of his boyfriend’s pacing feet was too much to ignore.

“Atem, will you please calm down,” Yugi sighed, turning to face the agitated vampire.

Joey, who was leaning against the brick wall of the closed beauty shop next door, stretched his arms over his head. “Yug is right, stressin’ won’t get you anywhere.”

“She’s been in there too long. What if she’s hurt? Gods know what that man could be doing to her.”

“She wouldn’t have gone in if she didn’t at least trust this Pegasus guy a little,” Yugi countered. “Besides, she told us she would give us a signal if she needed help, she isn’t stupid.”

Atem halted his pacing and clenched his fists. “I know. But that doesn’t mean I’m not worried about her. Besides, how will we even know what-”

His words were cut off by the sound of shattering glass. They spun around, towards the large windows of the building and saw a man crashing through the glass. A wine bottle flew from his hand, clattering and clinking against the concrete as he landed hard. If there was any question on who this man was, it was answered when he sprang to his feet, raw flesh of his face already healing, and started running down the alley, yelling about how the pay wasn’t worth “this”.

“I guess that’s the signal,” Joey shrugged before the four of them descended on the new opening into the club, two well-dressed patrons running out as they did.

The sounds of a fight grew louder and the moment they came to the opening, Yugi almost had to do a double-take. Across the room two doors hung broken on their hinges, revealing an ornate dining room with more shattered glass and an upturned dining table. There in the middle of it all was you fighting off three- no, four (five?) fey clad in suits.

One made to grab you but you dodged and grabbed the back of his jacket, pulling it down to help hinder his arms as you set the fabric on fire. The man cried out as you kicked him, sending his now aflame body into one of his comrades. Without missing a beat you sidestepped another punch with grace, silver flashing in your hand as you came up and slashed the blade of your dagger across the vampire’s neck.

“Eh, you sure she actually needs help?” Joey asked, though he was immediately answered as Atem charged in with a growl of anger.

A vampire that had been hanging back tried to get a jump on your turned back, but Atem grabbed him by the arm and sent him flying across the decadent red room. That’s when Yugi spotted a door to their right burst open and even more minions came charging in. Not just vampires this time, one was a troll of sorts, another some minor race of demon, and a third who must have been a werewolf because he sniffed the air and turned excited eyes on Joey, canine teeth flashing.

In response, his old friend growled and descended on the newcomers, extended claws clashing with the other wolf.

Though you seemed to have confidence in him and Yugi was not above defending himself, he still wasn’t one for much violence. And if he was being honest with himself, Yugi wasn’t sure how much help he could be in the current chaos. The few patrons who hadn’t fled as soon as the window was open now ran past Yugi in varying stages of terror, or at least with a despondent air of ‘nope’. All except one, a nymph by a fireplace who sat reclined in her chair, calmly sipping her drink as if this was simply a mildly entertaining interactive play.

Yugi’s attention was snapped from the nymph as he caught sight of the troll stomping towards the room where you and Atem were fighting back to back. Mind working fast, Yugi’s wings flared and launched him into the air, courtesy of the building’s high ceilings. As he flew towards you he snatched a thick golden rope from the ground, a curtain accent that had been tossed to the floor in the mayhem.

He saw Atem punch another vampire in the gut, quickly grab the back of his jacket, and toss the man to you. Your hand met with the vampire’s face with a burning grasp, instantly rendering the man helpless as he howled in pain and tried to extinguish the flames across his skin.

Not a moment later however, did the troll make himself known by grunting in disapproval and raising his fists- with both you and Atem within his long reach. Atem made to grab you, likely to pull you out of harm's way but Yugi got their first. With the troll’s arms still lifted for a strike, Yugi flew past, lassoing the fancy rope around the attacker’s wrists.

Just as swiftly, Yugi’s wings carried him down and between the troll’s legs (at least his small size was good for one thing). The troll grunted as his arms were pulled back by the lead of rope now trailing between his own legs.

Yugi landed in front of you and Atem, extended the now short end of the rope and said, “Pull!”

The strength of all three of you combined was enough to pull the giant off balance and he came tumbling down with an earth-shaking thud . You took over from there, pulling a small pouch of something from your jacket and tossing it at the troll. With the flash of a spell, the pouch burst into a fine powder that fell onto the struggling heap of a giant, who quickly ceased all movement.

“My my, bravo!” Called a bright, though almost drawling, voice.

Yugi turned and finally noticed someone else that was apparently completely at home in the chaos. A silver-haired man sat in a fine-looking chair by the upturned table, lazily sipping from a crystal wine glass.

He flashed Yugi an interested smile, “And who might this handsome, young incubus be? Sexy demons, vampires, and werewolves, my my you do keep interesting company these days, my dear magician girl.”

“We need to get out of here,” you snapped, ignoring who Yugi assumed was Pegasus. “He’s sent word to the Circle and they’ll be here any minute.”

“They’re trying to block our only exit,” Atem hissed and Yugi turned to see that he was right, the few remaining lackies that Joey wasn’t fighting off were now blocking the large open window.

“Yugi, if I clear your way do you think you can grab Joey and fly out of here?” you asked.

“What about you and Atem?” he almost snapped back in worry.

“I think I can teleport us out, but Pegasus has seals up that make that difficult, otherwise I’d just teleport all four of us out. I think I can manage with just me and Atem though.”

“So, Yugi, Atem, and Joey,” Pegasus crooned from his seat, “Interesting, I’ll have to keep an eye on all four of you then!”

Obviously the boss had no intentions of getting his hands dirty by trying to stop their group, so Yugi took your lead and ignored him, instead nodding to your plan. That was all the confirmation you needed because you turned to the fey blocking the exit with raised hands.

“Get ready.”

A moment later you pulled your arms back, only to thrust them forward with a shout! Yugi felt an invisible force brush past him, but the few bodyguards by the window got more than a passing breeze. Instead, they were all thrown off their feet, some colliding with the wall, one flying through the broken window, and another flung across the room.

Yugi knew he had to move fast so, though it felt wrong to leave you and Atem behind, he put his trust in you and launched back into the air. Joey had already overpowered the goons he descended on and was looking about the room to figure out what to do next when Yugi called out to him. Joey’s eyes darted up to meet his and the moment Yugi extended his hand, the wolf understood.

The incubus grabbed the hand he held out and flew for the window, heart racing when he saw that some of the henchmen were already getting back to their feet. Joey took care of that however and delivered a swift kick to the head of the demon that made to snatch them out of the air.

The moment they cleared the jagged glass, Yugi shot upward towards the dark sky like a bullet. Once high enough Yugi slowed his ascent and hovered in the air with steady wing beats as he looked down at the ground, searching for any sign of you and Atem, or Circle mages closing in.

“Please be okay,” he whispered to himself.

“Come on!” your call drew Atem’s attention even before you grabbed his hand.

Turning, you tried to make a break for the nearest door, so that you might have some distance between yourself and Pegasus’ henchmen, but the ones by the window were already rising to their feet again. The demon looked absolutely livid as blood from a freshly broken nose streamed down his face. He locked eyes on you and Atem just as you turned to run.

“No!”

Arms wrapped around your waist and with a firm strength, you were thrown to the side. Atem held tight to you as you both crashed through french-style sliding doors, bodies hitting the wood as you collided with the ground.

You shook your head to halt the dizzying sensation, as well as the ache echoing through your body at the hard impact. With a quick glance at Pegasus’ dining room, you saw the burning residue of acid eating away at the wall sconce that likely would have been your head had Atem not thrown you out of the way. Huh, first time you had ever met an acid-spitting demon before.

“Gotta move,” you grunted, pain making the words lame as you tried to jump to your feet.

It would have been impossible with Atem still holding onto you had he not moved at the same time. Again you grabbed his arm as they slid from your waist and you bolted down the narrow hallway you had fallen into. Using the same spell that had knocked the cronies off their feet, you blew open the other door at the end of the hallway, and the moment you were on the other side, Atem slammed it back shut.

With a jerk on the arm you were holding, you made Atem face you. “This is going to be uncomfortable,” you warned before grabbing his other hand and closing your eyes.

Pegasus’ seals were weak, but they still made the task of teleporting out of the building quite taxing on your already depleted energy. With careful patience, you pushed through the blockages, feeling for the weak spot in the magic, like a light breaking through rubble. The moment you found it you cast your spell and the both of you were zapped out of Pegasus’ reach.

Now, to be technical, you weren’t exactly sure what it felt like to be shrunken down and stuffed into a tube that was still two sizes too small for your body, but, if you had to take a guess, you would assume the sensation was similar to the turmoil of teleporting. The fact that you had to push past the vampire’s seals only made the uncomfortable journey twice as torturous. A second later you found yourself stumbling across tarry ground, ankles aching from the hard, sudden contact. Unfortunately, Atem had less experience with the sensation than you did and tumbled to the ground, his still firm grip on you taking you down with him.

You lay there for a moment as you caught your breath, but Atem quickly sat up on his elbow and looked you over. “Are you alright?”

“F-fine,” you panted, “told you I’d let you know when things went south.”

He let out a huff of laughter, “Indeed.”

After waiting a beat, he got to his feet and held his hand out to you. You took the offer and let him pull you to your feet as his eyes scanned your new surroundings. You had landed them on the roof of a bookshop/apartment a good block and a half from Pegasus’ club. Close enough to regroup with Yugi and Joey, but far enough that you could hopefully avoid being spotted by any approaching magicians.

Speaking of, before Atem was even done scanning the rooftop, you heard your name called through the air, succeeded by Atem’s name a beat later. You both looked up to see Yugi soaring through the air, Joey dangling from his hands. The moment he was over the roof, Joey let go and stuck his landing, Yugi dropping down right beside him.

“Are you two okay?” the incubus asked, eyes looking over your face. You realized there might be a fresh bruise or two forming there, judging by the concern on his face and the pain that was getting harder to ignore as the rush of the fight fizzled out.

“I’m fine,” you assured, the words sounding more flat than you meant as you looked over at Atem. Of course he was fine, any injury sustained in there, against other vampires, would have healed by now.

“So, you find out anything before Peggy ratted you out to the circle?” Joey asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

You nodded, “Pegasus likes to talk, and he was doing just that while trying to stall me, hoping I wouldn’t notice. He said that he actually met with one of Marik’s followers, who he assumed is close to Marik. Even gave me an accurate description we may be able to use.”

“And you believe he was actually telling the truth?” Atem asked, “He could have made up anything to keep your attention.”

“True, but, I don’t think he was lying. I’ve seen him lie before and he knows I’m trained to sense deception. He would have tipped his hand to me quicker if he risked lying.” You let out a sigh, trying to remind yourself that, though both leads had turned into trials that day, you were at least getting small pieces of the Marik puzzle. “Anyway, we need to get moving, the Circle’s Magicians are likely already here and it won’t take them long to start searching the area for us.”

“Do you want to head back home?” Yugi asked as you all made your way to the fire escape.

You hesitated for a moment. The night was still young, and, given how agitated Atem still seemed, it might be nice to get at least one inch closer in your search. “Actually, if you’re up for it, there’s one more place I want to hit up. But I promise it’s less likely to end in a fight.”

As you started down the grated steps, Atem looked over his shoulder and quirked an eyebrow at you. “A more trusted informant? Or just a less violent one?”

“Neither, really. You remember me saying I have a friend who owns a bar?”

Clubs and bars that catered to all brands of fey were scattered across the city, more commonly than one might think. Much like Pegasus’ haven, they mostly hid in plain sight, relying on word of mouth to gather patrons and a bouncer at the door to keep any unsuspecting humans from wandering in. They also did their best to keep under the radar of the Circle, thanks to common dealings that were less than legal. You supposed in many ways, they could be compared to the speakeasies of the prohibition era.

Thankfully, Mai’s place had no such reputation and she always made sure her patrons took their questionable acts elsewhere. That, paired with the fact that Mai had far more loyalty to you than the Circle, made you pretty confident that her pub was more than safe from unwanted magician company.

“I texted the address to Anzu, she says she’ll be here soon,” Yugi said, stuffing his phone back in his pocket as your small group walked. After telling him that Mai would probably insist on all of you eating there, he had wanted to invite Anzu to join them, not only to update her on what the four of you had found out, but likely just to have a friendly meal together. End the day on a happier note, so to speak.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I could use a burger or two!” Joey yawned as he stretched his arms over his head.

“Don’t worry, Mai’s cook makes some good burgers,” you assured lightly, even as your well-trained eyes kept alert on the darkened streets. “Not as good as Yugi’s but…” you shrugged as you trailed off, but did not miss the way Yugi gave a small, proud smile as he averted his eyes to the ground.

Though the night was young there weren’t many wanderers in this part of the city. It wasn’t a high-end neighborhood in the slightest, but it wasn’t a city slum like where Bonz lived, instead hovering somewhere safely in the middle. The low traffic streets also made putting your nerves at ease simpler. Knowing that you and your companions had escaped capture from the Circle so easily had put you on edge and it was hard to calm that down. Though you had been careful to take every precaution while sneaking away from Pegasus’ domain, it still felt too...simple. Too lucky.

You nearly jumped when you felt a gentle hand on your back and turned to meet Atem’s eyes. They were full of concern as he said, “What’s wrong?”

You looked back for a moment, then averted your gaze. “Nothing. Just on edge.” Thankfully, the turn that would lead to your destination was within reach a beat later. “Mai’s place is just around this corner.”

Atem’s eyes glanced in the direction you were pointing but obviously knew that you were just trying to change the subject as he didn’t seem satisfied with your answer. Still, he let the topic drop, at least for now, as you picked up the pace just a bit and turned the corner.

It was a wide alleyway, almost completely devoid of any trash or litter thanks to Mai’s perfectionism and desire to look like a respectable establishment. The only indicator that there was an establishment there at all, was the modified neon sign hanging above a stairway that dipped into the ground, leading to the basement level. The sign, that almost looked more fitting to psychic's shop, read ‘Harpie’s Fortune’ with a mystic eye placed between the two words.

The boys followed as you jogged down the stairs and you four barely fit at the bottom, having to wait a moment as you knocked on the door. A more pleasant face than the one at Pegasus’s club met you when the door’s window slid open.

“Hey, Honda, I need to speak to Mai,” you informed, almost interrupted by a loud growl coming from Joey’s stomach. “...And I need to get my friends some food.”

You almost laughed with the amendment, but the bouncer actually did as he unlocked the door. “Sure thing!” Honda, a tall muscly gorgon demon, swung the door open and stepped aside, waving the four of you in. “You should take the booth at the back, I’ll let Mai know you’re here.”

“Thanks, Honda. We have another friend coming, cute brunette named Anzu-”

“Oh, yeah, I know her! She’s a regular on ladies night,” the gorgon cut in, “I’ll show her to your table when she gets here,” his assurance was paired with a flash of a smile, one that almost hid his fangs and you actually returned it as you and your friends stepped inside.

When he shut the door behind Joey, Honda started skirting his way around the tables to the back room where Mai’s office was. It wasn’t a lavish, decadent place like the one downtown, but the pub had a laid back, relaxed air. A simple but clean (Mai’s work, once again) bar complete with a line of stools that were almost always packed. Tables filled the center of the room, plain wood and metal but comfortable enough for an after-work drink. Booths with faded red upholstery and more wooden tables lined the walls for maximum occupancy. Top it off with a few TVs hung high, some cityscape pictures on the brick walls and good- though greasy, food and you had yourself a cozy bar for folks who were just looking to relax.

It wasn’t a horribly busy night, only half or so of the seats filled, but it was packed enough for Mai’s liking for sure. Usually you opted to sit at the bar where Mai would easily spot you...and decipher your mood from afar in order to whip up a drink accordingly- but that was beside the point. Tonight however, you took Honda’s advice and wove towards a booth in the corner, one of the longer ones that would accommodate your group as well as give privacy.

An oni demon leaning against the bar called your name in a passing greeting, flexing his arm before laughing to himself. When Joey turned to you with an interested eyebrow raise you scratched the back of your neck. “It’s a reference to the time I beat him in an arm wrestling match. Got the whole bar into a debate on whether or not magic should be allowed to counter his natural strength,” you explained, in a light tone.

“Hope it didn’t end in a bar fight,” Yugi said, clearly amused.

“Nah, he was actually a good sport about it. Believe me, if he wasn’t Mai would have made him regret it.”

You almost went on, recalling the very few other times you had actually been sociable at the bar, but Atem chose that moment to cut in, his eyes scanning the venue with a wary kind of caution.

“There are humans here.”

Indeed, a quick once over of the place revealed, to a keen eye, that there were at least four humans scattered around. One was curled up in the arms of a dryad, the couple lounging in a booth, looking sleepy but perfectly content as they cuddled. Another was playing a hand of poker with a pair of werewolves, a siren, and a vampire, complaining that he was losing hand-over-fist with a teasing and jovial air. Two others were sitting at the bar with three female demons of varying races, dressed as if starting a night out on the town.

“Yup,” you said in answer. “Most clubs like this aren’t safe for humans to visit, but Mai makes sure that humans who know about the fey world are welcomed here and aren’t given any trouble. Makes it a particularly popular spot for...I guess you’d call them, interracial couples?” Your eyes lingered on the couple in the booth, as the dryad leaned in and pressed a soft, chaste kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead.

Atem followed your gaze and for a second you thought he might smile at the tender scene, but a stony look remained firm on his face. “There was a human at Pegasus’s club as well,” he started in a flat tone, slowing his pace as you neared the corner booth. “He was with an older vampire and looked half dazed. Does Mai condone vampires and other monsters entrapping unsuspecting humans?”

The bite in his tone actually stung a little, though it was hard to decipher if it was directed at you or not. “No, she doesn’t. The few times she’s seen a...suspicious couple, she’s always called me to look into it.”

A thought crossed your mind with that. It wouldn’t surprise you if Atem was truly mad over how such partnerships were handled by the circle, considering the one at Peggy’s club likely wouldn’t even receive a slap on the wrist for his questionable partnership with the dazed human. It wasn’t illegal for a vampire or other fey to feed on humans, so long as said human signed a contract with the fey, consenting to anything that might be done to them and so long as it didn’t end in a dead human. Unfortunately, whether the human was in a healthy enough state to sign that contract was usually a sticky gray area. Drug addicts and the mentally unsound were often targeted for toxic or downright abusive pairings.

You were about to say something more on the topic, especially since Yugi was looking uneasy at the darkening mood, but just as you opened your mouth, something grabbed your arm and pulled you back. Some one , you amended, as a familiar voice called your name, and you were pulled into a leather and lace-clad chest.

“You haven’t visited little o’ me in forever,” Mai said, tone cheerful as she continued to embrace you with surprising strength. “And you brought friends!”

“Hi, Mai,” you greeted, tone a little awkward as you reached up and patted her on the back, the other arm hanging by your side uselessly.

After another squeeze she released you, letting you get a healthy amount of air back in your lungs. Mai was as stunning as ever, blonde curls styled to perfection, makeup bold but suited to her daring nature, and corset top matching perfectly with her ripped jeans and lace-up boots. When you turned to introduce the boys to her, you saw that Joey was staring, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape at your friend.

You flashed him a knowing smirk before moving the moment along, “Mai, this is Joey, Yugi, and Atem.”

“Oooh,” Mai cooed, “Look at you, running with wolves, vampires, and cute little incubi.” She winked over at you when Yugi blushed at the comment, but quickly added, “Welcome to Harpie’s Fortune boys, if my favorite mage says you’re good, then you’re welcome here.” She put a hand on your back then and started guiding you the last few feet to the corner booth, her tone lowering as she addressed you. “But something tells me you aren’t here for a drink or two. You’ve got that look in your eye, girly.”

“You know me too well,” you signed as you started scooting into the seat.

Before she could answer, Mai’s attention snapped back to the middle of the room and she raised her hand in a wave. “Anzu! It’s not often you drop by on a night that isn’t ladies night.”

“Hey, Mai,” the white witch greeted as she neared your table. She had gotten there quick. “I’m actually here with these guys tonight.”

“Oh?” Mai flashed her eyes back to you, “You never told me you knew Anzu.”

“We just met today actucally, through them,” you waved your hand at Yugi and Atem, who had taken the two spaces beside you, leaving Joey and Anzu to sit on the other side.

“Hm, small city then.”

When the five of you had settled down in the booth, Mai waved over her waitress and told your group to order so you could get down to business. After placing your order the waitress scurried off to the kitchen and Mai grabbed a chair from the empty neighboring table, scooting it to the head of your booth and plopping down.

“Now, what can I help you with, hm?” the blond asked.

Everyone else leaned in, considering you hadn’t relayed exactly what Pegasus had told you, and Anzu was a bit behind on everything that had been uncovered that day.

“I may have a lead on Marik,” you started, tone low enough not to carry far. “Rumor is that his followers have been picking up humans off the streets and something we found today says that he drains all of them not only for food but also in an effort to turn them so he can gain followers.

Mai sighed, “Thank explains how he’s kept his body dumps down to a minimum. And the cops around here write their deaths off as overdoses or muggings gone wrong. Still no idea where he picks these poor souls up?”

“Not really, but I think I have a description of one of his closer cronies, one that might be doing a lot of the victim picking. We’re hoping that if we find him, we’ll find Marik. Have you seen or heard of a vampire hanging around, tall, well built, tan skin, and tattoos of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on his face?”

Mai raised an eyebrow, “That’s a rather distinct man right there, and unfortunately, no, I haven’t seen or heard of anyone fitting that description. But now that I know you’re looking, I’ll keep an eye out, Honda will, too.” She leaned back in her chair, actually looking a bit concerned now. “I’ll ask some of my regulars if they’ve seen any vamps creeping on humans. Usually they mention that stuff to me anyway because they know I’ll pass it on to you, but, you never know.”

You nodded and despite the fact that your lead had come to a halt, you were hopeful. You knew that Mai’s personal history with ‘creepy’ vampires would make her take this threat and her promise seriously. “Thanks, we’d appreciate that.”

Mai nodded, then got up from her seat. “No problem. There’s something else I needed to talk to you about, though.”

She waved her hand as she started towards the bar and, after casting a look to the others at the booth, moved to get up and followed her. Atem and Yugi had to move out of your way and Yugi looked as though he wanted to ask what was up. In contrast, Atem’s eyes narrowed a little and you wondered if he had wanted to say something regarding your leads before Mai left, but you figured that Mai had purposely cut the conversation short with that in mind.

Through the crowds you wove, until Mai slipped behind the bar, leaving you to lean against the support beam nearby. She took a folded up piece of notepaper out from under the old landline phone and returned to you.

“About an hour ago, that creepy ghoul contact of yours called. He said to tell you that he has some info you’d want to hear and to meet him at the old parkway apartment building.” She handed you the paper, with the address and date scrawled across it in Mai’s neat handwriting. “I didn’t want to mention it in front of your friends,” she continued, arms crossed. “Didn’t know how much they were meant to know or...” her voice trailed off then, an odd occurrence for the confident Mai who always had something to say.

You looked up and met her eyes, wondering if she was recalling the last time a creeper vampire picked a human up off the streets. “Thanks, Mai. With any luck, he’ll have something that’ll help us catch Marik. And don’t worry, we will catch him.”

That confident smile was back on Mai’s face in an instant, though you couldn’t tell if it was her typical mask or not. “I’m not worried, there’s a reason you’re the only magician I trust, you know.”

“And as for them,” you threw a look back at the booth where your new friends were still seated, “Anything you want to pass on to me, you can tell them. Especially Yugi and Atem.”

Mai got a very...interested look on her face then. “Ooh, what’s this? My girl saying things like ‘we’ and sharing all her secret contacts with friends. And here I always thought you were a lone wolf type!”

A sudden nervous air filled your chest and you found yourself looking away. “They’re just helping me with the Marik case, that’s all.”

When Mai gave an unconvinced hum you scoffed and turned to walk back to your booth without another word, hearing her chuckle to herself as you went. It didn’t take long to reach the table and scoot back into your spot beside Yugi and Atem, taking in their curious but silent gazes.

“She had a message for me from Bonz, I’ll be meeting him tomorrow night for some information.”

Yugi smiled, hopeful and positive, “That’s good, maybe with what we found out tonight, it’ll be something good!”

“Maybe…” you trailed off, looking at the pressed wood of the table with unfocused eyes as you thought.

After a minute, Atem’s deep voice brought you out of said musings. “You didn’t mention that Mai herself is a human. I’m surprised she would own a place like this.”

You almost smirked at that. Most were shocked, to say the least when they saw a young human girl catering to demons and mythical creatures. “Yup. There’s a reason she’s so serious about making sure humans are safe here, and that none of her customers cause any trouble.”

“Speaking of,” Anzu said with an annoyed huff, and nodded her head back towards the bar.

When you all turned that direction, you saw that a minotaur was jumping up from his barstool and glowering down at one of the wolves who had been playing poker just minutes ago.

“How about I beat in that muzzle of yours, mutt!” the minotaur snarled as the werewolf looked up at him with a bored expression.

“Hey!” Mai’s firm and icy voice cut above the shorter man’s snapping comeback and she leaned against the bar, glaring at the two patrons. “You both know the rules, take it outside, or can it all together!”

“I don’t take orders from scrawny ass humans like you,” the minotaur barely gave Mai a glance as he growled, which only served to anger the blonde even more.

“That’s it, out you go, walking or tossed out, I don’t care which.”

When the beast actually turned his attention fully on Mai, Joey and Atem both jumped up from their seats. “She’s gonna get herself killed!” Joey hissed.

You gave your new friend’s shin a firm kick and Atem an almost disinterested look. “Sit down, Mai can handle herself. She doesn’t need any knights to swoop in and save her. And even if she did, about a dozen others would beat you to it.”

Indeed, more than ten other patrons had gotten to their feet at the sign of a brewing fight, but they, much like Honda by the door, waited, hanging back and only ready to step in if needed. Cultivate the right kind of customers, and you get the right kind of loyalty.

Just as you said, though, Mai was seasoned at dealing with troublemakers three times her size and strength. The moment the minotaur started spewing a threat at her directly, she rolled her eyes and pulled something out from under the bar.

Mai hefted the giant and already loaded crossbow in her hands, aiming it right at the aggressor's throat. “Because I really don’t like cleaning blood off my bar I’ll say it one more time. Out. Now. Or my iron-tipped friend here will give you a new piercing to go with that gaudy nose ring.”

With a new wariness to his gaze, the minotaur eyed the tip of the arrow, cautious considering his kind were quite vulnerable to iron. Then he let out a snarl through his nose and gave the werewolf a hard shove to move out of his way as he turned. “Eh you ain’t worth killing, this place is trash anyway.”

Mai kept her weapon trained on the man’s back as Honda opened the door and waved him out with a mocking gesture. Just like that, the crisis was averted, like usual and everyone settled back down to their drinks and food as if nothing had happened. When Joey and Atem gave each other confused looks you actually let out a laugh, which Anzu and Yugi quickly joined.

Oh yes, Mai could take care of herself indeed.

***

“So, if my understanding is correct, you and your entire staff could not hold her for the twelve minutes it took us to get here?”

“Well there’s no need to be so snarky,” Pegasus sighed, eyeing the tall magician with a mane of long flowing hair to rival his own.

The vampire’s staff (or at least the few who could still walk) had barely started sweeping up the mess you had left behind. Windows and doors busted, tables left charred and upturned, glass everywhere- to put it short, the vampire lord’s club, was a mess.

“You underestimated her, did you?” Mana asked in a singsong tone. Then, when she saw a vampire who was healing from a nasty gash in his throat help a troll untangle himself from a fancy rope, she actually giggled.

Mahad threw her a scolding look and she quickly stifled her laughter, straightening her posture to something more professional. “Is there anything else you can tell us?” Mahad asked the vampire.

“Yes, she was with three young fey, they helped her best my bodyguards.” He cast a look around his demolished dining room. “Though I’m certain she would have managed to escape without them. Your kind trained her well.”

Mahad narrowed his eyes at the smiling tone in the vampire’s last words and found himself wondering if Pegasus really had tried his hardest to detain you. The old vampire had always been a bit...chaotic, and it wouldn’t surprise Mahad if he only half tried to capture you, just to see how the rest played out for his own amusement.

“Yes, they did train her well,” Mahad answered.

“Good thing they trained me even better,” came a new voice brimming with condescension.

The magicians and vampire turned to see two more men approaching through the broken dining room doors. Mahad felt an anxious heat crawl across his skin as the newcomers examined the scene.

“What are you two doing here?” Mana snapped at them.

The cocky one of the two, the one who had spoken, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and leisurely lit one before answering. “We’re here to take over the hunt, of course.” He took a long drag, then blew the smoke out in a long breath, aiming it straight for Mana’s displeased face. “Council says you two are too...friendly with the target,” a nasty smile crossed his lip then, “so we’re going to hunt her down instead.”

Before Mana or Mahad could reply, Pegasus let out a loud, bellowing laugh. “You two? You’ve got to be kidding me!” As if for dramatic effect, the vampire pressed his hand to his forehead, still laughing, “Oh, she’s going to eat you two boys alive!”

“Shut it, prissy boy!” the cocky magician snapped, sadistic smirk now twisted into a scowl.

“Young man, do you realize how many vampires and demons of all variety I employ, hm?” Pegasus said in a mocking tone.

“Oh, we know,” the second of the two finally spoke, “that’s why they sent us- well, me at least,” he threw a raised eyebrow at his partner before shrugging. Then, his eyes scanned a scorched wall as he let out a low whistle of appreciation. “Knew she wouldn’t have trouble escaping, tore the place up pretty good too.” He gave an admiring sigh, tucking a stray strand of dark hair behind his ear. “Such a badass, I swear I’m in love with that girl.”

“You shut it too, pretty boy,” his partner growled, then turned back to Mahad and Mana. “The Council's put us in charge of this, so just stay the hell outta my way, got it?”

Mana bristled at the demand, fists clenching as she made to step forward- but Mahad extended a hand to stop her. She didn’t miss the way her master’s jaw clenched as he replied to the two men.

“If that is what the Council wishes, then we will not argue,” Mahad said in a tone devoid of any emotion. “Do you wish to hear what we’ve already found?”

The cocky one’s smirk was back as he took another drag of his cigarette. “Don’t bother.” He stepped away then, purposely turning his back on the master and apprentice as he unsheathed his silver dagger and ran his thumb along the flat of the blade. “We’ve got other ways of hunting her down.”

[c-atm]

Meeting

You feel the anxiety in your throat as you stand in front of the door. The light of the evening sunset, making it look more mystical than any office door should be. You take a nerve easing breath before grabbing the copper knob, giving it a twist, pulling your right arm and opening the door to a medium size office.

You're greeted to four near bare burgundy walls.  The only decoration being a couple of diploma on the eastern wall and on the west, a sword...A very cartoonish, very sharp sword. Not many real swords have a star as their guard. On the far back wall was a bookshelf filled with books, but it also held disks (can't really tell what the disk were), and a small amount of photos.

 In front of that there is a mahogany desk with a swivel chair. On the desk there's a green rectangular table mat the size of two book covers, a small lamp, unopened folders ... And at the corner of the mat, closest to the chair; a picture in a biscuit brown and strawberry red frame stood out. 

You walk up to the desk and reach out to grab the picture before taking a seat in front of the desk in the  cushion seated chair. The picture, it's of the boss with her beau. 

A large man of very slight tan skin, with black curly locks and a slight chubby face, smiling bright. Can't tell what they were wearing as it was a selfie, but it was taken in the evening..and  by the love laced smile she was giving the man, she was very happy then, enough to pay no attention to the camera in his hand, all eyes on him.

Hard to believe such a couple was involved in such a lifestyle. Hard to believe such a woman leads a 'family'...Hard to be so familiar with, talk and laugh with the face of someone you will never meet..of a dead man.

"You are as curious as Nora and Dai said."

A strong, velvety voice speaks from behind causing you to place the picture back down in a hurry, careful not to mess up the neat desk as you stand up in attention. You turn to the source and feel both your cheeks heat up as something else..Something cooler, creeps gently around  your heart.

 Skin of chestnut with hair a wood, cut to a flowing shoulder length. A roundish face adorned with a prominent nose, a small mouth and thick eyebrows, her eyes were hidden behind a pair of cobalt goggle lensed shades. Dressed in a white three-piece suit with black silk button up and a deep violet tie in a windsor knot, a pair of black bit loafers and brown calf length socks. 

She is adorable and could easily be mistaken for a young boy with how her clothes fit over her frame, instead of a woman seven years your senior. That is, if you ignored the fullness and gentle bounce of her modest breast, the slight sway of her hips when she walked, and the silken tone of voice. A sidf

The smell of chai and vanilla reverberates within your nose as she walks by and takes her seat behind her desk. Removing her glasses and revealing a very pretty pair of blak pearls for eyes, before giving you a sweet smirk.

‘I retract my young boy statement. How in the hell is this charming thing an arms dealer?’ She was a hard contrast to what a gunrunner was...Though Dia and Nora wasn’t exactly the standard either.  

“Please sit down, no need to be nervous.” Her voice is a twinkling bell to the ear, very relaxing and trusting. Still, there’s something peremptory about her request, forcing you to sit almost instinctively. 

“So..what’s your name?”

“R-Reader.”  ‘The hell...Why am I so nervous?’

“Interesting, is it a nickname? An alias of some type?”

“I..I suppose. It’s what I’ve always been called.” ‘That tone..it’s so sweet and kind...So why?’

“No parents? Or family?”

“Not- not that I know of.”  ‘Why?!’ 

“Oh wow, kind of explain why you're so gritty. No home training.”

You can feel your cheeks glow at her giggle, it’s melodic, motherly even. Something to protect. Despite that, the chill you felt hasn't disappeared...Haven’t diminished for a moment.

Warm and cool.

Nora and Dia described the boss...This person as such..

A perfect clarification.

“You’re on guard.”

Wide eyes greet her at her easy statement. She’s reading you.  “I..” 

“Not exactly what you thought, huh? A sweet little girl like me being in the Arms trafficking game. It’s ok. You can be honest.”

"Don't know."  What's there to be said, that will stop this strangulation in the air, this icy cool and gentle heat. A pleasurable suffocation.

She hummed gently. "Then..how about you tell what you do know?"

An arched eyebrow was the response, reflex.

"Why'd you help my people a month ago?"

You feel your mouth open in realization, before settling in a small smirk, recalling the night you met those two, Nora and Dai. It was a simple night, hardly any stars out but there was a half moon.

You remember the crunching of the gravel beneath your feet as you walked that coastal city road, looking for something to eat...something to steal, so you could eat. You remember searching your hip and ass pockets to see if you had anything that could frighten a tourist. You remember looking up at hearing Nora yell to 'clothesline them'.

You still don't know why you did it, lift your arm up and throw it to some 'rat bastard' neck, as Nora elegantly called the thief. Why held the por guy down until Dai and Nora came up and took him away, maybe to rough him up...Maybe worse. You didn’t think much about the guy when Dai offered you dinner at a high class restaurant, nor when Nora came back with a new shirt, saying her other one got.. Messy. Wasn’t your business at the moment...You still don’t think about them.

You remember drinking liquor you never tasted, food you never ate and actually enjoying a bit of a life you never thought you could have. You remember having a comradire with a pair of twins missing their triplet, toasting in his name as they kicked back his favorite drink and ate his favorite food. Dai tearing up as Nora patted his back wiping her own tears; two years, you remember they telling you. It was the second year anniversary of his… Their brother, Steven's passing..  

The talks of his bright eyed daughter, their niece; who's as precocious, as she's gentle. Smart and cunning as her mother, charming and empathetic as her father, with a smile that encapsulated both her parents, perfectly. They half joked that she would take over the world at the age of 21, with all that going for her. 

The talk of his wife, their sister-in-law and their boss; The woman across from you. How their tone always seems to waver from reverence to outright fear, but always full of love..Was it familial or unrequited romance. Seems to waver depending on the story...Though, it seemed when their brother died he took her wanting for that type of companionship as well.

 There was some scuffle in there too with some local gang boss, whining about how the boss is a snobbish bitch because she wouldn’t trade their drugs for her weapons and her late husband probably killed himself to escape her. You don’t remember much of what they said after that.

You do recall getting a scolding metal tea kettle and beating the asshole skull with it, repeatedly. Everything after was a flash of white and red fury. Don’t even remember when they got you into the swanky hotel room you woke up at, better than the hobble you called home. 

“From there they just started to take me with them on runs, kept me fed and such. Put some money in my pocket, guess they thought something positive about me.”  You shrugged as you finish your story looking up at the boss.

She’s leaned back into her chair, Her left ankle on her right knee, tips of her fingers pressed against each other, slighted downward held at stomach length, the blinds from the window casting both shadow and light on her smirking lips and devilish black eyes respectively. 

‘I see why they all fell for her.’ She's chillingly beautiful. Dangerously gorgeous. Sinisterly enchanting. Could make men and women fall at her, on appearance alone. 

“Ah! So you're the reason Paco looked like he was beat by a branding lorn when he came to apologize." that voice and chuckle was more sensual than sweet, it made you clench up, as you felt that chill around your heart tighten, a strong grip..Hers and it’s unsure if it's anxiousness or excitement you feel "I love a good story, thank you Reader”.

“Yes, boss!..I mean, Mrs.Universe…” It was impossible to stop the words...This woman...She's more than what they described. 

"Oh! You've already decided to join me.. " 

You feel your palms sweat, your mouth dry and your heart squeezed at her statement.  The smile those eyes and those lips make. Those lips dressed in a tone lighter than her skin, allowing just the smallest amount of teeth show. Kissable yes, but more fatal than anything. The lips of one who could devour the world. Along are those eyes that pierce yours and steal the majority of your will, leaving you with just the barest sliver of it and just to coax you with their entrancing beauty to give it to her. 

"She's an arms dealer. Her life is filled with bullets and bodies. She weaponized everything from military to mafia. To join her is death." That's what your mind and heart are saying. 

To deliver it in her name, for her cause, at her call, without fail and get paid for it. That's your mental statement. 

Your emotional side, your heart; it's statement is clear...You will die for her, happily. To join her is to sacrifice your life for hers. Put it all on the line for this woman who you just met. 

It's crazy. Your instincts are saying she's  dangerous, she's deadly, she monstrous..She's…

"Anyone, whose willing to defend my Biscuit's honor, that of our love…" 

It was quick but you saw it, the moment she turned her eyes to the photo on her desk. A flash of the boundless depths that is her love for this man long passed. A sliver of her human vulnerability.

"And that of our little family we've gathered. Well, I can't say I wouldn't want to have a person like that on my team." And with a moment those sensual killer eyes are back at full force the vulnerability from before returned to the shadows, and with it..

"But that decision is yours." 

Any will to deny her…

You reach out and kiss her knuckles in reverence, their soft yet calloused, and can possibly summon more power than yours. One that can seize the world. You turn to her and see her expression and in an instant you feel it. Looking at her satisfied smirk, the glow in her black eyes, brought on by the sun. You can feel it.

The cool vice grip on your heart, the warm welcoming strangulation around your neck. 

You can only follow as she takes the same hand and lifts your chin before moving her face closer to you. A half inch apart and you are enveloped by her. This immeasurable being of charisma, strength and presence. Her smell, her eyes, her skin, her hair, her frame, her persona, her being.  

She gives the first true smile, bright as the sun and full of her darkest designs. You can see her..The real her; Connie Maheswaran-Universe. Neither a devil or an angel, nor warm and cool.. She was so much more. She is thrill, battle, adventure and adrenaline. She's love, life, death, creation and destruction. She's chaos and order.. And you..

"Glad to have you...You're mine now, Reader" 

Her truth thrills you to the core.